I am sorry to report that this trip has just made me want to surf more!! It has done nothing to quench my thirst for waves. Yes I did have a number of good surf sessions but not enough. This is just the truth and nothing else. You are getting my opinion because I am the only one who will post to this blog so far! Yesterday Jonathan and I surfed Uluwatu 3 times on all tides and it never really started working like we had seen it. Dillon went to Blangan and found some longer lefts with some of the High School surf team staying here. This afternoon we had a fun session in shoulder to head high waves until dark. Then a major low tide reef walk which made you glad you had your reef booties on. Jonathan did not wear his and had a 15 minute paddle to a sandy get out spot so to avoid the reef dance.
Mary Anne and I went to town this morning for some shopping and just general dealing with the masses. Walking down the street the vendors spot us like we stick out and I am sure we do. The common phrases heard are: where you from, I give you cheep price, do you want ……, how much you pay? (After asking how much), transport (taxi), hey boss, what is your name? , are you on your honeymoon?, let me show you ….., and there are plenty of others. One just has to keep walking and say no thank you or you are sucked into their shop to have a look at their goods. They are more persistent than tele marketers. Any way we found our own little goodies and had fun for a few hours. The prices are just plain dirt cheap. It is amazing how they can stay alive when you compare it to what we pay in the US. One thing I will say is the service received is the best I have seen anywhere in the world as far as my travels go. An example was this one guy talked us into his custom made leather clothing store. All the product was very nice looking with great feeling soft leather in many colors. This was about 10 am and he would make anything you wanted and deliver it to your hotel later that evening. At prices that would blow your mind also. We are not into leather, but this is the kind of service, competition, sincerity, or just the normal way of doing things here. I dinged my board coming in on a rock and it was fixed in 1 hour while I had a cup of coffee. The guys sit and watch for dings on your board while you get out of the water. At least three people wanted the business too. All the people (Indo and travelers) we have come in contact with have been some of the nicest people I have ever met. I am not kidding! I do not feel as though anyone has tried to take advantage of us either. Yes they are trying to make a living but in a good way. I did see a guy with a bathtub on his bicycle today!! Where there is a will there is a way!
As I write this we are all packed up ready for a trip to the airport July 4th at 7 in the morning and everyone else is sleeping. The trip home will be long but doable. We should see the sunset and a sunrise on the leg from Singapore to LA. All the while loosing 9 hours on that flight segment. Arriving in ILM 9am July 5th.
Thanks for reading I have enjoyed doing the posts. If the picture loading was not so slow I would have inserted more. With digital pictures I took plenty! The sights are numerous. Good night, jim
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Singapore airport 4 hour layover
I typed a blog last nite and before I could post it my internet connection timed out! I will post it ,probably once I am at home though. I doubt I will find a way to post it between now and then. This computer has no usb port. I wrote a page to post which took me an hour, so log back to read it please. See you at home. jim
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Back in Bali
Back in Bali for the first full day. It feels like home almost. We have come and gone from this place 3 times now. This time we returned to find the place filled with surfers which was fun. J, D, and myself went to Uluwatu for the morning session and saw it go through major transformations as the tide dropped out during the 3 hours we were in the water. Paddled out at high tide and came back across a low tide exposed reef. The cave is very intimating at high tide as the waves wash in but it is just rough water that does not have any current so it is just a washing machine. That is a term I learned as a teenager. You need to paddle between these knarley rocks through rough water but it is really a piece of cake until you get to the impact zone. There is no timing the sets on this paddle out as you can not even see the waves when you start the paddle. I actually anticipated the worst but never even got my hair wet on the way out. The surf was 5-6 feet which is decent size! Of course Dillon wanted to drive the motor scooter everywhere. I had dropped off my surfboard to have a ding in the nose repaired. I hope it hit the reef and my head because the ding was not minor! The guy “Jocky” had told me (Rupia) RP 300,000 which is 30 dollars for the repair which would have been a deal back home. When I went to pick it up the repair was first class. Jocky has 3 kids that I could see plus a wife and numerous other folks,2 dogs, and 3 birds around the house. This was the second time we have had him do board repair for us so we felt like locals! Haha! Any way I gave him the 30 dollars plus an extra 10 dollars for doing such a good job in less than 12 hours! He immediately gave me a hug and said he was so appreciative that it would help his family. This is the sincerity we have received from most of the people we have encountered on our trip here in Bali! It gives you a very warm feeling about these folks.
After lunch Dillon just wanted to go ridding/driving ( he is a good scooter driver) so we made the rounds then went surfing at Padang/ Impossibles till the sun set. Impossibles is just as the name says, you can make it for awhile but almost never all the way. It is the ‘almost’ part that keeps you coming back for more! Joanthan paddled the 15 minutes to Padang and on his first wave broke his Merrick again! He said retrieving the other half off the rocks was a little on the tough side as in sharp rocks!
Sat around talking to the Surf club guys from Calif. They have competitions between the different high schools depending on how far they are away from the beach. The surf class goes to the beach for practice 3 times a week. In there school they can choose between the normal sports and surfing ! How cool is that!!
OK I just ran out of things to say so good night, jim
After lunch Dillon just wanted to go ridding/driving ( he is a good scooter driver) so we made the rounds then went surfing at Padang/ Impossibles till the sun set. Impossibles is just as the name says, you can make it for awhile but almost never all the way. It is the ‘almost’ part that keeps you coming back for more! Joanthan paddled the 15 minutes to Padang and on his first wave broke his Merrick again! He said retrieving the other half off the rocks was a little on the tough side as in sharp rocks!
Sat around talking to the Surf club guys from Calif. They have competitions between the different high schools depending on how far they are away from the beach. The surf class goes to the beach for practice 3 times a week. In there school they can choose between the normal sports and surfing ! How cool is that!!
OK I just ran out of things to say so good night, jim
Our captain and crew
Underwater shot to the right. I took my waterproof camera surfing twice then shorkling and it worked great. I took it surfing again and it filled up with water!! I will check to see if my extended warrenty works at Best Buy when I get home!! jim
Monday, June 30, 2008
Boat Trip
Boat trip Day 1
Thursday morning we gathered our stuff to go meet Don Bennett and board the Moggy for a 5 day trip to the islands to the east. This was a 45 minute car ride through town with heavy traffic to the marina. We found the 45 foot catamaran without a problem. When it came time to pay Don I asked if he took travlers checks and he said no! Travelers checks must be old school because it has been a problem getting them cashed since we have been here. Only the banks take them and then only 1-200 dollars worth. So Don took us to a bank where we found they don’t take them period! I had a couple of 100 dollar bills but no one wants them either unless they are dated 2003 and just certain serial numbers! There are just too many counterfeit bills floating around this part of the world, I guess. So we did a cash advance on the credit card and off we went. We had a pleasant trip to Nusa Lombagon and of course surf was on our minds , so we anchored at ‘shipwrecks’ which had a very clean 4-5 foot right reeling off with 20 people in the water. The three of us paddled out and amazingly enough caught quite a few waves. I personally had a great session. So was Jonathan until he hit the reef and got his ‘tattoo’ across his lower back and hand. Now all three of us have scrapes to show our efforts. Nothing serious but there is always that chance. Off to the anchorage before dark where Goose and Eric (two very nice Indo guys who are mates on the Moggy) cooked barbequed fish and veggies on skewers. After that it was lights out.
