Indonesia: Lombok, Bali & The Gili Islands - Seminyak, Indonesia
Seminyak, Indonesia
After what seemed like a forever journey having got up at 4.30am and arriving at Bali airport at 7pm, I had finally made it. The airport was massive and seemed quite grand but almost empty. I think we were one of the last flights in so we had a lot of walking through empty halls to do. Immediately on leaving customs, I was asked if I wanted a taxi and was told it would cost £35. That's more than at home! I thought I'd better get out a bit more money if this was a sign of the cost. I saw a sign saying please only use the designated airport taxi so I tried them and that was £25 - still expensive but more palatable so I went with them. On the way the taxi driver recommended seafood and suckling pig to try as they are both specialities of Bali. A car with a siren and flashing blue lights came up behind us so the taxi driver moved over to let what looked like a pimped-up pick-up truck go past. I said it was an odd police car and the driver laughed and said it wasn't the police, it was someone rich and important in the town. I wondered if that was a sign of the corruption I'd heard about - that if you are rich, you can just stick a blue siren on and have the same traffic rights as the police! The room I had booked in to that night was so clean and beautiful and I was sad I wouldn't get the full benefit of it as I arrived late and was leaving early the next day. It even had movies so I treated myself and the shower was 4 slate tiles in the middle of loads of pale pebbles for drainage - I wondered if I could copy that at home in my tiny bathroom! Next morning I got picked up half an hour late by the free transportation for the ferry and was beginning to panic a bit so started emailing them but all was well and as is always the way, as soon as I'd pressed "send" on the email, they arrived! The ferry journey was much longer than I thought even though it was the fast boat. It took over two hours to get to Lombok. The boats fascinate me as they all have about 10 outboard motors on them to make them go faster rather than using a more powerful engine. That's a lot of starting up and stopping! There were also lots of boats with what looked like stabilisers on each side. I'm guessing sometimes the waves are pretty big for the fishermen and this looks like an innovative solution and there is a chance I might not actually have wanted to barf on one of these - I've worked out I'm not the best sailor! After a stop further up Bali Island and on Gili Trawanagan, we all alighted on Lombok. Everyone who got off with me seemed to have their pick-up organised so I had to pay for a lone passenger taxi - £25 again! The driver told me if he was doing it alone he would charge £17.50 and I found out a metered cab back to the ferry would cost me about £11 - the price gets better by the second! The taxi driver pulled up outside a very beautiful and exclusive hotel to drop me off and (unfortunately!) I immediately knew it was the wrong place and so we headed off again to find the B&B I had booked which had a similar name but there the similarities ended. We found it tucked away down a quiet back road but I needed to be sure this was the right place as there were no signs outside and the taxi driver had got it wrong before. The problem was the guy working there, Nandi, spoke no English and I spoke no Indonesian. Eventually the owner John arrived and confirmed we had the right place so I could get my things and go in. John has his own house next door - this house is for Nandi as the housekeeper and guests. My first impression was that I was not the kind of place I feel comfortable in. It was dirty; so dirty it was grimy, and dusty, the air conditioning was broken and I wasn't really too keen on having a shower in bare feet - always a sign! I know this makes me a dreadful snob as any kind of shower is a bonus and Nandi was content just tipping a bowl of cold water over himself to shower. I fixed the showerhead whilst I was there by sticking pins in each hole so water would actually come out and come out straight! Although the place was not for me, Nandi and John were incredibly welcoming. I had quite a long chat with John on my first night. He is from Australia and used to be a teacher of Indonesian in Melbourne and has lived in Indonesia for 20 years. He would often bring the children on school trips to Indonesia. One company just starting out offering student trips asked him to trial them and they were so awful, he thought he could do better and had a new headmaster at his school who was dreadful and used to call in sick whenever he had a parent conference, so he took a chance, resigned and moved to Bali. I would guess he is in his 70s now and is living in Lombok running the guesthouse, taking people to visit a friend's village school and running the odd school trip. He is a generous man and when I said I thought both taxi drivers had taken too much money, he said its not a bad thing as I'm probably helping them pay for their children - RAKs strike again! I headed off to watch the sunset on the beach nearby. On the west of Lombok which is where I was the sand is grey as there are laval deposits from the nearby volcano so it doesn't really look that attractive. Apparently east and south are best for the white sands and turquoise seas but I knew I'd be seeing that when I went to the Gili Islands so didn't mind. The beach was actually pretty cool as all the rocks jutting out of the sea were lava and the sunset was lovely, especially as there were two boys in shadow fishing off one of the bigger rocks creating a lovely silhouette. When I got back, John invited me to join him and Nandi for dinner as Nandi had some left over lunch. It was chicken on the bone in a Thai style sauce, sticky rice and what was a bit like tomato flavoured prawn crackers and was very tasty although he had also made some eggs in a sauce that would have blown my head off