Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay- doing Halong Bay for half the price and tourists!!

Thursday 20^th August 2015

We didn’t have to wake up early this morning but since I haven’t slept much since I broke my arm I was awake. I got dressed and lingered a little too long over breakfast meaning packing was a rush.

By the time we had all checked out the taxi was waiting for us so we piled in with all our bags and made our way to the bus station. We tried unsuccessfully to sell our extra ticket (but got almost half of the money back from the conductor on the bus!)

The bus ride was ok taking about four hours but we did have to change buses once not that we were told and bags almost ended up returning to Hanoi without their owners! From the bus we got a 30min ferry and then another bus to Cat Ba Town.

In town we had a late lunch and the found a hostel and went to the beach we got there in time for sunset which was pretty beautiful. We returned to the hostel and showered before finding a place to eat I had pizza as I felt like I needed something big and it did the trick. Back at the hostel I pretty much just headed to bed.

sunset!

the beach!

Pizza dinner!

Friday 21^st August 2015

We needed to be up early for our boat trip today but that wasn’t a problem as I no longer seem to sleep. We had breakfast and then at 8am walked to the jetty and got on the boat. It was the prettiest boat on the water, painted white with beautiful furniture which made us happy.

We started off by sailing through Lan Ha Bay which is the smaller less touristy version of Halong Bay but has the same limestone rock formations which are so iconic to Halong Bay. The boat cruised at a steady pace for a few hours before stopping so everyone could kayak through some caves. Of course I couldn’t get off the boat and so I sunbathed and took photos from the top deck.

About an hour later everyone came back and we had lunch on board. The vegetarian selection left a bit to be desired and although ok tasting there just wasn’t enough (except for rice we had enough plain white rice to feed a village)

Once we had eaten we drove again to a swimming spot where a few guys tried snorkelling but the visibility was shit of course I was still stuck on the boat. Thankfully on Monkey Island I could go down on the beach which was beautiful I sat in the water with my arm above my head.

Back on the boat it was home time. We had been on the water since 8am and by 5pm we all felt hot sticky and hungry after showers it was food shortly followed by bed

Saturday 22^nd August 2015

After yet another bad sleep I was up and ready for the day early I had breakfast and we said goodbye to a couple of the group who needed to head back to Hanoi and then sat around all morning relaxing.

In the afternoon we walked to the beach. There are three and we were told the second one was were it’s at so we set up camp there under an umbrella. It was scorching so I sat in the sea a while but the current was knocking me about and it was hard to keep my arm up so I got out.

We hadn’t been sat for long when this terrible music came blaring out from the speakers behind us we couldn’t even talk to each other and it was defiantly ruining the peaceful relaxed vibe we were searching for. Thankfully pouting gets you everywhere and we were moved to the third beach which was music free and was far prettier anyway! We got some food and chilled out for a few hours.

In the evening we walked up to cannon fort to watch the sunset it was cool exploring the fort and the views were pretty stunning.

Enjoying Rishikesh

Monday 4^th May 2015

I woke up early this morning and took the time to finish the terrible book I had been reading. Once that was done I chilled on the roof for a bit so that Mark could do his laundry. Eventually we headed out around lunchtime to get some breakfast.

We ate at a little Indian place that was cheap as chips and then headed into town to have a geez at Rishikesh and to take a swim in the Ganges. We crossed Lakshman jhula (the suspension bridge) and then walked along the far side of the river. We stopped off in a few shops along the way and then made our way down onto one of the beaches.

On Lakshman Jhula

Selfie with a cow

The Mighty Ganga

We paddled our feet in the icy waters but couldn’t swim there as it was a no swimming spot (many people drown each year when they get pulled out into the deep current filled river) after sitting a bit too long in the sun we walked along the beach and back up to the town.

We were just having a nosy at the bathing Ghats when someone grabbed my arm form behind, it was Sandeep from the Ashram way back in December we stood about chatting for a bit and then Gita (also from the Ashram) also turned up.

We all went down the road where the boys got fruit salad and the girls had juice. We sat in the juice shop all afternoon catching up and finding out the best things to do in Rishikesh.

Eventually about 4.30pm we decided it was a good time for a swim and Mark, Gita and I headed back to the beach where we had a quick dunk (the water is so cold all you need is a dunk) we felt cooled down by the icy fresh water and headed back to the guesthouse dripping (we had to swim in our clothes)

Once we were showered and clean we headed out for dinner we wanted to go somewhere that had good Wi-Fi so I could upload some pictures but we didn’t have much luck finding anywhere as the place we wanted to go was closed and by this stage we were starving. We ended up having a cheapo thali and then heading into a café for a cup of tea and an abuse of the Wi-Fi but it turned out to be quite slow and we spent ages in there with little result.

On the plus side we didn’t get chased by dogs on the way home so we were pretty pleased about that.

Tuesday 5^th May 2015

We woke up today feeling rather lethargic and so moved very slowly towards breakfast. By the time we found somewhere to eat it was lunchtime and so we got falafel plates and spent the next two hours picking at food and reading.

Eventually we got moving and took a walk past the bridges out of town and found a semi secluded beach where we spent the afternoon chilling out and paddling we didn’t really swim as we were on a section of beach that was designated no swimming and neither of us really felt like drowning.

On the way back to our guesthouse we stopped to get our palm read by a wise little raisin of a man. He spent an age studying all the lines on our palms before eventually coming up with his verdict. He was pretty good and very informative but I think we will still check out someone else as well to see if the readings match!

We walked across the bridge and went and got huge ice-creams as a treat. Despite being about 5pm it was still so hot that they were melting as fast as we could eat them so they didn’t last long.

We headed back to our accommodation and showered and got clean then headed out for dinner we managed to find somewhere with good Wi-Fi and sat and rinsed it for a while before heading home to bed.

Wednesday 6^th May 2015

This morning we had breakfast at one of the Indian places we have been frequenting before taking in an epic walk to a waterfall. We had been told that it was 3km away but it was more like 6km the walk took us along the road above the river which had spectacular views but more than a few times we looked up to make sure there were no rocks falling on our heads.

It took us about 90mis to get there the last part of the walk was up a steep rocky dirt track which opened out into a little clearing at the base of the waterfall. In the monsoon season it must be a sight to behold but as it was there wasn’t too much of a flow coming down just enough to make a little pool at the base that was about thigh deep.

There were a few other people there all sunning themselves in bikinis despite it being a holy place and there being a big sign to treat the area accordingly. It was quite peaceful dipping our toes in the fresh water and then chilling out being cooled down by the mist that was blown in our direction.

We sat there enjoying the tranquillity for a while until a big group of Indian tourists came and ruined the silence they were loud and boisterous and very drunk on some hideous whiskey and coke combo. I think the sanctity of the holy waterfall was definitely defiled by the smoking, drinking and littering going on.

The space wasn’t big enough to move out of the way so we ended up packing up and leaving as they were all so spatially unaware we were constantly being stood on and caught in the middle of their raucous conversations they also had a very beautiful but very smelly Alsatian who kept standing or sitting on me and its stink was enough to make one throw up!

