Bad News Week

When I left Gili Air for Ubud I was crushed. I had become emotionally attached to that little island and wasn't sure how to mend my broken heart. What I didn't know was that there was more bad news waiting for me in my inbox.

London Business School had emailed me telling me they wouldn't consider my application before I had completed my GMAT, and the deadline was 30 April. At the time I read the message it was mid-March. I had submitted my LBS application only a week earlier, and had my LSE one still pending waiting for my last reference. I had been under the impression that they would process my application despite not having taken the GMAT and if successful through the first stage offer me a place under the condition that I'd score a certain result on the GMAT... I had not been expecting this. I thought I had easily at least until the end of April to carry on travelling, and wasn't even expecting to hear from them at this stage - so you can imagine the shock I got when I went online for the first time in ages to get in touch with reality. And what a reality check it was! I didn't know what to do with myself. It all came out of the blue and slapped me on the face - I didn't know which order to process my thoughts in. With every thought came a new overwhelming feeling - I went through anger, confusion, sadness, anxiety, panic and fear all at the same time all the while asking myself how I was going to handle this, how I was going to make it, was I going to make it, should I fly back on the first flight, should I abandon ship, would I have enough time to study, and was this actually what I wanted in the end?

The biggest shock was realising that I'd have to come to terms with the fact that my wonderful journey through Southeast Asia was going to come to an end. If I thought I was going through the "five stages of grief" before reading this email, well it just multiplied a tenfold.

And yes, I do see it from "the other" point of view too - the one where a girl was blessed with having the opportunity to go on a five month amazing holiday that most people can only dream about and cried because she had to cut it short by a few weeks and threw a tantrum about it. Yeah I hear ya.

I figured since I was a bit paralysed and didn't quite know what to do the best thing would be to stick to the original plan and do my best to get into school. So the deadline for taking the GMAT exam was on the 30 April - that meant I had to start studying ASAP. With no good GMAT courses being offered out of Singapore I signed up for one in London starting in the beginning of April. Unfortunately the London GMAT centre was booked up for exams in April so I signed up for one in Reading...! Now all I had to do was to get flights to make it back on time for the start of the GMAT course and that wasn't going to be a problem - flights never a in this part of the world. All that was left was to just study like I've never studied before and cram three months worth of studying into three weeks, and to get a score good enough for two of the top universities on planet earth to offer me a place. Piece of cake!

That's it, two weeks left and then it would be home time.

There's something in the Air on this Gili

You can forget the image you had of paradise, and replace it with this.

I may have said it in the past a few times, that I've found paradise but this time I mean it. Gili Air IS paradise. It's much smaller and basic than Gili Trawangan, but as Gili T, has no motorised traffic. Horse and carriage or walk, up to you! Furthermore, the roads are made of sand instead of concrete, it's a lot cheaper, and things are A LOT more basic. Electricity comes and goes and Internet is slow and unreliable at its best.

With the owner of Mawar, Anno

Accommodation
For the first two nights I stayed in a bungalow in a place called Mawar. I always had this fantasy of what it would be like to stay in a bungalow on a little island in paradise. You know, quiet little island, a bungalow made of bamboo right on the beach but with the jungle behind you, a hammock on the porch where you can just relax and listen to the waves breaking a few steps away and at night hear the gentle noises from the nice human-friendly animals in the jungle in your spider- and other insect-free super hygienic room with a proper hot shower with lots of water pressure...that kind of thing.

Bathroom at Mawar

And I'd look like Elle Macpherson in a bikini of course. Well Mawar wasn't quite like that (it wouldn't be for $10 a night I suppose). The place was located inland, on an open field at the end of a dark narrow alleyway, and the bungalows were very, very basic. My shower was a pipe coming straight from the sea, the creaking in the walls and floor made me think the structure might collapse with any radical movement so I tried to tiptoe around, and the whole place made me feel uncomfortable in general. But the reason I stayed for more than one night (or even one for that matter) was because the people there were so wonderful and welcoming I couldn't tell them I didn't like it! They loved my name, as they thought it was hilarious that one of them was called 'John' and I was 'Terry' so after we introduced each other everyone was in stitches for about 15 minutes. Someone else made a joke my name was like 'Jerry' from 'Tom and Jerry' so he shouted 'Heeeyyyy Tom And Jerry' at first every time he saw me but after the first day reduced to calling me just 'Tom' for my entire stay on the island.

Bathroom at Mawar

From Mawar I moved to Nina Cottages which, whilst still not matching my fantasy bungalow, was a huge upgrade from before. It had tiles on the floor which made it a bit fresher, the location felt a bit safer - I didn't feel like I would be attacked every time I got home after dark, and I kind of liked my outdoors bathroom. The roof was half covered so the toilet was under the roof but when you were showering you could look up and see the sky and the forest behind the bungalow. It's quite nice showering with the sun shining right above you, or alternatively under the stars. The minus points came from the fact that it smelled very strongly of damp so I always slept with the bathroom door open which then made me feel paranoid about all the dangerous jungle animals that'd crawl into my room at night and eat me alive. Oh and the salt water shower....sigh....

