Still in Rishikesh

Thursday 7^th May 2015

Today was an extremely lazy day we had breakfast after which we stopped in a café for a coffee and sat and read for a bit before heading back to the guesthouse where we lay on the roof reading for a few hours it wasn’t long before Mark was hungry though so we went in search of a late lunch and ended up at a bit of a shithole. We ate and then headed back to the guesthouse to have a shower before heading out to meet friends.

In the evening we met Sandeep on some steps by the river we chilled out there for a bit before heading into the Royal café to watch this girl that we met recite some poetry.

We could have walked all the way up to the street and around to the café but in true Indian style someone had leant a dodgy looking ladder against a shoddily made wall on the balcony and so we climbed up that straight into the café. As I went up the ladder the whole thing was swaying and I kept picturing the wall it was leaning on crumbling but we all got up safely so it was fine.

We were a bit early so we had dinner sitting outside on the balcony watching the sun go down. When we had eaten we moved inside to watch the performance. It was all pretty deep stuff and the girl had a very real talent as well as a great report with the audience.

Alter the show ended we said our goodbyes and headed down the road to a café for some cake. We sat down the back on the balcony where we were quickly forgotten about and Sandeep had to remind them about our order it turned out they were short staffed and in the end Sandeep was the one who got our cake for us!

Around 10pm we decided to head back and brave the dogs barking and chasing us. We actually made it back without incident which was a relief and were soon ready for bed.

Friday 8^th May 2015

This morning we got up and had breakfast then went shopping for a few bits a pieces that we needed while we were at the shops we ended up buying a colouring in book and some coloured pencils I wanted the Ganesh or the Mandala book but Mark wanted Tantra (he didn’t realise it was a sex book which made it funnier when we got back and opened it up)

I also got some postcards and so we went into a café and I wrote my postcards while Mark drank endless cups of coffee. When we were leaving I asked for a muesli cookie and the girl gave me a peanut one it was severely disappointing. But on the bright side as we were paying be bumped into a friend from Pushkar so happy days on that front!

We found the post office and I sent off my many correspondences and well as a little parcel each (Moo I sent you a package but it’s your birthday present so don’t open it if it comes early!!!) we were just in time as we were leaving they were shutting up shop behind us (even though it was only 2pm…)

With all our jobs done we walked back to the guesthouse to sit on the roof and do some colouring in we soon got rather competitive over whose side of the page was better.

After a while we were melting in the sun even though by this stage it was early evening and the sun was going down so we had a shower and headed out to dinner. We went to the other side of the bridge and after eating sat down by the river in the darkness for a time before coming back and eating way to much chocolate in bed.

 Saturday 9^th May 2015

This morning we were up at a reasonable hour for once as we had a cooking class booked. We got up and Mark was starving so we went and had a quick breakfast before being at the place for 10am across the bridge in Lakshman Jhula.

We arrived a bit early but got straight into it. Over the next few hours we made a whole variety of dishes finishing in time to eat at about midday. We learnt how to Make Aloo Paranthas (bread stuffed with potato), chapattis, Coriander chutney, basic yellow dhal and vegetable curry as well as lassi and ginger chai. 

The food was quite spicy and extremely delicious all cooked in a tiny flat above a café while the ladies five year old son played quietly on the bed in the corner. It was great fun and all through the lesson we learnt about Indian spices and what not the teacher is also an ayurvedic cook and so she told us what foods are good for what and what to avoid eating. (Apparently if you eat a green chilli every day you should never wear glasses!)

After the class we were stuffed but Mark wanted a coffee so we walked down the road to a café that has a real coffee machine. The woman that owns the place has a broken foot and everyone who works there seems to be a volunteer the service is ridiculously bad and when  Mark asked for a second coffee they told him to make it himself which was wildly amusing!

We sat and enjoyed the cool of the café as the day was scorching but after a while we needed to move and so we headed to the beach. Along the way we stopped to pat a baby cow when a jeep sped by blaring its horn it scared another cow who head-butted mark who fell down narrowly missing landing in a huge fresh poo it was hilarious and I laughed about it for the rest of the day.

the cow that ran Mark down

We went where we swam the other day but the river had risen and looked completely different the current was much stronger and there wasn’t much of a bank you stepped into the river and it was immediately deep.

We just paddled our toes and sat on the sad watching lizards scurrying about for a while before heading back to the guesthouse. 

