Final thoughts...

It’s cliché, but ending this trip and this blog is bittersweet. I’m at 36000 feet traveling at 547MPH with about 4 hours until I land in LA and thought this was an opportune time to jot down my final thoughts on the trip and share some of my favorite photos. (OK, I’m at about 10’ and not moving at all, but I was at said height and speed when I started…)

It’s a bummer that the trip is over, no doubt about it. Leaving behind new friends, several of whom are continents away was probably the toughest thing. We all bonded so much and who would have known that the price of admission included 5 new friends and more still out at Kandui. It’s also a downer to leave behind awesome surf, warm weather and warm water and total seclusion. It dawned on me the day we left Kandui that I’d not seen a vehicle other than a boat for 12 days nor had I stepped on pavement or seen anyone other than the people on the island. When the Wave of Compassion guys showed up we were all like natives who had just seen their first visitors in ages. I’ll miss that isolation heaps. You could wake up in the morning and be in your own little world for as long as you wanted with no phone calls, cars driving by, no noises other than the ocean and birds chirping and the occasional dog bark from one of the 3 dogs that live at the resort. That isolation offered me a great deal of time to really just sit and think and listen to what was inside of me, more than I ever had at any time in my life.

Phil doing his thing at Nipussi

I’ll miss the travel, too. Sure 12.5 hour flights suck but look at how much I’ve accomplished up in the air or on a surf charter making 11 hour crossings of the Mentawai straight in 8’ seas. I flew to some of the World’s biggest and best cities that are all light years away from HB in terms of the culture or people. From Tokyo to Singapore to Padang to Hong Kong I bounced from city to city like a pro; inept traveler I certainly am not. You get to see how the rest of the world operates and it was never a drag even with some unfortunate delays and hassles; I simply viewed it as an opportunity to spend more time in a different place. It’s such a big and diverse world we live in and I’m stoked to get out there and do more than just read about it. There’s no substitute for actual experience and it certainly was sensory overload everywhere I went, at least for those senses I still have. At one point I had currency from 5 nations in my wallet and had to memorize 4 different currency exchange rates; it got a little confusing once I got past the US dollar :)

I'm not sure what any of this is... airport food in Tokyo

But there are so many good things from this trip that I cherish. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten healthier over a 2 week period in my life and it’s a trend I am eager to continue now that I am home. There was no fast food, nothing fried, no chips or other useless snacks. We ate fresh fruit, juices, lots of protein from chicken or beef and the always present fresh fish and all-around healthy meals and I feel fantastic. I surfed every day and walked everywhere; no vehicles to get me from A to B so the effects it had on my body were great. I know I dropped a couple pounds here and there but it’s not like I need to go buy new clothes. However my boardies and jacket were fitting looser at the end of the trip which is always a great thing as winter approaches and we all tend to add a few pounds with turkey and Chex Mix.

Underwater Indo shaka

I guess the end of the trip is good, too, because I do miss home and the people and places I left behind and am eager to settle into my life at home. I’m bringing back a new respect for myself and the world around me and I’ve found ways in which I can make changes in my life and relationships and interactions with the people around me that might have been missing or lacking prior to leaving LAX. I guess you could say that I found what I was looking for on this trip and it promises to make my life even better going into the future.

The tree at Pitstops

All the memories and photos I’m bringing back are priceless. I still think the highlight of the trip had to be visiting the Mentawai village. Words and photos don’t do that experience justice and it was the experience of a lifetime. To see that efforts of people like Dr. Dave are saving lives and making a difference in the lives of innocent and beautiful children who live in poverty and conditions we wouldn’t wish on anyone is truly a miracle. Thinking of the smiles on the faces of those children still gives me goosebumps and in the same instant saddens me knowing that every day of their life is an uphill battle battling crippling, yet treatable and preventable diseases, and struggling to live without basic human rights and comforts we take for granted every day. Dr. Dave said this to me at dinner one night: “it’s not that we haven’t got a cure for these diseases, it’s that society has not decided that their [the sick children of the world] lives are worth saving.” Dr. Dave with the help and support of surfers like me and everyone on that trip are deciding that their lives ARE worth saving and I’m sure this trip has opened the eyes of many others through their awareness efforts with Wave of Compassion. Never have I questioned my support of SurfAid and after that trip to the village I doubt I’ll ever think twice about spreading awareness and support of their cause to everyone I come in contact with. That day was so powerful and inspiring and I ask that you all sit down and be thankful for everything you have and do what you can to help people such as the Mentawai live in a more hopeful and giving world by supporting humanitarian efforts of your desire; there are millions in this world that need our help. It doesn’t take much to make a difference in someone’s life and the dividends paid back in return are greater than anything quantifiable. Sure, a 20% return on your portfolio is great but how about saving someone’s life and making the world around them a better place and securing a future for them and their children, instead of buying a few quarter pounders or the newest X-Box game next month…that’s a return that you can’t measure with a calculator.

