159 and 160: Our First Experience of Sri Lanka Buses and Falling in Love (Again)

Day 159

Today we are leaving Indonesia, which makes coming home feel even closer and we are both a bit sad to be leaving somewhere so lovely. It's such a beautiful country and everyone so friendly that it's flown to our favourite place we've been the whole trip. We grab a yummy fried rice breakfast before jumping on a bus to the airport. We can't check in straight away and it's standing in the departures area waiting that I realise just how alien I look to everyone here which my bright vintage style clothes and fluorescent hair.

The flight is easy enough to Jakarta and we gets free snack which is always good. We rearrange this flight as AirAsia changed our original one to a later flight that would have meant we would have only had 50 minutes to get across Jakarta Airport, which timing ourselves today, we would never have done. The flight we picked meant we had 4 hours and we got check in with loads of time to spare. We use up our Indonesian rupiah on a Starbucks and I fill my sandwich craving with a tuna panini which has never tasted so good before grabbing a flight to Singapore as our transit aiport.

We manage to cash our remaining stray bits of currency in for £15 which helps with our now dwindling pile. I also managed to use some Singapore dollar for a fish finger sandwich and I think my brain might die of happiness with two sandwiches in one day. I miss bread :( we then catch our last flight of the day on Sri Lankan airlines which have become my favourite people to fly with. The food was out of this world delicious and I got to watch some good/bad films until we touch down in a damp Colombo. We breeze through customs and the strange duty free which is full of washing machines and microwaves and grab a taxi into the city. The driver gives us some rambutan which are some delicious and we are both chuffed he doesn't kill us (your brain does weird things when you've been on 3 flights in one day)

Day 160

We are awake, packed and grabbing a tuk-tuk to the bus station before 8.30. Today we are leaving Colombo to head east to Tissamaharama which is the nearest town to Ayala National Park which has leopards. Our metered driver takes us the long way to the bus station so we can get a extra bit of cash but he is quite helpful at the bus station, getting is on a highway bus and carrying my bag so I can forgive him the 50p. I do something at this point which is quite amazing for me on this trip and even Ben's impressed. I go off, on my own and buy us some delicious fruit and snacks for this journey. In the UK, this wouldn't be that impressive but here I've been avoiding going out on my own like the plague since my set back in Cambodia and it's the first time in a long time that I feel confident enough to do it. I get back on the bus with peanuts, grapes, oranges and these odd crisp things and Bens beaming. 

The bus sets off, but not for long and we are soon transferred over to another bus which would be okay if our bags weren't wedged in the seats so we couldn't get out till last. This mean when we get in the next bus, we get in last and the only seats are two far away from each other. But the lovely Sri Lankans come through again and they mood themselves around so we can sit next to each other. There's a bit of a translation issue here where we think the bus is going all the way to Tissa but it's actually only going to Matara, a sea side town half way. Here we have to chance to a proper local bus, leaving the air conned coach to get on a plastic seat, windows and door opened, crammed full tin can. It's boiling and squashed but brilliant, the ride only costs us £1 and the scenery we pass is amazing, Sri Lanka is starting to take over Indonesia in my heart.

3 hours later and a lot sweatier, we arrive. We take a tuk-tuk to our hotel which is lovely and quickly wash off the days dirt. The place offers a free tour around the tow  in the evening and we go down at 5pm to join, it's with 2 other couples and in the best mode of transport we taken all trip. It's essentially a flat bed truck with 6 plastic garden chairs loosely thrown in the back, it's brilliant. We set of nattering about all our trips and becoming a bit of a parade for the locals when we turn down a dirt track and arrive St our first stop and I'm struck dumb by it. In front of me is a huge lake, full of bright green lily pads, flanked around its side by huge trees with mountains in the distance, I don't think I've ever seen anywhere so beautiful. Most people I knew say paradise is a beach with lapping waves but for me it's the lapping of water and the rustle of trees with warm sun on my face and an incredible view in front of me, I'm currently in heaven.

We move on after a bit to another lake which has trees full of huge bats like Siem Reap and then we go to a Stupa. There isn't much to Tissa and we are back by 6, ready to be filled with Sri Lankan curries.