I had planned on getting some washing done but instead I ended up siting about reading my book and doing colouring in.

Around 6.30pm we headed out for some food we were both pretty hungry so were upset that none of the dhabas opened until 7pm. Instead we headed across Lakshman Jhula and down to one of the Ghats where there was an event going on to raise money for families in Nepal after the earthquake.

There was street food and performers and a video about the relief effort. We stayed until about 8pm when we decided to head for food (the street food hadn’t satisfied our hunger) when we got to the restaurant there wasn’t anything I felt like eating so I ended up dinnerless while Mark ate a huge thali.

After food we headed back to the guesthouse and read the evening away.

Sunday 10^th May 2015

What a lazy day. We didn’t get moving until almost midday and even then it was just to a café for breakfast, books and Wi-Fi for a few hours before getting an ice-cream and heading back to the guesthouse to do laundry.

Just before 4pm we headed out to meet Sandeep at a café for a drink before attending a Shaman workshop. The other day whilst crossing Lakshman Jhula we met some people who told us about the workshop. It was a Mexican Shaman and we had no idea what to expect.

It was actually pretty interesting he talked mostly about nutrition with a huge focus on water and how water these days is so treated it’s not in its pure form which is why there is so much illness in the world. He also talked about how bad diary is but I already knew that. (There was an Indian couple there that left when he said that)

His talk went on for a few hours about awakening your body and connecting to your mind but it was just an intro talk so didn’t go too far in depth to anything.

After the workshop we went to dinner with Sandeep and a German guy who also came to the talk we checked out a place that does Ayurvedic cooking. The food was really simple but really delicious. We sat about all evening chatting and eating before heading home to bed.

Monday 11^th May 2015

Last night was hotter than any other night has been so I woke up feeling groggy and not very fresh. We had idly for breakfast and then moved onto a café for coffee.

We chilled out for a bit before walking along the river past Ram Jhula to the Beatles Ashram (of course that’s not really what it’s called but since they stayed there in the 60s it’s what its known as) the ashram was abandoned in 1997 and has been left to fall into ruin ever since no one can tell me why it was abandoned and a google search proved fruitless but its possibly because the guru was a bit shady.

The land is now owned by the forestry commission and the entire site is being reclaimed by nature although a lot of the buildings are still intact.

We didn’t know how to get here and so followed google maps as much as we could but the internet in Rishikesh is a touch bad and so it was a bit hard we ended up walking for quite a while through the forest on a relatively quiet road until we came to a small path there was a baba there who pointed us in the right direction (and told us he would pray for our marriage)

The path was fairly short and before long we were at the back gate of course it was locked (the land as I said before is owned by the forestry commission and no one is actually allowed to go in but some enterprising locals have set up a business letting people in at the front entrance for a small baksheesh)

Luckily for us we are expert climbers and so we just spider-manned over the locked gate as we were considering the best place to climb over another guy showed up and we spent our time exploring with him. The place has a great energy about it but at the same time is very creepy and sad its super overgrown and there are the remnants of fires everywhere as well as a lot of damage to the buildings and heaps of graffiti although most of the graffiti is pretty awesome artwork.

Almost all the windows and toilets have been smashed and all the metal seems to have been pulled out as well as all the plug sockets and any electrical fittings leaving random holes in the walls here and there.

We explored loads of building as well as climbing onto the roof of several which awarded us spectacular views. The place was pretty empty we only saw a few other people poking about and millions of spiders and funnel webs.

After having a good explore we decided to leave through the main gate hoping to blag that we paid on the way in, but the guy wasn’t having any of it and refused to let us out saying we had to go back and climb back over the fence wherever we came. In the end we hopped over the fence right in front of him and cheerily thanked him for all his help.

We walked back into town and stopped for a juice by the bridge where we bumped into Sandeep he was about to leave to catch a train so it was good to say goodbye. We sat and had juice and fruit salad and then walked across Ram Jhula and up the hill back to the guesthouse along the way a dude stepped out in front of me without looking to hail a bus and inadvertently stubbed out his cigarette on my hand, despite the fact that it was blatantly his fault he blamed me for the loss of his smoke and the fact that the bus didn’t stop! I was pleased to get back to the accommodation to chill out and do some colouring in.

