OK, I’ve moved hotels. I’m now in the Taksu Sanur, Jalan Sudamala, south Sanur. It’s not exactly traditional Balinese, sorry, but so far at midday, I’m very happy. I was sorry to move out of the S’cape, but those stairs just scared the shit out of me. I felt I was taking my life in my hands every time I had to do that 90º turn with its narrow triangular steps at the top to go up three steps to the bedroom. There was nothing to hold onto! OK for a young ‘un, I suppose, but not for me. I mentioned it again when I checked out and the guy said, “We have rooms with the hand rail.” Well, why didn’t ya say so? Maybe I could have moved rooms?

Anyway, having spoken to one of the residents, I’m sure he wants to sub-let or rent out one of his units. I’ll speak to him before deciding further.

That still wouldn’t fix the lack of pool ladders, though. The resident guys agreed that it was a bit odd and I’m sure we could whip something up together. There was still no-one in the pool since I wrote about it yesterday.

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This room feels so spacious!

This would be the most spacious hotel room I’ve ever had, I think. I’m sitting on that nicely padded chair at the desk. Thank goodness it’s padded; so many hotel chairs are hard wooden horrors. In fact, I think the photo is of my room, because I can see that covered walkway through the sliding doors. Different painting, though. I’m on the ground floor and the pool is to the left. It’s actually a raised pool, about 1m high, but has ladders.

Funny how bathrooms are becoming more and more transparent. The fashion is that the shower can be seen from the bed. Ooooh, sexy. This one’s translucent rather than clear glass.

No hand-holds in the shower, though, and a slippery floor. I’m surprised that hotels don’t take liability seriously, eg the S’cape stairs. If I slipped and broke something, I’d be looking for costs and compensation, especially if I had to be flown back in a wheelchair or something.

The hotel has suites available which are 101 m2 with a separate dining room and lounge. It occurs to me that if I was thinking in terms of spending $20,000 pa on a leased villa (in a thought bubble!), but only spending half to two thirds of the year here, then if I found a suitable hotel and spent $20,000 there (or less, of course!), then I’d be better off. I could book ahead, swing deals and cancel if I needed to. The $20K (or less) might pay for one of these 100m2 suites. That would be far preferable to haggling with banjars and housekeepers and if I didn’t like things, I could move. Hmmmm.

Later: I asked about the two bedroom suites and they are Rp1,500,000 a night, A$154. That’s the single night rate – I’m sure if I said 60 nights it would come down, and I’m sure it would be lower through the Booking.com type of site. I don’t need two bedrooms, just two rooms, but do I even need that? This is pretty nice for half that cost. I’ve asked to see a room, but later.

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The wi-fi here is very fast, they say up to 6Mb/s, and it feels like it so far. Great. Totally unsecured, though. Laughably obvious passwords.

And I’ve got a 32″ LG LCD TV with a full range of channels. I’m watching Channel News Asia at the moment and it’s a very nice feed, far less US oriented than that bombastic CNN. They’ve just run a half hour doco on the evolving design of Singapore HDB flats. Yeah, real exciting, right? But I’m interested. I’ve been to Singapore dozens of times and often wondered how big these flats are. Now I know.

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Now to prepare for Nyepi on Wednesday. Tomorrow is Ogoh-ogoh Day, with parades and water fights, I believe. My camera is water resistant, I’m not worried. I hope to be there, in Jalan Poso, just down the road a bit.

Then on Wednesday (actually Tuesday 6pm to Wednesday 6pm I think), it’s total silence and darkness. No going out, no music, no lights in the room. I have thick curtains and headphones so I’ll be fine. I’ve got a couple of movies to watch so I don’t need the TV.

The TV has a full range of inputs, by the way, including HDMI and USB. My external DVD drive is USB. I wonder if it’ll work? I think I brought an HDMI cable with me but this laptop is a 15″ Ultra HD screen, so I hardly need anything else.

I think big hotels like this are a bit exempt for non-Bali guests, but I’d better get some basic food in today and tomorrow. I’ve taken the no-breakfast option here ($8.50 if I want to pay) so I need to wander out and check the street out. It looks to be quite an active street.

And I should, should, try to walk to the beach from here. It’s a fair way, about 1Km I think. I can do that at home but in this heat and humidity, I’d better take water and a cut lunch.

Oh, Google Earth tells me it’s only 580m, not so far. Hmmm.