had I tried it. I kept saying no even though Nandi was teasing me trying to get me to eat some to see my reaction! I was woken up at 5.30am every morning by a mosque nearby calling people to prayer but it was actually quite a nice way to wake up. I'd then lie and listen to the crickets building to a crescendo then quiet again in waves - that was nice too. Nandi always made a big breakfast for me of fruit and an omelette type of dish made of corn and called brigedel. He also made a kind of a fruit jelly; one day with melon, other days with kiwi. It is actually made of agar agar as many Indonesians don't have fridges so it just sets by itself and is safe to store at room temperature. It was a little tasteless but fine. That is, it was all fine until I saw the kitchen area - everything was black and thick with grime, I can't even begin to describe what seemed to be under the cupboards! It was so so dirty and I really struggled to eat anything after that. No wonder they said no when I'd offered to help with the washing up! The problem was the breakfasts got bigger each day! On my last day, another guest and I had 4 courses! I had to leave a cooked one as it just stuck in my throat - such a lovely effort by Nandi but I just couldn't eat it! At dinner, John told me about some of the good places to go to eat or have a drink in the town so I said I'd look them up if I had the urge to walk the 2km to Sengiggi. He also told me about the history of Indonesia with particular reference to Bali and Lombok as he'd lived in both. Indonesia was part of the Dutch colony. The kinds of people coming over were not the rich and gentry but people desperate to make their fortunes. On most voyages to Indonesia approximately only half would survive. When the Dutch came, they were interested only in making as much money as possible so investment in Indonesia itself as far as infrastructure or education was limited. It has been said the Indonesians would have rather been colonised by the British as although they were also brutal, they did at least invest in the countries they ruled. It was really only the rich locals that benefitted and there were few Indonesians who successfully studied for the Dutch exams and therefore qualified for university in Holland. They were often ostracised as "natives" so the battle was doubly challenging. When the Dutch first moved over they built traditional tall, Dutch houses with little windows. This was mosquito heaven so many people contracted malaria so started the day with a lot of "medicinal" gin to keep them at bay! The Napoleonic Wars in 1811 meant that France took control of the Kingdom of Holland. John Raffles, later of Singapore fame, mounted a successful military expedition against the Dutch and French in Java. Raffles negotiated peace for the short tenure of British rule when Holland took back control under the Anglo-Ditch Treaty of 1814. Indonesia. During this time, he noticed there was complete chaos on the roads so introduced order which is why Indonesians drive on the left hand side of the road. The Dutch liked this on their return so all was good! During the second world war, Holland was defeated by the Japanese who took over the colony. Their rule was brutal and oppressive. They sent many men to China and Burma to build railways or had them building in Indonesia. There is one hotel in Sengiggi where building has never finished. Every time a company buys it and starts building again something goes wrong. In one of the excavations a crude grave was found of many skeletons and swords which it is believed held the bodies of locals the Japanese discarded or of Japanese themselves who were buried with their swords. It is now believed this land is cursed so no one wants to finish the hotel. Once the Japanese surrendered, the British looked after Indonesia for about 4 years whilst the Dutch regained their strength the return. There was a bit of confusion around this time where the Indonesians say their independence was declared after the Japanese surrender in August 1945 but it was not confirmed this was the case until much later. The Dutch always said it was 1949 until 2005 when they accepted it de facto. Next day was a lazy day for me in Lombok. I woke up early as there is a mosque nearby and their first call to prayer starts at about 5.20am so it was quite noisy. Unlike Bali which is 90% Hindu, Lombok is 90% Moslem but both religions live in harmony together although interestingly locals I met whether Hindu or Moslem were worried about more radical Moslem groups moving in. This had been heightened whilst I was there as a hardline Moslem group was planning a protest rally against the Jakarta governor, Basuki Tjahja Purnama, a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese in the job whom they accused of blasphemy after he said his opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Koran - the verse implied Moslems should not choose non-Moslems as leaders. Police were investigating the case against Purnama, who had apologized for the remarks. His ethnicity should have no bearing on anything but the police were saying "provocative statements and images" which were racially and ethnically divisive had been published online urging violent action in the rally. These complaints escalated whilst I was there but it seemed the major protesting was in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and a long way away from me. In Lombok, in one inland village, John was telling me they had some mosques and a new one was being built and no one knew why as the village thought they had enough mosques for everyone. The village found out it was being built by a more radical moslem faction and was being financed from abroad. The villagers didn't want it as they like it as it is so approached the village elder to stop it but he said it had gone to far to stop so building would continue. The villagers disagreed so those working on the build stopped and everyone else withdrew