The holy waterfall

The walk back took a bit longer as we were tired and my shoe was rubbing giving me an almighty blister. At one point Mark mocked this huge monkey who took great offence and chased us for a short distance we made it back into town and crossed over the bridge to our side of the river where we were stopped by a man selling bindi stamps I have seen them before but always managed to run away before they could get me but today I was so slow, he ended up stamping them all over my face an hand and arm and in the end we walked away with three packs. (They were ridiculously cheap though so we weren’t complaining) once we got away from him we had a thali for lunch (even though by this stage it was 4pm)

Two Mules enjoying the shade

Crazy tree on a tree

Feeling full we started back to the guesthouse to chill out for a bit and have a shower but got distracted by a café as Mark wanted coffee the view was amazing and the place had Wi-Fi so we took advantage of it and chilled out for a while.

View of The Ganga

In the early evening we went to meet Sandeep to watch the arti it took us longer to walk there than we expected but we weren’t too late. We chilled on the bank of the Ganges on the steps of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram chatting and watching the world go by until the arti started and we moved closer to see it.

Arti

After watching we got our shoes back from the shoe keepers and a family asked me to take a photo with them Mark was doing up his shoelaces behind us and grabbed the ankle of the little girl scaring the shit out of her which was rather funny but also rather mean.

We met up with Gita for dinner as it was her last night in India we went and had dinner at one of the Ashrams I had a pumpkin curry which was sensational. After that we headed down the road to a café for something sweet I had this chocolate ball that tasted quite a lot like a brownie with chocolate melted on top and then it was drizzled with honey it was rather amazing if not completely indulgent.

We ended up sitting there until quite late and by the time we had to walk back everything was closed and it was very dark. Luckily we didn’t run into any angry dogs (or people for that matter) but it wasn’t a fun trip in the dark.

Back at the guesthouse we were so pleased for a shower after spending the whole day in grime covered sweaty clothes (it was close to 40 degrees when we walked to the waterfall!) and after so much walking we were happy to be in bed!

I say farewell to the sea

Friday 27^th March 2015

This morning I got up and did some half-hearted yoga before heading to the beach. It’s quite difficult to swim at Unawatuna beach as the break has a huge undertow and it’s on a downward slope so getting in is fine but coming out gracefully isn’t easy.

After cooling off in the waves I got in some serious tanning time despite it only being about 10am the day was already steaming and the beach was getting packed. I stayed flopped on the sand like a beached whale flipping over every now and again for a couple of hours before my stomach drew me away to go find food.

Since I was bone dry I just pulled on my clothes and walked into town. I hit up the veggie/vegan place and ordered large since I couldn’t make up my mind what to have. I sat there eating and reading my book enjoying the shady spot I was in for a while before heading back to the guesthouse.

I chilled out on the veranda for a while and just when I was getting ready to go meet Verity a storm rolled in and I was stranded by the torrential rain from my window I could see that the sea had turned black except for the violent white caps smashing against the shore.

Stupidly the beach was still heaving with people walking along in the water holding umbrellas (have they seriously never been told that both water and metal conduct electricity and both should be avoided in a lightning storm?)

I chilled out in my room as long as I could but I began to get cabin fever so headed out to a café to grab some tea and cake Verity met me there and we spent the late afternoon sheltering from the hideous weather and chatting eventually we got hungry and stayed on there for dinner as well before going our separate ways back to our guesthouses.

Back at the accommodation I tried in vain to search for info about Yala National Park ad day safaris there. Sri Lanka is really not set up for independent travellers there is just no information anyway except blog posts and trip advisor forums which are often out of date. (And most of the advice given is ‘hire a car and a driver’ which is never going to happen as the prices are astronomical)

Eventually I gave up and just went to sleep instead.

Saturday 28^th March 2015

I woke up early this morning and got packed up with that sorted I walked along the beach to find some breakfast. After I had eaten I went back to the guesthouse checked out and walked with my bags down to Verity’s guesthouse.

I left my bags in her room for the morning and we went off a walking over the mountain to Jungle Beach. The story goes (if I am remembering what verity told me correctly) that Sita was chilling looking for some medicinal plant but couldn’t find it so Hanuman brought the plant in some dirt across from India and ta-da there is the mountain which is nowadays covered in many medicinal plants!

The path across isn’t overly clear so it was nice of one of the hotel caretakers to show us the way (even more so as she looked as though she was 110 years old and had no shoes on!) along the way we kept hearing rustling in the bushes and would look to see massive lizards scampering away.

We got to the top of the jungle path and there was a small road and some houses dotted about the caretaker pointed us in the right direction (we tipped her much to her extreme delight) and we headed off in search of the beach.

Along the way we stopped at the peace pagoda and took some photos of the amazing view. There was a Russian dude with his phone on a selfie stick making a movie of himself in several takes where he would say exactly the same thing and walk along until he got it perfect it was amusing to watch and he was embarrassed when he noticed we were there.

We didn’t stay long on the pagoda as we had to take our shoes off and despite only being 10am the white stone was already burning our toes.

It wasn’t much further down to the beach and when we arrived we hid behind the restaurant to get changed and then dumped our stuff and went straight for the water.

Jungle Beach is the perfect swimming spot as it gets deep fast but there is barely a break and the water is really calm as it’s a small sheltered bay. It’s also full of amazing tropical fish that you can easily see even without a snorkel.

We stayed in the water for several hours just floating about looking at fish and talking. Eventually though I felt time was slipping away and so we headed back over the hill o I could catch the bus to Yala.

On the walk back we saw a snake on the side of the road it slithered suddenly and Verity near jumped out of her skin once we realised what it was we watched it slide through the bushes for a while trying to work out how long it was but it was too hard to see.

The walk back took much longer as we couldn’t find the path down and had to ask several times. There were also a lot of angry dogs about so I was keen to get back as quick as possible.

Eventually we were on the right path and emerged back at the bottom of the garden of Verity’s hotel. I rinsed off all the sand and got changed back into normal clothes (after walking back in a bikini and long kurta)

We bid each other farewell and I said good bye to the beach and headed to the road to catch the bus. A rickshaw driver was trying to convince me that I needed to go to Galle in order to get a direct bus but as I didn’t want to double back on myself my plan was to go to Matara and change buses as always he was looking to make money and kept telling me I couldn’t do that but that he could take me to Galle, he was driving alongside me and when the bus came he was in the way and I almost missed it. As it was I had to get on at the back and so had nowhere to put my bag. Thankfully a kind local made the bus wait at the next stop while I jumped off and ran to the front to get back on and put my bag down.

I dozed most of the way to Matara so it was lucky I woke up as we drove into the bus stand as the bus I was on went further along the coast but not where I wanted to go. I walked through the bus station trying to find the bus and ended up having to ask as not many signs are in English I found the bus I wanted and luckily it wasn’t going for about 10mins so it was pretty empty and I got a seat right at the front by my bag.

