The Island of Tourism

Baby, I've sailed away
right out of my cave
caught a swell, caught a wave to another inspiring place...

Goodbye, Sunny Coast...

After that great weekend in Brisbane, there were only a few things to do: Hug Dom and Maryline Goodbye on the airport and hop on a plane to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
He took my faith- and colourful steed Laurie home to leave him with Maryline, French traveler friend, who takes care of Australia while Ian, all her French friends and my humble self take over Bali...
See ya all in 51 days!

Let's not talk about the flight.... flying with a hay fever blocked-up head is painful... but as I got out of the airport, I soon found a familiar face among all the "Taxi!Taxi!!" calling locals: Ian McKee from Mt. Mee!
Who'd have known on that hot after-Woodford day in early January 2014 - that we would end up travelling Bali together? ;)
We took a "Taxi!Taxii!" to Kuta, found a beautiful place to stay and ....
enjoyed ourselves with tropical warmth, cheap delicious food and a pool!

Next day we climbed on a bus to Ubud, where we met up with Anthony, Manyline's boyfriend, and six other French backpackers. They had all spent several weeks living and working with Ian earlier in the year, so we knew them. We went into Ubud's Monkey Forest... and here's a story:

We walked among all these other photo-taking tourists through the forest filled with hundreds of monkeys, when suddenly one monkey quickly scampered towards me, and completely disregarding the camera and blinking sunglasses in my hands, straight away grabbed the moneybelt hidden under my shirt!

Knee-jerkingly I grabbed it back (all the important stuff in there) and in a kind of defiant reaction the monkey bit my leg.

Good thing I got all my vaccinations, just in case... :D

But not every specimen is like this... as you see, I also met some very friendly ones!

They seemed to be quite curious about my hair... once hopped on my shoulder, this one started looking for fleas and mice between my fuzzy dreadies... :D

Later that day we all travelled to Mount Batur, second highest mountain on Bali and still-active volcano.

At 2 am, we got uo and gathered in the dark and surprisingly cold night to start the climb and arrive on the summit just in time to see the sunrise. Armed with torchlights, water and a guide, off we went...

Can't really believe that I made it up there - I made it up there in time and without my knee causing any problems :)))))))))))))))))))) Although it was maybe one of the steepest and longest hikes I ever did! Once more I felt like Frodo and Sam at the Stairs of Cirith Ungol... and at some points, our "path" did even look a bit like that. Slippery volcanic sand, rolling pumicestone rubble and pointy lava stone noses...

But the view of the rising sun from the summit and of course the self-pat-on-the-back for making it were well worth it!

After sunrise, we walked all around the crater rim to descend the volcano from the other side.

The path was as narrow as this, with one side going down into the valley and one side going down into the crater.

The hot springs on the top side of the crater walls. Our guides cooked us a little breakfast - fried bananas and boiled eggs - just with the heat of the volcano!

Ian the Explorer

In Ubud again, we did Yoga and Meditation, ate and drank and relaxed and did what all these other thousands of tourists here do...
And I tell you straight forward what I think:
Most people are very kind, the warmth and the frangipanis everywhere are wonderful, and there are without doubt countless things to do, see, buy, and generally fill your time with.
But the amount of tourist crowds, of people trying to sell you things and grab your money everywhere you walk, the prices itself that have obviously been adapted to European and Australian prices... the horrible traffic, the fumes and the pollution... some locals even wear protection masks, and I only have to walk in those streets for one day and I'm coughing and ready to run away .... home to the Sunny Coast! Alas. I'm homesick, big time.
Well, I have one and a half month to go until I get back... So I better change my perspective.

_______________________________________________________________________

Oh, when you choose
When I'll go I'll sing the blues
But don't you know that something's wrong with me.

Oh when you go
When I'll sing I'll let you know
That something's wrong with me.

Oh if you knew
That what I sing I sing for you
You know it's true
My love.

Go with the night
See your face in the moonlight
But don't you know that nothing's wrong with me.

Dream like you do
When I'll dream I'll dream with you
But don't you know that nothing's wrong with me.

Oh if you knew
That what I sing I sing for you
You know it's true
My love.

Oh when you go
When I'll sing I'll let you know
That something's wrong with me.

Hakuuuuna Mataddaaa!

Hakuuunaa Mataddaa! What a wonderful phrase!

Hakuuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries for the rest of our days

It's our problem-free philosophy

HakuuuunaMatadaaa

...

The Lion King Musical in Brisbane! Yesyesyesyesyes!

How long have I been wanting to see it?! :))))

The Lion King was on Friday night and my flight to Bali on Monday morning, so Dom and me stayed the whole weekend in Brisbane with his friend Nicki... but when Nicki is not busy with her three kids, she is being an amazing muso! It was so beautiful to hear her play and sing, please check her out - she is "Nix Music" on Facebook.

We went to stroll around the Botanic Gardens on Mt. Coot-tha, where Dom built some rammed earth walls years ago... I was fascinated by the bonsai trees in there but he was devastated because they rendered over his beautiful walls... :( :D ;)

Bonsai-selfie

The Killer-spiders attack...?

In the Queensland Performing Art Centre, where the Lion King was played, they hung up some Lion King artwork with the Brisbane River wiggling through it... what a good idea!

Found in West End, for Hannah! ;)

Eastern water dragon

For a change, I was feeding Dom! As a "Thanks Mate" for all these times when he fed me... ;)

On Saturday night, thousands of people crowded all along the riverbanks to watch the spectacular Riverfire, the final event of the annual Brisbane Festival.

