Last month, my camera and I took a trip to the meditative shores of Bali. Whilst many know the Indonesian island for its topical escapism and tranquil blue seas, the lens helped bring another side of the 145km long Island.

The white sand beaches which lure many families and holiday goers to the shores of Bali, highlight the wonders available in this part of the world. But beyond the photoshop quality sunsets, are families whose day to day lives in this “paradise” are far from heavenly.

During the trip, we visited Lombok – an island off the east of Bali, which besides the surfers appeal is relatively untouched by the tourism trade, which tends to sweep the abject poverty of the locals under the sheen of five star resorts. The stark contrast of these two worlds is undeniable and whilst culture shock may be a cleat – it is so for a reason. Trying to understand how these people live, work and raise families is virtually inconceivable. These family homes don’t have four walls, and doors – let alone the running water and electricity many of us see as the bare minimum for a family home.

Whilst there, we saw children digging for sea life on the beaches to become their next meal, people preparing meals on the paths outside their homes and all right besides the white sand beaches and gentle waves we would often consider a drink with a paper umbrella away from the perfect life.

Some of these photos are hard to see side-by-side, but maybe that means we should be paying more attention to them, not shying away from them.

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