We hung out for a while waiting for it to be after 7pm so we could get a thali at one of the dhabas we ate and then headed to a café for some tea and to sit and do colouring in. while we were there a huge storm started and we ended up trapped until the rain eased off which it did eventually.

We had to walk home in near total darkness as the power seemed to be out everywhere occasionally the way was lit up by a flash of lightening but that only served to make me even more blind. We got back to the accommodation where the power was also out leaving us no choice but to go to bed.

On top of one of the many abandoned buildings

Some teachings still on the wall

Standard cleanliness of an Indian toilet haha

Mark nervously watching a creepy grasshopper thing

Some more abandoned buildings

Te Ashram is full of beautiful and not so beautiful graffiti 

The back gate we climbed over

Weird egg topped building

Underground meditation cells

beautiful empty building being reclaimed by the forest

Abandoned House

Overgrown Pagoda

The Ashram even had a postbox

Tuesday 12^th May 2015

After the extreme rain last night the weather was much cooler today we went to have breakfast but every place we tried was closed which was annoying we finally ended up in a café across the river which has great coffee but ridiculously bad service.

We had a lazy morning and then went and had a lazy afternoon by the river paddling our feet and doing some yoga on the sand. The beach was pretty much empty except for the rafting boats going by so it was lovely and peaceful.

Eventually though it got a bit too hot and Mark was hungry so we went and got him a thali. Before heading back to the guesthouse to chill out on the roof.

In the evening we had dinner at a dharba and then chilled with books all evening.

This monkey stole someones ice-cream!

Every year people drown in the Ganges on Sunday an Indian tourist drowned whilst swimming her body is yet to be recovered 

So many cows in the streets here

Yoga by the Ganges

Rickshaw Run Cochin to Jaisalmer Jan 2015 Part one- pimping, test driving, hit and runs and lots of fun

Sunday 28^th December 2014

We woke up in our Train station hotel and got our skates on before anyone could think twice about trying to charge us more (since we got upgraded from the shite-hole we paid for to a fairly decent place in the middle of the night after the first hotel stuffed up our paid for booking) we got a Rickshaw to Fort Kochi

We arrived at our Homestay to be told Rachel’s flight was delayed so we dumped our bags in the room and went to find food and have a wander around town. At 2pm we headed back to the homestay and waited and waited still no sign of her then the staff came back (they went to a wedding) and said her flight was delayed again and wouldn’t land until 4pm so she wouldn’t arrive until 6 or 7pm depending on traffic so we had to go have a look at our shaw!

At the parade ground we couldn’t register as we didn’t have our insurance or Rachel but we could look at the captain planet mobile and admire the many other glorious designs.

We walked back through town in search of food and met Harry Potter a local Rickshaw driver and friend for life! In Fort Kochi if you visit a government store with a local driver they get a 1l petrol voucher as commission so we made a deal with him that we would do that if he took us somewhere good for food.

In the store there was no chance I would by anything the dude told me I looked like a fat guy and tried to sell me a silk scarf and jewellery to look more like a woman. Just a wee tip for any of you sales people out there while negging may work for some out and out insults will NOT get you a sale.

We came out of the store and Indian Harry Potter dropped us off at a local place where we gorged for the low low price of $1.50 (NZD)

Back at the homestay Rachel arrived and after freshening up and chilling out a bit we headed to hotel Cochin Fort for drinks 

Monday 29^th December 2014

This morning we got up and had breakfast on the roof terrace before heading out into the world we had to get copies of our passports and visas and get our insurance info for the admin staff.

Once that was done we got to the parade grounds and joined the registration queue which took a while but was all good fun

.

Once sorted we were handed our keys and we went for a test drive Maezee went first and was a natural, then it was Rachel who has never driven a manual so took a bit longer to pick up but was all good then me who didn’t even get a lesson it was just assumed I could still drive form last year and Matt headed off to get our licences!

We headed out on the road and got some bits and pieces to further pimp up our machine and just have a general cruise around town we seemed to find everything we needed without too much drama which was good

About 4.30pm we handed back our keys for the day and went in search of food we were all fading since we skipped lunch. Then we headed back to the homestay and showered away the sweaty grime of the day (it’s much hotter here than in Madurai!) then went out for Rickshaw Run drinks

Tuesday 30^th December 2014

This morning I got up early and hit the roof terrace for some yoga and meditation which was a grand start to the day.