Day 157 and 158: Yogie and Borobudur

Day 157

Urg it is a painful early start this morning and I don't want to leave this comfy bed. 5.15am the alarm goes off and we dress and check out by 5.30am to get to the airport on time. Check in is easy and we don't have to do the strange liquid thing that we had to last time. We have a quick breakfast and then our flight is called, it's easy and quick and we land in Yogyakarta the same time we left, 8am, due to the time difference. I've done a bit of research and found we can get a bus from the airport to right near our hotel so we grab one from outside for the stupidly cheap cost of 30p for 2.

The bus drops us off and head in the direction I think we are meant to go but after 10 minutes walking we are back on the main road as we as have definitely gone the wrong way. Turns out the bus didn't drop us where Google maps thought it would and we miss out road by about 10 steps, whoops. We start down the correct road and it's meant to take 8 minutes but after 10, we still haven't seen our left turn and I'm despairing a bit. Luckily a shop keeper sees us looking panicked and points us in the right direction, turns out we have completely over shot our road. I find where we are on the map and after a little more walking our guesthouse with the smallest sign possible comes appears. It is run by 2 sisters and they are so friendly that the long walk is soon forgotten. The reason we have come to Yogyakarta is to go and see the Borobudur temple and we waste no time in getting a sun rise tour booked for the morning, I can't wait.

We drop out bags after this, have a quick shower and grabs a bus into town. Everyone is a bit intrigued by us on the bus and a lady next to me asks loads of questions but I don't mind as she's really helpful in telling us where to get off to see the Palace. We take a short walk from the bus stop towards what we think is the Palace, pay to go inside but it turns out to be the gardens. Nice enough but a bit boring. We realise we needed to walk a little further down the road and then the right building comes into sight. Man this place is a jumble, we wander round the grounds and buildings trying to do it in some order but you can't. We don't really learn anything and our stomachs are rumbling so we had out. 

It's Ramadan at the moment so most of the restaurants are closed but we manage to find a local food court and through hand signals get us a plate of scrummy vegetarian food with 2 drinks for under £1! Our early start and the heat are starting to kill us now so we head back and spend the rest of the day chilling with a nice and early 7pm bedtime for tomorrow.

Day 158

It's a 3.30am start but we are both awake at 2.30am due to the Call for Prayer. The driver picks us up at 3.30 and we head off for an hour and a bit drive to Borobudur. The park doesn't open till 6am but if you pay the only hotel on sight a little extra you can go in from 4.30. We pay up and grab our free torches before making our way to the temple. It's pitch black so we don't really see anything till it's right in front of us and wow, Borobudur is big! 

We hand our tickets to the security and then make our way up to the top to find a good spot for sunrise. The sky has started to lighten not long after we arrive and once we have snaffled our breakfast made for us by the hotel, we set out to take shots.

I also start to see what's around me and I'm in awe of the stupas that surround me. Ben goes off to take some different shots after a while but I stay, a bit taken a back by it all, when I was about 8 or 9, just after my parents split up my Dad when travelling by himself across Indonesia and I remember being so transfixed by the postcard he sent back and the descriptions he told me of a temple full of Buddha's under bells and I suddenly realised that I was in the place my 8 year old self dreamed about seeing. Very cool.

The sun continued to rise and Ben came back just as the sun rays became trapped by the mountains either side of it and made a wedge in the sky.

We made our way down to the lower levels at this point to start our assent to enlightenment. Well that's what is suppose to happen. Each level has a set of reliefs going round it and they are incredible, and so much better than the Angkor ones.

We wandered around taking them all in but sadly we couldn't reach enlightenment as one of the levels is having work done to it but I was still taken aback by the beauty of it all. The only problem was that when we reached the top and started to look around the Stupas, I managed to trap what we thing was a bee between my shirt and my arm and I got stung. I've never been stung before and I didn't react well, I didn't have an allergic reaction but my body decided to do what it always does when it gets a shock and it tried to faint. Not so cool on top of a ten tiered temple, but I sat on the floor, blocking the way of all the other tourists until it passed. But man, the pain stayed for ages :(

We made our way down now and go and check out the hidden foot which they think got hidden as the design of the temple changed half way through building as a new architect came in. Our ticket includes tea and a little snack so we head back to the hotel to grab that. There are a couple of museums included in the price so we go in search of them. They are okay but a bit boring so we head back to the car now. The drive takes a little longer on the way back and we have to keep telling the driver no as he "recommends" good tourist things we could do/he can get commission from. We lunge when we get back as we feel so tired from our early start, but we pop out for a road side dinner of soup and noodles before coming back to pack for leaving Indonesia tomorrow. 

