… As you can probably tell from my previous posts. So, dammit, I’m taking one!

I’ve completely stunned myself by booking a holiday to Ubud in Bali in mid-July for ten days. I’ve never seriously pondered Bali as a destination I’d travel to before - it’s really not very ‘me’! However, I’ve been convinced by a few people (including the lovely meringue) that it’s a really great place to go and relax, especially if you avoid the notoriously iffy bits of the island and go at a good time of year (which is pretty much right now).

And a relaxing holiday - as opposed to a ‘travelling’ holiday - is what I desperately need. In fact I don’t think I’ve had one of those for over ten years!

Ubud is in the mountains and I gather it should be quieter and cooler than many places along the coast. It’s also known as being the main centre for fine and performing arts in Bali.

I’ve booked myself into a great looking hotel with gorgeous grounds, a perfect swimming pool (see above!), air conditioned rooms and excellent reviews - the Bali Spirit Hotel.

So now there’s just … a lot to organise!

Today I’ve finally managed to purchase a perfect daypack for getting around with and taking on the plane. This proved to be a surprisingly difficult and long-winded task when shopping online. It was hard enough to find exactly the right type of bag, only to discover that most US retailers completely refuse to ship internationally (I guess my money isn’t good enough for them or something!), while most Australian retailers either have an extremely limited range or utterly over the top pricing ($350 for a daypack? I don’t think so!) and UK retailers have a great range but when you convert things from Pounds Sterling into dollars … ouch. Of course I would love to have purchased one from an indie designer, but I had no luck finding one who makes what I need - although Timbuk2 was indie once upon a time.

Now I need to find some decent walking shoes, organise vaccinations and travel insurance, get my head around the ever-changing visa situation and baggage restrictions, get a letter from my doctor explaining that, yes, I really do need to take all of those medications with me, sort out some bathers/swimmers, get my plants minded … and much more. Nothing like wearing myself out even more before I take my desperately needed rest, huh?!

As for my shops on Etsy, Mintd and Bouf … I’ve decided to keep all of them open but will try to make it as clear as possible that there will be a delay in terms of shipping, which I will get to asap upon my return to Australia after my ten day trip. If you’re considering purchasing something for a gift or an event, you might like to bear this in mind.