i have been a little remiss in posting pictures to shambolic lately, but have finally gotten round to doing the last two months. so, here are July and August respectively. my favourite (among many) is still the old Sasak woman from Lombok. captions?
I was lucky enough to be let off the leash for a night and a day last weekend to go and climb Bali's highest mountain - the sacred Gunung Agung. four days later, i'm still mesmerised by the experience...and my thighs have only just stopped abusing me at every step for cranking them up and down 2000m worth of hill . i went with some friends from the East Bali Project, ten of us in total: half Bule and half Balinese. i confess, i was a little paranoid about not having the right footwear, and so splashed out $30US on a pair of indonesian-issue hikers, only to see some of the group turn up in battered old converse cut offs. As it turns out, i was very needful of the heavy duty boots, especially on the way down when my knees conked out and it became more of a plunge than a descent. Only one of my converse-wearing friends made it, although all of us were fully shamed by the old women who passed us on the way up at about three in the morning, carrying a basket full of offerings and going barefoot! after failing miserably to get any sleep at Pura Pasar Agung on account of the local arak that was making the rounds, we set off at about twelve thirty...in the morning. we were the first group to really get underway on the mountain, and given the pace we managed, this was a sensible move. our 'guide' was Ardika, a friend of a friend who claimed to have made the climb four other times. within an hour of leaving the camp, his sandal broke in two pieces, and, when we couldn't fix it with some electrical tape, he decided to turn around and head back down.. it took another four and a half hours to reach the summit after that, with the last hour and a half…
trying to keep the signal to noise at a minimum, here are three semi-related news items. Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife, who has put up with me a good deal longer than i would have done (given a choice in the matter): 14 years in a conjugal capacity, longer if you count the years of prior goofing. to celebrate we had a slap up, six course dinner at what must be the nicest restaurant in Bali and are now completely cured of the need for food, wine, or exotic citrus fruits for the foreseeable. Happy Anniversary to those in my family that share the same date as Tash and I. Mom, Dad, Jeff, and Cyn: selamat ulang tahun pernikahan! and, on a slightly more upbeat note: i've lost my bloody phone. it bounced out of my pocket yesterday while riding the bike somewhere between here and there. here's my new number: jay-indo:+62 852 1358 0578 deliberately starving yourself before a big meal is not necessarily the greatest plan: 1) you can look a little too keen beforehand 2) you're drunk after the first drink and 3) your stomach gets the pregnancy treatment as you require it to triple in size and workload in the space of a couple of hours drunk on fumes: the deleterious effects of a chocolate martini Tash finds the transplanted monkey brain hilarious (it's actually a lime, dear)