Indo: the last chapter

I was only planning on being in Indonesia for one month but soon after my arrival I realized how much I was enjoying the rich culture, ease of travel, and of course, amazing waves. I have been very surprised to be enjoying this part of the world so much.




I'm learning that no matter what one has heard about a certain place (whether good or bad) there is no way to truly judge it until it's been experienced with one's own five senses.




With that said I continue my Indo experience with a ton more culture mixed with perfect waves.
I met up with Christine in the wave-less, yet super funky town of Ubud.




The vibe here strums to a beat of yoga, art galleries, and on one particular occasion a four foot python casually slithering through the middle of a busy intersection. A local quickly handled the situation but not before having some fun with a few Japanese tourists as he playfully thrust the snake's head at them to get a reaction.




Once the fun was done he proudly held it up for his buddies to see and most likely took it home for a snack.
We did a lot of reading by the pool, braved the masses at a few outdoor bazaars, and checked out a traditional Balinese dance performance. Ubud is bustling with culture and a Balinese dance is a very interesting show to witness.




I couldn't get over how the women used spastic eye movements to convey emotion, fear, and happiness. At one point in the performance I spaced out thinking "this would be a great commercial idea for eye drops..." By this time I was looking forward to getting back in the water so I decided to head over to neighboring Nusa Lembongan island where I would hope to find some more Indo-style waves.




If you're looking for crystal clear water, dreamlike snorkeling/diving, a laid back atmosphere, and pumping waves, then Nusa Lembongan is your spot. I spent one great week here surfing some fantastic waves.




One spot in particular was called shipwrecks and I surfed here most of my time as it was spitting distance from my bungalow. So, needless to say, if the wave was breaking I would be on it and on one particular day it was fantastic. Some of the locals had been accustomed to seeing my yellow board throughout the week so when they realized I was not just there for the one big day they gave me the friendly nod of approval.




A relieving gesture when in the lineup with mostly locals. The wave was a spectacular, clean, big right-hand ramp of crystal clear water. In fact, the water is so clear and the reef so bustling with life that on certain occasions, while waiting for the next juicy wave, I could see curious little fish swimming all around my board in an unusual attempt to stow away in my shorts!




It was to be my last day surfing in Indonesia and I reflected the entire time in the water on how fortunate I've been to have been able to surf so many incredible spots. In the end I surfed 41 times in 18 different spots. Wearing a wetsuit in San Diego is going to be culture shock...




When I wasn't surfing I was either perched on my bungalow reading or getting lost around the island. Lembongan is a big seaweed farming town and as low tide approached, the locals would come out into the blistering sun to collect their green gold.




As tides fluctuate on a daily basis, peak work hours would differ from day to day. Towards the end of my time in Lembongan low tide would be close to sunset and besides the obvious factor of darkness, farmers would also have to rush against the incoming tide to haul in their loads. Talk about a hard deadline huh?




One other thing I like to do when exploring a new town is finding any type of pickup games to play in and, if invited, I'm always keen to play.




Football (soccer) is by far the most common game I run into but in Lembongan, volleyball was king. I was thrilled to stumble upon a locals-only game in the middle of the steamy jungle. It was, of course, appropriately accompanied by cows grassing nearby, roosters crowing at will, and seaweed fishermen casually casually strolling aroung with massive baskets of seaweed on top of their heads.




The court was a patch of flat, hard dirt with well-marked lines and a proper net. These guys were good! In my opinion, some good enough to play college and since they were playing barefoot they had an advantage already. All the men and young boys in town would turn up to watch, and gamble, on their team.




This made the competition that much more intense and as the games would come to an end, I would love how the setting sun would cast its long rays on the dusty court giving it an epic feel of swirling fire. I've never been so content to miss the sun setting over the ocean.
The last stop on my Indo adventure was a pleasantly-welcomed surprise. After 'roughing it' while surfing stellar waves in Lembongan, I spent the next 5 nights in the honeymoon suite of a fancy private villa with my own swimming pool, my own cook, and my own private...well, everything!




It pays to have family in high places. Gracias Luisa! To put this amazing villa into perspective, let's just say its decor made the pages of a very well-known magazine and lucky me got to reap the benefits.




It is the most beautiful place I have stayed in thus far and will be tough to beat internationally and back in the states. Coincidentally, the villa was is in Ubud where I actually wanted to go back to.




I liked Ubud the first time around but it really made an impression on me the second time. This town's Balinese culture is on fire and along with it's art stores, great restaurants and markets, Ubud quickly grew on me even though it is nowhere near the ocean.




I loved riding around and stopping wherever there was anything interesting. I could not stop looking at a painting in one of the many art stores I cruised by so I decided to buy it. The bulkiest souvenir I've picked up thus far but after stalking it for three days I realized why I liked it so much.




I ran into a cockfight once which reminded me of the bullfight in Sevilla. Cockfighting and betting on it is legal here and actually goes hand-in-hand with certain religious events.




Since I was so far away from the ocean, it was tricky to find a good place to watch the sunset. One day, on one of my aimless scooter rides, I spotted a rice paddy being lit up by the setting sun in that emerald green color that only rice paddies seem to emit. As the sun dipped over the horizon, each tier of the crop would slowly darken one by one in front of the sky's colorful canvas. Breathtaking!




I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel of my SE Asia leg of the trip. I type this en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where I'll be breaking my neck looking up at blinding skyscrapers, savoring some of the region's most diverse cuisine, and checking out an electronics hub that would make BestBuy blush.