Unlucky for me the old dude that sat next to me (who was actually really nice) had a mouth full of paan dribble and next to no teeth and he insisted on talking to me I couldn’t stop looking at the red goo leaking out of his mouth and began to feel quite ill. Luckily he exhausted his English pretty quickly and then fell asleep for most of the journey.

From Matara to Tissa took just less than four hours, the drive was quite nice as it was along the coast and I was on the beach side so could watch the sea most of the way along. At one point we went past a huge Buddhist temple and in the garden out the front were two enormous elephants cooling themselves off in a fountain.

Just before the sleepy old man got off and another guy sat down we chatted about cricket for a while and then he told me he was a safari guide, I already had a contact for safari who had offered me a reasonable deal and it turned out the two knew each other (and that the contact I had was a former employee of the dude on the bus) in the end I was in the middle of a bidding war and ended up with a seven and a half hour safari with breakfast included and a night in a guesthouse all for 6000 LKR considering a jeep is 4000-5000 and park fees are 3600 and a guesthouse is about 1000-1500 I ended up with a pretty sweet deal.

Once I had dumped my bags I walked into town to try and find some mozzie repellent as I ran out but all they had was citronella oil which I got because it was cheap and it couldn’t hurt to give it a whirl but by the time I got back to my accommodation after dinner I was more bite than normal skin!

The Wi-Fi only worked outside and since I couldn’t stand being bitten anymore I gave up on trying to talk to anyone and showered and got my things ready for tomorrow’s early start and then watched a movie.

301 Muay Thai Camp

Monday 11^th November 2013

I woke up on the bus in Bangkok to bright sunshine and the sounds of people getting off the bus the driving had been going slow and so we had arrived a few hours later than expected at 7am I got my bag said goodbye to the girls and go a rickshaw to the victory monument with a surly driver who seemed pissed off to have me a passenger he wouldn’t drop me off where I wanted to be instead just shunting me out onto the footpath in the general area. I walked about trying to find the booth I wanted and was soon in a minibus on the way to the middle of nowhere. 301 gym is located in Sam Roi Yot which is on the east coast of Thailand about four hours south of Bangkok. Everything was going peachy until the driver tried to turf me out in the middle of nowhere after speaking perfect English up until then he suddenly lost the ability to communicate from what I gathered he forgot to drop me off and then wanted rid of me I wouldn’t get out of his mini bus on the side of the road so he was forced to continue with me he got to the police station where he again tried to turf me out and continued with his charade of no English in the end he threw my bags out and drove off. The policeman was now left with the responsibility of driving me to camp, the turn off for which was about an hour back along the road. Eventually I arrived thankfully not that many people were about as it was more than a tad embarrassing. I was given a brief tour and then showered and fell into bed for a few hours. When my roomie Lene returned that afternoon she explained the drill for training at 4pm we headed out on a run just an easy 3km to get warmed up followed by 15mins on the ropes 3x 5min rounds of shadow boxing (which was the start of every afternoon session the mornings were the same but the run was 6km) the rest of training was a bit of pads, bag work and some sprint drills. Considering I had been on buses for about 24 hours, hadn’t eaten and had barely slept I think I did pretty well. After training we ate but I was feeling dizzy so headed to the room where I showered and had an early night.

Tuesday 12^th November 2013

Today was my first full day of training. I was up and ready to go for our 7am start. This morning’s session was heaps of cardio the highlight (note that’s sarcastic) was 15mins of high knees on the ropes. After breakfast I spent most of the day working on my tan and swimming when it got too hot by the pool. At 4pm we had another 3 hours of training. After dinner we sat watching hangover two.

Wednesday 13^th November 2013

Early morning again starting the day with a 6km run along the beach really gets you going! After training and breakfast we chilled by the pool a while before getting showered and heading in Tesco about 5km away in the closest town I picked up some snacks to supplement the food as I’m vegetarian there is no protein on offer for me. Afternoon training was tough today especially the sparring where I got smacked in the face more than once. Sat around chatting this evening then had the room to myself after we all fare welled Lene earlier today.

Thursday 14^th November 2013

I woke up feeling really tired and sore I only managed to run 3km this morning I had to turn back early as I couldn’t get my body to do what I wanted it to. We had an intense bag session this morning doing power rounds 3x rounds of 6mins 30 seconds on 30secs of, felt like as soon as I stopped hitting the bag I had to start again it was so exhausting.  We finished off in the pool doing technique training. We had breakfast and then chilled until the ice for the ice-bath arrived. We all took turns squeezing up in the tiny pool it was so cold but when you jumped in the pool afterwards it felt like you were swimming in a bath. I sat out by the pool reading for most of the day which seemed to recharge me. I had a really good run and made an awesome time so thought training was going to be good but we did sparring again and I was getting pissed off with being punched in the face constantly so I sacked it in an went and did yoga and meditated instead after which I felt so much better. During the night the weather was crazy there was so much wind and rain but by morning it seemed to have calmed down.

Friday 15^th November 2013

Woke up still feeling a bit shitty with life ran and trained but it felt half arsed. I was super hangry this morning so ate as soon as training was done then Emma and I headed to Dolphin bay for a massage and some lunch. The massage was just what I needed as she went in deep it was more painful than anything but I did feel looser afterwards. We ate at the posh hotel and then walked slowly back to camp. Wreaked all the good work at training getting super tight again. Chilled out all evening.

Saturday 16^th November 2013

Today we only trained in the morning as it’s just the way it goes it was a struggle but I pushed out a good session. In the afternoon the weather was shit so we couldn’t even chill by the pool. As there was nothing else on I took a nap and then got up in time to get myself organised for Hua Hin. About 7pm we got picked up in a mini bus which dropped us off in town. Hua Hin is about an hour from camp and seems to be a somewhat seedy town full of retired western folk (read sleazy old me on the hunt for Thai brides) supposedly it’s turning into a resort town but I didn’t see the beach so couldn’t comment on that. We had dinner complete with desert to really blow out and then headed to a bar I wasn’t drinking but had a good time anyway. We started in one bar and played pool and people watched before moving onto Karaoke which I always a laugh. We ended the night in one more bar which had some quite good tunes so we got our dance on and then found a taxi to take us back to camp.

Sunday 17^th November 2013

Thank goodness for rest days. I slept till about 8am which considering our late night wasn’t much sleep but stayed in bed and checked my emails not willing to let the world in yet. Eventually I got hungry so got ready for the day and went in search of food. Emma and I sat about chatting and since the weather still wasn’t great we went to her room and chilled there. We did manage to get moving a little bit and go for a walk and when we got back the sun was out a bit so we ;lounged by the pool. Late afternoon a new girl arrived and so I had a roomie once again. After dinner we went out to watch Mee (one of the Thai trainers) fight. The fight was on the same day as Loi Krathong which is the festival of lights. The fight was at a festival to celebrate we started off by getting “wishes” little woven baskets with flowers, a candle and incense which looked a bit like the Hindu offerings in India and Bali. We took the offering lit the incense  and candle then added some money and some of our hair made a wish or a prayer and set the basket on the water in a lake. There were hundreds of them floating out on the lake and as well as us many locals were waiting to set their wishes free. After that we walked into what can only be described as a fairground there was street food and stalls some games and a few rides. We saw the boxing ring and watched a few matches between children which at first was cute but quickly weirded us out as we were watched small children hit each other. We wandered about the fair and got way to much food and watched some more fights the wait just went on and on and as we were all tired from last night it was even worse there was nowhere to sit and the ground was muddy from all the rain. Eventually about 2am Mee's fight began his was the title fight and as soon as it was over everyone left. It was a good fight and Mee was the clear winner afterwards we took a few photos and then got in the taxi back to camp.