Later, 6.30pm: I had a walk and found there are small restaurants all around here, including a nice Chinese just next door, which is where I ate. I haven’t had Chinese for a long time.

I found there’s a Guardian chemist just around the corner (50m or so), a very nice looking up-market warung on the corner with Jalan Poso, a Muslim restaurant across the street (Buka 24 jam – Open 24 hours – why? Oh OK, if you have to get up at 3am for prayers, then maybe you’ll want to eat at 4am? That’s Islam.), and a couple of other small eats places. One, the Warung Jawa Bu”rst (that’s how it’s spelt) looks pretty dubious.

I should add that in 1989 when my good mate and I did a trip thorough Java by bus and train, I was awoken at 3am in Malang by the call of the meuzzin for the faithfull to prayers. It was beautiful! This guy knew how to sing, and it still sends shivers down my spine when I hear that beautiful song in my mind. Did I go to the mosque? Yair, not likely.

I ate at the Chinese place, but only after the waitress held my arm as I stepped up the two steps. I just can’t do it unassisted by arm or stick.

There’s also a Doktor Gigi (dentist) around the corner too, and an interior decorating shop.

The desk tells me Nyepi is 6.30am Wednesday to 6.30am Thursday, so that’s OK. she says we Westerners can use the pool and the restaurant, so no need to bring food in. Just don’t go out onto the street. Easy.

Now to open the bottle of duty free Sapphire Blue gin I brought with me. First use.

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Ugh, I don’t know why now, but my right hip has become very painful. It’s been twinging for a few years, especially when I get up during the night, but it’s suddenly hit me hard today. Lucky I brought my walking stick. I didn’t have it this afternoon and I was really hobbling.

Grrrrr.     (C) PJ Croft 2016

I’m not sure if I’m pleased or bemused. I’ve been eating at a particular restaurant, the Warung Bali Bagus, every day for breakfast and often for dinner in the past six days. The food’s good, they’re very friendly and have treated me well, often adding little extras like fruit when I decline dessert. And the price is right. Full “American” breakfast: toast, juice, fruit, two eggs, bacon, tomato and coffee for A$3.45.

Last night they gave me a gift, a Bali singlet. But when I opened it up, it’s a walking advert for, you guessed it, the Warung Bali Bagus, complete with street address, phone number, email and web address. I’ve worn it this morning to show my appreciation, but I think it’ll be going out in the rubbish.

This morning I was driven to distraction and had to leave early by a woman with a cough at a nearby table. Uuurgh, every 30 seconds, coff, coff, coff, coff. It was OK to start with but I was silently wishing she would finish up and leave. In the end, I had to.

But, bloody hell, I’ve just discovered that she and her husband and small child are in the unit next to me! I saw him outside and I can hear her coughing through the wall. Now the baby’s crying. Aaaaarrrrgh. Thank goodness I’m leaving tomorrow morning.

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Beach offering      (C) PJ Croft 2016

They sure take their offerings to the gods seriously in Bali. I counted six little shrines just in the Bali Bagus restaurant alone this morning, and one of the women came out two or three times to add flowers and rice and to sprinkle the holy water over them and everything nearby. You can’t walk along the footpath without having to step around these little baskets on the pavement. At least the birds can eat the rice.

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They’re cleaning the pool at the moment, but in the whole time I’ve been here, six days, I haven’t seen anyone in it. I went in on the first morning after I arrived, but I haven’t been in since (because I have so much trouble getting out). But no-one else uses it either. Odd. The water’s not that clean.

I must admit I’m looking forward to leaving tomorrow. I’d like to have a nap, but climbing those stairs is daunting. I slept beautifully last night, almost unbroken, to make up for the previous night.

I brought my suitcase down almost empty yesterday, and I’ve been bringing my clothes down in plastic bags because I know if I fill the suitcase, I won’t be able to bring it down tomorrow. I’ll pack it here, downstairs. No problem.

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Reception on the downstairs TV has been horrible and I was forced to investigate. As usual, it was a very poor plug fitting on the antenna lead. I remade it and it’s brilliant now, but the slightest movement of the TV makes it go bad again. It needs  whole new lead. Now that I’ve got a strong signal downstairs, it makes me realise the upstairs ain’t so good either. Too bad about that one.

The TVs are old Samsung CRT sets, and they look awful compared with flat screen LCD sets. I’d forgotten how terrible analogue CRT TV was. The scans on these are adjusted so far out that there’s constant flashing white stuff at the bottom, the scrolling news headlines, but you can’t actually see them. It’s very distracting.