Happy kids, happy surfer

This truly was the trip of a lifetime but certainly not the only trip of this lifetime; it has paved the road for more surf travel in the future. I hope in some way I’ve inspired you to go to your own Indonesia because we all have an Indonesia in our lives. For some of us it might be across the state and for others it may actually be Indonesia! Maybe in a more philosophical way your Indonesia might be learning more about what’s inside of you or where you fit in this world and may not require any physical travel whatsoever. Whatever or wherever it is I encourage you to just do it. Travel isn’t really just about the miles away from home or different currencies or foreign languages or driving on the other side of the road but more about the act of surrendering yourself to the experience, completely. You travel to satisfy some deep yearning to leave behind a world and lifestyle you are accustomed to and experience something new or different if only for a short while. But I submit to you that we travel to change ourselves forever, expanding our knowledge and where we call home. This trip did that for me in many ways from surfing to diet to new friends and a new found respect for so much around me, among other things, both home and abroad. I consider Indonesia to be part of my home much like HB, or Seattle or Lawrence or Tampa or anywhere else I’ve found myself in this world. My sphere of knowledge and experience has now expanded to Indonesia, and the people and experiences gathered on this trip are not just memories, blog entries and photos but rather now a part of who I am, forever. This is precisely why I went to Indonesia and I could not have asked for anything more.

The view from the beach in front of my uma

So, the guy you see below is a better, stronger, more confident, focused and happy person than when you last saw him and I thank each and every one of you for your support and interest in this my latest adventure. Take care everyone and I hope to see you all soon! Terima kasih (thank you)

Bryan Mills 10/27/06 last session @ Beng Beng: Mentawai islands, Sumatra

Surf wrap-up

Well, by Mentawai standards we got skunked. Strong South swell and relentless South winds were the ultimate crap combination in this part of the islands. This weather pattern had been around since July and it hasn’t ceased since with the exception of a couple days here and there. They’ve not seen a weather pattern like this since 1997. Such is the nature of…well, nature. If you could predict the surf in advance there would be no fun in being a surf explorer. You should go play racquetball or skateboard if you’re looking for a more predictable environment in which to exist. Now, don’t think there’s a tear in my beer. Notice that I mentioned “by Mentawai standards” not by my standards. By my standards it was phenomenal. We never surfed less than 3-4’ and most days were more in the 5-6’ range with a few 8’ days thrown in for good measure and the water was in the mid-high 70’s every day. The shape wasn’t perfect since we rarely had an offshore wind and only a few glassy sessions, but for all intents and purposes it was great shape; far better than the above average days here. Every session was fun, challenging and sometimes downright scary. Surfing reef is a very new and different experience and an exercise in patience, confidence and pain. I took my lumps, that’s for sure and I never backed down and let my inexperience and injuries sideline me; I went on every boat ride to every break. I’m still nursing several cuts on my feet and back and hands and I have bruises on my back, feet, legs and arms. Conversely, I also caught the wave of my life, the biggest wave I’ve ever surfed, I got my first legit barrel and oh yeah: I never surfed with more than 5 other people in the water at any time, all of whom were happy to share waves and hooted and hollered you onto every wave. I guess in the end the pleasure was worth all the pain. All the above mentioned perks are practically non-existent in SoCal, so even though a few guys were bummed we didn’t score huge death barrels we all had a great time in fun waves, every day.

Would I travel back to the Mentawai’s again? You tell me after reading through this blog over the last couple weeks! I’m considering going back to Kandui next year around the same time or maybe a little sooner to try and avoid the really dry season so I might see a little more sun and maybe avoid the South winds. In fact, a few of the other guys are talking about heading back so maybe we’ll try and coordinate our own little sequel.

