tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91882581297947408872024-03-05T17:33:16.458+08:00this [surfing] lifeBechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-12786069354841669272012-11-20T14:30:00.000+08:002012-12-26T18:33:47.063+08:00Turtles and waves on the North Shore<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBJkaHN2JLxYlrB8KWBORW_9HwqetnewqO4bknnEsU-cjKKP3PIKE7dM01WR9wh8Lmvar8R609RqIYpdo1ugGwy039k4bmDUPWzzr_9iWgBxFOTifpumhsFRtnF4hPjJkthCBYVmR45s/s1600/Hawaiian+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBJkaHN2JLxYlrB8KWBORW_9HwqetnewqO4bknnEsU-cjKKP3PIKE7dM01WR9wh8Lmvar8R609RqIYpdo1ugGwy039k4bmDUPWzzr_9iWgBxFOTifpumhsFRtnF4hPjJkthCBYVmR45s/s1600/Hawaiian+sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset, Diamond Head</td></tr>
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The last 10 days of my trip have been spent on Oahu with my friend, Steph. I met Steph through a mutual friend in Bali at the very beginning of my trip and spent the first week with her surfing Canngu and Kuta. I love the circular motion of my trip....starting and ending a long journey with a wonderful new friend on a tropical island.<br />
<br />
Steph lives on the south side of Oahu and surfs Diamond Head, a great longboarding wave breaking over reef. It is an incredible beautiful 'local', a very long and crowded ride, full of that Hawaiian spirit of Aloha. The swell was pretty small but we still had some super fun sessions on 9 foot longboards.<br />
<br />
We also spent a few days on the north side of the island checking out the famed breaks of Pipeline and Waimea Bay. I loved the North Shore and really hope I will be back at some stage to stay a little longer. Some how, amid the circus that is professional surf competitions and heavy tourism, the small town of Halie'wa has maintained its beauty. The first day we visited the swell was huge with 8 - 10 foot sets coming through. The famous breaks of Waimea Bay, Halie'wa and Pipeline were all breaking and full of professional surfers waiting at the start of the HIC pro. I didn't paddle out. Heavy was a understatement.<br />
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We drove back to the North Shore several more times over the week. Both days were incredibly beautiful and made me fall in love with this little piece of paradise even more. On Thursday, I watched sea turtles feasting for an hour on one of the reefs and surfed a super fun Lani's on Steph's 7'2. The winds came up early on the Saturday so we spent the morning with <a href="http://sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org/" target="_blank">Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii </a>cleaning up one of the beaches up from Waimea Bay. Marine debris is starting to wash up on the Hawaiian islands from Japan - fridges, old bombs, washing machines. Its quite amazing what a big shake up like a tsunami will do.<br />
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I was really inspired by the clean up and will definitely look for opportunities to organise / participate in similar events in my home town of Fremantle. I'd also love to initiate / support similar events in Bali. The issue with plastics in Indonesia is unbelievable, incredibly sad and really takes away from the surfing experience. I am not sure what the answer is considering waste management practices are primitive but its got to begin with something.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn6iriGK9YbVTyFm0U5fvLJXUWLlsv2Yp438IsBDoBYV_8l68ykB5yczd3NB6Eeq4sqGwxeMbYe9f_LtTQXQEJ14mX-5hr626EHBePavaenRQTcUlVocdcQo_S7-fmZQT7VvziNuUKE4/s1600/sustainable+coast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn6iriGK9YbVTyFm0U5fvLJXUWLlsv2Yp438IsBDoBYV_8l68ykB5yczd3NB6Eeq4sqGwxeMbYe9f_LtTQXQEJ14mX-5hr626EHBePavaenRQTcUlVocdcQo_S7-fmZQT7VvziNuUKE4/s320/sustainable+coast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steph and I at the Sustainable Coastlines clean up</td></tr>
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I head back home on November 13. I'm looking forward to settling down for a while, unpacking my backpack, sleeping in a king size bed and catching up with families, friends and my boy.<br />
<br />Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0Hawaii, USA19.8967662 -155.582781800000025.1345291999999976 -176.2370788 34.6590032 -134.92848480000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-88684450874814587182012-11-01T03:56:00.000+08:002012-12-26T18:34:35.338+08:00Nor Cal.......Ocean Beach<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBw-qp2VwvhrBXxSA_0AGCSJMiIHAd7j6qYW3GA2N5FrXgiP4fbokoSDQwUelcj0oEYG3gdz1OSHJEJzbSnwHaQ8hokrg0xEUYNUl31dNNqlTBNbdGmRHoL3HWZ14kDcd2E5SoO4BsD8/s1600/san-francisco-empty-barrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBw-qp2VwvhrBXxSA_0AGCSJMiIHAd7j6qYW3GA2N5FrXgiP4fbokoSDQwUelcj0oEYG3gdz1OSHJEJzbSnwHaQ8hokrg0xEUYNUl31dNNqlTBNbdGmRHoL3HWZ14kDcd2E5SoO4BsD8/s1600/san-francisco-empty-barrel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My friend Brad and I headed out to Ocean Beach for a late afternoon surf while I was in San Francisco. Surfing this part of the world takes the sport to a whole other level. Hoodies, gloves, 5ml wetsuits are the norm. It definitely goes above and beyond what I am prepared to give on a regular basis. I'll take my bikini and 25 degree Indonesian water any day!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/ocean-beach-sf-central-california_4127/" target="_blank">Ocean Beach</a> is a well known, world class wave which handles some serious size. Peaks line up for 3 miles breaking on sand banks and still peal on 15foot faces. I'm not a big fan of beach breaks. For starters it can be challenging to get out the back with regular close outs and shifting banks. Increasing in size by one foot can take them from super fun to extremely scary. My worst wipe outs have been at beach breaks and they can hurt. Being slammed into wet sand feels the same as being slammed into concrete.<br />
<br />
I have struggled to surf well in California. I've found the temperature of the water extremely challenging even with a thick wetsuit on. I also find the density of the water different to the tropics so I feel that I sit lower and can't paddle with the same strength and speed that I am used to. The cold water makes me sluggish and my body just doesn't respond the way I want it to. Needless to say, I had a really bad surf, lasted little over an hour and took three really bad waves.<br />
<br />
I met Brad at Cactus Beach, South Australia while he was travelling Australia four years ago. He was on an 8 month 'radical sabbatical' through Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand carting around four boards and a desire to nail his backside tube riding. He had thrown in his job, his girl, saved a bunch of money, bought a car and was driving from West Australia through to Victoria surfing as much as possible along the way. He surfs with a finesse that I will never have, a skill level honed after starting early in life and surfing as much possible over the last 30 years.<br />
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<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2009/01/30/2478879.htm" target="_blank">Cactus Beach</a> is on my surf hit list. I have been there several times driving from Melbourne to Perth but never really caught it on a good swell. It is one of the Nullabours famous desert breaks full of isolated barrels and great white sharks. It is a surreal place, wind blown, salty, lonely but it has this amazing energy and attracts a very interesting traveller. Its beauty is intensified by the fact that it is 4 hours from the nearest town of any decent size. You basically pull up on the sand dunes, pay $8 for a site and camp in the elements. One day I'll take a wave.<br />
<br />
I'm heading to Hawaii today for the final week of my trip. I've been craving the routine and rhythm of home for a while and am looking forward to seeing friends and family. I am missing working and being part of something bigger then myself. Naval gazing is good for the soul but too much can be self destructive. It will be strange though, being on the other side of this trip. </div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-79032944333539215802012-10-26T06:37:00.002+08:002012-11-06T03:16:54.171+08:00Advice from a pro......<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Flores, El Salvador, day 3</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After
surfing Las Flores and Punta Manga receiving coaching and advice from
Holly, I asked her for one thing that I could work on over the next 6
months that would improve my surfing. She gave me two..........but
this was her response -</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Hey Bec</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>I think one of the things you could work on is to relax and not be as
serious about it. I feel like you are a perfectionist which is what
makes you so awesome at things but in your surfing it may lead you to
get frustrated which is counterproductive. If im off base, feel free
to disregard.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-size: small;">You're
surfing really well i thought. riding a thicker/wider but not longer
board might help too. your board doesn't carry speed very well because
it's thin, so you have to work really hard to make sections. you
looked really good on those longer boards that you rode, but they
were so long. riding something like 6'0 or 6'1 but 19" x 2.5 or
even 2.25 thick might really be awesome. if you have mates at home
with boards like that you should ask them to try theirs to see how it
feels. </span></span>
</span></i></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Ok,
i know that was more like two things, but in the end it just comes
down to enjoying it and having fun.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>See
you in the morning!</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>:
