Sanur cookery and a meeting!

Today i met up with Franzi again as we had booked a Balinese cookery course. We were whisked off to the morning market and spent an hour discovering some amazing (and not so) foodstuffs.  The market was a mix of indoor and outdoor stalls selling everything from dragonfruit to sandals.  Butchers deftly chopped chicken hardly even looking as they chatted to their neighbours, mums with babies strapped to them sold their spices and treats in the morning sun.  We discovered many new things, snake fruit, mangosteen (i knew this one) and a load of fresh leaves, spinach and bay leaves different to ours, galangal, sweet ginger, snake beans, long green cucumber like veg and many more.  After the shop, we headed a few streets away to the cookery school. There were four of us so it was nice and friendly, we were taught how to roast spices and combine ingredients using a huge pestle and mortar to make wonderful smelling pastes ready for a vegetable curry, mushroom satay griddled on sticks, a wonderful peanut sauce and veggie spring rolls.  Making the spring roll casing was an education in itself i never knew it was so simple! We laughed and learned a heap of interesting skills and ended up with a wonderful plate of food.  I loved the use of banana leaves as plates too. Dessert was a coconut mil and banana vanilla pudding.
After this i visited Bottle for Botol, id approached this NGO before i left UK as i wanted to find out about single-use plastic and what some Indonesians were doing about trying to solve the ever growing problem. They talked about their schools project where they try to show better ways to avoid using plastics and also measures they are taking to help provide simple yet effective de-salination equipment on the many islands to try to curtail all the plastic-encased water that is shipped in at an alarming rate.  Very interesting stuff.
I decided to walk the 5k back to my digs after the meeting, this was about rush hour time, the ornate home temples at every corner decorated with small trays of offering, kites flying so high seemingly ownerless in the warm blue skies and the roads ohh they are chaotic with masked riders scooters mainly Toyota cars and small trucks all trying to get somewhere, if they get stuck they simply drive on the pavement areas (when there is a pavement!) the traffic is always bad in main areas and you can easily escape it by dashing down a side street and relaxing in warung with a Balinese coffee, iced tea or Bintang beer. 

The Balinese people are generally smiley entrepreneurs and kind humans, I see no displays of testosterone, anger and shouting. The ladies are graceful and the children love to wave at us b.... or rich tourists as we are known.

solo travel ponderings

Not sure if im going to post this or not, but i needed a head spill so here goes.  This was written in early May 2019

I mostly thought that id manage fine with the 'being solo' part of the travel but, those who know me well will also know that id rather wing it than ask a stranger for help.  Those that dont know me well think im Miss Confident, well yes i am with my friends and people i know, or if ive had a few too many vinos of course.  Also ive never truly travelled alone, Tenerife was always to see Alys, and all the lother breaks ive taken outside the UK were with friends or on business etc.

Travelling half way across the world to a place youve never been ... alone.... well thats quite different.

Ive been here a week now and i have to reluctantly admit its been difficult, arriving, finding my way, talking to and being surrounded by total strangers, starting a new job and being 'the new girl' and spending time in my own company.  Ive been feckin terrified.  

I do consider myself so fortunate though, ive landed in a great hostel where the owners instantly became friends and welcomed my with open arms, it could have been so different!

As the days move on and the surroundings and people become more familiar and i learn to spend time in my own company without always feeling the need to be somewhere or do something its getting easier.  I dont think ill ever be fully at ease, but then i wouldnt be throwing myself into this way of travelling if it didnt scare me a bit!

Im learning its ok to ask, its ok to get things wrong, nobody really cares about being wrong, only you! Chatting to people and finding out about them is fascinating and can be a real eye opener. Its ok to be the new girl in the new place doing new things. Maybe ill never be as confident as some people - i know for sure im one of lifes 'people pleasers' and thats fine this is me.

Alot of people think ive got balls doing this travel - let me tell you - i dont, i just have a need to explore, to step out there and see all the things that i can, to meets new people and to explore new surroundings and foods. 

