Gilly life...getting into the swing!

And now I'm getting the hang of life on Gilly Trawangen!...Palan, palan in Bhasa (local language) means slowly, slowly....and that's the only thing you need to know here. Or... what shall we have for lunch? Where shall we snorkel today? What movie would you like to see?...these are difficult questions when you have absolutely nothing in life to bother you.

So I move into my bolt hole and the family follows into their own little cottages and we wave to eachother from our verandas. I unpack properly for the first time in over 2 months and even line my books up on a shelf. The smile on my face is unmoveable. I then break the toilet but don't care!

I plod (always plodding on Gilly) down the road for lunch sitting in a Baruga (small hut on stilts with no walls and cushions on the floor big enough for four to sit round a small square table). I have a very pleasant conversation with a local guy I met the day before and we talk about philosophy and different cultures and ways of life. Pretty clued up this guy is too, Johny has worked on a cruise liner and been to some lovely places. We practice our French together and pass a good few hours this way.

On the beach I find the rest of the family and Nyoman insists I go snorkeling. I'm glad of this eventually because it's really incredible down there despite my thinking it couldn't beat the Red Sea. Zoe turns up and we decide to walk over to the other side of the island for the sunset. She's going to move into my place tomorrow and I foresee much girly fun!

Unfortunately Mr. Japan we forget is 60 odd and walks really quite slowly on sand and we arrive just as the sun has dipped below the horizon. But it's incredible anyhow and the whole silly journey is accompanied by the errrmmmmmm.....lovely singing of Miku and Nyoman. Zoe thinks this strange and unexpected singing is as funny as I do and we do our best not to laugh at their love songs whilst their faces are contorted with emotion. Hehehehehe.....

Dinner is a quiet affair as we're all a little worn out from the night before and all the snorkeling. I eat a lot of deep fried bits of fresh fish and squid and go to bed a happy lady in my new girly cottage.

Fri 10th Nov 

I meant to wake up early to say goodbye to the boys and Mr Japan as they were all leaving that morning but over slept and missed them. Oh well...more traveling friends that disappear over night.

I go to the beach and collect some shells and make a little mobile for my veranda like a true hippy. I go down the road and buy a massive pineapple and eat it all to myself. I'm ludicrously happy. I do some writing. I listen to the prayers from the local mosque...sounds like radio Allah. Them'll be the ones that woke me up at 5 this morning then...them and the cockerels. Is it impossible to find actual quiet...even on a desert island with no cars or bikes? Will I have to go to the north pole for example to get a perfect nights sleep? Even here where I couldn't possibly be more relaxed I get the old insomnia. But somehow it's easier to take here and I really don't mind for a change.

Zoe arrives and takes the cottage next to mine. Egor is the guy who runs the place and has not the best English in the world, seems to fall instantly in love with her. He calls her Anna from the start much to my confusion. It turns out days later this is part of Zoe's name and she signed into the register as Anna Zoe. We still don't know why he started to call me Helen, then Shellen. Maybe it's something to do with the biggest spliff I've ever seen hanging out his mouth at least once a day. He's sweet and kind though and treats us like precious glass. He even sweeps the pathways through the gardens every day for us but I've since found out they do this all over Bali and Lombok too. Very clean these people. They also hose down the bit of road infront of their shops constantly, often narrowly avoiding the tourists with the sprays of water.

We go to the beach and natter and make eachother laugh....Zoe is full of energy and theatricalness. I tell her about the most beautiful man in the world I've seen and she decides to make it her mission to get us together. Oh dear... this could be embarrassing...I have visions of being shoved unceremoniously towards this guy and her shouting "GO ON" behind me. Zoe is a full on romantic bless her!

That night we get dressed up with makeup and everything just in case the guy is there and go to a party at Rudy's Bar. Let me tell you that the welcome alone at Rudy's is worth the arduous journey and reason enough to come to Trawangen. These guys all remember your name and shout as you go past like you're a long lost friend. They jump over to you shaking your hand and give you a free welcome drink before you've sat on your stool! Great sales technique and I'll have to say I was hooked. Their dancing is also something to behold and we have a great deal of fun watching them shake it to Shakira like a bunch of ladies!

Before long you'll find you've met most of the people round the bar at this place and that night I chatted to a lad from Warrington who had worked in Ikea for 5 yrs on and off. He knew Graham (from Bedrooms) and I couldn't believe I'd come half way round the world and yet again met someone who knew a college. This guy made me laugh as he'd come on the boat over with us and said he'd had his bets on me or the German girl to my left puking first. Apparently I'd gone a worse color, even though she was holding a bag to her face!

Sat 11th Nov

This day was a total right off. I felt probably just as bad as I had done on the boat but all day! Possibly something to do with the seafood pizza the night before, but more likely to do with the amount of local rum and coke I put away.

I made it to lunch with Zoe and forced down something I can't remember, reluctantly. She turned into a marvelous nurse and got me to drink and eat various things to make me feel better. I then slept for most of the day and went to the loo a lot.

Wanted to make it out for dinner but it really wasn't going to happen so poor Zoe went on her own. She said she enjoyed it though, hopefully not just to make me feel better for being such a woos!

Sun 12th Nov

Woke up late to find Zoe had left me a can of Coke and some Ritz crackers with a note saying these were the things her grandmother told her to eat when feeling sick. How sweet is that!... she'd see me down the beach later.

Well...it was another beach day and there's not much else to be said about it. We chatted constantly about stuff of all kinds. Funnily I hardly read here at all which is not like me...there's too many interesting people to talk to and stuff to look at.

Zoe made me laugh when she told me she was having a massage on the beach one day when the woman said, " I love your body....it's like a guitar!" This is funny because it's entirely true...she is indeed very curvy and a very sexy lady for it!

That night over dins we sat at a real table for a change with real chairs and everything (normally on the floor or in a baruga). The sea was lapping at the narrow beach to our right, the lights on the water showing the impossible blue of it and the candles on the table flickering away with the breeze...all a bit romantic really. So this turned our attention to the attractiveness and possible eligibility of the other patrons. All in jest you understand...it was fun to have another girl around and say a lot of girly stuff.

And at the end of the meal Zoe spots someone on the beruga next to us and says he looks quite nice. I saw him ages ago and am surprised when the waiter brings over a banana on a tray and says it's from said gentleman. Sorry...got a plane to catch....another cliff hanger for ya....heheheheh.....

Right I'm back...sorry bout that. So where were we...oh yes...the banana. I'd noticed this guy arrive earlier as he was sitting on his own for some time and I got the impression he was looking over. I also thought he's a good looking lad to be sitting all alone...but then he was joined by 2 other guys and a girl who if he was with her he was selling himself a little short...I thought uncharitably!!

The banana arrived and I couldn't quite hear what he said about it and for some reason I was all embarrassed so I just laughed and shrugged. As we left I got told off by Zo for not taking said banana as it was a gift and reluctantly put it in my bag as I knew I'd forget about it and it would turn into a nasty surprise to get my fingers into at some later date.

I went to bed not sparring the banana or it's owner a second thought.