A shopping storm is brewing

I think another little update and some photos are overdue. Wends and I are back in Kuta, Bali now after a great 5 days on Gili Trawangan and a short stay in Seminyak. I really enjoyed some chill-out time on the Gili's, but there was the odd party going on to keep my relaxation in check too! I'll never look at mushrooms in the same way ever again...

The sole means of transport on Gili Trawangan, the elaborately decorated horse cart.

Our upmarket digs on the island, Pesona Cottages, complete with beachside pool!

The beach on Gili Trawangan, looking back toward Lombok, with Gili Meno on the left.

The trip back was a long one but Wends and I are now accustomed to motorbiking on these roads now so we actually enjoyed the journey. On getting back to Bali we decided to go and check out the more upmarket beach scene at Seminyak, further up the coast from Kuta. Its a bit out of season now so we didn't really get much bang for the extra bucks, we even ended up partying back in Kuta last night.

It looks like we'll now stay here in Kuta for the remainder of our time in Bali, with the odd surfing day trip down to Dreamland or the like. The surf here in Kuta is disgusting, maybe we've just been unlucky but I fail to see how it ever became famous. Wends is shopping up a storm here so it'll be impossible to move her. She hasn't yet mastered the art of bargaining so I have to try keep an eye on her; she set an all time record for a price paid for a sarong in Lombok and hasn't improved much since. We are yet to have any form of fight though, which will come as a surprise to my folks! We're very different in our tastes but we seem to find common ground easily enough. I'm thinking I can give her some cash and send her out to do my Christmas shopping while I go surfing or watch the rugby... see, compromise is easy!

Its time for an afternoon siesta now. Wooz had me clubbing until some ungodly hour last night and then my determination to surf had me up early (though sleeping in would have seen me find an equal number of catchable waves!).