)</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>hb</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda what I have known for awhile. I love to surf, I really do but I am ridiculously competitive with myself and with my friends who surf. I get so caught up with wanting to improve and getting better that I forget what I love about the sport. Why I wanted to surf in the first place. That its all about being in a beautiful place with great friends enjoying the moments as they arise. My ego and wanting to be the best I can be get in the way of love. I have only just realised how much this pervades so much of my life. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the sessions we surfed with Holly were recorded so that we could watch ourselves surf and receive some critical feedback. If a picture speaks a thousand word then video footage gives you a million. It is a mortifying process but provides so much information..........Holly kindly made 2 minute <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tOcKNuFj76Y" target="_blank">clips </a>of our waves and posted them on You Tube. Maybe one day I'll surf like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEBiW1sWd1U" target="_blank">her</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway I am in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua at the moment. I surfed Playa Maderas yesterday and caught some super fun stormy waves. It reminded me of my days surfing Woolamai, Phillip Island in Victoria. I wish I had more time to surf some of the other breaks but the swell has been pretty inconsistent and the wet season is well and truly settled in. Tomorrow afternoon, I fly to San Francisco for the second last stop on my trip. Hopefully I'll fit in at least one or two surfs in Nor Cal.....anything to give to reason to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> hauling this 4/3 seam sealed wetsuit for the last five weeks. </span></div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-77328117957882088402012-10-17T04:34:00.005+08:002012-10-28T02:52:44.432+08:00Surf Camp with Holly Beck<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CkY-DjiB5RN2SnVwQsQZAgfdvawf6bbrj5inRGh-RY3L7ZJgOfwwLmlX5oVQ2dFJFSyAAgQ0cz0DSKBC30Ps8L0nNlO1MBNOaZ7njcWZ9dMb50lPXex36hO4E8q5DcW-KvLqeyfXzpw/s1600/Las+FLores+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CkY-DjiB5RN2SnVwQsQZAgfdvawf6bbrj5inRGh-RY3L7ZJgOfwwLmlX5oVQ2dFJFSyAAgQ0cz0DSKBC30Ps8L0nNlO1MBNOaZ7njcWZ9dMb50lPXex36hO4E8q5DcW-KvLqeyfXzpw/s320/Las+FLores+day+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Flores, El Salvador, day 1</td></tr>
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My girlfriend and I are spending the
week at a surf coaching clinic with Holly Beck. Its day 3 and already
we've clocked up around 12 hours in the water. The camp is based at
Las Flores, El Salvador, an incredible rippable long wave in the
south. It is super fun and allows a nice amount to time to practise
and link together turns.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There are six girls on the camp with Holly and Steph providing coaching and Jess running a daily yoga class. I thought I'd be mixing it up with twenty something rippers but the group is quite diverse in age and experience. Two women, Frazer and Isabel and particularly inspiring. Frazer has been surfing for over 30 years and still shreds on a short board. Isabel picked up surfing when she moved to Nicaragua for work and has developed such a beautiful style.<br />
<br />
Each session is filmed and we spend the
afternoon getting some critical feedback from Holly. Its is fairly
confronting. Feeling yourself surf and seeing yourself surf are two
different things. Over the past few years I've become more dynamic
constantly shifting position in response to my placement on the wave.
I have finally started turning and after a week of surfing rights in
El Salvador, I am feeling pretty good on my take offs and heading
down the line.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I've managed to put on 5 - 6 kilos over
the last five months (care of trail mix) so I am not enjoying seeing
myself on film and in photos. However, I've paid to much to be vain
and understand the value of watching myself. I can see the tension I carry in my shoulders and how tight my upper back are, limiting my movements on the wave. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I set several intentions for this week.
</div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To relax in the surf and select
better quality waves.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Refine my pop ups on the right
side.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Work on compression and using my
lower body to drive the board.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Attached is a short <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJEMuia1lic" target="_blank">video</a> that Holly
made of our first session. I am at the 45 second mark. Its a small one but such a fun wave. </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-86512923390532070742012-10-11T03:35:00.000+08:002012-10-23T23:05:05.489+08:00Wanting to head home........El Tunco, El Salvador<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSuYHEcM9ofRGiBKJ9YPeqgt_rp9IH0jkCguWv3dknx6p6g_StZmpDeNf8chL0akQNGz34SJ_yKcLxdV8vcEXiTavr4mGVd74VmmbmMRrCw1KOmlLPzOzuaT5sPhg0cISnODtgsWxriM/s1600/2012-06-21+13.57.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSuYHEcM9ofRGiBKJ9YPeqgt_rp9IH0jkCguWv3dknx6p6g_StZmpDeNf8chL0akQNGz34SJ_yKcLxdV8vcEXiTavr4mGVd74VmmbmMRrCw1KOmlLPzOzuaT5sPhg0cISnODtgsWxriM/s200/2012-06-21+13.57.32.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
So with a really heavy heart, I caught a flight from LAX to San Salvador for the final five weeks of my journey. I really want to be flying home but I've already made some commitments in Central America and I want to make the most of this opportunity. I'm unlikely to return soon. The final five weeks is nothing to complain about - a week with Holly Beck (ex pro surfer) on a surf camp in Las Flores, six days in San Juan Del Sur, five days in San Francisco and a week in Hawaii with my wonderful friend Steph.<br />
<br />
It has been an incredible ride so far full of fantastic adventures with some amazing friends both old and new. I've surfed a lot less then I thought I would, fallen in love with the beauty and diversity of the United States, crossed Central America off my bucket list, been sicker then I've been in a long time and spent a huge amount of time distilling what I want in my life. I've ridden a motorbike in Java, surfed Bingin (Indonesia) and Punta Roca (El Salvador) on low tides holding my own and found my guru. But now my funds are running dry and my heart is just not up to the challenge of travelling solo through sketchy countries.<br />
<br />
Its ironic that I'm hanging out for the routine and rhythm of life back home. To play down at the beach with Bear, drink good coffee with friends in Fremantle, have a glass of wine and a plate of pasta at Gino's on a Friday night and surf a wave that I know like the back of my hand. My friend, Christina asked me what would the first thing I would do when I got home..........I don't think I answered properly but it would go something like this...............grab the dog, drive down to the beach, walk barefoot through the white, white sand and the water in the setting sun, drive past the Boatshed in Cottesloe, pick up some fresh Salmon, kipler potatoes and a bottle of local Sauvignon Blanc and have a huge cook up at my house.<br />
<br />
This time 10 months ago all I could dream of was quitting my job and thinking about me for an unforeseeable amount of time. Wondering around the globe following the waves, learning some Spanish and meeting new people. I had dreamed about surfing the waves of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Now I just couldn't care less and can't bear another day of this routine. I want something more then hmm, time for coffee, okay, where am I going to sleep tonight and jesus, time for dinner again. Ironically, I feel that my surfing has gone backwards despite all the time in the water.<br />
<br />
It really is all a question of balance. This time last year I was out of control. My job was incredibly stressful, surf rowing was tougher then I ever remembered and my body was not up to the challenge and I was trying to fit part time study around full time work. If I've learnt anything over the past five months, its that I just have to find balance in my life when I return home. I need to apply those lessons I learnt in my yoga teaching course earlier this year and spend more time being and less time doing. More time breathing and less time running around.<br />
<br />
Enough waxing lyrical and whinging about my situation.............its time to change the wax on my surfboard and bring out my fins. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-46017538960430946032012-10-08T04:10:00.000+08:002012-10-17T21:05:08.504+08:00LA Style with the Dump Rider CrewI was lucky enough to surf with some locals while transiting through Los Angeles. Considering the size of that place, having access to a car and some new friends is necessary to get around. Public transit in LA is a pretty scary concept and it would take a committed surfer to bus to the good surfing beaches.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My Hawaiian friend, Randy who I met in Pacitan, Java put me in contact with Matt, his younger brother. Through Matt, I met various members of the Dump Rider Crew - a group of local LA surfers.....'struggling to improve' (ain't that the truth!) and surfing at every opportunity possible. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 'Leave egos at the door, and surf for the love of it!' is this crew's philosophy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TR4FNAjvSOIxwPDCrg7TqQa0tVbCpFQJ2HRGPpMRsW4-zMdZGIKO8xOJftUCT3L7pXWEs63ar-1uxPJs3nQo1XdQln4PVZvF7R3LTOgNBRfiQ-QWyL9M4_OUxiJvfrIhDNxP9Un7agw/s1600/San-Onofre-surfing-Old-Mans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TR4FNAjvSOIxwPDCrg7TqQa0tVbCpFQJ2HRGPpMRsW4-zMdZGIKO8xOJftUCT3L7pXWEs63ar-1uxPJs3nQo1XdQln4PVZvF7R3LTOgNBRfiQ-QWyL9M4_OUxiJvfrIhDNxP9Un7agw/s320/San-Onofre-surfing-Old-Mans.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Old Man's, San Onofre State Park</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My first surf was at San Onofre State Park over a long weekend. A 4 - 6 foot swell was forecast and Matt had a friend with a beach side campsite on the army base. Christina, a fellow yogi, surfer and good friend of Matt's, picked me at from the hostel at a very early hour and together we drove to Matt's place in El Segundo. From there, we piled into one car and took off an hour south in San Diego county.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The swell was rolling through when we arrived with a number of different peaks firing nicely. Being a long weekend and all, it was unbelievably crowded but a wave is a wave is a wave and its always nice to get wet. I didn't even stop to consider that the water temperature would be significantly less the Costa Rica and my bikini's and rash guard were not going to cut it. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first duck dive was a killer and I was lucky enough to score six on the head on the way out. It is always nice to time the entry well. I tried to take off on a few but struggled to find my rhythm. It was really crowded, really cold and my buoyancy in the water was different to that of Indonesia and Central America. I felt like I was sitting lower in the water and just couldn't move through it at the same pace as I had. I gave up after 45 minutes, sprinted out of the water and run to Rick's campsite to warm my hands up over the stove top. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The rest of the crew - Khang, Sheryl, Rick, Christina and Matt dribbled in over the next few hours and joined me for coffee and breakfast. I'm not sure anyone had an epic surf, with that crowd it was almost impossible but each had a few fun waves. