Little bit of an update from the past few days.

We've been to a couple of beach clubs: La Brisa and The Lawn. Both were excellent and we had a nice time.

The idea of beach clubs is you get a minimum spend on a table; so the biggest/comfiest day beds are well over Rp1 million but the basic chairs/table setups are around Rp200k. You get seated and you then need to spend that amount on food and drinks. The scale of the La Brisa beach club is crazy; it's a mammoth tree house structure that could comfortable service hundreds of people. We stayed until sun set and really loved the whole vibe.

The Lawn was a more chill occasion on a lazy Sunday afternoon. We got a cheaper table and enjoyed the pool by the beach.

We also had surf lessons with Dian Surf School. I'd never had a full private lesson before so to get some better insights into how to stand on the board and also get a push on the wave was really nice. I'd done a bit of surfing before so I felt a little more comfortable standing up but for Emma this was her first time. She enjoyed the experience but it was a little more challenging for her to stand. We've booked in another surf lesson just for Emma later this week where I reckon she'll stand up.

The surf instructor was a lovely local man and he not only helped us but also rode on a few waves too. What a cool job.

I managed to watch some footy on the weekend with the help of NordVPN. 7Plus just seemed to work with the VPN so I was a happy man watching the Brisbane Gold Coast game. Shame Gold Coast didn't put on a better performance.

I've been to the gym 3 times now which has been really good for me. It's been a while since I've done any proper lifting so I just need to build up into it. Everyone in Bali (at least in Canggu) I swear is a jacked influencer so it's a bit of a weird vibe with me the skinny man in the gym with them.

One day when we were out for lunch we also saw a Boots so that was nice too.

Two random side notes:

This is how you fill up with fuel in Bali.

It's quite literally a science beaker with labels denoting how much the fuel costs.

There's a couple of proper petrol stations around (far from our place) which are likely cheaper but this is insane.

Secondly, it's poured rain twice now in Bali since we arrived. Both times our place hasn't flooded but the pool has gotten very full.

This is meant to be the dry season too so not sure what the rainy season is going to look like.

I watched Good Will Hunting on the plane and this quote (again from Robin Williams) made me think of Boots.

You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much.

I wrote A Fucked Year about a month ago and time passed very quickly as we're now in Bali!

I had this whole week off from work which has been really nice to settle in and acclimatise with being in a new country and in a new space.

We arrived late Monday night on the 8th of September at our Airbnb so as I write this we've only had 3 full days.

This is the Airbnb we're staying in for a month. It's located pretty centrally in Canggu.

On Tuesday morning we setup the villa to our liking doing a proper unpack. The villa itself is small but has all that we need. The pool definitely doesn't pass Australian pool safety standards but it's fantastic for a quick dip to cool off with it being so hot.

The bed is comfortable (the room is well air conditioned) and the bathroom is way larger than our bathroom at home. The kitchen and living is fully outdoors which will take some getting used to.

We went for a bit of a walk on Tuesday morning just around our Airbnb area. The streets are not very walkable with skinny footpaths and large holes (like 1 metre deep) scattered along the pavement. The roads are made for scooters/motorbikes. 90% of the people in the area will ride one to get around.

We therefore quickly made the decision to hire a scooter for a month. We got a Honda Vario which cost us Rp1.35 million (AUD 123). There were no checks for license. They just took basic information like name and date of birth. I have a little bit of experience riding motorbikes at my aunt and uncles farm so it wasn't a completely crazy decision.

Riding a scooter is a little stressful the with the amount of traffic on the roads but overall it's been fine. There's been no near misses thus far. You're usually forced to drive at around 20km/hr due to the traffic so everything feels safe from a speed perspective.

I did have a feeling in the rain on Tuesday driving the scooter with Emma that was my Top Gear Vietnam moment. Driving in the humidity with a little bit of misty rain on my face; it felt amazing and very freeing.

It poured rain on Tuesday and Wednesday and there was actually a bit of flooding up north on the island which wasn't good.

I've been to gym a couple of times already and Emma has started up at a pliates studio which she's excited about.

We've had some beauty appointments - Emma (massage, pedicure and nails) and me (haircut, massage) - which have gone down a treat. Especially the massage; it was really good.

We're planning on going to a beach club today and having a surf lesson tomorrow and then it's back to work for me Monday. Emma has already done some uni classes and found the setup to be good (Wi-Fi and desk).

Some food options I've really liked thus far: Ricky D's Canteen and Bokashi Berawa which have both been lunch options.

We cooked dinner for the first time last night which was an interesting experience; we're still getting used to the kitchen. We just did some basic soft tacos with beef mince, onion and capsicum. Basic but it works.

I'll make sure to do another update in the next couple of days.

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Gold Coast. I'd love to see them win against Brisbane this week. I think it would add a bit of spice to this finals series.

After an international flight I'm a few hours in to Hollow Knight: Silksong. I have thoughts:

• The game is very similar to the original Hollow Knight which is a good thing
• The default down attack is now a sideways dash which took a bit of time to get used to, the combat and bosses so far have been excellent
• The game still makes you go back very far (to a bench) when you die, this can be punishing but it makes for a unique old school game mechanic
• The art style is beautiful, it's the same as the old game with even more lushness and detail
• The music is atmospheric and blends with the game perfectly, the character voices and sounds are also perfect
• The Hunter's March section of the game is punishingly hard however I think I attempted it too early, there's a gauntlet section and it's just so difficult to do with the tools and weapons I had
• The currency is quite difficult to attain as only certain enemies actually drop, so far I've had to go to a bench and then go on a dedicated "get currency run" to ensure I have enough money to pay for things
• There's a lot of game elements that need currency (benches, tools etc) so you need to be smart and try not to waste anything, this can happen if you die and you're a million miles from a bench and then it's too hard to go all the way back to the spot where your silk is