A tour of west Nusa Pernida

It's my last day hanging with Franzi, we have booked a tour and are up early and ready for our driver.  For around 500,00 IDR or £30 you can have ten hours of driving.  The driver arrived and seemed friendly, we communicated by smiles and google translate - its fun! We zoomed off in his SUV towards the West of Nusa as there is much to see.
About ten minutes in our driver showed me a message from his friend asking him to pop over to see his new place, I then by telepathy or something realised the driver wanted to take us there too, i shrugged and smiled and soon we were in a tiny village somewhere pulling up to what looked like a new build set of tourist bungalows.  I was curious and when beckoned followed him in.  In the courtyard the whole family were having their morning Hindu ceremony, it was lovely, the children and adults all crouched round and the air was thick with incense. They looked around and smiled and our driver took us into one of the guest houses, it was nice and i enthusiastically ooohed and ahhhed at the appropriate moments, to which he seemed thrilled.  We were then asked to pose by the apartment for pictures...and here's where the penny dropped.  Looks like his mate said 'oi Dave, bring us some western tourists so we can make the place look lived in on our Booking.com profile' I smiled and posed as requested, then we were invited to view and play with some of the ceremonial musical instruments which was nice.  Yes they took advantage but it was nice to be involved in typical Indonesian family life for a while.
Onwards with the tour two hours in i look at the map to see where we are, there is only really one road on Nusa Penida and my god its bumpy, its like driving up Snowdon the whole time, i even wish id worn my sports bra!
We arrived a Kelingking beach and given 45 mins to explore with no idea what to expect - we were directed up a hill and left to our own devices.  I looked over the tip of the hill and saw a beautiful clear blue sea and a t-rex shaped island with a very inviting beach...a few pictures and we headed towards the edge, i saw some steps, lots of steps, lots of very steep steps. Game on, lets do this. There were hardwood handrails and it didnt look too far. Who was i kidding,  halfway down i was exhausted, its sheer and not sure footed rockface took every ounce of concentration, sweat was dripping off me as i proceeded determined to make it to that damn beach.  About 4/5 of the way down and a good 30 mins in the handrails halted and turned to bamboo pieces tied together with blue string, sod this i thought, ive got this far and its not going to beat me.  The last ten minutes were terrifying, clinging to rockfaces and ropes and searching for holes in the rock to fit my feet into (i was so glad i was in my boots and not flip flops like many who turned back). The last little bits was a cobbled-together ladder down to the sandy beach. I threw my boots off and waded into the water, wow it was like no beach ive ever seen, huge white-crested waves crashed onto sugar-white sand, green lush cliffs surrounded me and only the noise of a few others who made the trek down was evident. This was indeed paradise.  I sat on a rock and watched as more daring fellas ran into the huge waves laughing as they were toppled over like bowling pins.
Soon it was time to make the return journey, boots back on i started the climb, in some ways mentally it was easier as you can see every little foothold ahead but physically it was draining in the 30 degrees sunshine.  I would take a few steps and rest, sweat dripping down my legs, it seemed never-ending and a few times i had to have a little word with myself.  Finally, i was on the last few steps and i reached the top victorious, legs of jelly and gasping for a cold drink. Wow, that was some experience!
Back in the car we then headed towards two further areas of interest 'Angels Billabong' and 'Broken Beach'
Angels Billabong was a natural tidal fed infinity pool - a really beautiful sight to see but sadly we weren't allowed in as the waves were too large, just a few metres away was Broken Beach which was a huge natural rock formation with a hole which looked like a bridge and you could walk over the top, really stunning.
Our last destination and one where we could spend longer was Crystal Beach, a long white sandy beach with some lovely rock formations, warm water and lots of little beach huts with locals selling grilled fish, ice-cold beer, corn on the cob and noodle and rice dishes, a little piece of heaven for two hours.  We relaxed and had a well-earned snooze after our antics !