I will admit that the surf was much more challenging than I expected and negotiating the reef was far more than I was prepared for and I was put in my place early and often. However, it’s made me a better, more confident surfer and I’m stoked to get back to surfing at home to see what kind of improvements I’ve made that will transfer to my usual haunts. You get a little spoiled when every wave has a definable shoulder and take-off zone and they rarely close-out but rather just section out, iff anything. I was surfing in ways I didn’t know I could, performing turns and maneuvers I didn’t know were in me and learning more about my craft due in large part to the optimal surfing conditions. It’s a fun feeling to see changes being made right before you and your growth as a surfer noticeable each and every day. I know I never would have been able to learn the things I did in Indo back home and it feels like my surfing has advanced much more than the 2 weeks I was away and it’s probably more like 6 months of experience and knowledge; a wise investment, indeed.

Next post we’ll get all philosophical and wrap this blog up with some final thoughts on how this experience affected yours truly…

Wow, jet lag sucks

I finally made it back to HB yesterday around 2:30PM; I guess we had the daylight savings thing, which was a real surprise. I slept for about 1/2 hour on the 12.5 hour flight which was delayed like an hour (Cathay Pacific has some serious on-time issues) so we arrived at about 11:30AM. After grabbing my mail on the way home I made it home and unpacked my boards, checked to make sure my place was still fine and I was still feeling fine; not really tired or fatigued, at all. I checked some emails and then felt a little tired so I decided to take a quick nap at like 3:30. Yeah, quick nap alright. I woke up at 3:30AM, wide awake and could not get back to bed; a nice 12 hour nap. So, we'll try again today to stay up late and get back into Pacific time...

I wrote a bunch of stuff on the plane ride over and will post those things a little later today...

The Kandui crew

As I sit here in the lobby of the airport hotel on 6 hours of much needed sleep, I thought I'd start wrapping this journal up in a multiple part mini-series and share with you probably the best part of the trip: the people.

There were 6 of us that stayed at the resort for the entire trip. Jeff and Ken are the 2 oldest guys and hail from North County; Encinitas and Leucadia, if memory serves me. Real cool guys that were fun to hang out with and surf with. We'll for sure be getting together for some surf in the future down in their neck of the woods.

The 2 "footy" players (Australian rules football, or AFL for short) are Ben and Phil. Ben calls Perth home and Phil currently lives in Melbourne though he grew up with Ben back in Perth. These 2 guys are awesome. They're a year younger than me and by the end of the trip we were best friends laughing, surfing, drinking and telling stories. They're 2 crazy dudes, that's for sure, but it makes the experience with them that much better. Ben is regarded as probably one of the 5 best AFL players in the game and has garnered MVP honors several times and his team won the league championship last year in front of a crowd of over 100,000. Phil retired this year from the AFL and will be surfing for the next year, at least, and is probably the best non-pro surfer I have ever seen in the water. We had a crazy fun night in Singapore 2 nights ago and shared lots of laughs and beers with the Wave of Compassion guys and it was a bummer having to say goodbye but we've already got the ball rolling on meeting up in Oz or in SoCal in the near future.

Ben, Bryan, Phil

Michael was my roommate and he, too, hailed from Australia in New South Wales. He's an older guy who practices osteopathy back home and at age 45 is in better shape than 99% of those guys 1/2 his age. Extremely talented surfer, right up there with Phil, and all around nice guy. We spent a lot of time chit chatting in the uma before bed or in the morning and share a lot of things in common. I was stoked that he was the other solo guy on the trip as the aforementioned surfers all came in pairs. He was a perfect roommate for me.

Michael, Amen, Me

In addition to the 6 of us we had some visitors that were around for part of the time. Dr. Dave from SurfAid and a notable donor to SurfAid named Bruce from Brisbane dropped in when the Wave of Compassion guys motored through on the Indies Trader III and stayed 4 days. So, we also had the Wave of Compassion guys drop by for a couple days when they were parked out front on their way-too-cool boat but they just came in for drinks and food and such and stayed out on their boat the rest of the time. The captain was Tony Elthrington (I think that’d how it’s spelled) but everyone called him Doris. He’s the saltiest guy I’ve ever met; exactly how you would cast a salty boat captain, though Doris was absent of the peg-leg and parrot on his shoulder but the rest was spot on. Apparently back in the 60’s he charged hard; he supposedly was in the finals of the Pipeline Masters and was in several surf films of the era. Gerlach and a few other lesser-named pros were on the boat along with some photographers and other guys rounding out the total zoo that was the Indies Trader III.