No Shit, Sherlock
Anyone heading to Indonesia should consider doing it this time of the year - unless it is more crowds and party you're after. Officially it is still rainy season but during the couple of weeks I spent on the Gilis it only rained a few times and only once did it rain for the whole day and night. Most times it only rained for an hour or so at night. But having said that, you could also see rain clouds both around Mount Batur in Bali and also Mount Rinjani on Lombok so maybe the Gilis are a bit of an exception? It's also of course cheaper around March and April before the Ozzies invade with their surfboards and the shops and hotels up their prices.

Typical bit of the road around the island. It's always pretty windy, part reason I enjoyed the Gilis so much

On the party front, I moved to Gili Air to get away from all the partying on Gili Tee, but with silence day coming up on Bali the island was getting ready for all the Balinese to come over and boogie here.

Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" and it is a Hindu celebration. It's a day when everyone stays inside (you're not allowed on the street), there is no light, music, or disturbance of any kind as it's meant to be used for silence, fasting and meditation (even the airport shuts down for 24 hours!). The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New year.

You could feel the anticipation of the big party which was held at Zippbar, and the couple of days leading up to it the nights were busier on the island than normally - so much for my chillout and detox plan.... The vibe on the island changed drastically after the big party was over, which was good both for my liver and my mind! Was a good party though, bonfire on the beach, plankton lighting up the sea, amazing DJ, dancing until sunrise. Now that, my friends, is a beach party!

Some of the island kids. The cool ones, clearly.

Also here I went for a walk around the island and surprise surprise, it was stunning. I found a strip of bars and restaurants, including Zippbar where the big party was, close to the harbour (well I say harbour I mean the bit of sand where you hop on and off boats and wade through the water, no one uses the one pier there is) where I'd hang out every day and night. I got to know many of the people who worked in these bars - everyone being so friendly and talkative it would have been hard not to! Randomly I taught them the meaning and use of "no shit, Sherlock." It took a while since they didn't really understand the sarcasm involved - or who Sherlock Holmes was. So after story time on detective Holmes I gave some examples of how to use it, and they in the end they got it and loved it, they thought it was absolutely hilarious. Everyone laughed and laughed at it and it became our joke. It all started to go a bit wrong when they started overdoing it, and I think forgot what it really meant and when you should really use it. One day I was walking down the street and shouted a 'Hello, all good?' to one of the barmen who had waved at me, who, with the biggest grin on his face replied 'no shit, Sherlock!' And by the end of my stay everyone and everything was 'good shit, Sherlock' or 'whats up, Sherlock' or just plain 'Sherlock'.

I had difficulty understanding people in this part of the world more often than not. I just kept hearing different words to what they were saying, and kept having to ask them to repeat themselves. Most commonly I'd hear a horse-taxi driver complement me on my "nice boat" when he was actually asking me if I wanted "transport?" Or I'd think they were telling me to "eat rice" when I complained I was tired, really saying "get rest." I also had difficulty locating Zippbar seeing for the first couple of days I was looking for Jeep-bar....

Day trip to Lombok

Notice Jenkins...

Originally I wanted to hike Mount Rinjani, an active volcano on Lombok that many travellers say is an extremely challenging but worthwhile experience for three days and two nights. It involves lots of hiking, and also getting up at 3am and hiking to the rim of the volcano in the dark for the sunrise.

Gasoline is sold in glass and plastic bottles

This had been on my agenda ever since Anne told me about it, so when I found out that due to it being rain season the hike is too risky and therefore closed I was really disappointed. So in lieu of the hike I decided to do a day trip to Lombok to see at least a little. When I say doing a day trip I mean a more casual drive around Lombok with one of my new friends, Ari, from one of the beach bars.

We started bright and early and took the first public boat at 8am to Lombok, rented a motorcycle and off we went! Lombok is a huge island and has a lot to offer so sadly there was no way we could see it all, but since I had missed out on the wonders of Mount Rinjani by foot I thought maybe I could still see some of it even if it is through cheating a bit and driving up rather than hiking! Ari suggested we go and visit a couple of waterfalls on Rinjani which I thought sounded excellent! I had never seen a proper waterfall before so I was well excited.

Rice Paddies on Lombok

A drive through the countryside in Southeast Asia never goes unappreciated on my part. I've loved the landscape everywhere I've been so far and this was no exception. I kept asking him to pull over so I could take pictures of the black sand beaches, tall coconut tree forests, and of course the famous rice paddies. The green of the paddies is almost fluorescent and can even look unnatural. The higher up we got the more beautiful the fields looked against the dark blue sea and contrast of a clear blue sky in the background. I couldn't get enough.

Sometimes the green of the rice paddies is so bright it's hard to believe it's natural

We also drove through a busy local market selling fruit, veg, meat, etc. I was about to ask Ari if we could go and have a look when I realised everyone had stopped doing whatever they had been doing and were staring at me. With no helmet on (sorry mom) and my hair bobble gone with the wind me and my blonde head were sticking out of the crowd in a very obvious way. I was the only foreigner there, and based on the way they were looking at me I was the only one they had seen in a while. The way they looked at me made me a little uncomfortable; they weren't giving me hostile looks, but at the same time no one smiled or gave me a friendly look either. Everyone just stood still and stared. Probably unnecessary, but it was the first time I've felt a little awkward and unwelcome during my travels.

