Mercure Hotel Kuta Bali

... found talents with many a large wave well surfed and even a few well executed handstands on his board while riding a wave. He also had a crash which was far more entertaining we reckoned!
After a little longer under the palm trees he decided the tide was low enough and waves low enough so after a few ever so slightly amusing stretches on the beach, we picked up our surf boards, tucked our tails between our legs and set off in search of some humiliation!
‘I though ...

... The fact-of-the-matter is that when you rent a bike in Bali, you are literally supposed to return it in the exact same condition as when you drove out of the rental agency – in other words, if the bike stalls a few times on the way home because it’s running on fumes, it is considered normal. I don’t quite understand why they don’t just instigate the reverse process: hire the bike with a full tank, return it with a full tank. Seems straight forward ...

... t very happy. After moaning a little bit he finally gave me $US5! Get in!

Next stage was to get our baggage (Tom: Which was exceedingly wet due to the torrential rain outside) from the baggage belt. After Chris and I collected our bags and laid them on the floor and waited for Tom and Andy, 2 guys TOOK our bags and pointed towards the Customs desk. They had been watching us for a while so I thought they were waiting for us to collect our bags, and then wanted to do a ...

... my mount for the day. The horses here are very well kept and most as mixed with Indonesian horses and Thoroughbreds from different nations. After Mt Bromis I I was expecting very small horses and was pleasantly surprised by the nice quality of the horses. I was very impressed when they put a beginner rider on a stallion who was so well behaved that I had a hard time believing he as a stallion. Each rider gets an individual guide so your able to ride at your own comfort level ...

... of the country. This held great appeal for me and the J-man as not only am I a big fan of art, but it got us out of Kuta, which after a few days starts to feel like Sutton/Croydon/Kingston in that you have been to the same places and seen the same faces...so Ubud here come!! After a lengthy cab ride (and I use the term cab loosely as it was simply a flatbed truck with our bags unceremoniously flung in the back) we arrived in Ubud and our driver very nicely stayed with us ...

... that the Maple Leafs had signed a contract with the son of one of the Hanson Brothers from the classic movie "Slap Shot"; · Entrepreneurship is alive and well in Bali including one store called "Bedcovers and Guitars". And, yes, those were the only two items being sold. One of my other personal favourites was the small store that had on display hundreds of miniature (10 cm's) guitars and drum sets. By the way, we have discovered that no matter what ...

... any sunlight that gets through the canopy because it is so thick. As the name suggests, this forest contains hundreds of grey-bearded macaque monkeys. The Lonely Planet guide made them sound like naughty monkeys and warned you to never feed them directly, but there was people selling little bananas for them at the park entrance and in the park itself. Our plan of arriving early turned out to be a wise choice. There were very few people in the park and the ...

... he pries it open, with an air of desparation, using a key. He takes a swig, then passes it around the family. Even the kids drink it as naturally as if it was a bottle of spring water.

Scene Two: Desensitization

I was walking back to the hotel and saw a woman (tourist) kneeling beside a sick dog and gently stroking it. There is a vet there, part of a Balinese animal welfare group ...

... are really rare and are about the size of a car and they're so beautiful and graceful. It was amazing. The coral was also the most colourful Ive ever seen so its understandable why this is the best diving place in the world. Anyway now the Asia travels have come to an end and its time to hit Sydney and settle down and get a job :( We've had such a brilliant four months travelling and lets hope the year ahead is just as fun-filled!

... even worse, it's the same fried feast we had up at Mt Batur. At least the scenery is absolutely stunning as the restaurant overlooks beautiful rice terraces. And that concludes our tours with Norman in seeing the country of Bali. Tonight Ray is taking me to the Ritz Carlton in Jimbaryan for dinner for my birthday. The weather is still nice as we have not seen rain all day today but it is quite windy. As we are sitting ...