Monday 18^th November 2013

It was only the girl’s hat made it to training this morning which was quite cool as it was more individual. We did an intense technique session which was really helpful. By breakfast we were still the only ones up and some of the guys didn’t surface until after midday. We spent the day sunning by the pool and I was having a great sleep right on the edge until I got tsunami in my face by one of the boys. By afternoon training lack of sleep had caught up but I struggled through.

Tuesday 19^th November 2013

This morning I was feeling really down about only having such a short time in Asia left so found I couldn’t concentrate at all. After breakfast I went and sat on the beach for a few hours just watching the sea and making sandcastles. Afternoon training was better I smashed it on the pads which is my favourite so that got me in a better mood. Not feeling like camp food I went to a local place for eats and then watched fireworks form the dolphin bay staff party on the beach.

Wednesday 20^th November 2013

Today I thought it was my last day but actually I can’t count and I don’t leave until tomorrow which is good. After morning training us girls headed to Dolphin bay they got massages while I chilled on the beach and then we all went and got a drink at the hotel. Most people sacked off afternoon training which worked out well for me as we did more pads after dinner we sat about and watched Elysium possibly the worst movie I have ever watched and I felt sad to have wasted a portion of my life doing so.

Thursday 21^st November 2013

Woke up ready to give my last session everything I had. After an intense workout I rode bitch with Helio on the scooter into town so I could get a bus ticket to Phuket it wasn’t until late so I had the day to chill at camp. When afternoon training started I headed to the beach got some food. Back at camp I chilled with everyone until it was time to say goodbye. I got a taxi into Pranburi where I had an hour to wait for my bus which was late I felt really sad about leaving everyone. I turned on my music and slept my way to Phuket.

My month in Indonesia… falling in love with food, yoga and the hippy lifestyle all over again

Monday 30^th September 2013September 2013

This morning we had a slow start and a lingering breakfast before Laura and I headed out onto the streets on Seminyak in search of new accommodation. En route we stopped a lot to look at all the shops and tried on about six million bikinis before both settling on gorgeous bandeau style ones that were on sale for half price. We finally got serious about finding somewhere to stay but there wasn’t a lot within our price range that gave us what we were after, just when we were beginning to despair we found Puri Panca Jaya where we could get a double room and an extra bed as well as breakfast and a delightful little pool for Ayla to chill by. As we were so close to the beach we stopped for sun downer cocktails before jetting back to Ananda (where we were staying) to meet up with Ayla and some friends for dinner we had a quick shower and costume change and then it was time to go. We went to a little restaurant down the road called Bali Deli where we had amazing cocktails and beautiful food unfortunately they were the world’s smallest portions which was hugely disappointing.

Tuesday 1^st October 2013

This morning was much the same as yesterday very slow off the mark it took a million years to work out the bill as there was stuff on there from meals and room service and the others had stayed there a few nights before I arrived eventually with Alex waiting for us in the car we got it sorted and headed to our new hotel where we checked in and ended up lazing in the sunshine by the pool all day as we still had so much to catch up on. Late afternoon I headed to the shops to exchange some money and pick up a few things then we all went to the beach for sun downers we got some munch and whiled away the evening sitting in beanbags watching the sky turn brilliant reds and oranges eventually we roused ourselves and had a late dinner at an organic vegetarian and vegan restaurant which we fell in love with and made our haunt for the next week or so. From there we headed to Alex’s house where we watched music videos like zombies crashed out on the couch until 2am.

Wednesday 2^nd October 2013

I surfaced early this morning and made the most of the pool going for a long swim and then chilling in the sun in the afternoon we grabbed a taxi and headed to the restaurant we went to last night. Back at the hotel the girls were happy internet-ing but I was being eaten alive so went inside and watched SpongeBob square pants in Indonesian eventually I got hungry again so Laura and I headed out for dinner we went to a cheapy indo place where the food was delicious. Back at the hotel Ayla did some Reiki on me which was so awesome at one point I thought there was a mozzie right in my ear but it was the energy buzzing through Aylas hands! The whole experience was really powerful I saw explosions of bright colours behind my closed eyes all blues and purples and greens. Afterwards I was so relaxed and had such an amazing sleep.

Thursday 3^rd October 2013

HAPPY SIX MONTHS ON THE ROAD! We have now been gone exact ally half a year which is mad I have no idea where the time has gone. Unfortunately the team wasn’t at its strongest Laura was feeling rough (thinking maybe food poisoning Bali belly or something similar) Ayla and I headed out for lunch with Nyoman our friendly local taxi driver we went to a restaurant out by some rice paddies the view was stunning all bright green grasses and colourful flags fluttering in the wind. I walked about the grounds and took loads of photos there was even a lake with wooden huts on stilts that you could eat in. Ayla headed back to the hotel and I went in search of a pharmacy for some antihistamines as I couldn’t stop sneezing I swung by an organic café and got a chocolate mousse cupcake which I ate on the beach I sat and people watched for hours and watched the sun go down when I got back to the hotel the girls were both rough so I went out to get them snacks and then chilled doing some writing and reading.

Friday 4^th October 2013

This morning I got up and had a long swim it was early but already the sun was beating down. I was studying the lonely planet when the girls got up we started to roughly plan our time in Indonesia. They were both still feeling rough so I went off by myself for the day first off I went and had my ears candled which was really relaxing and also extremely gross. Then I went to another spa and had a Balinese massage a body scrub and a facial it took about three hours and when I came out I felt as if I was floating I went and got myself a vegan burrito for lunch and sat and read my book in a little café. Lunch done I walked 2km up the beach to the temple but I didn’t go inside I walked around and then sat on the beach and watched a Hindu cemomony. Back on Seminyak beach I found a nice spot to sunbathe and read my book and people watch. Late afternoon I got a txt from Ayla saying we were heading to dinner with Alex so I went back to the hotel to shower and get changed we went to dinner with him and a mate of his who he was golfing with Adrian and another friend Caroline who is French and arrived on her scooter looking stunning in a little dress and heels. We went to a really nice Spanish restuarant where the food was incredible (but expensive for the tiny portions they gave us) after we had eaten we went back to Alex’s house so he could change and then we headed to a bar. Laura and I people watched at the bar for ages I was absolutely entranced by a man who looked exactly like Heman I kept expecting to see a green tiger come bounding out at us. There was also a man in purple pyjamas with no shoes on who looked like Jesus and had the moves like Jagger…

Saturday 5^th October 2013

This morning was long and lazy before we eventually made it to lunch the girls were still not 100% so went back to the hotel and I hit the beach getting in as much sun time as I could. We were supposed to go and watch the sunset on the beach but the girls were fannying about and by the time we left it was already dark. We went to a bar on the beach where they serve magic mushrooms. Alex had informed us they were the best ones in Seminyak but I was shit. Laura was buzzing but I didn’t feel a thing which was disappointing considering the cost I basically paid to drink mushroom sludge gross. We moved bars and had a cocktail or two before heading away from the beach towards the “happening” spots we ending up in the cringyest bar I have ever been to it was a champagne bar where the staff were dressed in tiny little outfits and the guys looked like weird bellboys they all had ridiculous hats on. The bar was full of fat old white men picking up young Indonesian girls the whole thing made me uncomfortable so  I was glad when I t was time to go home.

