Being Potatoes at Potato Head beach club

Today had been earmarked for relaxation as this holiday has been go go go and we are definitely running out of puff. We started off at the Pattiserie that we’d spotted yesterday Poule Luxe, I'd done some quick Google research to find out the opening time. We were very excited but unfortunately for me the coffee was weak, the croissant was buttery but not crispy and flaky the way I like them. I think though that Vicki was really happy as this  was what she'd had in Guatemala for breakfast. 

 Looking super touristy we promenaded in the opposite direction to our walk yesterday. 

We’d had a brief discussion re attire and somehow Vicki and I remained in our swimmers, since we’d been at the pool earlier on. We’d decided to head to wards Seminyak Square although the tourist reviews were dismal,  like, who believes reviews? Obviously not us, we’re like the kid who eats a hot chilli because he doesn’t believe it will hurt him. 

Anyway we walked till we were about to pass out from heat exhaustion so we went into an air-conditioned place to enjoy the cool. It was called Mozzarella and an Italian focus, as if you hadn't guessed!

We stayed so long that we ended up having breakfast. The girls had a dragon  fruit bowl  and I had eggs Benny as believe it or not I'm starting to miss making my own fruit bowls as my set up at home is so good. The venue was gorgeous and Keiko and I were both enthralled by the fancy toilets! 

 We set out again and walked  for what seemed to be a million miles in the pounding sun. When we couldn't take another step we flagged down a taxi and paid about a dollar to get to Seminyak Square which lived up to its bad reviews on Trip Advisor. The plusses here were that, a) aircon, b) Keiko got her glasses fixed.

 Ready to move on, we once again enquired about the beach.  We were told that we only had a ten minute walk to the beach which was a blatant lie.  So once again, completely fatigued, we stopped at a gorgeous yet slightly warm Warung for lunch. 

The food was fine, the most memorable moment was Vicki’s sates which were brought over on a little hibachi, there was so much smoke that she was hidden from sight.  I think that Vicki enjoyed her meal the most as she was also waxing lyrical about her mango juice. As indo food is common for me, I had sliders which aren’t really worth discussion. 

The sun was now beating down relentlessly, Keiko caught a cab back to her favorite massage parlour to have a hair treatment, she has had a lot of pampering done! 

The beach was actually nearby and after 

walking rapidity through a Carpark we strolled along the waters edge. Vicki’s knee was hurting so we took it easy. The Potato Head was just a few hundred metres up along the beach so in we went to attempt to join the throng of beautiful people. After our water was confiscated, we went up to see if we could reserve a day bed which is apparently what one does at this club, lay in the sun to be seen. As a completely Indonesian looking woman I was met with derision when I enquired. Nineteen people were ahead of us waiting for a piece of the action.  Having read on Trip Advisor that there was minimum spending of approx $10, per person, I was shocked when the booking wallah told us it was a million rupiah which equates to $100. Vicki intimated later that it must be a technique used to weed out undesirables. I enquired at the quieter pool as I’d seen a girl with a bottle of soda water as to her minimum spend.

 Anyway, we sat down poolside spent about $20 in total and were there for several hours. I used sunscreen on my face and shoulders which is rare for me, I am worried though about what Vicki will be like tomorrow. 

All luxuried out we trudged up the beach again after collecting our contraband water until we reached the next watering hole. It’s honestly not as exciting as it sounds, Vicki just needed a coffee by now she seemed to be in a fair bit of discomfort in her knee and wanted to go back to the hotel. 

 We booked massages for tomorrow and continued home. We reconvened with Keiko at the pool and decided to go to Bli Crackling for dinner. I ordered a Grab car which was taking too long.  We walked onto the road and  paid about dollat to be driven to our destination. 

 It was standout great, for me the standout was the $4 pina colada,  it was enormous and seemed to packed with a lot of punch. Vicki the mashed potatoes, and Keiko said the whole meal was incredibly delicate. I'd also ordered extra crackle which was embarrassingly supervised, but it was not like my mother in law's crackle, more the type that you buy in packets for beer snacks. I must note that the service was impeccable here, the wait staff were very friendly and went out of their way for all the patrons. 

Sadly, we could not squeeze in any more food so we had to skip the delicious dessert.  I'd actually like to come back just for a cocktail and dessert! We were so exhausted by all the sun and were also in what could be identified as a food coma so we flagged down a taxi and Vicki struck the bargain of the year asnd got us a 30 cent cab fare! So we all went to sleep in very high spirits. (Well Vicki and I  did, I think Keiko was disturbed by the bargain and wanted to pay more). I am so looking forward to the massage! 

