Smiley Nix Big Adventure

Gallery: Oz

smileynix — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:58:00 GMT

Brisbane & Sydney

A Whistle Stop Tour of Oz, then on to Christchurch, New Zealand.

smileynix — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:24:00 GMT

Hellooo out there!

Arrived in NZ last Wednesday, Christchurch on South Island to be precise. Was lovely to be met by my friend Karen, who emigrated here with her family nearly two years ago. We used to work together at Exeter Friendly Society. I'm staying with her, her husband Mike and their two boys Jack (8) and Thomas(4). It's been a real nice change to see come familiar faces and have some company. Plus, not having seen them since they left its also been great to catch up.

Its Winter here so looking forward to seeing some snow up in the mountains. We've got some pretty wet weather for the weekend, though that's ok because I've been so lucky so far and its quite nice to have an excuse to stay indoors and do not alot. Actually we've all just been to see Kung Fu Panda. It was realy good. Been on a bit of a cineam frenzie since I hit civilisation again! Saw Sex & City twice and also went to see Narnia - Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones! So I guess I missed the flicks more than I expected!

I had a fab time in Oz, spent 5 days in Brisbane exploring the city, going to the museums and art galleries and generally just easing back into the real world after SE Asia/Indonesia. Then headed to Sydney.

I managed to cover most of the city during my time there (nearly two weeks). Saw the bridge, climbed the pylon thing on the bridge, travelled over the bridge etc! Saw the Opera House and went to see Hamlet in one of the theatres there, which was awesome. Had a nice glass of red in the Opera bar overlooking the harbour beforehand. I also made it to Bondi and the beaches around (walked 25km that day), Darling Harbour, The Rocks (all famous areas of Sydney) and took a ferry to Manly. I saw koala bears, galahs, cockatoos, wombats and possums! I even made it up into the Blue Mountians, so I really managed to do quite a bit.

Of course the highlight was going to Palm Beach (aka Summer Bay) where Home & Away is filmed. It was so beautiful (much better for me) than the beaches closer to Sydney because it is more rugged and wild, less bult up/'man made' and I went back there on my last day. They were actually doing some filming but I couldn't really get close enough to see what was going on and its so long since I've managed to watch Home & Away so I couldn't really make out anyone I recognised - but it was still a little exciting nevertheless!

I did get a picture of the surf club though and ook some pics of me messing about on the beach. I also picked up a few bit of souvenir driftwood (don't laugh ... and don't tell customs either coz its a bit of a no no :os)!

I'm just working on my plan of action for NZ now. Mike is pretty confident that I can easily get some work here so will keep you all posted on that.

I've only got enough money to last a couple more months so I really need to get a job to keep the travels going. I have only seen a little bit of Christchurch, but it all looks good so far.

Can't wait to get up into the mountains though and start exploring middle earth and the shire - plan to start hobbit hunting as soon as the rain stops! There's so much to do here of the outsdoorsy persuasion and some fantastic scenery that is as good in Winter as Summer so I can't wait to get cracking. I think whale watching and dolphin watching are going to be first on the list of must sees. Though I do feel very at home with Karen, Mike and the boys - they have a WII and singstar for the PS2!!!! :o) Oh, and Karen made the most fantastic roast dinner today, my first since leaving Blighty :o) roast beef, yorkshires, roasties - the real works! It was awesonme! I'm being very spoilt and may never leave ... shhh don;t tell Mike & Karen!

Another amazing thing happened today. A minor miracle of sorts. I discovered that the photos I thought I had lost had not been deleted from the memory card for my camera. So I've got them all back. Someone up there is really smiling down on me at the mo, I feel like a right lucky bag!

Well, I think that's it for now. Going to make a couple of calls then get my hot water bottle and head for my bed. I have a new book on the go - The French Lieutenant's Woman - never realised it was quite so racey - don't get me wrong its no Jackie Collins but its not Jane Austen either! I only started reading it coz a)it was a swapsy and b)it's set in Lyme Regis! Anyway, I digress! I shall stop waffling nd sign off!

TTFN, enjoy the English Summer, ah Wimbledon, strawberries and cream teas, fish 'n' chips on the beach, you lucky devils! See there are things that I miss!

PS Thanks again for all the comments. Its nice to know that you are still interested in my wanderings and ramblings! Actually, I'm quite impressed at the number of views I'm getting!

PPS Still need to find somewhere else for the masses of pics I've got of OZ but have managed to upload few for you!