The view of the first waterfall from the restaurant

The drive to the viewpoint restaurant where we parked and continued on foot from took all in all about an hour and a half. The hike itself to the first waterfall is doable for anyone, it's only probably a 15 minute walk up and down stairs. This 30 metre waterfall is an impressive view from the viewpoint restaurant where we had parked, you can see it perfectly cascading in the middle of the jungle midst all trees. Whilst this waterfall is very grandiose it is at a bit of a difficult angle to really appreciate from closer up (you're better off looking at it in all it's glory from a bit further back), the second waterfall is rather intimidating as you can get very close up to it but totally worth it!

...what's the big deal? It's only tree tops you see to the right...!

Again, it doesn't require a huge level of fitness to make it to the second waterfall, but I can assure you it requires a sense of adventure and a certain relaxed mindset when it comes to safety measures. Or the lack of them. The 'footpath' to the second waterfall is muddy, narrow, uneven, and covered in loose stones and tree trunks. That's the easy bit. The bit that scared the hell out of me was a bridge leading the water from the river over a huge ditch (probably 50m) that you had to cross to the other side. They had just kind of forgotten to put a railing on one of the sides, and the "bridge" had enormous gaps between the steps. With my fear of heights I found this the biggest challenge. Usually I would just not look down when high up, but how could I when that meant I would probably step into one of the gaps?! The only place you could walk in a (narrow) straight line was next to the 50m drop with no railing. In retrospect I'm dreading it more than I was at the time. Ari got on with it like it wasn't a big deal at all. I followed suit except with trembling legs and my heart that was beating in my throat at 200 bpm. I tried to keep my focus point on the bridge, but I couldn't help looking slightly to the right every now and then, into the bottomless death trap beneath me. And every time I did I could feel my head starting to spin and the panic creeping up chest and blocking the air in my throat. Sherlock, this shit just got real!

This is where the road came to an end and in the river we went...

The last bit leading to the waterfall was also a little challenging seeing there was no road, and the only way through was walking upstream trying to balance on the slippery and unstable rocks with the forceful stream constantly beating against my legs.

By the way, at no point did Ari tell me there was going to be any hiking or extreme rapid trekking happening, so I was wearing my flimsiest pair of flip flops for this excursion. To be perfectly honest though, even if he had told me I would not have had much choice of footwear with my last good pair left behind in Krabi...

So worth it!!!

But once I got the it was all worth it! Looking up at the enormous cascade falling vertically down towards me whilst bathing in the cold pond with the clearest fresh water you can imagine, the trek there was a price I was willing to pay! Well, I say 'price' but I had so much fun on our way there and back that I wouldn't exactly classify it as any kind of sacrifice.

It's me! A well deserved swim

Lunch. Grilled Grouper with Sambal, rice, veg, and to drink, a coconut

After our jungle adventure we drove to a viewpoint from where we could see all three Gilis. On our way there I saw more stunning landscapes including a bay where I insisted I had to go for a swim in. I would never have forgiven myself if I hadn't "carpe diemed" the hell out of that moment. It was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen (I know, I say that a lot), with the colour of the water being the highlight but the bonus points came from the little wooden shacks where you could lie down and relax, no other people around, and the local food stalls next to the road selling beautiful food. Plus, the ice cream man cycles up and down the beach all day guaranteeing a continuous supply, what else could you possibly want? I enjoyed our lunch on the beach very much, as I felt it was a very authentic experience. It helped that the Grouper was grilled to perfection, too. After lunch the early start and events of the day started to catch up with us both so we napped on one of the wood shacks in the shade. Hey, it had been a stressful day!

Mine!

Running into friends
The great thing about the beaten track in Southeast Asia is that you are pretty much guaranteed to run into some of the same traveller friends over and over again. The Gilis are a sure spot, everyone ends up there at some point! During my stay I ran into two friends I had met earlier in my travels. Brianne I met in Thailand at the wonderful Glur Hostel in Krabi. When I found out through Facebook stalking her that she'd be in Gili Air we celebrated over a long lazy lunch on the beach sharing our travel anecdotes and giggling like little schoolgirls.

Frans and I

Frans who I met in the Philippines in Puerto Princesa came to the island the day before I left so we had a catchup over a beer or three reminiscing our motorcycle adventure to the hidden beach a few months earlier. Love it when you can 'catch up' with people who feel like old friends but are actually people you barely know at all.

Mohammed and I, my new best party friend ;)

Then there was of course Mohammed who I had never met before but who is a friend of my dear friend Thess. And ever since we met in Indonesia through Thess putting us in touch with each other I believe I have found (yet another) soulmate for life and who I hope to see again before I'm home bound!