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The wind picked up for the rest of the day, so we sat reading, eating, chatting and waited out the late afternoon glass off. I managed to borrow Matt's wettie for the session which made all the difference. I had such a fun surf at Old Mans on a 6'1 Spyder (similar to a fish) belonging to Rick. At 22 inches wide, it was so easy to paddle on to the waves and pull down the line. After such a dismal surf in the morning, I was relieved to have some fun and take nice little waves. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My final surf with the Dump Rider crew was at Manhattan Beach, their local break. The wave is a series of beach breaks running from the sewerage factory along the coast for a few kilometres. It reminded me way too much of surfing Scarborough Beach over summer to really enjoy myself but it was nice to meet more of the local crew and catch up with Christina and Matt again. Looking forward to surfing waves in the warmer waters of El Salvador!</span>Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-89052122156174381272012-08-31T03:09:00.000+08:002012-10-23T23:07:05.496+08:00Wise words from a well travelled friend<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE_W81NATK2fOEDhpLky413soOqk-j3NzvH0X10f9hEnOhsnXaalwxyJhfZCDWmvmmgMxu30Igk_D2kzPMR3yeNV7I41D1lwtlB6ZNCqSdTEW8x1ur9kgeFoYhgf1bG7d53vhxn5il2w/s1600/Pavones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE_W81NATK2fOEDhpLky413soOqk-j3NzvH0X10f9hEnOhsnXaalwxyJhfZCDWmvmmgMxu30Igk_D2kzPMR3yeNV7I41D1lwtlB6ZNCqSdTEW8x1ur9kgeFoYhgf1bG7d53vhxn5il2w/s320/Pavones.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pavones, Costa Rica</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Niall and I hired a car and drove to Pavones, Costa Rica to ride the second longest left in the world. We timed it on the back of a large swell coming through for the weekend hoping that we would avoid the crowds but still get to surf this amazing point break at its best.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">It was here that the homesickness hit. It pervaded every thought, feeling, moment and took the happiness and enjoyment out of everything. The swell was pumping, my travel buddy, Niall was having the surf sessions of his life and I just wanted to go home.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">I felt so lost, so far away from everyone and everything I loved. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I emailed a good and well travelled friend. Here is what he wrote back. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Travelling is not easy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Everything is heavy.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">The food, the little risk, the bad beds, the roosters, the rats, the annoying people....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">I understand you when you say that you are tired.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Take it easy...slow down...eat well and try to sleep well.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">So you will soon have the batteries full again and you can continue to travel.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">but remember...all the heavy things are actually good for your spirit and your knowledge.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">I am sure you are learning a lot during these days...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">A lessons that only travelling can give you.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Ancoro Imparo.</span></span>Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0Pavones, Costa Rica8.3929475 -83.13407388.385093 -83.1439443 8.400802 -83.124203299999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-67268254064291022072012-08-10T21:58:00.000+08:002012-11-06T11:34:19.333+08:00Surfing with las chicas at Santa Teresa<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji-hzuLyvzJSRam-Ms3jkphH9oEr6ZSpePd0nPawy-Lv84D692Q8wvoZtdTnhese2y0EAqw2F-1_WPeAcdcb7SZRALarqp4X8piLrBpz0JArqu2JGEPl6su0XhZpF7lsgjpZD5JLhj9U/s1600/FunPeaks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgji-hzuLyvzJSRam-Ms3jkphH9oEr6ZSpePd0nPawy-Lv84D692Q8wvoZtdTnhese2y0EAqw2F-1_WPeAcdcb7SZRALarqp4X8piLrBpz0JArqu2JGEPl6su0XhZpF7lsgjpZD5JLhj9U/s320/FunPeaks.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun peaks at Playa Santa Teresas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After five weeks of intense travel
driving a motorbike through Java and staying at a shag shack in La
Libertad, I was excited to catch up with my friend Niall in San Jose.
We planned to head straight to the coast, find a cute little
apartment and surf fun waves for two weeks. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Santa Teresa seemed like
the best place to do this with a plethora of yoga schools,
restaurants and a mixture of reef and beach breaks within easy reach.
It is a tiny jungle village on the Nicoya Peninsula, a five hour bus
and ferry ride from San Jose. As long as I have good coffee nearby, fresh fruit and vegetables, things to explore, a running route of some description and good waves to surf, I am a very happy camper.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We totally scored with the
accommodation staying at Hotel Meli Melo paying $30 a night for a
twin room, shared kitchen, wifi and living area. The waves were
crazy fun. We were so lucky to time our arrival with a building swell. Playa Santa Teresa is a series of super
fun peaks that easily holds a crowd. Its a great wave on a smallish
swell maxing out at around 5 foot. On the other side of the peninsula
are several reef breaks that fire when the swell gets bigger.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Aside from the waves, the town was full
of chicks that ripped. Every session there was at least 3 – 4 girls
in the water, more then holding their own. I got to meet and chat to
a couple and was so inspired by their stories...................<a href="http://eviesurf.com/" target="_blank">Evie Johnstone</a> is a Jaco based surfer trying to break into the professional
circuit, <a href="http://www.sunkissedbeachbum.com/2012/10/surf-girls-of-santa-teresa.html" target="_blank">Josie</a> Green had been surfing for four years and blogs about surf
life and surfing chicks in Santa Teresa, Veronica Quiros designs surf
bikinis (Tica surf) and teaches Spanish and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/zwart.art.9" target="_blank">Margerit</a> is a local artist and owner
of Zwart Cafe / Art (a perfect local whilst on vacation). These were
just the girls I chatted to in the line up.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I was also stoked to discover a wicked
brand of surf bikini – <a href="http://www.calaveraswimwear.com/" target="_blank">Calavera</a>. Every girl that surfs has a
ridiculous obsession with bikinis and finding the perfect pair that
will stay on when wiping out is pretty important. I don't know how
many times I have paddled out the back, sat up on my board and
realised my bikinis are undone and my nipples are pointing to the line
up. I spotted Evie wearing a pair whilst surfing and paddled
over to her to ask her who made them. Luckily for me, she is a
Calavera sponsored rider and had a few pairs for sale. They are the
only bikini I have ever surfed in that truly stays on in all
conditions and their pretty damn sexy as well!</div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-24135834942435894692012-07-24T03:37:00.000+08:002012-10-17T21:00:01.880+08:00Avoiding Mama Roca at Punta Roca – El Salvador part 1<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6k5p_2BvKNKaWQFmdW0rwJqr4xB9x4o1yB89IDCoR1cMx4tIq_ICW5Q8FQbkcP_hyphenhyphentGwvnZnfpdIxoolnnQ9NDtODg5gxpGP95Ey8VBNAFlCR7_AS30-t23hemzYDrpOsW2K604KIQY/s1600/9J0D0383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6k5p_2BvKNKaWQFmdW0rwJqr4xB9x4o1yB89IDCoR1cMx4tIq_ICW5Q8FQbkcP_hyphenhyphentGwvnZnfpdIxoolnnQ9NDtODg5gxpGP95Ey8VBNAFlCR7_AS30-t23hemzYDrpOsW2K604KIQY/s320/9J0D0383.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punta Roca, El Salvador.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I flew three days from Bali through
Malaysia, the United States and into San Salvador, El Salvador
overnighting in Kuala Lumper and Los Angeles. My friend James had
arranged a pick up for me at San Salvador, so I headed straight to La
Libertad, a little town on the east coast. Without exception every
one of my friends who had travelled to these parts had told me not to
stay in this town but James was staying at one of the surf camps and
I was excited to hang out with a friend from home.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Punta Roca and La Paz were the two
local breaks, both right handers breaking over rocky bottoms. La Paz
was the easier of the two capable of holding a nice sized, very fun
wave that you could ride from the point to the shore. Punta Roca on
the other hand, is a nasty bitch of wave. It has a horrible entry over
barnacled covered rocks with a nasty shore dump. It is super fast, a
little critical and crowded with rippers.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I was pretty scared. Punta Roca really
pushed all my buttons but I surfed it twice a day with James and
managed to take a few nice ones each session. I found the entry
incredibly quick and could do little more then speed down the face
holding on. The wave in the photo above was taken by an American
photographer, Seth. I remember that particular wave so clearly as it
was the first one I made without going oner the falls. I was stoked that I looked relaxed as I
certainly didn't feel it. <br />
<br />
Going right has always been one of my weaknesses. Although I am regular (my right foot is at the back of the board) I spent my formative surfing years in Western Australia (lots of lefts) and surfing around Indonesia (amazing lefts). I am so much more consistent on my backside particularly at the pop up and feel more in control when turning. El Salvador has a lot of rights which means I am forced to spend more time facing the wave and working on my rhythm.</div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-49927665754717219912012-07-20T04:10:00.000+08:002012-11-05T04:43:22.469+08:00Ciao Bali<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLNZtI9tNXmSDYPRROLc0BqxXAd6_TXh004_-9T0DsOJcnbz0nAqnoHwkq4OKVY_ghZv_lebuvujiEiQATU4dONGSHETRxXNS2xcOYC4EjubHJPaj1q1ZaFIJpWd_Qecu3rtUQ-etg_8/s1600/kuta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLNZtI9tNXmSDYPRROLc0BqxXAd6_TXh004_-9T0DsOJcnbz0nAqnoHwkq4OKVY_ghZv_lebuvujiEiQATU4dONGSHETRxXNS2xcOYC4EjubHJPaj1q1ZaFIJpWd_Qecu3rtUQ-etg_8/s320/kuta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An empty line up, Kuta Reef, Bali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I said good bye to Bali on a swell of 6
– 8 foot sharing Kuta Reef with 70 of my nearest and dearest.