approval so in the end it was never completed. I said to John I had been about to buy a mango from a local man at the bottom of the street but he'd lashed out and chased a stray dog away and it put me off as it was not very kind. John pointed out that in the Circle of Life, dogs are reincarnations from the lower beast realm so are expected to scavenge and bark to warn of evil spirits - that is their place. I do understand that but it is still quite hard to empathise. In general, I'd say dogs in the UK tend to live a charmed life! It made me more sad to see that outside the same shop, a tiny little kitten was taking refuge in a dustpan - I knew it'd be shooed away soon enough so I left it in peace. John offered to take me to the school he sponsors in the middle of the island to see the children the next day. I jumped at the chance. The original plan was to ride there on motorbikes but when I got up in the morning, it seems there was a change of plan and we were going by van. We needed to leave early as school always starts at 8am but finishes early on a Friday at 11am so the children can get to the mosque for prayer. The man who was driving us there, Maher, had gone to that school and his teacher was now the headmistress and his son would be going to the same school in a couple of years which was a lovely example of life coming full circle. It was a very old and rickety van and full of mosquitoes but it was obvious Maher was doing his best to keep it going and there were two little touches to this van I loved: At some point in time the car horn must have broken so Maher had wired in a doorbell button and screwed it to the dashboard. He pressed the doorbell every time he wanted to let someone know we were behind them! I guess the door speaker must have given up too so Maher had installed a full size chipboard stereo speaker covered in wood patterned sticky-back plastic which he'd fixed to the floor. This meant no leg room for me but I found it so amusing I didn't mind and was literally tapping my feet to the music! On the way we stopped off at a bookstore as I wanted to buy something for the children and John suggested a map of the world. They didn't have any in stock so I bought them a globe instead and John bought a chart of country flags and capital cities. It would be nice to show them where my home is in comparison to theirs. When we arrived, we came to courtyard with one long block of classrooms down the right hand side, a derelict building at back and a derelict building to the left with a building for the teachers next to it. The children had spotted us and came running our of their classrooms and were shooed back in by their teachers who came and welcomed us and ushered us in to the teacher's building. There are 56 children in total in the school divided in to 6 years, each with their own classroom. The teacher's building is quite a big room with an open roof so the rafters and roof tiles were visible (but not in a restored farmhouse kind of way!), a lot of text books along one shelf, an old sofa and 3 old desks. This functions as the administrative area, headmistress' office and staff room all rolled in to one. John explained that behind the derelict building at the back are two toilet cubicles with locks on them. They are not working because there is no water supply to the school. There used to be a connection to the village water supply but it had broken. This meant that if a teacher needed the toilet, the headmistress would give them her motorbike and send them to her house and if a child needed it, they would have to run in to the village and rely on someone's charity. These people must have bladders of steel! The people who'd visited before me are both Australian teachers and are doing some fundraising back home to see if they can get a water supply for the school and I saw a small water tank being built by hand from cement at the front of the teachers' block whilst I was there. John had told me about the lesson the Australian teachers had given where they taught the children a song in English (Rolfe Harris' "Tie me kangaroo down sport" of all songs!) so I felt the pressure to deliver too. I am not a teacher and so was awake a lot of the night before worrying about it and internet searching for games when teaching English as a second language for beginners. I had found two different games I could play but it seemed when we got there John already had plans so saved me. He talked to them about countries and their capital cities and then played a game with English number translation and then asked the children to teach me some Indonesian! That was fun and I could see a couple of children laughing at my terrible pronunciation! I learnt, good morning (there is no general word for hello - it is selamat xxxx depending on the time of day - selamat is quite similar to the Arabic word and John said there is a strong Arabic influence in Indonesian); how are you; how old are you (I said I wouldn't answer that one as I was a lady - when John explained that, all the teachers laughed!); goodbye; what's your job and other useful phrases. The children were so smiley and when I smiled back, they'd giggle and smile and cover their mouths with their hands. It would be lovely to teach in a place like this but could I live like that forever as I could never go back if I made that decision? I'm not sure. These children are so keen to learn and such fun to be with. They have nothing and when John once took some Australian children to visit, they took exercise books with them and the children were beside themselves with excitement which really surprised the Australian children as it's a given for them that they will have books to write in and it really isn't that exciting to get new ones as it's a given. It was soon time to leave as school was finishing for the day so the children could go to prayer. We waved a lot and all the children shouted goodbye. I had really enjoyed my morning out! We passed