Sunday 6^th October 2013

The only effect of last night’s magic mushrooms was to drain me of any energy today and leave me feeling exhausted and lethargic. I got up drawn by the prospect of filling my empty stomach before relaxing by the pool for most of the day. We were so lazy that instead of going out when we got peckish we ordered take aways (from an organic vegetarian restaurant) late afternoon Laura and I headed along the beach to watch the sunset. We got back to the hotel and fannyed about for ages by the time we got moving a lot of restaurants were closing their kitchens and we ended up at a decidedly average place that said vegetarian on the sign but was anything but.

Monday 7^th October 2013

This morning we were up and organised early Laura and I were heading down the coast making our way to Ulawatu over the next few days. Nyoman drove us to Bingin beach and we checked into a place Laura had booked in advance it was up above the beach so was cheaper but also deserted. It was a bit of a nature filled room with giant lizards and spiders everywhere which didn’t bother me we had moscito nets which was all I cared about. We got ourselves sorted and then we met up with Rob a guy Laura had met on the plane we walked us to the beach and we said our goodbyes as he had work to do. We lazed in the sun a bit before grabbing some lunch back on the beach we met some Italian guys and walked with them along the beach to Padang one guy said there were heaps of monkeys but we didn’t see any we didn’t stay long there as the tide was coming in and we didn’t want to get cut off from Bingin. By the time we got back the sun was setting we stopped off at their house along the way as Laura wanted to chat to one of the guys about Papua as we were talking it became completely dark so we borrowed his torch and headed back to our accommodation getting slightly lost along the way. We got showered and dressed and then got a taxi to meet Rob. The bar where we met was almost completely empty so after one drink we moved on we got a taxi to the rock bar which was in a swanky hotel ages away. We walked through the doors and I followed Rob blindly…right into the fountain which was more hilarious than embarrassing as thankfully there was no one around. Eventually we found the entrance to the bar we had to wait for a cable car to take us down to the bar which was set on the rocks right above the sea (which occasionally came crashing up and into the bar) we found ourselves some seats right at the bar and started drinking the cocktails were pricey but they were huge and mostly alcohol! We also got some nibbles which I think was the only thing keeping us the right side of wrong. We drank there until it was closing time and we had to leave we were pretty much the only people there by that stage and leaving took so long as we stopped at every swimming pool and fountain along the way. We managed to get a taxi and back at the accommodation we fell into bed. Literally.

Tuesday 8^th October 2013

This morning we slept late and when we did surface we only had one thing on our minds. Breakfast. We headed to the beach ready for a day camped out in the sun. After eating we chilled for the rest of the day. Laura got a massage on the beach the woman used an aloe vera leaf which left quite a lot of goop on her back. We couldn’t really swim because of the reef so I paddled my toes when I needed to cool off. Later in the afternoon we met a Swedish girl who lives in London and a couple of Spanish guys. We headed off for dinner at a local place we had heard was supposed to have great food (it was good not great) after we planned to meet Carolyn the next morning to head to Ulawatu.

Wednesday 9^th October 2013

We got picked up at 9.30am and picked up Carolyn along the way we found some cheap accommodation but couldn’t check in yet as the room was still occupied we could leave our bags though so after some food we walked the 10mins to Ulawatu. The beach like most of the Bukit Peninsula is at the bottom of the cliffs only the beach here is tiny when the tide is out and doesn’t exist when it’s in which was the case today. We looked at the waves crashing into the cove at the bottom and then decided to find somewhere to watch the swells. We headed to a bar via the shops and watched the few surfers brave enough to take on the biggest swells this year. Later on we chanced by some guys heading our way who gave us a ride on their scooters back to our place. We stopped there and had a leisurely swim before heading to the big temple we had to walk there but it wasn’t far only about 2km we paid the entrance fee and Laura fed some scary monkeys from a bag of peanuts that she bought at the gate. We had a look around the temple and then found seats for the dance performance the dancers provided all the accompaniments by making noises in their throats. The show went on as the sun was setting behind them which provided a spectacular backdrop especially as it got dark and they incorporated fire into the show. Back at the hotel we showered and changed and walked back to Ulawatu for some dinner and drinks unfortunately no one was really serving food which seemed to be a massive downfall on their part especially as the bars were busy. We got drinks and made friends with some Brazilian guys and drank the night away.

Thursday 10^th October 2013

We had breakfast and packed up our things before Nyoman picked us up around 10am we loaded up and started towards Jimbaran where we planned to sit on the beach and enjoy lunch before heading to Ubud via Seminyak to pick up Ayla. In Jimbaran the surf was huge and instead of being relaxing in my hung-over state it made me feel anxious so I went back and joined Nyoman in the shade where we chatted about his life and family. Eventually Alex met us there and we all grabbed some lunch on the beach we got serenaded by a random band singing Spanish songs my favourite was the dude on the double bass who randomly appeared a bit late into the song. After a lingering late lunch we were back on the road we only stopped briefly in Seminyak to pick up Ayla and were soon on our way to Ubud where we had rooms booked at a place recommended by Carolyn.  We checked in and dumped our things before grabbing dinner.

Friday 11^th October 2013

We had a lazy day today first off we got up slowly and then headed to get breakfast the place we went to was called Kismet it was up some stairs and overlooked the street which was perfect for people watching. We had a long breakfast and then Alex and Laura went off while Ayla and I stayed and had tea. Before long we were hungry again so ordered lunch an continued to sit there for an age late in the day I left Ayla there sipping on another cup of tea while I went off to explore a bit I wandered about the market and changed some money which is when I realised that somewhere in the Bukit Peninsula I had been robbed of about £200 I was fuming but there was nothing I could do and it taught me to be more careful with my bags. I walked all the way to the yoga barn and picked up a timetable before heading back to meet Ayla. We left Kismet and almost immediately were run down by a taxi that had Alex and Laura in it they had tickets to see one of the dance shows we joined them and spent most of it trying not to laugh at how incredibly crap it was the costumes the dancing and the props were all cheap and unprofessional looking sort of what you would expect from a primary school Christmas play… afterwards we got a taxi back to the guesthouse and when I say taxi I mean a random man who drove a random car and pretended to be  a taxi this wouldn’t have been a problem if he actually knew where he was going but it appeared he didn’t he just kept driving up and down Hanuman street telling us we were on Hanuman street which became a bit of a joke. Eventually we found our hotel Alex and Laura went out but Ayla and I stayed in and did some Reiki. It was a completely different experience to last time but was still incredible we used one of my crystals which seemed to super charge the situation.

