Hello! I'm updating this from a Singapore airport free internet terminal so it may appear in little bits (there's a 15 minute time limit so I'll have to go to a couple)

My last few days in Ubud were great - I made the most of all the pampering and hanging out my new favourite little spot has to offer. The day after I got back I did chores like washing, backing up photos etc and went to a hardcore yoga class (I'm getting kinda hooked - heathiest addiction I ever had)

Then on Thursday I had the strangest Valentines day ever. I started out playing with a blowtorch, and in the afternoon had wet leaves put in my undies. I'd love to leave it there but should probably explain... In the morning I took a jewellery making class - I thought I might be stringing some beads together or something but it was actually a proper silver piece we got to make. We got to design it on paper then heat the silver, cut the pattern, set the stone and sand and polish it ourselves. (I am imagining a lot of you cringing at the thought of Jem let loose with the pliers let alone the saw or blowtorch - but you'll be happy to hear that I still have all my limbs and there was no singeing of anything or anyone - kinda amazing really...) I am now the proud ownner of a wonkey pendant (Rach, it's not of a donkey with 3 legs - sorry) but hey I made it myself!

In the afternoon I decided to track down a Balinese healer called Wayan who I had read about in the book "Eat, Pray, Love". using the authors website I found her just around the corner from my bungalow. I went in for a treatment and again I got more than I bargained for. I was in there for 3 hours and was massaged head to foot with random concoctions and as I mentioned before had leaves put down my undies (apparently for digestion!) At one stage I had cucumber on my face, onion on my tummy and limes that they heated over flames rolled all over me - I kept thinnking they'd mistaken me for a kebab. After the treatment I sat with Wayan and she gave me the most amazing lunch - about 8 small dishes including spinach, tomato chutney, grilled coconut, seaweed, tofu, beansprouts with peanut sauce and I don't know what else - it sounds pretty nasty (unless you're a hippy - more of that later) but it was all beautifully spiced and absolutely delicious. She then brought out some remedies. I came away with a jar of leaves, seeds and strange looking things to top up with hot water for 2 days and various teas and pills for cleaning my skin blood and organs. Call me boring, but the only piece of advice I decided against was weeing on my feet to cure dry skin!

Now I took it as a bit of fun and not seriously but I thought I'd try the potions she gave me when I got home. That night it rained hard and so I was stuck in my room and suddenly was bursting with energy - I did an over hour of yoga - was still like a duracel bunny so (and I can't believe I'm telling everyone this) put on my ipod and danced around my room like a teenager - for 2 hours. I don't know what was in that stuff but she'd make a fortune out clubbing. I showed everything to Ketut who runs my bungalows and he assured me they are all popular and, more importantly, legal Indonesian remedies - so there was no chance of me pulling a Schapelle Corby on the way out. I've continued taking the tea in the morning and the pills at night and I seriously still feel so full of vitality and energy it's silly.

Yesterday was my last day and I went to see Claude and Iyan who ran my retreat and got an Ayurveda treatment, a body scrub (with the flower bath again) and a hair conditioning treatment (only in Bali is all this so stupidly affordable I had to make the most of it) When I left there I realised that over 2 days I was massaged for a total of almost 5 hours straight!

I spent the afternoon hanging out in my favourite spot - Kafe doing one of my new favourite passtimes - eavesdropping on American Hippies. They are hilarious and Ubud is awash with them. All the guys seem to be having some kind of beard competition, I've seen everything from Jesus to planet of the apes and given extra points for plaits and toggles. The girls are almost as funny - though usually more attractive. They waft about and sit in crazy contorted positions (they all seem to be yoga teachers) and have ridiculously earnest conversations. I overheard one girl talking about when she was harvesting on an organic farm that she had to sit down and cry because she felt the tomato plants were suffering and that she felt like she was taking their babies (I promise thats not an exageration - I can't tell you how hard I was trying not to laugh)

During my afternoon eavesdrop I heard a shout of 'Hemma! hemma!' it was Nam my little Mexican kid. I spent the evening hanging around with Fernando and Nam - we went about Ubud on their motor scooter. It was funny, remember one of the first thing I laughed at when got here was whole families on one motor scooter - it seemed kinda fitting that I spent my last night doing just that - Fernando driving, Nam on the front and me on the back - it's easier than it looks! We went to dinner at the kind of place that I would have avoided for fear of a dodgy tummy as it looked kinda rough but they eat there all the time and the food was delicious and beyond cheap.

I'm going to miss Ubud - it's a funny little place but I loved it for hanging out and whiling time away. The streets are full of random mix and match dogs - they are all fed but not owned really so they mate in the most bizarre conversations and they are incredibly chilled - they never bark at people. In fact I was more scared of the roosters who would sometimes charge at you. But I'm looking forward to Vietnam - and on that note I'd better check if it's time to go to my gate...