loads of flat rice fields flooded with water which seems to be how rice grows best and then stopped off for lunch on the way back which I bought for everyone to say thank you. It was a bit of a bizarre one as Maher spoke no English and so we all sat in silence or had pockets of conversation with the people who understood us. Our final stop before heading home, we stopped off at a supermarket so Nandi and John could pick up some provisions. I wandered around the fish counter and saw there was a whole area devoted to the sale of fish heads - not sure I've seen that in our UK supermarkets! Nandi gave me a lift in to Sengiggi the next day on the back of his motorbike so I had a wander along the streets of the small town. It is basically a fishing town that has expanded with tourism so there are a lot of little supermarkets of the Indomart chain and a lot of restaurants and bars. I headed down to the beach to a bar and restaurant recommended by John. As soon as I arrived and ordered a drink I was accosted by about 5 different beach traders. They were all very friendly but also very tenacious as it was low season and they wanted to sell something. One guy in particular would not leave me alone and we actually ended up talking for over an hour whilst he laid out bracelets and anklets on my leg as he talked! He told me he has one son with a daughter due in a week and showed me a photo of his family. He said if he wasn't selling on the beach his only other option was to sit at home and hang out with friends. He was given the jewellery by a central trader and would have to pay him for each sale and keep some commission. At the end of every conversation he would point to the jewellery and explain some of the beads were lava from the nearby volcano and surely I'd want to buy that and he was offering a much better price than he normally would. In addition, much like in Vietnam, the first sell is good luck sell and sets the trader up for the day. This guy was incredibly persistent and I pointed this out to one of the other traders who'd joined us and was selling t-shirts, that he should also do the same and not use the selling tactic of he would starve if I didn't buy anything as so many people say that, it unfortunately holds little sway now. I had said to both of them from the start I wouldn't buy anything and an hour later, the trader said he just needed an answer, was it a yes or a no? I laughed as I'd said no all morning so said nothing had changed; it was still no. He said in that case he was going for lunch but would be back soon - joy! And back he came. I actually really liked him and we talked about the ruined value of the pound so he offered me some jewellery at a reduced price again - about a third of what he had just offered some Australians nearby. I knew it was still more than what he'd paid for it (and a lady back at John's later confirmed this) but it worked out to be about £3 and so I gave in and gave him the sale. He definitely is the most tenacious salesman I've ever met! I also gave him the WiFi code to the café as it doesn't cost them any more for him to be on it and it meant he'd be in touch with his wife in case she went in to labour which was a relief for him. We ended up chatting a bit more and he said the ruckus that had developed inside the café as we'd been talking was an Indonesian group of people accompanying a rich doctor - they were certainly up for a lunch party as they started singing karaoke! I decided to say goodbye and leave my new chatty friend as the rain was coming so walked through the bar and applauded their efforts. They laughed and invited me to join them but I said no as i didn't speak any Indonesian (apart from what I'd learnt at school) and went on my merry way - just as the heavens opened! As I left, I spotted sinks in the café like they had in restaurants in Sri Lanka for people to wash their hands before dinner - I think it's quite a good idea. I made it to a supermarket and bought a snack to eat and joined an old man selling mangoes on the steps. I'd seen him down the beach and he only had a few left. I asked him how much they were and he said the price which is over double what I'd pay in the UK but I decided it would be another RAK thinking of Mark in Laos so I bought one anyway! I gave it to Nandi later saying it was the most expensive mango ever so he should treat it well. He laughed and agreed and gave some to me for breakfast the next day bless him! After the rain abated, I headed back to the B&B which was a lovely walk overlooking the headland at points so I took some nice photos looking out to sea. Being a bit of an ex-Ericsson telecoms buff, I spotted a palm tree phone mast. I'm afraid they don't look nearly as convincing as the conifer tree masts so I was not that impressed. I stopped off for a cheap-as-chips local dinner along the way which was OK. I walked along the road leading back to the B&B and saw an ice cream man. They normally play one of the most annoying tunes through a loudspeaker I've ever heard because it sticks in your brain forever! This man though had a different approach - he had attached a pudding bowl to his cart with a screw and was pinging it as he walked - ingenious! I also spotted a couple of orange tsunami evacuation signs. The B&B was set on a bit of a hill and if a tsunami struck, everyone had to evacuate up that road. When I got back one of John's friends, an Australian expat who'd lived in Lombok for 14 years was there. She seemed intent on telling me her life story including all the issues she's had with her many siblings so we sat on the verandah talking for a long time until she headed in for coffee and a chat with John. Next came a young couple. The man grew up in Canada and his family are Indonesian. He has married an Indonesian girl and they have a son together. He wants to move back to Canada with them but is not permitted to do so until he has worked there for two years to show he wont be moving to be dependent