Bintan

Back from Bintan - this time there were no monitor lizards in sight - although there were birds aplenty and rat like squirrels in the trees near the pool. Of course it's great to have massages - and they certainly know how to do these well. The beach was lovely to look at and for paddling along the shore, however the red flags and warnings from the security men put us off going in - what a shame. The undertow did look strong. I could easily have stayed for a couple of weeks - well it felt like that would have been in order....

Since being back I have been busy on the buddha painting - it is coming along quite well. I am enjoying the colours - yellow, blue, beige and some browny-red. I wish I had photographed the wooden carving behind the desk at the hotel - it is wonderfully full of sea images and has some excellent designs on it. Maybe this will lead to a return trip there before too long, so that I can look at it in more detail, and draw some of its images. It doesn't seem wrong to use decorative features from other people's art work - I so enjoy the repeat patterns in Indonesian carvings and materials. There is a peaceful quality to them and some of the colours are quite understated - burnt oranges, browns, yellows, and some black too.

That's all for now as the evening has drifted away - nearly time to turn in...