There's something in the Air on this magical island. It's like it's almost too perfect to be real. The day I left I felt the saddest I had in a long time (and I changed my mind about whether or not to leave a hundred times that morning). I felt I was being torn in half between my heart that felt I belonged there, and my brain that...well....was trying to think of a way to make the heart's wish come true. I knew it wasn't real, I knew living there wouldn't be the same as spending a week there, but when the feeling is so strong, it's the rational that doesn't make sense anymore. The people I had met and gotten to know there, the lifestyle, and the way I felt when I was there all just felt right. I can't explain it, but the salt water showers, badly flushing 30 year old squat toilets, nonfunctioning electricity and wifi all turn into things you love about the island rather than drawbacks. It's like when you love someone, it's their little flaws and quirks you come to love just as much as their great qualities....and that's Gili Air for me.

Not sure I could think of a better way to spend the day than relaxing on a paradise island to guitar music...

In front of Paradiso bar where I'd spend most my days.

Good bye, Thailand. Oh but Hello, Indonesia!

I had breakfast here one day on Gili Trawangan.
Bali in the background. 

Leaving Krabi
I don't know why I do it to myself, go out for a few too many the night before I have to travel. The whole travel day was disastrous from the get go, and it didn't help that I was feeling like a hundred monkeys were playing drums in my head.

I overslept, of course, so when I got up I panic-packed shoving all my possessions into my two backpacks. There was no time to run through checklists to make sure I had it all (consequently left my shoes behind), nor was there enough time to shower so I couldn't even wash the hangover off me. Why, Terhi? Just.....lets try to remember this next time, ok?

Another guest, Ken, was leaving on the same flight as me to Singapore, but whilst I was continuing to Bali he stayed in the city of lions. He was fun to travel with, I'm glad I had some company to take my mind off the drumming monkeys.

At the airport I suddenly remembered I had not booked a flight out of Indonesia - and without proof of exit they won't let you into the country (or so they make you believe but really no one checks, but I didn't know this)! I then remembered trying to book it the night before in my drunken state but gave up because I was seeing double and just thought I'd do it in the morning - which clearly didn't happen. Well done, yet again. The monkeys in my head turned the drumming up a notch after this realisation, and due to my last minute packing there was no way to locate my medicine bag with the good pills. Oh, and I had of course forgotten to start my malaria tablets. Duh. So instead of checking my bags all the way to Bali I only checked in for the first leg of the journey, just in case I'd never make it to my end destination.... I think it's safe to say I won't be nominated for the Ms Organised of the year award....

After check-in I found an AirAsia ticket counter- hooray! This meant I could book my exit flight, which in turn meant I was going to be allowed into the country, all good news! With my new flight ticket in my hand and a smile on my face Ken and I went to sit in the waiting lounge, waiting for the boarding to start for our flight. I'm not quite sure what happened at this point or how it happened but I suppose we were just so immersed in conversation we were paying minimal attention to what was happening on the boarding front. We saw people boarding and when the line was short enough we joined in. When we got to the front the lady looked at my ticket and said "Miss, this is a flight boarding to Bangkok, the one to Singapore has already closed for boarding."

WTF

WTF

WTF

nononononononononononono

"Maybe if you run you can still make it." And we ran. We ran in the direction they had pointed to, got to the escalator to go down to ground level except as I started walking down the escalator I realised it was pushing me up instead! Ken was laughing so hard he was bent over looking at me trying to balance and figure out what to do next - there was no other way down, so I just kept walking down with wobbly legs not going anywhere. Finally someone came and took us down with the elevator we hadn't realised existed. We ran to the plane - across the whole airport, between planes and runways, and just as they were closing the doors we made it! The monkeys in my head were also cheering!

In Singapore I parted ways with Ken, but not before we had had a few good laughs about our journey together.

It annoyed me I had to go through immigration, pick up my bag, go to departures, check in, go through security all over again but hey-ho, at least I had made it, I was on time, feeling a bit better and half way there. Minor panic incident when I realised Singapore was one hour ahead of Thailand so had to hurry to the gate (so wasn't THAT on time after all) but nothing compared to the near-miss of the previous flight.

I didn't think there'd be more drama but sadly I was wrong. 20 minutes after take-off the captain announced that regrettably we had been asked to turn around back to Singapore. I thought at first it was a joke because he had such a jolly voice but when the plane tilted sharply to the right to make a U-turn I was starting to think that he was either taking this joke to a whole other dimension, or that we were actually going back.

Legian Beach, Bali

And back we went, only to be told, after 30 minutes of random airport workers running in and out of the cockpit, that it was all a miscommunication and that there had been no reason to come back at all! Awesome! I'm so glad this all happened on the. Longest. Day. On. Earth.

When I finally got to Bali 3 hours late I didn't even stop to admire the beautiful hotel I was staying in, but went straight to bed and crashed.

The Island Hotel Bali

The Island Hotel, Bali

The next morning I had a good look around. The only word you need to describe The Island Hotel is Beautiful. It's every backpackers dream place, hot hot hot showers, over the top clean dorms, pool, lounge, great people, and good location. The price tag makes you cringe though, because at $20 a night it's more than most budget travellers want to pay. For me it was perfect for the two nights I stayed in Legian Beach, and after THAT journey from Krabi I needed someplace nice to relax.

