Bali

The local monkeys however seem oblivious to the importance of Uluwatu temple in religious terms, realising the benefits of living in such an abode - there is easy food, fun and games to be made out of the visiting tourists who are invariably sucked in by their mischievous nature!

As we are caught back in the traffic again on our way home, we begin to ask ourselves why we bother having cars: 90% of the time it makes more sense to travel by boat! Certainly as we are pulled over once again by the traffic police for their little earner, we find our minds drifting back to the blissfulness of living and traveling on a boat in the way we did in Fiji. However, there is nothing quite like the space invader style of driving required to negotiate the Balinese roads. Bjorn had it pretty wired by the end - speed and aggression is key!

Medewi: a spot found far up the west coast is our mission today - local Olympic windsurfer 'Oka' is of the belief that this wave could be one of our better options for windsurfing. It does entail playing in the traffic again to get up there, but from what he tells us, it should be worth our while. The alarm sounds even earlier today - 5am!!!! We drag ourselves out of bed and hit the road for the two and a half hour drive north. It is worth it though, as we score glassy and perhaps most importantly uncrowded waves all morning. They are a little soft, but great for long, fun turns on some sizeable, smooth faces.

Now it's a waiting game - the set up looks good as the predominant wind direction is side shore and there seems to be a 'windy cloud' out to sea. Unfortunately though, today it's not to be, so we enjoy a Bali coffee and paddle out for yet another memorable surf before heading back down south again.

En route we pass endless road works, but not one machine. These have to be the most labour intensive road works that I have ever seen. The workers are earning pittance to work all day and often all night hacking away at cement with a pick axe - something in Europe that wouldn't be considered an option without a mechanical digger, and certainly never even so much as touched by hand. These men however do almost seem grateful for this opportunity to work hard and earn a little money, as this is a far better option than outright poverty and no job which is in reality the alternative. It is at moments like this that we really appreciate what we do and how relatively easy our lives are

A new day dawns and we find ourselves right over the other side of the island. This is 'Oka's territory'! The chance to sail starboard tack conditions with small slightly onshore waves could well be ours. Whatever happens the scene is a true picture postcard image of perfection - a long white sandy, palm fringed beach leading to a gentle turquoise lagoon, glinting in the early morning sun. Unfortunately once again, despite our efforts we are denied the session we are waiting for.

It is a chance to get better acquainted with Oka though, now a local hero through his Olympic class exploits. Apparently he is consistently in the top 3 in Asia in this class and certainly seems a character to say the least. Imagine the dark Balinese skin, with bleached blond hair and bright red Oakley sunglasses - a classic sight! He does have his feet firmly on the ground though, running his own windsurf school catering for the five star resorts in the area and an adoring wife and kid, avid supporters of his Olympic campaign. For a Balinese, he has an incredible quality of life.

Kuta is world renowned as an Aussie partying mecca, so we feel obliged to at least go and have a look, and at the end of the day we feel we've earned it put so much effort in during the day. The Hard Rock Café is the first spot we see - remarkably familiar surroundings but not exactly what we are looking for. Fortunately however, it starts to change on walking further down the strip as more varied slightly less 'international' establishments start to appear. Unfortunately though, there seems to be absolutely nowhere you can go and sample a bit of 'local' nightlife, as everywhere seems completely overrun by Aussies and European backpackers.