Climbing the 3700m Mt. Rinjanj and very nearly missing my flight.. ✈️☀️😎

This is a post from last week.. I just forgot to post it!! 

I'm in KL airport with a 6 hour wait untill my flight to Phuket.. as a result of buying the cheapest possible ticket. 

I nearly missed my flight to KL from Lombok and my name was even called on the tanoys! I felt famous! 

I got to the airport super early and was all checked in with heaps of time.. But when I was about to get on the plane, the final passport checker lady starting flapping her arms at me and speaking super fast. I got super panicked (as you would when your flight is about to leave) because she wouldn't let me through. It turned out that I hadn't got the stamp for paying airport tax in my passport. Because I hadn't paid airport tax.

I now realise this was because after checkin I'd gone into one of those airport food places (starving) and out of the other side.. Meaning I had skipped airport tax! Anyway, id given all my currency as tip to the taxi man (because I'm generous and thought I wouldn't need it).. So I had to go back outside the airport to the atm machine (with about 12 minutes to take off), buy the airport tax (ridiculous), and back to the boarding gate. I had to sprint and my legs hurt so bad from climbing a mountain (coming later).

They literally shut the doors to the plane behind me and we started taxying as soon as I sat down!! 

That was today. Back to the beginning.. 

The remainder of my Bali trip was fantastic. I went to Uluwatu beach (world famous surf). I didn't actually surf (because even though I've been in Oz a while I'm embarrassingly bad). Instead we sat in a beach bar and watched the gorgeous surfers/ sun set from afar.

After Uluwatu we checked out the surf comp at Padang Padang, and then spent a couple days chilling at the beaches in Senur. 

I said goodbye to my travel buddies and caught a boat to Gili T. I took the local boat because it was cheaper, and ended up next to a woman holding 2 chickens  under her arms!! 

Gili T is incredible! It takes 15 minutes to travel from one side of the island to the other. 

This is the sun set ☀️

This is the tourist boat arriving to the island. 

I went to the full moon party (mad), dove with white tip reef sharks and turtles and met a really sexy Parisian guy who invited me to Paris! Win! 😎 

Anyway, then I sadly left Gili T and went to Lombok to climb mount Rinjani. It was a 3 day 3700m climb.. To which I was like ''easy! I'm climbing Everest Base Camp next month''. I was so wrong!! Either I'm very unfit (likely) or it was VERY hard. The last 300m you have to climb before sunset (and it takes 3 hours, because it's like vertical sand climbing) so you leave at 3am! About 50 (vertical) m from the top I was very close to giving up and a few of our team did!

This is our camp on the first night.. 

After Lombok I took an early flight to KL, and then I'll be on to Phuket! Hello Thailand! ✈️

Bali!

I'm sat drinking a Bintang on Seminyak beach (just arrived this morning), I've got nothing to do until dinner with the hostel kids this evening, (it's only 4.30pm), I've found free wifi.. Basically this is perfect blogging opportunity.. I can't put it off any longer! 

So!

Bali Bali Bali. Home of the 1 dollar incredible looking food, the 7383738282 terrible 11 year old moped riders, the inevitable food poisoning and giant hippy yogi community. I think the first and third points here are linked. 

The incredible looking food and Crystal from Yoga Barn. 

Some more food..

A paddy field.

A yoga studio within a paddy field!? 

I arrived into Kuta, the touristy capital of Bali. It's kind of like Ibiza for Aussies, but cheaper. Anyway, it wasn't my thing, so I got a ride to Ubud. Ubud is an hour inland and is a lot less touristy/built up. It's got a massive hippy yogi vibe and everyone is invredibly chilled/happy. I stayed in the dorm at a place called Yoga Barn with some cool chickaas as my room mates. 

We explored a bit of Ubud and saw the temples etc.. 

This is me in my hippy pants at the entrance to Ubud Palace. 

Crystal and I I front of Mount Kintamani! 

Ubud markets.. Hectic!! 

Yesterday, we snuck into this posh hotels backyard to use their incredible pool..

This is a whacky fruit cocktail and Ayana trying to decide what is best for her tummy (she's got Bali belly). 

Then we got a £6 massage and pedicure.. (It was tragic but they're usually really good!)

Two old guys started chatting to Moa in the posh pool we'd snuck into. I was kind of concerned that she seemed to be stuck in such deep conversation with them and went over to rescue her. It turned out they were actually totally harmless chatty old guys (by old I mean 75+) who'd invited us to the local Sunday evening hang out - Drangonfly Spa. We had to catch a ride with them and trek through a padi field, but it was SO worth it! 

This is the field..

This is the spa!