Don (the captain) is from New Bern and probably one of the first surfers in NC. He went on to shaping boards and moved to Hawaii to continue his trade. After 20 years there he moved to Bali bought the Moggy to start surf charters which he has been doing for 15 years now. We are enjoying his company and stories which there are many!!
Boat trip Day 2
Morning started at 4:30 am when we moved out of the anchorage for Desert Point rated one of the best lefts on the planet. The sun rose about 6 am as we crossed the Lombok Straits to see 200-300 small local fishing boats all with a different colored sails. The sail rig is called a “Lateen rig” on all these smallish boats that look like large canoes with outriggers on each side. They look like a bug from the front. The trip across the straits took about 3 ½ hours going 9-10 knots. We have been trolling while moving but so far no fish. Dillon is loving the boat life and just can’t sit still. On the bow being a lookout or jumping over the side when anchored is the norm. Surfed Desert Point about head high but not what we hoped. This wave is considered elusive and fickle so we had fun with what we had. Of course the bottom is just ragged coral. My heel drug across it after one wave but luckily I was wearing my reef boots. The current through the Lombok Strait is rather serious running 3-4 knots at times to the south as the Pacific ocean flows into the Indian ocean. Get a map and you can see how this can happen.
All meals are deluxe with both Goose and Eric being good cooks. Both of them have worked for Don for the last 8 years or so. The surf coming up did not look promising so we went 6-7 miles to a great snorkeling spot and it was beautiful. Mary Anne enjoyed the hour especially because the water was so warm. Next was a walk on a nice beach then to an anchorage for the nite. Watched ‘Water World’ on the DVD player before a dinner of BBQ chicken , corn on the cob, potatoes. Mushroom/bean sauté, and French bread. It was lites out by 9 for all except me as I am typing this to post in 4 days from now!
Boat trip day 3
We had anchored ¼ mile off a small village for the nite. I had looked closely with the binocs and could see fishing boats, cows, and general home type structures on the beach. The boat guys had said it was a Muslim village before we went to sleep. Any way about 4:30 am this Muslim prayer music started blaring over the loudspeakers from town! This continued for at least 45 minutes. The sun does not start to show light until 6 am. This village defiantly gets going early! We were under way for the 45 minute ride to Desert point again as the sun rose from behind a 10,000 foot volcano on Lombok. The haze (smog) is so that you can not see them most of the day. Indonesia is the most densely populated area on earth. The fresh coffee made the trip quite pleasant. The surf had come up to 4-5 feet and fairly decent, a different swell than the day before. We jumped in the water and had a good session for a couple of hours. Had breakfast then went out for another surf session. Jonathan got a’ tattoo’ on his butt which shredded his surf trunks. Not just a tear but shredded!! Next Dillon comes back out with the same surf trunk problem! The lefts were very fast and steep with rides of about 200 yards at high speed. Jonathan being goofy foot got some serious barrels , me I was just trying to get some rides and stay alive and off the reef which did not work! It is something else to be standing in shin deep water on a knarley reef and have 3 feet of white water coming at you 5 or 6 times in a row. It makes you feel a little helpless. Just before the whitewater mows you down you jump as high as you can and hopefully land on your surfboard paddling like crazey just to repeat the process in 12-15 seconds. Dillon has the technique down pat. I did have some great rides and only a little scrape on my left ankle. That makes about 5 boo boos I have so far from the reefs. Had a sandwich and we could see some very clean gaping barrels coming down the reef from where we anchored so Jonathan and I went back for another session at 3:00 pm . We had been in the water for at least an hour and not a single wave came in. There were about 8 guys in the water and I mean no one have a wave. It was like mother nature had turned off the wave machine. An hour before the reef was raging and then nothing at all. Jonathan never got his hair wet. We both just laughed because it was so unreal. Over all this was one of our better surf days of the trip. To catch desert point is a real feather in you cap so we were happy! Moved around to another anchorage for the nite and we will see if we have music in the morning again! If there is no surf we have two snorkeling spots to check out as a back up activity. We did see a sea turtle that was as big as a double bed mattress! I am not kidding. There are number of ‘surf’ boats cruising around. We had 2 here for a little while today but one of them moved on. Each one of them carries about 10-15 surfers each. Their normal trip is about 10 days hitting all the different surf spots in the Lombak and Sumbawa. Good night! Jim
Boat trip day 4
Under way by first light without the wake up music. The village (as well as most) had a fire that smoked up the whole area even flowing oout over the ocean. I mean lots of smoke. It must be for mosquito control is all I can figure out. Malaria is in these islands. On the boat we have not seen the first mossie as the aussies would say. Coffee while watching the sunrise beside a volcano is a little different than I am use to as well as seeing the southern cross every nite in the southern sky! Surf was on the smallish side so we had breakfast then went for a session. The swell had dropped off so we had a few in an hour and a half but not much. Left Desert Point by noon for the 2.5 hour crossing of the Lombok Strait under calm conditions. We did see a decent southwest 4-6 foot ocean swell running as we passed 3 tankers which were headed north. Fished the whole way but no bites. Stopped between Nusa Lombagen and Nusa Penida to go snorkeling in a very small cove. The coral formations were spectacular. Goose stuffed bread into an empty water bottle and filled it with water before we jumped in. Once diving you squirted the bottle a bit to squeeze out some bread and the fish just swarmed to eat right in front of you ! You could see the colorful fish up close. It was fun. The current between these two islands was running 6 knots and created whirlpools and some very unusual water in this 400 foot deep channel about ¼ mile wide. Here the locals grow seaweed and there are miles of farms on the edge of the islands. Stopped at Shipwrecks for a late afternoon session but the swell must not have been hitting this place at the right angle as it was on the smallish side too. Watched some Indiana Jones movie and had an absolutely spectacular dinner then lites out. The stars at nite are really something. The big Dipper is low on the horizon and the North Star is out of sight below the horizon.
