Monday 23rd October

Indonesian breakfast again for me; I’ve become quite a fan. It’s just so tasty – although I’m tempted to ask for it without the fried egg. It’s a chore to eat it, and yet I do, with difficulty.

Poor Tony is feeling a bit off today so Francois went diving alone with the instructor. Geoff, Jenny and Robin headed off to a local massage parlour and organised pedicures and massages. The place had only recently opened so they got discounts and had a fabulous time. Geoff and Robin shocked themselves with how much they enjoyed the pampering; normally associating it as being too girly. Pft!

We spent a bit of time researching what we would do in Java. Since Francois is off diving it’s the perfect time to plot and scheme our future fun activities, as he will not be joining us, instead having to return to reality slightly sooner than the rest of us. There’s talk that Geoff wants to climb a volcano and both himself and Tony have mentioned a turtle conservation beach. I’ve done zero research prior to this trip, so happy to go with the flow and will agree to pretty much anything.

Today we are joined by two girls who completed the Xi’an to Singapore trip with Tony and Lu. In a weird coincidence they booked to stay at Tri Jaya for a week, without knowing that’s where Tony and Lu were. It’s a very small world here, and we are all fans of Trip Advisor and its highly ranked accommodations. We met Amelia (Amy) and Jessica (Jess), and it turns out that they are identical twins. “Amy wears the jewellery, Jess is a vegetarian” is the introduction we receive. From the grimaced grin the girls give us I can tell that greeting is wearing thin, hehe! Still, it’s descriptive and helps identify them. I’m sure as the week goes on, their different personalities will shine through and we will have other ways of recognising them. But for now, “Amy wears the jewellery, Jess is a vegetarian”. And Amy does wear the jewellery! She’s bedecked in earrings, rings, and a foot bracelet; whereas Jess is devoid of any bling. Jess is a diver Tony proudly tells us. She’s going to try and complete her advanced Padi course here in Pemuteran. Tony is actually chomping at the bit to dive with her – like a proud dad. Tis very sweet.

Dinner tonight was steak and mashed potatoes. Poor Lu nearly cried when she saw my yummy mash. She’d wanted some last night. Mashed potatoes are her favourite food. I know this because she said so, multiple times during the meal while staring longingly at mine. Hands off missus!! Francois joined us after we had ordered our food. He had gone for a third dive today; a night one this time, he’s going to be floating back to the guest house. Completely zonked.