Really, all there is to watch is CNN and I’ve had enough of that. There are only a few topics – 80% is the US election stuff, and the rest is Business Traveller with that grating  gravel voiced British showman, a few news items, repeated endlessly, and commercials and promos. It is boring. The new hotel tomorrow has a flat screen TV and, I hope, a full range of digital channels.

Barong! Bing bang bong. These kids were out on the street having fun last night. It was strictly amateur, but it’s better than lurking and dealing drugs back home.

I love gamelan music, which this is not, but it was great to see these boys enjoying themselves. A full gamelan orchestra is  a sight to behold and a wonderful sound. It is to me, anyway.

Full gamelan orchestra, Kuta 1983  (C) PJ Croft 2016

Gamelan orchestras, Kuta 1983   All images (C) PJ Croft 2016

Ubud 1983      (C) PJ Croft 2016

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I’ve just had a good chat with two guys who live in these units full time. Both own their units (or long term lease them, that is) and one owns three, living in one and renting the others out. That would solve my requirements, because he’s very keen to do business and is open to haggling. He showed me one of the empty ones and it has hand railing. Both guys’ units do, and they were very surprised to hear my unit doesn’t.

I told them of my list of ‘requirements’ and they were in full agreement. They want to set up a residents’ committee to deal with these things. When I said that I would like to spend more time here, they welcomed me, being of ‘the right age’ and right type and so on. One’s a retired construction engineer and has given me his card. Anyone want to buy a unit? He’s keen to sell or lease.

I’m not interested in buying, but I could come back in May/June. That would solve my problem. Hmmm. Nice guys, anyway.

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Aaargh, another bad night for sleep last night. Dammit, I drop off easily, last a couple of hours, then wake and can’t get back to sleep. I think I dozed for a couple more hours but I feel awful now at midday. Now I’ll have to climb those damn stairs again.

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I started watching the movie Bridge of Spies last night. I had to stop in the middle, but good movie! Tom Hanks is the main star and the other is Mark Rylance. Never heard of him, but he looks familiar and is excellent. I’m looking forward to the rest of it.

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And the mistakes just keep on comin’.

“… the double jeopardy clause of the US constitution prevents Mr Simpson from prosecution,” Prevents? Protects, I’d say.

“Double jeopardy is a principal of US law …” Er, I think he means principle. Both of these are by one writer in The Guardian. Not the paper’s fault, but lax subbing.

By coincidence there’s an article about grammar today, so I’ve posted those in the comments.

And from a photography blog: “… how they concepted an image“. Down the page in another post: “… photographers teach you about how they concepted an image”

What?! How about the perfectly useful word conceived?

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Sunrise over Lembongan   (C) PJ Croft 2016

Hot one today. Clear blue skies. I wish I could go into the pool, but I don’t want to go through the painful process of getting out again.

Sunrise, Bali    (C) PJ Croft 2016

I’ve just had brekky (brunch, really) at the Bali Bagus restaurant where I’ve been every day so far. This time I had Indonesian breakfast – nasi goreng, but I asked to have toast as well, extra. Bless ’em, they didn’t charge me for the toast. This is very generous as they don’t have much custom and their margins must be pretty small. Nice people.

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I drew some cash from an ATM across the street. What a fantastic thing, travelling is just so simple now compared with 30-40 years ago. Travellers cheques, remember those? So clumsy, so much trouble. Now my ordinary plastic card that I use for my supermarket shopping at home works just the same here. Just think of the computer power that makes all this happen. All down to electronics and electronics engineers and programmers.

But I’ve just read this morning of a soccer player in China, imported from a Spanish team, who’s being paid $300,000 a week! It’s obscene. China has overtaken the US for the number of billionaires – 596 ! One Chinese alone has amassed US$34.4 billion. You can’t spend that much money. The interest alone at 5% would be $1.72bn a year or $33,076,923.07c a week! How could you possibly use $33 million dollars a week? It’s obscene. The top 20 richest people on Earth now have 50% of the total world’s wealth and they are scraping it in at an ever increasing rate. While Somalians and Ethiopeans are starving to death, do these rich people do anything to help? Apart from Bill Gates, maybe, I doubt it. They go and shoot elephants, or buy the ivory. Elephants are being shot, poached, stolen, faster than their replacement birthrate. It’s obscene.

