When worlds collide - (the cute poppy Zara Larsson version)

what a long, but very wonderful 72 hours ....

for the poppy Zara Larsson version click here (when worlds collide), for those astute music and sport fans ... you may recognise her voice from Guettas' This One's For You UEFA ...

arrived in Borneo to find the guys waiting for me at the airport, they came in from Singapore, me from UAE through Bangkok.  The guys had hired a car, and declared me designated driver mainly due to my previous proclomations of my international driving prowess. Drove to hotel number one for our stay, met a few of the others attending the wedding, enjoyed one too many cocktails, and then came back to my little suite, and played pictionary (as most of you know my favourite party game), now introduced to many over the world, and no excuse not to play since the discovery of the pictionary app one night at Cimmaron, now makes this available whenever and wherever...

There were the usual arguments about who was going to partner who, and Max and I ended up joining forces, and dare I say, may come close to being declared my perfect pictionary partner, he does have close competition from two beautiful souls.

With a wedding a day ahead, we then started sharing stories about how we all know the bride and groom and how we all came to be in Borneo together to celebrate the guys.. 'when worlds collide'

I met (Z) many years ago sitting in Richmond Green London,  it was a beautiful day, I had just been to see a play at the Richmond Theatre, The 39 Steps, that had been adapted into a glorious musical, just at that Theatre.  (Z)  had just arrived and was working for a company in Richmond, doing a job she hated, until she could find one she loved.  I was staying in Sth Ken with Mon, it was my first two weeks in London, I fell in love with that play, and with Richmond, and decided to explore it further, I knew that day, that I would live in Richmond one day, (note here Richmond UK and Richmond Australia very very different). I bought some lunch and headed to the green, (a prawn roll, funny how I remember that so vividly now) and sat on the grass in the sun, as it happened right next to (Z), and we got chatting.  She was from Sth Africa, missing her boyfriend who was due to join her in 6 months, was not enjoying London, felt it was grey, hated her job.  I told her to quit, what she was doing she could do something more she enjoyed for the same money, we just connected, swapped details and that weekend, I hired a car and took her out of London, I had no idea where would go, I just decided to drive (a friend had once said to me, if you don't know where you are going just keep turning left) so I did, we drove to Bath, to Poole, through the New Forest one of the most magical places in the world (New Forest) ... we stopped just turning left at some point... as we had to go back to London.  I was also feeling a bit grey, at that time, and that weekend meant so much ... we have been friends since .... 

She moved back to Sth Africa a few years later, no longer with her boyfriend of the time, and I was lucky enough to work for a company in the UK that had a parent company in Sth Africa, the connections of which and my visits as a result, introduced me to many people, and after many steps ended up introducing (Z) to her now husband, and also ended up connecting me, so deeply to Singapore.... 

wow ...  that was long .... 

we all woke the next day, late and all very very hungover, with the wedding in a few hours, at the most amazing place ...  Borneo wedding venue

we arrived and went diving, now .. as you know, I love water at the best of times, even more on a hangover, this was not good ... and many of us had repercussions ....   on the boat and back on shore, despite that, we all decided to have cocktails before the ceremony ...  mmmmm ...  (Z) now a bit drunk leans over and shares that can't be arsed to 'look pretty just for everyone else' ... so I say, don't, it is your day, do what you want .... so 45 mins later, they were married, her hair wet, no makeup, no shoes, gorgeous dress, and she could not have looked more beautiful.

an amazing evening, in an amazing place with people from different worlds connecting ....  and even reconnecting .... to what individually matters ....  an electrical storm ended the night, with the biggest down pour ....  and guess what ...  my favourite thing ...  thunder, dancing lightning, and dancing in the rain ... Max did me proud x

after me screwing my flights, saint max took control, and rearranged me to Bali via Sinkers....  thank goodness, saved hours ... arrived late to hotel, airport transfer not there, found alternate ... oh my days ... not what I thought ... so, I checked out and spent an hour or so having a meal and finding a new place to stay ...

