It is a personal heaven for me, a place where people put flowers behind the ears of sculptures and doors are artworks! This whole blogpost is dedicated to the Balinese Door. They are so exquisitely beautiful that I just had to take pictures of them!
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There is just something about Bali that touches my spirit like no other country I have ever been to. Bali is a feast for the senses but there is is an energy here that arouses more than just the eyes, the nose, taste, touch and the ears. There is an energy here that touches the soul. You wont find this at a nightclub in Kuta or in a hotel chain resort. No you need to head out of the tourist traps and into Bali itself.
When I asked our taxi driver about this, he simply said “In Bali the people give offerings and thanks to the gods many times a day, and when there is so much gratitude there is good energy.”
This really made me think.
Can you imagine how many more smiles there would be in this world if we all gave thanks many times a day?
Here are some photos from our time in Ubud. Click here to the absolutely gorgeous villa we stayed in the rice paddies in Pejeng.
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Monica, Charlene and I left the hustle and bustle of the tourist trap also known as Kuta, after the Fearless wedding conference needing some peace and quiet. Charlene had booked us a villa on the rice paddies just outside of Ubud through airbnb and we really had no idea what to expect as so often photos can be very misleading. Our jaws had to be picked up off the floor when we walked into Bennu House and we had to give each other a good pinch just to bring ourselves into reality and realise that we had landed with our bums firmly in the butter.
Bennu House is not only in an absolutely breathtaking piece of paradise surrounded by coconut trees and working rice plantations it is also exquisitely decorated. All three of us love interesting and quirky design and we have all commented that Benu House is our idea of a dream house. It is a reclaimed Joglo house from Java, which has been given a modern open plan design and it is mostly blue which is my colour! The furnishings are just perfect and even though it is really modern and spacious it has an Indonesian charm and aesthetic which is exactly what one wants when visiting Bali!
We arrived to macaroons and a bottle of chilled white wine and that was really just the start of how I Made and Phillip went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. The beds could be likened to big clouds with wafting mosquito nets. There are so many small touches which made it just about impossible to leave the villa like an iPod docking station, flowers in all of the rooms, a huge open aired bath, breathtaking views, delicious Balinese breakfasts, a masseuse on call and lots of space to do yoga, write and just take it all in.
We spent a lot of time chilling at the house but we also had some wonderful adventures in and around Ubud, so even though the house is a bit out of town it is still really accessible. Perhaps my favorite part of the Benu house experience was watching the locals work the rice fields and the sound of the frogs, cycadas and geckos at night.
Benu House is nothing short of magical and I will hold my memories of this past week spent here very close to my heart.
Next stop Gili Islands!! Catch you on the other side!!
And here is a portrait of the prince of Benu House also known as I Made. He is an exceptional human who is one of the kindest and most entertaining people you will ever meet, he also speaks seven languages! To say that the hosts of Benu house went above and beyond to make our stay perfect would be an under statement.
If you would like to stay at Bennu house you can contact I Made on airbnb or psignature.bali@gmail.com
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There is something incredibly magical about the light in Natal in June. As the sun starts heading to it’s hiding place behind the hills in the evening, everything in it’s path is bathed in a warm gentle glow. With the sun setting in the west we Durban folk don’t get the spectacular ocean sunsets that Cape Town does. I do however know of a certain lagoon which is painted yellow, orange and then pink as the sun dips.
When Lisa first contacted me about possibly shooting their wedding she asked my opinion about what I thought the best month would be to plan a Natal wedding. I could tell that light was very special to Lisa. I naturally told her that June would be the month I would choose to get married and when she asked me to do their engagement shoot on the beach I naturally chose my special lagoon!
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Hey Jax, Great pics of Tash and Neil’s wedding. I just wanted to ask how you managed to get that pic of them being pelted with Holi powder without damaging your camera. Hope you don’t mind me being nosey. Lara
Hi Lara
Believe it or not I used a water housing! Tash had warned me before the big day that as they left the reception there would be a Holi throwing fest and it was important to her to get a great shot of this so I took along my Outex! Holi powder is incredibly fine and I am sure my camera would have been trashed without it! The Outex system is great as not only does it allow one to take your gear underwater it is a brilliant protective cover! I honestly didn’t think I would be using it at actual weddings when I first got it but there you go!!!! Thanks to Liz my assistant for the funny pic of me!
Click on this link to see the full set of images
If you would like to enquire about purchasing an Outex in South Africa contact Patrick on
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