We left Gili T and made the short trip to Gili Air which is a much quieter island. As it was going to be Helen's birthday whilst we were there she requested (demanded) we stay in nice accommodation with fresh AND hot water.... As there are no cars on on the island we took a horse and cart to our lodgings which was an experience on the un-paved path.

We spent the next few days relaxing by the sea trying not to burn whilst
staying hydrated with cocktails and beers. We took in some exercise and cycled round the island. This seemed like a good idea but 20 mins later pushing our bikes through the deep sand in the baking sun, we were having second thoughts. There seemed to be a lot of mosquitos around us at all times and poor Helen seemed extra tasty to them always finding new bites. Having enjoyed my snorkelling trip so much I decided to do some more and borrowed some gear from the local gardener and went off on my own. For Helen's birthday we decided to splash out and get some lobster from a local restaurant by the sea. I had also spent the prior few days getting some locals to whip up a cake. All in all I think Helen had a birthday she will never forget.

Our next stop was Lombok. We charted a yacht to take us the short distance before being whisked by limo to the town of Senggigi. After a quick look round we decided that Senggigi didn't have too much to offer so thought we would do a day trip to the waterfalls. This involved getting an air conditioned car to drive us to a local market where we purchased some bananas before taking these to monkeys who run up to you and take them out of your hand. I always thought Helen ate fast but watching these 'cheeky little' monkeys I discovered what speed eating really is. On arriving at the start of our trek to the first waterfall, it started to rain and unfortunately it didn't stop until much later in the day. The tour operators had forgotten to mention we would be trekking for an hour to see the waterfalls. This trek involved bridges half made, a rocky river and plenty of steps. Both Helen and I lost a flip flop in the white water crossing only for the superhuman guide to retrieve them. We had been told we could swim at the second waterfall which we were both looking forward to as we knew we would be hot. Instead we arrived very cold and very wet and the icy cold water didn't look too appealing. I manned up and took the plunge, quickly getting the obligatory picture before retreating under shelter.

The final stop in Lombok took us to Kuta down in the south. We didn't really know what to expect of this area as it is relatively new but we were quite shocked with how sparsely populated it was. There were about 4 cafe/bars and the nearest was about 15 mins walking. After talking to Moody Mike, the homestay owner, we found that the best beaches were not in walking distance and everyone just rented mopeds. Riding a moped was something I had never done before but having seen a woman with one arm carrying a baby whilst riding one we though how hard can it be. I had a few practice goes before Helen got on. The first practice go ended a bit like the scene from the Inbetweeners when Jay tries to ride a motorbike (here's the clip if you've not seen it - ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66rv2yXVHhc&feature=youtube_gdata_player). Eventually I coaxed Helen on and we set off in search of the beaches. After a long and slow ride we eventually made it to a beach which can only be described as paradise. Hardly a soul in sight, white sand and clear blue water. We chilled out there and let our fears of the road wash away. Although there was hardly anyone around, there was one mumbling boy who kept trying to sell me a coconut whilst checking Helen out.

The next day we set off in search of the surfing beach as I was keen to try out my moves. After meeting a young local who used to compete, he took us both out on the boat so Helen could take pics whilst I ruled the waves. I took to surfing like a duck to water and was soon upgraded to the big waves as you can see from the pictures. After finishing surfing I was extremely tired and burnt so we set off to the paradise beach again to recuperate. The annoying boy was there again trying to sell us a coconut. After a while I decided I did want a coconut drink but the boy was nowhere to be seen so I bought from another man. When the young boy came back he was not happy at all to see I had one. He started wielding his axe before zooming off on his moped, but not before driving a couple of inches from where we were lying. I told Helen he was unlikely to make many sales with that attitude and he should work on his sales pitch.

To get back to Bali we had to go back to Senggigi for the boat, so we decided to treat ourselves to a massage as they are so cheap here. Something must have got lost in translation though as they literally beat us up. We hobbled out of the spa feeling much worse than we had gone in and had paid for the privilege.

We head back to Bali now for the final part of our trip hoping for better luck with the mosquitos, hot showers and less axe wielding locals.