Then we had the staff at the resort. The most visible guy and a real friend to all of us was Ray, our surf guide who knows the Mentawai’s like noone else. Our other surf guide and guy that helped around the resort was Amen. He’s from Hawaii and he charges. There are photos of him out at Kandui’s on 10’ days just standing nonchalantly in gaping death barrels. Johnny and his wife Ainsley were around a lot as well as our 3 Indo bartenders Leah and Eki and Margie. Add some boat drivers and various other people around the resort and they were the perfect staff. By the end of the trip the 6 guests and the staff were inseparable. We all became great friends and shared lots of laughs and stories along the way.

Ray and I

Leah and Eki

I really do mean that the people were the best part of the trip. I made 5 new friends in each of the guests and I consider everyone at the resort to be new friends, as well. We all meshed so well with one another and everyone at some point in the trip made the comment that we were a really fun crew. Some of us charged, some of us were there for some fun and relaxation and all of us were there to make new friends. It’s the memories we shared together that made this trip so wonderful and much like the surf, nobody knew what we were going to get. I guess when you’re alone on an island with 5 other people and a handful of staff on a regular basis you’re bound to spend a bunch of time together but this was different because I've heard some horror stories of boat trips being hell cuz the people never got along. Everyone there made a genuine attempt to get to know one another, including the staff. I, too, really opened up to my new friends. I shared much of my life story and trials and tribulations, goals and aspirations which I'm not quick to do with complete strangers but I felt totally comfortable with them all.

Next post, we’ll wrap up the surf and travel part of the trip.

Front row L-R: Jeff, Ken, Ainsley, Johnny, Ray
Back row L-R: Bruce, Dr.Dave, Phil, Amen, Ben, Michael, Me

Wait...this isn't LAX...and why is everything in Chinese?

You know, having a flight canceled or delayed domestically isn't really a big deal; there are a dozen flights going to LAX from DFW or JFK per day on any airline and the most you're usually out is a few hours which can be killed at an airport bar or Chili's To Go. However, having airline problems Internationally is a whole different story all together. (I hope the Airplane fans just caught that veiled reference to a classic line from the movie...)

Greetings...from Hong Kong!! Yup. It's like 2AM here in Hong Kong and I'm cruising wirelessly from my room at the Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong waiting for a 1:15PM flight to LAX. Our plane in Singapore had some mechanical problem and they had everyone get off and then transfer to another plane but they had to re-issue boarding passes and all that jazz so we ended up leaving SIN about 3.5 hours behind schedule; it was a mob scene at the ticket counter and thankfully I got my new boarding pass before a full on riot was about to break out. Coincidentally, my layover here in HKG was supposed to be (you guessed it) 3.5 hours so here I am, in my boxers typing at 2AM; I've removed all other clothing as a courtesy to my fellow passengers who would prefer that I try my best to keep all clothing as clean as possible on 2+ days of use. Thankfully I have stuff for my contacts but no change of clothes nor items to tend to my numerous wounds (more on that later).

So, my wounds... Well, I couldn't leave Indo without some souveniers, right? Since I'm not much into kitchy trinkets or t-shirts and such I decided getting a few going away cuts and bruises from the reef would be much more appropriate. Last session of the trip and I was at Beng Beng and it was the biggest we surfed it; 5-6' faces and super consistent. The great news from the session is I got my first legit barrel. I hesitated on the takeoff and then just decided to go and was super late and grabbed rail and just pig-dogged it down the face. Well, much to my benefit, said late take-off and stance resulted in being in the perfect position as the wave threw over me. Now I've been kinda-barreled a bunch or pulled into close-out barrels a bunch but this was legit. It was probably only about 5-7 meters or so and then it slowed down a bit and just walled up the rest of the way but it was freakin sweet; a wonderful memory and great way to end the trip. OK, back to the wounds... So, I told myself I was going in and was gonna grab 1 last wave. It came and it was a really lame ride; short and not at all sweet. I then said "1 last wave" as a little one came in and it was a really fun wave and one I was stoked to call my last of the trip. The problem is that I completely forgot that after catching the first one I was already inside and so as I jumped over the back of the wave it hit me, both literally and figuratively. There I was standing on the reef in about 2' of water which is not enough to float me, especially when that's with the water on the reef; as the water would rush out I was standing in 0' of water and the first 5 waves or so were too much for me to hold my balance so I got knocked backwards several times and pushed even deeper onto the reef, all the while being knocked by coral heads on my back (thank you Quik jacket) and my futile attempt at grabbing onto one of the least sharp coral heads to slow me down just left my hands all cut up. Long story short, I hopscotched over big coral heads and stepped carefully as best I could and battled the rush of water the best I could to get over to the keyhole (area where there's no reef and the water can rush out to sea) about 30 meters away but by that time my feet and hands were toast. I lucked out in that there were no big cuts but just dozens of little ones and most of them were bleeding; only wore 1 bootie so my right foot only got bruised and escaped the reef. The real kicker is that the biggest open cuts are right where my feet touch as I walk so I'm Hop-Along Pete right now and walking is neither pleasant nor expeditious. Try lugging a 65lb board bag, roller bag and messenger bag through Changi airport in Singapore for 100's of yards; I am sore as hell.