on the State. That's hard as he needs to be there to get a job so is living hand-to-mouth in Lombok until he can get the money to go back and will then be without his family. He'd come to John to borrow some money until his parents could send him some. I thought it must be very hard for him and also very generous of John. After so much socialising, I sat out on the veranda for a bit of peace and quiet and listened to the crickets. It was so loud - like a constant electricity buzz - there was definitely a lively feel to the place! Next morning, after the too-big breakfast, I took a taxi back to the Lombok ferry. The fare was £11 - quite a departure from my journey there! On the way, we passed street-side markets made up of grass covered stalls selling food to passing opportunist cars. As it was still quite early the market traders were lighting their wood and coconut shell fires to start cooking. Once I arrived at the ferry port we were ushered on early as the ferry was late as it had taken a slightly different route so we went back via the Gili Islands. Our first stop on the Bali mainland was Padang Bai where there were women on the ferry port shouting to sell their wares to pass to passengers on the roof of the boats or through the windows in to the boats. All you could hear were shouts of "mango mango!" or "drink, drink!". I was quite glad to leave Lombok as although I had heard many people say it was heaven I hadn't found it so. It may be that I was on the wrong side of the island away from the idyllic beaches and hadn't explored it enough but I found it to be quite parochial but looking to get the most out of every tourist. I was glad that my next stop was to meet up with my friend Alison Cleland from university in the Seminyak area of Bali for a few days. I was arriving the day after the big party night of the birthday boy Andy who is a childhood friend of Alison's husband David so wasn't sure what to expect but it'd be so nice to be amongst friends. I arrived at the address to find a long, open wood lined corridor with a heavy wooden door at the end. I walked through in to the most beautiful apartment block I think I've ever seen. Andy, who was celebrating his 40th birthday, lives in Hong Kong and had invited his nearest and dearest to join him in Bali to celebrate his new decade. The place was totally amazing - with staff - and was like an oasis of peace and luxury! I was expecting a sofa to sleep on in a common area but Andy said there was a spare room I could use and so I got my own room with a swimming pool a few steps away and my first ever four poster bed! This was luxury and more! I asked Andy if I could contribute something as this was far more than I expected and he very kindly said he knew what it was like to be travelling on a shoestring so I could just add to the drinks kitty so I added a bit every day to pay something. Everyone had a hangover when I arrived so that day was a quiet one - in the entire day I think Alison managed to get out of her seat 4 times! Once was to hug me, once for coffee, once for the toilet and once for dinner when we ordered take out pizza; bless her, she was really struggling! David was practicing hair of the dog with some vigour and he'd managed to lose his glasses so spent the whole day, including the evening, with his sunglasses on which disguised the fact he could hardly open his eyes! In the end I was shown to my room in a different area of the complex by someone without such a bad hangover as Alison! The shared bathroom was totally amazing. It was partially covered with open walls and the shower was completely outside and was a pouring pipe of water. There was a raised oval bath in the middle of the room which I didn't try but that too looked very luxurious. After having had a recovery day, Andy was keen to get out the next day so suggested we went to Ubud in the middle of the island. He runs a global art events management company so is a pretty sophisticated guy and so really made me laugh when he said he wanted to go to Ubud for "some culture 'n' stuff"! Everyone was in better spirits in the morning so we headed off early. I was really excited as I'd hoped to go there after reading Eat, Pray, Love but hadn't been sure I'd make it. I've been told it's changed since the book was published as everyone wants to go there but I wanted to see it nonetheless. The villa staff had arranged a driver and guide to take us so the guide went with us when we got dropped off. As we were driving there, we noticed several men and women with grains of rice stuck on their foreheads between their eyebrows and some also had a flower behind their ear. The guide explained that this would have been given to them as a blessing when they went to pray at a Hindu temple that morning. On arrival, we walked across a bridge and looked down in to the river and were very amused to see a naked man, who'd obviously been bathing there, towelling himself down. He had chosen a bit of an exposed spot to be exposed himself but didn't seem to notice! We headed down the side of the bridge and alongside the river (fortunately out of sight of the naked man by this point!) to walk up across some fertile green farmland. We walked along a path at the top of a valley with fields down one side and forests down the other which was peaceful and cathartic. We were hoping to see some tiered rice fields which we didn't find at first so were a little disappointed and then they came in to view and we weren't! They were across a whole field so were amazing. The roads running through them were single track so it didn't detract from the beauty too much. There were also some boutique shops along the way selling local products such as carved woodwork and paintings. There were lots of little cafés so it did have quite a bohemian feel to it even though it is now more tourist-heavy than it has ever been before. We arrived at the midpoint of the walk and the group split in to two as to whom wanted