Back with our Tugu family: 3 days until the wedding!

I cannot believe it- it's now 3 days until we get officially get married! Our friends and family are arriving from tomorrow and I'm feeling this deep pit of giddiness. We've been on Lombok now since Tuesday with my parents. I thought this place couldn't be any better or have a more personal place in my heart, but it has well and truly buried itself so much deeper in just two days. The people are calm, kind, innocent and happy- their smiles are infectious and their kindness melts the hearts of anyone they meet. We have been totally bowled over by all the preparations going on around us for the wedding and literally can't believe that this is all for little old us. I want to say - stop! Don't do any more for us! Let us do it all for you- but they are so excited themselves about the wedding and this being the first European one they have done along with the love story that comes with if, having got engaged here at their home only a year ago. 
The word wedding is on all their lips - we overhear their conversations and we are emotionally stunned that such love is being created for us. Our welcome was like coming back to long lost family, as the car pulled up, Hanny, Roshan, Robbie, Dessy and a couple more new faces rushed out, we were greeted with such warmth- hugs and handshakes and jaw aching smiles. Home made floral necklaces were hung around our necks, cold towels to press our excitable faces and fresh coconuts with the flesh all scraped out as they remembered them being my 'last years' obsession.
Anyway- I thought I would share some pictures with you of our trip to date so far. We are trying to make all our days as full and memorable as possible - getting up each morning for sunrise, walking the long stretch of white sands and talking to local children we meet, I even did yoga on the beach yesterday morning- moments that are etching so deeply into our memories. We have gone on a couple of trips to a local market and on a guided trip to a waterfall where we met a man named Ubud whose wife- two days previously had just given birth to his first son. In our disbelief the proud new father asked if we would come to his village, in to his home to meet his wife and two day old little boy. Precious moments that we could never have imagined we'd experience. He was so proud he also took us to meet the villages sacred goat- the biggest goat we'd ever seen and treated like a King! The village children chased us around- laughing and coming to hold our hands- they very rarely see white Europeans and this was such a novelty for them and a blessing for us. We have documented it all though video too and cannot wait to share this exotic paradisaical place with you.... But for now, enjoy and speak soon!  

Emi and Ports xxxx