Boat trip day 5
The boat was just too still for the surf to have come up during the nite. We would have felt some motion if had picked up. Mary Anne slept out on deck for the last two nites on a cushion! Actually slept in until after the sun came up but not much. With surf prospects poor where we were, we went to another spot about 20-30 minutes away. Found about 6-7 people in the water and watched for 15 minutes but did not see anyone catch much of a wave so we headed back to Bali. Arrived at the marina before noon to have lunch after we tied up. We enjoyed the Balinese crew as they were very friendly and nice which made the trip much more pleasant. Grabbed a cab for the trip back to where we had been staying to find a new group of people. This time it was a high school surf team, coaches, and 2 dads to share our time with. Jonathan , Dillon and myself went for a surf but could not find any good waves. I mean the swell had picked up but it was just not breaking right. So we rented 2 motor scooters for 4 dollars a day each with surf racks! Dillon is more excited about these than anything! So we are mobile at a moments notice. Dinner and bed at this point on Monday nite when it is Monday morning on the east coast.
Thanks for reading I enjoy posting. jim
Thursday morning we gathered our stuff to go meet Don Bennett and board the Moggy for a 5 day trip to the islands to the east. This was a 45 minute car ride through town with heavy traffic to the marina. We found the 45 foot catamaran without a problem. When it came time to pay Don I asked if he took travlers checks and he said no! Travelers checks must be old school because it has been a problem getting them cashed since we have been here. Only the banks take them and then only 1-200 dollars worth. So Don took us to a bank where we found they don’t take them period! I had a couple of 100 dollar bills but no one wants them either unless they are dated 2003 and just certain serial numbers! There are just too many counterfeit bills floating around this part of the world, I guess. So we did a cash advance on the credit card and off we went. We had a pleasant trip to Nusa Lombagon and of course surf was on our minds , so we anchored at ‘shipwrecks’ which had a very clean 4-5 foot right reeling off with 20 people in the water. The three of us paddled out and amazingly enough caught quite a few waves. I personally had a great session. So was Jonathan until he hit the reef and got his ‘tattoo’ across his lower back and hand. Now all three of us have scrapes to show our efforts. Nothing serious but there is always that chance. Off to the anchorage before dark where Goose and Eric (two very nice Indo guys who are mates on the Moggy) cooked barbequed fish and veggies on skewers. After that it was lights out.
Don (the captain) is from New Bern and probably one of the first surfers in NC. He went on to shaping boards and moved to Hawaii to continue his trade. After 20 years there he moved to Bali bought the Moggy to start surf charters which he has been doing for 15 years now. We are enjoying his company and stories which there are many!!
Boat trip Day 2
Morning started at 4:30 am when we moved out of the anchorage for Desert Point rated one of the best lefts on the planet. The sun rose about 6 am as we crossed the Lombok Straits to see 200-300 small local fishing boats all with a different colored sails. The sail rig is called a “Lateen rig” on all these smallish boats that look like large canoes with outriggers on each side. They look like a bug from the front. The trip across the straits took about 3 ½ hours going 9-10 knots. We have been trolling while moving but so far no fish. Dillon is loving the boat life and just can’t sit still. On the bow being a lookout or jumping over the side when anchored is the norm. Surfed Desert Point about head high but not what we hoped. This wave is considered elusive and fickle so we had fun with what we had. Of course the bottom is just ragged coral. My heel drug across it after one wave but luckily I was wearing my reef boots. The current through the Lombok Strait is rather serious running 3-4 knots at times to the south as the Pacific ocean flows into the Indian ocean. Get a map and you can see how this can happen.
All meals are deluxe with both Goose and Eric being good cooks. Both of them have worked for Don for the last 8 years or so. The surf coming up did not look promising so we went 6-7 miles to a great snorkeling spot and it was beautiful. Mary Anne enjoyed the hour especially because the water was so warm. Next was a walk on a nice beach then to an anchorage for the nite. Watched ‘Water World’ on the DVD player before a dinner of BBQ chicken , corn on the cob, potatoes. Mushroom/bean sauté, and French bread. It was lites out by 9 for all except me as I am typing this to post in 4 days from now!
Boat trip day 3
We had anchored ¼ mile off a small village for the nite. I had looked closely with the binocs and could see fishing boats, cows, and general home type structures on the beach. The boat guys had said it was a Muslim village before we went to sleep. Any way about 4:30 am this Muslim prayer music started blaring over the loudspeakers from town! This continued for at least 45 minutes. The sun does not start to show light until 6 am. This village defiantly gets going early! We were under way for the 45 minute ride to Desert point again as the sun rose from behind a 10,000 foot volcano on Lombok. The haze (smog) is so that you can not see them most of the day. Indonesia is the most densely populated area on earth. The fresh coffee made the trip quite pleasant. The surf had come up to 4-5 feet and fairly decent, a different swell than the day before. We jumped in the water and had a good session for a couple of hours. Had breakfast then went out for another surf session. Jonathan got a’ tattoo’ on his butt which shredded his surf trunks. Not just a tear but shredded!! Next Dillon comes back out with the same surf trunk problem! The lefts were very fast and steep with rides of about 200 yards at high speed. Jonathan being goofy foot got some serious barrels , me I was just trying to get some rides and stay alive and off the reef which did not work! It is something else to be standing in shin deep water on a knarley reef and have 3 feet of white water coming at you 5 or 6 times in a row. It makes you feel a little helpless. Just before the whitewater mows you down you jump as high as you can and hopefully land on your surfboard paddling like crazey just to repeat the process in 12-15 seconds. Dillon has the technique down pat. I did have some great rides and only a little scrape on my left ankle. That makes about 5 boo boos I have so far from the reefs. Had a sandwich and we could see some very clean gaping barrels coming down the reef from where we anchored so Jonathan and I went back for another session at 3:00 pm . We had been in the water for at least an hour and not a single wave came in. There were about 8 guys in the water and I mean no one have a wave. It was like mother nature had turned off the wave machine. An hour before the reef was raging and then nothing at all. Jonathan never got his hair wet. We both just laughed because it was so unreal. Over all this was one of our better surf days of the trip. To catch desert point is a real feather in you cap so we were happy! Moved around to another anchorage for the nite and we will see if we have music in the morning again! If there is no surf we have two snorkeling spots to check out as a back up activity. We did see a sea turtle that was as big as a double bed mattress! I am not kidding. There are number of ‘surf’ boats cruising around. We had 2 here for a little while today but one of them moved on. Each one of them carries about 10-15 surfers each. Their normal trip is about 10 days hitting all the different surf spots in the Lombak and Sumbawa. Good night! Jim
Boat trip day 4
Under way by first light without the wake up music. The village (as well as most) had a fire that smoked up the whole area even flowing oout over the ocean. I mean lots of smoke. It must be for mosquito control is all I can figure out. Malaria is in these islands. On the boat we have not seen the first mossie as the aussies would say. Coffee while watching the sunrise beside a volcano is a little different than I am use to as well as seeing the southern cross every nite in the southern sky! Surf was on the smallish side so we had breakfast then went for a session. The swell had dropped off so we had a few in an hour and a half but not much. Left Desert Point by noon for the 2.5 hour crossing of the Lombok Strait under calm conditions. We did see a decent southwest 4-6 foot ocean swell running as we passed 3 tankers which were headed north. Fished the whole way but no bites. Stopped between Nusa Lombagen and Nusa Penida to go snorkeling in a very small cove. The coral formations were spectacular. Goose stuffed bread into an empty water bottle and filled it with water before we jumped in. Once diving you squirted the bottle a bit to squeeze out some bread and the fish just swarmed to eat right in front of you ! You could see the colorful fish up close. It was fun. The current between these two islands was running 6 knots and created whirlpools and some very unusual water in this 400 foot deep channel about ¼ mile wide. Here the locals grow seaweed and there are miles of farms on the edge of the islands. Stopped at Shipwrecks for a late afternoon session but the swell must not have been hitting this place at the right angle as it was on the smallish side too. Watched some Indiana Jones movie and had an absolutely spectacular dinner then lites out. The stars at nite are really something. The big Dipper is low on the horizon and the North Star is out of sight below the horizon.