Day 155 and 156: Slobbing Again.

Day 155

Oh man how I love this bed! And the room. And the pool. And the buffet breakfast. I get a bit of work done this morning as I know I'm going to have so much to do once we're back, urg. Our day consists of sunbathing and swimming and then at night we watch Sons of Anarchy and slob. This is the life.

Day 156

The buffet breakfast is again so scrummy which cheers me up as I did our money spreadsheet this morning and we have so little to survive on till we are home. We decide to grab some pot noodles from the local shop to counter the cost of food. They are only 25p and again surprisingly nice, I also get a huge bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk which ain't as nice as home but it's so nice to have some chocolate. We sunbathe for most of the day and then do some more face timing before watching more Sons of Anarchy which we don't stop watching till 1.30am which wasn't the best idea, seeing as we have a 5.15am start.

Day 153 and 154: One Rubbish Hotel

Day 153

We grab our last breakfast then grab our bags and go wait for our shuttle outside Starbucks. We then get transferred to another bus and have about an hour journey to Sanur. Our hotel is a little out of town but the driver is great and offers to drop us off at it, just on the wrong side of a dual carriage way. Pick this me and Ben running with 2 bags on each, weaving in and out of cars. It was interesting.

The hotel is so odd, there just doesn't seem to be anyone here, when we finally find the reception, they bumble through the check in and show us to our room which doesn't seem to have been cleaned properly. We do get a free drink but I did expect a little more from a 4 star and a secret deal. But we dump our bags and hit the pool as sunshine is always 5 star to me. The pool is lovely and completely deserted so we grab 2 loungers in the sun and absorb as much of its lovely rays as we can.

We both get a bit peckish after a while and I go find somebody with a menu. I wander around the empty restaurant for a bit before a guy who speaks no English appears and then goes off again so I go back to the pool a little bemused. About 5 minutes later another guy appears with what looks like a menu sticking out of his back pocket but he just sits on the opposite side of the pool playing on his phone. Ben goes over after another 5 minutes and comes back with a menu but they only have Indonesian food which is fine but none of its vegetarian. We manage to get a dish without the chicken but he appears another 5 minutes later saying actually there's no food on, Urg!! We are both pretty pissed off so go up and get changed and go to get a taxi into town. We go to reception where I explain we would like a lift into town, for free, as they have no food when a women who look likes a manager says yes they do! I have no idea what's going on but they usher us over to a table and say they will sort it. Whilst we are waiting Ahmed comes over who the sales manager of the place and who looks like he's the only one who gives a monkeys. He gives us a tour and shows us to the roof top pool where he gets our not bad food delivered. This place is a shambles but the beds comfy and the 1998 Godzilla is on the TV so we spend the night vegging.

Day 154

We have a duvet so I sleep through the night all comfy and cosy, maybe this place isn't too bad. That sentiment isn't held for long though as when we go down to breakfast, there isn't any. It's the last straw and we go up to reception and tell Ahmed we are leaving and want a full refund. He profusely apologies and gets our breakfast of uncooked eggs sent to our room, he also offers us a free upgrade and free lifts to the beach whenever we want but it's too little too late. We both want to go back to the first Bali hotel and this place is just creepy. He then begs, we say no, he pleads, we say no. We can only get rid of him when we say we will think about it but as soon as he closes the door we ring Agoda on Skype and they mediate, getting us a full refund. Phew

Ahmed is very apologetic and offers to drive us to the new hotel saying us about a £5 taxi fare. We both think the ride might be a bit awkward but it's actually not bad. Ahmed uses the time to explain to us why the hotel is so rubbish. The old managers ran off with about £150,000 of the owners money and he's only been in the job 3 weeks trying to sort out the mess. The owners won't put any more money in and the staff haven't been paid for 3 months, which explains why they were a bit rubbish. It does nothing to deter us and when we arrive at our new/old place we know we have made the right decision. We check in and then head straight to the pool, bliss. We spend the evening catching up on FaceTime and emails whilst watching bad American TV.

