Indo...finally

It's no secret I love living in beautiful San Diego. A big reason being that it's a stones-throw away from the ocean - offering excitement, tranquility, and more specifically majestic waves. Even while attending a match in the European soccer mecca of Barcelona, diving off a bridge with a rubber band attached to my ankles in South Africa, or discovering remote Laos on a beat-up motorbike, there is a certain something that always looms and sort of lingers, unfulfilled, deep in my subconscious. The need to ride waves.


I've been fortunate enough to briefly satisfy my craving for waves in Spain, Portugal, and South Africa but I knew until I experienced the renowned wave magnet that is Indonesia, my pesky hunger would not fade.


It's easy to understand why Bali is such a well known surf destination. I mean even if you didn't already know it you would certainly realize it before you even left Denpasar airport. I was thrilled to be thrown into the surfing aura so quickly as I walked past the dozens of ads in the somewhat busy terminal en route to Bali's hectic centre in Kuta.


Although Kuta is known more for raging nightlife and limitless shopping, I decided to spend a couple of days here planning my next moves, trading some books, and most importantly, buying a board that would show me that 'Bali High' every surfer longs for while in Bali. After a few days checking out the town, landing a few good book trades, and buying a new locally shaped 5'10" retro fish board, I was ready to explore.


I made my way to the Uluwatu area where I met Duncan from Australia. A simple "hey did you surf today by any chance?" led us to one of the best weeks of surfing we've ever had and a bond that will surely last a long time. Like Thailand and Laos, Indonesia has pleasantly surprised me with its religious diversity, delicious food, and friendly people (no ladyboys here.)


A theme I've seemed to latch on to while in southeast Asia is 'simplicity is beautiful' and I continue to see it and embrace it more and more as I continue my travels.


Everyday things like a fence, a broom, and even a home are so much more satisfying to use and to look at when they are simply crafted. It's a way of thinking that at one point in our lives I believe we've all had and has maybe been shadowed by convenience or luxury.


Maybe it takes seeing it first hand to really understand. I can tell you one thing though; the simple pleasure of a child flying a plastic bag as a kite or the excitement a kid on the beach exudes when a camera is pointed at him is electric!


These are some of the most real emotions and reactions I have seen and they all occur in places where, well, life is much much simpler...


Duncan and I met while at breakfast at my bungalow's restaurant and quickly hit it off.


Amongst many other things, Duncan and I have one particular thing in common. It's simple. We don't like to surf crowded waves. Seems logical right?


Well it didn't seem that way to others because many surfers we talked to surfed the same wave when there was another just down the road which was equally as good yet easily half as crowded. One just needed to look a little harder and wake up a little earlier.


After a great week surfing world class breaks like Impossibles, Nusa Dua, and a secret spot that will remain nameless, we decided to head over to the neighboring island of Lombok which was only 25km away but felt like a million years.


Here we would, again, find the simplicity that I so wanted to continue to experience and of course, amazing waves. It didn't take us too long to get into a routine of surf, eat, rest (watch Dexter), surf, eat, rest (watch Dexter again.)


Our routine worked pretty well and we were rewarded with some surf sessions that left smiles on our faces for hours and hours.


We surfed until our shoulders burned holes on our shirts and until the sun called it quits for the day. At times it would just be the two of us and it was like an amusement park ride, mechanically taking turns on the oh-so-consistent waves.


These days are really what surfing here is all about. But it's not just about the wave. The hunt is is part of the thrill, or to "live the search" as a certain brand likes to put it.


We might not have found our paradise if we hadn't searched for that simplicity that makes things so much more enjoyable. With so many islands to see I'm just beginning my Indo adventure. I'm hoping I experience more surf sessions like the ones I got with Duncan.


We'll go our separate ways now but we'll be looking for the same thing and in the land of endless waves we'll be sure to find them in remote spots where we can continue smiling for hours and hours.