Boat trip day 5
The boat was just too still for the surf to have come up during the nite. We would have felt some motion if had picked up. Mary Anne slept out on deck for the last two nites on a cushion! Actually slept in until after the sun came up but not much. With surf prospects poor where we were, we went to another spot about 20-30 minutes away. Found about 6-7 people in the water and watched for 15 minutes but did not see anyone catch much of a wave so we headed back to Bali. Arrived at the marina before noon to have lunch after we tied up. We enjoyed the Balinese crew as they were very friendly and nice which made the trip much more pleasant. Grabbed a cab for the trip back to where we had been staying to find a new group of people. This time it was a high school surf team, coaches, and 2 dads to share our time with. Jonathan , Dillon and myself went for a surf but could not find any good waves. I mean the swell had picked up but it was just not breaking right. So we rented 2 motor scooters for 4 dollars a day each with surf racks! Dillon is more excited about these than anything! So we are mobile at a moments notice. Dinner and bed at this point on Monday nite when it is Monday morning on the east coast.
Thanks for reading I enjoy posting. jim
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Surfing Uluwatu
We have spoken to quite a few people like taxi drivers and just normal indonesian folks that have ask me about Obama. I usually never bring up the subject of politics while out of the country but it is interesting to listen to these people. They are all for him and getting rid of Bush. I think Obama's mother is from here. I just found it interesting that people so far away from the USA seem to keep track of our election. Surfed Uluwatu this am and pm. Good waves down the race track section both sessions. Some really smoking barrells. I could not seem to find one or the nerve backside but Jonathan held his own. Dillon got a some good ones (with pics to prove it) but on his last one he got slammed on the reef in a tube section. He came up shaken with a few scrapes to show it. The pic of Dillon is Uluwatu and Jonathan was the best and most fun day at Gland. It take 10 minutes to upload each photo. Found a good Mexican resturant tonight owned by a guy from Puerto Rico. Off tomorrow for a boat ride to last 5 days on the next islands to the east. The captain is from NC/Va Bch. His son comes into the bikeshop as he lives in Wilmington. I am not sure of the internet connection though. We did buy a cheap cell phone for $30.00 though , call Georgia at the bike shop if you need to get in touch as she will have the number.
jim
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
some more ramble 6-24-08
June 24, 2008
Body boards are ‘lids’ in Aussie speak! I was talking to this Aussie surfer and asked if he rode bikes and he said yea mate! I ask what kind and got the reply of a road bike that does 250 kph down the straight-aways! This guy is in his 50’s too. So much for finding another cyclist. We are not in any area that got hit by the tsunami a couple of years ago as Ginger asked. Surfing at Gland required some kid of wetsuit as the water was a little chilly and a breeze cooled it right down. Some people wore short johns. As far as drinking water it is mainly bottled we consume. Some of you ask about the food and all I say is it is good. Same bkfast as in the states cereal, eggs, toast, juice and fruit. Lunch is sandwiches or pasta. Dinner is Asian usually curry for me, fish, chicken or pizza once! My triathlon training is not going very well unless you count paddling my surfboard numerous miles. I will use this as swimming training. The boat ride back from Java to Bali was fairly smooth and pleasant but it could have been very rough but we lucked out as the trade winds did not pick up in the morning. Shopped the tourist central Kuta all afternoon which was fun. Haggling over the price of anything is the normal. Sometimes I ask the price of something and I get an answer of ‘how much you pay’ and it goes from there. The driving is really totally nuts! Every available square foot of pavement in town not taken by cars is jammed packed with thousands of motor scooters. It is normal to see a whole family on the same scooter mixing it up with the rest of everyone else. There are very few cyclists. Gas is $6.00 a gallon so we should be happy back in the US. On the 26th we are getting on a boat for 4 nites with a captain from NC of all places way over here. I probably will not have any internet access during this time. The service we experienced at Bobby’s G-land surf camp was fantastic. Just an unbelievable encounter. Above most service received at home and these people don’t make much. Just truly genuine employees that love their job and are there for the guests. I can not say enough about this! Time for bed , more later. Thanks. jim
Body boards are ‘lids’ in Aussie speak! I was talking to this Aussie surfer and asked if he rode bikes and he said yea mate! I ask what kind and got the reply of a road bike that does 250 kph down the straight-aways! This guy is in his 50’s too. So much for finding another cyclist. We are not in any area that got hit by the tsunami a couple of years ago as Ginger asked. Surfing at Gland required some kid of wetsuit as the water was a little chilly and a breeze cooled it right down. Some people wore short johns. As far as drinking water it is mainly bottled we consume. Some of you ask about the food and all I say is it is good. Same bkfast as in the states cereal, eggs, toast, juice and fruit. Lunch is sandwiches or pasta. Dinner is Asian usually curry for me, fish, chicken or pizza once! My triathlon training is not going very well unless you count paddling my surfboard numerous miles. I will use this as swimming training. The boat ride back from Java to Bali was fairly smooth and pleasant but it could have been very rough but we lucked out as the trade winds did not pick up in the morning. Shopped the tourist central Kuta all afternoon which was fun. Haggling over the price of anything is the normal. Sometimes I ask the price of something and I get an answer of ‘how much you pay’ and it goes from there. The driving is really totally nuts! Every available square foot of pavement in town not taken by cars is jammed packed with thousands of motor scooters. It is normal to see a whole family on the same scooter mixing it up with the rest of everyone else. There are very few cyclists. Gas is $6.00 a gallon so we should be happy back in the US. On the 26th we are getting on a boat for 4 nites with a captain from NC of all places way over here. I probably will not have any internet access during this time. The service we experienced at Bobby’s G-land surf camp was fantastic. Just an unbelievable encounter. Above most service received at home and these people don’t make much. Just truly genuine employees that love their job and are there for the guests. I can not say enough about this! Time for bed , more later. Thanks. jim
Monday, June 23, 2008
Just mucking around