A Healing Morning

I felt very energised when I awoke this morning as we were going to Tirta Empul with our host. Both he and his wife had relayed the orally passed on story about the narcissist king who wanted to be known as God to his people and how at one stage the water was poison at Tirta Empul but after  his demise the water was blessed with healing properties.  People come from all over the world to seek peace and healing here.

 Vicki and I were eager to experience this, Keiko said she was too tired. We didn’t take much money as we had to leave our belongings in a locker, however everything proved to be very expensive. Although you can’t put a price on spiritual healing the entry was the most that we’d paid anywhere else and then there was a locker fee and offering fee. 

I splurged getting a photo done as we’d left our money back at the homestay. It was such an emotionally charged experience,  we arrived before the onslaught of tourists so it was very peaceful.  We’d declined the services of a guide there which was fine because people who worked there advised us regarding the rituals. I did however spot a man filling a huge water bottle with holy water, see the photo above!

Vicki and I both felt that it was the most enlightening experience we’d had in Bali and I felt privileged to have been there. I prayed for all of my loved ones, for their clarity of mind, inner peace, physical healing and realignment of my own chakras so that I can be of better service to all those that I come across. 

This year is going to be monumental for me with all the changes so I will need to be spiritually sensitive and in tune with everything around me. After the healing waters of Tirta, Vicki and I were ushered through the markets however it was a blessing that we honestly had no money. We actually saw quite a few things that we liked and would have purchased if only I’d seen the credit card in my wallet!!!

Our host Made was waiting for us in the car park.  We saw a street procession as we drive back through the bucolic region, everything was a photo waiting to be taken. I loved seeing the ‘exotic fruits growing in the wild, it was such a fertile landscape,  even back at the homestay Keiko remarked that the fruit was a lot more abundant and enormous in size without the use of fertiliser.  

Made drove us to a Warung at Tellangulang Rice terraces, which is a major tourist attraction in Bali it was about 10minutes from his home. The food was fine, not standout in anyway, but the view was remarkable so we thoroughly enjoyed it. Although we had to change tables because a young tattooed and pierced Japanese guy – wearing a face mask for breathing- had lifted his mask to blow smoke at everyone and pollute our lungs. I wanted to ask if I could borrow his mask, but Keiko and I both thought he might be in the Yakusa!

On the way to Seminyak we stopped at a street vendor to get a cold drink, I’d wanted a vendor but was out of luck, so I settled  for a coconut water instead. Vicki tried a soursop juice which was watery and full of sugar and Keiko had the same as me. We felt reenergised and before we knew it we were driving into unattractive dense city traffic.  Vicki spotted a sign for the jail that housed the notoriously famous Australian, Shapelle Corby, she (Vicki) has a great eye for detail and has a wealth of information on topics that have been on the news on one form or another.  

I, as a non- news reader, am oblivious to most things that go on as I like my mind to be uncluttered by the hubris of the decaying morals of society. I figure that if it’s really important someone else will let me know. Living in my peaceful bubble keeps me quite stress free the majority of the time. 

I felt instantly deflated when I saw our accommodation from the outside, this feeling was intensified when I saw the drab brown, stained walls. I haven’t seen Keiko’s but Vicki’s room is above ours and is much nicer with its blue tones.

 However since I am engaging in mindfulness practice I must declare that I am appreciative of the exceptional quality of the air conditioner,  velocity of the hot water and comfortable bed. It is actually better than the room that Eric and I stayed in for New Year’s eve in Cairns and is a 5th of the price!

Vicki and I went for a walk to the beach, it seemed quite seedy, however my searches on Google for accommodation near The Potato Club were accurate and we were indeed about a 12 minute walk away, closer once we learn how to cut through hotels.  Once we found it, I was searched intently as I am mistaken for a native tour guide, my water was confiscated, mine was the solitary bottle taken, and all the apparent Westerners walked through. 

We decided it was too busy and after a look at the amazing architecture we went back to the pauper’s end where we felt more at home! I even bought a huge hat which almost flew away!

 Warung Lais was so lowbrow that it didn’t even have Wi-Fi! However, we found a front row beanbag to watch the incredibly gorgeous sunset with its hues of pink and lavender, as we had our umpteenth coconut. Those hydrating electrolytes were really keeping us in good form. 