Sometimes you can jag that wave with 4 or 5 others in the water but
with a big swell running and school holidays there was no chance of
that. It was horror and I really felt the three weeks I had spent out
of the water riding Red (my motorbike) around Java.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Needless to say the Australian men
surfing those last few days were not the countryman I am proud of. It
only takes one or two overly aggressive men (or women for that
matter) to ruin a surf. People were dropping in, snaking and yelling
at each other, generally committing every single surf sin possible.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I love surfing Kuta Reef. It is a
really fun wave that can handle some size, even barrelling at the end section. I have surfed it with good
friends and a handful of other surfers. The downside it is the
closest decent wave to Kuta/Legian area so when the swell is on it,
so are a million others. </div>
Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-13422601425504295652012-06-30T04:26:00.000+08:002012-11-06T09:24:19.355+08:00And life is my guru, relationships are my teacher........<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe0fuh1pt1Ibzaag9Fhny3UqyDb2auLysrkmbk9h_dLp8_5chLGqpRIOSJ9q8F1X_BP7CoX5UpWjKaPKRMdt7RRlKOrtJU8cS40MXDF13NLwQe4xauTw9O5VQHWj52YnxpcwXvu-LT1Q/s1600/YOga+canngu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe0fuh1pt1Ibzaag9Fhny3UqyDb2auLysrkmbk9h_dLp8_5chLGqpRIOSJ9q8F1X_BP7CoX5UpWjKaPKRMdt7RRlKOrtJU8cS40MXDF13NLwQe4xauTw9O5VQHWj52YnxpcwXvu-LT1Q/s1600/YOga+canngu.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canngu, Bali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have been practising yoga on and off for the last 15 years. I'm not much of a church goer or overly spiritual but I do believe in a higher power of some sort. Yoga, I find, connects me to this higher power and provides me with space and peace. I've been wanting to deepen my practise for a while now and get a better understanding of the other limbs of yoga outside of the physical practise. Although I am not truly interested in teaching yoga, I thought a teaching course would expose me to the Ashtanga in a way going to a yoga class does not.<br />
<br />
The course I signed up to do met all my needs - based in a beautiful location (Canngu, Bali), near to the beach and good surf, run by a surfer - Sunny Richards-Glasser and a curriculum that included sessions on Ayurveda, yoga philosophy, kirtan chanting and meditation. Sunny through her company <a href="http://www.yogasurfingretreats.com/" target="_blank">Santosha</a> has run surf / yoga / teacher training retreats in India, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia for close to a decade. She used to compete on the pro womens surfing circuit before becoming seduced by the yogic lifestyle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N6gylZWoLDA-x5cWFi65IRnVkyEI8yrswZ1vlnR00zAugvSgMfltNkEVo2j_1Z3U5QLy8fM4SCY3A8gjOmPG9Okg_NQbPJ4S5nbR-lHDUYDv7TvnpDR4r5hQTQMW5yxQRWV2pkBXItc/s1600/Astanga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N6gylZWoLDA-x5cWFi65IRnVkyEI8yrswZ1vlnR00zAugvSgMfltNkEVo2j_1Z3U5QLy8fM4SCY3A8gjOmPG9Okg_NQbPJ4S5nbR-lHDUYDv7TvnpDR4r5hQTQMW5yxQRWV2pkBXItc/s1600/Astanga.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
By the time the course came around, I had been hanging out in Bali for three weeks and having an amazing time. After working solidly for 6 years, I only had myself to think about, endless days where I decided what I wanted to do and answered to no one......surf now? Nusa Lembongan today? coffee now? food now? I was meeting so many people and enjoying having the space and place to do what I wanted to do. One of my closest friends had just arrived in town from London and I was loving spending time with her and her family. A four week, six day a week, 10 hour a day yoga school was the last thing I wanted to do. I was also a little fearful of the type of people that may be attracted to a yoga teaching course - incense loving, group hugging hippies.<br />
<br />
I was late to the first session and grumbled my way through a four hour lecture (in my defence I was a little sick). I refused to stay in the hotel, Villa Serenity preferring to drive 30 minutes back to Seminyak and stay with my girlfriend. I am pretty sure I was late to the first yoga class the next day.<br />
<br />
Slowly Sunny and the other students seduced me. None of them were incense loving hippies (well there were a few), people came from everywhere, all drawn to teacher training for a love of yoga and a desire to deepen their practise. I fell in love with the girls I shared a villa with, the other students and slowly I fell in love with the small village of Canngu. I learnt about the ashtanga of yoga (See picture above), the ethical guidelines to living and the purpose of our daily physical practise. I tried to practise meditation, grace, surrender and to be kind and I tried to remember to approach things with a beginners mind.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUu602BpXr3toDfkVJC03ufZ4WopgQTieuQ4SeVKQLW5fxLF7h9oGdCMaaHGffwQYqKueCyWHs7aEqEqf5cIqSM0LEoZRE6bTTB2madfqtdvpqgsGXwQQYw0CWSYhrgN9YBy7Bj80kzLo/s1600/VIlla+Serenity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUu602BpXr3toDfkVJC03ufZ4WopgQTieuQ4SeVKQLW5fxLF7h9oGdCMaaHGffwQYqKueCyWHs7aEqEqf5cIqSM0LEoZRE6bTTB2madfqtdvpqgsGXwQQYw0CWSYhrgN9YBy7Bj80kzLo/s1600/VIlla+Serenity.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bamboo villa - Gina, Danielle, Amanda, Raquel, Ebony and me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Through the duration of the course, I was sicker then I have been in long time. And I fought this sickness. First it was a blocked nose, endless coughing and a sore throat, then it was food poisoning, then it was passing out in a Seminyak restaurant for no real reason. I pushed through, run every day, surfed every morning, got up and went to yoga, sat through 10 hours of lectures, took zinc, spirulina, ate garlic, drank lemon tea, caught up with friends outside the course and wondered why I wasn't getting any better. I've never been one to relax particularly well preferring to fill my days with activity and purpose. My body, had other plans, and finally, after Sunny eventually called me out, I surrendered.<br />
<br />
In the last two weeks, I gave up the running, the surfing every morning, I dropped the intense physical practise and started to approach yoga as my inner practise. My time for stillness. I fell in love with Kirtan chanting, took lessons from my meditation and practised daily pranayama. I never realised how much of a control freak I am until I took this course, how much I need to know whats going on and how much I use my physical body to feel like I have control in my life. I guess its that fiery pitta energy.<br />
<br />
I also realised to further my practise, I need to teach. With 4 months of travelling still ahead of me, I won't get the opportunity to put these skills to use but I plan to attend as many different classes, different styles and different teachers as possible, hoping to learn through observation. The other lessons will be very important. Long term travels provides plenty of opportunity to test the soul whether it be eating bad food for weeks on end, not being able to practise regularly, staying in dorms, waiting out a flight to another place or just missing home.<br />
<br />
The title to this post was something that Sunny and the other teachers repeated over and over again. No matter who you worship or where you live, life will be your guru and the people in it, our teachers.<br />
<br />
Shanti.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-39884330446619450812012-06-06T21:46:00.000+08:002012-11-07T01:24:42.713+08:00Quiet possibly the coolest thing I'll ever own.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ROQMThSFlnJxCmOQe1tZqg1ba2QMESVEg1QLX20f4YrewtpfvVOUE4bdTxYJUxwc8ICJaEEDVM5m_tR24QX3ltJZKfi7tM8qu_qWsHz61zmqBLlWZHiZ38MJVEFPT05DbDBoszPLZlQ/s1600/Red+and+BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ROQMThSFlnJxCmOQe1tZqg1ba2QMESVEg1QLX20f4YrewtpfvVOUE4bdTxYJUxwc8ICJaEEDVM5m_tR24QX3ltJZKfi7tM8qu_qWsHz61zmqBLlWZHiZ38MJVEFPT05DbDBoszPLZlQ/s320/Red+and+BB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I brought a motorbike. My girlfriend
Ang and I have plans to ride from West Timor back to Bali stopping at
surf breaks and checking out the different islands to the east of
Bali.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Foreigners in Bali can't own anything
outright so I've had to go though a 'friend' who essentially owns the
bike. I, however, have the blue book.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Its a 125cc, blue and white, 4 gear
manual, Honda Supra X. I've called him Red.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I also picked up an Indonesian
motorbike license. This was pretty simple to do although I am not