Just mucking around is what the Aussies say for goofing off or doing nothing. Pretty well says it all. Another in when it is raining hard is 'pissing rain'. I will think of more on that subject later. The well paid help here at the camp make $3.00 a day plus room and board. . I did not missplace the decimal point either. They are very helpful and extreeemly nice too. It is the way everyone in the world should behave. The surf has come down to a more manageable size but is suppose to come back up by the weekend. Dillon is surfing really well. The paddle out and back is at least 1/4 mile and dillon did it twice this morning for a total of 1 mile.We leave here in the morning to get back to Bali. Catch a boat at 7:30 am. We made it through the Gland surf without any major reef encounters which this place is noted for or any bad hold downs. We saw conditions that could have done either. We saw a monitor lizard which was 4-5 feet long. I do have pictures! Wild boars the size of a big dog, tons of monkeys, and MA saw a snake. I could come back to Bobby's surf camp again. Coffee is ready by daylight, maybe that is a good reason. The vibe is the water is very nice and mellow from what we have seen. I was scared it would be worse. But a nice supprise!! Thanks fore the report on Fiona! We have met many fun people so far and hope the meet more in the coming days.. Jim
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday 6-22 9:00 am
Surf was cranking again yesterday although a little smaller this morn. Jonathan said he got more tube time yesterday than he has had in all the rest of his surfing career combined!! He was charging in the welllllll overhead waves. I was proud of him and his surfing ability. One wave he pulled in 3 times and made the wave. I can't say that for myself though but it was fun watching .
I tell people i have a bicycle shop and they don't understand. If I say push bike then the aussies know what i mean. Another word for a bicycle used in Aust. is treadly deadly !! The food continues to be good here at camp with a decent variety to chose from. Currently there are about 50 people at our camp and probably 100 total in all the camps combined. The people we meet are all interesting . It is fun to make new friends. The local photographer here up where I grew up in Houston although he went to Sharpstown High school, just the next school down the road. I did find one other cyclist here with us (an ex triathete) with his nephew.
more later, jim
I tell people i have a bicycle shop and they don't understand. If I say push bike then the aussies know what i mean. Another word for a bicycle used in Aust. is treadly deadly !! The food continues to be good here at camp with a decent variety to chose from. Currently there are about 50 people at our camp and probably 100 total in all the camps combined. The people we meet are all interesting . It is fun to make new friends. The local photographer here up where I grew up in Houston although he went to Sharpstown High school, just the next school down the road. I did find one other cyclist here with us (an ex triathete) with his nephew.
more later, jim
Friday, June 20, 2008
bigger surf
The waves started out about 6-8 feet for an hour or so. I got a few good ones. Jomathan brought out his 5-8 which was a mistake so he headed in to get his bigger board and snapped the merrick in the white water as he tried to swim under a big one. He spent a total of an hour just paddling in and out to the line up today! Then the sets just kept getting bigger and bigger. Each set the whole line up changed. it was hard ot figure out. But there were some bigguns. Mary anne and myself did a run today. the road is a little better than the Uwharrie trail but not much. Dillon went and surfed a place called tiger tracks. Here in the jungle it makes you wonder why they named it that. The people here are friendly and we are enjoying the place so we are staying another 3 days before heading back to bali. Hopefully more tomorrow. jim
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Cranking G land and 96 Bintangs
This computer took 15 minutes to load this website!! As far as the Bintangs (the local beer ) we recieved 96 "free" beers with our room for 4 people! Georgie, I need help drinking these cold things!! Trust me I am doing my best. We stayed at a place in Kutsa called Un's hotel for a 5 am wake up call for a 15 minute bus ride to catch a boat at one of the local beaches. It was still dark as we boarded the 30 ft triple 200 hp yamaha speed boat with about 10 others for the 30 mph 2.5 hr ride. The ride was very pleasant ending running between the waves to cross the reef to get to the beach. On the beach was an old old 30-40 yr old hand crank truck that we got in the back for a ride to Bobby's camp. The nearest village is 30 miles away via horrible road. I have never seen a jungle but this seems real to me. I can't believe anyone even hacked out the path for the road but when you see the surf and you are a surfer you would know. Bobby's is like a deluxe summer camp for surfers although there are surfers friends and girlfriends here. Jonathan and I went out for a surf after breakfast. Jonathan snagged a couple but it was hard to surf. Solid 6-8 feet with monster sets rolling through every once and a while. We came in at low tide so it was a 1/4 mile walk across the inner reek instead of the 15 minute paddle out like 2 hrs before. The Indonesians smoke like there are no health risks! In the afternoon we went to a place called 20 - 20's due to the 20 minute walk each direction but we renamed it 40-40's. There we caught low tide conditions with a long walk across the reef and more sea urchins than I have ever seen in my life. J , D and myself caught some fun fast lefts. They had a full moon party complete with local band and 4 traditional dancers. A nice evening with some poeple having a little too much fun. If you can't tell we all like G-land and are staying another 3 days if possible. A couple of days ago Jonathan broke (schreadded) his board at some barrelling right . Really it was not his board and we were going to tell Nick C that his cord broke and he never saw the board again. We gave it to a surf shop that was going to repair it and give it to some kid that does not have a board. We did find a good back up Simon Anderson (boards are hard to find that fit a kid jonathans size) at one of the local shops in surf central Kuta. Surfing is very respected in this part of the world!! Unlike Wrightsville Beach ! Evidently Taj Barrow and Luke Steadman were here yesterday and surfing bit we missd them. This morning Jonathan said he had one of the best surf sessions of his life. He was charging on the bigger ones with pics to show. I was very happy with my 5 waves and is one or my better sessions too. Yes 5 waves can be a very great session especially if you never eat it or get the thrashing of your life and get to the beach in one piece at one of the Narliest lefts in the world. Mary Anne is enjoying the surf camp too. The crowd in the water is very pleasant much to my surprise and not that crowded. Even the Brazialians were nice. now that is a change! Dillon and I spent 2 hrs walking the reef at low tide this aft. I told him it was better that any semester he could ever spend in biology class at school. Pardon the ramble but this is what i do the best . I am scared to spell/grammer check this for being scares of loosing it, so just enjoy for what it is. Thanks for reading Jim
Monday, June 16, 2008
Off to G-Land