Keiko had ditched us for a massage, I can’t say that I blame het! We had a healthy seafood salady thing there and felt very virtuous.  The walk home did put my hairs on end somewhat but we made it to an Indomart safe and sound. Once back at the digs I showered and rang my littlest baby and was able to go to sleep knowing that she was well, and really what more could a mother wish for?  

The Road Trip 12 hours of adventures

When I woke up this morning there was no sound, then I heard a cecak (gecko), I stuck out my arm and felt the thin fabric of the mosquito net, not mesh but a thin cotton. I placed my feet gingerly on the cold tiles and padded to where I approximated the light switch was. The amber light lit up my ricestalk-clad ceiling. It was so serene that I felt guilty disturbing the peace when I put on the big to boil my bottled water for my cup of tea. I looked out at the rice paddy and saw the luminescent flecks of the fireflies. 

The sound of silence was abruptly ended by the sound of my phone, I was happy to hear the voice of my husband who was missing me very much. I consoled him that I would be back in 5 days. Deep down I felt dismayed that my holiday in this idyllic place would be over so soon. But I  knew that in true Irna style I would be cramming three days into each 12 hours of wakefulness. 

I was still organising my thoughts when I heard Keiko calling me, Putra our guide was here already.

 We sped up to the waiting vehicle I was still barefoot with two pairs of shoes in my bag. I’d left my key on top of the fridge to have my little villa cleaned. The girls had both gotten up early as well and were invigorated and ready for our road trip. We buckled up, as Putra raced along the narrow windy roads, even at this time of the morning the little village was bustling .

We made two stops along the way at two different beaches with black sand and  large pebbles . Putra kindly photographed us numerous times on all of our cameras. 

After that we decided just to use one as we can share them. We stopped to photograph Agung  with a foreground of agricultural land with its different coloured patches. Best of all were the peaceful plump cows. I jave have never seen such healthy specimens of bovines and was thrilled to see them in the middle of nowhere. Keiko had never been up close to a cow and was  squealing with happiness! 

Putra continued with the tour. He told us that he would  take us to two very special beaches, the first one had black sand and the next one which is called Virgin beach which had, you guessed it, white  sand. At this point we were so hungry and desperate to use a facility. We looked at the Warung at the beach access. Keiko was shocked by all the flies. I didn’t see any fly eggs so I thought “ I’m going for it!” I ordered ikan pepes- fish grilled in Banana leaf, sayur, rempeyek and nasi campur (with Tempe, sambals and peanuts) wrapped in brown paper in a triangular based pyramid. I had gastro stop with me so quickly popped a tablet down the hatch ( better safe than sorry). 

Vicki and I walked towards the Blue Lagoon where we could see children in the middle of joyous water play, their laughter was infectious! A woman beckoned us towards her Warung,  it was called Sunrise. We each ordered a fresh mango juice  which was incredibly vivid in colour. Vicki was in heaven, she is a true devotee of mangoes! The toilet was clean so I jogged back to get Keiko, who kept waving in a friendly way,  finally noticing that I was beckoning for her to come. In places like this there are often no toilets. 

Following this interlude we drove up towards another mountain range this was opposite Mount Agung which was surrounded by mist at it’s summit. We grabbed a ticket and paid for the use of a sarong and made a temple donation. Number 194, hmmm pretty daunting. However it was absolutely fine, we went to a Warung for half an hour where I had two cups of ginger tea, Keiko had sticky rice and Vicki had a milkshake. We also took some photos from their viewing platform. The climb up to the temple was strenuous, since not attending the gym each day I’ve welcomed the chance to do these incidental forms of physical activity.  Number 151 was called out so we had some time to go, we sat in the shade and watched other groups pose. It wasn’t that long before our number was a called out. We performed our group poses, then I totally stuffed up my individuals as I thought he said next person rather than next pose. Vicki being taller and much slimmer looked very elegant and Keiko being a yogi looked fabulous too. 

After this we stopped at Tirta Gangga, which I soon realized was really just a place to get fun photos, Vicki and I had fun but Keiko didn’t enjoy it at all, as she dislikes being in the sun and was in a track suit. We didn’t stay there long and although Vicki messaged him he didn’t respond for quite a while, we had just ordered food from a Warung when he arrived ready for action. I felt guilty towards the girl in the Warung so gave her 10k which is one Aussie dollar, sounds scabby but the average wage fir a shop assistant is $25 per week so a dollar is greatly appreciated.  