G'day again!

smileynix — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:03:00 GMT

Okay, I've arrived in Sydney and just about accepted I'm never going to see those photos again :o( Never mind.

I probably wont be able to upload any more pics onto this site now. For one thing it is a bit pants and I get so many error messages and it takes soooo long I've come close to thumping the screen several times, which is not good for my otherwise zen like mood. It also looks like there's a 1,500 photo limit - which according to the latest error message I've exceeded! I tried to delete some of the older pics and less interesting shots but surprise, surprise I got another server error. So I've given up. I may check out a different site instead, I'll let you know if I find anything better to switch to.

Right, where was I?! Well the last proper message was written when I was in Ubud, in Bali. I'm afraid I was so busy having fun and chilling out that I didn't quite get around to further updates! After that, internet connections were quite slow and patchy too but I will update you now and point you in the direction of relevant pics!

I think I spent just over a week in Ubud altogether during which time I managed to fit in a cooking class, a silversmith course, white water rafting and a mountain bike ride. There are various pics of all of these activities for you to see.

Ubud itself was essence of Bali culture and style with a slight twist of the west. There were lots of art galleries and I really enjoyed the Balinese style paintings. I've treated myself to a couple of small pictures as souvenirs. I could have spent a fortune in the little boutiques and jewellery shops and got very fat eating all the yummy food. They had some really fab bars and restaurants but for the most part was pretty good. Thanks goodness for the bike I hired and all the walking so that I could balance it all out.

After the first few nights, I moved from the hotel/guest house on the edge of town to a 'losmen' (traditioanl Balinese style house) in the centre. I've taken a few pics. The room was simple but imacualte and I even had a four poster! The rate including a swimming pool in the beautiful garden and breakfast served on my terrace was 5 pounds a night!!! I met up with some really cool people there too, so all in all it was big success. The only thing missing for me was the fact it was inland - so no sea or beaches. But apart from that, it was darn near perfect.

I absolutely loved the white water rafting and can't wait to do it again. Money/weather permitting there should be some good opportunities here in Oz and also in New Zealand. I think the waters were a bit tame in Bali though, I suspect I could be in for a bit more of a ride if I undertake it here or in NZ!

The cooking class was ok, but not as much fun or as hands on as the one I did in Thailand. But I think I've got the basics and again hope to be able to practice on you all when I get back home.

The mountain bike tour I did was actually very tame by bikining standards - no off road I'm afraid. That said it was a fantastic day out and though it was on the road it was all downhill (apart from a short bit at the end) and took us through the most amazing scenery. We were driven to a point in the Kintamarni area, where we stopped for our breakfast of thick Balinese coffee and banana pancakes. Whilst were were eating we had views over Mt Agung and Mt Batur - both live volcanos. Sadly the weather was not the best at this point so the views were not as clear as we would have liked but it was all still very beautiful and impressive.

After breaky we visited a fruit, spice and tobacco plantation which allowed just about enough time for the weather to break before heading off on the bikes in glorious sunshine through rice fields and typical Balinese villages and countryside. Along the tour we stopped at various points so that the guides could give us a real insight into the Balinese culture and way of life.

After 25-30 kilometers of amazing countryside we arrived at the lunch spot and end point where we were treated to a feast of typical indonesian food before being driven back to Ubud. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Another highlight of my stay in Ubud was the silversmith class. I made a silver pendant with a small stone of peridot from scratch (including the mount for the stone). There are a couple of pics up for you to see the results. It was a brilliant way to put my creative skills into action! I'd love to do more and will have to investigate classes when I get home I think.

You also have to check out the photos of the monkeys! There's a forest at the end of the main street (Monkey Forest Road) called Monkey Forest (funnily enough) and you could go in and get really close to the monkeys just playing and going about there business. I got some really cute pics. It's a bit scarey how human some of them look though ... check out the photos and you'll see what I mean!

After all the activity and excitement of Ubud I headed East to a tiny coastal town called Padangbai. I only meant to stay for a couple of nights before going to the Gili islands but ended up there for nearly a week. There wasn't actually anything to do or see but I'd got my teeth into the book Anna Karenina and it was so relaxing being by the beach and so cheap and lovely at the Topi Inn one day just drifted into another! That is probably one of the biggest luxuries of travelling - being able to move at pretty much any pace you want and not have to meet anyone's demands but your own. Ah, it's the best!