to stop and go and see Ubud town and whom wanted to carry on walking and we'd all meet at an agreed restaurant Andy had been recommended for lunch. It turned out to be a moot point as the guide wanted to call the bus for us and the driver was not responding (we think he'd fallen asleep!). At first the guide wouldn't tell us, just saying he was near and then saying his phone wasn't working too well so Andy offered to call him on his own phone and that's when the guide admitted none of his calls had been answered. He asked us to wait at the spa we were stood in front of us so we went in to see what we were missing. We weren't impressed at the entrance as the guard had told us to move out of the shade as we were blocking the drive that wasn't being used! They were a little nicer inside and said we could stay for a drink so we ordered our smoothies and coffees and sat and admired the view from the infinity pool over the valley woodland. It was an idyllic if very quiet place to stay. Finally after an hour and a half wait, the minibus arrived and we headed to Ubud centre - the guide was very apologetic and Andy said he had managed very well to hold his tongue because he was in holiday mode; back in fast paced Hong Kong, it may well have been a different story! We went to a really wonderful restaurant called Wayan which was set in a beautiful tropical garden - before we even sat down Alison was enviously admiring some of the plants she wanted in her garden in London as she has created a tropical paradise there. The food was really tasty; really fresh and flavoursome and pretty good value for money too. After our tummies were full, we headed on to the Ubud Monkey Forest which is owned by the village of Padangtegal where it is situated. The residents view it as an important spiritual, economic and conservation centre. There are around 700 monkeys in the forest and they are totally acclimatised to having us humans plod through their land. Some were being fed raw sweet potato by the staff, some sleeping on benches and others grooming each other. It was nice to see them so relaxed and the trees in the woods were amazing with massive roots and tendrils. I think Alison wanted one of these for her garden too but I'm not too sure how she'd fit it in! We went from there to the Tegenungan waterfall which is a brilliant one to swim in (although crowded and I hadn't been forward thinking enough to take my swimming costume!). We had to walk down a million steps to get there so I was glad for the paddle up to my knees at the end. They've obviously had a few problems with people wanting to be at one with nature there from time to time as there was a sign saying "Don't worry, be sexy.... but no naked"! After everyone who had remembered their swimming gear finished, they all got ready to leave so I decided to use the time wisely to start the trudge back up the million stairs as I estimated everyone would reach the top at about the same time as me once they were ready and I was right!! We went from there back to Seminyak as we were hoping to meet up with the guys who hadn't gone with us to watch the sunset on the beach which we managed with a beer in hand! The sand was dark again so I'm guessing we weren't far from another volcano but during the sunset, when the light shone on it, it glittered and shimmered and looked magical. The sunset was lovely a really deep orange and this time the sun didn't disappear as I tried to take a photo of it although there were some pesky tourists getting in the way of my photos! We went out for a tasty and completely non-traditional dinner afterwards where I had ribs and chips and it was such a nice treat after the make-do food I'd been eating. The beer was served in a massive column for all to share so David befriended it and hugged it most of the night - there's even a photo of him with his bit on the side - Alison was fine with it! The restaurant gave Andy a slice of cake with "Happy Birthday" written over the plate in chocolate sauce and so we of course had to sing a rowdy rendition to accompany it! As we were finishing a lady decided to join us and scared the boys off a bit she was so forward. I'd say she was in her 60s and had lived in Bali for about 20 years and literally squeezed Andy's friend Robin out of the way to sit down and then took over the whole conversation - it was time for us to make a quick exit!! The group split up and I headed back with Robin and Andy's Mum Liz. She is such an easy person to talk with and a great laugh - I really warmed to her and definitely hope to stay in touch with her when I get back. The others went on to a pub and nearly to a nightclub which in hindsight they were glad they missed. That same night a young Australian guy was arrested for drug possession and may face up to 15 years in Indonesian prison. The big debate though is did he really have the drugs or were they planted on him by the really corrupt police force? When I had been in Lombok, John had said the police force is an attractive employment opportunity as they are the only career that includes a pension. The issue is that every person has to pay to join so usually borrow money from their family that they have to pay back. Salaries are low so corruption is rife to get money back to pay those owed. The issue is, once one person does this and is seen to get away with it, everyone does it and that is exactly what has happened. It seems the police force itself needs to be policed and this is not happening. Where they did go though, they wanted a "dark and stormy" drink which I hadn't heard of before but it's basically rum and ginger beer. The bar didn't know what it was so Andy had to show them and use ginger ale instead and they also added sugar. No one could taste the rum so Andy bought a bottle of rum to top it up with and they still couldn't taste it so I suspect it may have been more due to inebriation than lack of content! Next day was Andy's actual birthday so he chose to go