Today was the day where is all unravelled. That is with Ash. We walked up the street to see if we could hire motorbikes, but place after place said they had run out of hire bikes and they kept telling us to keep walking up to the T Shop. We arrived at ‘T Shoppe’ to discover that motorbike rental was not allowed for foreigners without a motorbike licence. Steve showed his Victorian driver’s licence (just in case) but it was firmly rejected. So there we were standing outside T Shoppe without bikes for the day. Our assumption that any South East Asian country with a tourist beach would let its foreign visitors do about anything they wish to do was spun upside down.
Ash took the news quite badly. She was really disappointed about not being able to hire motorbikes to take a look around the island, and couldn’t keep it in any longer and demanded Charlie give her money back now (Charlie had kindly carried Ash’s spending money in her bag) and plainly refused to come along with us as we contemplated the day’s activities without hiring motorbikes. Ash stormed off from us, and Dacey decided to run after Ash. I think they ended up at Starbucks and purchased an expensive drink, while the four of us (Steve, me, Charlie and Billie) walked back up to a place called the Breakfast Bar for a cheaper version of food (and wifi connection). We met back up with the two lone rangers at the Adina Motel – and then it went from pretty bad to a lot worse. Ash was so angry, lashing out at everyone with a disgusting attitude and a very negative outlook. I couldn’t contain it any longer either and started to attack her – literally. I was imagining (like in the movies) that if I slapped her face it would all go away! Ha. So then it was just plain awful. Fighting, screaming, swearing, slamming doors. Steve was able to get Ash’s phone off her, which is the only currency she’ll obey and where we’ll have any chance of her listening to us at all.
On a better note, the rest of the day was spent down at the Cenang beach and the five of us went on a banana boat ride together in an attempt to change up the energy from the dark and dense energy that seemed to surround us all after the morning’s meltdown to clear, light and free. It was a fun ride, and a perfect way to lighten the mood. We got thrown off the banana boat three times with the sharp turns that the jet ski performed. It was lots of fun with the kids.
We all got a little too much sun too. It was the first day that the sun really appeared and we got a little scorched on the arms and face. So it’s covering up for the next couple of days.
We went up to a famous café called Nest Rooftop which is a rooftop breakfast and lunch café overlooking the main street that snakes along Cenang Beach. It was beautiful at sunset up there – mountains to the east, beach to the west. We will have to visit this place again and get some great scenery shots.
At night time the beach comes alive with tables and candles and fire shows. We watched as they transformed the beach into a romantic spread of tea candles and sand mats with small intimate tables, beanbags at another cocktail bar, and an amazing daredevil show of fire men who perform on a beach stage twirling flaming sticks around their bodies and throwing to each other over the top of onlookers sitting on the beach. It was a spectacle with a few open mouths watching the beach fire antics between the two young men with the smell of kerosene wafting up our noses.
We enjoyed Indian tandoori chicken with garlic naan bread and three sauces – one mild, one medium and one hot. It was delicious but Dacey found it a little too hot and asked for yogurt which came out in a bowl. All good with the cooling agent yogurt.
Another great night sleep, albeit for the rude wakeup call coming from Dacey’s iPad sitting on the lounge room table. Charlie said she was setting an alarm to go for a run, but that didn’t happen. I lay there thinking it must be her alarm but why wasn’t she pressing snooze?
All good as it made me get out of bed and venture out into the quietly waking morning streets on my own with camera in hand. The best time of the day.
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