We are off to G-Land (Java) Wed early in the am. A 2-3 hour boat ride if all goes well. We will be there by 9-10 am. Surf forecast is big! I hope we can get the nerve to go out!! At least the main break. They do have a spot called Chickens down the beach a ways in case we need it. We will stay for 3-5 days depending on how we feel about the place. The different accommodation packages give you different amounts of beer of all things! It must have something to do with all the Aussies that frequent the place. Anyway we received 96 beer vouchers!! I hope we do not use all of them. Jonathan might haha! There might not be any internet service there. The surf today was really small in the chest to head high range. I rented a motor scooter for 7 dollars for 24 hours. The was Dillon’s favorite ride so far with the exception of the video attached ! If computers go well Jonathan’s picture at Uluwatu is posted also. He paddled back out with a HUGE smile on his face. I will let you guess as to whether he made it or not!! We had dinner tonight with two guys staying here , one from England/Sidney AU and the other from Sarasota Fl . We enjoyed their company. It takes forever to upload these pics and videos. I hope you enjoy!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
june 15 9:00 pm
June 16 2008 update
We are feeling a little more at home and comfortable in our new surroundings. The people we are staying with as well as other travelers are very pleasant to be around. The place is billed and advertised as a surf camp so everyone here wants the ocean in some form or another. Of course we are the oldest and the youngest in the bunch. The place has about 8 rooms for rent. Breakfast and lunch included with good coffee! Andrew (who owns the place with his indo wife) is a surfer too. He currently has three local surfers that work for him and carry everyone surfing multiple times a day depending on ability, if you are ready. One lady from Canada is here and spent 3 weeks last year in good old Albermale, NC doing some accounting work for some company there. The ladies on staff serve up offerings to the spirits every morning in these three or four little temples on the outside edges of the fence surrounding the property. Each offering is a little grass type woven bowl that has some type of food (bananas or oranges maybe) as well as burning incense which smells nice. It is an offering to the good spirits just to keep them happy and they will in turn keep the bad spirits away.
A walk back from the beach with Dillon the other evening was 160 big-big(high) steps up a cliff then a 17 minute walk back to our place(Dillon had me time it). We are off the road so there is no auto noise to speak of. The dogs barked at us on the walk because we probably stick out like a sore thumb! The locals all wave and say high. One interesting fact that I never thought would be is that most people speak a little English so the language barrier is not that big of a deal. Trying to understand or speak Indonesian would be difficult for us although we are trying. Everyone speaks English when it comes to numbers and money! Haha !
Getting a ride anywhere is quick. Dillon and I just walk or stick out our thumb and someone stops pretty quick (whether car, taxi, or motor scooter) and you have a ride right away. Dillon likes the motor scooters. It is not uncommon to see 3-4 people on one scooter. Lots of scooters have surf racks on the side.
The orientation of north and south have had me a little puzzled to start. The waves bend around the island up to 90-180 degrees and I just think they should be coming straight out of the south. So the sunrise through me off the other morning when surfing. The pic posted of Dil and JON in the water was sunrise. It felt like the sun rose in the west that morning. I had to study the map and look at the stars to get my bearings. Also having nothing to the south of us except Antarctica is a little different.
More later , jim
We are feeling a little more at home and comfortable in our new surroundings. The people we are staying with as well as other travelers are very pleasant to be around. The place is billed and advertised as a surf camp so everyone here wants the ocean in some form or another. Of course we are the oldest and the youngest in the bunch. The place has about 8 rooms for rent. Breakfast and lunch included with good coffee! Andrew (who owns the place with his indo wife) is a surfer too. He currently has three local surfers that work for him and carry everyone surfing multiple times a day depending on ability, if you are ready. One lady from Canada is here and spent 3 weeks last year in good old Albermale, NC doing some accounting work for some company there. The ladies on staff serve up offerings to the spirits every morning in these three or four little temples on the outside edges of the fence surrounding the property. Each offering is a little grass type woven bowl that has some type of food (bananas or oranges maybe) as well as burning incense which smells nice. It is an offering to the good spirits just to keep them happy and they will in turn keep the bad spirits away.
A walk back from the beach with Dillon the other evening was 160 big-big(high) steps up a cliff then a 17 minute walk back to our place(Dillon had me time it). We are off the road so there is no auto noise to speak of. The dogs barked at us on the walk because we probably stick out like a sore thumb! The locals all wave and say high. One interesting fact that I never thought would be is that most people speak a little English so the language barrier is not that big of a deal. Trying to understand or speak Indonesian would be difficult for us although we are trying. Everyone speaks English when it comes to numbers and money! Haha !
Getting a ride anywhere is quick. Dillon and I just walk or stick out our thumb and someone stops pretty quick (whether car, taxi, or motor scooter) and you have a ride right away. Dillon likes the motor scooters. It is not uncommon to see 3-4 people on one scooter. Lots of scooters have surf racks on the side.
The orientation of north and south have had me a little puzzled to start. The waves bend around the island up to 90-180 degrees and I just think they should be coming straight out of the south. So the sunrise through me off the other morning when surfing. The pic posted of Dil and JON in the water was sunrise. It felt like the sun rose in the west that morning. I had to study the map and look at the stars to get my bearings. Also having nothing to the south of us except Antarctica is a little different.
More later , jim
Saturday, June 14, 2008
First few days
Bali is sick! The waves are pumping everyday and the wind is offshore everyday. We have surfed places called Bingin, Impossibles, and Uluwatu. Reef boots come in handy at low tide so you can stand up. If you don’t wear them your feet will get cut up real fast walking on the bottom. Uluwatu has become my favorite wave so far. The waves are fast, long and hollow. We went into Kuta yesterday to go check on our reservation at G-Land and we are set to go on the 18th-22nd. A swell is supposed to hit when we get there and be about 8 feet. We will probably be in for a big surprise. Kuta is a city that is super packed and crowded with everybody trying to sell you something. Hopefully we will get some more waves this afternoon.