Well, I'll type some more stories and thoughts tomorrow as well as upload some of the last photos from the trip. Suffice it to say, this was the trip of a lifetime for a myriad of reasons; I'll share some of those reasons in detail later. So what if I have to eat dim sum and kung pao chicken here at HKG and walk another quarter of a mile from the hotel to the freakin terminal where apparantely the modern technology affectionately known as "people movers" has yet to be adopted here in Hong Kong... I assure you the following characters somehow mean "good night" in Chinese...

晚上好

Don't worry, I'm still alive...

Though bruised, cut up and sore :) Actually, I've not posted in a couple days because a fire set by a local villager got out of hand up on the hill where the Internet tower is so we lost our Internet a couple days ago. But, I'm here in Padang waiting for my flight to Singapore tonight with Dr. Dave and the 2 footy players.

Lots to tell you about later; I will post a bunch when I gt to Singapore tonight or first thing tomorrow. See y'all later!

Hold on to your hats

We've been tracking a swell that was supposed to hit here sometime today and hold through tomorrow and by just glancing out front early this morning it looks like the swell wasn't just hype and should be building through the day. The Aussies have been frothing for some pumping surf since we got here and since this new swell has some West in it, which we've not seen yet, it should be turning on some of the more heavy/challenging breaks like Kandui's and Hideaway's, both lefts and both pretty critical waves which doesn't get me frothing like the boys. So, I'll probably paddle out and try to pick off a couple but I might be taking photos of the chargers if this swell continues to fill in throughout the day and into tomorrow. Wave heights are supposed to be a solid 8' at some of the swell magnets if the winds stay relatively calm.

We only have 1 more day here after today then it's back to Padang on the charter boat and I begin the final leg of the journey to get back to Orange County. It doesn't seem that we've already been here 10 days but I guess time flies when you're having fun. We've all had a wonderful time surfing and getting to know each other and hanging out here at the resort. Such a varied group of guys but it makes for a wonderful International surfer stew.

Oh yeah, if you want to check out the Wave of Compassion trip I've mentioned a few times here, Surfline's reporter is uploading photos and stories via the satellite phone on the Indies Trader III. They've not yet got to the part of the trip where they meet up with us and are a little behind in their daily updates, unlike me, but I've also got a broadband connection at my disposal 24x7 :)

Surfline's Wave of Compassion story on their NEWS page, which should be updated regularly with more updates (they are currently on day 3)

Wave of my life

Well, it happened last night; wave of my life. My roommate Michael and I went to this right named Nipussi which is about 25 minutes from here. It was late in the afternoon/evening and by the time we got there we only had maybe 30-40 minutes to surf before we had to head back; there are no lights out here so when it gets dark you're in trouble, especially in a small boat. The swell was rolling through really big and a few of them were breaking on the high tide. It’s one of the only places that’s really doable on an onshore wind, which we certainly had last night. So Michael and I find our way to the takeoff zone and some waves started rolling through; much bigger than I/we were expecting. The sets were overhead and some of the super-clean ones that were breaking about 50 meters away from us might have been a foot overhead and all of them were surprisingly clean. I let a few roll by since we’d never been there before and I wanted to get a feel for the place before I dove in. Michael was raving about the wave after his 2nd ride; a long one that just held up the whole way and never closed out and he ripped it apart with several big turns and reo’s. Right as he was telling me this I saw one come in and decided to give it a shot. I turned, paddled and it picked me up and I made the quick drop and I saw something I’d never seen before. Before me was a head-high masterpiece; a bowly, sucking wave that looked like it went forever. My instincts told me to get my ass moving and get moving I did. Before I knew it I was pumping on a high line, racing down the face to the bottom and back up again. The wave never closed out and just kept building speed and holding its size and my speed kept up the whole way. Nipussi finally decided it was time to end as it started losing some size and barreling over in front of me and I pulled in to the barrel with about a 2% chance to make it out and I certainly made it into a clean, squatting tube and it was sucking over me but I wasn’t even close to making it out so I got sucked up and over and thrown down, but it was fairly deep water so no reef rodeo. As I collected my thoughts and the board and looked back towards Michael I was about 100-125+ yards or so from where I started; the paddle back took at least 5 minutes. No hopping, no negotiating sections, nobody else out, nothing. I had a head-high, bowly wave that peeled for 100+ yards all to myself and it was amazing; the ride of my life. We’re not “scoring” by Mentawai standards this trip but if catching waves like that is considered to be a sub-par outing around here, this is the most amazing place to surf, anywhere. So we promptly had a little impromptu celebration of Bintang’s and cheers or “good on ya, mate” depending on your nationality back at the restaurant and I was the toast of the resort. It was awesome.