surfing for the day so we all headed back out to the beach. I decided not to surf. I really do want to have a go but think my first attempt should be with a teacher rather than bothering friends and in this case people I didn't know that well, especially as I'm a little nervous having thought I was going to drown when I got caught in a wave once when I was young. I had fun watching them though and Robin in particular did very well riding a couple of waves for a long time, which was, of course dropped in to every conversation until we left - well done Robin! That night we went out for a really delicious Chinese meal at a local restaurant which Andy's Dad very kindly paid for. We had some form of dumpling which had a pork meatball and broth inside and you had to hold it on a spoon, bite the top of it off and then put it in your mouth whole so you got the broth and meat together. It was really nice and Alison became a dumpling addict! The guys moved to the bar afterwards and Liz and I headed back again for a night cap and a chat! She's such an independent lady and inspires me. Only a couple of years ago, she spent 10 weeks sailing the Indian Ocean. I hope I can be as adventurous. She has a constant tan since that trip too so never needs to sunbathe or fake tan - how cool is that?! I want one of those for my crazy Gaelic skin that sees sun and just goes red and freckly! The next day was another lazy day - I went for a walk in to town with Alison and David to look for souvenirs for their son Jamie and I got asked several times on my way back by guys hanging out in the street if I wanted viagra or ecstasy! I'm far too coy and innocent for all that fandangled stuff! Once back I created a Chinese laundry in my beautiful outside bathroom! Alison and David went back to the beach and Alison had a go at surfing. She was a little nervous because her brother is an amazing surfer and takes a lot of risks which has scared her off. She was very good though and caught a wave which she was most proud of - I am sure she'll be in those professional surfing photos before we know it - I'll be the beautiful assistant on the beach waving! That night we all sat down together for a lovely take-away from the local Italian and had a really good chat. It was so nice to chill in good company in a totally amazing place. The staff would get annoyed if we tried to do anything ourselves as it is their job so we had been truly spoilt. David was talking about his 40th birthday party next year in August and invited me to join them all on the Isle of Wight. Liz said I could stay with her there too which would be so lovely - definitely something I'd like to do. In fact I helpfully offered to move in with her when I get back and am homeless but she seemed a little less enamoured with that plan! That aside, it would be lovely to see everyone again next year like a little mini reunion. Alison also said that Debbie Phillips said we should all go out when I'm back too. This is an example of what a small world we live in. I met Debbie and did some work for her at Red Bee when Ericsson bought it and then ran a project with her as the executive sponsor but it turns out I'd already seen her before - she was at Alison and David's wedding and her daughter was their bridesmaid! Alison and Debbie had worked together years before and then I worked with Debbie! The other "small world" is that Alison knows my friend Will Leaf from my Martin Ward Anderson days as his first placement as a vicar was at her local church! Will wonders never cease?! The next day I was being picked up very early in the morning and Alison got up to say goodbye which meant a lot as, much like me, she is not a morning person at all. Once the minibus dropped me off at the ferry port, I joined all the other passengers on the boat. We had a bit of a challenge as we left as it seems one of the many outboard motors was faulty so the driver had to keep stopping the boat and switching its engines off and restarting them again - a little concerning when we were in the middle of the ocean. One of the advantages was that we could look out across the sea and very far in the distance we saw some dolphins. I really hoped I'd get to swim with them in the wild one day - definitely one on the bucket list! We finally arrived in Gili Trawanagan, the biggest of the islands, and I got dropped off. This is the lowest rated islands of the three I could have stayed at (the other two being Meno and Air) as it has a reputation as a bit of a drug haven but the place I was staying at, called Resota Twins had a 10/10 rating which I had not seen before on my travels so I decided to take the risk. The hotel was only a short walk away from the port and two blocks back from the main strip which was great so I headed back there. There are no cars on any of the Gili Islands so transport is by horse and carriage or bicycle. There are no engine noises, just the sound of bells on the carts as the horses trot by. The horses are used for everything from transporting tourists to taking cargo from the boats to the recipient businesses from building materials to beer and water. They work very hard but seem to be treated well as they are the main mode of transport to ensure income. The hotel was nice and I had my own chalet. I wouldn't rate it 10/10 but it was definitely good value for money (something the manager Ivan reminded me of when I checked in!!). He is an Italian and can be a little grumpy. For example, I took advantage of the free snorkel and mask in my bedroom and went and swam in the sea watching all the amazing fish swimming around the coral but it was broken so after abut 3 breaths, it filled up with water. I told Ivan and he said what did I expect, we were in Indonesia! I think it was just his way and I would have duct taped it had I stayed any length of time. The air conditioning in the room also leaked on to my head so I ended up sleeping further down the bed so I could sleep and stay dry. The