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jim's random thoughts
Totally random thoughts by Jim:
Our place for the first week is very nice. Andrew who owns the place is from Wales who married an Indonesian girl and they have a 1 month old baby girl. Surf trips are run 2-3 times a day and go to places that meet your ability. We surfed Uluwatu this morning in glassy conditions. The go out is a hike down steep stairs into a cave at which point you start paddling out through the mouth of the cave into a strong rip which sucks you down the point. You then need to paddle out and back around to the line up. Dillon caught a beautiful wave ( the surf was not small) . Jonathan got the barrel of his life supposedly. I saw a picture of it which I will try to post when we get it. My back is bothering me so my surfing is limited, I just hope it gets better instead of worse. All the places we have surfed so far include a steep walk down a maize of stairways that winds through, above, and below Houses, eateries (warungs), and small places to stay(losmans) All packed on top of each other. Finding your way back the same way you climbed down is difficult especially in the dark after staying out for just one more wave! When I say maize I mean it! The surf has been crowded except for this morning when we hit it at first light. My favorite surf spot is impossibles. The name says it all as you can not make it to the end of the wave but trying is great.
Kuta (the tourist center of town) is totally nuts! Every walk of life you can imagine. A million motor scooters mixed with about as many cars and everyone driving on the left. I am glad we did not rent a car. The taxi guys do a good job. Every one is trying to sell you something/anything you might walk by. We could only take it for about 2 hours! Prices are very cheep. Last nite we ate at a really nice Tai place tuna/crab/padti drinks etc for 30 dollars (or350,000 rupia) . Rolex watches sell for 25 bucks if that tells you anything. DVDs go for 50 cents. We are staying about 45 minutes from all that mess where it is fairly peaceful.
I have not seen a single mosquito yet. We are sleeping with the windows wide open and no screens. We did worry about malaria before coming though. The only annoyingsounds are the roosters about 5:30 am. I can still hear them now and it is noon.
Fun people staying here with us. There are about 8 rooms here. Most surf but more beginner types from Wales, France, Switzerland, and Singapore. All younger people traveling 1 month to a year. Breakfast is served 7-9 , lunch 1-2 , and dinner is own your own. So far good food. Coffee is great!!
I used my waterproof camera surfing this am. I had fun with it. I will try to post a pic. Water is clear and clean. Bottom is 100 % reef. I already have a couple of mementos on my body from it. I am wearing reef boots every go out so far to save my feet. It is taking some getting use to though.
Most people speak English in some form or another so the language barrier has not been a problem. They all speak enough to try to sell something. So much for this ramble. If I try to make it too perfect it just take my slow fingers too long. I hope you enjoy.
So far one run of about 3 miles. Good heat training though.
jim
Our place for the first week is very nice. Andrew who owns the place is from Wales who married an Indonesian girl and they have a 1 month old baby girl. Surf trips are run 2-3 times a day and go to places that meet your ability. We surfed Uluwatu this morning in glassy conditions. The go out is a hike down steep stairs into a cave at which point you start paddling out through the mouth of the cave into a strong rip which sucks you down the point. You then need to paddle out and back around to the line up. Dillon caught a beautiful wave ( the surf was not small) . Jonathan got the barrel of his life supposedly. I saw a picture of it which I will try to post when we get it. My back is bothering me so my surfing is limited, I just hope it gets better instead of worse. All the places we have surfed so far include a steep walk down a maize of stairways that winds through, above, and below Houses, eateries (warungs), and small places to stay(losmans) All packed on top of each other. Finding your way back the same way you climbed down is difficult especially in the dark after staying out for just one more wave! When I say maize I mean it! The surf has been crowded except for this morning when we hit it at first light. My favorite surf spot is impossibles. The name says it all as you can not make it to the end of the wave but trying is great.
Kuta (the tourist center of town) is totally nuts! Every walk of life you can imagine. A million motor scooters mixed with about as many cars and everyone driving on the left. I am glad we did not rent a car. The taxi guys do a good job. Every one is trying to sell you something/anything you might walk by. We could only take it for about 2 hours! Prices are very cheep. Last nite we ate at a really nice Tai place tuna/crab/padti drinks etc for 30 dollars (or350,000 rupia) . Rolex watches sell for 25 bucks if that tells you anything. DVDs go for 50 cents. We are staying about 45 minutes from all that mess where it is fairly peaceful.
I have not seen a single mosquito yet. We are sleeping with the windows wide open and no screens. We did worry about malaria before coming though. The only annoyingsounds are the roosters about 5:30 am. I can still hear them now and it is noon.
Fun people staying here with us. There are about 8 rooms here. Most surf but more beginner types from Wales, France, Switzerland, and Singapore. All younger people traveling 1 month to a year. Breakfast is served 7-9 , lunch 1-2 , and dinner is own your own. So far good food. Coffee is great!!
I used my waterproof camera surfing this am. I had fun with it. I will try to post a pic. Water is clear and clean. Bottom is 100 % reef. I already have a couple of mementos on my body from it. I am wearing reef boots every go out so far to save my feet. It is taking some getting use to though.
Most people speak English in some form or another so the language barrier has not been a problem. They all speak enough to try to sell something. So much for this ramble. If I try to make it too perfect it just take my slow fingers too long. I hope you enjoy.
So far one run of about 3 miles. Good heat training though.
jim
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The trip over
36,000 ft and the Int’l Date Line
Singapore Air rocks!!!! The seats in coach are like first class on any US carrier. The flight attendants are beautiful, happy, and smiling. Real metal silver ware, headsets, snacks/drinks in the stand up lounge all the time. The seats are the closest thing to a bed I have ever seen complete with foot rest, lower leg support, and seat back that would hit the person behind you in the lap if there wasn’t so much room between the seats. There are two classes above us lowlife in the back of the plane too, I just hate to see what they get. ( they do get beds! ) We were just handed our second hot wash cloth also. Now if our countries airlines would just take this approach they might come out of their hole. Nickel and diming you to death for bags, food, and a smiling attendant is killing them. Just charge a little more and forget the nickel! Enough of the soapbox. Sorry, I am a big critic after being in the customer service business for all this time.
There was no charge for our surfboard bags either!! Although they did weigh every bag for the 50 lb limit. We spent 9 hours with our bags in LA, but we had carts so we were mobile.
We left Los Angeles just after dark on Monday night going west “chasing the sunset, which outran us”. I did see the constellation Scorpio out my port side window seat during the nite. When we crossed the date line it was Wednesday. I still don’t know exactly where Tuesday went! The sunrise caught up with us after we arrived in Singapore , so the flight was 17 hrs in the dark. I think I got enough sleep. Dillon stole my neck pillow at some point during the nite so he was comfy. It really has not been a bad flight with the comfortable accommodations and endless movies, news, games, etc on the tv in the seat back in front of you. We arrived in Singapore just before sunrise. We now have a 3 hour layover till our next flight.