sure it was entirely legal. I went with my 'friend' to a local police
station and sat some tests. Having a local license will mean less
hassle at ferry crossing. Its also pretty cool.</div>
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Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-2808497558092495592012-05-21T05:00:00.000+08:002012-08-12T05:02:24.577+08:00Surfing with soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Qn8hvOkMf-BrzkXn9BBHlOXRORgYEcdmM8mZTgUIeu5Dj0p3ApbdFT3eingfPAemxm-RV7eUlYUST_Ga1gvEhMsVnFuFqd78e1xf5dosvy1oDHK_EnR1nc83YKdbup_buPXLf7Pp_tU/s1600/Bingin+low+tide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Qn8hvOkMf-BrzkXn9BBHlOXRORgYEcdmM8mZTgUIeu5Dj0p3ApbdFT3eingfPAemxm-RV7eUlYUST_Ga1gvEhMsVnFuFqd78e1xf5dosvy1oDHK_EnR1nc83YKdbup_buPXLf7Pp_tU/s400/Bingin+low+tide.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I've been surfing Bingin on the Bukit Peninsula for the weekend. I met these awesome girls Alexa, Chrissie, Kathleen and Roxie whilst surfing Nusa Lembongan last week and arranged to meet up with them. This place is almost perfect. A beautiful cliffside community, friendly locals and an insane barrelling left hander.<br />
<br />
My accommodation was pretty low key but very cheap, AUD$8 with a view to die for. I thought I'd be completely out of my league but Bingin on a high tide is actually really fun. I had my most stand out surf of the trip so far. Alexa and I took at our short boards pre breakfast and took a few but really nothing to write home about. One of the local guys, Edy convinced us to take some mini mals before lunch............so much fun.<br />
<br />
It was a good reminder for me to watch Edy surf. Without a doubt he was one of the strongest surfers out there but he gave up his session to help Alexa and I. I lost count of my wave count pretty early on. Edy's in is mid forties and surfed all his life. He just loves it, you can see it on his face. By the time Alexa and I hit the water for the second time, he was into his fourth surf. He had no intensity, made no mistakes and surfed boards of all sizes and surfed them well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1jT_394y9agf7eVeWayVHNsgRpmfYVkG9hHtk95WtZfrNZN1Fur5_4U66fw219BVRjaRXrK_8cSgy_iVShbPm4G3c-7efnjGG1KauA4r5101DB0W07VXrMA-RuKX5G14IplyYeYQFFc/s1600/Bingin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1jT_394y9agf7eVeWayVHNsgRpmfYVkG9hHtk95WtZfrNZN1Fur5_4U66fw219BVRjaRXrK_8cSgy_iVShbPm4G3c-7efnjGG1KauA4r5101DB0W07VXrMA-RuKX5G14IplyYeYQFFc/s320/Bingin.jpg" width="320" /></a>I often get caught trying to hard. I think that is the one thing that lets me down in the water. I want it so badly that I get so frustrated when I make mistakes and have a bad surf. I carry a tension in my shoulders and jaw and that means I just can't let go. In surfing you need to relax your shoulders, your upper body and your hands so you can throw them around releasing the energy and creating the turns. I know the best thing I can do for my surfing is just to go out there, relax, have fun and love that I am in the water................those tubes will come in time.<br />
<br />Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-9675983419421843882012-04-27T04:01:00.000+08:002012-08-12T05:17:14.636+08:00Let the games begin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgh-yaGPFc6q3XFXNq2UPhmU5vcyE9WntWqv10poyvIVN4yXLxW7J0EQPbnytIGRJ-uNH0QoH-LS5gU8rtSeXl8LsiQa388axddUbv9f8iYVr3W_AgkF_eDf6YdlkqQaPusrECfWA080/s1600/LIttlePeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgh-yaGPFc6q3XFXNq2UPhmU5vcyE9WntWqv10poyvIVN4yXLxW7J0EQPbnytIGRJ-uNH0QoH-LS5gU8rtSeXl8LsiQa388axddUbv9f8iYVr3W_AgkF_eDf6YdlkqQaPusrECfWA080/s1600/LIttlePeak.jpg" /></a></div>
So I've quit my job, saved a bucket of money, sorted my mortgage, packed my backpack and bought a new board........I have six months of surf travel ahead of me with the one goal to be surfing waves that will eventually get me in the green room. All going well, I'll be surfing most days in waves that will challenge me.<br />
<br />
<i>Once a journey is designed, equipped and put in process: a new factor takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness, A journey is person in itself, no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing and coercian are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip. A trip takes us. (Rolf Peters, Vagabonding, The Art of Long Term Travel).</i><br />
<br />
Quitting my job and bucking the trend is one of the scariest things I have ever done. In general people have been supportive but there a few who find it a little hard to digest. I am not in my twenties any more and I am supposed to be seriously thinking about children..........However I have a really strong belief that there are a million ways to live a life and the lessons on the road are as important to an education as an MBA or a PhD. Particularly when those lessons are learnt in developing countries........Monday - Friday, 9 - 5 is an honourable way to earn a living but its not the only way......I'm going to live my dreams regardless of what others say.<br />
<br />
My travels will take me through Indonesia and Central America with a little of the US thrown is for a bit of fun. My focus is predominantly on surfing, a little on language development and a lot on self development. I'm starting out with yoga teacher training in Canngu, Bali and ending with a few weeks in Hawaii. In between, I really don't know and that is half the fun!<br />
<br />
The artwork is by a Hawaiian artist, Heather Brown..........I'll definitely be picking up some of her work when I am surfing the islands......<br />
<br />Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-63729997134500650052012-03-27T04:21:00.000+08:002012-10-17T03:21:19.723+08:00My Quiver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGId6N9aEIn40XrbYqdbqw4YmMRwR0ay17j0zFiN-GAcA19g1-Z9j-Ohk-pCBJ4ZUkOEZnx3002RozUkONnFA45Iac5u0fQEgKpNNcQ0m9c2yQqHX126TUgGQLi2ZsYql3zwcfDgKvNA/s1600/Zak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGId6N9aEIn40XrbYqdbqw4YmMRwR0ay17j0zFiN-GAcA19g1-Z9j-Ohk-pCBJ4ZUkOEZnx3002RozUkONnFA45Iac5u0fQEgKpNNcQ0m9c2yQqHX126TUgGQLi2ZsYql3zwcfDgKvNA/s200/Zak.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Introducing Zak......welcomed to the family at 2.34pm this afternoon, 6'3 / 183/4, 21/2.......mum and board are doing fine. <br />
<br />
I bought him from Yahoo surfboards in Dunsborough (awesome guys, great service and a real, authentic surf shop!). He was shaped locally for Renee, whoever she is. Not a ding on him. <br />
<br />
Zak joins the Grubb (6.3 / 19 / 2 1/4), Len (6'3 / 19 / 2 7/8 ), Dicko (who is permanently retired due to ongoing injuries), the Mini Mal (7'2) and the blue spacca board (my very first). He will be accompanying me on my travels to Indonesia and Central America later this year. Yew!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-76674107591364276282012-03-22T04:13:00.000+08:002012-08-12T04:13:49.757+08:00Trigg Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW12bKS7reSwuSeTKBKsXxUz2OIeE2mwkDxZl98KNc-NwMGT9MPF6tF24U0WlltA5jHF9OqHK5zL3rG6Lff19-NA21a2Hgpc6MdXqAEbcCEwaSKhr4QYEzWs9xHMevbbq_v3bTmNbaWSc/s1600/Trigg+point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW12bKS7reSwuSeTKBKsXxUz2OIeE2mwkDxZl98KNc-NwMGT9MPF6tF24U0WlltA5jHF9OqHK5zL3rG6Lff19-NA21a2Hgpc6MdXqAEbcCEwaSKhr4QYEzWs9xHMevbbq_v3bTmNbaWSc/s320/Trigg+point.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Trigg Point is the most crowded wave I surf on a regular basis. To be honest, I've only just started surfing the point.........not because I don't think I can't make it but because its full of little rippers who have that place wired, WIIIIRRRED.....there is little room for a mid thirties women who hasn't quite nailed her right hand takes offs...........<br />
<br />
But today.........something worked. I finished training at 8.30am and thought I'd check out the point on the way home. There were 10 people on it........which for a Saturday morning with swell was something very unusual......I waxed up, zipped up the wettie and headed out. I sat right on the Point.<br />
<br />
And I took it and I made it.......the bomb wave of the biggest set of the day. It was the third wave and the first two cleaned everyone out. I was there in the spot and I pulled it off.<br />
<br />
I swear people where cheering as I was heading down the line. All. The. Way. To. The. Beach.......<br />
