1st Leg, 1st Class

As has been our way, on my final day we woke up, had a long leisurely brekky followed by some Internet time. We lounge around the room or pool and take a power nap. Before I'd left Bali for Lombok all those weeks ago, I'd left a backpack with heaps of stuff in it with my friend Enrico. So Marny and I rented a bike and we headed out to retrieve my belongings in Padang. It felt good to get out of busy Kuta for the afternoon...out by the Puket it's simply beautiful...REAL Bali. It was great to sit by the sea one last time and catch up with Enrico-- he is a very special soul, with an innocent and positive outlook and energy that's contagious. Said goodbye to my friends, scooped up my belongings and then Marny and I were back to Kuta. We had some lunch, a final feast of Nasi Campur, and then we went to our favorite spa Shinkei for massages. The treatment we picked was Head Neck and Shoulder massage....and it was epic. They let us lay side by side in the serene spa as we got massaged, and it was one of the most blissful hours I'd spent in Shinkei. Greasy and glistening, with smiles on our faces, we strolled back to the room for a well deserved nap. As we walk through town, everyone calls us the "honeymooners" or "the cute couple"...and I gotta say, I Feel like I've been on a honeymoon. I'm in love and feel loved in return- and we spend our days going out to eat good food, getting massages, or just enjoying one anthers company- talking and talking and talking. Marny treats me like a princess and understands me like a best friend. Though we both came to Indo to indulge in our mutual passion for surfing, the past few days we couldn't bother to even make it to the beach! With only a few hours left we went for dinner...I had my one Bintang, and Marn had his coca cola, and we played a few final rounds of shithead (I won...just in case anyone was wondering). The tears started at dinner and didn't really stop after that. If I pulled it together, then I'd look over and Marny'd have started. Christ almighty. Took a taxi to the airport and Marny finagled his way past security with no ID and no ticket, and kept me company while I waited to check in. Few more rounds of shithead (ahem...again, I reign victorious...) and then it was time for the OFFICIAL goodbye. You coulda mopped both of us up off the floor, and it only got worse once we walked away from one another. As Marny said, I felt both incredibly Full and Empty at the same time. It wasn't long before I boarded the plane, and with sad swollen eyes I realized that I had a seat in first class! I texted Marny the good news and 'goodnight', and before the plane even took off I closed my heavy eyelids and was fast asleep in my oversized, comfy reclining chair. Woke up feeling fresh and rested, sleeping for most of the 5 and a half hour flight...a rare feat to wake up after a long haul with no leg, back or neck cramps! I was first off the plane and my first stop was for a proper coffee. Then had a mini-meltdown because my iPhone died. It has been on the fritz all morning and then BOOM. DEAD. F*%k!!!! Had another mini-internal-meltdown before remembering a trick that the Apple people had taught my mom for when your iPhone is acting up. Tried it, let it rest for a bit, and now I'm back in action!! Hallelujah. Posted up at my gate now here in Taiwan, shed a few tears after looking through some photos from the past few days, and getting ready to board the plane for my next stopover, Tokyo, Japan. Feeling really overwhelmed with emotions (yeah yeah- you know me...). I have been blessed yet again with an amazing year of travel-- filled with outstanding people, unforgettable experiences, and as always- heaps of delicious meals.

Final Hours.

Final hours with Marny, final hours in Indonesia. Bah. Trying to just soak up as much as I can. In a few hours I begin my journey home. First stop is in Seattle for a few days before heading back to the East Coast. It's been good...

Me, Marny and lots of Massages!!

Well, we decided NOT to leave Kuta, Bali. It's just too much trouble to travel anywhere else...taking about a full day to get somewhere and a full day to get back. So, we've committed to staying here in Kuta, and we are taking full advantage of all that this little city has to offer. We have indulged every single day in spa treatments...yesterday getting full body massages and ear candling. We got out for delicious meals and have been lounging by the pool...soaking up our final few days together. So, not much else to report!! Just enjoying my time left here in Indonesia with my Marny.

Back in Bali.

Marny and I are back in Bali. We are staying at a beautiful, peaceful place in Kuta called Ayu Lili Garden...not far off the main road. Since getting back we have indulged in facials, massages, reflexology, and of course...epic meals! We've met up with Sean, Rosary, and Jay -- renewing their visas, only to head back to Sumbawa as soon as possible. We are putzing around for one more day, but head out tomorrow for a little island a few hours away...going to catch some surf and sun on the beach before I head out late on the 21st....



