OCTOBER 28 - 31 STRADBROKE ISLAND

Coming back to Brisbane was made easy, thanks to Kazza organising a fab house for us on Straddie.
Thanks to Scott, Skye, Ari, Courtney, Heather, Adam, Louise, Sarah and Kazza for coming over and enjoying a great few days!

OCTOBER 25 – ‘THE LAST POST’ ... FOR THIS TRIP!

Sadly, this trip has come to an end. Here is a list of places I’ve been in the last five months (man it’s flown!) ... BUT FIRSTLY...
Huge thanks to Karen, my friend and best travel agent in the world; Mum and Dad for sharing a wonderful 12 weeks in Europe with me; Sonya and Mark and everyone on the bike trip for an amazing cycling adventure from Florence to Rome (I will be back to cycle through southern Italy with you); Giulio, Tina and the gang at Bijou for being my friends in Tuscany; Simon and Lindsay for a hoot of a fortnight in the Chianti Hills; Helen for the tour of Tarascon en Provence and tip off on the best restaurant in town; Marc for a sensational and hilarious time in Dublin; Kosta for being a great guide in Athens and sharing brilliant times on Mykonos; ‘Bessie’ my quad bike that wanted to break down and didn’t; Lady GaGa for producing ‘Alejandro’ (the theme song from Mykonos that will resinate in my brain for all of eternity); Karen and Joel for your fab hospitality in KL; Bex and Bruno and everyone else I met in Ubud for making Bali more incredible; My best mate Scott for always being in touch and enjoying the journey with me; Family and friends who followed by blog and kept in touch (grazie mille – great to hear from you, always) and new friends from around the world – “We came as strangers, became friends and left as family” – come to Brisbane!!!! You’ll love it!!!!

PLACES I’VE VISITED THIS TRIP

ITALY– Milan, Bologna, Baberino Val d’Esla, San Filippo, Sambucca, Castellina in Chianti, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Viareggio, Livorno, Tore Del Lago, Poggobinsi, Arezzo, Florence, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Perugia, Sportelo, Terni, Narni, Sabine Mountains, Rome

FRANCE - Paris, Giverney, Fourges, Versailles, Bordeaux, Albi, Tarascon, Avignon, Roqueburne Sur-Argens, Cannes, Saint Aygulf, Nice, Grasse, Amiens, Leon, Dijon, Villers Bretonneaux, Epernay, Calais

MONACO – Monte Carlo

SWITZERLAND – Lucerne, Jungfrau, Interlaken

LICHENSTEIN - Schann

AUSTRIA – Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna

BELGUIM - Brussels

GERMANY – Munich, Heidelberg, Cologne

ENGLAND – London, Brighton, Bath, Dover

WALES – Cardiff, Llandudno, Rhyl, Holywell

IRELAND – Dublin, Belfast, Larne, Ballitony, Portrush, Sligo, Donegal, Galway, Ennis, Killarney, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Ballymore Eustace, Baltinglass, Kilkenny, Blarney

GREECE- Athens, Mykonos

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai, Abu Dhabi

MALAYSIA – Kuala Lumpur

INDONESIA – Denpasar, Ubud, Amed

.... and all in between
...the world seems smaller now.