From Padangbai I headed to Gili Air. There are three main 'Gili' islands Air, Meno and Trawangan. I managed to visit Air and Meno during my two weeks in that part of Indonesia. I don't think I've ever scene beaches more beautiful. The snorkelling was really good too. I did a trip around all three islands and was able to swim with the turtles! They were soooo lovely. The island way of life was very simple and laid back. The perfect place to kick back, enjoy the sun, sand and snorkelling!

I'd got it into my head that I wanted to climb a live volcano whilst I was in Indonesia - since there are so many and there are tours being advertised all over the place. I decided to do Mt Rinjani on Lombok and took a tour in the middle of my stay in the Gilis which was supposed to be 3 days 2 nights. The photos look fab but believe me what I went through to get them really wasn't!! I thought I was fitter than I am but this was bloody tough. Even the uber fit people were coming down (as we were going up) wishing us good luck and saying how tough it was. We only walked 7.5km the first day but it was all up hill and I'm talking a steep hill. imagine walking upstairs for 6 hours with a ten minute break every hour, now double the stair eights, add tree roots and heat. That was just day 1! I had been promised that we would go at a pace to suit my ability. Yeah right! We ha no time to stop and admire the views or the nature (one of the main reasons I wanted to do the trek). I twas all about getting to the top. I had also been promised proper equipment by the guy i booked the trip through, which was also being recommended to me by a couple of girls who had just come back. Luckily I had my trail shoes and basic gear. But when we got to camp 1 the tent was soaking, they provided the thinnest sleeping bag and there were no coats and I only had a t-shirt, thin base layer and fleece. I can't have slept for more than an hour total all night. It was awful. Knowing I had struggled on day 1, knowing that I'd have to camp out again without adequate equipment and knowing I was not fit enough to keep up the pace set the previous day and doubting my ability to do the summit climb which I had learnt was technicqaluite difficult, I made the decision that I wanted to go back. Having had a chat to the guide I did agree to go the crater rim, which was only another half an hour up from the camp. I'm glad I did that and the photos are at least proof of how high I got - I think we walked from 900m to 2,700. Then it was time to go back down. Well I fell coming back from the crater rim. Luckily I was on a wider bit but there were steep drops either side and I could so easily have been over the edge it wasn't funny. I'm not quite sure how I made it back down. I know we took about 4 hours and that included a stop for lunch! But by the end every step was agony and I was just glad for it to be over! But at least I am here to tell the tale and I will certainly do a bit more research than just rely on eager money grabbing tour tout and the Lonely Planet guide before I undertake such a feat with so little prep in future!

It was great to come back to Gili Air after Mt Rinjani and just as well it was such a small island (you can walk round it in under one hour) because I was hobbling around like an old women for several days afterwards!

So that almost brings us up to date. I headed back to Lombok, to the capital Mataram for a couple of days then caught a flight to Jakarta where I picked up my round the world flight to Singapore then Brisbane.

I spent an afternoon and evening in Singapore and had sooo much fun. I want to go back for a holiday some day because its such a fab city and there's so much to do. but you'd want a fair bit of dosh to do it justice. The shopping to be had there is awesome! I had a near perfect day though. Stayed in a nice hotel in the centre. Checked in then headed straight out to Singapore Art Gallery, then to Raffles Hotel for tea. The photos were so good. I had tea in the 'Tiffin Room' complete with silver teapot, proper china, 3 tier cake stand with sandwiches (no crusts), cakes and scones. Oh and there was a harp playing in the background and lots of friendly waiters making sure I was ok - but not in a creepy way!

After tea I went to Raffles shopping mall. I was very good and mostly resisted the shopping urge (only to fail miserably in the Fat Face shop at the airport in the duty free) but had a good old look around and picked up a few essentials.

Then I went back to Raffles to the famous Long Bar for a Singapore Sling. (There were photos of that too). Actually that was a bit of a disappointment. The bar was not nearly so good as the 'Tiffin Room' and I didn;t really rate the drink either. But I went there and I did it and though you can;t actually them, there were pictures!

I had the most embarassing but amusing trip back to the hotel. I decided to get this cyclo, nothing too strange about that except the city was deadly quiet and this cyclo go (who i think was slightly insane or drunk or both) switches on this stereo from somewhere under the cyclo and this random music starts blaring out. There were two guys in the cyclo behind me (their's didn;t have music) absolutely wetting themselves. It was the height of tourist tackiness but it was soo awful it was funny. Anyway he delivered me safely back to the hotel and somehow convinced me I'd got a bargain even though the 5 minute cycle had cost more than 20 minute taxi ride from the airport! Anyway, I had just got snuggled into my lovely hotel bed, watching a good movie when there was a big downpour and thunderstorm!. so i'd just made it back in time.