Day 151 and 152: Workshops and Temples

Day 151

Today is the day of our workshop and we've decided to try something out that neither of us have done before, a Silversmith workshop. It's not till this afternoon though so we use the time to plan the rest of our time in Indoneisa which now includes a beach trip to Sanur as we are missing the sand too much. We grab a hotel on Agoda's secret deal which is meant to be 4 stars and I can't wait to go, it looks great :D

We grab a quick bite to eat before we head back to the hotel where we are being picked up from, all included in the price. Ayu, our teacher comes and picks us up at 1.45 and we grab another lovely couple who are from Denmark on the way through. Her place is about 30 minutes out of the city and we head into rice paddies with quacking ducks. I can't let you know what we made as they are presents for some lovely people but it was so much fun! We spent the first hour designing then we get given 5g of Silver to make what we want with. It was a little frustrating as they didn't go exactly to plan but we are both happy with the end result and I'll add some pictures when we've given them out :)

We get a lift back and get chatting to the Danes who were meant to climb Mount Kinabula (Ben's epic one) but the earthquake happened 4 days before and they couldn't go, which is rubbish but to make it worse they still haven't got their money back. Thinking they paid the same as Ben (£80) I didn't think too much of it but turns out they paid £600 each!! Which is crazy but shows what happens when you don't go with Jungle Jack. Spend tonight watching Commando as conveniently Ben bought mainly Arnie films with us, oh it's so bad it's good. 

Day 152

Today is our temple tour day and I can't wait. We have our scrummy banana pancake breakfast and then go upstairs to meet our driver. Turns out we are the only ones who want to go on the temple tour we picked (the cheapest) so they offer us a tour upgrade for free and this one looks brilliant, winner! We get into the car with one other couple, who are French, on their Honeymoon and absolutely lovely. 

Our first stop on the tour is the Elephant Temple. It's quite pretty and the main bit is a cave like temple that chokes you with incense as soon as you walk into it. There is also the ruins of a Buddhist temple where half of it has fallen away which is pretty cool.

Next up is my favourite temple of the day, the Holy Spring Temple, it is set in the valley of 2 luscious green hills with stunningly bright flowers and thick leafy trees surrounding it. We wander round taking in all the beauty and observe the people washing in the springs, the water here is said to bring you luck and prosperity if you wash in it and there are a lot of people giving it a go as well as bringing huge offerings of flowers and rice for the gods. 

We have a break from the temples now and head off to a coffee plantation. It's the best part of the day, we head around a cool garden that is full of plants and our guide points out cloves, coffee plants, cinnamon, ganglion, pineapple, cocoa, vanilla and more. We also got to meet a Luwak which is the little creature that eats the sweetest coffee beans and the poops them out whole, the beans then get used (after they have been cleaned) to make so delicious coffee. He was very cute.

We then got to see how the beans are hand roasted and then the best bit, the tasting! On the table were Bali coffee, hot cocoa, ginseng coffee, vanilla coffee, rosella tea, ginger tea, lemongrass tea, coconut coffee and Luwak Coffee. They were all very yummy, I even drank some of the coffee ones and they weren't half bad. Actually some of them were insanely amazing, especially the ginseng and the rosella tea. Whilst we were sipping we chatted the the guide about Bali in general and its religions and class system, very interesting. 

After our coffee overload we go and take in the beauty of Lake Bahar and the volcano behind it, it's very pretty. All of our tummies start rumbling now so the driver takes us to a resturant with incredible views of the rice paddies below but with eye. Watering prices, the buffet lunch cost us £15, an extortionate amount of Indonesia. 