Namaste

OCTOBER 17 – SCUBA DIVING AT AMED

• One of my yoga teachers is Bex. Short for Rebecca I’m sure, but that’s how it’s spelt. Bex’s partner is Bruno. Bruno is a scuba diver with a Masters in Marine Biology who took me diving today. More on those two later this post.
• Bruno picked me up just after 7 am and we drove about 2 hours to beautiful Amed – our diving destination for today. After a coffee stop and briefing, we ‘geared up’ for our morning dive. It was really sensational and the 40 minute dive went quickly. After a tasty lunch at the diving resort (owned by Donna – previously from the Hunter Valley NSW – a Bali local now for 10 years with a beautiful adopted little girl who speaks three languages during any given sentence), we did another 40 minute dive around a WWII Japanese wreck and saw loads of beautiful sea life and coral. I’m starting to learn the ‘sign language for the sea life’ and I was pleased to see plenty of Nemos! There is some dispute amongst the locals as to the wreck’s origin. Same say Japanese, others say Javanese. At some point, it was most certainly lost in translation!
• The diving was sensational and I loved every second under water. It’s very peaceful and an entry to another world. As in any dramatic change in environment, you have just to surrender and breathe. This is particularly important when diving!
• The drive home was terrific too. After a stop for some fresh coconut, I quizzed Bruno about his and his and Bex’s life. They are ‘self confessed nomads’. Bex is British by origin and Bruno Portuguese. Neither of them have returned ‘home‘ in many years. They flit between Ubud, India and East Timor and pretty soon, they’re going to give China a good old go! In Ubud, Bex works as a yoga instructor and teacher (a mighty fine one I might add), and Bruno as a diving instructor. In India, they both do social work looking after disabled and blind children. They are both absolutely lovely people with hearts of gold and they are as admirable as they are adorable. Meeting people like this and making friends is what travel is all about!
• The trip home (with Bruno driving) allowed me to take a few pics of some good old Balinese traffic. It’s nothing to see a family of four on a scooter at the same time. It’s nothing to see a truck full of people tearing through windy roads in a fishing village. The funniest thing I saw, traffic wise, (and sorry Scott – I didn’t have the camera ready) was a truck full of stacks of chairs about 2 metres high – like outdoor chairs, with a man sitting on the top of one of the stacks. As the truck flew through the streets, the gentleman (perched high) ducked his head to avoid possible brain damage or decapitation from tree branches in his path.

OCTOBER 2,3,4 – MORE OF UBUD

• Here are some more photos of Ubud. There are some pics of the Sacred Monkey Forest (which I cycle through regularly) keeping the fury little critters at ‘arms length’. They love bags, shiny things and of course food.
• Yesterday I saw a cremation ceremony “Ngaben”. The ceremony is not morbid but fun. It is noisy, exciting, and colourful and of course has huge religious and cultural significance. The parade is led by a priest and a large ‘bullock shaped’ wooden structure with white drapes covering it and lavish gifts. An auspicious day must be chosen and it takes ages to organise which means the deceased may have died years prior to the cremation (their body temporarily buried). The streets were closed off for this event and it’s expensive so the less wealthy also use the occasion to send their dead on their way too.
• I’ve also included some photos of the streets of Ubud, the rice fields and my favourite cafe – Bali Buddha.

OCTOBER 1 – AN INTRODUCTION TO UBUD, BALI

• After an early arrival to Denpasar airport, a nice man drove me to my new little home in Desa Sanctuary. Both he and his wife work there. http://www.sanctuarythevillage.com/ It’s very lovely and simple. There are only 5 or so little homes in the sanctuary, surrounding a beautiful pool with waterfall and my house comprises of a good sized bedroom (nice big bed) upstairs and downstairs an open kitchen, bathroom and living area. The staff are so friendly and helpful.
• I mentioned to one of the staff I wanted to hire a bicycle and this morning my bike was delivered. It’s a great ride up to the village and to the yoga centre I’m taking some classes at and we’re not far from the monkey forest so looking forward to riding through that too;
• Another thing I wanted to do was meet Ketut Liyer – the Medicine Man from Liz Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love. He only lives up the street so another little cycle, I found myself sitting with him for about an hour talking and having my palm (and other necessary appendages read). This man is 96 years old and it quite insightful.
• The food is wonderful – heaps of fresh produce (from the recommended places) and AUD$10 will get you a great feed of cold soup, fresh vegetable and tofu stir fry, fresh vegetable juice and a bottle of water (so I won’t be cooking much in my little kitchen).
• Oh I did leave last night to head into town and neglected to write down the address of where I was staying SO I am becoming ‘travel-lazy’. Thanks to Kazza who sms’d me the address as the locals had no idea where to go (and nor did I). You’re a brilliant travel agent and friend!!