The following morning - last Wednesday 11/6 I headed for the airport for my flight to Brisbane. & that's where I shall leave the story for now. Will fill you in on my week in Brisbane next time and let you know howw I'm getting on in Sydney.

TTFN

Grrrr!

smileynix — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:42:00 GMT

@#$%^&* Feck! I'm having another technical nightmare!

I got some great pics in Singapore especially the ones of me at Raffles) but for some reason when I moved them from the gallery where I uploaded them to their proper home they disappeared. What makes this even worse is that I've lost (probably forever unless a miracle occurs) the USB stick with all my Bali/Gili/Singapore pics on. So these are the only copies I now have :o(

Harumph! Gutted! Proper update to follow when I've recovered from my sad loss.

Gallery: Mt. Rinjani, Lombok

smileynix — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:04:00 GMT

G'Day!

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:43:00 GMT

G'Day

Just a quick note to say I'm alive and well and haven't been eaten by Kimodo Dragons or anything similarly nasty!

Arrived in Brisbane on Tuesday evening after a stopover in Singapore and just been getting my barings.

Full update to follow, along with a few more pics. But hope you enjoy what I've uploaded so far.

Love n hugs

Gallery: Gili Meno

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:41:00 GMT

Gallery: Gili Air

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:17:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Culture

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:16:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Water Lilies

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:07:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Padangbai

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - White Water Rafting

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:58:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Cooking Course

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:52:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Mountain Bike Trip

smileynix — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:26:00 GMT

Gallery: Bali - Around Ubud

smileynix — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:02:00 GMT

Pai to Bali the Missing Weeks Part 2/2

smileynix — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:12:00 GMT

Ok, now where was I?! Sorry, to leave the story hanging in mid air like that! I've had quite a busy week or so since arriving in Bali. Just trying to make the most of my time in this beautiful and exotic place. It's really been everything I could have wished for and more. But before I go onto that I will just fill in the bits I've missed - I promise to try and keep it brief!

The last instalment ended with me telling you about Laos. I only really spent time in Luang Prabang and Vientiane (the capitcal) and at the time I know I was not havng the best time. But it's funny, in only a relatively short time, looking back I can really only see clearly the things I enjoyed.

Luang Prabang was a pretty little town on the banks of the Mekhong. French influenced colonial architecture and a real cafe culture. Every evening there was a vibrant and colourful street market. Around 5pm the main street would be shut off to traffic and many vendors would line the streets with their stalls, setting out their wares under bright orange canopied gazebos. Their wares consisted of beautiful silks and fabrics made into all manner of things, wooden artifacts, jewellery and much more. Alongside all the souveniers, there was also a food market with everything from bar-b-que fish on wooden skewers to dubious looking buffalo burgers and roasted birds and other indistinguishable creatures and dishes!

During the day, between relaxing at my lovely hotel (with its luxuries such as dressing gown, slippers, air con, tv, hot water and hair dryer - not to mention the pool) I would take a bicycle and go off exploring around and about. For a bit of local culture I went to the museum and the theatre, where I saw a play with traditional music, masks and costumes depicting a story from the Ramayana legend - which I believe has its roots in the hindu religion (though there are so many story overlapping themes and stories tied up with local folklore and also different religions. I lose track the further through SE Asia I travel).

A highlight in Luang Prbang was going to a performance put on by the children at the community entre. First we were treated to experience the rituals of a traditional Baci cermony - which I think is to do with getting rid of bad spirits and encouraging good ones. It involves tying threads around each others wrists and sharing food offerings. There are some pictures of this and the performance that the children put on in the Laos folder. The performances consisted of a mixture of traditional dancing, a play and a puppet show. The children were aged 12 to 18 and were so proud of theselves - it was really lovely to watch and i thoroughly enjoyed it.

After Luang Prabang I took a rather long and slightly hairy 8 hour bus journey to Laos' capital - Vientiane. I honestly cannot say too much about this place except, it was quite the oddest capital city I have ever been to. I know Bangkok was a bit scary and overwheling at the start but at least it had its own character and identity. Vientiane had nice French colonial architecture but it was just lacking in something I cannot quite quantify. It felt quite deserted of people and personality - it was quite strange. There was not really much to do (I had pretty much seen as many museums and Wats as I really wanted to by this point). But I did manage to root out a couple of good shops and managed to pick up some nice little trinkets and souvenirs and the place I stayed was really friendly and god value!