Couple that with a tuna that the footy players speared a few hours earlier and we had the best tuna sashimi that any of us had ever had. If all sushi tasted like that I could get into eating it all the time.

Sort of a slow day around here but we did another Nipussi run later in the morning and had a blast. A bit smaller than yesterday but the sets were still shoulder/head-high. I did, however, have my first serious board injury. The RSQ's nose completely buckled about 4 inches down but is still held on by the glass on top. I was caught deep and it was wicked shallow and I think as I was getting tossed the nose of the board got crammed in between some coral and just buckled. It's fixable, I guess, but I'm debating just leaving it here since it's been beat up so badly and has so much epoxy filler in numerous gashes and punctures from the reef and I might make some little kid's dream come true and have Ray deliver it to one of the local villages but I guess I'll look to make one last attempt at saving the old girl before I give up on it but it certainly is in dire straits. I think I'll be reading the rest of the afternoon and resting some new wounds. Thank god for my Quik jacket; it saved quite a nasty injury today and I still have some really nice scratches down my back that look like I got clawed by a bear but had I not been wearing the neoprene jacket I might be sidelined a bit with a nasty set of deep gashes from the reef.

Life is beautiful

Yesterday the surf was so-so and I was still resting a few of my wounds from the round of reef wrestling the day before. I was sitting on the front porch of the restaurant and Dr. Dave Jenkins from SurfAid sat down next to me. He’s staying here at the resort until the end of the week while he visits some villages in the area. We got to talking and he invited me and our surf guide Ray and the wife of one of the owner’s here at the resort to come along on the Wave of Compassion trip to a nearby village. We took the Indies Trader III with the pros and the traveling circus which was cool; that boat is phenomenal and maybe the most perfect charter boat in Indo next to the Indies Trader IV which is affectionately referred to here in the islands as the Deathstar. Anyway, we got out there and I had no idea what to expect. It turns out that this little 10 hour excursion would be one of the most powerful and moving things I’ve done in my life to this point.

A little background for you… This village 1.5 years ago had an active malaria rate of 1 in 3. Today the malaria rate is down to 1 in 200 thanks to Dr. Dave and the SurfAid team. The village has a population of about 300 and there are no utilities, whatsoever. A couple buildings had small generators to run a TV or what not but there was no refrigeration and cooking was done on a fire or wood stove. Especially alarming is that there is no fresh running water and no sewer system other than open ditches about 1’ deep. The structures are built well but still rather primitive; we saw 2 concrete buildings, the rest were built of wood and local materials and most had a tin roof. There were marshes all around, makeshift soccer fields or volleyball courts and little gardens spread out through the village. This isn’t like primitive people, it’s just primitive living conditions. Almost all the clothing is donated, a great deal by surfers, and they make money through the sale of coconuts, artisan products, fishing and sometimes logging. But, most everything you see in the villages is made solely for their use.

The thing that grabbed me as soon as we made it up to the village from the beach were the children. I got choked up several times looking at these children, most of whom were happy and living the simplest life known to man but so many of them were sick, all were malnourished and none of them had proper clothing or hygiene and access to care facilities. Dr. Dave said that there are 2 ways the Indonesians gauge the health level of their children: they are either smiling, or they are dead…everything in between is a great unknown to them and if they’re not smiling or dead they don’t know what to do.

