So, the next morning (I'm writing this from Gili Trawangan - awesome little island where currently there's some nice kind of fire on the beach - the intentional kind. Zoe and I, however, are going to order room service and watch a DVD :) ) So, the next morning Zoe got up at something hideous like 7am to go to the Yoga BARN (I got the name wrong in the last post I think) to do some yoga, suprisingly. I did not get up. I got up when breakfast arrived, ate my nice pancake, Zoe returned and went to sleep, so I went for a wander down the street and took some photos (see above).
On my return I woke Zoe up when I got back, or soon after - it was time to go back to the Art Museum for my painting lesson. The old man, called Pendet (I Wayan Pendet), appeared and I think partly because of time, but partly, it seemed, because of frequently being confronted by people less...like me...said 'I think your imagination will not be enough, so here are some sketches' (for me to fill in). I did not want to do a paint by numbers - although if I had we'd've got further and I'd have learnt more from him about painting - so I said if it was ok I would copy one (it was nice to have a stimulus for the imagination). I copied it, and then thought it looked a bit blank at the top, so I asked if I could add some tree branches and leaves falling. So then we were away - Pendet suggested (and drew for me) adding some rice fields, and then suggested I draw some trees - small trees, as they were far away. He then corrected my attempt (which I thought was ok!) at copying his picture. It was better his way...I think.... And after that he taught me how to do shading to make the painting look 3D. Using charcoal and water to make ink, an 'ink' paint brush, which you'd use down the edge of something, and then quickly go down and add water using another brush to blur it in. I was again a tourist attraction - we were sat doing this in the lobby, and quite a few people who were coming to the gallery stopped and looked at what we were doing. Good fun, and I'm pleased with the picture - although we ran out of time, even though he kindly went 15 minutes over. And then he showed me his painting that is in the gallery - it's an elephant made up of several women. Golden tones and pinkish tones; I liked it.
Then I went to the Yoga Barn to join Zoe for some Tibetan gong therapy. I was early (because I allowed time to get lost, and had to register) so I then sat and read Good Omens (Pratchet and Gaiman) in this kind of wicker seating area with cushions and the like, surrounded by water full of fish, frogs chirping and the like. Sitting there amongst all that and reading an awesome book was pretty good therapy, but the gong therapy was good too. When the man walked near you with the gong the vibrations rushed through you like pulses (with the higher frequencies), or sort of rolled over you like a wave. I don't know if my chakras are sorted now, but it was a good experience, and I do think that we have physiological responses to sounds. Only problem was my hectic little mind wouldn't shut up. But then, it never does :)
In the evening we went...somewhere for dinner. We were going to go to this place called Rendesvousdoux (spelling there is inexact), as it was supposed to have films playing on loop about the history of Bali and, at times, live music. But we couldn't find it. The place we went to was, from what I remember, quite brightly coloured. (I'm afraid I don't have a very good visual memory.) The strange thing about it was we were sitting there, with Zoe managing quite well at not being embarrassed by my inability to eat my noodles without getting juice all over myself and having to slurp them up, when a family came to sit down. I thought I recognised the two boys, but decided I couldn't because I hadn't taught English kids of that age. Then, twenty minutes of slurping and mess later, I heard them speak French. And I think I heard 'Prof'. I still have no idea of their names, and still almost can't quite believe it, but this was two students who, I think, I must have taught in Avignon (literally just working it out by their ages). The dad looked mildly grumpy - I guess because I hadn't said hello? But I wasn't sure enough to do so. I did, however, risk a half-muttered 'Bonjour' as I left, and I sort of caught the dad's eye. Weird. But what do you do? Should I have come over? And said, 'Hello children. I think I have taught you. I can't remember your names or even particularly what you were like except you, younger one, I have a feeling you were a little tyke, and you, slightly older one, my feeling is you were a bit of a knob.' I think I went for the best option.
Next day (today) we got up at 5.30. Oh Dear God. Had breakfast, and then were taken on a drive where the main intention seemed to be not to stop (for example going onto the slip road type bit when there was a traffic jam). It was perfectly safely done - impressively so - but various laws of the road were ignored. Plus the usual load of narrow and steep and half-finished roads. The person picking us up also picked up two other groups, and we sat in silence (of course), squidged in, for the couple of hours it took us to get to Padang Bai (I think). Must write down names of places/look them up.