We head to the Mother Temple now which we are warned can be very scammy. We haven't walked 10 metres in when one guy is trying to get us to "leave a donation" and then once we are at the bottom of the main gates we have to pay a "religious guide" to get in. You don't, you just walk to the side steps and go in there. The lower levels are quite unimpressive but the temple at the top is incredibly beautiful and if the weather was clear I reckon the view would be too.

The French couple are chatty and we get on with them quite well which is nice, I never realised the French liked our royal family so much! Next up is a rice paddy which I don't think is as nice as the one at lunch and then an average museum. We head back now and once we've said our goodbyes, we head off out to our coffee shop to work out how to get from Ubud to Sanur tomorrow. A taxi is just too expensive but after a little searching I find a bus company, horah! It's only a short walk from the cafe so we pop in and grab our tickets, then go back to pack.

Day 149 and 150: Rice Paddies and Maps

Day 149

We wake up early and go down through the gorgeous garden for some breakfast of fresh fruit and banana pancakes, so tasty. We spend the first few hours of out day trying to work out how to get to Yogyakarta, our next stop, from Bali where are are now. After much contemplating, searching, discussing and more searching we that we would rather pay the little more and fly for 2 hours than the 16 hour boat and bus, we haven't really recovered from the other one.

Once that's decided we go off and explore the town. We had a little look last night so go off in a different direction and find a really cool market full of touristy bits and penis bottle openers, weird I know. We grab a couple of ink prints that remind us of the dance last night and then I fall in love with a side car. This walk takes us back to Monkey Forest Road and we spend the rest of the morning window shopping. 

Lunch is back at the hotel and a delicious avocado and egg sandwich which I am definitely doing once we are home. We head out again this afternoon but turn right instead of left and head off down the street to see what we can find. We walk only a little way when we spot a sign for a rice paddy 50 metres from the road. We turn down this little thin alley and after a few minutes of walking we arrive at a huge field full of rice and people. We didn't want to seem like we were gawping so we don't stay too long but it's very beautiful.

We carry on out walk down the road and find a cool bridge and an art gallery where Michael Jackson had been. We are both a bit hot and sweaty by this point so pop into a cafe called Grandpa's where we have some amazing drinks. Ben's is inside a young coconut and is coconut milk, ginger, lime, avocado and mint and I had orange juice and tonic water topped off with strawberry gelato, delish! I used WhatsApp call for the first time today to ring Amy and it actually works really well if you can handle a little delay :D Was so nice to talk to her. We head out after and book some workshops and tours over the next few days in a cool coffee shop where we don't leave till closing.

Day 150

I had a restless night sleep but Ben's stomach finally seems to be a bit happier. We have another yummy breakfast and then spend the morning reading and blogging before Ben's bowels aren't happy again, will it ever end? We spend the time in between him running off tracking our trip on a cool website, the links below so you can see all the places we've been.

https://secure.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=benharley88&tripid=740149 

Lunch is the yummy sandwich again and then off to the coffee shop again but this time to upload pictures and book some hotels for Sri Lanka which is fast approaching. We lose the day doing this and in the evening we have some yummy food at a place with an over curious cat who wears necklaces. I still can't seem to sleep tonight even after my restless night before so Ben sends me to sleep reading me Gibbon facts, this man is just perfect! 

Day 147 and 148: The last of the Gili's and Arriving in Ubud

Day 147 

Of all the things to dream about in this place, I dreamt last night about Christmas, go figure. Though I might have an answer for why as all the horse and carts that go round the island have bells on them to warn you they are coming and they sound so much like sleigh ones that I can't help singing Jingle Bells every time they pass.

It's our last day on the Gili's today but it's not going to be a day of doing as Ben wakes up with a very bad stomach and he can't stray too far from the toilet, this is definitely one of the downsides to travelling. We spend the morning in the room with him resting but I manage to coax him out for lunch which seems to perk him up, for about half hour when he rushes off to the toilet again, sigh. It's not too bad though as I've just started to reread The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and I get absorbed into that. We also have to pack after our long 10 days here which is never fun.

I manage to get Ben out again on the pretence we need to get some cash out to pay for our room but secretly want to entice him with good which he says he doesn't want, pah. That disinterest goes out of the window when he sees a sign for Pumpkin Soup and he laps in up. We spend the rest of the night relaxing and taking in the sea breeze from the Gili's for the last time.

