India…

For years our friends have been telling us how much we would love India for the colour and inspiration but it wasn’t really on our radar as there isn’t any surf…well actually there is but it is inconsistent and when time is of the essence..a bit hard to connect with.  At the moment Grant doesn’t draw up grids with destinations down the side and months across the top like Pete Brockhoff does..but he does consult a few secret sources..and as yet hasn’t put India top of the list.  So when my great friend Sarah Kennish who owns a furniture importing business “Sasson Home” invited me along on one of her business trips I was thrilled; what a great way to see India for the first time…and I wouldn’t have to organise a thing!

So we ventured far and wide! In Delhi we trawled the bazaars in the old city; round the fabric and trimmings markets and the Tibetan Markets where I found some great jewellery. I was introduced to Indian Thali and Masala Dosa and ran into Steve Waugh in the lobby. From there we flew to Jaipur..and I kept thinking “Colour? What Colour? Where’s the colour?” And then I saw it….I was so busy looking at the streets I couldn’t look upwards and outwards…it was on the women and in the bazaars and up above the shop fronts on the crumbling walls; and it was on the faces and in the language and in the funny way the Indians have of rolling their heads so they dont have to say “no”.

In Jaipur we visited Fabric Merchants and more bazaars. Sarah showed me Anokhi..and Soma..and Cotton and we bought metres of Block Printed Cloth. We saw how this ancient method is used; with the design carved into blocks of wood and then painstackingly printed by hand onto the cloth and then laid in the sun to dry. I bought bangles and toe thongs in orange and lime green and we stayed in the most gorgeous old Havelli with a fantastic pool thank goodness as it was soo hot! On my last night I went to an IPL cricket match to see the Rajastan Royals and Delhi and sat in the stands amongst the Indians eating samosas and slices of Domino pizza with their faces painted and swinging Vodafone blow up sticks. Colour, colour..happiness everywhere…

And then we needed time out….in Goa!

Seriously….could it get much better than this….?

After travelling around Sri Lanka we stopped off in Bali for a week to catch up with some friends. We were kind of looking forward to it as we know Bali so well but we were also dreading the crowds after the tranquility of Sri Lanka. But Bali is how you see it…we love it. Straight away I caught up with my Yoga class and friends I hadn’t seen for a while, and the boys took off surfing to Canggu..our family has been going to Bali every year for 20 years so Ella and Oli  know it as their family holiday. We have our traditions and favourite warungs and occassionally we make the effort to meet friends at new reastaurants, but we dont get that impressed. We could eat at Asia Warung every meal as we love the simplicity and freshness of their food. There is so many layers to Bali…and it is so inspiring…the creativity and design that is evident from the street to the new ott Potato Head and W Hotel..is mindblowing!  But we still love the simple stuff…..

It was with some trepidation that Olly and Grant approached the Flow Rider…they had heard various reports..none that good actually but we were in Singapore and decided to give it a go.

So they watched and then decided to start off on the Flow Rider before trying the Flow Barrel.

It was hilarious! A lesson in humility..these guys aren’t snow boarders..and there were about 12 people in the session so it took a while for your turn to come round…would they do it again..I don’t think so…but we can cross that off the list…..

The view from the top…..