The Island Hotel, Bali. The view from my dorm room.

I got to Bali with absolutely no plan whatsoever. I had done NO research, I knew nothing about what to do and where to go, so when I woke up I was on a mission to find a place with decent coffee and a good wifi connection so I could plan my stay in Indonesia.

I was not prepared for the level of hustlers. No-one had warned me about how aggressive taxi drivers and street vendors were in Bali! I though Khao San road in Bangkok was bad but this was a completely different level. The taxi drivers would drive next to me honking and shouting "Where you go! Where you go!", the street vendors blocked my way and grabbed my arm trying to persuade me to step into their shop, and the restaurant owners would shove menus in my face. The street in this part of Bali (perhaps elsewhere also but I don't know) are extremely narrow too, so there is nowhere to hide. It aggravated me so much I just wanted to scream and swear at them, to make them understand I wasn't interested in buying anything, and that this wasn't the way to entice a tourist to browse in their shop. I quickly found a restaurant on the beach and escaped the harassing hustlers.

I had originally planned to hike mount Rinjani
on Lombok but due to it being rainy season the
tour operators were not taking people there as
it was too dangerous

The Plan
It took me a good couple of hours to come up with a plan, and it wasn't even very elaborate. The plan was to leave Bali the next day to Gili Trawangan and then take it from there. Yes, that took two hours. My problem was that there are over 17,000 islands in Indonesia and I have a total of 23 days before my flight to Kuala Lumpur, so after I spent a fair amount of time researching a handful of them I decided the Gilis were the ultimate must. Gili actually just means literally 'small island' and there are lots of Gilis dotted everywhere in Indonesia, but by saying 'The Gilis' I'm referring to Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. These three little paradise islands are located just off the northwest coast of Lombok and they're famous for the turquoise waters, diving, beaches, and party.

Gili Trawangan

With no police around, people smoke weed like cigarettes,
magic mushrooms are sold on every corner, and if you fancy
a party drug for some "extra energy", all you need to do is ask. Anyone. 

Is the biggest of them, and has the biiiiiiggest parties (as I found out shortly after arriving), with Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays being the biggedy-biggest party nights. I stayed on Gili Trawangan for five or so days (that's right, who keeps count?) and the reason I left was not because I wasn't enjoying myself but rather the opposite....I was having too much fun, too often! At Gili Hostel it's impossible not to. Seven dorms with seven beds in each room, all getting together every day at the rooftop bar that shows movies all day long and serves drinks all night long. And on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays there's additionally a party that all partygoers attend, each day in a designated location. And because of my crippling Fear of Missing Out Syndrome, every time there was a party, I was there.

I did manage to wake up one day at 7am to go for a walk around the island before it got too hot to do it. I think it was the most beautiful walk of my life. At that time of the morning the party island is still very much asleep so I had the island all to myself. Imagine long white desert beaches, strong warm tropical wind, and the sound of the breaking waves - and no one else around.

One of the beaches on Gili Trawangan

Diving

With no motorized traffic, horse and carriage is
your only option to get around on the Gilis.
That, or  putting one foot in front of the other. 

Ever since my failed diving attempt in the Philippines I had been dying to do it. Being in the Gilis was my chance, as it's renown for the coral reefs and colourful fish life. I had dived only once before and it was years ago in the Balearics, so my recollection of how it all worked was rather vague. I therefore signed up for the one day comprehensive experience including a practice round in the pool.

Anyone who has dived known the mesmerizing feeling of doing it the first few times. That pretty much sums the experience up for me! The pool bit went fantastically well and off we went out into the big blue. The underwater world around these islands is straight out of a National Geographic programme, and to couple that with the amazing sensation of weightlessness and freedom when you're floating several metres below the surface - well.... Mesmerizing  Oh, and you can all relax now, I found Nemo!

With all the partying, walking, diving, snorkeling  and more partying I barely had time to relax so one day I woke up and I decided it was time to move to Gili Air which I had heard was a lot quieter.

Farewell, Trawangan! Although to be honest I wasn't really that sad to board the 'Hopping Island'. I was excited for Gili Air because if half the stories Anne told me about it were true, then it would be the most magical place on this planet.....

Went on a snorkeling trip around Gili Meno and Gili Air, and got trapped on Gili Air for a few hours when this beauty of a storm hit us out of the blue. Lombok, which can be seen in the background here, disappeared completely about 5 minutes after I took this picture. 

Bali, as viewed from Gili Trawangan

Rain, uni applications, and Mr. Long nights

Sitting at the pier in Koh Yao Noi, writing my notes wishing
the boat would hurry up!

When I was sitting in the Songthaew on my way to catch the boat from Koh Yao Noi to Ao Nang in Krabi I again felt that stirring of excitement in my stomach. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of that feeling, it's so exhilarating it makes it difficult to sit still. I wanted to tell the driver to drive quicker, I wanted the boat to arrive sooner. I couldn't wait to get to the hostel I had booked online the night before! At 600 Thai Baht (£12) per night Glur hostel was on the expensive side for being a dorm, but the reviews were so great I couldn't resist booking it.