Saturday 12^th October 2013

This morning I got up early and went and did a yoga class at the yoga barn it was a Vinyassa flow class which is my favourite and todays class felt as if it had been designed just for me to start with we sang Shiva Shambo so I knew it was going to be good the practice contained loads of balancing and hip opening postures which is exactly what I need to strengthen my hip and to ground my base chakra. Back at the hotel the girls were just getting up we went and got some food and then Laura went for a rest (she was super hung over) and Ayla went to lunch with Alex. So other Alex and I headed to the market. In the afternoon Ayla and Carolynn hung out while Laura Alex and I went to the rice paddies the guy said it was a 40min drive but it only took about 20mins (when I questioned him on it he drove back a super long way!) we walked up the paddies and took a bunch of photos I was disappointed my camera battery died but I had my tablet which was good so at least I got some shots. There was a scary Balinese woman who I think tried to put a curse on us she touched me in the stomach with her scythe while staring into my eyes and mumbling something I’m sure was a curse the day got a bit colder after that little incident! Later on that evening we went to dinner and then met Carolyn at a bar close by which was hosting a poetry slam as part of the Ubud writers festival it was quite cool and when It finished we headed on to a street party close by there was a reggae band playing and everyone was dancing in the street.

Sunday 13^th October 2013

I got up and went to yoga again this morning the class today was Laya yoga which is a type of tantric yoga it wasn’t really my cup of tea but was a good stretch. There was a lot of people making grunting sex noises which was more than a little distracting and one eccentric older woman was dressed in a full piece swimsuit with bushy grey pubes hanging out the side of course she had to be directly opposite me also a distraction. I met the others back at the hotel and we grabbed breakfast before I went to look for laundry I had to walk further afield as it was Sunday so a lot of them were closed. Ayla and I checked out the tattoo shop on our street but I was also closed so we decided to hunt out the raw restaurant we kept hearing about all the food is vegan and of course raw we had quiche and tried to guess what It was made from if not egg (still unsure) and then cheesecake the food was mind blowing the cheesecake way up there as the best I’ve ever tasted and it didn’t even have cheese in it! In the afternoon we headed to a local bar to see one of the free book launches that were part of the writer’s festival. It was the launch of “badlands” the newest book by one of the co-founders of the lonely planet. His talk was amazing and the book sounded incredible unfortunately there were no copies for sale as they hadn’t arrived in the country yet. That evening we headed to Kirtan it was Alex and Laura’s first experience of it and I was happy to hear they really enjoyed it. It was super intense the music was really beautiful and I left feeling charged (even if they didn’t let me play the tambourine)

Monday 14^th October 2013

I got up and went to the 7am Yoga class at the Yoga Barn both Carolyn and Alex had said they would join me but it wasn’t really a surprise that they slept in. I did the class and then had breakfast there as I wanted to try the Balinese Black Rice Pudding which had coconut milk swirled in and was absolutely gorgeous. After eating I headed back to the hotel where everyone else was still in bed. They all went to breakfast and I sat and did some writing. About 12pm Carolyn and I go picked up and headed out to the country to visit a high priestess for a water purification ceremony. Carolyn had already had one and this seemed nowhere near as intimate and intense as the first experience she had. I think the priestess was dwelling on her own emotions as she seemed somewhat distracted and even told us in vague terms that this wasn’t the life she wanted for herself, how she wished she could marry and have children. There was a local woman who was having the ritual done for herself as well she went first and it was hard to watch she was screaming and crying and stamping her feet all the while the high priestess drenched her in water and recited mantras and prayers. I felt completely overwhelmed and was questioning whether or not this was a good idea, but it was soon our turn the high priestess had us stand together which already made the ritual less personal. The ritual had been far more intense to watch than take part in and I don’t think I got the full benefit of the experience. When it was done we dried off and got changed and then spoke with the priestess some more before heading back to town for some food. Our driver dropped us off on the edge of town and we walked through the rice fields to a place called Seri Organics it was rumoured to be amazing but I think they must be living off their reputation as the food was average and the service was appalling. The view however was fantastic and it was a beautiful location to debrief on our feelings from the day. We went back to the guesthouse where we met the others had a quick shower and then got a taxi to the Yoga barn they had an all you can eat organic vegetarian buffet and a film screening. We took advantage of the all you can eat and ate as much as we possibly could before heading to the upstairs yoga hall where the film was being screened. The film was really weird it was about conspiracy theories involving money and corruption in the powerful families of America but also talked about sustainable energy and crop circles. True to her usual fashion Ayla was soon out like a light and towards the end I was struggling to stay awake as well. That night we said goodbye to Caroline who was leaving in the morning before hitting the sack.

Tuesday 15^th October 2013

This morning Ayla and I woke up and did a yoga meditation and Reiki session it was an amazing start to the day. The yoga was a mix of Yin and Vinyassa which got me feeling stretched and awakened. After all that we had a late breakfast across the road and met a really interesting guy called Rick who was right into his Yoga and healing and what not having left behind a conventional life as a pilot to learn how to harness his powers of healing. After eating we walked down to the tattoo shop where we chatted to a guy getting inked and looked at designs for inspiration then Ayla went for a facial and I wondered around the shops in the rain. That evening we all went for a dinner at a Japanese sushi restaraunt called rouge the owner was an eccentric French man and the decor was all red. The food and drinks were amazing but the place lacked any atmosphere so the night ended when the restaurant closed.

Wednesday 16^th October 2013

Today we hired a driver for the day and went on a sightseeing adventure of the surrounds of Ubud. We started off at the elephant caves we walked down the millions of steps and wondered around the temple there were a few caves with some shrines but most of the temples were out in the open. There was a big ceremony coming up so there were flocks of woman preparing offerings and loads of children scurrying about and playing underfoot. Back in the car we drove to the Tampaksiring holy springs we watched as people bathed in the holy water to remove their sin then walked around the temples watching even more women preparing even more offerings back by the hot springs Alex and I decided to bathe we had to dress in sarongs and started off by making personal prayers and lighting incense. The holy springs are two pools (full of fish) with lines of spouts of water the idea is to stand in front of each say a prayer and then wash yourself under the water and submerge your face and head in the flow. We moved through the first pool and then got into the second our driver told us to only go under three of the spouts in the second pool as the others are for locals only one of those spouts is designed to remove black magic so if that old biddy at the rice fields did curse us the damage is undone. There was also a spout that you could ask for forgiveness for anything bad you have said or done to others. This experience was far more intense than the water purification ceremony and we left feeling like a weight had been lifted. On the way back to the car we somehow managed to lose Laura but eventually we found her. Back in the car we drove to a volcano and ate lunch in its shadow the volcano was a marvellous view but the food was overpriced and average tasting. After eating we continued on to a coffee plantation we had a brief tour (including seeing some Civets) and then sampled the coffee we got to try a variety of teas and coffees for free and then paid for a cup of the coffee made from the civet poo the girl serving us was hilarious and referred to it as a cat-poo-ccino I thought it tasted as bad as regular coffee but the others enjoyed it. Next was our last stop for the day another temple complex with cut outs into the rocks dedicated to ancient kings the whole thing was built as a meditation complex and groups of people from all over the world still come to worship there. The meditation chambers are freezing cold, damp and pitch black not sure it’s an environment I would want to relax in. whilst walking around I made friends with one of the caregivers he told me in broken English all about the complex and showed me a couple of places tourists don’t normally see. One was the historical market where in ancient times the gods would visit the common folk disguised as people if your produce was bought by the gods than you and your family were forever blessed. He also showed me the source of the holy water which flows from an underground spring all around the temple and down into the river. By the time we were finished the place was deserted so I headed towards the exit where everyone was waiting for me. Driving back to Ubud we passed the rice terraces so Ayla could see them. We had a late night booking flights to Lombok for the next day.

