I wasnt that impressed with Bali but that said i didnt really see much of it. I didnt really stick around in the capital Depensar for long and the only beach i went to (sanur) was a big disappointment. Ubud (the centre of Balinese culture is a nice place to chill out and had a nice laid back feel to it but it wasnt really any different to many other places i had seen in Asia. I spent one morning in Ubud at the local monkey "forest" (more of a park) and the rest of the time pampering myself with a cheap haircut and facial. There are apparently some nice walks to go on but as i hadnt met any other travellers by then i didnt fancy tackling the indonesian countryside on my own.
The best thing i did was to go to Quantas' office and delay my flight to Oz for a few more days as it gave me the chance to go to the Gilli Islands ( i needed a bit of a break before oz). A friend from hove who travelled some 20 years ago told me that these islands were a must see and i have to say they were just amazing. I stayed on Gilli Air which is one of the 3 Gilli islands and it was like being in paradise. palm trees, wonderful sandy beaches, tourquoise water, fabulous sunny weather, no traffic (no cars or motorbikes are allowed on the island) and best of all....an amazing coral reef. i tried snorkelling for the first time and cannot believe i havent done it before. The marine life underwater was just breathtaking. I saw jawdropping rainbow coloured fish, bright multi coloured coral and even some gorgeous sea turtles. I went on a snorkelling tour of the 3 islands the first day i arrived and met an english couple who very kindly invited me along snorkelling with them the next day knowing i was a novice. I spent most of the morning with them and managed to get burnt but it was all worth it. i was just mesmerized by the sealife and spent all my time snorkelling thereafter. For the first time ever i thought.....i could get used to beach life.
I clearly didnt leave enough time for Indonesia (in part due to its bad luck with natural disasters and bombers) and if i wasnt meeting a friend in Darwin on 1st May i would have extended my stay here.I will definately be coming back as there is so much i missed out on and i am a bit gutted now to be leaving which is odd as only a few weeks ao i thought i was ready to leave Asia having spent 7 months here. I have loved my time in Asia. Its been hard work sometimes and despite one or two lows but on the whole i have had the best time.
arrived safely in Darwin.
ten4.x