These children were the most beautiful children I had ever seen; as innocent as they were beautiful, smiles with so much energy they could light up an entire city. It’s amazing that they can be as happy as they are when all around them is disease and poverty which will claim them all at some time without help from the outside world. They live the simplest life imaginable and live in a way that is so foreign to me yet is the only way they know how to live. I’m moved by the simplicity of it all and it makes me appreciate their ability to live as they do; they’re an inspiration to us all on how to live a simple life and to preserver through the hardest conditions possible, yet still be smiling and laughing at every moment.

Through the efforts of amazing individuals like Dr. Dave and the organizations they setup like SurfAid International, these people, these children, are being given the opportunity to make the world around them a better place through efforts to eliminate deadly diseases like malaria and cholera and provide basic sanitation, nutrition and care facilities that every single one of us take for granted each day. Most of these people will never see an automobile, a computer, a microwave, a McDonalds or even a water faucet or toilet in their lifetime. But, in most cases they are happier and freer than any of us are, or maybe ever will be. I can’t really put into words the profound impact this 4 hour tour of their village had on me and the effect it has on my outlook on life and where I am in the world and where I want to be. I can truthfully say that yesterday was one of the greatest days of my life, for I saw into the eyes of children who were so happy to see me and were alive and healthier because of my efforts in helping an organization like SurfAid achieve its goal in villages like the one we visited yesterday. That's what life is all about. Sure, surfing is fantastic, but the ability to connect with people like we did and see that the efforts you support bring those smiles to the villagers faces and they are in a better place because of it is better than some 8' wave or ride of a lifetime.

I don’t care how many great photos I get from this trip of surf or beautiful beaches or what not, these photos are unquestionably going to be my favorite ones of the bunch; there are dozens more, these were just a few of my favorites. Please enjoy these photos and be thankful for all that you have and take some inspiration from the looks on all of the kids’ faces you see here, including mine.

There's more than 6 people surfing in the Mentawai's?

Wow, what a great party! Last night we did the shaman ceremony here with the guys from the Indies Trader III. It was a mad house. Pro's, contest winners, reporters, cameras everywhere, local villagers and our crew right in the center of the action. It was the first time since we got here that the 6 of us have seen anybody other than our surf guide Ray and the employees of Kandui and we had a blast. Everyone was having drinks, talking, laughing, telling stories; it was wonderful. The Indonesian people are os nice and so thankful for everything that we bring to them here in the islands from medicine to boardshorts. It's nice to see people being thankful, with no strings attached and genuinely loving and needing the things that resorts like Kandui and organizations like SurfAid bring to them.

Here's a short video clip of the ceremony last night and a shot of me with Brad Gerlach. He's a great guy and we talked for a while and surfing, The Game (his surf comp. format) and all sorts of other stuff.

Surf looks to be holding up today and we're probably going to stay around here or go check out Kandui's since last night a few of the boys had the session of the trip as Kandui's was lighting up and showing some size though the winds we sideshore and maybe 1 out of every 10 waves barreled. But, I got some good shots of the boys from the boat and apparantley it got a lot better after I left and they said the wave was really starting to turn on.

edit: I ended up going to one of the villages today and I will be posting something tomorrow...it was unreal...

I fell in to a burning ring of fire...coral

So, today our swell filled in and some of the spots around here had some size. Bankvaults was probably 10' but really onshore so unsurfable; same with some other spots. It was a weird swell and it completely shut down some places we thought would be working but we reckon the tide has a lot to do with it. We boated around for about an hour and ended up right back in front at 2 of the breaks here. So, 1 guy and I jumped off the boat and took a look at the left, Karambat. That right there was a very bad choice. The wave was small(er) and a bit sketchy and I had no idea how shallow the reef is; not a good combination on your backhand. Below is a photo I took holding my camera just below the surface maybe 6" on the widest angle possible.

Looks beautiful, eh? The coral you see with the white tips is called fire coral. It has some bacteria in it that when you touch it, let alone get cut by it, burns like fire for about an hour then starts to itch and goes away in a day or less. Well, I took off on my first one way too deep and couldn't get out and here comes the reef. The next couple photos show the aftermath of my poor, poor decision.

And here's the real beauty...

