Damn. I’ve just enquired about that Astor cruise. The advertised price is ‘from $3459’. Price to me? – double that, $6,918. Price is twin share, ya see. Bloody deceptive advertising. Oh, and that’s for the absolute minimal cabin, an inner with no windows. The real price would be up around $10,000. So much for cruising. Never again.

So ends that dream. OK, I look at going back to Bali for an extended stay while I look at lease properties. Huh. For $6918 I could stay in six-star luxury for a month. No way. I’ve seen what looks like a very nice small hotel in Sanur for $26 a night.

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There is a poltergeist in this house, I’m sure of it! Last night about 7.30pm I was watching TV when there was a crash from behind me, about where the table is, something loudly falling to the floor. Obviously I got up and went to investigate. Nothing. I could not find anything that had fallen on the floor (I have a hard tiled floor). I continued the search later, and again this morning, but I can find no reason for that sound.

This is in line with that almighty crash just outside my windows in the drying court last July or so. It was real – it brought my neighbour out to investigate as well. It sounded exactly as if someone had thrown a bag of rubbish over the wall, but there was nothing to be found. I’ve never found any explanation for it.

Then there are the knocks on the front door at midnight, 2am, 3am. I don’t get out of bed, figuring if it’s real, they’ll knock again, but they don’t. This has happened half a dozen times, at least. Poltergeist.

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There was a ring on my doorbell on Monday afternoon. A guy was there with a clipboard, most concerned about my health, and whether I was feeling the heat, and what I was doing.

I said, “Roller shutters, right?” He looked embarrassed and said yes. I said, “Sorry, not interested.” He said, “You’ve been asked before?” I said, “Over and over again, going back years. Not interested.” So off he went. Poor bastard.

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Not the Astor. Sea of Japan, 2014 © PJ Croft 2016

I forgot to say, the very helpful lady at Cruise Planet said I should consider another cruise line that doesn’t charge double for singles. Oh yeah? Yeah, it’s Royal Caribbean, operations in the Caribbean. Big bloody help.