Stepping out of the airport in Denpasar, the heat will embrace you like a familiar friend. If you’ve been to Indonesia and other Asian countries before, you’ll know the heat can be generously thick, yet if you’re leaving winter in New Zealand like I was then you’ll most likely turn up in jeans or pants and regret the decision until you reach a long-awaited shower at your hotel room, (heads up to pop a t-shirt and shorts in your carry-on). Nevertheless, there’s nothing quite like a tropical escape from the wet and windy months back home.
It may sound cliché, but it’s true – the air smells like lemongrass, frangipani and something else sweet and magical you can’t quite put your finger on. The enveloping heat invites you to roll down the taxi window and take it all in – the sizzling street food, the flood of scooters and horns and the hustle and bustle of this beautiful island.
I was so glad to be back in one of my favourite places, and you couldn’t have taken the smile off my face if you tried!
With a heart full of excitement and a suitcase brimming with