Ah! I almost peed my pants I was so excited thinking about all the fun things I was going to do! Number one, get a pedicure. My feet with my overgrown toenails had begun resembling those of a Neanderthal. Number two, get a coffee. No, not a coffee, a LATTE, proper western style. Number three, drink a beer. 7 days of detox was enough, and I wanted nothing more but to finish my evening sitting in some chillout bar with a beer in this hot weather. What I wasn't looking forward to were filling out my university applications and getting them done, once and for all.... I just had to put my head down and get them done - no day trips, no snorkelling, no beach time, no excuses!

I also had to book a flight, as I needed to leave Thailand by 2 March. Where I was going to go that I didn't know but that was what I loved most. There is no bigger feeling of freedom than being free to go anywhere. I could goto another country in Southeast Asia. Or I could fly and visit Alicia in Melbourne! If I was feeling adventurous enough I could even book a flight to South America! And I could of course always fly home; except I really really didn't want to do that.

Road to Glur

When I got to the pier in Ao Nang I contemplated walking to my hostel rather than taking a tuk-tuk, but as I got to the main road I realised I didn't have A) a map or B) the address to the hostel. What I did have was the weight of two heavy backpacks on my shoulders and the memory from my last cycle tour which I undertook without a map. With this in mind I turned around and walked back to the pier and jumped into a tuk tuk. And I'm damn glad I did! Glur was about 3 km away, worth the whole 100 baht (£2) I paid for the ride!

Glur Hostel

Lounge area at Glur

I had chosen this hostel because of its great reviews (when a place has a 98/100 score it's hard to resist). With its lounge area equipped with a plasma TV, DVD, free wifi, free coffee, tea, and fruit, green leafy garden, and clean new rooms the reviews were right to recommend it. The only negative thing I have to say about Glur is that it is a 15-20 minute walk away from the beach and all the commotion so walking back at night can be a bit dodgy. I met some wonderful people during my stay at Glur, I recommend it to anyone travelling to Ao Nang.

Mr. Long Bar

At Mr. Long's with new friends from the hostel,
Stacy, Joe, Eduard, and....eh...quiet German girl

After I dumped my stuff in the dorm (and secured a lower bunk bed, score!) off I went in search for a pedicure and coffee. Tick and tick (although on the coffee front I have to say it's hit and miss, and this time it was a big time miss. Cold weak coffee, nothing more disappointing. I miss Pret!)

Mr. Long himself

Now I just needed a beer. Walking back towards my hostel I stumbled upon Mr. Long's. Mr. Long shouted from behind the bar "come in my friend, happy people, happy music, happy drink" - and happy it all was, especially Mr. Long who is the funniest, most genuine happy character ever. I spent the remaining 7 nights all at this bar and got to know everyone - the people who worked there, the backpackers who lived there (he's got a couple of rooms adjoined to the bar), and the guests who regularly visited. It's one of those places you end up going back to because you feel so at home there; and how couldn't you, he built the adorable wooden shack himself!

You can also get a tattoo there, and don't worry, they use new needles and they're "clean and safty"!!

New needles AND it's clean and safty!
What more do you want?!

Uni applications
In between visits to Mr Long Bar I slept and worked on my uni applications. It wouldn't stop raining, which was perfect timing as it meant I had no desire to sign up to any of the fun activities others were off doing during the days. I'm kind of proud of how much I got done during the week in Krabi, I almost finished the whole lot! It's a lot of work, and time consuming as hell trying to convince a board of people that you are the perfect Masters in Finance candidate. I grew to hate the online forms, essays, and pressure to get all my references sorted before the deadlines.

Raining buckets! Everyone else hoping it would stop,
whilst me happy it gave me a reason to stay focused
on my MiF applications

Never again! Never never never never never! I would have found it difficult to work on these forms under normal circumstances at home, and being away travelling made it extra hard to concentrate and be creative. Getting and remaining motivated was ridiculously hard but at least at Glur it was better than say, in Cape Sienna hotel in Phuket where the computers were located in the gift shop, or at a noisy Internet cafe where the Thai girls have loud Skype conversations with their multiple western lovers.

Where next?

But even despite the anxiety attacks I was having caused by my applications, I still managed to distract myself from the work. Heh. Procrastination has always been a special talent of mine after all. My mind kept wondering off to trying to figure out where to go next. Aahhhh so exciting! I went on to SkyScanner and started scanning my options.

Drinks at Mr. Long's

As appealing as Rio de Janeiro sounded, I wasn't feeling crazy enough to pay the £1,600 price tag the ticket came with. And plus, my uni applications would find me there, too. Instead, I "settled" for a flight to Bali for £130!

Before I knew it the week in Krabi had passed by. The uni applications made it feel endless during the week itself, but at the same time as the days blended into one long application filled day, and the nights into one long at Mr. Long's, suddenly my last day had arrived. I was sad.

Until I remembered I was going to Indonesia! Move over, people, mama's in a rush!

Eduard kindly helping me with my applications. I don't know how I could have done it without the help from him. And Pete. And Francesca. And Elly. And Marta. And James. And many more who motivated me to keep going.

