Countless people ask me how I travel on my own or what made me decide to go solo! I can only say, “in life, sometimes something happens, and it is only much later that we realize it happened for a reason.

Oodles of years ago, when I lived in Tenerife and was going through a rocky relationship with an Italian stallion. (the dictionary explains: – slang saying refers to a man regarded as virile and sexually active) yeah, well, the “Active bit. “He certainly was, but not only with me! I think that you will get my meaning?
The moment had arrived when I was sick to death because of this guy’s trouser zip working overtime with other women. Consequently, I jumped at the idea when my friend Stella suggested we visit Bali. a paradisiacal island in Indonesia. in those days, we were young and slightly “off the wall.” Hence, it was not unusual to do impulsive things.
Before we knew it, the plane landed at Denpasar (Ngurah Rai), the international airport south of Bali. Since we did not know a lot about the island (at least not at that moment), we headed to Kuta beach, which was initially a small fishing village. Today it is a touristy resort and extremely popular amongst the surfers due to the large waves hitting the coastline.

We found ourselves a charming resort with individual bungalows’ set amongst swaying palm trees and green lawns. After we had dropped off our bags, we made our way to the famous night strip and had our first taste of delicious Indonesian food. I adore eating! So, indulging in the different cuisines of the countries I travel to is my preferred pastime.When we returned to our bungalow, we encountered hundreds of tiny, bright green frogs sitting on the grounds. They were all croaking at once and added an exceptional and unforgettable sound to our stunning surroundings. I quite like frogs! one of my exes looks somewhat like a frog! However, that is another story!The very next morning, we decided to hire a four-wheel drive to go around the island and explore. as I had forgotten to bring my driver’s license, naturally, Stella had to do all the paperwork in her name. (I mention this as you will discover, it is an anecdote for later on in this tale)We headed off in the direction of Ubud, situated in the centre of Bali. Ubud is a beautiful town and very far removed from the maddening crowd of Kuta. It is considered the cultural hub of the island. Some of you will most probably know this location due to Elizabeth Gilbert, the novel’s author, “eat, pray, love”, where she based the last part of her story. Apart from the fact that back in 1990, Mike Jagger from the group “Rolling Stones” married the model Jerry Hall in this beautiful town.I love Ubud! Put it on your list if you have not been there You will never guess where we stayed! at a place called “frog pond inn” (the frogs are everywhere on this island. Which is rather unfortunate since I didn’t want to remember Frogface, alias Unbelievably, after all these years, the hostel with the croakers included is still there. I have just checked, and it is still as good. The reviews are excellent.We spent a couple of days exploring the place. Naturally, we visited the famous monkey forest! They are not my favourite animals at the best of times. But one should make an effort to visit these places, otherwise what would be the point of travelling?