I love Marny with or without a beard, but I'm a sucker for his clean shaven face after a cut-throat shave from the barber. ...

Bye Bye Sumbawa

Sumbawa was pretty good to me. After a week my two travel partners Oscar and B were ready for somewhere new. I too had purchased a ticket back to Bali and was ready for the next adventure, but then last minute decided to forfeit my ticket and stay. Why? Im not too sure. I didn't love the wave...it's pretty heavy, and the lineup is super crowded. But I just felt it in my gut that I should stick around for a bit. As you can see from the blog below, I made the right choice. Marny insisted that I move out of Puma and into Aman Gati with him...Aman Gati being the fanciest most expensive place to stay in town. Fresh sheets every day, great breakfasts and a POOL...and Marny of course! Thankfully it wasn't TOO big my following two weeks in town (aside from a few ginormous days), and it was great to surf the Peak with my man. Marny is goofy and I'm regular, so surfing together is a harmonious thing. Marn takes the lefts and I take the rights. We even split the Peak quite often! I swear that when Marny kissed me in the water that I got more waves....everybody is pretty intimidated by him and he sits out the back, so since it was clear we were together nobody messed with me! Yahooo!! We had two surfs a day, and I'd spend the afternoons visiting my friends 100meters down the road at Puma. Then, dinner at Lakey Beach Inn. For 4 weeks straight I had dinner at Lakey Beach all but 2 nights! I love routines and the routine I had in Sumbawa was great. When we left I was sad to say some goodbyes...I became great friends with Sean, Storky, and Shoko -- and leaving them definitely weighed heavy on my heart. But Sean and Stork are Narrabeeners, so I'll be seeing them soon enough in Australia, and Shoko and I already have plans to meet up throughout the year across the globe. Lakey Peak, you were good to me....you gave me great friends, great waves, great food, great memories, and a great man. What more could a girl ask for??

Shoko and Me, having dinner at Lakey Beach Inn.

The whole crew of riff-raff....


Me and Marny, my Kamushka <3

Goodbye Sumbawa!!

Cinta.

"Cinta", Bahasa indonesia for "Love". I'm in it...swimming in it, living in it and loving every second of it. World, meet Marny. We met here in Lakey Peak, Sumbawa, Indonesia. This photo of us is a few days post shave, but when we first met he was a hairy, hairy man. He's from Australia and lives a similar lifestyle to me. He is an OUSTANDING surfer and an equally epic snowboarder. He lives in his house in Australia, on the same property as his parents, for a little more than half the year. He spends 3 months then in Hakuba, Japan being a guide in the backcountry. He's trained to survive avalanches and he takes snowboarders deep into Japans mountains. After Japan he heads to Indo for 2 months...one month in Lakey and one month at G-Land. I'd been in the lineup with him a few times and seen him around town, but he scared me a bit. He was hairy and one of the top dogs in the aggressive, extremely talented Lakey Peak lineup. We had dinner with the same group for about a week, and after talking to him I lost any bit of intimidation that I'd had for him before. Then, we went to the ATM in Dompu- the day after I decided to extended my stay here and forfeit my ticket to Bali. There was supposed to be several people in the car to town, but everybody bailed except me and Marny. Well the day long adventure turned into lunch, coffee, dinner, dessert, then tea. It was instant love. We talked and talked and talked...barely taking a break to breathe or swallow our food. I, of course, spoke endlessly about my parents....and so did Marny. He shares a deep love with his parents as I do, and their lives are just as intertwined as well. He doesn't drink because he just doesn't really like it-- but he drinks HEAPS of Coca Cola, and he puts down a fair share of ice cream as well. He's a carpenter...able to build a house and then fix everything in it. His art medium is sculpture- making large scale pieces out of recycled metal. He's well traveled and funny and handsome....but best of all, he treats me like a goddess and is so very in love. Well, I gotta say, the feeling is mutual. We've both shed a few tears already at the thought of having to part, but we will only have to suffer the distance for a few short months. I made a commitment to work, and I want to see my parents - so I'm definitely headed home. BUT, Marny wants to come out and meet my parents in October and then I'm gonna hop a flight with him back to Australia. It's all happened pretty quickly, but when it's good it's good and when it's right it's right, and I deserve it!

Ombak Besar

Ombak Besar. Big Wave.