Day 148

Our boat doesn't leave until 11 so we have a relaxing breakfast before putting out heavy bags on for the long and very hot walk to the pier. We've walked this route so many times on our stay here but it feels twice as long and 4 times as hot with our bags on. We are about 45 minutes early as we weren't sure how long it would take us to walk but it's not a boring wait as it we get to take in the hustle and bustle. There's a very funny blunt Australian lady who I want to travel with me as I reckon she doesn't take gip from anyone, a seller offering us her bracelets to window shop, several bartering issues with the horse and carts (they are the only transport and flaunt that with stupidly high prices) and all the others goings on of island life.

Our boat comes in only a little later and we head straight to the top and nab a sunbathing seat, perfect. The boat ride takes about 2 hours and at times a little rough but the music was great so I didn't really notice. I love cheesy tunes :D Once we arrive in Bali, we get on a mini bus which will take us to Ubud. It takes about an hour and a half and for the first time in ages The guy doesn't drive erratically. The scenery is awesome and we glimpse a few rice paddy so along the way and I can wait to explore, it looks beautiful. 

We arrive on the main strip and our driver directs us to our hotel which couldn't be better placed. It's right by the palace and really centrally located. We drop our bags off and then grab some food. I've been keen on trying Satay for a long time but I haven't seen any vegetarian ones until now, the plate comes out and I'm ready to be wowed when...I'm just not. 

"It just taste likes peanuts" I say to Ben disappointedly

"Yes" He laughs "It's meant to"

After this we go for a bit of an explore and book ourselves some tickets for a dance performance tonight at the Palace, it starts in an hour and a half so we set of down Monkey Forest Road to see what we can find and are greeted by loads of cool shops, oh why did we leave Ubud so late in our trip, I could buy it all! We wander for about half an hour and then head back which I'm glad we did as the place as already started to fill up and we get the last seats on the front row on the side.

The dance is amazing and so is the music, they start with an instrumental piece to show what Gamelan music is like and it's incredible sound, the main instruments are like glockenspiels accompanied by drums and gongs and the noise together is so cool. The first dance of the night is the Legang Kranken Dance which is about a princess who is wanted by the selfish King Lasem, but she and her dad don't like him. The king kills her father but later dies in battle. It's a bit confusing though as all the characters are women and look the same but still very cool to watch. 

Next is the dance of the Barong who is a good monster who looks a little like a Chinese dragon, he gets teased by a monkey with a banana. Next is the creepiest of the night, it's done by 5 girls with masks who are meant to represent good over evil.

And then finally the main dance begins. All of the costumes have been so beautiful but they go up a notch now. It starts with black magic pupils dancing and practising under the guidance of a widow witch called Rangde Dirah. They don't seem to blink and do this odd thing with their hands which makes them look very off. Rangde keeps putting black magic spells on everyone so the king sends his teacher MPU Bharadah to stop her. He asks her politely to stop it and she says no challenging him to put out a tree fire. He does, restores it back and then challenges her the same. She can't do it as she's not as awesome and gets really angry, turning into a giant monster called Rangda (best costume of the night). The good guy then turns himself into a Barong and defeats her, horah!

And after all that excitement we grab some food and crash out, loving what we have seen of Ubud so far.

Day 145 and 146: Gili T and the Swing

Day 145

This lazy island life is too addictive. We wake up with a plan to do Gili T today but lounge in bed too long to catch the boat so got for another day here. Breakfast is banana pancakes with lime and honey and after nomming this, we spend the morning sunbathing and taking in our views of the gorgeous Rinjani volcano that's just in front of us.

We do want to get a little more done today so we head off to book our tickets to Ubud, 300,000 each which is a nice bartered down saving, and then we wander round to the top of the island to get a shot of Julian on a cool sign and then it's time to lounge on the beach again which, as the sea is calmer today, actually has sand :D

My tummy rumbles so we go grab an utterly delicious lunch of raw tuna and wasabi for me and tuna burger with rocket and wasabi mayo for Ben, so so scrumptious. I've cautiously tasted the green fire before but today I'm a bit cocky and manage to make my lip swell, whoops.