During the trip to the waterfall We had been hoping to eat babi guling however as it was just after one this proved to be impossible. We finally found a place which sold bakso ayam ( chicken minceball soup with a pangsit on top). It was so weird the lady serving looked so similar to me, she seemed confused as to why I couldn’t speak with her. However duo  lingo has served me well and I have been able to use a super convincing accent  resulting in locals thinking I’m Vicki and Keiko’s guide. We hugged it out and clambered back into the vehicle where Putra had been sleeping, he seemed a bit grouchy. 

His grouchiness increased tenfold when Keiko thought the ATM had swallowed her letters, it turned out that in her tired state she’d slipped it back into her pocket! After 20 mins there and half an hour in a traffic jam on a single lane road on a mountain slope we finally arrived at a pretty run down coffee place. It was obvious that they were not really producing coffee there. The girls hadn’t tried kopiluwak before and I urged them to do so as both times that I’d had this catpoo coffee I’d found it caramelly in flavour. The waitress had brought us the 12 free samples, a lot of them were delicious. Alas their coffee tasted like it had a dirt sludge down the bottom,  we almost cried with laughter, it was horrendous. 

After Vicki had bought her take home coffees we drove  for what seemed like an eternity to the waterfall. Now this waterfall looks spectacular in the photos but believe you me, the track down to it was so hard and unpleasant in some spots that I felt like giving up. When we finally saw the waterfall we were basically in a bottleneck of people in an underground cave I stood gingerly on the sharp rocks which were cutting into my feet. I didn’t enjoy this experience except for the coconut we drank at a Warung under the shade of a durian tree. My favourite part however was when I saw the girls back at the top holding onto the welcome sign. Vicki said that eating bakmie goreng hadn’t been the best idea she’d had, our yogi took everything in her stride in a Zen state.

The journey home took an unfathomable time, Putra admitted to taking a wrong turn. He was exhausted it had been a 12 hour day. We were so happy that we’d rung ahead and ordered dinner which Vicki and I ate at around 8pm at the pool in which we’d had an invigorating dip. Vicki and Keiko went to bed and I talked a while longer to the owners of the homestay about their plans in ecotourism.

After a five second hot shower and a long cold shower and hanging up my hand washed clothes I was ready to relax my tired body. I was disappointed that the Wi-Fi hadn’t worked for a few hours and had missed out on talking to Eric but vowed I’d call him before he left for work.

Chapter Three in Experiences

As I went up to the disused fourth floor for the last time I reflected on all that we had learned at the retreat with Jan on Mindfulness,  for me the resounding message was being grounded and present in the moment. It was invaluable sharing and exchanging stories and anecdotes with others in the same field. 

For me, starting a new position this year is really taking me our of my comfort zone. I think it will be a good challenge for me to unclutter my life from the busyness that I have been thriving on and focus on simplicity and gratitude. It will be difficult being alone, and away from the things that I enjoy so much like cafe's and going out for dinner or beach tapas and drinks. I  already feel slightly claustrophobic knowing that the last ferry from Thursday Island back to Horn is three o'clock on the weekends. It will be hard having no friends at first. This mindfulness course has helped me to mentally prepare for my reactions by teaching me to stop only living in my head. And concentrate on where I am placing my feet.

After we bid goodbye to our newly made friends we waited for the shuttle from Periuk Cooking School to collect us. Wayan the owner picked us up at 1.45 and off we went, I asked him if we could perhaps stop to get a coffee, although we tried in Ubud centre it was hard to get a park. We finally got one at a place which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere called Black Coffee. It was the first time that I had enjoyed coconut milk in a coffee. 

Soon we arrived at Periuk and then travelled in convoy with another vehicle which held two lovely young teachers from Korea. Wayan showed us his family's rice paddy and explained the cycle to us. Although Keiko had been keen to do another cooking lesson, Vicki hadn't been keen as she hadn't really gotten much out of the last one. I promised her that she would love it. And right from learning about the rice, as a farmer's daughter she was hooked! 

I was so relieved as I wanted my friends to be happy and have a great time. I had promised them that they would love Arie, and I was right. She called Keiko, Mama Keiko, Vicki, Spicy Lady and me Honey Bunny. It was so informative we learnt about Balinese architecture from Wayan, and we were shown how to make coconut oil by his wife.

Arie led us in cooking 11 different things.

The meal of course was superb but it was the journey, the hard work, cutting, pounding, stirring,  whisking and flipping that made it all worthwhile. I'd been here last year with Rui and was so delighted to be back. Prior to cooking Arie taught us how to make an offering which we placed at the family shrine with the intent to be thankful,  sorry, and a prayer for the future. I knew exactly who to dedicate it to.

