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Published: October 23rd 2009
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Firstly.......Apologies for the lack of grammar on cant, wont, dont etc. in this blog entry. For some bizarre reason every time I saved it the format would change and they would disappear, it is not because my English is THAT bad.
So after avoiding the duty free at the airport (unwillingly due to lack of funds!!!!) I boarded the plane to Bali. I was quite nervous about this flight as I am not the greatest flyer in the world and with everything that had happened in South East Asia the last few weeks with floods / earthquakes / tsunamis I thought for some reason that the plane was going to crash just to top it all off. Thankfully we landed safely in Densapar, Bali. Indonesia is very very strict on drug trafficking and they give the death penalty and so needed to have a thorough sniff by the the drug dogs. They lined us all up from the flight and had the dogs circling us and weaving in between us and round and round. I must say the dogs were very intimidating and I had real belly flutters and started to panic as there was no lock on my
rucksack and I thought someone might of put something in my bag, I am such a drama queen!!! Bearing in mind though I was very tired and had not slept.
After they were happy that I wasnt smuggling a kilo of cocaine into the country I was allowed in and paid for my tourist entry visa.
I got a taxi to Kuta to meet Lisa, who was true to her word and in the coffee shop waiting for me. Kuta is a resort not far from the airport in the South. It isnt the greatest place and is just filled with shops and bars and rowdy Ozzies drinking cheap beer. We watched a good sunset though on the beach with all the surfers in the background which was pretty cool. The beach itself was not that great though and was too busy to get a feel for it. Overall it wasnt the ideallic image of Bali I had in mind but I am yet to explore the rest of the island. We paid a lot more for accommodation in Kuta but we had a fabulous pool and waiter service at our loungers which was just what we needed! After
two nights here we packed for a journey to Lombok. I left my large rucksack at the hotel and packed up my ikkle ikkle baby rucksack (15 ltrs) with the things I would need for the two weeks exploring. I shocked myself that I actually managed it and I have realised I have way too much stuff in that big backpack. Oh and I forgot to mention in one of my earlier blog I have thrown away my hairdryer............I know I know it is hard to believe but in the 4 months I have been traveling I have probably used it twice!!!! It was weighing me down and was too bulky so it had to go!!!! - A serious sacrifice I might add!!
We had to travel to Pedang Bai on the east coast of Bali to catch a ferry to Lombok. I had taken my anti sickness tablet to avoid any "Fun D" moments on the boat!! They immediately make you feel drowsy so I was able to sleep most of the 5 hour journey of which we waited in the port for an hour before docking. Apparently this is normal but I just dont understand why they
just dont leave an hour later. We amazingly found our man in a van transport to take us (just us) to Sengiggi on the West coast of Lombok where we were staying for a few days. We picked a place out the lonely planet and stayed the night but realised we were right next to a mosque and were woken at 4.am with the calling for prayer. I later realised there was no escaping this anywhere here in Indonesia or the Cockerels crowing all night long so we moved and then were kept awake by horrendous rock music until 2.30am. Thank god for earplugs which amazingly have not gotten stuck again yet!!!
So...the accommodation choices left a lot to be desired in Sengiggi. The place itself was beautiful and has some amazing coastline which we explored on a scooter. I couldnt believe I had agreed to get on one as I am not a great fan of two wheel transport!!!! Lisa convinced me it was easy as she had done it before. I got on the thing and pooed myself. It took ages to get the hang of it and I think even the rental place were looking concerned??? After
a while it was amazing to be motoring along these great roads seeing some beautiful beaches and landscape and a great view of the 3 Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok (where we were headed next). I can now see why motorbikes are so appealing now so Dad - I may be on the back of yours a bit more!!!! Luckily I only fell off once when I decided to accelerate and brake at the same time....dohhhh!!!!!, no real damage just a bit of a shock and a scrape on my heel. The scooters were only the equivalent of 3 pounds to rent and 1.50 to fill with fuel. As a result of my scooter experience I have decided I may look into buying one when I get home. On the way back to take the bikes back we found a lovely posh resort style hostel amongst a zillion coconut trees where we had an iced coffee and watched an amazing sunset. It is a place I really want to go back to on a holiday - "The Puri Mar". After the sun had set it was obviously a lot darker and I found my moped that was parked
up. I hopped on and tried to put the key in, I thought maybe I had done something when I fell earlier as it didn fit properly so I kept trying. I only realised it WASNT my bike until the guy came over and asked me what I was doing. It wasnt even a scooter it was bloody motorbike!!!! It still makes me laugh thinking about it. The day was great and a highlight of my Asia trip. We (and the bikes) returned to Sengiggi in one piece, thankfully.
The next day we were off to the Gili Islands..................TBC
xxxxx
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