This is the infinity pool.

When it went dark a fire was lit and someone got out a guitar and started playing yogi songs! Incredible! 

I stayed in Ubud all week, because I loved it, and didn't feel quite ready to be on the move. I've still got 8 weeks. We did some other cool stuff like visiting a coffee plantation, riding local mopeds and hanging out at Siam Sally's. 

Eventually I had to leave UBUD. Next time I've got two weeks spare I'm going straight back because it's awesome. Maybe I'll take my hippy little sister! Anyway, I've moved to Seminyak and am here for at least a couple of days. I've booked a boat trip with some snorkelling around Lembagon tomorrow and some surfing the day after. I asked the surf instructor I booked with 'Is it ok for beginners' and he said (Balanese accent) 'yes, even for you, it is ok' with a really straight face. Do I look like I'm really unbalanced or something?!

Exiting times :) When I first left Oz I felt very alone and wondered what on earth I was doing.. But now I'm 1 week in and loving it!

I'll leave you with some cat poo coffee.. I think it's called Kopy Luac? Anyway.. I saw the cat that poos it out and it was gross. 

Kids in jeans at the gym!! ft. Hungry Goats and Augusta Viva'a Partaaaayyy

This week I decided to stop laughing at all of the Chinese kids in the gym wearing jeans. I guess it's mean, at least they're trying. So I've decided to stop laughing at them.. And start taking stealth photographs instead.

 I only captured one this week, I'll try and be braver next week.

Anyway. Here's a couple of photos I want to post from a run the other week.. Just coz they're beautiful.

The photographic run was, of course, before this happened.. 

No where near as drastic as it seems though, not broken, just torn a ligament across the top. But they insisted I wear this thing for a week so that it all heels well. 

Initially the giant boot was a hindrance, but after about 30 minutes it became obvious that it was going to be my new best friend.. The bus driver stopped for me after he'd already pulled off (this never happens in Sydney), the train guy didn't ask for my ticket (lucky coz I didn't have one).. The list goes on! I might start wearing it to night clubs to see if I can get free drinks, or maybe even bring it home and wear it to Alton Towers to skip the queues!!! 

In boys news, we've had a fun few weeks. Here's a few snaps from the Easter show..

Besides feeding 500 super hungry goats, which all seemed to want to eat Mr. 2 Year old's trousers more than they did the food he was attempting to feed them (throwing it at their heads), we also smashed a dinosaur fossil-egg type thing and went on a helicopter ride (I wasn't allowed, I was 30 kilos too heavy).

This is what happened after the adventurous morning.. 

And heres a couple' shots of Lily Graduation..

Such a gorgeous venue! This is Lily and her boyfriend Libor.

Another couple snazzy shots of the boys.. 

Our fave beach.. 

This giant hole tunnel system thing we built: 

And lastly.. it was Goose's 21st Partaaaayyy at Establishment

This is the gorgeous Augusta and I on her big day! 

A Giant Vagina!

Look at this giant vagina being wheeled down the street by a procession of roller bladers! 

What is it doing?! Well, it was Mardi Gras weekend. Mardi Gras is a massive LGBT parade where nearly half a million gays/lesbians/unknown genders descend on Sydney. Naturally it's whacky, colourful and nearly everybody wears no clothes. 

Beside a few giant pink headresses/ penis covers, the 10,000 parade entrants were pretty much naked. I went to watch, as did half a million (literally 500,000) other Sydneysiders, and it was epic. 

Trust the navy to be involved! 

Just joking, the Police, Army, FireService were there too all showing support! 

Even Putin made an appearance.. 

Here's Alex and Ailsa getting gayed up. 

I had to go into the City Sunday morning to teach some swim lessons, and the sight was so funny! Pink stuff everywhere, a carpet of colourful glittery papers, and pairs of guys asleep together took up most of the city's benches! 

Does anybody remember this photo from one of my precious blogs? 

This 'toilet yoga deterrent' - which I though was so ridiculous, because who on earth would feel any kind of need/desire to perch like this? Well.. 

I was wrong.. 

Very wrong! Apparently in Sydney people do like to perch like praying mantis whilst peeing/pooping, signs have been ignored and toilets seats HAVE broken and people most probably HAVE been hurt. I take back everything I said! 

In other news Mr. 4 Year Old climbed to the top of a giant pyramid thing and I couldn't get him down. 

And Mr. 2 Year Old had a haircut, and now looks more like a respectable young man rather than a yeti! I'll get a photo of him when he sits still for more than 0.45 seconds. 

We also discovered a really gorgeous, practically inaccessable beach close to where I love. So cute! <3 SYDNEY!