We had a wonderful time at the cooking school and I promised to come back again, hopefully next time it will be in the morning so I can enjoy the market. Wayan drove us to our homestay which was only 6km out of Ubud but seemed much further. It was a shame that we were so late as we had a pool to swim in and it was absolutely gorgeous beside a rice paddy. This was the Ubud that we had been searching for! The girls agreed that this was perfect,  although they had no hot water or aircon. However as soon as Vicki mentioned it the owner came rushing over and fixed their water. His wife told them that they wouldn't need aircon as it was very pleasant in temperature here on the mountain.

I thought my water was hot,  but was incorrect and ended up having a cold one. After washing my clothes in the tub I chatted to Eric for a while then settled in to sleep,  listening to the crickets. As I ruminated in my canopied bed that night, I laid back and reflected on how fortuitous my life was. 

 

Our last full day retreating

Firstly, my/our anticipated highlight of the day, the massage at Clear Cafe was alas, not to be. There was no available appointments at the time that we had requested, plus they got the days wrong, they didn't read the time I sent the email. However, in life everything happens for a reason and it turned out that at our desired massage  time the majority of our Mindfulness group including Jan the founder was going to dinner. The resort had a full moon festival on which in retrospect would have honoured the change of season festival much more than dinner in a random restaurant.

Once again technology came to the rescue or just  came in handy, I started the day off with a phone call to my dear friend Kerri and it was a loving exchange with intent for change in this new year. We have known each other for a very long time and she is a rare bird from my past life who has stuck by me through all the changes and has witnessed me grow into a strong independent woman, living my best life, as opposed to a woman with many challenges.

Breakfast was spectacular as usual, but it is sad that only Keiko and I eat the traditional soup which is bubur nasi/congee/rice porridge. For my family reading this, the bubur at this resort has all the toppings that we put on Soto and also has chicken poached in turmeric as a topping option, so yes, I have been having Soto Ayam every morning for breakfast. Today they sadly had no Tempe but had a very gentle tahu kerri (curry). I resisted Western stodgy foods and had an omelette and red papaya as well.

Today was a PD content early morning session where we discussed getting in touch with our emotions. Then (insert the jaws music) Jan introduced a fear evoking activity, which spiralled Keiko and I into childlike giggling nervous anticipation. It turned out that she had two shock balls which had to be passed around the circle. The first time we did the activity we were like a gaggle of agitated geese. Prior to the second passing of 'The ball' we did a grounding activity, so when the aforementioned object was passed around a hush fell over the group and we were calm and centred . This activity was used as an analogy for how we anticipate and catastrophize a purported event, and when grounded we can stand strong in the face of calamity.

We were ushered into three shuttles and whisked off to an arts centre where we participated in mindfulness through art therapy. I had elected to do batik with Keiko and Vicki who loves to stay fit chose the Balinese dancing. I made Eric a water buffalo batik which was dyed red, the craft centre is dropping off our very prescriptive  'artwork' today. I know I shouldn't draw comparisons but at WS art studio last year, with Rui and Mali we had drawn the design for our own artwork, so this was just colouring in with a different medium. I am not saying it wasn't fun, just stating that it did not allow for individuality.

Keiko and I elected to eat lunch in town at a dive bar called Cafe Cawang, we expected traditional Indonesian food but instead were presented with posh Asian fusion seared tuna, calamari salad and gado gado. 

 After a coffee which had no crema and was unfortunately cow milk, we walked in a leisurely fashion back to the Coco supermarket and caught the shuttle back to the resort for our facials. There was a bit of a to do, as two other ladies from our group came at the same time but were bucked off to a later time apparently it was the second time that day. Lucky that they had been practicing mindfulness so they didn't lose their cool. The facial was definitely relaxing however I hightly doubt that these girls were beauticians and if it wasn't complimentary I would not have been happy with one hour becoming 40 mins and the lack of consistency. For instance one of the other's in our group got a hand and arm massage while the peel was drying,  another had no peel and at one point Keiko and I were sharing the same 'beautician'.

The bus was taking us into Ubud centre at 6pm so we crammed in and after an uneventful yet picturesque drive we were back at Cocos and we made the long walk up the street to the White Orchid restaurant where we met up with 18 other participants. The food was really overpriced and over rated. Vicki had to wait so long for her order. Keiko's order was wrong, I wish we'd stayed at the resort for their event. 

Vicki and I ended the night looking at the stars lying by the pool.