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It was the only wave I took all day but I've been smiling all week. All goddamn week.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-5350260544505869552011-12-29T09:13:00.001+08:002011-12-29T09:14:27.186+08:00Duck diving and New Years Resolutions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFVMfJXEAUnH06UGbmfFS0GkBcaGy8hODS40OyOP0zja7ddqpBXCi0z-sl7Gt4VgWjB848AknJFiXDd9_K-OAgZYAFm1FNFVzRvKrZNWcWzYa6jaC1ZCFcUroKUyTi54IWIMvGfkxK9Q/s1600/Windmills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFVMfJXEAUnH06UGbmfFS0GkBcaGy8hODS40OyOP0zja7ddqpBXCi0z-sl7Gt4VgWjB848AknJFiXDd9_K-OAgZYAFm1FNFVzRvKrZNWcWzYa6jaC1ZCFcUroKUyTi54IWIMvGfkxK9Q/s200/Windmills.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I surfed at Windmills on Cape Naturaliste the other morning. It is a really amazing spot - typically south west, isolated, desolate, windblown but truly beautiful in that real West Aussie way. Its a great spot to surf because it takes a little time to get to. Its off the main highway right on the cape and requires a little walk in. I've never surfed it by myself but I've never surfed it with more then 10-12 in the water. It breaks left and right, although the right is definitely the better quality wave.<br />
<br />
I knew heading into the water that this was a surf that would push my buttons. It was probably only 3 - 4 foot with some bigger sets pushing through but enough to get my adrenalin pumping. It was a good day to practise my duck diving - push board down, throw leg up in the air, hold and pray. I haven't quite worked out how to bring the board back up to my chest so that I can pop up nicely on the other side. <br />
<br />
I've only recently realised that I do a breast stroke kick to push through the bigger waves - my friend Simone let me know one day when we were surfing an out of control Scarborough. It seems to work but it doesn't let me get deep enough under the wave to clear the foam and to stop getting dragged back. It also means that I lose ground so I am in a worse position for the next wave in the set (which is often bigger, harder and faster).<br />
<br />
So perfecting my duck diving technique will be one of my new years resolutions for 2012. To do this I'm going to keep watching you tubes showing me how, reread Taj Burrows book of hot surfing, page 30 (I really don't think I am the target market for this book) and keep putting myself in the impact zone so I can practise the damn thing.<br />
<br />
My other resolutions for 2012 are:<br />
1. Quit my job.<br />
2. Take 6 - 12 months off my career to travel, study, write and most importantly surf.<br />
3. Get barrelled (or at least be surfing well in waves that will eventually allow me to get barrelled).<br />
4. Practise more yoga, surf as much as I can and eat as raw as possible.<br />
5. Be a kinder, gentle, more forgiving person and a better friend.<br />
6. Find the right balance for a good life.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-37554013754323282702011-12-26T14:00:00.001+08:002011-12-29T09:48:13.628+08:00Boxing Day Surf<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7rtGzc4Z0n-w3eHcB7APMsquPr-hOE_adubsJOgbAZbrA-EMbNhgfsHWQel8cYNUUiXZPRXTCACPRy36aKU0SHdCM9txGwTExjEE0T9x_wJt0HXRNY65klIrr87yIiADAsiKw4XvrLI/s1600/Margaret-River-Mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7rtGzc4Z0n-w3eHcB7APMsquPr-hOE_adubsJOgbAZbrA-EMbNhgfsHWQel8cYNUUiXZPRXTCACPRy36aKU0SHdCM9txGwTExjEE0T9x_wJt0HXRNY65klIrr87yIiADAsiKw4XvrLI/s200/Margaret-River-Mouth.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The best five things about todays surf -<br />
<br />
1. That fin was not a shark, it was a dolphin.<br />
2. I was not the oldest in the water.<br />
3. I duck dived successfully (but not properly) under some decent sized waves and held my position.<br />
4. I was surfing a right hander.<br />
5. I took one half decent wave and called it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Clearly it wasn't the best surf ever but I was out there, it was Boxing Day and I was in Margaret River. And that fin was not a shark fin. Thankfully. The movement of the water and the flicker of grey really spooked me for a second.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-2643963763346517822011-12-18T13:00:00.002+08:002011-12-18T21:17:55.040+08:00The Biggest, The Best and the WorstI have a terrible feeling that the winter swells have really, truly gone and flat will be the order of the day for the next few months. I haven't surfed for 12 whole days and there is nothing on the horizon. Ah well........<br />
all I can do is pray that Hu'y sends us something for Christmas.<br />
<br />
So, the biggest, the best and the worst. I think every surfer, wannabe or not, would have their list. This is mine.<br />
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<b><u>The Biggest</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFxBfomF67U5601xSIn-fFCIoCaaUikhubzOtmwQC5I8MaW9xzt3dVlia4d2p1gtK_YL91IUYvRbUu39HKGcQFULK8TYwdC44OgrRmpNOqkSYxk6PZl6aJuimRZ7Ce-7-u4jML7UOByM/s1600/three-bears-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFxBfomF67U5601xSIn-fFCIoCaaUikhubzOtmwQC5I8MaW9xzt3dVlia4d2p1gtK_YL91IUYvRbUu39HKGcQFULK8TYwdC44OgrRmpNOqkSYxk6PZl6aJuimRZ7Ce-7-u4jML7UOByM/s320/three-bears-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I am not a big wave surfer by any stretch of the imagination. To surf big waves well and without fear you need to surf big waves regularly and unfortunately my access has been pretty limited recently and I get a little scared! Big to me is 6 foot plus and I certainly haven't seen that in Perth for a while if ever......anyway, my biggest.....<br />
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I surfed at Three Bears on the Cape (Yallingup / Dunsborough) in May this year. Three Bears is three reef breaks - Papa's, Mama's and Babies. It is an amazing spot that takes around 40 minutes by 4WD to access. A classic, south west landscape - heartbreakingly desolate and beautiful. I only took off on two waves this session and both were the kind where I just held my breath and prayed. I copped a flogging by a few more!<br />
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The waves would have been consistently 6 foot with a few bigger sets coming through. There are clear channels at Three Bears which makes avoiding the big sets easier. These channels only ever break when it gets big. They broke four times while I was out there. I stayed out for an hour before the adrenalin took over, the stress set in and I just couldn't concentrate anymore. But I was proud that I went out, prouder still that I stayed out and stoked that I managed a few waves (even though they weren't pretty).<br />
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<b><u>The Best</u></b><br />
Thinking about taking and making these waves still makes me smile. I surf as much as I can because of them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFfhkPC3Mc51ODtUFMyfGN-6sHnqwwClWxo5WbtSR4yBWUqjxIIDQKpGmioX2L1RpqSHuwy6SnbxPTUmySX7FkbtfmcwINBx2-YPLDIZl2idgii3707EYZVu_gOEHeqE2HZA7827QlyM/s1600/4-Bobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFfhkPC3Mc51ODtUFMyfGN-6sHnqwwClWxo5WbtSR4yBWUqjxIIDQKpGmioX2L1RpqSHuwy6SnbxPTUmySX7FkbtfmcwINBx2-YPLDIZl2idgii3707EYZVu_gOEHeqE2HZA7827QlyM/s200/4-Bobs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>The Right</b><br />
There is a surf spot in Playgrounds, Mentawais called Spankers or Four Bob (depending which resort or boat you stay on). The name Spankers is much more appropriate because despite being a relatively easy take off, the wave breaks along a really shallow, sharp coral reef. There is also two large coral heads that pop out of the water just as the wave breaks. I landed on them so many times and they really hurt - hence the name......but this one wave..........this one wave where it all came together. I headed down the line, tucked up against the wall, thinking ho-ly I'm surfing, properly. I swear it got a little dark as the wave stood up and started throwing a little water over my head. I managed to lock eyes and smile at one of the guys paddling back out to the line up. I don't think I wiped that smile off my face for the rest of the week.<br />
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<b>The Left</b><br />
I took my best left at a break called Inner Ekas on Lombok last year. I went there after my trip to the Mentawais, so I was feeling more comfortable with the bigger waves. Ekas is on the inside of a sandy, windy peninsula to the east of the island. It is a really fun A frame wave with a very playable, fun wall.<br />
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Why I remember this wave in particular is that it stood up nicely and ran for so long. I was easily moving up and down the face playing with little bottom and top turns. I had been surfing the wave for three days and was feeling more and more confident, moving further out the back taking off on bigger and bigger waves. I had just started really looking down the wave (not at my feet) and was enjoying the fact that I could start to respond to different sections of the wave because I knew they were faster or slower or broke early. Good times and a great wave!<br />
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<b><u>The Worst</u></b><br />