Then the day was much the same as yesterday we picked up our baby and drove around town sorting out various bits and pieces (stopping only to eat waffles for lunch and to show Harry Potter our Rickshaw)

Rachel had her first go on the road and did grand then it was back to the parade ground for a basic lesson in mechanics (three blank faces here)

At 7.30pm we had a rickshaw run Q & A which was super useful and fear inspiring then we spent the next million years waiting for dinner which came out one dish at a time after which we all decided we wanted bed!

Wednesday 31^st December 2014

NEW YEARS FREAKING EVE!!!!

This morning I wanted to yoga again but it was pouring with rain so that put a damper on my plans, especially since I was awake at about 6.30am. But it gave me plenty of time to do some boring personal admin.

As soon as we got to the parade grounds we chatted to some other teams and decided to gather a few more spares than we already had so off we went to the auto spares shop but the dude was sold out of everything we needed. He directed us to a town 4km away and none of us had any idea what he was saying so we called Indian Harry Potter who took us where we needed to go.

Back at the parade grounds we gave our baby a good clean and when I say good clean I mean the Rickshaw now looks vaguely shiner than it did before. Our horn was only working intermittently so we had the mechanic take a look, only for it to stop working almost immediately when we got back on the road!

By this stage it was kicking on in the day and we had just enough time to grab some food fill up our jerry can and then return our shaw in by 4pm. On the way back to the accommodation we picked up some snacks and then hit the shower to get party ready.

With costumes on we headed to the ferry across to the “island” where the party was. There was all sorts of free food, a dance show and martial arts demonstration, a huge dance floor and some hugely overpriced booze. By the time we had rung in the new year got a boat back and aimless wandered through town being hugged by almost everyman in sight it was about 3amand we were knackered I had a head full of orange paint I needed to wash out and from there we all fell into bed. 

Thursday 1^st January 2015

Happy New Year!

The aim had been to get up at 6am and get this sorted then do some yoga and meditate before we had to be at the parade ground….but…I woke up at 6am and that wasn’t happening but I did get up at 7am…I can’t say the same for Rachel and Maezee who are still fast asleep despite my alarm going off fairly regularly…

We head off in a few hours wish us luck and ill post how we are getting on as soon as I can!

The start of my second Indian Adventure- Birthday and Christmas in an Ashram 2014!

Thursday 11^th December 2014

I started my day today in Myanmar and flew to Bangkok.

I slept the entire flight to Bangkok and woke up in a bit of a daze I had to cross town to the main Bangkok airport via the free shuttle and thankfully Ganesh was on my side removing all obstacles we landed at 10.20am and I had disembarked, cleared immigration and collected my bags all in time to board the 10.40am shuttle! At BKK check in hadn’t even opened so I had to wait in line with all the other keen beans.

When I was eventually through to the gate I bought a ridiculously overpriced sandwich and sat and read my book until boarding was called.

I hadn’t remembered to ask for a vegetarian meal in time (I never do, it should defiantly be an option when you buy tickets online!) but lucky for me since we were heading to India the choice was veggie or chicken and it was pretty darn tasty. About halfway through the flight my e-reader ran out of battery much to my distress so I slept the rest of the flight.

The flight arrived into Mumbai early and I was soon reminded how time slows down in India it took an age to get through customs and immigration collect my bags check back in and then head to the domestic terminal. The bus is supposed to come every 10mins I waited almost an hour but it didn’t matter since my flight was delayed by a little over an hour. When finally I boarded I was exhausted and soon fell asleep only to be woken up by the air host asking if I wanted dinner, does a bear shit in the woods of course I did! I ate and was soon out cold again.

I arrived into Bangalore at about 11.15pm hoping it wouldn’t be too hard to find Maezee as I should have arrived before her. I looked around the terminal and there was no sight of her so I went out and searched but there was still no sign of her and they wouldn’t let me back into the airport to look, wouldn’t do a call out over the PA and wouldn’t send someone in to look. I was at a loss as the staff just kept telling me to call her… kind of difficult with no phone or phone number. My tablet was flat and my laptop wouldn’t pick up the Wi-Fi which wouldn’t have mattered anyway since you needed a phone to receive a txt with the password, half an hour at the customer service desk and the lady still tells me to call her.

