A comedy of errors

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16 December 2010

Having written the last two of my blogs with barely a picture available to show anyone, and us settling into a routine that meant few new experiences to tell you about I thought I’d take this opportunity to show you a bit more of our location.

Having got up and walked to Yoga this morning, I thought I’d show you our walk home…so as a picture paints a thousand words, “read” the pictures now.


With our walk home accomplished, we had a few tasks to do. I wanted some transport as without it my options for surfing were down to basically one place and not a great one at that. So I headed out to hire a bike. After a bit of bargaining I got a little moped for the duration of our stay, coupled with a pair of helmets.

The next thing on my list was to explore the local area a bit more. I knew that there were some decent surf breaks around here but exploring dead end dirt tracks in the jeep had not been an inviting task as if you do find the road fizzles out, reversing it would have been hell. A moped on the other hand is much easier to turn around.

The first dirt track we headed down we were pretty sure would end at a beach and we were indeed correct. There was a little warung and then the river then a spit of sand. Yoou reached the sand by way of a fairly rickety bamboo bridge, which has a warning that only 8 people at any one time should stand on it! So I started to venture across the bridge with the keys to the moped gripped in one hand whilst holding onto the rail, and my other hand threaded through the chin strap of the helmet and onto the other rail.

Lou was following me over much to my surprise as she isn’t keen on these sort of things, although the drop wasn’t far. Just over halfway across the river, my helmet suddenly comes loose and tumbles into the decidedly dirty looking water. I curse a little and when I get across am about to set off into the water when I realise that the helmet floats (should have been obvious really as they have expanded polystyrene in them). At this point I pause for a second as it looks like it may make its own way to the bank and allow me to retrieve it. However it then seems to stall and I am contemplating having to wade into the murky water when a local from the warung comes over and offers to go in and fetch it. I wasn’t keen on the water so happily let him. He rolled up his trousers and started in, and it was at this point that I realised the water was so murky that I had believed that it was deep when in fact it was barely deeper than ankle depth at any point.

A gratefully accepted the helmet from the guy, but felt like a prat for not wanting to go into ankle deep water!

We ventured on and found another spot that also had some potential before heading back to the apartment.

We arrived back to the apartment and I instantly washed the helmet in the bath, which revealed the most horribly brown water coming off it. Some of the dirt was definitely there prior to the river incident so I am truly glad that I washed it.

We actually had a bit of internet connection so Lou was utilising that when I mentioned that the beautiful sunshone of the morning was fast being replaced by some seriously ominous looking clouds.

Only five minutes after this the lightning started, although there was no rain as yet. At this point eh power cut out. We had just been discussing going to the pool to have a dip so thought we’d take the laptop and check whether the rest of the complex was out of power also.

Well the power was definitely off, so we had a dip watching some spectacular lightning and hearing some pretty powerful thunder claps. Lou headed back to the room just before the rain really started to come down. I stayed for a little while, as there is something really relaxing about being in an outdor swimming pool in the rain. When there is thunder and lightning also its really fun.

I headed back to the room and with no power we decided to break out the cards, something that we hadn’t done in a while.

After a few games we decided that we should contemplate cooking before the light was any further gone, as it was with thunder clouds there wasn’t a lot.

I managed to cook up some stir fried beef with noodles, just as the light faded. I then remembered that we had a bike and thought maybe going shopping for some candles was a sensible plan.

I left Lou in the almost dark and headed out to the nearest decent sized shop on the bike, and when I returned with a set of candles and some holders, and a few other bits we finally could see a little.

We had all day been considering going to the Yoga resort in the evening as they have a movie night which is free, every other week and friend we had met there was also going. With no sign of any power we thought we may as well head out and see if the resort was far enough away that it had power and watch a movie.

On arrival the staff were unsure as the power had only just returned to them if the movie would be shown or not but we headed in anyway and sat and had a drink in the restaurant, meeting Nicole there. We were a little early for the film so had a chat for half an hour before moving on to the studio which had been set up to show the film.