I also spent the time, tracking down my favourite person in Bali, that I have not seen 4 years, for those that know Bali, you will know how connected it is ... so after contact with some old italian friends, who got in contact with french friends, who got in contact with Irish friends ... Made was found .... 

I am now sitting in my Bali Villa, and move tomorrow to a new one, where I get to spend a few days with people I adore, (remember girlfriends, are sisters you choose), tomorrow I get to see one of my sisters.

Which brings me to today .... and brings this up to date ...

I have just spent the last 4 hours, thinking about the relationships I have, those I have been lucky enough to meet, those who touched my core, made a difference, those that matter, through worlds colliding ...  I am so bloody lucky .....

BTW - I did that, in my little private pool, completely naked except for the frangipanis in my hair ... (sorry for visuals, tres liberating) ..  beauty in simplicity - frangipani from my hair   ...    Only in Bali ....

Team V .... dying to see you ..... 

meeeeooowwwww xx  (that means I love you in kitten) ...

somewhere special from Camino, I have my eye on this (the future somewhere special)

Bali – part two .. travelling cookies !! Huh ?!

Friends from the UK arrived today, to stay at the Villa, I was sooo excited as I have not seen them for about 6 months …  I initially new and had a relationship with them separately before they got together, and now I know them as a couple ..

I love them both dearly, equally and it is amazing to see them together .. I have travelled with friends lots, and on my own ..  I have never travelled with these guys .. and I admit, I was a little nervous about how we would get along 24x7 for 7 days, especially as a couple and a single, I also know, I could only ever deal with me in short doses …  I should not have worried … I loved every minute … my family is sooo small and these guys have without question become family to me, they are my pseudo brother and sister …

Bali the first half .. volcanoes, rice paddies, Ubud, beaches and old flings ...

The first couple of days I stayed local … a visit to the beaches … Kuta / Seminyak / Legian ..  despite it being 30 degrees it is low season and I am struck by the lack of folk on the beach, the beaches are also oddly quite dirty and small, Kuta is famed for being a surf beach and full of Aussies … (and people trying to sell you stuff) yet .. I know this may surprise … from my days of old … Surfers / Torquay / Gunammata offer more beautiful beaches and much better surf …  I guess it is being able to say ‘I surfed Bali’ .. but if you are a real surfer I would stay Australia .. (bali beaches pics) and (kuta, seminyak & legian beach video)

Wandered from the Villa along the beach to Kuta, then cut through and spent some time at the Bali bombing memorial, makes me furious that this little island was bombed, I remember so clearly the emotion that Australia felt at the time, so many Australians visit Bali and Australia has provided Indonesia and especially Bali with so much investment, roads, schools, hospitals that Bali almost feels like an Australian island, I was very moved… 

Schapelle Schapelle are you home? Bali ..

Until I had my wee flat in London mid 2011, I worked out that in 4 years, I had only had 5 consecutive nights in 1 place 8 times … which makes for a lot of moving about … mainly through work … where I would usually do 3 nights one place and then 3 nights somewhere else … given by the time I arrived in Bali I would have had a few months of 2 night stays in hotels around the world … I opted for a Villa for the period, to have a base ..  I always say .. time by the pool but after a day get bored and usually run from one place to the next … I also new that that once I arrived back in Australia I would be racing around visiting folk and not have a chance for rest … 
 

Not a real fan of the Villa …  but the pool is great … and the privacy is nice, should have expected that I would have been bored though …  have not heard music or seen news for days, wifi not working and nor is the telly  so I can’t even play music through that … and post my tourist stuff I am alone with my thoughts … as you can imagine this sometimes is not a good thing …  !! No need for alarm… 

geckos are everywhere ..  the Villa is traditional Balinese .. only the bedrooms are indoors, so the kitchen, lounge and bathrooms are outside .. which means I regularly shower with geckos too !!  Poor friggin’ critters … video of the villa