We both feel that we've hit our sun peak so go back and shower, then hiding our sun burnt noses from the sun. Good job we did as something we are hasn't agreed with us both and we have Cambodian tummies for the rest of the afternoon :( Seems to have calmed down by the evening so we head out to sample the delights of road (sand track) side corn on the cob and it's amazing.

Day 146 

We finally get out bums into gear and we are off to Gili T, woohoo! It's the same boat that takes us to Meno, you just stay on it and it goes on to T. Ben's mood is like thunder today but he can't work out why so it's a bit of an awkward start. It's also strange being somewhere so busy after our quiet little lives on Air and Meno. T is the biggest of the islands and most populated with people and there's so much going on (in the sleepiest way possible).

We walk up to the first snorkel beach and get a drink, but instead of staying here we both don't really fancy a snorkel after my nibble incident of last time so decide to walk around the island to see what we can find. Ben cheers up now and even more so as we find Koftas for lunch something he's been craving since Vietnam, we also wash it down with a jug of Sangrea so as you can image the afternoon kept on getting better :D 

Every picture we had seen of Gili T seemed to be of a swing that's out in the sea so our next hunt after our boozing lunch is to find that, we want around heading east passing some really cool beach clubs, our favourite be La Pirate who's rooms where all like beach huts, painted blue and white. It's not long after that we spot the swing. Ben gets some snaps of me...

...then of us together, which is funny as its not really big enough...

...then he pushes me and I scream...

...and I push him, much fun...

...after this we head back, grab some more corn and get the boat back to our lovely Air. With tired feet and sun burnt noses, we have dinner in tonight and I have a scrummy Olah-Olah which is a coconut curry, yum. 

Day 143 and 144: Prickly Heat and Shade

Day 143

As my chest is still causing me to want to rip it off, we put off going to Gili T today, the third island in this little trio. We spend the morning chatting away about food and my love of coke. I've forgotten to mention that Ben has bet me I can't give up fizzy drinks for a month and today, 7th June, I'm on day 12. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a Coca Cola addict and this trip is increased 10 fold as orange squash, my drink of choice at home, is hard to come by. This challenge will be hard.

We miss out on sun loungers as we get a little too engrossed in arguing about sugars so we decide to head round the island again and find some sand. The sea has other ideas though and is a lot rougher and higher than when we walked the other day. We find a tiny patch and set up camp but my plan to cover my chest so it stays out of the sun and fingers crossed stops itching, doesn't work and now I'm covered in prickly heat on my arms. Honestly! We've been travelling for  nearly 5 months now and I've had no skin problems but now it decides to all come at once. We head back now so I can shower and cool down and do so through the middle of the island which is so green and pretty and full of little kittens, can this place get any more perfect? 

We venture a little further afield for dinner, well as far as you can on this beautiful island, and we aren't disappointed. I have BBQ tune steak again and if it was possible with was even better than the other night. Ben goes for chicken, tuna and beef steak kebabs and he's in heaven as much as I am, to top it off we eat it on the beach with a lovely cool breeze. I love island living! 

Day 144

We are up at about 6am as we had a stupidly night but the air is cool so it's not all bad. I am determined to get rid of this prickly heat today so I'm hiding in the shade whilst Ben gets his sunbathe on. I'm also trying to keep cool with showers so the morning is spent with me darting in and out. 

We lunch here and Ben makes a feline friend. I think I'm going to rename him cat man, he shares his lunch with him and I think they are bosom buddies, till another lunch comes out and the cats off :( Our aim was to explore a bit more of the island but the heavens decide to open so we stay put, enjoying the cooler air and a pack of cards. We eat at our bungalow as its still drizzling and we spend another evening in the company of the Electric Watermelon.

Day 141 and 142: Gili Meno and Turtles!

Day 141

After our not starter day yesterday, we are up and breakfasted in time for the boat. The ride only costs us £1.50 each and is on a similar boat to the one we arrived on the other day but nowhere near as rammed full. The boat comes in and we head clockwise around the island to see what we can find.

