Irina is the Russian owner. She is perhaps 70..but then a decade or two in the sun can be misleading. She has been in Bali for her visa renewal. She bought this place nine years ago. She gets a visa for two months and then is able to extend it for four months then she has to leave the the country reapply and it starts all over again .

She is an interesting addition to the dynamic.
There are lots of dogs. How many I ask She says, “oh that is difficult to calculate”. Tonight two are fed in the dining room. And it explains why there were always dogs trying to push through our legs to get in before. Irina says it’s because there is three families of puppies. And they don’t share. Because they have different mothers. Neither do siblings share apparently. There are two hungry dogs eating from one bowl with much growling and snapping . One won. The skinny one retreated. Beyond in the yard others are growling and puppies are yelping. It’s unpleasant. And all the while Irina urging them to be nice in Russian.
Puppies just appear says Irina. On the beach. And kittens too.
A cat jumps on to the table. Chiara is allergic to cats and of course it lands in front of her.

There was a discussion about public ferries and much confusion with different stories. Irina clarifies. Yes, it was once a day but one doesn’t work so now it’s three times a week. It appears we will still be able to get one on Sunday from the main island.

Irina says there was phone signal before but something is broken in the village .

And then someone asked about the mandi/shower water. We have bak mandi here – a big bucket of water and a ladle. And the other big bucket is sea water for the toilet. But that hadn’t been clear. And Chiara says, I might as well wash in the sea. They have been using the salty one.
I said the one near the toilet is for the toilet..oh the red one..(we have two black) I repeat. It’s the one near the toilet for the toilet..aagh say another couple so the green one one is for the bath.. repeat, the one near the toilet…..

It’s time for bed. We navigate past the dogs sleeping on steep stairs , there’s one spotlight. There used to be a generator, but there isn’t now. Oh, the stairs, today I saw the termite damage and the risers are about 40cm apart …