The dirty south...

Although Shell's blog entry was as insightful as ever I don't think anyone could do justice in writing just how bad I felt on Monday morning. After eating what I thought was a very tasty, if not mouth-numbingly hot Beef Rendang, I knew almost immediately that something sinister was afoot. As a trio of young Balinese dancers started to dance at the front of the restuarant three figures became six and then nine. I was seeing triple! I then started to sweat and felt as if my brain wanted to cease it's position of being inside my skull. We paid quickly and ran back to the hotel where somehow I managed to sleep until five in the morning when I woke with the feeling of absolute death in my stomach. It is safe to say that at some point on Monday morning, and this is without being melodramatic I swear, I thought I was having a heart attack, I thought the buggers had poisoned me.

Anyway our plans to travel to Padangbai had to be revised and the poor old cleaner had to swiftly change my sick buckets every now and again. On the plus side the great haggling deal I got with the taxi driver still stood for Tuesday so at 12 the following day we got picked up from the hotel for our long journey around the coast to Padangbai, through some of the most remote parts of the island. The driver we had was another good bloke, they are all good blokes, who smoked incessantly and stopped every now and again to tell me to get out and 'take photo'. He wanted nothing in return, could you imagine an Aquacab driver pulling up outside say, Canoe Lake, and demanding you take a photo before driving on? They truly are a remarkable people.

So before arriving in Padangbai I was kind of hopeful of a bit of a travellers rest, a place where that timeless backpacker vibe lingers in the air and in some parts this is true. In reality though it is like a scaled down, tropical version of Dover. The people seem that little but more unfriendly, the sales patter stops being 'would you like' and starts being 'you want' and even more hawkish than ever and the beach, although asthetically lovely, is actually very dirty. Still, a few nice places can be found. One, a place called Topis Inn, is your atypical backpacker, alternative lifestyle cafe. It even had a 'travellers' book where you could jot down any tips or what you have been upto. I wrote a page. Should Southsea suddenly have a splurge of 'travellers' sometime soon, that would be my description of a place that is definitely the next Bangkok.

So to tomorrow and our over-priced ride across the waves to the Gili Islands, apparently a place so stunning that dolphins cry. It is also a partying mecca where 'shroom' milkshakes are the norm. May have to teach these kids how to party.

Disclaimer-we won't be partaking in any narcotical fix, the Bintangs are strong enough. And drug use carries the death sentence in Indonesia. That would be inconvenient.

Tommo xx