Having spent a couple of days in Vientiane and still feeling this overwhelming sense of dread mixed with hope that things would be enjoyable again towards my impending visits to Cambodia and
Vietnam I decided to fly to Seim Reap (Cambodia) in order to visit the temples at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

I think I kind of expected Angkor Wat to give me the same feeling as I experienced when I did the inca trail and saw Machu Picchu but it didnt, though I'm not quite sure if that's because I generally wasn't enjoying this bit of the trip so much. There is no denying though that it was really awesome and impressive and defintely well worth a visit. I also had an amusing guide - though he did not mean to be amusing! his name was Manoune and he was a serious little fellow with a reall hatred of Thailand and the Thai people. It was this immature stance towards everything Thai that made the guiding comical! I understand that the Thais treat cambodians in superior fashion, which has naturally riled the proud Cambodians. There history is inextricably linked through various wars and terrotitorial disputes and interchanges dating back over hundreds of years. But Manoune was most offended to learn that I had spend several weeks already in Thailand but planned only to spend a week or so (I lied it was barely one week in the end) in his country - oops! From that point on that digs started. During the trip it started to rain 9and i main rain). I had come prepared with brolly and attractive yellow plastic mac (the sort big enough for 5 people and your back pack). Manoune had not come prepared! So I chose the brolly and offered him the coat. Before accepting (despite the fact it was p*ssing down and he would have got soaked to the skin in seconds) he had to check where said mac had been purchased (he was even starting to mention how thin and flimsy the plastic was - it cost me about 30p so that's not surprising)! So I lied nd told him i had bought it in Laos, otherwise I don;t think he would have worn it! I guess you had to be there but remembering it still makes m chuckle!

Seim Reap itself was quite horrible. Really dirty and just full of tuk tuk drivers, hawkers and beggars who do themselves a disservice because instead of feeling any sympathy for their situation you end up viewing them with the same contempt you come to view moquitoes when you are out here! Or at least that's what happened to me! It was also very overpriced (for this part of the world) and it felt like I was being ripped off at every turn. So on the basis that Pnom Penh, the capital and the next port of call on my route , was rumoured to be lot worse and Vietnam even more full on still in these respects I abanoned the plan to visit - at least this time and booked a flight straight to this isand paradise of Bali.

One day I would still really love to go to Vietnam because there some places I'd love to see there. But I will not go alone and will go for a holiday and not as part of this travelling exprience - which though hard to for anyone who has not approached a trip in this way to understand is a somewhat different experience.

Anyway, I apologise if I got a little gloomy there. I would also say my experience of this a part of the world is just one version of events. Many people visit Laos and Cambodia and feel they surpass anywhere they have ever been. So please don't be influenced by my version of the story. I just wanted to make this an honest account of my experience, I think a lot of factors influence how much you like a place or not when you are traveling. i could probably go another time and feel very different I'm sure.

That really concludes part 2/2 of Pai to Bali the missing weeks. I'm looking forward to filling you in the Bali bits which have been so much fun so far! so much so that I've pretty much made up my mind to stay my full 30 days here. so more of all that later!

Love to all.

Pai to Bali the Missing Weeks! Part 1

smileynix — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:25:00 GMT

Well alot can happen in two weeks when you are on the road. I've technically managed to set foot in 5 countries over the past 14 days - not bad going eh? So what happened?!

Well, after Pai I headed to Laos. As lovely as Thailand was and as great a time as I had, I was begining to flag a bit. Don't get me wrong, this experience is just what I needed but it is not all plain sailing and its not quite like just having a holiday. There are some downside that go with the obvious adantages and after 5 weeks travel fatigue had set in. Being a single, white female traveller can be very hard at times for one. You get questioned wherever you go, something I had kind of prepared myself for but still cannot get used to and you are seen as a bit of a freak of nature. Whilst I have managed to avoid any really bad situations I am always in my guard and this does not stop people being downright rude and offensive at times. Also, as a tourist (whether on or off the beaten track) they see you and they see dollars - that (with a few exceptions) is all. So when the guidebooks say the people are friendly, they forget to admit it is genrally because they can here their cash registers cha chinging! I know some of the countries I have visited are poor but that is the really awful thing. Those who are poor are not going to get rich just coz I have passed through, they don;t see a penny from tourism. So it is the same old story that the wealth is enjoyed by a minority. Ho hum, the reality of the world we live in today - but that is one of the things I was interested to know when I came travelling.