Keeping out of the sun, Jogjakarta 1989  (C) PJ Croft 2016

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I noticed that when the cleaner was in here this morning (yes, these units are cleaned daily), there were two guys looking at my staircase and mumbling to themselves. I wonder if my moving out and cancellation has made the management think of installing handrails?

Would I re-book if there were handrails? Possibly. But I’d need a pool ladder, cleaner pool water, and the seat on the balcony removed and steps put in to enable me to step down and up again. (What a stupid design. Pretty hard to fix, too.) Oh, and take the bath out and put in a normal shower in a cubicle, with safety bars on the window so you can’t fall though the louvres.

I sat on the wide bath surround this morning and swung my legs around. It’s much safer than trying to step over that 35cm edging.

I’ve still got the booking at the Astana Villas in May for 8 days. They’re slightly cheaper but all on one level. They’re only half the size of this one, but not too bad. I’ll see how they turn out.

The advantage of these S’cape units is their size, 85 sq.m., you sure don’t feel cramped, and their location, right in the centre of Sanur. It’s a pity they don’t work a bit harder on the deficiencies. I’m not sure how I’m going to review them on the booking web site. I’m not upset, just a bit disappointed.

If they just made a few relatively small changes I’d book again. It’s obvious that some people must live here, or they’ve bought their unit. They’re for sale at US$145,000 on a 21 year lease. That’s A$9,725 a year or A$187 a week. That’s cheap rent. You could sub-let your unit for the times you can’t be here. Hmmm.

Sunset, Fremantle WA   (C) PJ Croft 2016

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The Guardian reports on a dam in Iraq that may fail. It could trigger “unexploded ordinances”. Wow, those Iraqi town council ordinances must be pretty strong stuff.

Similarly, the ABC has an article that says something “… rung down the changes”. Rang down the changes, please, if it’s past tense.

Ring rang rung
The ABC’s gone bung
I think I should ring
And see that writer hung.

Sink sank sunk
Who woulda thunk
That the ABC
Could feed us such junk?

Sing sang sung
English is among
I’ve run out of rhymes.
I think there’s more to come. 🙂

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I’ve discovered that there’s a solar eclipse here on Wednesday next  week, the 9th. That’s Nyepi! Wow, that’ll give it added significance. Very portentous. The path is over southern Sumatra and northern Java, Jakarta, but we’ll see it here. It starts about 06.30am, reaches totality about 07.30am and finishes an hour later.

Never a dull moment in Bali. Oh, hang on, this will be a dull moment. 🙂

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I’ve put all my criticisms of these units in an email to Kartika, the lady I’ve been dealing with and she’s forwarded them to her managers. Briefly they are:

• Handrails for stairs
• Remove seat on balcony and put steps in so balcony can be used
• Provide ladder for pool
• Put safety bars/grille on window over bath
• Remove bath entirely and make it a shower recess
• Improve pool filtration to make water cleaner

I’ve been very diplomatic so as not to sound upset. All except the last are basic safety issues and could affect their liability, although I didn’t say that.

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Annoyances about a two storey unit – I wanted to make a phone call today, but being downstairs, I realised the only phone is upstairs. I went up there later, only to realise that my mobile, with the phone number list, was downstairs. Duh. I really, really can’t hack those stairs. What a pity.

I’ve just discovered this comment from the owner of the Karma House homestay (above) in Ubud where I wrote “Charming” as a review last Xmas. Another guest had written a fairly critical review and Putuh, the 19yo Balinese dancer who was so nice to me, is upset:

“I will answer all Here HOME STAY, no hotel or villa, We can’t clean your room If you don’t tell me Because we don’t bring key No.2 All room we put just 1 towel Because experiens many people bring towel. And don’t nedd towel from here, If anather people nedd towel, just ask me, and than we will give, No.3 I understand if you don’t like we breakfast, every home stay in ubud make pancake like krepes Because price for the room just 180.000 for 2 person, very cip price, here for buy fruit until 200.000 , here very expensiv. We don’t have badget for make breakfast like hotel, in restaurant pancake until 40.000 If i make pancake same like restaurant, 2people 80.000. And than fruit how much cost just for breakfast?? Coffe , tea. Cream. Sugar, every day. Where i can take money for this?? Price just Rp.180.000???? And than for kulkas, every homestay dont have kulkas if price just it, anather home stay maybe have kulkas but deferent price, I just have a litlle fortune/profit, Maybe now you stay in hotel, you ask my brakfast not good, I undestrand we are human, many people like, many people don’t like , but plis , if you want compare, plis hotel=hotel, homestay=homestay In ubud, homestay have view forest just here, anather homestay just home, not with view, i now you angry, because your husband sick about we house, Thank you Putu”

Bravo Putu. Well said. This is not a hotel, we can’t provide hotel quality at such a low price. Fair enough. As I said in my review, the atmosphere is beautiful and the people are fantastic. I recommend it and I’d stay there again.