Eventually I met the most obnoxious, insulting, skin crawling, racist American man I have ever met (mate if you’re reading this and you don’t like India or Indian people what the fuck are you doing here? I’m sure they would be happy to see the back of you!) as much of a prick as he was he did let me use his iPad and a quick look on FB and I saw a message form Maezee that she had missed her connecting flight after a delayed flight and so would be spending the night in Delhi.

It only took about two hours but at least I now knew the deal and headed by taxi to our hotel. It was in the arsehole of nowhere and took an age and a very frustrated lost taxi driver to get there but eventually I was in a room in a bed sleeping y little heart out.

Friday 12^th December 2014

The morning came and so did Maezee after a brief chit chat we decided to head to the train station and try and get night train tickets to Madurai city.

We Rickshawed to the station and spent the next 90mins being sent from one counter to the next to the next. Eventually we had two tickets but only one bed on the train but had applied for another and were told it was a 99% chance we would get it.

We then took a rickshaw to Cuban park and had a stroll around before picking up another rickshaw who took us to a nice (but overpriced) place for lunch and then (as always in India) onto his friends shop. I got some wee Christmas Ganeshes to hang in the rickshaw and Maezee got a scarf.

Back at the hotel we got snacks then chilled until we had to head to the station. We went into the office and were told we had another berth but that it was in a different carriage. Our train left at 9.15pm but was on the platform at 8.40pm so we clambered aboard and made friends with our sleeper mates. A dude on his own kindly swapped beds so we didn’t have to split up.

We spent a wee while eating our train snacks chatting and reading before heading to bed to sleep away the rest of the journey.

Saturday 13^th December 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

We both slept rather well on the train apart from a brief moment when Mae needed the loo and woke me up to look after her bag in the dark I couldn’t see a thing and she scared the bajesus out of me but it was all rather funny.

We had about an hour till we were due in Maderai City but the train pulled in slightly late. From the train station we walked 10mins to the bus station and found our bus to the ashram. It took about an hour to get there then a 10min walk arriving just in time to dump our bags and have breakfast.

After food we registered made up our beds in the dorm and then chilled out until tea time after which was our first lecture which didn’t overly make sense as it was towards the end of the last series. Next was asana class and I was delighted to find that after three weeks of no practice I could still comfortably stand on my head. (Probably my greatest achievement of 2014)

Class finished and there was just enough time for a shower before dinner, after which I spent reading some birthday messages before Satsang.

As it was a Saturday it was the weekly talent show which was rather entertaining but bedtime couldn’t come quick enough and I had a great sleep.

Sunday 14^th December 2014

Today was our first full day of Ashram life. Every day the schedule is the same to teach self-discipline and what not it goes as follows

05.30 (yes you read that right 5.30qam every day!) wake up bell

06.00 Satsang –silent meditation then chanting (awesome start to the day!)

07.30 – chai (or for those of us who don’t drink milk black tea)

08.00 – Asana class (for most of you that’s yoga class)

10.00 – brunch

11.00 – Karma Yoga (that’s cleaning sometimes sweeping sometimes mopping other times toilets and if you are really unlucky it’s sticking your hand down a drain and pulling out the hair)

12.00pm-13.00 free time

13.30 – Chai time

13.45- Philosophy lecture on all things body mind and spirit

15.30 – Asana class

18.00 – Dinner

19.00- 20.00 free time

20.00 - Evening Satsang

22.00- Lights out bed time

This morning we started the day with a silent walk we sat in the middle of nowhere on a giant rock and chanted for a while until we headed back to the ashram other than that it was the scheduled events

Monday 15^th December 2014

Instead of satsang this morning we had a fire ceremony I’m not really sure what we were celebrating but it was awesome we sat around the fire chanting for about 90mins and then made offerings into the fire one by one whatever it was for I felt extremely energised and uplifted even if my legs were completely numb with pins and needles form sitting on the floor

As it was change over day for the yoga vacationers (the programme works in two week blocks) we watched a documentary for the lecture

Tuesday 16^th December 2014

Today was ashram business as usual but with a bajan group performing for us at Satsang

Wednesday 17^th December 2014

We had another silent walk this morning I was feeling pretty drained as I have developed a cough that seems to be worst at night when I’m laying down.

I found some clippers today and shaved most of my hair off leaving just a pony tail on top like a weird monk, one of the guys here said I looked like a Berlin techno person I’m not really sure if that’s a compliment or an insult so if you know shed some light for me!