Namaste!

On a long tail boat on our way to a hidden lagoon. The scenery around the island is
breathtaking - and not very different to Halong Bay

For a very long time I had longed to do the ultimate cliché: yoga retreat on an island in Thailand.

After much research and eliminating those places that offered the "supreme spa, detox, luxury experience" at a five star resort costing the entirety of my remaining budget for a five day stay, as well as those that offered the "we smoke pot in a circle and call it yoga" type of retreats, I finally found a place that looked like a winner: Island Yoga at Ulmar's Nature Lodge in Koh Yao Noi. It was relatively easy to get to from Phuket, too, just get a speedboat from the eastern side of the island, Bangrong Pier.

Arriving at the Bangrong pier I felt the familiar sensation of excitement in the bottom of my stomach, the same feeling I have every time when I'm about to go to a new place and embark on my next adventure.

Monkey business
There were wild monkeys at the pier that had, like in many other places in Southeast Asia as well, found that food was much easier to come by around a human residence than deep in the forest. At first everyone thought it was cute and endearing, the little monkeys walking around the pavements drinking out of coke cans and snatching the unsuspecting tourists' bags of crisps, but after more tourists and more monkeys arrived at the scene, the monkeys started to get a bit more aggressive and ganging up, looking more and more scary and making growling noises similar to those of an aggressive dog. They were clearly not scared of the children as they were smaller in size; they even teamed up and robbed a poor child off his drink he was carrying in his hand, despite his best efforts to defend himself and his cola bottle. The locals had long sticks they used to try to scare the monkeys away but once there were three or four monkeys teamed up against one man at a time they were not one bit afraid anymore and instead of running away towards the forest they raised the hair on their backs and went into full on aggression mode, showing their long sharp fangs and hissing loudly and disgustingly at the people.

This was my cue to get the hell out of there and go and sit as far as possible from the commotion. I wasn't quite quick enough though. One of the monkeys had spotted the rattling plastic bag in one of the side pockets of my smaller backpack, and before I had a chance to react it was pulling it out! I was too shocked and scared to do anything about it; one look at his eyes and long yellow fangs was enough to paralyze me. So there went my can of mosquito repellent, into the hands and mouth of an eager, greedy monkey. I doubt he ever got into the contents of the aluminium container, but would probably been a good lesson if he had!

The speedboat ride to the island was pretty uneventful. As always, the boat was overcrowded and because I took my time recovering from the shock caused by my traumatic monkey business I was one of the last ones on the boat and had to find myself a spot outside on the deck, with all the luggage. I wasn't about to complain, with the sun in my face and the warm wind in my hair headed towards new adventures, life seemed to be on a pretty good track.

A seafood restaurant Pui Wah and I found one day we 
were exploring the island on a motorbike 

Koh Yao Noi
Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai are two Muslim fisherman islands between Phuket and Krabi and my yoga retreat took place on the smaller of them, Yao Noi.

My princess room

Koh Yao Noi is what I presume Phuket kind of looked like 20 years ago. Why these two islands are not more popular I don't know. For me, this is what this whole trip is all about, finding spots like this that haven't (yet) been inundated with tourists and the tourist crap selling shops, tailors, and sex. Ulmar's Nature Lodge where I stayed was located on the ocean front, surrounded by peace and quiet far away from the only town on the island. It was exactly what I needed after two lively weeks in Phuket. My bungalow was a very basic bamboo structure with my own outdoor toilet and shower. The mosquito net and the pink sheets made it even cuter, I felt like an island princess sleeping in my little princess bed!

Rock climbing

Getting geared up!

Island Yoga offered many activities you could fill your days with when you weren't in yoga class. Amongst other things you could rent a bicycle, or a motorbike, once a week they organised a kayaking trip, and occasionally they had different workshops for those who were keen.

The wall from the distance - with Conni half way up it

Another activity they offered at Island Yoga was rock climbing; a sport I was only vaguely familiar with. It's not a hobby that had ever aroused a real interest in me, probably because I thought it would be too hard physically for me to climb a vertical wall - and factoring in my fear of heights I wasn't really attracted by the idea of it. However, finally the yoga instructors assured me it was perfectly suited for complete beginners with a problem with heights. And after other first-timers also signed up I thought why not, we've all gotta die some day.

And I am really happy I went, of course, don't regret it for one second! I only did two climbs, the first no higher than 5 metres but the second one probably 15 metres or so, at this stunning cliff rising vertically straight out of the sea. I was shocked and surprised by how easy it was physically to climb up a vertical cliff, and by how quickly I came to trust the equipment.

What a fabulous day!

Way up high!!!

Cycling
Not a real story in itself but an anecdote I don't want to forget: I also rented a bicycle one day to explore the island. I took one quick look at the map and saw that there was one main road that formed a circle, and that road went through the village where I wanted to get some "supplies" from (water, fruit, snacks). Easy enough, can't get lost. Don't bother bringing the map.

Good decision, dumb ass.