I can still recall every detail of my worst hold down ever, that blind panic the moment I realised I really needed to breath and that I had no idea which direction the surface was. The white fear as the stress set in and I started fighting instead of trying to relax. The release when I found the surface and gulped as much oxygen as I could. I remember dragging my feet up the beach and sitting on the sand, looking out to sea, trying to recover.<br />
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Gunnamatta, Mornington Peninsula. A beautiful wave at 3 - 4 foot, downright nasty at 6 foot plus. It is one of the most schizophrenic waves I have ever surfed - I love it and hate it in equal measure. I had surfed it the week before and had an amazing session - beautiful, glassy conditions on a gorgeous summer day when my friend, Ivan and I had skived off work early.<br />
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I remember looking at the waves just before paddling out thinking hmmm, its a little bit bigger then last time. As soon as I got out the back I realised I was so far out of my depth - it was big, fast and powerful. I just kept paddling further and further out to sea trying to avoid getting dragged in, I managed to duck dive under a couple but I could feel the power in the water and I knew that getting in was not going to be pretty.<br />
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In hindsight, I should have just caught a wave but I was too scared too move. I remember looking out to the horizon and seeing a set coming in and thinking, oh dear. I made it under the first one but the second was even bigger and I was right in the impact zone. I took it straight on the head and got dragged under, so far under and down, down, down. I'm sure I was only under for a few seconds but the water was so cold and dark it felt like a lifetime.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-18137276491864471082011-12-07T17:39:00.002+08:002011-12-09T19:13:59.208+08:00My kind of local<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPChG5uiCTbBJ-gkRrHITo1elD9wXUTPJbF_C_Rzj99hI7Whda7iSBwCNIWM4VxGprIgTeqJfLrGehLy1h6Eqcatodt4X-_NmmwldXmjhH_SMgv79-sOsg-MqBa6teJ-y5MloYxdt7PQs/s1600/lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPChG5uiCTbBJ-gkRrHITo1elD9wXUTPJbF_C_Rzj99hI7Whda7iSBwCNIWM4VxGprIgTeqJfLrGehLy1h6Eqcatodt4X-_NmmwldXmjhH_SMgv79-sOsg-MqBa6teJ-y5MloYxdt7PQs/s1600/lights.jpg" /></a>I surfed at Lights Beach, Denmark several times this past week. I have been on a week long uni intensive studying Denmark and its surrounds as a sustainable, resilient region. It is s a pretty spectacular place - amazing trees, a gorgeous coastline and a really beautiful small town with very strong green values! I like it. A lot. I think its one of my favourite places in the world.<br />
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I like the local surfers just as much.<br />
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Lights is a pretty fun right hand beach break, a good break for someone like me.......pretty cruisey, very south coastal, sitting around a 15 minute walk from the car park below a spectacular cliff line........I surfed it with 8 others on Sunday (and that was crowded!) and traded waves with just one other (and three dolphins) on Monday morning. I scoped it out on the Friday before and chatted to a couple of locals as they headed out, a couple of young guys - they gave me enough information about the local conditions and the type of wave that I felt comfortable heading back by myself several days later when the wind had dropped. What locals do that?<br />
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On Sunday, I surfed for a couple of hours and chatted to several others including Pete who and I quote said 'don't worry about looking down the line, I've had enough waves, I'm happy to share'. Pete has spent his life surfing this wave and living in Denmark. Usually this breeds a real parochialism and a level of aggression and ownership but not in this place.<br />
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I ran into Pete the next morning at the look out. I drove down early knowing the wind was a little wrong and the swell had dropped but kind of hoping that maybe something would roll through. We chatted for a bit about life in Denmark and life in general before tossing up whether to head out.....I really thought I'd just jump back in my car as the waves looked pretty small and no one else was surfing......but Pete offered to be my shark bait and laid a convincing argument, 'this will be better then what you'll get in Perth for the next 6 months'. Sad but true.<br />
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We surfed for about 90 minutes..............trading waves, just the two of us. It wasn't amazing and I wasn't surfing so well but when two dolphins and their babe surfed a wave next to me, I could not wipe the smile off my face........<br />
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This is why I surf.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-90239715406353213652011-11-27T14:02:00.001+08:002011-11-27T18:39:51.009+08:00El Mar, Mi Alma<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXoJr2DwSXPojGjNnPTZ5TyBsWEub7gfqwiDDQqZVqC2aedPuM0BqzNvKyJIvwPesBPLoR4C6RhZwvzvoh01mm2IuHJMuPsebm7SSEhs5D2qBe_vEZPo911t0WuCXqc4WthNjZePiEqc/s1600/whyisurf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXoJr2DwSXPojGjNnPTZ5TyBsWEub7gfqwiDDQqZVqC2aedPuM0BqzNvKyJIvwPesBPLoR4C6RhZwvzvoh01mm2IuHJMuPsebm7SSEhs5D2qBe_vEZPo911t0WuCXqc4WthNjZePiEqc/s200/whyisurf.jpg" width="200" /></a>The sea, my soul......................a very cool name for a new Chilean surfing movie. El mar, mi alma. I like it. <br />
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I read a beautiful article by Australian surfer, Belinda Baggs in the Australian Longboarding magazine. Belinda is about to give birth to her first child. Some of what she wrote really resonated.<br />
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'The winds that bring us someone we love are the same that bring us something we learn to love. These are the same winds creating swell that travels thousands of miles to our shores. These shores give us a sense of belonging, a strength, a heart and a quiet calmness for existing in place and time. They lead us to wander in amazement, see and appreciate all the things beautiful that the oceans and the earth encompass...................to be led by the wind and the sea, to be led by the wind and the sea.'<br />
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I've struggled with surfing for the last four years. Its only over the last few months that I feel like I've had a major break through. I'm heading down the line - both lefts and rights - and I'm starting to turn, to look down the wave, my stance has improved, my rhythm is better, my footwork is getting there. I almost feel like a real surfer - even though I've created my own breast stroke style duck dive!<br />
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Getting out into the water over the past four years has been tough. To consistantly turn up to a break and know that you are the worst in the water, is a huge hurdle to overcome. To do that and be a woman. But something about this sport gets me right in the heart. Despite the fact that I will never be any good, I love it.<br />
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My friend talks about the serenity he feels when he is the water. Others talk about the sensation of catching a good wave. I know many who will leave the embrace of a beautiful, warm women (or man) to drive 60 minutes, put on a 4/3 wetsuit and just get wet. I just feel at peace, in the moment............like nothing else matters more then bobbing around on a board waiting for a wave.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-14801005329078676522011-09-10T16:32:00.001+08:002012-11-06T11:35:34.371+08:00Going right<div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645838753502992322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlIQqNN-uiavDZ_CSfUyf-Izgvynzd9pbtsrMjNqNC2JHVjSdGYW0mhjwvS5nq4WzR1rRohtfRuijuhk1xgIzn_8GQYhu89KIkSd8IuGGtIqy1PUzjOCUoBnDsXg5UPXrAarORKT-JN8/s200/photo_61_.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" />For some reason I really struggle going right. I live in WA at the moment (lefts aplenty) and spent my formative surfing period in Indo (even more lefts)...........it was my goal this recent holiday to work on my rights, sort out my duck diving (and I didn't actually realise I had created my own style of duckdive until I watched a few you tubes last week) and tidy up my foot work. <br />
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I'm pretty happy with my progress - I surfed three weeks solid with only two days off, practised yoga everyday, made some new friends and relaxed. I didn't sort out my rights, my duck diving still sucks but I am on a smaller board (6"2, 2 3/8 and 19 1/2). My timing (on the left) has improved out of sight and I am now ridiculously addicted. I managed to surf four times this week - Hu'y, god of the waves has blessed Perth with waves a plenty the last few weeks and the banks up at Scarborough are so fun!<br />