We watched it from the top of the State Library together with Sonya, Russell, Ian and Maryline, who had also come...

How great to catch up with them! Thank you guys in case anyone is reading this <3

And what awesome fireworks, mirrored in the river and with natural fireworks (a storm with lightnings) in the background.

Hey all you beautiful bearded people, there is the best bar in West End! We also saw a Beard Street!! :D

Foals, medallions, Ponys and Lion Kings

Hello Possum!

How frustrating is it to write a whole long new blog and then the website snaps and you haven't saved :(

I really don't feel like typing all this again now... sorry people, no stories today!

However, not really a good excuse for such a reaaaally long time without any posts or news... !

It's been a busy time with lots of other things in my mind. 

Now I finished working in the Horse Rehab,  

start to get seriously stoked about seeing the Lion Kind Musical on Friday, 

and hop on a plane to Indonesia in Monday...

Whoever wants to skype me before that will have to hurry up! ;)

First thing of all: JASONMRAZFINALLYGOTHISNEWALBUMOUTYES!!!
It's a collaboration with the four talented ladies from Raining Jane and has been out since July but I didn't really have time to wash my brain with it until the last couple of weeks... there are beautiful vocals and guitars and cellos and humming basses and drumming beats and positive lyrics that are almost cheesier than is funny... :D

Bailey the Shetlandpony and the Baby-Gang

pretty cockatoos stealing the horsefood from the paddocks

Star: "It's sooooooooo niiiiiiice in the morning sun....*grunt*"

Even after I moved out of my little cabin in the horse valley and back to Dom's house by the sea in Buddina, I kept driving back to spend the nights sleeping in Laurie, in the stable... 

with my head only a few metres away from Honey and Sassy, two extremely pregnant ready-to-burst-very-soon-going-to-be-mommas

Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to see one of the foals being born... Sassy's little girl Missy decided that she wants to be born during the day, when I wasn't there... But still, seeing a half hour old baby horse trying to stand up on its overly long legs for the first time... having its first clumsy milky meal... cuteness overload!!

And one week later, Honey had her little pretty boy:

Pictures from a day out on the Somerset Dam near Kilcoy

Dreadies lost and found

Hello folks! Sorry I didn't post for so long....
I'm working Monday to Saturday in the Horse Rehab and on the weekends in the hotel, so I I have pretty much never a day off work. It's not really an excuse though... I still got some leisure hours... so, sorry ... :)

But I can say I had some adventures.

A horse ripped one of my dreadies out and I didn't even notice it until I found the dreadlock lying on the ground three days later. (Can you believe that? No more nerve endings in my scalp *oh-oh!*)

Neglected stallion Leo arrived in the rehab in a very poor condition: underfed, feet in poor condition, and mane in dreadlocks!
It was my job to give him a bath (with dishwashing  liquid haha) and a haircut. So, one horse stole me a dreadlock, another horse donated me some!

My Mama sent me a package from Germany with this content:

Original German tissues!!!
And nose spray in case I get a cold or hay fever!!!
And enough baby ass cream for the next ten years!!!!
Now I really don't have to go home for a while ;) . Thank you Mama :)))))

A picture of one of the spiders that lived with me in my cabin... it's just a huntsman (relatively harmless) but I still check my shoes every morning before I put my feet into them.
There were fleas, too, but I ruthlessly killed them.... I'm no flea welfare!

One of the rehab horses... does she remind anyone of anyone? ;)

And.... I finally got on George again, and together with Katie we went out to see how we get along... and it all worked out well, George was georgous and did what I wanted, in the speed that I wanted...
The next day I went out with him alone. And he was even lazy... I had to push him to not just stop walking... BUT THEN. He suddenly remembered that he used to be a race horse, started running, and like "Oh wait... I'm good at running! Running is great!" he bolted off under me in his best race horse speed. JESUS that was sooooo fast!!! The fastes I ever galloped on a horse. And I could NOT stop him, he wouldn't listen. He even ignored that the path took a corner and ran straight on into the bush, found himself facing a tree, and made a sharp turn back to the path. That's where he lost me....
Thank you, dear George, for giving me some decent bruises and letting me walk home in shame!
And Thank  God that I didn't get seriously hurt.

Kitty is still the sweetest... Love her purrpurrkittyfurrypurry.

Well, I've got open eyes,
And an open door,
But I don't know what I'm searching for.
I should know by now.

Well, I've a big old heart,
This I know for sure,
But I don't know what our love is for.
I should know by now.

Well, I'll wait in line,
So I can wait some more,
'Till I can't remember what I came here for,

But I can't leave now,

Cause I've a light that shines,
And a love so pure,
But I don't know what to use them for.
I should know by now.

Well I spent my money,
I lost my friends,
I broke my mobile phone,
3am and I'm drunk as hell,
And I'm dancing on my own,
Taxi-cabs ain't stopping, and I don't know my way home.

Well it's hard to find a reason, when all you have is doubts,
Hard to see inside yourself when you can't see your way out,
Hard to find an answer when the question won't come out.

Oh everyone's filling me up with noise,
I don't know what they're talking about,
Everyone's filling me up with noise,
I don't know what they're talking about,
Everyone's filling me up with noise,
I don't know what they're talking about,

You see all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts.

jamocrifj