Nusa Penida Island

Chatting with Franzi i discovered she was heading to Nusa Penida Island, i had a google and it looked beautiful.  She had a hotel booked already and was short of funds so we cleverly contacted the hotel and asked for a twin room instead of her double and i paid half the three-night bill, a whopping £7 a night inc breakfast! We took a cab from Ubud to Sanur and then i bartered hard for a ferry to Nusa island, im actually starting to enjoy the barter!
The boat trip was great, i chatted with Hilary from Tasmania who offered me free accom if i went her way (people are ace!) and we saw a few dolphins playing en route.  Dropping a few passengers off at Lembogon island we then soon arrived at Nusa.  Then a  taxi to the hotel which was on a hill, we checked in and surveyed our new home.  Fab views from the small pool on our terrace and friendly staff it was great!
Both short of hard cash we set off for a stroll to the shops to find an ATM...or that was what we thought.  The stroll ended up a frustrating 17km dusty sore flip flop footed unsuccessful hike.  There are three cash machines here and they were all not working.  Most businesses only deal in cash.
Today we woke with renewed vigour and very blistered feet and set off again.  Luckily we found a machine and took out a few million rupiah each, phew - i really thought i was going to have to take the boat back to Bali!
Today we decided to relax a bit and headed to the beach.  We met an Egyptian girl called Menna who was sitting by the road alone, she was trying to walk to all of the islands best spots in little slip-on shoes in the searing heat.  We chatted and she joined us in the beach bar.  I found a tour and the three of us will spend the day looking at the west of the island and share the cost of the car.
Although Nusa is stunning it upsetting to see cages full of young chicks and ducks in carrier bags quacking away, small rabbits in cages by the road and sad looking street dogs and pups.  I guess that is the way it is.  The amount of plastic waste on the roadside and in the sea is horrifying, but these guys have no bin men, they have no recycling facilities.  Often i see householders make small fires to burn their plastic waste.  I also note the street art actually includes the plastic pollution.  The awareness is here, the solution is not. How can you tell people to dispose of rubbish properly when they have no way to do so?

Bali and Beyond

Bali and Beyond

Wow what a journey, I left London on Monday evening and arrived at 3am on Weds in my Bali hostel.  The journey was via Brunei  - no alcohol is served on Royal Brunei airlines, probably a good thing.  I also had a 5 hour layover in Brunei - I tried to sleep but never been very good at it in transit.  The passport queue at Densapar was insane, it took me 2.5 hours to get out of the airport but I used this time to download an app similar to Uber where you can order a driver and a local SIM card.  1.5 hr journey and a 6gb sim for £17! Bargain. Soon I met my driver and faced a barrage of questions, where are you from, where are you going, are you married etc etc.  Im getting wiser now and always say I’m married and my husband is joining me in a few days.  Saves any uncomfortable situations.

Arriving in my hostel shattered I quietly crept around the three other sleeping girls and tried to get some sleep.  About an hour into this a cockerel decided he wanted tomato a noise, this went on for hours until the girls got up, put the main light on and started chatting away - how rude! In the end they went and I fitfully dozed for a few more hours.

I love arriving to new places in the dark, the morning is and exciting blend of new sights, smells and smiles! 

Soon I was out exploring and looking for breakfast.  Downtown Ubud isn’t for the fainthearted, I was immediately floored by the noise and chaos of mopeds, cockerels local chatter and dogs barking. I leanred that rather than attend the big temples, Indonesians have cleverly brought the temple home! Many Indonesian homes are mini versions of the temples, lavish stonework with ornate swirls and mini gates to heaven adorned by yellow black and white silky fabric, long bamboo poles decorated with ribbons and flowers and little offerings in the entrance to most homes, its certainly colourful!

