Saturday 06, Aug 2004
Hi
I finally made it to Indo! The flight was gruelling...I missed my connector flight in Taipei because there was no time...It didn't even say I was stopping there on the ticket...so I spent the night there and left in the morning. My luggage was checked all the way through so I thought I didn't have to worry about it, but I got here and nothing came!
I called again this morning and they don't know where my stuff is yet, but they say that if It's in Bangkok or Korea they usually just send it.
Will see what happens? Hopefully tommorow
I had a terrible nights sleep because these french people wouldn't stop talking outside my room...I asked they to be quiet at 11 then they came back at 2 and woke me up again, and then they woke me up at 4:30! I was pissed and so tired when I woke up in the morning! I was so tired last night too because of my long journey.
It was a fun day in the surf. Nothing special but there is swell...I just surfed Kuta a couple of times because Marlon partied last night and didn't want to go anywhere else. It's chest high and off shore with some good waves...Little air sections here and there. We're going to Keramas tommorow and I've got a board to ride and a pair of trunks so I guess that's all I really need.
It's 5:30 right now and I'm ready for bed...the sun fried me today.
I'll talk to you soon,
Pete
Sun, 08 Aug 2004
Right after I wrote that e-mail the other night the airlines called my hotel and told me my stuff had arrived! I was stoked! I went to the airport to pick it up and only had to pay $50 US to get it through customs...They only allow 3 surfboards per person into the country. Last time they tried to charge me $350 and ended up paying $100 so it's getting easier every time.
I guess it just depends on what kind of mood they're in. they wanted to charge me $280 US at the start so I begged and pleaded with the guy until his boss finally let me go at a cheap price...It's so different dealing with corrupt government workers. You can get whatever you want and do whatever you want as long as you have money.
It's so good to be on my own equiptment again. We surfed Kuta yesterday...it was small and mushy with a lot of close-outs. Today we went to canggu and it was overhead, messy, and windy, with not enough tide.
There was so much water moving around and close-outs everywhere. Not that good to say the least. We're going to try Keramas this afternoon so hoepfully it'll be fun.
Pete
Fri, 13 Aug 2004
Waking up for a sunrise surf is one of the most simple pleasures a surfer can enjoy. The usually busy surf town of Kuta was a quiet at 6:30 this morning. Streets that are always packed with cars and scooters were empty, making the thirty minute drive to Changgu relaxing instead of stressful.
From the parking lot at Changg; you can see a left reef straight out front, a beachbreak to the right and a right reef farther down the beach. The variety of waves spread out the crowd and also makes this little stretch of beach one of the most rippable places in the world.
Marlon, Bol, Pepen, Dede, and I surfed a typical three foot day out at Changgu this morning. Those guys are four of Indonesia's best surfers.
They surf with confidence and flare, boosting big airs with the happy smile of all Bali surfers. It's great to surf with these guys because they never hold back, and it makes you want to go big and improve.
Sunday August 15th
Today was one of my best days in bali so far. Pete, Benji, Akila, and I went for an early surf at a secret little reef break. We got in the water at 8:00 so it was completely glassy(it's glassy every morning in Bali!).
The tide was perfect and the 2-3 foot swell (6 foot faces) was hitting the reef perfectly! A few of the sets would open up for a quick pit, but it was mostly just rippable; airs, turns, tailslides...anything was possible. A Quicksilver contest was being held at Kuta Beach for Indonesian surfers so we were the only ones out. It's so good to get uncrowded waves
In the afternoon I went down to checkout the contest and watch my friends compete. The waves were tiny! One foot, with a really low tide, but it didn't seem to matter (anyone who's ever surfed Kuta before knows it's a closeout when it's small and low tide). Everyone was ripping! Rizal, Betet, Pepen, Davis, and Garut. I've never seen anyone go that fast on a one foot wave. Rizal came out on top with a really good left in the final, connecting high speed turns and floaters all the way to the beach. Pepen placed second, Davis third, and Garut fourth. Rizal got a check for 10 million Rupiah($1000 US) for his efforts.
Wednesday August 18th
The waves have been good for four days in a row now. From 2-6 feet (that's hawaiian) and barreling every day at the secret little reef. On the 17th it was 4-6 feet with some really nice barrels...I caught a closeout on my first wave and buckled my favorite board. I didn't bring a back-up board to the beach because I thought it was going to be small so I continued to ride it until it snapped on my fifth wave. I was so bumbed to say the least.
Sitting on the beach watching your friends get perfect waves sucks so I grabbed Betet's board and paddled out to ask him if I could use it. It's a 5'10'' by 17 3/4'' by 2''. Not exactly what I would want for 4-6 foot barrels. It felt like a skateboard, so I caught a few smaller ones while Betet and Lee Wilson got barrel after barrel on the sets. I managed to get a few little pits on the inside bowl so I was stoked.
Thursday August 19th
Today was one of those days you dream about as a surfer. Exploring different spots to find new waves is one of the best things in surfing to me.
Pete, Steve and I decided to checkout a stretch of coast that is rarely surfed, and sparsely inhabited this morning. It was a long drive considering Kuta Reef is right in front of our accomodation; but once we pulled up to the black sand beach and looked out at the peak it was worth it. A nice 2-3 foot A-frame peak was peeling in both directions with not a sole around except for a few locals at their beach side Warung (restaurant).
I felt like a 15 year old grom at lowers. I paddled out first and got a few fun waves, A couple airs and some turns on the right. After I kicked out of my third wave I glanced down the beach and noticed a wave peeling a few hundred meters down. I kept watching it, and soon realized it looked perfect on every set. I ran down the beach after my next wave, and found a nice righthand point break peeling into a bay with no one out. Pete and Steve surfed up the point for a bit while I picked off 3-4 foot bombs by myself. The wave didn t have that much lip, but there was plenty of power.
It was great for floaters, cutties, and reos. You could fit up to seven moves on a good one and the amount of speed you could produce would take you at least 100 meters down the beach. We surfed until we were tired and sunburnt, then walked away from the point, still perfect and peeling with no one out!
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