Wow- the last week or so has whizzed past with a whirlwind of activities and crazy (it can only happen in Indonesia) nights out....

We visited some amazing temples in the past week....

The Buddhist temple was spectacular...... Was really impressed with all the intricate details that went in the carvings of some of the statues. The Buddhist temple is famous for its top tier, 'the stairway to heaven' where legend has it that if you go round it 7 times and make a wish, it is granted........ I'm a sucker for a free wish so naturally I gave it a go....... Will let you know how effective it was:)

The next temple we visited was Prambanan- the tallest and the most beautiful Hindu temple in the world!!! Personal highlight were the statues of Durga maa and Vishnu which were breath taking (both these statues withheld the tremors of the earthquake a few years ago which locals deemed a miracle)....... It was a very popular tourist spot and we generated quite a lot of interest being a 'multicultural' group...... We struggled to take a few steps before we were stopped so people could practice their English on us or take photos with us ( of course the first time they asked for a photo, I assumed they wanted me to take a pic of them...... Until panji pointed out they wanted a photo WITH me) we felt like celebrities:)))

Mount Bromo was such a breath taking experience....... We started the journey at 3.30 am with a jeep ride to the mountain and then walked the remainder of the way to mount Bromo for the most gorgeous sunrise ever!!!! I've seen a few sunrises but have never actually SEEN it happen if that makes sense!!!! From the midnight blue sky, to a shade of pink coming across the horizon and then gradually getting brighter and brighter until at exactly 5.30 am the sun peaked out in full force- the way it illuminated the mountain was just.......... No words!!

We then went to the desert for some horse riding ( not a easy ride but defo worth it) ........ Never before have I done so much activity before 8 am!!!

Have never really been a massive animal lover....... I don't hate them but have always been a little scared of them ...... So it's nothing short of a miracle that in the last week itself I have played with and fed turtles, gone horse riding, fed bats, released birds and not flinched when stray dogs and cats just roam around me.

A special mention has to go to my fav creatureGECKOS...defo warming to geckos after I found out on a sleepless night that they keep Mosquitos away....! ( at the beginning of the trip I could not sleep if I saw a gecko climbing down from the ceiling- we even had a song we made up to make the gecko crawl back up- surprisingly it really worked) THE one liner of the entire trip was gecko - related........'a gecko just shat on my head'- hilarious with a Belgian accent from klaas!!!

.. I also learnt on the same night that the noise geckos make is actually them saying 'gecko gecko'- you may laugh now but listen out for it next time....... I am still, however, terrified of cockroaches!!!!!

'Western' food in Indonesia has been an experience too.....if you're ever in Indonesia, here are a few translations:-

Pizza- a semi warm base with cold toppings and grated cheese ( GRATED NOT MELTED BUT GRATED) on top

Grilled Ham and cheese sandwich- a slice of bread at the bottom (cold), a piece of ham buttered on (cold), another slice of bread on top (cold) and that's it!! Oh and I forgot about the cheese - ON TOP OF THE SECOND SLICE OF BREAD (COLD) ...... So basically you create your own sandwich!!!

Strawberry daiquiri - a splash of vodka and apparently thick strawberry YOGHURT!!! (Well that was just in 1 bar- the rest were drinkable)

The nights out were eventful to say the least...... All I can say is we lived to tell the tale !!!!

And then there was Bali- the place the whole past month has been leading up to and it has not disappointed at all....... Our first stopover was at a place called kubuku cottages where we had the place to ourselves- owned by a small family who really know how to provide great service- from memorising all our names and fav foods and drinks to allowing us to have private pool parties- did not want up leave the place!!!

And now the tour has officially ended:( again I was lucky enough to be a part of the greatest group and have made some wonderful friends across the world that I will defo keep in touch with. A huge turning point in my travelling experience as now i tackle the next month or so by myself with no plans whatsoever......for now I will stay on in Bali and enjoy each day as it comes- getting massages, manicures, pedicures, haggling with market stall holders and lying by the pool......... It's a tough life but I'm happy to live it for now xx