Thursday 17^th October 2013

We got up packed and checked out. We headed to Denpasar to the airport where we met Alex and he took one of Ayla's bags then we fare welled other Alex who was going back to Ulawatu, and headed into the airport. We had to print out our tickets and go through to check in the airport security was fairly relaxed and we could even take our water through customs. We waited at the gate to board the world’s smallest airplane it had propellers! The take-off and landing was quite rough and we were battered a bi by the wind but the flight only took 40mins and had only cost us about £10 each! When we landed it was a hassle trying to find a bus as everyone was trying to Shepard us towards the taxis claiming there were no buses despite the fact that we could see them. We got on and paid but it sat about for ages waiting for more people. He driver drove like he was a race car driver weaving in and out of lanes. We got to where we wanted to be and checked into a guesthouse we managed to wangle ourselves a good deal and then ate in the restaurant but the food was a bit shit.

Friday 18^th October 2013

We spent this morning looking for somewhere else to stay that was cheaper but there wasn’t really anything that wasn’t completely shit. We also went to all the travel agents to enquire about trekking the Rinjani which is the big volcano on the island. Eventually we booked a two day trek and with that done we headed to the beach only it was quite dirty and full of touts which we couldn’t be bothered dealing with. Lucky for us there was a flash hotel that let us use their pool for the afternoon if we bought food and drinks so we did just that. We stayed there all afternoon and watched the sunset over the ocean before trekking back to our guesthouse.

Saturday 19^th October 2013

This morning Laura and I were up at 4am to get picked up for our trek a taxi picked us up from the hotel along with another girl and then we hit the road. The drive to Sanaru took about two hours most of which I dozed in the back seat. When we got there it became clear that communication between the guys selling the tours and the operators themselves was almost non-existent in our group we had two vegetarian and two with severe food allergies that hadn’t been catered for so leaving was delayed while the guides went out to get food for us. It didn’t start the day off well and our guide Sam seemed irritated he had to work at all and was short with us constantly.  Eventually we headed off all of us piling into the flatbed of a truck to drive about 5mins to the start point. We had to sign into the national parks register and then we were off. We spent the next eight hours walking upwards the trail was incredibly difficult and at several points I needed to pull myself up using trees as the trail was too high for me to simply step up. Our group didn’t stay together at all Sam our guide charged way ahead along with two of the group and the rest of us were spread out along the mountain. For large sections of the day I was walking completely alone but at least the trail was well marked and there were many groups heading in both directions so I did see people here and there. Along the way there were several pit stops at each one we stopped for about ten minutes to regroup and rehydrate before continuing on. About midday we stopped for an hour for lunch the porters and Sam set themselves up a distance from us where they cooked us lunch and shot us filthy looks it seems they don’t enjoy their jobs! While we sat another girl joined our group she arrived in Sanaru late and had been rushed up the mountain behind us.  After the forth rest stop the trail became hugely difficult the track was no longer under the treeline and so we were completely exposed to the sun and the wind. The track was also more difficulty as the terrain had changed from a nice compact trail to loose sand so we slid backwards with every step up eventually the loose sand turned to rock and we had to climb up on our hands and knees once that part of the trail was done we were almost there I wanted to break into a run for the finish but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. The view from the crater rim was spectacular inside the rim is a lake and in the middle of the lake is a baby volcano. The whole experience was phenomenal ruined only by the complete disregard to the environment the porters and guides claim to be environmentally aware and blame the rubbish on the tourists (for which I’m sure some of the blame belongs) but on more than one occasion I saw them dropping rubbish and most of the filth is empty gas canisters from them cooking and empty packets of rice and noodles, there is also a lot of human waste all over the mountain and yards and yard of soiled toilet paper. Proper education needs to be given to the guides and tourists about the appropriate way to shit in the wilderness as pretty soon no one will want to camp in the festering waste dump at the top. As an indicator of how bad it is at the crater rim camp there is a  pack of dogs who live there that’s how much rubbish there is that dogs can live there., it’s really rather sad. After reaching the top we sat around in the later afternoon sunshine chatting about the climb and feeling the temperature quickly drop as the sun faded away. We waited while camp was set up and then retreated into our tents to change into something warmer. The porters served us dinner in our tents as it was too cold and windy to eat outside. We stayed up a while chatting before falling asleep pretty early. We woke up around 11pm to howling winds so strong they were ripping the tent pegs out from under us the others in the group were having similar problems but ours was the worst eventually even our fly sheet flew away leaving us in hysterical laughter the porters fixed it but it wasn't long before it happened again and again and again all night the whole tent flapped and pulled us about making sleep rather elusive.

Sunday 20^th October 2013

We were awake early his morning but not early enough to see the sun rise Sam had told us the wrong time so we missed the spectacular event. We were hurried through breakfast and hurried out of our tent so we could move on. Most of the group was continuing up to the summit but we were heading back down. Down wasn’t as hard as up but it was still a challenge as the path was so steep and never ending. The decent was really hard on the knees and ankles which were pretty seized up by the time we got to the bottom. When we reached the end we were picked up and driven back to Sanaru it was a relief to take our boots off but our ankles were so used to walking in boots that they barely worked. At the base camp we were fed and freshened up as much as we could before heading back to Sengigi. The driver was a maniac and both Laura and the other girl who was with us kept telling him off but he was either too proud or too stupid to listen  he even left his engine running while he filled up with petrol! When we got back we showered and got food and then collapsed into bed.

