Stupid is, as stupid does......

So I have generally been doing nothing for the past few days. Zoe headed home and I could no longer take the daily sound of the aquafit blaring from the poolside! It seemed right and proper that I should try and visit at least one more island before I leave, so I organised a two night trip to Nusa Lembongan.

I got up early, checked out of the hotel and was picked up by taxi. An hour and a half later we arrived in Sanur and checked in to a hut on the beach for my speedboat ride. It was only at this point that I realised I had left my passport and all of my dollars in the hotel safe!! Genius!!! Kadek, the lovely driver called the hotel, and we then had to run after the little man who had taken my suitcase down the beach and loaded it on to the speedboat, and take it off again! My case may have wheels but they were not designed for being pulled along sandy beaches! Back in the taxi Kadek put his foot down and I agreed to pay the very expensive toll road charge so that we could get there quicker! The Rupees10,000 is too expensive for most locals. It is about USD1.00. When we got there I was interviewed by security! Although the fact that he was holding my passport somehow did not register when he asked me to identify myself!!!! Luckily I managed to get the money back too. Phew! Dullard moment. Obviously way too relaxed, and not used to hotels that actually have safes at the moment! Kadek dropped me back at the beach and I felt it was my penance to sit there in the midday sun for 3 hours until the next boat!

The boat ride was another story. Surfers come to Indonesia because of the huge waves. Oh yes, I can vouch for that now! I recall a similar experience in Borneo when Mum, Dad, Chris and I were stranded on a tiny island due to storm that arrived, and the boats viewed it as too dangerous for the trip back. Eventually there was a small lull and we all jumped on, got constantly soaked as we chugged through the huge rolling waves and felt like we had survived an aquatic roller coaster ride at the end. Well we had a slightly bigger boat this time, and the captain didn't wear his snorkelling goggles to see, but it was fairly similar! Given that the two assistants fell asleep for the whole trip I assumed it was like that most days! (I typed this before the return journey. It was so bumpy I think my spine may have shrunk a good couple of inches!)

The boats don't use a harbour or anything sophisticated. They get as close to the beach as possible, and you jump off and wade in. A man with a truck picks you up and drives you across the hill to your chosen destination! I am staying at Waka Nusa Bay, a hotel which consists of 10 lainais ( round thatched roof huts), complete with full mosquito net (very much needed), and my own personal gecko somewhere in the rafters!

I was so close to finishing my 909 page book that after watching the local children building sea defences against the tide, seeing the sun set, and enjoying some mahi-mahi for dinner, I was tucked up under my mosquito net by 8pm! Finished my book by 10pm and then lights out! I know I am a bit dull but I promise to be more rock and roll when I get to New Zealand!

Breakfast is served on the beach ( you can just see the volcano in the distance). It is such a luxury to be able to take your time over breakfast. Then it was off to one of the reefs for a snorkel. You are dropped onto a pontoon and told not to go the other side of the rope. That is where the surfers are. But the best coral is literally under the rope, so every few minutes you feel the force of the surf pulling you, and the fish, away from the coral, and you have to power back to the start!

The island is only 3 x 4 miles, but is connected to its neighbouring island by a rickety suspension bridge. In the bay below is a huge seaweed farm! They tie small pieces of seaweed along ropes and anchor them in the shallows for a month, waiting for the to grow. They then untie them and dry the seaweed, earning USD1.00 a kilo. 

Another attraction is the underground house that was dug out by a priest over 14 years in the 70's and 80's. He only survived for 8 years after he finished it, but having been down into the house I do not think I would have lasted 8 days!

After all of my activities I felt I deserved somewhere good for dinner so convinced a driver to take me to The Beach Club (not as flash as you would imagine, but charming nonetheless). Situated on a bay that faces Bali it takes the full brunt of the sea and it's swell, and as a result you get such waves and the sound of such force against the cliffs. Tie that in with a fabulous sunset and it makes for an awe inspiring sight that can never be truly captured by camera.

Oh and on a nerdy point the deep water between Bali and Lembongan is where the Wallace Line lies, named after British scientist, Alfred Russell Wallace (same man as the Wallace Collection). He noted that as only a handful of flora and fauna had been able to cross the channel this was the divide between, on the west, Asia, and on the east, the Australian continent. So there!