Island living, Koh Phangan

"expect the unexpected." A pretty common saying I must say and one I've been living by for the past six months. Usually the unexpected is something unfortunate or inconvenient right? So when I met a croatian guy in Laos about a month ago who had spent some time in Haad Yuan beach in the Thai island of Koh Phangan,


I was expecting the same resume a lot of Thai beaches have - scenic but with swarms of speedo-clad sun worshippers in flashy resorts. Not my ideal CV. But the words and enthusiasm he used to describe this particular stretch of sand were much more appealing to me. "chill", "good vibe",


"small beach", and the clincher, "by boat only." When I arrived on the island I made a beeline south to find this beach. Although I was anticipating the unexpected, it never came. Everything was just as he had described it and to my delight, it was far better. After a long but painless ferry ride where I got to know a new Canadian friend (while also entertaining a few school kids with my yoyo skillz),


I hopped on a rickety long boat and bounced my way to this dream beach. As we neared shore, our teenage captain cooly and easily maneuvered the unstable boat near the sand.


I jumped off and landed in knee-deep crystal clear water. As there are only a few establishments offering lodging in Haad Yuan (mainly modest bungalows), I didn't have to walk too far to find one.


I could not believe my luck as I happened to land undoubtedly the best (not fanciest) bungalow on the beach just spitting distance from the ocean.


From my balcony I lazily surveyed the mellow vibe on the beach during the day, watched the clouds turn pinkish-purple as the sun disappeared in the evening, and much to my liking, awoke to the sound of small waves arriving gently in the morning.


Time was not a concept and my worries entailed slowly dragging my sarong under a nearby palm tree for shade or scooting back a few feet as the tide crept in.


Wanting to keep up my Muay Thai training regimen and knowing full well I'd be surfing in Bali, I maintained a creative and challenging beach workout. My favorites were using the stretched rope of an anchored boat to do side-to-side squats,


and running underwater while carrying a ~50 lb rock - interesting training I'd seen surfers do before but never tried myself. Apart from that I read two books, did some brainstorming about my future plans, played cards,


did some yoga, played beach soccer with the locals, and ate obscene amounts of food. Easily the most relaxing time of my life... After saying a sad goodbye to Haad Yuan I headed to less peaceful Haad Rin for a few days before hopping over to Bali.


Haad Rin is home of the monthly debauchery which is the full moon party and even though I wasn't going to be there for it, I still wanted to check out the nightlife which I heard was highly entertaining. I stumbled onto to a cheap hostel with a too-good-to-pass-up price and found I was the only guest.


Not what I was expecting from a big party town but I wasn't complaining. Apparently this cheap hostel would have as high a demand as an ocean view bungalow as the full moon party neared. It seems everything in Haad Rin revolved around...well, the moon! Shops, restaurants, bars are all deserted until boisterous partygoers arrive days before the moon is brightest. You would think an international crowd, good DJs, and mind-numbing buckets overflowing with Thai liquor (all under the bright stars and next to the warm ocean) would be quality ingredients for a bumping party right?


Well they are. But what really gets the crowd pumping every night in Haad Rin beach is FIRE...lots of it!


Fire twirlers, fire jump ropes, fire limbo, fire breathing, fire everywhere! The amount of people I have seen with bandages around their ankles all over Thailand has been comical. Now I know why. Too many buckets = coordination loss when jumping fire rope. I wasn't about to be a statistic so I stayed away and instead tried my hand, literally, at beach arm wrestling.


I surprised everyone including myself by winning three in a row, earning a free drink, and then quickly being brought back to reality by a somewhat large German with a healthy gut. I snagged the toilet paper used to support our elbows as my own consolation prize...


As I leave Thailand I'm reminded of delicious food, incredible beaches,


exotic sports, intriguing culture (including the Karen people), and a simple yet efficient way of life that in some ways I hope to mimic when back in the states.


I now have my mind set on Bali and quite possibly some of the most desirable waves in the world. Another dream adventure where I can no doubt "expect the unexpected."