Whoever voted the Singapore airport the nicest airport in the world was right. It is beautiful and very clean.
If you email us remember if it is 6pm in NC it will be 6am the next day over here. The best time for quicker exchange of emails will probably be from 6 to 9 am or pm when we are both likely awake at the same time and possibly near a computer. I am writing this on the last hour of our flight from LA to Singapore where we need to catch another 2 hr flight to Bali. We made it to Bali and our pick up at the airport was there! Approx 30 minute drive to Padang-Padang-bali surf camp and we are taking a rest. Surfed waist to chest Bingin’s before dark.
jim
Singapore Air rocks!!!! The seats in coach are like first class on any US carrier. The flight attendants are beautiful, happy, and smiling. Real metal silver ware, headsets, snacks/drinks in the stand up lounge all the time. The seats are the closest thing to a bed I have ever seen complete with foot rest, lower leg support, and seat back that would hit the person behind you in the lap if there wasn’t so much room between the seats. There are two classes above us lowlife in the back of the plane too, I just hate to see what they get. ( they do get beds! ) We were just handed our second hot wash cloth also. Now if our countries airlines would just take this approach they might come out of their hole. Nickel and diming you to death for bags, food, and a smiling attendant is killing them. Just charge a little more and forget the nickel! Enough of the soapbox. Sorry, I am a big critic after being in the customer service business for all this time.
There was no charge for our surfboard bags either!! Although they did weigh every bag for the 50 lb limit. We spent 9 hours with our bags in LA, but we had carts so we were mobile.
We left Los Angeles just after dark on Monday night going west “chasing the sunset, which outran us”. I did see the constellation Scorpio out my port side window seat during the nite. When we crossed the date line it was Wednesday. I still don’t know exactly where Tuesday went! The sunrise caught up with us after we arrived in Singapore , so the flight was 17 hrs in the dark. I think I got enough sleep. Dillon stole my neck pillow at some point during the nite so he was comfy. It really has not been a bad flight with the comfortable accommodations and endless movies, news, games, etc on the tv in the seat back in front of you. We arrived in Singapore just before sunrise. We now have a 3 hour layover till our next flight.
Whoever voted the Singapore airport the nicest airport in the world was right. It is beautiful and very clean.
If you email us remember if it is 6pm in NC it will be 6am the next day over here. The best time for quicker exchange of emails will probably be from 6 to 9 am or pm when we are both likely awake at the same time and possibly near a computer. I am writing this on the last hour of our flight from LA to Singapore where we need to catch another 2 hr flight to Bali. We made it to Bali and our pick up at the airport was there! Approx 30 minute drive to Padang-Padang-bali surf camp and we are taking a rest. Surfed waist to chest Bingin’s before dark.
jim
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Story for Local Sessions Mag from trip to Costa Rica
Sick Again
The excuse note to get back into school went something like “He got SICK”. What it failed to mention was that he got SICK WAVES, not the flu!
Casa Romantica offered us a free breakfast every morning with our room. The only problem was the surf was too good to come in and eat it. Therefore, we missed the great food surfing ourselves senseless until we were starving. The hotel was a fantastic place to stay and was situated at one of the best locations for surfing in the area. This swell, according to one of the expat locals, was one of the “top five” of the year! The rides were very long and totally ripable. Once in a while the paddle back out would be our worst nightmare if we happened to catch one of the 25 wave sets at the wrong time though. We called this “going to jail” as in Monopoly where you do not pass go or collect $200 on the way. And, even if we did get caught, it was worth it to be in such good waves without a wetsuit in the middle of the winter!
One of our day trips involved a very rough two hour boat trip. As a dad with his two kids I was concerned with the strong winds and the safety of the boat ride, but I knew the winds were blowing offshore at the surf break destination. What I did not realize at that time was that the very high winds kept the other boats at the dock as they cancelled their runs for the day due to the nasty weather. What we found at our destination was this empty, epic, very long, fast, fast, fast, fast, Right over a sandbar that came to life at low tide (sorry no pictures of this spot) . We surfed ourselves silly at mach 2 speeds on every wave then ran back up the beach to jump back in the water at the peak to race another one down the line. Running was quicker than paddling at that distance. After a while the tide changed, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wore off and we had to call it quits. That phenomenal session made the boat ride back a little more tolerable even if it was a white knuckle ride.
For a dad to be able take his kids on a great surf trip was a wonderful experience. To be able to catch a world class Right all to ourselves was over the top ! Anything is still possible for those who are adventurous and willing to go the extra mile to find good waves. For me it was a dream come true. However, I will not quit dreaming as who knows when another dream will come true.
The excuse note to get back into school went something like “He got SICK”. What it failed to mention was that he got SICK WAVES, not the flu!
Casa Romantica offered us a free breakfast every morning with our room. The only problem was the surf was too good to come in and eat it. Therefore, we missed the great food surfing ourselves senseless until we were starving. The hotel was a fantastic place to stay and was situated at one of the best locations for surfing in the area. This swell, according to one of the expat locals, was one of the “top five” of the year! The rides were very long and totally ripable. Once in a while the paddle back out would be our worst nightmare if we happened to catch one of the 25 wave sets at the wrong time though. We called this “going to jail” as in Monopoly where you do not pass go or collect $200 on the way. And, even if we did get caught, it was worth it to be in such good waves without a wetsuit in the middle of the winter!
One of our day trips involved a very rough two hour boat trip. As a dad with his two kids I was concerned with the strong winds and the safety of the boat ride, but I knew the winds were blowing offshore at the surf break destination. What I did not realize at that time was that the very high winds kept the other boats at the dock as they cancelled their runs for the day due to the nasty weather. What we found at our destination was this empty, epic, very long, fast, fast, fast, fast, Right over a sandbar that came to life at low tide (sorry no pictures of this spot) . We surfed ourselves silly at mach 2 speeds on every wave then ran back up the beach to jump back in the water at the peak to race another one down the line. Running was quicker than paddling at that distance. After a while the tide changed, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wore off and we had to call it quits. That phenomenal session made the boat ride back a little more tolerable even if it was a white knuckle ride.
For a dad to be able take his kids on a great surf trip was a wonderful experience. To be able to catch a world class Right all to ourselves was over the top ! Anything is still possible for those who are adventurous and willing to go the extra mile to find good waves. For me it was a dream come true. However, I will not quit dreaming as who knows when another dream will come true.
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