The waves are huge. The whole bay is shutting down-- nowhere can hold the swell, except for Nungas. Marny, Brian and a few others braved the bombs, but the rest of us decided to sit this one out. Luckily my friend Dallas has a house, an ammmmazing house, on Nungas-- so we packed our bags and posted up for the day. We packed water and cookies and snacks and have passed the time swimming, lounging, doing headstands, bronzing and watching Marny through the binoculars, getting barrel after barrel.

Big Waves, Big Injuries.

Poor Sean (aka The General). Usually he's top dog in the lineup, yelling at everybody...letting them know where they stand. Usually, I'd hate this. But when the waves are big and the session becomes critical, it's essential to have someone regulating in the lineup. The first time I met him was a session at Periscopes. I got a great set wave, pretty big, then paddled back out to the peak. In a stern tone he let me know that I now had to wait my turn. I thought, "who the fuck is this jerkoff, calling the shots??"...but he reminded me a bit of my dad- so my contempt turned to affection pretty quickly. An outspoken big wave charger, like my dad, he's also been prone to accidents (like my dad!!!). He stepped on a sea urchin last week which completely devastated his foot, and had to be out of the water for a few days. Once he was able to surf again he had an epic session at the Peak--- getting barrel after barrel. His session was cut a bit short though because one of the waves slammed him into the shallow reef below-- cutting open his head. Six stiches and some pain killers later he was once again out of the water. When the waves are big here, the repercussions are no joke... Sometimes you just have to know when to sit out a session, because even seasoned pros like Sean are taking a beating.

Gamblin' Fool

Well when theres no waves and you've played guitar until your fingers have bled- you've napped and done yoga, swam in the pool and read your book-- the only thing left to do is Gamble. We played "THREES", a dice game played with 5 die. The object is to roll as many 3's as possible because a 3 is equal to zero. One is worth one, 2 worth 2, so on and so forth. Whoever rolls the smallest collective number each round is the winner. To make it more interesting we threw 5,000rupiah each time into the pot and so it began. 5 hours later the game continued on with as much enthusiasm and excitement as when we began. I ended up winning, then losing alot, then playing until I broke even. Walk away Cailin, walk away....

Makan Makan.

Food.

Today I made the mistake of talking about food. Im loving Indonesia, and aside from a few fabulous dishes in Laos, the cuisine here is my favorite. BUT- theres some things that I really miss, and can't wait to have upon my return. It was like a snowball effect...starting just with pizza, but the more I thought about it, the longer the list....

1. PIZZA. REAL pizza.

2. Gordons Spaghetti and meatballs @ La Medusa in Seattle

3. Spaghetti and meatballs @ Bianca in NYC

4. Clams. MmMm. Fresh caught by dad and I. Fried clams, steamed clams, clams on the half shell-- and my moms famous-- deviled clams.

5. Big salads. With lots of greens and nuts and flaxseed and cayenne pepper-and good dressing.

6. REAL COFFEE. Since my time in Indo I've had more NesCafe 3in1 than I have in the past 24 years. I want my bialetti!! I want Julia to make me coffee in the morning- and I want an Americano from Milk and Roses in Brooklyn.

7. Venison. Tenderloin. Killed and butchered and cooked by my dad.

8. My dads famous crispy striper!!! Mmmmmmmmazing.

9. Mexican food. Any and all Mexican food. Limes, tortillas, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce. Mmm.

10. Pig. Homegrown, slaughtered by dad, pig. Because of the large Muslim population in Indonesia, you very rarely see pork on the menu. Also- in all of the world- I've never had ANY pig that tasted like one of my parents pigs...and you sure as hell can't find my dads white BBQ sauce anywhere.

11. Dads favorite...roasted chicken, mashed potatoes.

12. Sauteed perogies and onions, with a side of creamed spinach.

13. Scrapple.

14. Sushi.

And the biggest thing I'll celebrate upon my arrival back in the states...RED WINE!!!!!!!

Foods that I loved and will miss:
*Bunchao, Cambodia.
*Chocolate Banana pancake, Cambodia
*Mango with sticky rice and coconut, Thailand
*FRESH papaya salad, Thailand
*pad Thai, Thailand. The real deal, unlike Anything youve had in the states.
*black sticky rice with ground black sesame seeds and sweetened condensed milk, thailand
*Pho, Laos.
*chicken Laap, Laos
*jaew maek klen, Laos
*STICKY RICE, Laos
*Undi Undi, Bali
*Sambal, Bali
*fried diced tempeh, Bali
*fried bananas, Bali
*nasi Campur, Indonesia
*pancakes in southeast Asia...sometimes thick, thin, fluffy, crepelike...but always serves with lime and honey.
*donuts from the donut lady, Sumbawa Indonesia

No Surf.