So I headed to Laos. I was looking forward to it because I;d heard and read that 'the people were lovely' and it was the most laid back of the SE Asian countries I planned to visit. To some extent that was true, however, it was pretty much the same as Thailand but just a bit toned down. That said I did go to some lovely places even though my visit was only a week. Luang Prabang was a gorgeous little town and I'd treated myself to a nice hotel for my birthday. I was glad I did because the journey down the Mekhong to get there was very long and very uncomfortable. I'm glad I did the slow boat because the alternatives were not nearly as picturesque and even more uncomfortable - but I was also glad when it was over. If anyone reading this ever goes, get some tips from me first!

OK ... I've run out of time so I will leave this story to be continued.....

Bali Hi!

smileynix — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Okay - Take 4! Hopefully I will get this down and saved this time! If not I won;t be held responsible for my actions.

Well first off I'm in Bali. I'll fill you in on the bits in between in a sec but I'll do the current stuff first in case you can't be bothered or don;t have time to read on coz it could get a bit lengthy ... well I never was one to be brief was I?! :o)

I arrived on Bali last Wednesday (I think). Managed to pick a really crumby place to stay but having not got there until 8:30pm I was too tired and too daunted to try and find anything better. In fact it was not that bad though certainly not great either. The thing that made it crumby was the price (compared to what I have been paying) and the fact they told me it was deluxe (because that was all they had left) when it turned out to be a dingey, dank, slightly grubby around the edges little cave of a room. I'll put some photos up when I install the next batch but that wont be right now because it takes a while and I want to be out of here in the next 10 to 20 minutes! Anyway having got off to a bit of a bad start with the room and realising the town it was located in,Kuta, was basically a nightmare of the sort of thing I was hoping to escape to Bali to avoid (more of that later)I stomped off to find the nearest bookshop so that I could grab myself a copy of the trusty Bali, Lombok Lonely Planet Guide in order to plan my next move! LP (we feel like old friends now I've relied on them so much this wast 6 or 7 weeks don't always get it right, bless em, but they didn't let me down this time!

I've happened upon a perfect (for me) little place called Ubud, apparently the cultural centre of Bali and it's just fab. Loads of nice places to stay (fairly cheap)not too much hassle from hawkers and taxi drivers and lots of nice little shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants.

I'm staying in a cute place just outside of the main town at the mo, but I'm moving to another cute place nearer the centre tomorrow. Something funny happened at breakfast today. There was couple sat near me and it turned out they were playing my fav game of people watching. We got chatting and the opener was to guess what nationality we each were. They had got me spot on but I thought they were French and they turned out to be Greek. Anyhoooo the funny bit was they had my down as an English actress, like you would find in an Agatha Christie movie!!! I'm seriously hoping they weren't thinking of Miss Marple! I've been quite careful not to overdo the sunbathing so I don;t think I've aged quite that much since I've been away. anyway it did make me chuckle and we had a nice little chat. So apart from managing to get 40 (yes I counted every last one of itchy little bastards)mosquito bites yesterday and almost vomiting in a public place this afternoon coz of taking my doxycycline on an empty stomach, all is well with the world!

I've been able to hire a bike again, which I love because it gives me the freedom to explore the area. Venture just off the main town and you find yourself surrounded by magical little villages, stepped paddy fields and palm trees. It's just greeaat! I arrived on Thursday and plan to stay until Wednesday. I'm then heading off to the beach to top up the tan and do a bit of snorkeling. I think the place is called Padangbai. Another quiet little resort, with just enough going on to keep me happy. I will probably stay there until next weekend then head to Lombok and the Gili islands for some more beach type activities.

In the meantime I plan to do some more pootling around Ubud and I've got a silver smithing course booked in for Tuesday and a cooking course on Monday morning. Balinese food is the best I've tasted so far, so I'm really looking forward to learning a few dishes to add to my repertoire! .

So that brings you up to date with now. I'm going to start a seperate story to whizz through what happened between Pai and Bali!

TTFN

Gallery: More Laos

smileynix — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:09:00 GMT

Gallery: Cambodia

smileynix — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:16:00 GMT