It’s not a hotel. Karma House, Ubud

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Oh dear. I can’t continue here at this two storey Condotel. I could hardly make it up the stairs at 10pm last night. My legs are just too weak. I can’t use the pool because there are no ladders. This morning I had my first shower and had trouble stepping over a 35cm wide bath surround onto the curved bottom of the bath. It was OK when it was dry, but getting out when it was wet was plain dangerous. You’re relying on your bath side foot retaining its grip on the wet bath floor while you make this wide step. I’ll have to try sitting on the edge and swinging my legs around. Tomorrow.

But, once standing in the bath with the water going, you’re right next to a big louvred window. Nice view if you open it, but when I’m soaped up, eyes closed, I have trouble holding my balance and the consequences of falling against that glass are scary. Not much to hold onto. Ugh.

However, the view when you open the louvres is of a large house garden next door with a big fish pond full of big fish. I wondered where the constant sound of running water was coming from. That’s it. As well, there were two beagles playing on the lawn and a rooster crowing. Nice.

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I’m trying to decide what to do. I saw the Astana yesterday and it’s quite nice, but their policy of no refunds puts me off. It means you’re locked in, and as I’ve found with this place, that’s bad news if you need to move out.

I’m looking at another more modern hotel in Jl. Poso but it’s $59 a night vs $44 at Astana.

This trip is not working out as I’d hoped. I didn’t want to worry about moving hotels nor the hassle of trying to find a good one, but now I’m on edge. You don’t know what a hotel is going to really be like until you try it, and I don’t want to be locked into no-refund deals. Breakfast time.

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More hujan, but it’s stopped now at 10.30am. Reading the Kura Kura bus brochure at breakfast, they stop at the Oasis Lagoon hotel where I stayed at New Year, and at the Taksu Sanur hotel which I’m looking at now. That’s a powerful reason to choose the Taksu.

I stopped off at the office just now and told them I can’t continue here. They’re OK with my cancellation. Crumbs, I’d booked three more stays after this one. Sorry, but if you don’t put hand rails in … it’s pretty basic. As someone said at home, it’s a legal requirement in Australia.

So I’ll move out on Monday, although Kartika has got me down to move on Tuesday – I’ll have to correct her. I just can’t handle these stairs and the ladderless pool.

I’ve noticed a lot of the units have custom fittings, like security doors, and one unit has a handrail on the stairs. Obviously they have trouble too.

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 I’ve cancelled all the bookings for this hotel, and at this moment, I don’t have any other booking after Sunday night. Gah! I’ll get a taxi this afternoon to look at two candidates.

One is the Praschita Apartments, also in Sanur but further south and in a bit, not far from here, actually. There’s an ‘apartment’ room of 50m2 for $31 a night, and it looks good. The bedroom, with a balcony, is upstairs, but the stairs have normal railings and don’t look steep. From the photos, it looks as if I could cope, so I’ll check it out. They also have 60m2 apartments on one level, but they are $67 a night. BIG! They have a kitchen and lounge like here and a separate bedroom with, they say, three double beds. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Uh oh, from the pictures, there’s no pool ladder to get in and out. They assume you can lift yourself out. I’ll have to check that. It’s a deal breaker.

The other is the Taksu Sanur, very new, very modern, and the rooms look great in the photos. Huge arm chair, which is what I like to sit, watch TV and read. Normal balcony, level with the room floor. I simply can’t use the balcony here, the step down is too great, and conversely, the step back up would be impossible for me. Crazy design.

The Taksu is $72 per night, or $90 per night for a fancier room. More than I wanted to pay. Does look good, though.

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I’ve just done an internet speed test here. Download speed is 5.46Mb/s, upload is 1.45Mb/s.

Holy smoke, my download speed at home is 1.3Mb/s, irregular, and upload is 0.2Mb/s. We are poorly served in Australia. Bali is 5x faster, even over wi-fi in a hotel, and it’s a smooth delivery.