What do you do when the ocean goes completely flat...like a lake? I opt for extra yoga, reading, socializing and cleaning up my room. The boys on the otherhand all realized how hairy they were and used the down day to clean up. If you walk around town today you'll notice that there are a bunch of freshly shaven faces. Heres two of my neighbors and good friends, Roman (nova scotia) and Sebastian (German/ south Africa).

Donut Lady

Donut Lady. One of my favorite women in Sumbawa. She walks around with a huge bucket of fresh made donuts on her head, selling then for 2,000ea or 3 for 5,000rupiah. She always sells out within a few hours, coming around lunchtime and headed home with an empty bucket around 3pm. She has traditional donuts that are round with the hole in the center...plain, chocolate with jimmies, and strawberry with jimmies. But the best ones are the stuffed donuts: chocolate, coconut, and banana. Banana is the best, hands down- and the other two are tied for second place. They aren't too sweet or too doughy, but just right. Also, when she arrives they are still warm. Damn. Life is good. I love you donut lady!!

So...it's been a while. My apologies. In Cambodia, Thailand and Laos there was wifi in every hostel, restaurant and ga station. So- blogging regularly was super convenient. Now I'm in a pretty remote spot in Indonesia where there is one "Internet cafe" (2 computers) that's expensive and offers up inconvenient hours for surfers. I love to blog so long as it doesn't interfere or take away from me experiencing a place. Here, any kind of regular Internet sessions on slow computers is taking away from me fully being here now. So, again- my apologies. But I'm enjoying my time here while I still have some left. Plus- my days don't vary too much...wake up, have banana pancake with lime and honey kopi susu sidakit gula, surf. Yoga, rest, walk three rooms down to Sebastians- hang in his hammock and shoot the shot with all the neighbors, surf again. Dinner at Lakey Beach Inn. Sleep. Oh yeah- forgot to tell you- I never ended up leaving Sumbawa with B for Java. I bought my plane ticket, but when the taxi arrived I just wasn't ready to leave. So I didnt. And now here I am...so so so very stoked with my decision to stick around. A boatload of surfers left town, making for a quieter lineup and town. I've made friends with the 'locals' that come back year after year for months at a time and theyve welcomed me into their family with open arms. I hang out with all the little local grommies, who lovingly call me "CC!" and I play music every night with a talented, eclectic mix of people. I think I'll be here for another 2 weeks before heading to Bali then a few days in Ubud doing yoga before heading home. That's the plan for now, but as we all know, they are open to change...

Burrito, and More Big Waves.