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This morning, my friend John and I surfed at Brighton, sharing the waves with just a few others. It was so pretty. My mind couldn't help stray to thoughts of the 2metre tiger shark I paddled over 6 months earlier around the same spot but not enough to get me out of the water! Its those sort of surfs that make all the other ones, when I'm getting hammered or really scared or surfing 1 foot mush with 50 others or when I am the worst out in the water by far (hello, Mentawais!) - all worth it!</div>
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Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-42663242223071832702010-09-02T06:00:00.001+08:002011-12-09T19:19:21.583+08:00The Chimpanzee Theory<div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHg8JVS80FNvDYUbRauygzQqthyTUyO36yS7mRNsgxO6LKRK9VtjqA3LgttOVoL2Gxvhlu_Jq_Xthb_X698Vu51iY_Wzoy8Foi99zFbZcI8o62xtxbhsw_cq2NHN8uuoa2wVWl0fCBds/s1600/chimpanzeeB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHg8JVS80FNvDYUbRauygzQqthyTUyO36yS7mRNsgxO6LKRK9VtjqA3LgttOVoL2Gxvhlu_Jq_Xthb_X698Vu51iY_Wzoy8Foi99zFbZcI8o62xtxbhsw_cq2NHN8uuoa2wVWl0fCBds/s200/chimpanzeeB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My friends and I had been surfing all day at Phillip Island, Victoria.........a beautiful island, east of Melbourne and pretty much where I learnt to surf. We were staying at my friends shack in Ventnor....a perfect, unpretentious, true Aussie holiday shack in every sense of the word. Brown water, asbestos, brick and tile, old family treasures...........run down, ram shackle and right on the beach.<br />
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Whenever we headed down to the island, our days were always the same.......up early for a quick bite to eat, surf where ever - Woolamai, Anzacs, YCW, Smiths, early lunch at Dr Food (I will never forget those sausage rolls), more surf, a nap, another surf if we were lucky and then dinner followed by movies, tv shows, lots of guitar, a little beer or wine and a David Attenborough documentary or two............<br />
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On this particular Saturday night we were watching a documentary on chimpanzees. The footage was of a troop of chimps in captivity, some of which had been street performers before they came to live in the sanctuary. Some of the chimps in their performing days had been taught how to break open very hard nuts with a hammer. Quite a useful skill and a good way to get ahead in the chimp world. And a skill that every other chimp wanted to learn.<br />
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The trouble with chimps, according to David Attenborough, is that past the age of 4, they cannot learn new skills. That's it. They are done for the rest of their lives. Everything they learn before the age of 4 is all they have for the rest of the lives............and they live for up to 60 years!........I found this interesting and a little unnerving. Especially as the next scene in the documentary showed a number of chimps, having observed a brother chimp crack open nuts and eat them, trying to teach themselves this new skill..............................a fruitless task, as David commented in the background........as they were all older then 4.....<br />
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I just couldn't help but wonder that at 32, am I one of those chimps? On a fruitless journey to learn a new skill that I will never, ever master?</div></div>Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-82026721630229864522010-08-31T17:40:00.001+08:002011-12-09T19:25:18.040+08:00I survived the Mentawais!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZpOouFbNV_Kxyo9GOGPfQGrP5OINnn0-YjeDPjFtp3ZCOCN-i0IlsOSV2ce7ucutt2Aj7pzEvHn4a77DeAnDHgNln_Hc62g7MX2tgioPjVOudixA0cEOMc1IG9puHyUsvKJTI4r1678/s1600/Jelenga.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZpOouFbNV_Kxyo9GOGPfQGrP5OINnn0-YjeDPjFtp3ZCOCN-i0IlsOSV2ce7ucutt2Aj7pzEvHn4a77DeAnDHgNln_Hc62g7MX2tgioPjVOudixA0cEOMc1IG9puHyUsvKJTI4r1678/s320/Jelenga.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>I was sooo out of my depth and spent the first few days literally shaking everytime we jumped in the boat. I didn't help that eveyone staying on the island were amazing surfers! Eventually I realised that I wouldn't die and that even though the waves were so much bigger then where I usually surfed, once you're up, they are actually a whole lot more fun!<br />
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We stayed at Wave Park on Maniak Island. There were 12 of us in total, six Peruvians, three west aussies, two sydney siders and JeTaya......... a precocious two year old who made the trip just that little more special. I went through Samudra, a yoga/surfing/raw food group that run global retreats out of Dunsborough, Western Australia. We did yoga every morning and surfed 2 - 3 times a day................<br />
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I surfed most days with one of the girls working at the resort. Kristin and I were kind of at the same level (kind of except for the fact she had been on Maniak the whole season!). We mainly surfed around Playgrounds and Pitstops....and had two amazing surfs at Spankers (Four Bob) and Bikini's when it just the two of us in the water and perfect 3 - 4 foot waves. Those two coral heads at Spankers still haunt my dreams! <br />
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Most importantly, the 10 days in the Mentawais has started me on the course of Astanga yoga and raw food.....I plan to weave those elements through my life over the coming years..................................I'm not sure if I'll ever go back there. I dream about it now and its beauty is insane but I struggle with the white, male, surfer dominating such a landscape.............<br />
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Following the Mentawais, I coped a beating in Kuta - a nasty food poisoning case of Air Aisa and spent two days face first on the tiles in a crazy, LSD, Frida Kahlo inspired room at Three Brothers in Legian. This was followed by a few days in Ubud and then Ekas on the island on Lombok....................Inner Ekas is really the wave of my dreams! It was nice to not feel like I was worst surfer out there.Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9188258129794740887.post-36058840223677734972010-07-12T20:14:00.000+08:002010-07-12T21:30:23.512+08:00Surf travel...............<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAHYUz3-eVKxuKvPkpzGxNEcho8X6C8hjbqLNzBm0OtZ7DLWa9bLc8Q1mfPxlqxll8muOjCEcxKVOwOJqokohv5ymkCud0-tj3GgU2d8QkiwjX58BiunxSHTCAJxC2xLuBiRO0cSuz_c/s1600/Jelenga.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492999868931602434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAHYUz3-eVKxuKvPkpzGxNEcho8X6C8hjbqLNzBm0OtZ7DLWa9bLc8Q1mfPxlqxll8muOjCEcxKVOwOJqokohv5ymkCud0-tj3GgU2d8QkiwjX58BiunxSHTCAJxC2xLuBiRO0cSuz_c/s200/Jelenga.bmp" /></a> I just brought a double surfboard cover for my upcoming trip to Indonesia. I'm so excited although I'm surfing so badly. I'm heading to the Mentawais just off the Sumatran coast and then on to Kuta and Ekas on the island of Lombok.<br /><br />I live to travel. I squirrel away my spare pesos with images of places unknown in my dreams. The unknown, unfamilar and just plain different get me so excited. Surfing has added a new element to my travels. Now I don't even want to consider travelling to somewhere without a surf break nearby, I spend my days reading tales of the search for the perfect wave and constantly dream of finding my perfect break.<br /><br />My friend Ivan and I spent 6 weeks in 2009 moving from Bali to East Timor in search of perfect, nufty waves. We found it on the island of Sumbawa and we had it for a small window, almost all to ourselves. In between days exploring interesting late night food markets, eating bowls of tripe we lounged at surf camps, checking out surf reports and scootering around local villages. We also managed a daily dose of surfing as well!<br /><br />Its the smell that stays with me the most. It keeps me going through long, arduous winters, morning surfs in thick wetties and the winter darkness. I'm currently planning on hooking up somewhere in Central America next year where I can get fluency in Spanish as well as work on my surfing. Any suggestions?<br /><br />But closer at hand is my trip to the Mentawais and Lombok at the end of this week! I'm surfing really badly at the moment so I'm a little nervous that I'm way out of my depth. The Mentawais is where the pros go, yeah? Every surf mag currently produced has a picture of Macaroni's, HJs, playgrounds in every edition but I'll be fine! I'll just surf with the kids!Bechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395972272653697934noreply@blogger.com0