Island life

There’s something about being on a tiny little island that gives you a sense of at ease, I don’t really know what it is or how to describe it but there’s just always something different about my attitude and approach to things when on these tiny little islands dotted around Asia.
I’ve spent two days on Gili Trawangan and what a beauty it is – granted it is now bustling with young tourists looking to party the night away but that doesn’t take away it’s beautiful blue waters, fresh light sands and chilled back way of life. But if you’re looking for a quieter more peaceful get away I would suggest Gili Air or Gili Memo – unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit all three this time round.

The journey itself from the Bali mainland to the islands is rather long and tedious – not so much due to distance but to a lack of coordination and organisation on behalf of the company. You spend a lot of time waiting around for the right bus, the right boat and then for the boat to finally get going or to have a place to park. After a bumpy start with my accomodation I was finally checked in, refreshed and ready to hit the beach! I indulged myself with a luxury massage with a sea view and settled in for a relaxing evening! 

    
   
I had an early start the next morning to visit the local dive site named Manta Point – although oddly no mantas in sight! We saw around 6/7 white tipped reef sharks and a turtle just chilling (doing what turtles do best), a few box fish as well as the cast of nemo and my all time favourite – the parrot fish! 

We got back on the boat and were asked what was our spirit fish, many people answered with a shark because they were misunderstood or a turtle because they just wanted a chilled life and when it got to my turn I decided I would be the parrot fish and my logic is that the parrot fish hasn’t quite decided what it wants to do yet in life so instead it’s just a mix of every colour possible!

I’ve got in the risky habit of indulging in an afternoon nap but luckily I woke up in time to head over to the other side of the island for sunset – and what a beauty it was! On my walk over it was cloudy but thankfully they broke just in time for the sun shine through as it got lower – perfect picture time on the famous Gili T swings! 

    
    

 
I’ll be honest I’m no better than every other tourist and my travel dreams are often influenced by magical movies, fancy magazine pictures or luxury Instagram posts – the reason Bali made it into my mind and onto my bucket list was the movie (and book – which is much better!) Eat, Pray, Love and as if by magic it was playing on the outdoor beach cinema screen! What a perfect way to enjoy an evening in Bali!

Proudest moment for a long time

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…. I AM OFFICIALLY DIVE CERTIFIED!!!

It was touch and go at many times and I definitely wondered whether I would complete it or not after the first day in the ‘pool’ but the minute I was actually diving and skills sets were out of the way I went back to being the natural I knew I was.

I spent the two days with Darius, a fantastic instructor – also from Melbourne and he expertly gave me the confidence to remove the full mask, alone, without any panicking by the 4th dive. Check me out…!

On the 2nd dive we watched a tranquil turtle cruise past us and on the 3rd dive we found another who I managed to high five (definite bucket list item).

The struggle goes on

Why I thought I could handle a heavy night on Phi Phi before hours of diving theory at 7am I do not know – it was one stupid decision!

Luckily I made it through the mornings theory without suffering too much pain but when it came to the afternoon skills session in the ‘pool’ it was a whole different story… First up was our 200 metres swim, definitely making me realise I need to get a gym membership next semester then a ten minute floatation. All in all it wouldn’t have been too bad if I hadn’t have had a massive lunch about 20 minutes before getting into the water. I had to get out and cool off before I could even think about starting to conquer the mask fear.

Eventually I made it back into the water but not for long… I attempted the “full skill set” but soon had to sit down again feeling ill. I can retrieve my regulator just fine, apparently I have more control over what I swallow than what I breathe which is pretty much the same on land too. It’s also the fact that it doesn’t hurt if you swallow sea water, no it doesn’t taste great but that’s the only discomfort whereas when water goes up your nose and is breathed in it can cause a lot of discomfort!

During one of my breaks on the surface I contemplated with the idea of not bothering again, thinking if I still can’t do it now I never will but thankfully I gave it one last shot…

By the end of a very long skills session in the pool I had managed to complete the full skills set once and celebrated with an underwater hug from my instructor, Nelly.

Finally I can retire to my bed for a well deserved nap!

Conquerring fears….. On a hangover

If I was asked what is the main thing I have learnt at university it would not be differential equations, the capital asset pricing model or even the marketing mix. It would be something far simpler than that – in a nutshell it extends from problem solving. But not in any form of plans or methods, instead simply in the way you view or approach a problem.

I have learnt that by viewing something as a ‘problem’ or inability instantly creates a bubble of negativity around it. If instead you view the supposed obstacle as a challenge, or something that needs to be fixed or achieved I find it can often give me the courage or motivation to succeed.

Now what does any of this have to do with Koh Phi Phi?
On the first day we arrived I wanted to make the most of being here so I booked myself on a afternoon to sunset trip which took us around the different bays of the Phi Phi islands (including the infamous Maya Beach) and after watching the sunset we went swimming with the illuminous night plankton. Well this was the plan.

Despite the fact we went to the islands currently in dry season it rained after a while for almost the whole afternoon. And when I say rained I mean hailed, with a bit of lightening towards the end. But we didn’t let that dampen our spirits.

First up was a jump off of a cliff similar to this, although I didn’t realised we’d have to pull ourselves up the cliff first. The guys seemed to get up there much faster and which much less whimpering but almost all of the girls gave a little squeal in panic of not knowing where to put your foot/hand next. When it came to my turn I thought – SHIT! I cannot do this, it was pretty much completely vertical with very few ledges or handles but I kept saying to myself if someone else has done it so can I and that is when I told myself to stop thinking ‘I can’t do this’ and instead think ‘how am I going to do this’.

Luckily I am more flexible than I realise (now I’ve recovered from the elephant riding) ad I made it to the top – now I just had to jump.

But again, if I managed to climb all the way up I HAVE to be able to jump (also not sure if there was even another way down!) so 3…2….1 and off I went! In the momentum of jumping I managed to stop filming on my gopro so unfortunately didn’t get any good footage but I have a nasty bruise on the thigh from a funny landing to mark my achievement.

In this new frame of mind and with adrenaline running high I’ve decided to tackle my scuba diving qualification again. I first attempted it when I was about 18 after diving once or twice before. Ever since I can remember I have really struggled with holding my breathe underwater, resulting in not being able to stay underwater without holding my nose. Back then I didn’t have the motivation I needed to overcome my fear at that point. But today is a different story. I have completed many dives since then and I know the certification is worth it, I also now know that any ‘problem’ is just a challenge really. And this is a challenge I am attempting to achieve over the next three days. Wish me luck!