Burrito and I have been having a hell of a time. At first neither of us were digging the vibe of the town. Then B's sneakers got stolen and he got into an argument with a local who was trying to rip us off with the price of our motorbike. Add onto that my being sick for a few days and our hot hot room (we are too cheap to pay for AC, plus it makes me congested, so we have a rinky dink little fan) and its worn us down a bit. BUT, we wake up every morning in surfers paradise, 5 steps from the worldclass wave Lakey Peak, and breakfast is included with our stay. Banana pancake with honey and lime, kopi susu sidakit gula (coffee with milk, little sugar) and boom, my day begins. For 7,000 rupiah B and I each buy a nasi campur packet from the Nasi Campur Lady around 630am, and thats our lunch. Not many choices for places to eat here, only 3 restaurants with tourist menus and tourist prices, but we have been eating our dinner every night at the same place: Lakey Peak Inn. Sahrul is the boss man, and he is one of the nicest locals that Ive ever met. He always greets me with a huge smile on his face, saying " CC!! CC MY FRIEND!! APA KABAR?!? ". I enjoy fresh fish every night here for dinner: either fried, sauteed or sashimi. Its heavenly. Because there are only 3 restaurants in town, its pretty much the watering hole for all of the surfers in the lineup. B and I try to arrive early to get a seat (yes, it gets that crowded), we share a big Bintang and play some ShitHead. Hes more competitive than me, so our rounds of shithead get pretty heated, and though Ive been steady beating him he still gives me a run for my money. Finally easing into the "surfer bro bro" vibe and crowd here, and have become friends with the local Australians and Irish (yes, there is a huge group of amazing surfing Irishmen) that spend half their year here. I wish that I could really charge and show them some of my LB skills, but instead Im floating around on this damn potato chip. Oh well. Still becoming accustomed to sitting in a lineup full of world class surfers, surfing the heaviest, most powerful waves Ive ever seen. Yesterday we surfed Nungas, a huge left just a few minutes walk down thebeach. My first few minutes out there I paddled for a bomb and got wrecked, over the falls. The next 2 hours I sat on the shoulder and watched amazing surfers have some of the most epic waves and epic wipeouts that Ive ever seen. The take off was a bit mushy, but then after one hit the wave fired across the reef, opening up a huge, fast, hollow, heart-thumping barrel. THe look on the surfers faces as they approached this heaving green room was priceless. The sections were fast and most people just ate shit, getting drilled into the reef below. But some just owned the shit outta the wave and the barrel....having such epic rides that MY heart was pumping and I was only watching from the channel. B had a thousand waves and was surfing better than most in the lineup. When he said it was time to go I figured that I HAD to have a wave...afterall, Ive never paddled in, and I dont plan to start now. Even if I was going to get wrecked, I had to atleast be pushed towards the shore by some whitewater. A bomb set came through, and instead of scratching for the horizon and channel I just turned on it, sure that I was going to die. To my absolute surprise I nailed the take off and had a perfect wave. Goddamnit, if I wasnt being such a pussy the past 2 hours I could have had a TON of waves like this. Lesson learned. Dont be a pussy. This morning B and I headed out to Periscopes for round 2 of deathbombs. Again, B was killing it. Again, I was a puss and had a small wave count. Oh well. It wasnt as AllTime as it was earlier in the week, but the sets were still heavy, fast and well overhead. I got a half dozen zippy waves, and had 2 that were actually really fantastic. Happy with our session, we got out, headed home, had nasi and now we are at the internet booking our next adventure. On Tuesday or Wednesday we are grabbing a flight from Bumi to Jakarta, and then taxi to West JAVA. My next surf mission is to find a RIGHT that isnt life or death on the takeoff, but is just FUN. Something that Ive learned from my time in Indonesia is that I am not a big wave death barrel charger. I LOVE LOVE LOVE surfing, more than anything Ive ever done. I even enjoy shortboarding!! I like big waves and barrels are okay on occasion...but combined, they simply arent my thing. So next time Im going to leave the big waves to the pros and the chargers, and Im going to be straight cruisin' on my LB, nose walking and trash talking my way to happiness :)

Sumbawa Surfing.

week 2 of ear infection.

day 6 of chest cold: congested sinus's, wicked cough, headache.

day 7 of big waves in sumbawa.

1.5hours of internet in the past 168 hours.

missing my parents 26th wedding anniversary party.

add all these up and you get a mild case of homesickness.

the ear infection wont seem to go away. the proper treatment would be to stay out of the waves for a few days, but thats the only thing thats helping me to retain my sanity.

chest cold....is being tamed by nightly doses of Benadryl, so atleast im getting a good night sleep. the small price to pay for being knocked out cold is a mild Benadryl hangover the next day.

big waves are exciting. they make you anxious and nervous and completely stoked. BUT you also cant relax in them, your wave count goes down, and you dont get the mellow fun surf that youre accustomed to (ie Cali, Jersey, Costa, etc.). plus the lineup is chock full of gnarly aggressive egotistical Australians and locals.

thankful to not be so connected to the internet anymore, but i DO miss my daily blogging. its such a form of meditation for me...i think i might go oldschool and start journaling. feeling super grateful to have B as a traveling partner - he has been super supportive in the surf and has dealt with my funky mood like a champ. hes an amazing surfer and he coaches me into these big sumbawa bombs...and always keeps an eye out just incase i get worked by a heavy wave. and lately my "happy to be wherever it is that i am" mood has been nowhere to be found. missing my family, unable to find my groove, being sick, and not getting loads of water time has worn my spirit down a bit...but B always knows how to bring a smile to my face and make me laugh. life always seems to deliever to me whatever i need, and Sumbawa without B would be pretty crappy.

well....swell is BUILDING ... BIG BIG BIG, so wish me luck tomorrow. we are going to try for another perfect day at Periscopes, and hopefully for me its a little teeny tiny bit smaller...hahahaha.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my parents, who have had a hellacious year and have come out stronger and happier than ever :) love you guys. <3

World Class.