I joined a Bali Backpackers group on Facebook and connected with Jasmine, a young solo traveller and we met up and went for a long walk through the rice fields, its was so beautiful, little coffee shops yoga shacks and art sellers along the way, chickens and ducks chattering in the sunlight, the waft of incense - wow this place has everything just a step away from the main road.  As soon as we stopped I booked a three night stay in some nice accommodation in the rice paddies and out of town.  Its so so cheap here, especially if you eat in the warungs in the side streets. The money takes some getting used to 100,000 Rupia is about £5,80! Healthy food and vegan options are everywhere.

Jasmin and I had a great day and soon I found another solo last, Franzis from Germany. We decided to join forces and pay for a private driver for a day and tour some of the best bits of Bali.

We set off early for the tour, hours and hours of driving produced a beautiful temple, with the ‘gate to heaven’ it was truly spectacular however as its been on instagram so many times there were HUGE queues of ladies in flow dresses and straw hats trying to emulate what they had seen on gram… kind took the beauty of it away.  Then on to the water garden palace, a beautiful sacred palace full of more floaty dressed ladies crouching to feed koi for that ultimate shot…. We had lunch there, and then on to the Bali swings, large swings high over the jungle for people to , you guessed it, get that photo, they even had floaty dress hire!  I sat in the nearby rice field and watched as girls pouted and posed.  Not for me.

The next day I was shattered so Franzi and I decided to have a day of self care.  This began with a three hour spa. You get naked and have a full body massage, then a body scrub, then mud rub followed by a rose petal bath, this was bliss on my tired shoulders - I finished off with a leg wax and left feeling the cleanest I have in ages! Hehe 

To make me feel a little feminine because quite frankly i currently feel hobo I bought a silk dress at a very good price and then had a buddha bowl before returning to my room for a rest.  Delicate little flower that i am i had a fab sleep despite the cockerel in my garden! 

FOMO

FOMO

A flying (literally!) visit to the UK this week and i literally used every hour of every day up.

After 24hours of travelling Leigh picked me up early one morning from Gatwick.  IT was so nice to see a familiar face, as always she rocked up fully equipped with nibbles and even a can of cider to get the Galstonbury prep going. 

We chatted away as she drove u back to her place in Margate.  

I stayed for three nights in her gin shed down the end of the garden and explored Margate during the day whilst she was at work - even managing to catch up with Malcolm and ex-colleague in the process.  The weather was delightful and I walked a good few miles.

Soon we were on the road to Glasto.  This was my fifth year and 4th working for them.  As I managed to get a last minute place I didn’t have the same shift or job as the girls.  This year I was in the big mysterious building on site known as the recycling facility.  Ive passed it many times and always wondered what went on in there.

We met up with Kim (woohoo) at Tom and Emmas house and excitedly made our way onto Worthy Farm.  It was set to be some of the hottest weather on record so we were fully equipped with loads of drinks and sparkly shorts!

Tents up we ventured out onto site and had a look about, even the long drop toilets didn’t smell bad.  Life was good!  I did my first shift in the recycling centre, boy that was an eye-opener. People are mainly good but some are …well gross quite frankly!

Highlights were, Keane, The Killers, dare I say it…Stormzy (he was a good entertainer) 

Massively surprised at the lack of rubbish this time, never seen it so clean and best of all most of the tents were taken away.  Im assuming this was due to the great weather and of course the Attenborough effect!  The only downside was I was working opposite shifts to Kim and Leigh, but we made the most of it and a good time was had by all.

A couple of nights on my little sisters sofa and a few visits to friends and family, then back up to Coventry and another small festival with Donna and Kim and Ian, Godiva - I’ve been a couple of times before and this year it was excellent, Reef rocked my world and I was right at the front! Brilliant night.  Donna then kindly took me down to Surbiton to Rias place and we had a fin night with dinner and a live band.  Ria then took me to work at Sky HQ in London for the day, wow it was enlightening, the employee perks are incredible and I saw all the good work Sky Ocean rescue are doing. Inspiring stuff despite my slight hangover! Soon it was time to head off and Ria dropped me at T4 Heathrow, we said goodbye and I promised not to return this time!!!