Travel is a Wonderful Thing The journey not the arrival matters.. T.S Eliot

Thursday 19th

We left the Island of Lembongan this morning and headed for our next destination Amertha Villas in Permatuan. Our transport is a 15 seat coach which is fantastic considering it is a 5 hour trip. Uneventful until lunchtime when he pulled in with a cheery lunch here. Damn!! He had pulled into a Buffet Restaurant.  Luke warm food but we were hungry. Mental note to say NO. If he tries to pull the same on the way back to Legian.

Amertha Villas is beautiful with sweeping gardens one side down to the water and mountain range the other. Our room is a villa at the waterfront.  It is spacious with an outdoor bathroom and adjoining kitchen. We are sharing with Kerry and Andrew who have the other villa. The rest of the mob are just along from us. We had a lovely dinner then retired for the night.

Friday 20. Day before Nyepi

Today we wandered the grounds and swam and sunbathed in our pool. Yes we all had our own pool. Ogoh Ogoh parade tonight so early dinner. We had a snorkel outside the resort which is in the process of rebuilding the reef through artificial structures connected to electrical wires that pulse and attract the nutrients needed to form coral. Facinating and it is working.

Ogoh Ogoh parade was heralded by gongs and clatter and singing and chanting. Kids sweating under the afternoon sun proudly swinging and swaying their creation that would soon be turned to charcoal in the name of burning the evil spirits. Laughter and high spirits folowed the procession that leads into a day of silence and reflection tomorrow. It is a 24 hour period of no noise, no leaving the hotel and a day of reverence and reflection.

Saturday 21  Nyepi.

Staff today have been here all night due to no travel. Next year they tell us that they will have it off and others will work. Menu's are restricted as expected and dinner is early as no electrical lighting. Today was spent quietly with minimal noise and lying around. It is wierd how quiet it is with no motorbikes or yelling of kids.