Thursday 18^th December 2014

Today was a blegh kind of day in the morning asana class I was getting so annoyed with the tone of the teacher’s voice that I had to get up and leave. But the afternoon class left me feeling a bit charged up.

Friday 19^th December 2014

Happy one month on the road! I have officially been travelling for a month today! Fridays are days off in the ashram so after Satsang and the morning chai we heading into Madurai City on the bus.

The bus was crazy full of mostly school children all crammed in like chickens with hardly any room to even breathe!

When we arrived in town we hit up a local restaurant and got some masala dosa for breakfast before going to the Meenakashi temple the security there was crazy strict and you couldn’t take anything in and we were frisked like nobody’s business.

Inside is absolutely outstandingly beautiful but I didn’t feel like it was a spiritual place at all as there were so many hawkers trying to sell (mostly crappy) trinkets and more food vendors than could be imagined. It was also full of people worshipping and visiting but the whole effect was more like a street market with all the yelling and food smells.

The best parts are strictly for Hindus only so we were a bit dispirited about the whole thing.

Maezee and I needed to get train tickets to Kochi so we headed to the train station where we were told there were no tickets available until the 8^th Jan!  Our only option was to go back the day before and apply for emergency quota but since we didn’t want to do that we got tickets through a travel agent which is the exact same process but we pay them to apply on our behalf and saves us a trip into town. Fingers crossed we will actually have tickets when the time comes!

After the ticket situ was somewhat resolved we headed into another town that’s partway between Madurai and the ashram where we got more food then ice-cream and snacks from the supermarket before arriving back at the ashram just in time for dinner!

Saturday 20^th December 2014

All day I was dragging myself along until the afternoon asana class when I absolutely came alive and made quite a bit of progress!

It was the last day of the Yoga teachers training course that has been going on for the last month and so we had an absolute feast for dinner

The evening satsang was mostly the graduating ceremony for the ttc which was pretty cool followed by the weekly talent show. Maezee and I got up and spoke about the Rickshaw Run resulting in a few donations which is awesome! By the time we finally got to bed I was absolutely shattered!

Sunday 21^st December 2014

Sunday morning silent walk and chanting under a big shady tree was the perfect start to the day. The ashram was pretty empty with students leaving and also because there was a big trip out to some temples.

In my free time a wrote a bunch of postcards and the lecture was super informal which was good for my tired brain

Monday 22^nd December 2014

This morning I was on Struggle Street after so many sleepless nights coughing so I slept through Satsang and got up in time for tea. My biggest accomplishment of the day was sitting completely still during meditation in the evening.

Tuesday 23^rd December 2014

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!! Apparently that’s not a thing but it totally is! Tonight we had another fire ceremony in the temple which was wicked. When everyone is chanting together like that you can really feel the power, the energy and the vibrations!

Wednesday 24^th December 2014

Happy Christmas Eve!!! Today was awesome it was business as usual until Satsang which started at 9pm and finished close to 1am! We spent the whole time singing carols, listening to readings and stories and watching Christmas skits at the end we all got a candle and sat in silent meditation for the 10mins leading up until midnight then we all cheered and wished each other Merry Christmas and had an enormous cake and Christmas cookies and the most heavenly chocolate balls! What a way to ring in Christmas!

Thursday 25^th December 2014

Merry Christmas! This morning we had a sleep in and Arti at 7.20am then after tea we went to the local old folk’s home and gave them some gifts and Christmas cookies and sang carols with them. Back at the ashram we had a short yoga class and then a slightly late lunch but then from there the day was a regular ashram day.

After dinner we had a candle light carol service walking around the ashram grounds were we all got a bit silly singing in ridiculous high pitched voices. We finished the walk in the satsang hall where we had Arti and from there it was free time for the rest of the day so we headed to the library and all crowded around my 10 inch laptop to watch a movie!

Friday 26^th December 2014

Friday day off! We had planned on going into Madurai to watch a Bollywood film but it didn’t finish till late so threw a spanner in the works instead after tea Maezee and I set off to the ice-cream town (I call it that since we have no idea of its name and everyone goes there for ice-cream)

The bus was absolutely rammed and going so fast I was convinced we were going to go around a corner and someone would be flung out the open space where the door used to be! Thankfully this didn’t happen and we got there unscathed.

First stop was masala dosas for breakfast and then as the ice-cream shop wasn’t open yet a wee walk around town. We found “India’s best hair and beauty salon” and got our eyebrows threaded for a grand total of 60 cents (NZD) what a bargain!

