I always hate this day, my last day in Bali.
Knowing that everything today will be the last. The last sunrise, the last breakfast, the last sunset, the last this, the last that. I just can't help but feel more than a little sad that it's all coming to an end too soon.
I've spent months getting excited about coming here again, getting on this forum, planning all sorts of things to do, places to see, people to meet and restaurants to visit, etc.etc. only for it to be all over 'in a heartbeat'.
When I board that plane tonight and head back home to the real world it will be with a heavy heart, because I've fallen in love with Bali all over again, and I'm going to miss her terribly.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to waste my last day wallowing in pity. I've still got a few boxes I have to tick and the Spirit Cafe is one of them.
We spend the morning after breakfast relaxing around the pool and generally taking it nice and slow.
Unfortunately we haven't scored a late check-out as someone else has taken our room for this evening. The kids managed to keep their room at the Respati until 9pm so we planned to take our luggage over there.
After packing our cases and settling our account, all the staff and little Cynthia come out the front and wave goodbye to us as we drive off. Gede offers to pick us up later from the Respati and take us to the airport. He's been so very good to us.
We go down to the beach to find the 'beach girls' and give them a big bag of hotel soaps and shampoos that we've been saving for quite some time now.
The boys are having a dip in the pool and the girls have gone off to the markets.
I decide to let Suli and Ayu give me a nail job and a bit of a massage. The last time I did this, I made the mistake of nodding off for a few minutes and awoke with nail polish on my tootsies. Everything runs smoothly this time.
Mary and the kids (minus Matt) eventually find me and we decide on lunch. I know exactly where we're going......Spirit Cafe and my long overdue encounter with BloodyRon.
As we approach the Spirit Cafe I notice a group of 5 people (4 men and a woman) at a long-ish table with bench seats. Something tells me they're not tourists and we take a table on the other side. I position myself so that I've got a good view of their table.
There is some live music today as a couple of guitarists take us through some familiar tunes.
The waitress comes over with menus and we order drinks. I notice that these guys are taking beers out of an esky they've brought along, although I note that it's not red......it's gotta be him, and I go up to the waitress at the bar and ask her to quietly and discreetly point out Ron, which she does.
I go back to our table......Yep! He's here I tell them, and they all look around at once at Ron's table. I cringe.
"Well, aren't you going to go and say g'day?" they keep asking me.
"Yeah, of course I am......I'm just picking my moment"
I check them all out carefully. All four of them look like they could handle themselves in a front bar. Lots of tattoos and 3 day growth and a table-top full of empty beer bottles.
Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.
Mary and the kids are starting to stir me up, "Go on......say g'day".
I'm saved by the bell as our food comes over.
I'm more than a little nervous. I've stood him up and the words out.
Come on Skiggy, what's the worst that can happen, I say to myself.
If you don't say g'day you'll regret it forever and he'll probably flame you at every opportunity on the forum when you get back.
I stand up.
"Well here goes, wish me luck" and I slowly make my way to where they're sitting.
As I approach, they all look up simultaneously.
"Ron?" I ask.
"That's me"
I hold out my hand.
"I'm Skiggy...nice to meet you Ron. Sorry about standing you up the other day".
"Ah, no worries. Nice to meet you" and he shakes my hand.
A very relieved Skiggy then tells him the story about Matt and all the dramas that kept me away that day.
He tells me that he even got a few mates to come down that day and they waited for me.
I apologise again.
He offers me a beer which I respectfully decline.
We talk for a while.
"Well, it was nice meeting up with you Ron but I have to get back to my table"
and I shake his hand.
About an hour later, the girls have a massage appointment at Ayu Spa and we walk past Spirit Cafe again. Ron's still there.
The girls go on ahead as I stop and say g'day again. This time I offer to buy a round of beers and we talk some more.
This time he introduces me to the rest of the table including a nice chap called Crow who seems to be the side-kick they constantly pick on.
We finish at Spirit Cafe and I walk with them back along the beach promenade past the Bonsai Cafe where Crow declares his thirst and we call in for another round of beers. I guess we managed to do the shortened version of the SkigRon tour after all.
I have my camera and take some fun shots of us all at the bar, and some magnificent dusk photos of the volcano Gunung Agung rising through the clouds on the other side of the bay.
I bid farewell again as it's getting quite dark.
and we have a plane to catch.