Yeah, it was not a fun session to say the least. There are other places that got scratched up, but not quite as bad. It's nothing too serious and more just a good story and some smaller scars, maybe, but nothing like some of the stuff I've seen from some other guys that came here from somewhere else or got injured somewhere around here. The problem was that my leash got wrapped around a coral head and I couldn't move so I was stuck as wave after wave came through and I was unable to move and the whole time I was standing on the coral that was least damaging. After about 2 minutes I got free and tried to paddle away and the water sucked out so I was laying on the dry reef sraping my hands across the coral; needless to say the poor board is all gashed up again and the fins need a good sanding and my hands are bathed in bactine, once again.

I don't care what people say about Hawaii or this place or that place, Indonesia has the gnarliest reefs by head and shoulders over the competition. Our guide Ray used to live on the North Shore for several years and has traveled everywhere in the world surfing and he says that he thought he knew what gnarly was until he came here. So I guess it's good to know it doesn't get much worse than this and I'm getting my lumps on the gnarliest reefs around!

After I came back in and got some "good on ya" from the mates and cleaned up all the wounds we went right back out :) C'mon, you didn't think some annoying cuts and lumps are gonna keep me out of the water, did you?? It hurt like hell, or rather, burned but we ended up getting 4 Bobs the biggest and best since we got here. I caught the wave of my life, size-wise, as I grabbed one of the bigger ones which was probably around 8-feet. Some of the sweeper sets were bigger than that but for the most part is was around 6-7' the whole session. I got pinned down on one of them and was being dragged in which is a scary feeling since it was low tide and the reef even shallower as you're pulled blindly toward shore with no way to stop until you either hit bottom and slow down or it lets up. Thankfully it let up and I only hit my ankle (on more fire coral) and I paddled back out and decided to call it a day. Maybe another session later tonight but the Indies Trader III is here now with the Wave of Compassion guys, including 3 pros, so we've all the sudden become crowded out front.

As I type this I'm finishing up a conversation with Brad Gerlach as we all wait until the shaman ceremony this evening which should be really cool. He's a local medicine man and he's full on witch doctor; voodoo, ancient medicine, all that good stuff. I will be sure to post photos tomorrow which reminds me that I gotta sign off and go charge up the camera. Talk to you all later.

Bonzers F'n rule

If you've surfed with me or peruse the SurferMag BB you're no doubt aware that I'm a huge fan of the Bonzer setup. Now, I'm convinced it's the best fin/board setup out there, hands down. This afternoon's session was another one out to Beng Beng but it was just 3 of us so we found ourselves alone with calm winds and a rising swell; 4-5' faces on the sets and probably the cleanest and most consistent we've surfed it. Lucky for me I decided to get the Bonzer wet and oh what a perfect board choice. First wave was just a long rippable wall, head high and clean and YES: Bonzer's do have a 6th gear, not just a 5th gear like I previously thought. I was flying and making sections I never thought I could, all day long. I connected a few of the sectiony waves into one long wave with some quality top turns and a nice cutback at the end of one to milk a few more yards out of an already long wave. Man, it was fun; I was laughing as my Aussie mates might say. My roommate Michael asked to take the Bonzer for a spin and he, too, was laughing. He's a very solid surfer (probably the 2nd best on this trip) and he's killer on his backhand so it was a joy to watch him absolutely fly on that board. I'd watch him from behind and he'd be 20 yards further down the line smacking the lip than my eyes would expect him. He paddled back out after the wave of the day with a big bewildered look on his face and just said "whoa..." as he got back in the lineup. Needless to say I think he's a convert to the Bonzer cult :) Many thanks to Moonlight for building such a wonderful board; it's an abosolute dream to be surfing that board in these waves.

So, I'm drinking a Bintang right now and we're watching surf videos and eating dinner getting ready for tomorrow when we're getting a new swell that's gonna open up few more places like Hideaways and Pitstops. The 2 footie players (Aussie football players) went to Hideaways today and we stopped by to watch on our way back and it was windy but somewhat clean and with some size; probably 5' and we saw a bomb roll through at probably 6 or 7' and it looks pretty gnarly. I'll be eating my wheaties tomorrow AM and taking a few shots of courage if we're gonna be surfing there as it's a pretty hairy spot with exposed reef at several points and a shallow, gnarly reef below that our guide is still nursing some wounds from 2 weeks ago. Good thing I'm getting more accustomed to surfing reef and employing a 1 bootie technique someone here endorses, though this wave is certainly upping the ante from what we've been surfing.

Looks like we've got some swell for tomorrow so for those of you saying your prayers for swell, thanks! See y'all later...