Day 21: Canggu by Matt

We awoke after a peaceful night's sleep in the aptly named Calmtree Bungalows and stepped across the small but manicured garden for breakfast. We opted for muesli, granola (Simi's standout winner, with mango yoghurt) and omelette, orange juice, tea/ coffee and lots of fruit included.

Fed, watered and with a few cafes and shops on our hit list we headed out onto the streets of Canggu. We were expecting it but even still the amount of traffic, especially scooters, on the narrow roads, with rough or non-existent pavements, was overwhelming.

We bee-lined to a coffee shop called The Goat Father we'd spotted last night, selecting a couple of iced coffees with fancy ingredients such as Himalayan pink salt and maple. Despite the pretentiousness, they were delicious and the cool vibes typical of the cafe scene here. I used the washroom, accompanied by a Macy Gray tune, and we moved on.

We perused a few shops, navigating the traffic and occasionally having to cross the road, which required nerves of steel. At one point the pavement completely disappeared and we found ourselves totally immersed in wall to wall motorbikes. Unsurprisingly, no one really walks anywhere here, opting to hire a bike or get a lift on one.

The long, long main roads head down to the beach, where we eventually found ourselves. With many popular surfing spots, catering for different skill levels, we chose to head for Batu Bolong, known for it's beginner friendly breakers. Picking one of the more established surf shacks, Dian's, they suggested we return later in the afternoon when the waves wouldn't be so big.

Warily navigating the streets, we made our way to Milk and Madus for lunch, somewhere Eashan had picked out. Simi had a corn fritters and poached egg dish, Eashan a tofu poke bowl, Millen a meatball sub and I had a BLT with avocado (BLAT). All very delicious, presented with panache and vibey decor to match.

After a bit more shop crawling and but-clenching kerb clinging, we paused to grab some drinks at another cafe on our list, Copenhagen, more Skandi minimalist unsurprisingly. We decides to eschew the 30 min walk to the surf shack and do what everyone else does, grab a scooter ride. How hard could it be? We'd even seen a guy with his dog at the front, paws resting on the handlebars. The dog was wearing sunglasses, I kid you not.

Eashan went first, hopping on the back with delight. I went next, rather more nervous. My lady driver was so short I had a perfect, if not quite wanted, view of the traffic chaos unfold before us. Of course, she was an expert and safely delivered me to the beach. Millen was close behind whilst Simi chose to direct hers to the hotel pool and milkshake alternative.

We handed over our million rupiah (about £40), donned rash vests and began our surf instruction on land on the board. Down, then up 1,2,3 onto your feet into a surfing pose, then back down to do it again, repeat. It felt like a drill sergeant demanding burpee after burpee. Finally he was satisfied with my form, the boys instructor too, and we headed out into the Indian Ocean surf.

After half an hour of mainly paddling out, often to be pushed back by the breakers, I'd maybe successfully stood up on about half of 6/7 attempts. I was starting to feel exhausted but he then told me he was impressed with my fitness, so I couldn't tell him! I showed him my Ironman tattoo instead, which prompted a chat about that and marathons, which his wife seems to have done lots, and gave me a much needed breather. He even told me he'd visited London 10 years ago and ice-skated at Somerset house! I managed to see the boys catching some waves nearby, but it was busy and our 3 instructors worked hard to keep us clear of others.

After about an hour in the water, I caught one last wave and surfed right into the beach, closely followed by Eashan and Millen, who promptly declared his enjoyment despite his initial reticence. All in all huge fun, hard work and great value, considering the 1-2-1 teaching in the water. The boys now considered themselves seasoned surfers, me not so.

Some of the men on the beach had cameras, with huge lens, and sure enough we were shown some photos we could buy. They were actually very impressive shots and we had a good laugh at eachs others board poses, especially mine. The boys weren't that bothered, and they weren't that cheap (£10 per set) so we just got mine for entertainment value.

The 3 of us walked along to Echo beach to catch the sunset and met up with Simi. Feeling rather drained, sandy and thirsty, Eashan and I popped back to the hotel, sharing a scooter ride, for a quick dip in the pool, shower, fresh clothes and a cold beer. Rejuvenated, we reunited with the other 2 for dinner at Penny Lane, very boho chic, with lots of greenery covering the walls and roof, a fountain in the middle and a toilet people seemed to be queuing up to take photos in front of.

We found ourselves sharing a table with a solo kiwi traveller. Millen struck up a conversation with him, learning about his adventures and self reliance. We couldn't help but think of Arushi, now embarked on her own solo trip, and hope she won't be sat in restaurants by herself too much!

Concerned thoughts aside, and convincing ourselves that she'll be fine, we ate our huge and satisfying burgers, Simi a Super Food Salad, which really was super and included some very tender chickpeas.

As Eashan's market stall bag had given up the ghost (and all it's zips) in KK, we'd been shopping around for a decent holdall, victim to the by the buy cheap buy twice principle. We'd settled on a genuine Quicksilver one and picked it up on the way back, I also got a fancy pair of 'amphibean' shorts.

Canngu is full of shops, of varying quality, some fake, some real, lots of surf gear, jewelry, handbags, t-shirts, phallic bottle openers, pharmaceuticals, trainers, and much, much more. It's a shoppers paradise, though finding what you're looking for ,and then usually having to barter to get a good price, is exhausting. There was so much more we could have bought, ate and done, including Pilates, yoga and even F45. Millen decided he could live here quite happily.Læs mere