After we left Ubud, the pair of us headed to the famous Lovina Beach and booked into a beautiful beach hut. The first day was great because we visited the “Batur natural springs.” an incredible place in the middle of the jungle where you could imagine Tarzan come flying through the trees at any moment. For a few hours, I felt like Jane relaxing in the warm waters. Sadly, the much-awaited jungle king didn’t appear.The following day Stella and I decided it was time to visit the beach. Now let me tell you a bit about my friend. Stella comes from a very classy family and has even been to Buckingham palace to take tea with the queen. On passing, I will mention that the furthest I ever got to tea at Buckingham Palace was when I stood outside the gates with a well-worn flask containing our national drink. Back to Stella. She doesn’t need to work since her adorable parents set up a trust fund for her. the interest pops into her bank account every month. Stella is intelligent, laid-back, has a beautiful face, a lovely speaking voice and is disgustingly overweight! Added to all that, she is the female version of the Italian stallion in Tenerife. men are her number one recreation, and she will let you down at the drop of a hat if some male appears on the scene. (stupidly, I had forgotten this minor detail regarding my friend when I agreed to the trip to Indonesia.) ok, now you are in the picture regarding Stella, I will continue.It was marvellous to be lazing peacefully on the Lovina beach and to observe the locals splashing around in the water. Suddenly she jumped up, gathered her towel, and walked off to another part of the beach to sunbathe. I must admit that I did think this was rather odd! But I wasn’t too fazed.  I casually looked to where my friend was, and behold; she was chatting with one of the natives. I will put you even more in the picture. The local men of Indonesia are usually small, dark-skinned and skinny. Not my idea of drop-dead gorgeous, irresistible hunks!  But It wouldn’t do for us all to have the same taste.The next thing I knew, Stella was returning with the Balinese boy plus a friend who sported very long hair.I wondered why two of them needed to take us, but nit-wit here gamely agreed. Stella asked me if I would like to go snorkelling with the boys! since I had never snorkelled in my life, it occurred to me that it would be an excellent opportunity to try. So, off the four of us went, to see what laid beneath the sea.There we were, sitting in this little boat while the boys rowed away from the shore. I noticed that Stella was very friendly with the guy who had spoken to her on the beach. It was then that the penny dropped. Holy hockey sticks! she was making a beeline for this fellow, and a long-haired guy was to get off with me! I couldn’t believe it, and I was furious. I hadn’t come to Bali to find a man or with due respect had I come to get laid by a local. I might mention that when backpacker granny gets mad! she shows it! I own up to having been very unfriendly on that boat. I secretly loved the underwater swimming, but for the rest, oh dear God, I couldn’t wait to get back to shore.Ha, it didn’t end there. Then the boys suggested we take a trip to view the dolphins the following day. Remember, we lived in Tenerife, where dolphins are swimming rife in the ocean. Why in the world would I want to watch a load more darned dolphins? (excuse me, dear dolphins, but I have seen loads of you fellows) of course, Stella immediately said she would go. in all honesty, it wouldn’t have mattered in the least, but the following day was my birthday. I know without any doubt that I would never leave a friend on her birthday. I wouldn’t care two hoots how attractive the man was. And at the end of it all! What girl wants to spend her confounded special day on her own?To cut a long story short, my so-called friend disappeared early in the morning of my natal date. She left some poxy present on the bed and didn’t appear until the next day. To cap it all, when she returned, she informed me that she was staying in Lovina and that I could take the car back to Kuta. I was stunned that she could be so irresponsible about the car and me driving it without insurance. I mean, what a selfish b….h! I ended by telling her to take a long walk off a very short pier.I consider myself a competent and confident driver. However, on this occasion, I was petrified that something would happen on the return to Kuta. I was in a strange country where I knew the laws were very different to ours in Europe. I had visions of having an accident and being slung into some ghastly cell with no one to help me. And of being raped by local inmates who I didn’t even fancy! Amazing how fear will make the imagination work overtime! I could see the headlines “British woman disappears in Bali, last seen rowing out to sea with two undernourished males and one extremely over nourished female”.I returned to my destination, driving at approximately two miles per hour. the other drivers probably thought I was just another one of those foreign idiots. That hadn’t a notion of how to man oeuvre a vehicle. I did have the chance to lap up the incredible beauty of the scenery with the greenest of green rice paddies. Under other circumstances, I would most probably have stopped at several places. Sadly, I was too concerned about returning the car safely.Fortunately for the rest of the inhabitants and myself, I arrived at my destination in one piece.  The car was intact, and so was I. now came the moment of finding somewhere to stay and going it alone.I am pleased to say I found a fantastic hostel; I ate alone, went to the beach alone, explored alone. And do you know what? I positively enjoyed it. That newly found state of total independence was indescribable.Yes! I was doing everything alone! Oh, alright, let me be honest here! One day, between you and me, while savouring the Balinese coffee, I met this magnificent specimen of a male! Nope, he wasn’t a local! he was a dazzling Dutchman. Now, as any self-respecting woman will tell you, there are some things in this life that you cannot possibly do alone! Well, ok, you can, but it just isn’t the same! Enough said.

Can you believe we are still friends today? No, no, no! he is not the one that looks like a frog! Never in a million years. Suffice to say, “solo travelling is just the best!”  thank you, Stella, for showing me the way.