Then we dumped our luggage in pile B on the street, queued to show our tickets to the man sitting at a desk in the pub, got on the boat, were on that for a couple of hours (and occasionally the water splashed over the top of the boat, but it was ok, because we it was covered over) - the group of Italians, adults but still rowdy (nicely rowdy - I might say bouyant) sang us a few songs, and we climbed around the edge of the boat, onto its front (prow?) and then down the ladder and onto Trawangan (Gili Island). My thanks to the Australian who gave me a hand up onto the prow. I read for a bit, had a rather long nap and now I've just ordered room service - another first for me! It's all about the new expe
On my return I woke Zoe up when I got back, or soon after - it was time to go back to the Art Museum for my painting lesson. The old man, called Pendet (I Wayan Pendet), appeared and I think partly because of time, but partly, it seemed, because of frequently being confronted by people less...like me...said 'I think your imagination will not be enough, so here are some sketches' (for me to fill in). I did not want to do a paint by numbers - although if I had we'd've got further and I'd have learnt more from him about painting - so I said if it was ok I would copy one (it was nice to have a stimulus for the imagination). I copied it, and then thought it looked a bit blank at the top, so I asked if I could add some tree branches and leaves falling. So then we were away - Pendet suggested (and drew for me) adding some rice fields, and then suggested I draw some trees - small trees, as they were far away. He then corrected my attempt (which I thought was ok!) at copying his picture. It was better his way...I think.... And after that he taught me how to do shading to make the painting look 3D. Using charcoal and water to make ink, an 'ink' paint brush, which you'd use down the edge of something, and then quickly go down and add water using another brush to blur it in. I was again a tourist attraction - we were sat doing this in the lobby, and quite a few people who were coming to the gallery stopped and looked at what we were doing. Good fun, and I'm pleased with the picture - although we ran out of time, even though he kindly went 15 minutes over. And then he showed me his painting that is in the gallery - it's an elephant made up of several women. Golden tones and pinkish tones; I liked it.
Then I went to the Yoga Barn to join Zoe for some Tibetan gong therapy. I was early (because I allowed time to get lost, and had to register) so I then sat and read Good Omens (Pratchet and Gaiman) in this kind of wicker seating area with cushions and the like, surrounded by water full of fish, frogs chirping and the like. Sitting there amongst all that and reading an awesome book was pretty good therapy, but the gong therapy was good too. When the man walked near you with the gong the vibrations rushed through you like pulses (with the higher frequencies), or sort of rolled over you like a wave. I don't know if my chakras are sorted now, but it was a good experience, and I do think that we have physiological responses to sounds. Only problem was my hectic little mind wouldn't shut up. But then, it never does :)
In the evening we went...somewhere for dinner. We were going to go to this place called Rendesvousdoux (spelling there is inexact), as it was supposed to have films playing on loop about the history of Bali and, at times, live music. But we couldn't find it. The place we went to was, from what I remember, quite brightly coloured. (I'm afraid I don't have a very good visual memory.) The strange thing about it was we were sitting there, with Zoe managing quite well at not being embarrassed by my inability to eat my noodles without getting juice all over myself and having to slurp them up, when a family came to sit down. I thought I recognised the two boys, but decided I couldn't because I hadn't taught English kids of that age. Then, twenty minutes of slurping and mess later, I heard them speak French. And I think I heard 'Prof'. I still have no idea of their names, and still almost can't quite believe it, but this was two students who, I think, I must have taught in Avignon (literally just working it out by their ages). The dad looked mildly grumpy - I guess because I hadn't said hello? But I wasn't sure enough to do so. I did, however, risk a half-muttered 'Bonjour' as I left, and I sort of caught the dad's eye. Weird. But what do you do? Should I have come over? And said, 'Hello children. I think I have taught you. I can't remember your names or even particularly what you were like except you, younger one, I have a feeling you were a little tyke, and you, slightly older one, my feeling is you were a bit of a knob.' I think I went for the best option.
Next day (today) we got up at 5.30. Oh Dear God. Had breakfast, and then were taken on a drive where the main intention seemed to be not to stop (for example going onto the slip road type bit when there was a traffic jam). It was perfectly safely done - impressively so - but various laws of the road were ignored. Plus the usual load of narrow and steep and half-finished roads. The person picking us up also picked up two other groups, and we sat in silence (of course), squidged in, for the couple of hours it took us to get to Padang Bai (I think). Must write down names of places/look them up.
Then we dumped our luggage in pile B on the street, queued to show our tickets to the man sitting at a desk in the pub, got on the boat, were on that for a couple of hours (and occasionally the water splashed over the top of the boat, but it was ok, because we it was covered over) - the group of Italians, adults but still rowdy (nicely rowdy - I might say bouyant) sang us a few songs, and we climbed around the edge of the boat, onto its front (prow?) and then down the ladder and onto Trawangan (Gili Island). My thanks to the Australian who gave me a hand up onto the prow. I read for a bit, had a rather long nap and now I've just ordered room service - another first for me! It's all about the new expe
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