By then the ice-cream shop was open so we headed back there stopping to pick up some samosas for afternoon tea. Back at the ashram no one was around as they had all gone out for the day so we relaxed away the afternoon until 3.30pm when we did asana class and then dinner etc. etc…

Saturday 27^th December 2014

Our last day in the ashram… it was so sad to leave we got up early and had our last satsang and cruised through the day until afternoon tea after which we had to motor to the bus stop.

We got into town a little after 3pm and went to pick up our train tickets from the travel agent there was a bit of confusion about who had it and had we paid but in the end it was sorted and we rushed across to the station to find our train was delayed by about an hour.

When we were finally on board we were lucky enough to be sharing the berth with a creeper who sat too close and openly stared at our tits. Every time the ticket man came past he kicked the guy out yelling and beating him with his ticket book but he always came back. It transpired that our berth was “ladies only” and that the guy had no ticket anyway he was persistent though and always returned.

Maezee and I watched a movie on my laptop (having to close the screen every time anything remotely sexual happened least we stir old pervy tits into a frenzy) when at last we went to bed it was a fitful sleep as we had to get off at 3am. In the middle of the night old pervy tits shook me awake yelling and pointing about something but then the train stopped and he ran to get off while his wife tried to steal first my pack then Maezee’s rather unsuccessfully since her husband had woken everyone up with his screams.

We were glad to see the back of them! We arrived in Cochin and got a rickshaw to our accommodation for “the night” only to find they didn’t have our booking even though we had paid in full online but it all worked out when we were bumped up to the much nicer place next door and didn’t pay a cent extra!

New Year New Frontier

In March 2012 I sacked in my job sold or donated most of my possessions and left London to travel and to “find myself” now 2015 fast approaches and I am no closer to realising my life’s purpose then I was when I set out almost three years ago. With that in mind I have been giving a lot of thought to my New Year’s resolutions. I want a list of things that are realistic, manageable and potentially life changing goals that I can achieve throughout the year and I’m posting them online to make myself accountable for everything I set out to do. That said I will bore you no more with my incessant pointless chatter and get onto the good stuff

Education

>complete at least three courses/qualifications- so far I have no idea what these might be but surely educating myself is a good thing

>volunteering-I want to volunteer at every available opportunity hopefully if all goes to plan my first stint will be in Rajasthan helping out at the Fight Hunger Foundation (the charity we raised money for, for the Rickshaw run)

>Read more- no explanation needed and you may well be thinking “doesn’t she read lots already?” and yes I do but you can never read too much and it’s far more productive than loads of other things

Body

>Yoga Yoga Yoga again every day even if it’s just 20 sun salutations I want to make this an everyday occurrence

>by this time next year I was to have mastered the scorpion (yoga asana), the splits and just generally stretch out my ridiculously tight hammies and be able to touch my toes with ease

>Run like the wind and hopefully compete in at least three races (even if they are pokey little 5kms)

>give up drugs and alcohol – I rarely drink anyway and almost never have a good time when I do, plus I’ll be saving pennies a plenty!

>Go completely Vegan- I’m already strictly veggie and almost completely dairy free so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue

Mind

>Meditate every day- I know my limits so I’m going to say at least 10mins a day but ill aim for closer to 30mins

>let go of baggage- this year I want to focus on me I want to get away from the people and my past that is holding me back!

>stress less-negative thoughts lead to negative actions so this year will be the year of positive thinking

Spirit

>Kirtan every day-let’s face it I love a good sing/chant/hum so this one’s going be easy!

>love more openly

>listen more sometimes (all the time) I just need to shut up and let someone else have a turn

>practice Ahimsa everyday- do no harm to others through thought, action or deed

Travel

>when I think of all the places I want to go I get super excited about life but this year I want to slow down and really get a feel for everywhere I go spending as long as I need in each place and not making loads of arrangements to jet off before I’ve even explored somewhere

>lighten my load-my pack currently weighs about 16kg my aim is for that to decrease rather than increase which means no accumulating of material possessions

>See friends- as I travel so much I have friends all over the world that I never see 2015 is the year to reunite with some of them!

So there you have it, my goals for 2015. Friend’s family and random internet strangers hold me to this list and hopefully by the end of 2015 the universe will have shown me the path that is meant for me.

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.