We haven't walked for 5 minutes before we spot the small turtle sanctuary this island is famous for. A local guy spends his time collecting the eggs for the beach and look after them until the they are 8 months and then he releases them. He started it up as the number of turtles around the islands where drastically reducing due to predators, lack of nesting beaches due to the resorts and human interaction. He uses his own money to fund it and relies on grants and donations to keep it all going. We coo at the baby turtles before giving our little donation and moving on.

Meno is, if it was possible, even quieter than Air and we walk for at least half hour before we see anyone else, creepily though this side is full of abandoned holiday huts and it makes it look a little apocalyptic. We've walked about half way round when we get too hot and the sea calls us. Bliss, the water temperature is just right and the sand is so white here, much whiter than on air. We slob for a bit before walking around to get our usual, a refreshing lime shake. The place we stop at is right in front of apparently the best snorkelling on the island, so we borrow some gear from here and set out. Ben hasn't had much luck with snorkels or masks throughout the trip but today he has finally found his perfect match. I, on the other hand, seem to luck out. She hasn't got any small flippers so she gives me little shoes instead so I can walk on the coral but they are so hard to swim and then my snorkel doesn't work, like at all. So I have to spend the time frantically trying to keep up with super fast flipper Ben and trying to hold my breath long enough to take it all in. You'd think because of all of this is would have been a pretty rubbish day out for me but no, one completely awesome thing saved it all. We swam with a turtle. Yeah that's right, I'm just bobbing along checking out the super cool fish and something in my head says start looking in front of you as well as around you and then 30 seconds later I see a turtle about 10 metres ahead.

I call to Ben who normally can't hear me once he's got engrossed under water but I must have sounded urgent ad he looks up instantly. I beckon him over and we swim about 1 or 2 metres away from him and it was just amazing. We didn't want to get too close so we disturbed him as he looks like he could give quite a nip if he wanted to and I can't swim that fast today with my booties on. They move so gracefully and he treated us to about 10 minutes of his company before coming up to the surface for a quick breather and then swimming off, it's got to be the best underwater experience ever, this trip is just getting even more amazing. 

After our little meet up with the turtle, I decide to turn back. I keep getting stung my something seemingly invisible and with my lack of flippers and a snorkel it was getting a bit difficult to keep up. The swim back was one of the hardest I've done as the current is just so strong and I was struggling so much to keep a good pace. I rest on the edge before walking over to our towel and then I notice I'm covered in loads of nettle like stings all over my arms and legs and after a little research it turns out I've been stung my loads of baby jelly fish, ouch! The sting is dying down so once Ben's back we hand back our snorkels and go off in search of food. After a little lunch of a Jaffles for me (cheese toasty) and a Gado Gado for Ben we grab an ice cream and finish our day on Meno sunbathing and making silly sand shadows.

 The boat taking us back leaves at 4.20 so we arrive at 4 and wait, watching the sea getting more and more rough. The boat back is a little bumpy because of this and I'm pretty glad when we reach the shore. Tonight is another BBQ night and I'm going for prawns, delish!

Day 142

I had a weird night, waking up thinking Ben was having a fit as I could head a weird noise but it just turned out to be an animal in the roof. The adrenaline of thinking my lovely chappie was dying means I can't get back to sleep and I toss and turn for ages. The weird bites from yesterday have gotten really itchy and seem to spread over my chest so it's going to be a lazy day of blogging to see if I can get rid of them. After a bit of research it looks like I've got hives which is unbearable and I've got no antihistamines :( It also turns out sunbathing doesn't help it and the 20 minutes I'm out turn me into a scratchy mess, not cool as all. 

The wifi has been a bit hit or miss here so relaxing at the room today means we have a chance to use it whilst it's working for the odd 10 minutes here and there and catch up with everyone. We also hear there's been an earthquake at Monut Kinabula and some climbers and guides are dead, they haven't released any more info yet so we don't know who but the guy we stayed with Uncle Jack is fine, phew. The day is uneventful apart from the fact Ben gets himself a snazzy sarong and discovers the wonders of skirts "It's just so breezy". Dinner tonight is accompanied by Electric Watermelon cocktails which might just nudge Tequila Sunrises off my top spot.