Monday 21^st October 2013

This morning was a bit of a bother I was dressed packed and ready to go by 7.30am so went to have breakfast but the restaurant didn’t open until 8.00am so I sat and waited while ready my book. As soon as it opened I ordered and ordered for Laura as well who had asked me too since we were getting picked up at 9am I asked for them to take the food to the room while I sorted out the bill by the time that was sorted and I got to the room the food was there and Ayla had eaten my breakfast which Laura had told her was for her. I was raging but there was nothing to be done about it so we grabbed our stuff and left the morning continued to get worse when we got dropped off at a small café along with all the others waiting for boats to the Gilly islands. There were heaps of touts about offering us return tickets to Bali but we declined this guy asked Ayla if she wanted to trade her smashed up iPhone for a boat ticket and thinking he was joking she agreed only he wasn’t and then he got raging and next thing you know our tickets are gone and the boat guys are claiming we never had one unless we buy a ticket to Bali on principle I wasn’t going to buy off these dickheads I would rather lose the money we paid to get to the Gillis. There was a local dude sitting in the café that told us it was a scam they always find someone without a ticket to Bali and try to blackmail them into buying one I was absolutely raging. Eventually I turned on the water works proclaimed my fear of boats and that I didn’t want to get the ferry to Bali that I wanted to fly from Lombok next thing you know our tickets reappear and we are on the boat albeit it crammed on the local boat along with 50million others and several chickens. The ride to Gilly Air took about 15mins and soon we were ashore looking for somewhere to stay. The hostel we booked into was quite cute the beds were a normal set of bunks and then a double bed built into a mezzanine floor. We dumped our stuff got our bikinis on and headed for food and the beach. After a delicious lunch we got ourselves some sun loungers and baked in the sun. we were all swimming when the rain came in like a wave Laura and Ayla were out further than me and started screaming but I was still dry and couldn’t work it out until it hit me like a sheet the rain was thick and heavy and lasted most of the afternoon we managed to squeeze in at a table inside the place we had lunch and got a cup of tea and then more food just to pass the time. Later on we went back to the hostel and showered and changed we met a couple of girls who were also staying there and we all went to grab some dinner having eaten not that long ago I just downed cocktails. Later on we went a few bars down the road to a dive of a place that was having a beach party it was mostly full of locals and most of them were men but it was a laugh and we got a good dance in. even Jesus came to the party and created energy balls with his dance moves.

Tuesday 22^nd October 2013

This morning we met up with Alice and Rachel the girls from our hostel and had breakfast together. We spent the morning swimming and tanning then attempted to walk around the island but had left it too late so only got about halfway. We stopped for a drink and then headed back and had dinner together then went and listened to the live music at the bar next door.

Wednesday 23^rd October 2013

This morning we had a boat to catch at 8.30am to Gilly Tawagan as usual we didn’t have time for breakfast or anything other than to rush to the pier. The boat didn’t take too long about 20mins with a brief stop at Meno first. Backing off the shore at Meno we were too close to another boat and made unhealthy grinding noises as the boats scarped against one another everyone on our boat had to sit to one side to tilt the weight across. Once we arrived at Gilly T we had breakfast and then Laura and I went searching for somewhere to stay while Ayla looked after the bags it took ages but we finally decided upon a place and checked in. we got beach ready and claimed some sun lounges where I promptly fell asleep eventually I woke up and we wandered down the road to get some food. Back at the hotel I was still super drained so had a power nap that last almost two hours I  got p and we got ready to head out there wasn’t many food places open but I did grab something at the food market before we got our party on. There was a party at the Irish bar and we started drinking next thing you know it’s the sun rise.

Thursday 24^th October 2013

We were supposed to hit the beach early this morning but were pretty slow moving I headed there earlier than the others and met Alice who arrived this morning. When the others got up we went down the beach for some breakfast. We met up with some guys we met last night and spent the day on the beach swimming and snorkelling. Late afternoon we trekked to the other end of the island to watch the sunset it was fantastic we sat and had a few drinks then went back and got changed and went for dinner. After eating we hit up a beach party for a bit they were playing really good old school music and we danced the night away before slinking off to do some mushrooms. It was such a good trip on the beach with no one else around watching the stars expand and contract and all having a massive laugh towards the end of the trip we headed back to the beach party but we were all coming down and just sat in bean nags watching everyone else

Friday 25^th October 2013

We woke up feeling really groggy and went and met Alice and the boys for breakfast we were all a bit rough and after eating collapsed on the beach. We had a great time messing about in the water taking ridiculous photos before the guys had to leave to catch their ferry back to Bali. We chilled on the beach and this absolute tool of a guy tried selling us tickets to the boat party I was having none of it and I think he made it his mission to try and persuade us but really he was just annoying by the end of it he was offering the four of us 3 free tickets plus two drinks each and he would buy us a bottle of vodka it was a tad embarrassing how pushy he was. In the afternoon we walked to the turtle sanctuary and then booked a snorkel trip for tomorrow. Later on we went for dinner at this place that was supposed to be amazing but they served me chicken spring rolls (I asked for vegetarian the waiter was like yes chicken… chickens are vegetarians so chicken is vegetarian ummmm no) we went to the bar at Alice’s hostel and had a few as we were leaving she went to bed and we went on to the reggae bar had a bit of a dance and then crashed out.

Saturday 26^th October 2013

 Woke up this morning and headed off on our snorkel trip we were running late as usual so had to shovel in breakfast. The boat was so overcrowded once everyone and their snorkels were in which was annoying but at least we got seats at the front where we could tan while sailing. We stopped at three points during the day which were all cool but I have done better snorkelling the highlight was seeing turtles at the second stop they were massive and completely chilled. We stopped at Gilly Air for lunch just as the rain came slamming down we ate and then went to meet the boat the rain had stopped but it was overcast and the wind had picked up. There was even thunder and lightning! Just when we thought it couldn’t get better the engine died but luckily the captain had the ability to use a spanner as a hammer and hit it until it came to life, by this stage the waves were huge and we arrived back to Gilly T freezing and soaking wet. The day had turned miserable so after showers and dry clothes we headed to a café that had cake and internet to try and book some flights. Eventfully that was done and we headed for dinner and then out again although by 2am I was over it so took myself to bed.

Sunday 27^th October 2013

This morning we got up and packed up as usual was ready but the others were still fannying about so breakfast was super rushed annoyingly the ferry was late any way so we could have taken our time. We were supposed to arrive in Seminyak at 12.30pm but didn’t get there until about 3pm we had booked a room at Panca Jaya so headed there and got settled in. Alex arrived around the same time the food from Zula we ordered did we sat and ate and then other Alex took Ayla to the Air Asia office to buy some flights as online wouldn’t accept her card. Later on Alex, Laura and I went to La Planca to watch the sunset on the beach I left them to it and headed back to the hotel via the shops. Later on we flagged down the world’s most inappropriate hilarious taxi driver who was yelling at woman that they were MILFs and other much more detailed muck which was so out of line but equally funny. We ate at ultimo which was pretty good then headed back early as we were all shattered.

Monday 28^th October 2013

Woke up finished packing and had breakfast then waited for Nyoman to come pick me up and take me to the airport I was leaving the others behind to go and chill in Thailand for a month. I had to fly from Bali to Jakarta and then on to Bangkok when I eventually arrived I shared a taxi to Koh San road with some (lovely but very smelly) hippies I found my hostel checked in and then went exploring I didn’t go far as it was already about 10.30pm but I grabbed some street food and then chilled back at the hostel.