lovely things they did were to provide breakfast on the balcony and the lady of the house, Nia, made sure I was happy, chatted every time she saw me and made a smoothie for me with honey in instead of sugar - it was really tasty. They also offered a really cheap day out of a snorkel tour to Gili Meno and Gili Air which I snapped up for my full day on the island. That night I went to a dive school bar for one of their special bargain sandwiches and watched the sunset as I ate. I could see Lombok off in the distance and could see the mist of the rain coming down. Fortunately, Lombok seemed to take the brunt of the rain during my stay so the islands stay nice which I enjoyed! Early the next morning, were escorted to the ferry and given (working, thank goodness) snorkels and masks and got on the boat. I met a brilliant couple called Emma and Sam (easy for us both to remember) and spent the day with them. They are from the UK but have been working in Australia for a year. They were holidaying in Gili before heading home for 6 months as they have 3 weddings to attend. Once they've been to those, they will make the decision as to whether to move to Australia to live or stay in the UK. Sam is an architect and has been guaranteed a job in Australia if he does want to go back and Emma is a teacher so will also have no problem finding work. Sam sent me some travel tips for New Zealand which Emma had compiled and I could immediately see the teacher in her. There were two maps of the island; one with journey times to destinations and the other with costs of all associated trips at destinations. I asked Sam if she'd made him revise them and then tested him but he laughed and said he just did as he was told and followed directions and all was fine! Our first snorkel was on the coast of Gili Meno. Gili Meno is the quietest of the islands with one road that doesn't go all the way round the island so guests have to walk across the beach to reach their hotel or chalet. There is one restaurant and one small store on the island and that is it. It has been described to me that if you stand on the beach, it can appear like it is your island as there will be no one else there - a proper tropical paradise. During our snorkel, we were lucky enough to see lots of turtles. They are so graceful in the water. A couple of them were asleep on the bottom of the sea bed which was lovely to see as I always wondered how they rested. One of the guys working on the boat did wake one up by diving and touching it so it swam off which I thought was a shame. Although there were signs asking people not to touch the coral, I saw some people actually standing on it to adjust their masks and snorkels. I was disgusted and found out that some of them were Australian who really should know better with all the amazing coral they have. Our second snorkel was off the coast of Gili Air which is an island with a culture in between Gili Trawanagan and Gili Meno. I would best describe it as a bohemian oasis and if I ever went back, this would be my location of choice. We didn't see any more turtles but we saw lots of fish and they were really close to us and not scared at all which was brilliant. We stopped off for lunch on Gili Air too so we could have a bit of a look around. I can't think of anything wrong - it was beautiful with paradise beaches, snorkelling and SO chilled! What a lovely holiday these couple of days in the Gilis were. Even Gili T was lovely - when we got back from the snorkel trip, I saw a man by the port dancing to the really annoying ice cream cart music! He was such a happy chappy! On my last night, I borrowed a hotel bike and cycled to the other side of the island to watch the sun set. There is a big swing in the sea which apparently people queue to go on to get their photo taken so I avoided that but sat on the beach by a very hippy bar and watched the sky glow red. I'm glad I made the effort as it was beautiful to see on my last day before heading back to Bali for one day before flying out to Perth. I cycled back round the island and stopped off at a food market and had a vegetable which was green and really tasty but I have no idea what it is! It is small and I think is a sliced stem. It has four pointy corners and a core. Who knows but yum nonetheless and pleasantly surprising that I like something that looks healthy! On my way back I passed a café that used the back of Vespas as bar stools which I thought was a brilliant idea! I love the Gilis! Next morning I said farewell to Nia and Ivan and the beautiful trio of islands and headed back on the speed ferry to Kuta in Bali. I was staying in a hostel called Bali Caps with capsule double beds which was great as it meant you could starfish in a box! Kuta itself is not a very nice place to stay. The only two things I found memorable were walking in to a bakery to find bread with the crusts cut off is called "peeled bread" and finding brightly coloured furry flip-flops in a supermarket. I just don't get the logic of that as flip-flops are for summer and fur is for winter so when would you wear these? They entertained me for a while though! Apart from the wonderful luxury experience I had staying in the complex with Andy and his friends in Seminyak, I would say Bali is somewhere it would be fine to miss. It reminded me of Asia but without the charm as it seems to have become so commercialised very quickly. It is like it has got a bit ahead of itself as it has the same gritty look as a lot of Asia but is expensive with less customer service - something Asia had in abundance. Bali has a reputation as being the equivalent for Australians as Costa Brava is to the UK. I can see this to a certain extent although I don't think it's quite that ruined yet! I'd recommend to everyone heading that way to skip Bali in favour of the Gilis. The advantage of being in Kuta was that it was near the airport and that was pretty much it! So, I was on time for my early morning plane to Australia.