Massage

The best hour and a half massage ever!! This tiny little (yep, shorter than me even) Indonesian miracle just worked my muscles to jelly. She got on the bed and knelt beside me to get her whole little weight behind her – awesome! Walking slowly back from the massage, I must have looked high – everyone I passed gave me this knowing look and smile as if we were sharing something special. All I could manage was a slow grin of pleasure back!

My period of vulnerability is to be blamed on Michelle – you see she just left me. We just said our goodbyes as she drove away in a taxi for her flight back to Oz. I was sad and got pulled in at a moment of weakness. I should have more of them. For less than $8 I was so relaxed I almost dribbled.

The last week has been brilliant – let me go back….

After 4 glorious nights at a lovely hotel in Legian, we packed our bags early and nervously waited for our transport to the boat that was to take us to the little islands just off Lombok. Nervous because we only paid a fraction of the price for a boat that we had not heard of and that was not recommended by the hotel. We got a cracker of a price for a cracker of a trip – it was a gentle 4 hour ride and I didn’t feel sick once, woohoo!

We took a public boat between the islands and on the short trip over we ran out of petrol… twice. We refuelled with empty jerry cans and lit cigarettes.

The 3 nights on Gili Air was the most relaxing time I can remember. It is a stunning Island, as are the 2 neighbouring ones, Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno (thanks for recommending Ryan!). We pass our days by drinking and eating our way around the island. We sat, walked, snorkelled, sat, drank, ate, swam, slept, snorkelled, drank, swam… you get the idea – absolute gratification. Everything about this place was terrific. You know those special little untouched pieces of paradise that your grandparents talked about seeing when they were younger, well this is it. As well as a deserted island I visited with a friend in Thailand, this is the closest thing! There is no motorised transport – only horse and cart or bicycle! Unless you hire a local’s private boat, there is only one boat heading to and one boat leaving from the island each day. There are no street lights, few places with hot and cold water and electricity is run by generators that regularly drops out. The alcohol and food is really cheap and the locals are gorgeous. The kids run around naked, mothers with baskets filled with goodies on their heads and fathers who fish with spears or walk with hand nets at night in the ocean. This time of year there are more locals than guests which was truly magic.

We visited a little turtle sanctuary on Gili Meno and donated enough money to feed them for 1 day. Also surprising was a guy riding a bicycle with a little tune playing from his handle bars and a box on the back with Walls (Streets) ice creams – how cool.

We found a place with 24 hour electricity, running water (albeit cold only), AND air conditioning (yay). We stayed on the North East of the Island, which is quieter and incredibly relaxing. We also met some extremely cool people – Leonardo and Daisy from Brazil, who I hope to visit if I make it to South America and Soili from Finland who I am meeting up with tomorrow in Ubud.

We made the trip back to Bali yesterday and wandered the streets today looking for little bargains – Michelle you are the bartering queen, I loved watching you work your sweet magic on the locals, I even think they enjoyed the challenge. I have enough DVD’s to last me a few months and Michelle has taken enough DVD’s to last her 3 years!! AND they all work! They really are great copies. Amazing!! Thanks again for making the trip with me Michelle, its quiet without you. I would travel with you again in a heartbeat, it was bloody great fun.

I leave the beach tomorrow for the land of rice paddies in Ubud.