Getting to the village - no problem. Cycling back not the same way I came but continuing on the circle road which would eventually lead back to the bungalows - problem. My buttocks were already a bit sore from cycling to the village, which took about 30 minutes or so, so I should have thought about that and not taken any chances but this idiotic voice in my head kept saying "can't get lost, can't get lost" so I kept going.

And that idiotic voice didn't stop at the first blocked road sign either, instead it said "take a left onto this dirt track, I'm sure it's a shortcut."

Nor did it shut up at the second blocked road sign either, but told me to "ignore the locals who are laughing at your red sweaty face, and take right onto this other dirt track with the really steep hill that is in such a bad shape not even the best 4x4 could manage."

Half way up this hill (did I mention it was +35 degrees?) I saw a Thai man walking down and asked him if he could tell me how to get to my bungalow. With the help of a stick to draw a map on the ground with he demonstrated there was indeed no way back this way, and that I had successfully climbed a hill leading nowhere of course, and that the only way back was back through the village, same way I had come from. Phenomenal.

One of the streets in the adorable village

The whole way home the idiotic voice in my head kept asking what stupid moron listens to an imaginary voice in their head anyway; own ffffffing fault innit?!

That was over 3 hours on a bicycle, many desperate thoughts, many many swear words.

Bad memories aside, what I saw of the island was absolutely stunning, it was worth the pain and effort. Long, blonde, empty beaches, adorable rustic restaurants with handmade and handwritten signs, beautiful houses and gardens overflowing with big bushes of flowers and vegetation, and very friendly and happy locals.

The yoga
Yoga is something I have always wanted to try and to learn in a more serious way than just a class here and there since I knew it would help me with the aches and pains of everyday life. The way the retreat is set up is that there is yoga practice twice a day, at 7.30am and again at 4.30pm, and the classes are anywhere between 1.5 to 2.5 hours long and always include an aspect of meditation.

Already by day three I could feel the difference in my body. Waking up in the morning and getting out of bed happened smoothly and effortlessly, I felt my muscles and joints had become more stretched and flexible, my breathing had changed, and unless I was thinking about my pending masters application forms I was constantly in a happy, calm and relaxed state of mind (in the words of Cesar Millan! Woof!)

Meditation
I'm not going to lie. Some (not to say all) of the meditation exercises were a bit much for me. I'll put it down to the fact that I'm new at this and not at this stage capable of clearing my head altogether and focusing on.....oh that's right - nothing - when its 10am, we've done yoga for the past 2.5 hours and I can smell the breakfast being cooked next door. Had the teacher asked us to focus solely on an image of a fried egg that would have been different, I would probably have managed that.

One day we did Tai Chi and Chi Kung, pretending to have a ball of energy between our hands that we were moving around in a dance- like way, after which we did a few more "energy" exercises before coming together in a circle and going into a meditative state. Lying there quietly with my eyes closed I started feeling the bottom of my stomach and around my groin (we had just been focusing on that area) getting warmer and warmer and I thought "wow, so this is it!"

I couldn't believe I had accomplished this with the power of my mind and meditation, I could really feel it, physically! Finally curiosity took over and I had to open my eyes and look down.

So as it turns out it was the sun that was shining in through the window, the rays shining straight on that warm spot I had mistaken for successful meditation.

Almost had it!

The teacher was ecstatic afterwards explaining how he could feel the joint energy in the room, how much more powerful it was during class when everyone did it together as opposed to when he does it on his own. I gotta tell ya, other than the brief moment in the sun, the room nor I felt no different to me before, during, or after these exercises. Perhaps a bit more sweaty from the trance like dancing.

Akiko, one of the teachers, before class

But I'll tell you what I did enjoy. Every time we formed a circle after class to come together to meditate, there was a feeling of unity that felt really good; and just being together with this group of people was an enjoyable experience in itself. During these moments (when we were supposed to not think) I often thought how nice it was - and how grateful I was - to feel welcomed in this place and into this group of people. It is a nice feeling when you're accepted without anyone knowing anything about you and you have nothing to live up to or prove. That's what makes travelling alone not a lonely experience at all.

Maybe I didn't get to meditate like some of the others did, but it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the quiet moments just as much.

I'm not sure I'll ever "get it" when it comes to the talk about the chakras and the reiki and the energies, but I do believe the mind is a powerful thing and probably if you know how, you can change your mood and how you feel with the power of your mind. More than once I have caused myself a real headache from faking one. I remember one time in particular when I managed to get a headache so bad from trying really hard to fake one, that even the strongest of my pills didn't cure it. If the mind is capable of this I completely believe it is capable of the exact opposite.

It is the physical aspect of the yoga that I enjoyed the most during the retreat, it really agrees with my body and mind - although I know yoga is about much much more than "stretching on a piece of sticky rubber" like one of the teachers would say.

I got a lot out of the retreat. Whilst I'm not sure it's all down my alley, I learned about a million new things, met some wonderful people, felt amazing both physically and mentally, and hope I can remember this for the rest of my life.

Enjoying a family dinner together with others from the yoga retreat.

Family Dinner - twice a week we all got together to enjoy an evening in good company and food. Here, at an organic restaurant a Swiss woman has on the island.