Australians 🇦🇺

The day before my Gili Meno trip, Friday, I had a sort of 'do nothing' day where I sorted out my onward travel, wandered around the island a bit and then read my book.

Sometimes its the little differences that interest me in places........like the way that here, they dry their clothes on coat hangers rather than use pegs

And of course being an island, the bin men come by boat:

.........I think I may be a little obsessed by rubbish!

More pics of island life:

I think this guy was the Island ice-cream man as he was playing a little tune, riding round on his bike with a box of lollys:

I booked the fast boat back to Bali with Iwan, one of the guys selling transport and trips from the little booths - there are many - but I'd promised to get my ticket from him if he made me a good deal. He is 29 but looks older, I have to say, and it was interesting as he gave me an insight into the cost of living on the island. 

He lives in Lombok, where his wife and two kids are, and often has to sleep inside the little booth while he is working on the island. He said it would cost 900,000 idr a month to rent a place on the island - that's about £40, which sounds cheap but is expensive for Indonesia. He said the average wage is 3 million a month, so £135. 

His younger brother is working in a hotel in Dubai, earning two or three times that amount, he told me.

He made me a coffee whilst we were chatting and then he had to go off and pray.

Back at the hostel I met Christy - an Australian girl who had just moved into the room and had arrived from Bali. She was having an eight week 'break from life' after breaking up with her boyfriend. She was very sweet and we ended up going to watch the sunset together, then getting some food.

I must say, I was really craving some company, especially to go for dinner with someone. She really reminded me, so much, of Eve, even her facial features, but with blonde hair. I bet people thought we were mother and daughter. She looked 20 but was actually 29.

She was a bit of a space cadet, in a nice way - kind of into spirituality and star signs. She was about to move up to Queensland from Melbourne and volunteer on a Hare Krishna farm until she worked out what to do next in her life. She had travelled quite a lot, particularly Asia.

She was very enjoyable company!

So, at the end of my Gili Meno trip, when I was heading for the port, I was passed by an Australian couple on bikes, bickering with each other. The wind was starting to whip up a bit and the sea looked very choppy! Quite a change from the calm morning - which often happens. The rain does usually seem to stay over on Lombok though, rather than hit the islands. The only rain I've seen here was the day I arrived. And even then it's usually only ever a shower before it gets hot again.

Anyway, at the port they were buying a ticket for the fast boat because the slow (and cheaper) one didn't go until 4:40 pm (it was 2:45) and I was 'ummming and arrring' about what to do.

He said, "ahh come on, it's nothing! the price of a beer!" - (Imagine the ozzy accent) - "Tell ya wot" he said, "you get the fast boat and I'll shout you a beer!"

So I ended up sitting at the harbour with a very nice Australian couple from Queensland, Paul & Izzy, similar in age to me, I think, drinking a beer and chatting. He had lived in Southampton many years ago and her parents were 'Ten pound pommes!"

The boat ride back was pretty fast and smooth - despite the waves - and I think the chicken enjoyed the ride:

Later on, as it was my last night on the Island, I thought I'd treat myself to grilled fish for dinner and found a place on the beach. They were doing two for one cocktails - the price only 110k for two, so only £2.50 for a cocktail!

I was so tempted - especially as I'd broken my no alcohol stretch of nearly five months with the beer on Gili meno. - But I resisted and had a mock-tail instead (same price).

I was sat alone, feeling a little out of place, surrounded by couples, taking selfies and drinking their cocktails. I nearly left..........but I really wanted that fish!

I ordered red snapper - barbecued with mixed rice and some chilli sauce.

As I was waiting a couple of Australian guys sat at the table next to mine. One - a hippy looking skinny guy around 60, with long straggly hair - was talking quite loudly and sounded a bit pissed. The other looked a similar age - maybe a bit younger - slightly fat, in a Hawaiian shirt, short blond hair.

My food arrived and the hippy guy came over and asked me - very politely I must say - if I would like to join them on their table - as I was sitting alone and they were about to have fish too!

I said OK, and actually, I'm glad I did as they turned out to be really nice guys and good fun.

They both had boats that they were basically living in and sailing around between Australia and Indonesia, surfing etc and basically 'living the life!' 

The hippy looking guy, Darren or Dazza, was living off his savings from gold and silver mining. 

Dave, the other guy said he still worked part time, but they had both been in mining previously. 

Dave had been sailing around for the last 5 years, but Darren had lived on his boat for 15 years and said he was stuck off the coast of the Gili islands during Covid. He's sailed all over the world, once from Mexico to Australia on a trip where he saw hump back whales, right next to the boat.

Dave was twice divorced.....although he later revealed that he hadn't actually divorced his second wife, only sorted the financial stuff, so technically he was still married.

Darren had never been married but had been in a long term relationship where they had two kids (now 23 & 27). 

They were really fun to talk to, a bit like a double act with Dave as the straight man, but we had a good chat about life and travels etc. and a good laugh!

Dazza said he'd been to Penzance & Stone Henge. ....and told an interesting story of how he'd once climbed Ayres rock (in the days when it was allowed) followed, the whole time, by a wild dog. .......'you sure it wasn't a dingo?' was Dave's comment.

He had a tinder date on Gili Trawangan the following evening and was trying to get me to stay another night to 'hook up' with Dave 🤣......I'm pretty sure this was a joke....

They left on a small dinghy - 'parked' on the beach at the restaurant - back to their boats - I only managed to catch a blurry photo of them leaving: