Printable version
Luke was in Bali, travelling through Indonesia on his first solo backpacking trip. He was following the guesthouse owner's son through tropical gardens to his bungalow. 'You in number 15', the boy said, 'We here now.' There were three steps up to a wooden veranda that had a bamboo table, an old plastic chair and a hammock. As the bungalows were built on a hillside, Luke had a wonderful view of the sea. Everything around him was green and blue, this was paradise on earth.
After unpacking his things, Luke took a cool shower and
stepped outside. With a book in his hand, he got into the hammock and
started to read. Then he noticed a pretty girl swinging
in the hammock
of the neighbouring bungalow. 'Hey! How's it going? The name is Luke.'
The attractive young woman smiled at him and gave a little wave, 'I'm
Tanya.'
Luke thought she was
gorgeous,
just his type:
tall and slim with long blonde hair. She was wearing
sunglasses so he couldn't see her eyes, but he imagined they were brown
as her skin was very tanned.
He hoped he would get a chance to chat to
her later.
As he relaxed, his thoughts were of adventure and romance. It had been two weeks since he had been with a girl and he was in the mood for some fun. He thought about what he would say to his neighbour. Maybe he would suggest they ate dinner together. She looked alone as there was only one towel hanging up outside. As he swung from side to side, his eyes slowly became heavy and Luke fell asleep. He awoke an hour later to find the girl was no longer in her hammock, but he could hear the sound of her shower. He also heard the sound of two local men's voices coming from inside her bungalow. He thought it was a bit strange but he fell asleep again.
When he woke up again, it was almost dark so he went inside and changed into some fresh clothes for the evening. He thought he would go over to his neighbour and ask her to recommend a local restaurant. When he went outside he discovered her bungalow was dark and empty. Maybe she had already gone out, he thought. But the bungalow looked completely empty, with no towel or sarong hanging out to dry, no sandals, nothing.
Down in reception he found the owner and asked, 'Excuse me,
what is the
name of the girl in room 14? I think I know her.'
'There no girl in room 14. You wrong. You see nobody. You
understand?'
Luke was confused,
'But I saw her earlier. She's tall and blonde,' he
said.
'No girl!. No girl!' The owner looked a little angry. 'You no make
trouble. You understand? The owner walked away.
Perhaps he had made a mistake? Perhaps he had dreamed that he saw her?
He was very confused. Then he remembered the sound of her shower and
the men's voices. But had he dreamed that too? Maybe
he should go to the police, he thought, Maybe tomorrow, if
she doesn't come back.
The next day was beautiful. Simone and Marit arrived at the
guesthouse. 'Do you have a room?' they asked.
'Yes. Sixty thousand rupiah,
one night. You want?'
'Can we see the room?' Simone asked.
'Okay. You go with my son. He show you room 14 and room 15. Both empty.
Both good rooms. You gonna have good time here, we have good food, very
fresh.'
Adjectives
solo:
Something is done alone.
gorgeous:
In this case meaning very attractive.
tanned:
Having browner skin because of strong sunshine.
local:
Connected with a place or area. Such as people, food, or shops
confused:
Unable to understand clearly what is happening, or what someone is
saying.
Verbs
swing:
To move from side to side.
awake: To
wake up (awake>awoke>awoken).
Nouns
backpacking:
Travelling from place to place, carrying your things in a backpack.
a bungalow:
A house that only has one floor.
a veranda:
Like a balcony, but on the ground floor.
a hammock:
A piece of cloth or net that is hanging from each end, and
you sleep in it.
paradise:
A place or situation that is very pleasant, beautiful or enjoyable.
a type:
In this case meaning a kind of person that you think is attractive.
a sarong:
A long piece of cloth that can be used as a skirt or towel or bag.
rupiah:
Indonesian money.