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Ok, so i am useless and lazy and as the internet connection everywhere i was travelling was so awful, i just really couldn't be bothered to update my blog at all in the last few weeks...Now i just feel guilty that i haven't finished it...slightly obsessive compulsive disorder/perfectionist....well maybe the former, buti am certainly not the latter...anyway i felt guilty and although i have p[robabaly spoken to most people about my time i thought i had better finish it anyway!

Well from the last instalment, i have managed to go from Ubud (anyone read the book 'eat love pray' about the middle aged woman trying to find her inner self...well i think a lot of middle aged women took that to heart!) to the Gili Isles (2nd largest... is French (families, couples, travellers, you name it...almost as if you were on a tropical French island...weird) to Lombok (back to a muslim community...so as women we felt... uncomfortable would be a good word to describe it, although the muslim men here instead of not wanting us in the area certainly looked us up and down....buurrrh) to Padaganbai, Bali back to Bali to Singapore, then reality back in England!

What i forgot to mention in my earlier blog was that in Ubud...we decided to rent a car for the day...which the locals found hilarious when we started asking for directions in little villages in the middle of nowhere, in the jungle areas.This is how we managed to see lots of beautiful temples and the area instead of going on a tour. If my mum knew at the time she woiuld have had a heart attack by now. Luckily contact was non exsitant as the family were away sunning themselves in greece so by the time she found out when i was back safe and sound in England , it was all fine and dandy! Driving here in Bali was slightly interesting tho as they're all on scooters/motorbikes, and they suddenly appear from no where...no accidents tho!

The Gili Islands were very similar mand slightly bigger than the perhentian islands, but with minor, cobbled roads/dirt tracks and have actul bars and proper buildings and shops...means of transport bike or pony and cart (nicknamed mary and joseph carts due to my friends on their last visit, being taken around and finding no room at many hostels!) One evening we decided to bike around the island (stupidly choosing the girly road bike, that were in pretty coulous and had baskets attached to the front instead of the mountain bike) which took us about 1hour 30, between riding and pushing due to the large quantity of sand/dirt tracks which our bikes couldn't handle.We did however see the most beautiful sunset on a deserted beach which we all decided was heaven.Supicious menus you tho due to a large number of the restaurants with signs advertising magic mushrooms and then a waiter trying to erntice you in saying mushroom pizza...hmmm maybe not.We all went snorkelling here too, but it was up to the standard or Malaysia...although we did see hundreds, well about 7/8 turtles which were so beautiful adn graceful.

We then left The Gilis to go onto Lombok. Arriving on Lombok wasn't helped by the recent bomb in Jakarta and all the Lombokese claiming that there was going to be another bomb in Kuta, 'Don;t go back to Bali, bomb bomb'...it was really helpful as these guys said as they passed about 50 tourists all heading back to Kuta.We however weren't going back but headed South to a little town called sengiggi whoch the guide book claimed to have beautiful beaches and worth stopping for one night. We arrived to a lovely little hostel but a ghost town that looked prosperous once, but due to the lack of advertising of lombok and the bombs its now really deserted village filled with men and hardly a female Indonesian insight.We did have a delicious meal of fish but decided to quickly leave the next day.

We moved onto Kuta, Lombok which the all knowledgeable lonely planet described to have great surfing and people should go there before it gets turned into the next Kuta, Bali (as Dubai has bought a lot of land there with the aim of turning it into a HUGE resort).Well we arrived to a very small picturesque fishing village (that we hadn't really thought about before we go there that there was no ATM and De had not a lot of money). Yet again no women and all the tourists seemed to be men too...not surprising as they were all completely surfers (plus the occasional girlfriend who had come to watch or surf herself).So this was a short lived stay as well, but we did meet some very nice aussies who had a car, banged on our door bright and breezy at 7:30 like all early rising surfers and dorve us to the cove.We then went out in a boat to get to the breaks...surfing involved alot of paddling, intake of water being swallowed by waves and harldy got up, but it was a challenge and great experience.

We then went back to bali, firstly to a small town called padaganbai where we dida fab Balinese cooking course for half a day before returning to a very nice hotel in Kuta (sadly dewas ill) and rented a dvd player and buying far too many dvds....but we all had a very good, home comforts night in with dvd's!The rest of our few days were spent surfing....one afternoon we all felt like grannies after surfing for 2 hours, nights out and days on the beach- trying to soak up as many rays a possible before coming back. We also did as much shopping as possible before we came back. Splashed out on nice meals etc as our last few days of travelling.Our final day was spent in a spa having every kind of massage, bath, mask possible including maincure and pedicure...we all felt completely revitalised before the trip home and being dried out and dirty from beach and roughing it for the last 2 months!

Getting back to the sterile streets of Singapore was hitting reality with a huge bump...they are over obsessed with the airconditioning there. We thought the only worthwile, productive thing to do, having had a delayed flight and not arriving till 3am and not getting to bed till 4, with a day in Singapore was to go to the cinema.What turned out to be a long film, 2 hours in an over airconditioned room lead to brain freeze, head aches and muscles aches, so that we all had difficulty walking back out the cinema. Sitting outside starbucks in the sun was greatly appreciated!

I hope you're all well and now back in England i will have seen most of you or will get to see most of yu before i head off to Italy in a months time.

Lots of Love f xxx