East Sumbawa. Middle of NOWHERE. Surfers paradise. World Class Waves, smothered with World Class Surfers. There is no girly beach here. Theres no "easy" wave. Theres Lakey Pipe (because its similar to Pipe), Lakey Peak (a crowded, punchy A frame) and Periscopes (which only breaks when its big...and its like a freight train firing across the reef). You MUST be on your A-Game every surf session, or you will drown, get drilled into the reef, or get torn a new one by one of the aggressive Aussie surfers in the lineup. The vibe here is different, lots of "Bro Bro's" around...I have seen countless arguments and aggressive confrontations in the water and I have cautiously kept towards the shoulder while in the lineup. The waves here are super challenging...filling me with anxiety and fear....but the adrenaline rush when you get one is the pay off. Im so glad to be traveling with Barret (aka B or Burrito) as well as Nicole + Patrick, because they are all good surfers and with their encouragement I have taken off on some of the biggest most powerful waves of my life. The swell filling in this week is going to be 10 feet Australian, which means 20 feet. I think for the first time in my life I might just stay on the beach. If the channel was available then Id maybe just float there, but its going to be so big that the channel will be closing out. Better safe than sorry. After this swell passes we are headed to ROTI...an even MORE remote spot than Sumbawa, but less crowded with perfect waves. Life just keeps getting better. Sorry its been so long since my last post, but the one expensive internet cafe is only open while Im in the water. Wish me luck in the upcoming monster swell headed our way. Cheers!

EKAS.

Eureka! EKAS!! What a fucking day. At 6:30am Im sitting outside our room on Skype, talking to my parents. Barret comes walking up and asks if Im up for a little surf adventure. Goddamn right I am. Finish up my call, grab my board, and hop on the bike with Barret headed to Grupuk. Barret is from southern California....from a little town called ENCINITAS. Hahaha. Yep, small world. He knows most of my friends and vice versa. Anyways....we rent a big boat for 700,000rupiah (70bucks) split 4 ways...me, barret, Oscar (sweden) and John (hawaii). It is a bit of an hour of a boat ride through the most outstanding "kodak moments" of scenery. outstttttaaaanding. And of course, I forgot my damn camera. Shit shit shit. Oh well, the beauty is forever burnt into my mind. We arrive to EKAS and similar to Grupuk, there is an Inside and Outside. Inside is about 500meters to the left, and its a Right and Lefthander. We surf Outside because the tide is high....it is basically a huge left that fires. Christ. I was shitting my pants. Well overhead, steep take off, and BACKSIDE...Im still not feeling overly confident going left on the shortboard. I decide when Im on the boat greasing up with sunscreen that I am NOT going to be a pussy. I paddle out into the water, take a huge set wave, drive 3/4 of the way down the face and then .... I eat shit. Hard. Silly girl...now Im inside, right in the impact zone, and I took the rest of the 8 wave set on the head, getting pushed and pulled and washed all over the place. hahahaha. What a way to start a session. I finally make it back out into the lineup and all the boys give me props for dropping in on the massive wave. As Barret put it, "Christ, these drops are heart throbbing." Yes, heart throbbing pretty much nails it on the head. After that I decided to be a bit selective...my chubby board is a dog to duck dive, so when Im in the impact zone Im pretty much just floundering around underwater. John and Barret are really great surfers, so they got a ton of awesome rides. Oscar has only been surfing 150 days, but he charges it and has no fear. He would take off late and deep on every set, and got drilled on the takeoff 75% of the time. And then he just paddled back out and did it again!! I finally looked at him and said, "Dude, are you crazy??" And he replied, "No worries, its Just Water". Just water eh?? That shit seems pretty powerful to me. Ha. All in all an amazing day. We were on and off the boat...napping, reapplying sunscreen, eating, hydrating. Once the tide dropped we headed to inside and enjoyed some smaller rights. We left as the sun was setting, and damn...I wish we had left a bit earlier. Our boat "captain" is some random Indonesian who probably doesnt know two shits about driving a big boat. The swell was filling in and the bay was BIG. By the way, the sun set QUICKLY and all the sudden is was dark too. Thank God there was a full moon or else I think we may have died. In all honesty, the boat ride home was the closest that Ive ever come to dying. The boatmen here know nothing about boats, so they hug the "coast" aka huge, sheer rock cliffs. Well, the swell was charging in, bouncing off the rocks, and nearly knocking over our boat. The capitan was driving us into the swell sideways too...so at one point in the ride my hair nearly dipped into the water when the boat swayed completely onto its side. My arms, exhausted from surfing, were clinging to anything tied down...holding on for dear life. Everyone was shitting their pants. Finally we talked the captain to driving OUT into the bay and AROUND. This was a bit helpful. The hour ride home was the longest hour of my life. As when Im nervous, I couldnt suppress my hysterical laughter. The guys gave me props for not FREAKING out through all of this mayhem...but little did they know that hysterical laughter IS me LOSING it. I about cried when we finally pulled back into Grupuk. No time to dilly dally though...I was scheduled to play again at Cafe7. No shower...I zipped to the Cafe and had a cocktail, a STRONG cocktail. - my hands were still shaking. Finally calmed down after retelling the story to Meesh (with lots of hand motions, cursing and more hand motions!!). Had one more drink and then was on stage. I played music into the night and then posted up with my surf buddies for a beer. Its been decided...in a few days Barret, Oscar and I are going to head to Sumbawa together. Sumbawa is even quieter and more primitive than Lombok -- but even less crowded and even better waves. The island is a taxi drive, ferry ride, then another taxi drive away. I really reallyyyyy wanted to go, so Im glad to have some cool travel partners now. And even better...Im meeting up with my good friend Nicole (from Encinitas) who is in Sumbawa with her boyfriend. Small world, filled with awesome people...and fun waves.