ABC News report again: “Remember that the only merit of Turnbull’s ‘multi-technology mix’ (MTM) was that it would be cheaper to build, and arrive sooner. There was no question that it was technically inferior to the former Labor government’s mostly fibre-to-the-premises network, which then shadow communications minister Turnbull derided as a ‘Rolls-Royce’ option.

“The MTM network has blown out twice in projected cost – first, from $29.5 billion to $41 billion, and then last year to “up to” $56 billion. And instead of delivering 25 Mbps by 2016, now the MTM network isn’t expected to be finished until 2020 – only a year earlier than Labor expected to finish its rollout. NBN’s own chairman has admitted meeting this 2020 target will require a ‘heroic’ effort.”

Bloody Turnbull. He will go down in history as the man who crippled the NBN. I am angry. As this report says, Labor’s plan for fibre to the home was a nation building plan, and would have meant 100Mb/s for everyone. But we might get 25Mb/s, much later and at much greater cost.

Turnbull is a vain fool. He was convinced he deserved to be prime minister, but once he got there, he’s floundering. Meanwhile, he’s wrecked the NBN plan. I spit.

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I’ve just read the ABC News report about dogs being able to read humans’ facial expressions, even the most subtle that even other humans might not see.

About five years ago I was under great stress, and at the same time in severe pain. I was lying on my bed one afternoon, in huge distress but silent, I thought, silently groaning.

Minnie would normally not come into my bedroom for some reason, but this time she came into the room and lay down on the floor beside me. Obviously I was giving off some sign of my distress and she was there to support me. I was amazed. I loved that dog.

The taxi driver yesterday said he loves dogs and has one – he calls it Doggee. Good name.

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OK, all done. I went to look at the two contenders and the first one, the Praschita, looked nothing like the photos on the web. So much different that I’m not even sure I was at the right hotel. But they saw my notes and didn’t correct me. It was not good enough. Very traditional, but dark and not all that nice.

On to the other one, the Taksu. This is more like it. It’s a big multi storey modern hotel and very nice. I looked at three rooms and chose the last, a Superior Suite. It’s big, light toned, on the ground floor and has a terrace with table and chairs overlooking greenery and part views of the pool. Initial price was $90 per night, but when I told them 24 nights it came down to $75 a night. (For comparison, I’m paying $54, $57, $61 a night here, depending on dates, irrelevant now.) And I checked – if I need to, I can move again with no penalty. It’s a full service hotel, big restaurant, big public areas and bar, etc.

So I move over next Monday. Nyepi is Wednesday. I’ve read about it, and it seems there are big street celebrations the day before and the day after. Parades, puppet figures, water fights. Sounds good. Ogoh-ogoh, it’s called. Good stuff, I hope.

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I got the taxi driver to drop me at Hardy’s (dang, I just realised I forgot to get more DVDs.). I bought the latest Economist at Rp77,000 or A$7.70. It costs me $11 at home. It seems cheaper than I’ve seen it here before.

Then I was making the slow trudge home along Jl. Tamblingan, using my stick, when I became aware of someone talking to me. Blow me down, it was Wiwin on her motorbike. She’d seen me and stopped, but I didn’t recognise her at first with her helmet on.

We chatted briefly but she soon zoomed off, busy, busy. Even so, she said “Let’s catch up” so there’s hope for this old bloke yet 😉

What a handsome chap. Wonder who it is?

Rain, rain. Lots of it, last night, and now at 11am, for the past 90 mins. It’s OK, it’s bagus, they need it.

I had a swim first thing this morning, at 7.30am, and although it was nice, it’s going to be a big problem for me. First, the water is less than sparkling clean. You wonder what bugs are in it.

But my problem is getting in and, more seriously, out. There are no ladders, just platforms below the water level, like seats. The trouble is, the step down from the outer rim to the platform is about 45cm and my legs give way when I have to step down that far. I fall, into the water, of course, but it feels bad.

But getting out again … oh boy. I can sit on that underwater seat but I can’t stand up and step up with nothing to hold onto. My thigh muscles are too weak to lift me. So I got myself up sitting on the upper rim of the pool, stone tiles, and tried to stand. Cannot! There was a tree to hold onto, but I was twisted around resting on my left knee trying to pull myself up. I got there, but I’ve grazed my left knee on the tiles and skinned one toe. With all the mud and dirt, I’ve had to buy some antiseptic spray. Hope it works.

