Just like that

And just like that my holiday is over and real life has recommenced.

We stepped off the ship at 8am yesterday morning and were greeted by a diver – a friend of our favourite bartender Bagus – who took us to Bali airport for our 12.20pm Jetstar flight home.

DD was very not thrilled to be flying Jetstar, but I was insistent on a day flight and there are surprisingly few.

Our plane landed in Sydney at 9.15pm. Due to the hour, DD kindly agreed to head home to his place alone and mind the dogs for the night.

At 8am I will hop on a bus to the city and go to the office. I need to dress up because I will be going straight to an awards night with DD.

His company has been nominated for something.

He will drop the dogs to my place on his way through. 

It has been 18 days since I last saw them. I miss the yappy little things.

I haven’t missed the daily grind, however. And today will be a bleary one as 7am is 4am in Bali.

It has been a blissful few weeks without responsibility.

The days have been so lovely and easy. Waking each morning and lazing in bed with a juice from the mini bar. Heading to a stretch class at 8am. Wandering down to deck two to order coffee and toast. Heading off on daily excursions – scenic zodiac rides, snorkelling, cultural shows in remote villages. Coming back to a freshly made bed.

Lunch on deck six, grazing from the buffet. Water aerobics at 4pm in the ship’s tiny pool. Sipping the cocktail of the day before heading to dinner. Occasionally heading to the theatre for a show afterwards. Wandering back to my cabin to discover little sweet treats on the side table, left by the cabin attendant.

Waking up and doing it all over again.

It is not a cheap way to holiday, but I can’t put a price on the value of unwinding and leaving it to others to ensure that very moment of the trip runs smoothly.

This latest cruise saw us travel to impossibly remote places and see incredibly rare things.

We stood on the northernmost tip of Australia, we were surrounded by warrior canoes in West Papua, we chased tropical fish in turquoise water on deserted islands and we swam with whale sharks. 

I didn’t open a single book or switch on the TV once.

We had the most wonderful crew – I even hugged two of them on my way out, Wilbert in the dining room and Hannah from the expedition team. We enjoyed socializing with our fellow passengers – promises have been made to visit Doug and Di at Fingal Head.

Now it’s time to put our heads down and save up for our next expedition cruise. We are hooked on feeling of salt spray on our faces as we zoom across the water on zodiacs in search of wildlife and new adventures.

As DD’s personal trainer The Warrior often intones – hearses don’t come the roof racks. 

Song of the day: The Cruel Sea “Honeymoon is over”