Several degrees of separation. I had such a strange series of thoughts today that I just have to put them down before I forget.......mostly because they made me laugh out loud at the fancifullness of them. When I was a callow youth of nineteen years I began work as a trainee cinema manager, and one of the first films we were showing when I joined was South Pacific. Some twenty years later, when I was in publishing, I met and had lunch with Joshua Logan, director of the movie. Now, a further twenty five years on I am sitting here in Bali the eponymous title of one of the key songs from the film. Admittedly, there are no red clouds swirling around the island, no Mitzi Gaynor in sight and no Bloody Mary warbling in the background but just the same I have been humming the tune and thinking how strange life is to have got me here after all these years and to have brought the connections to the music with me. Needless to say I haven't shared these profound thoughts with my fellow travellers, as most were born after the death of John Lennon and would likely think that Rodgers and Hammerstein were a firm of Jewish accountants. The one thing in all this which is puzzling me however, is how come Bali Hi was a key song in a musical based in the Pacific when BALI is in the Indian Ocean. Who is kidding who? James MItchener or R & H? Anyway........I did something really wild for me the day before last. I asked a local fisherman if he would take me to sea on his outrigger to fish for a couple of hours. He agreed, and at 5.30 am I found myself sitting on the ocean watching the sun rise over Bali, eating a breakfast of yellow rice, noodles and chilli and dangling a fishing line in the water.......a special memory forever for me I think. And the fish? Well he caught some but all I got was a little reef tiddler which had to go back in the water. Sad to say that the bombers have won here in Bali. The entire island is almost empty of Western faces, with occupancy in some hotels having fallen from 60% to nil since the last attacks three months age. And these people have almost nothing else to rely on except the ubiquitous rice growing. Of course, the result for us is that bargains are here galore for the traveller...an air con room with swimming pool for less than $20 a night. Leaving tonight for Oz and will be sorry to go as everyone here has been helpful and friendly so just hope that the world ignores the bombs and comes back to Bali. Oh, in case you cared to know, I did have that Balinese massage two days ago and am still recovering. The woman had hands like a coal miner, but she certainly could cook as I also ate at her home the same evening. MIght just go for a honey and jasmine body wrap and flower petal bath today though. G