Same for the room. The upper floor bedroom opens to a balcony, but the actual solid part is about 45cm below floor level. You step out onto a vinyl seat cushion on a full length wooden seat. There’s nothing to hang onto. The railings are too far away. It looks very dirty and when it’s wet and slippery, no way, but it’s hard to do anyway. So, so far, no sitting on the balcony for me.

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Makan pagi at the Bali Bagus cafe on the street. American breakfast – four slices of toast, one multi grain, with heaps of butter, really cold lime juice, fresh fruit, two eggs, also on toast, bacon, mushrooms and Bali coffee for $4. Bloody marvellous.

I bought a 3XL T-shirt at a shop a few doors up, $25. This is a bit expensive. These are about the same prices as at home. I haggled her down from Rp300,000 but Rp250,000 was the best I could do. I was the first and only customer too.

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Oh, this laptop – I can’t see the cursor. Win10’s colour scheme lacks contrast and I keep losing the cursor. I’ve realised the screen is touch sensitive so I can point and tap, but I don’t like that much. As well, the mouse’s IR sensor is not very good and half the time the cursor won’t move. I might have to buy a different mouse.

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I got talking to a woman while sheltering from the rain and she was from Finland. She said temperatures were -20ºC at Xmas time. I told her about our five days above 40ºC. War stories.

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6.15pm: rain has stopped, to a beautiful afternoon.

I took a taxi at about 4.30pm to the Astana Pengembak hotel to ask to see a room. Not bad. The room is only one level, which is the point, but it’s only half the size of this place. But I simply can’t handle the stairs here. I’m taking my life in my hands every time I go up or down. I’ve nearly lost it a couple of times. It’s too dangerous to stay.

So I think I’ll move next Monday. I need to give this place decent notice, three days at minimum. I haven’t paid anything yet, so I have the whip hand.

The Astana is a bit isolated, down a narrow road off Jalan Danau Poso. At first I thought it was too isolated, given there’s no restaurant, but I got the very obliging taxi driver to circle around and show me the entry again. It’s OK, it’s about 200m from Jl. Poso and there are several restaurants, warungs and a shop or two there. It’s a fair way from the beach, at least 500m, but the pool at the hotel has ladders at each end so I can get out. Bagus.

It’s so quiet there that I wonder if I might risk hiring a scooter. A scooter is easier to ride than a motorbike and there’s little traffic in those narrow streets. Even Jl. Poso is pretty quiet.

The room feels a bit small, more like a normal hotel room, but the bathroom is big and has a normal shower cubicle, unlike here where you have to stand in a bath with a very wide rim. I don’t like that – it’s too easy to slip in a bath.

So, sorry S’cape, but I can’t continue here.

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The taxi driver reminded me that it’s Nyepi soon. Wah! I’d forgotten. It’s next Wednesday 9 March.

Nyepi, for non-Bali friends, is the annual day of silence. Complete silence. No lights, no music, no walking around. You have to stay at home and keep quiet, really quiet. Not even TV sound. You even have to be quiet turning the pages of a book. 😉  You can be visited by the local officials if anything is heard, as happened to someone I know a few years ago. No harm done, but it would be embarrassing. Even the airport shuts down. No flights in or out for 24 hours.

If I were an engineering person at an airport, a 24hr shutdown would be a godsend. Wow, 24hrs to do essential maintenance and changeovers that can’t be done at any other time. I wonder if the airport people negotiate with the religious people for special dispensation?

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Then I got the driver to take me to the Abian Boga hotel in Jl. Kesumasari, not far from Merta Sari beach, where I have a four night booking starting next Monday week 14th.

I asked to see a room, and ugh. It’s only A$27 a night with breakfast, but the room is dingy, dark and dirty. I couldn’t face it, so I’ll have to cancel that one. Nice location, but … Again, I haven’t paid anything up front.

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Jindalee Beach, my beach in Perth. (C) PJ Croft 2016

Then back to Hardy’s supermarket to buy some antiseptic wipes, among other small items. I’m always worried about picking something up here. It would be no fun to be laid low with an infected toe, for example.

Travel insurance: because I used my gold Visa card to make bookings, I was eligible for free travel insurance. I went through the application process and after a few questions about medical matters, they refused me medical cover. However, I’m covered for everything else, like theft and robbery and so on (drowning? alcohol poisoning?). It’ll do.

Bloody hell, I wonder if I’d be covered for slips on the glossy smooth floor tiles in Hardy’s. I always worry when I walk around in there. I’m so close to slipping.