Cooking Lesson and The Pyramids of Chi

I started off the day facetiming my big sister Erica it was a grounding start to the day listening to her positivity and general equanimity, nothing ever fazes her, and I draw great strength from her steadfastness. I'd taken the stairs to the fourth floor and though the area hadn't been maintained I pulled up a pew so that I could chat and blog without disturbing my roomie.

When I finally returned Vicki was awake and ready to flee the safety of our nest  and go to breakfast, although I am greedy I controlled myself this morning and only really  had nasi bubur, I'm not sure what Keiko are but Vicki certainly waxed lyrical about the omelette which incidentally wasn't even intended  for her.

With only ten  minutes to go until we were shuttled through Ubud to the cooking school booked for us by our illustrious leader, Jan, Keiko and Vicki were determined to get changed, I patiently waited for the shuttle to arrive. Half  of the group went to the cooking school whilst the other half went to the slightly more esoteric experience of meditating in a pyramid of chi!! I respectfully say , weird does not do it justice this was next level!!

The cooking school claimed to go to the markets, this proved to be a tokenistic stop off where we went to three or four vendors tasted some 'exotic' fruit - mangosteen and snake fruit and were quizzed on whether we knew the  common Indo cooking ingredients.  Living in Cairns where there is Rustys market which offers a cornucopia of tropical produce none of this was new for us Cairns folk.

The two stand out moments for me were, 1. The incredibly intricate Goddess of Rice out the front of the markets, every detail had been woven out of natural fibres, right down to a floating eyeball inside the eye socket. 2. Was the unabashed slyness of the krupuk vendor, I had selected 3 lots of krupuk ( types of crackers  similar to prawn) which came to 30 000 rupiah ($3) as soon as the guide had left and I'd given her a 100 000 note she changed her price to 50, I raised my brows at her but didn't want to haggle over $2, I would have given her that in a tip anyway  but the underhand behaviour disgruntled me.

The cooking school experience was enjoyable I  particularly  liked the urap as it's something that I have never made. The Tempe goreng man is was great, it's honestly one of my favorite foods. The young fellows taking the lesson were very sweet, however they were nothing like Arie from the cooking school that I went to last time. I must say the experience I had with Rui was so much more informative and the techniques taught were fabulous. Plus they had meat dishes, however Rumali would have really appreciated the great vegan food we ate as trasi/blachan was only used in one dish. It was a restful activity to participate in with a beautiful group of people, working together with others is very rewarding when they gradually unveil their soul and you glimpse their essence. 

On that note, I could most likely write a script for the pyramids of Chi, I am not a sceptic and am completely au fait with the concept of oneness with creation, and all being molecular creatures who are susceptible to emotional release from sound frequencies. I was able to zone in straight away from years of practice from my past life. My cousin's would unequivocally say this was another form of cult life. However I was genuinely very happy that other's were able to use it as a catharsis to release deep seated pain. The sound of the gong disables the brains  ability to engage in mindless cluttering thoughts which impede the trinity between the spirit,  emotion and physical state. Hence my resistance to listening to the news or anything that hinders my spirit in the morning.

After the Pyramids we were dropped back off at the Palace where we had actually been between the cooking school and Chi. We walked down a market lane, where I was nearly a fool, almost paying $40 for 8 place mate, when I came to my senses i had to snatch my money back off the vendor, it was totally my own fault. Further down the lane Vicki was doing a stellar job with her bargaining. Keiko didn't want to buy anything which is fair enough,  as I am a typical example of someone who buys foolishly- this was proven by my recent trips to the Op shop while preparing for my relocation.

A tour guide/driver who was not pushy was discovered and we actually decided upon using him for our trip to The Gates of Heaven on the day after we have departed from the retreat. Now to back track, yesterday we heard about an amazing cafe called Cafe Clear (I thought it was Clare due to tonal interpretations). 

After our marketing experience we were led confidently (and competently)  by Vicki to the cafe, and yes, it was indeed mind blowingly amazing. My words cannot do it justice. We were lucky enough to be able to walk in without a booking and as we traipsed barefoot up the marigold strewn spiral staircase holding on to bannisters made of twisted tree branches I felt childlike in my delight. This was echoed by Vicki who ran back excitedly from the toilet, insisting that we go to tinkle.

I took her recommendation and also peeked in at the spa. Oh my goodness , this is a definite must!! I obtained a brochure and then night when we were sitting in our twin beds, gasbagging we chose our massages and I deftly sent off an email also booking for Keiko, who i am sure will be in agreeance. I am so excited for whatever adventures we have tomorrow !