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.