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Then to the DVD shop to buy five movies for Rp50,000. That’s $5. Good value.

Then back to the taxi, Bluebird no.630, who had waited patiently for me, and back to where we started an hour earlier. Price, negotiated beforehand, Rp100,000 or $10. He was such a nice guy I gave him Rp50,000 extra for which he was very grateful. Crumbs, I’d just spent the same amount on DVDs which I’ll probably throw away after I’ve watched them.

HM Barque Endeavour off the Perth coast, with Rottnest Island in the background. 1989  The lens used was a cheap Vivitar 400mm, bought as recommended by Modern Photography mag, and it’s sharp enough to see the rigging lines. But I lost it in a burglary in 1991.  (C) PJ Croft 2016

Bromo Dawn 1989     (C) PJ Croft 2016

OK, I’m ensconced. Installed. Accommodated. I’ve arrived in Sanur, Bali, in the S’cape Condotel and after a tough walk up the road to a Circle K convenience shop, I’m sitting here at 7pm with a Guinness in hand. Nice.

I must admit I can immediately see why people said cleanliness leaves a bit to be desired in the reviews. Five star it is not. It looks old and in need of a renovation. Everything looks worn. It’s not seriously bad, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to continue here long term, which is what I thought I’d be doing.

The stairs are a real stumbling block, if you’ll pardon the pun. They’re wooden, which is good for grip, but fairly steep, and as I thought, there’s no hand rail, so I have to steady myself against blank walls until I reach the landing. This is a tight 90º turn and the steps get very narrow. I have to grab for the door frame to get up there. This is not good.

But the other problem is that some things I need upstairs, and they’re downstairs. Other things I need downstairs and I’ve left them upstairs. Grrrr. It’ll sort itself out, but I’m having to use the trackpad because I left the mouse upstairs and I don’t have the energy to go up again!

Another disappointment is that both TVs, upstairs and downstairs, are old 17″ CRT (tube) sets. As well, there’s a very restricted choice of programs from a normal TV antenna, i.e. no pay TV stuff, so no CNN or National Geographic etc., just Indonesian channels. There is a DVD player downstairs and I just happen to have brought a DVD with me, with two episodes of Silent Witness, so I’ll be OK for a while. Sob.

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The Air Asia flight up was uneventful, except that I was getting fed up with constant pushes and bumps against my seat back. It seemed a guy with long legs was kneeing my seat back, and he couldn’t keep still. The guy in front of me insisted on reclining his seat so that it was in my face, and likewise, couldn’t seem to stop moving around. Lucky it’s only 3¼ hours. I’ll try another airline next time, which is early May.

I have to do the May-June trip because I’ve pre-paid accommodation, but I suspect I may cancel out of the June-July trip. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I think I might be chasing something which isn’t there.

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I lost another 0,6Kg yesterday and I’m at my lowest weight in about 10-15 years. I credit it to the appetite suppressant effect of Byetta, the diabetes injection. It wouldn’t be for everyone – it’s not the nicest feeling, but it’s enabled me to cut my food intake in half, or less. I don’t have access to scales here so I’ll just have to try and be good.

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For my own interest as much as anyone else’s: 700ml Bintang $3.35; 700ml Guinness $4.85; Schweppes Tonic Water 330ml $0.80c; 1.5L mineral (purified, we hope) water $0.60c.; Nescafe in cans 250ml $1.25.

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Nearly forgot – I was worried about wi-fi reception here and bought a high sensitivity wi-fi amplified antenna last week to ensure I could get it in my room.

Well, of course, I forgot to bring it. As late as 0730 this morning I had it in my mind – “Grab the wi-fi antenna!” But I forgot it.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I don’t need it. The wi-fi is working fine, as you know, since I’m writing this piece.

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8.15pm: Oh, this is no good. I’ve just been up the stairs to sort a few things and I could hardly make it up. My legs just don’t want to carry me and I get a sharp pain in my right knee, nearly making it buckle. There’s nothing to hang on to!

I’m thinking that after I leave here in ten days to go to the “slum” (much cheaper) hotel for four nights, I might have to go to the other “condotel” that I’m booked into in May. Those are big self catering rooms, but they’re all at ground level. Same price as here, not as good a location, 1Km from the beach in South Sanur.

I should be able to cancel my second stint here (18-31 March) with no cost if I give more than three days’ notice, which I can do. I’ll think on it.