Cheers to being ALIVE. Im greasing up and heading to Areguling now for some perfect, overhead righthanders. I hope that your day is as good as mine....

Cafe 7 Showtime.

Last night I played a gig at the local bar CAFE 7. Kuta Lombok is a super small town, and word travels quickly. People were stopping by all day to ask about the Bule (gringa, howli, etc.) that was scheduled to play later in the evening. EVERYONE from town came out, and the place was packed. Aside from some out of tune guitars it was a superb evening...that went on and on until well past 2 in the morning. The owner, Tanku, is so stoked on my music - and Im stoked on him. Tanku has asked me to frequent the stage so long as I am in Kuta Lombok, and I will happily oblige...

Ashtari Adventure

Three people on one bike with one destination...ASHTARI, the hilltop natural food restaurant in Kuta Lombok. Whenever you mention to anyone in Indonesia that you are headed to Kuta Lombok, they always reply, OH MY GOD, YOU MUST GO TO THE RESTAURANT ASHTARI ON THE HILL!! Haha. Standard response, for sure. So, Meesh and I hopped on Bastiens motorbike and we took the shitty road uphill for 15minutes before arriving at our destination. Why dont we rent our own motobike you ask?? Simple enough, we are too cheap. Now that Meesh is in charge of the surf school, she has a truck. The other day though was her final day off before starting full time, so we didnt have access. Anyways....Bastiens bike is a REAL bike, not some shitty little moto, and hes the only person in all of Indonesia, aside from Michele, that I trust to ride with. We ate some healthy food, sipped on some drinks, relaxed and enjoyed the view. Good times on the regular.

Family Dinner, Indo-Style.

For the past few days we have been surfing Gerupuk. Its about a 15 minute scenic drive away, to a small fishing village. Here you grab a boat, for 30,000/person and you have the choice of 4 breaks. Insides, Outsides (left), Outsides (right), DoonDoon. We have been surfing Insides, which is a left and a right, but mostly a right. Ive been loving it. We have been surfing with Flurin, a Swiss that we met back in Bali at Impossibles. He is one of the small percentage that speaks Romanch...but brought up in a Bilingual house, he also speaks French and German. Oh yeah, and perfect English. Super gentlemen, super amazing human being. He has been staying in Gerupuk with a family, and he invited us last night to join them for dinner and some local music. It was such a treat. The family cooked up a beautiful spread...grilled fish, tempeh, tofu, fried chicken, spicy pineapple, etc. etc....of course, all served with rice. We topped off the evening by listening to some local music which was pretty fantastic. Its magical little moments like this that make for great memories. Big thanks to Flurin for sharing this with us :)

Flurin, Me, and his indonesian "brothers"...