We collected our free bag of popcorn on our way in and settled on the floor on the various cushions. The staff were struggling with the projector, in the same way the teacher in class can never get the recorded tv program to work. We carried on talking and eventually on about the third or fourth attempt they got both the sound and the visuals to work. They restarted the film and we settled in as they dimmed the lights.

The film was called “Milarepi” and was about a Tibetan monk, who is apparently very famous. Well after about five minutes of credits, in which the screen displayed text in both English and I assume Tibetan, the picture started. During this time the hotel dogs had wandered through the place a couple of times disturbing a couple of people.

With the film playing the next time the dogs came through and a member of staff came to sort them out I had to ask if there were meant to be any subtitles in English, as although I am a keen linguist my Tibetan is a bit rusty. The guy looked briefly in the menu on the computer from which the film was playing and then informed me that there weren’t any subtitles.

After this the hotel “band” struck up some music from about ten feet outside the makeshift movie theatre. This would have been annoying if I had any understanding of what was going on but as I didn’t it was more surreal than anything.

I started to get attacked by mosquitoes and at this point I called it a day and told Lou I was heading back to the restaurant.

It appears that I was the person who opened the flood gates, because no sooner had I left, than a couple more followed, then Lou and Nicole called it quits and joined me, and five minutes later when Lou went to the toilet she reported that the place was empty and they had switched the film off!

It was so poor organisation that we all ended up laughing about it in a slightly hysterical way after a short while.

So we called it a night and I gave Nicole a quick lift home on the scooter before returning to pick up Lou and heading home to our place which thankfully now had power, and retiring.

17 December
With a forecast for waves to arrive today I had set the alarm for 6am in an attempt to get up and go for an early surf before the wind got up and ruined it.

The alarm beeped I turned it off and went back to sleep. So much for my good intentions.

I resurface about 8 ish and headed out leaving Lou in bed and went in search of some waves. I found a spot with a few guys out that looked OK although there was clearly no sign of this big swell that was meant to have arrived, it being no bigger than the previous day.

I headed in and soon realised that it was rubbish. A lot of waiting around floating waiting for a few waves which were weak and feeble. I’ve surfed better stuff in Cornwall (although the water has never been this warm there). So after a only a short period of time I got out and returned thinking I might make the mid morning yoga class instead.

I got home and Lou was still in bed not feeling very good, and I had missed the class. I decided that as I needed some fuel I’d head out, have a drink, buy some food for lunch, and use the internet.

So off I went on the bike, into Seminyak (the nearest shopping area to us) I found a warung with internet access and had a pot of tea whilst catching up on world events. I then took a trip to the petrol station and filled the bike up to full which cost all of 9500 Rupiah (about 60p) and bought a few items to cook lunch.

I headed back and made lunch (pasta with pesto and salad) and then we lazed for a bit with a plan to go to the afternoon class. However I fell asleep and Lou still wasn’t feeling great so we didn’t really achieve much more all day.

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Photos

Leave the studio
and walk along the paving slabs,

passed the colourful umbrellas,
complete with streamers,

and passed the statues
of pigs (I think) which have flowers on them.

Then you cross a wooden bridge,
which goes over a trench filled with vegetables,

which like everything here is labelled up
with a wooden sign.

After going through reception you pass the hotel transport,
a really well looked after VW Camper.

next to the path is a field,
which has a small tended patch amongst the scrub.

Opposite the paddy field, is a small shop,
which sells petrol in old vodka bottles amongst other things.

Which is next door to a building site,
the scaffolding is made of bamboo.

Passed the paddy field on the right,
is yet another half built posh villa complex.

Which is opposite a warung,
which we are yet to visit.

On the other side of the road, is a field,
which look very neglected, unlike the others.

Then comes a huge new villa,
which isn't quite finished but is going to be amazing.

The path goes past a small poorly maintained football pitch,
the road goes around the other two sides of the pitch.