It's been awhile since my last blog. I had to job hunt since my pockets were running low in cash. Finally after having my 5th interview since September, I conclusively received a job. Initially, my employer welcomed me to affiliate them in December but I requested to postpone as I had the one last thing on my mind to do before my reality starts and that is to surf...... the yearly monsoon invades again and it’s the perfect time for me to study surfing. I spent my remaining productive lazy bumming days in Cherating. I did not had much to spent, so I did some part time working only to survive the free stay at Cherating Cottage.
Cherating had been my favourite destination in Malaysia for the past seven years, mostly because I am astonished and fond with the travelers and backpackers that I encountered. My networks also expanded through the people I met which were related to my euro trip last summer. As I was getting bored of Cherating, I realized from Jeany, that I had come at the wrong time of the year. Usually I would crash Cherating sometime around between March to August, but it seemed Monsoon season brought something interesting for the villagers. I decided to stay for a month at the end of 2009 and a little bit of 2010 just to learn to surf. Khad and Man had been Cherating much earlier as they had their jobs as lazy bummer beach boys. So I got myself a surfing board and learnt it like the locals did. To my advantage, some of the locals were my friends and they were warmhearted and generous enough to teach and guide us. Most of them were really young at age in vice versa I was young in surfing. It was really stressful at beginning, as frustration arouses only my determination to keep on going. Step by step, one by one I had to experience to perfection (still not perfect though). Paddle!!! Paddle!!! Paddle!!! ... As the kids around me yelled giving me the energy to paddle harder to catch the wave. That was my weakness as my upper body was not as fit as my lower half because of the sports that I played had mostly applied more on my legs. It took me some time for me to get my balancing point on different surfing boards. I started out on Abbas long board. After I had a few little rides I transferred myself to my fun board. It was a tremendous change for me as the fun board it's shorter than the long board and weighing at 78kg would make it harder for me to balance on 6'2 fun board. And then it was about the waves. They do not come in good forms every day. Sometimes it was fat; sometimes it was too short, sometimes it was everywhere and sometimes there was none at all. It entirety depends on the monsoon wind which also had created a variety of strong current. I like to surf during the rainy and cloudy days compare to the hot sunny days which will ultimately burn my skin and tanned me to shiny black. The sun block was not much effective and the sea had put us in denial of the heat as it was really cool when the sun was happy. The low tide waves were better than the high tide waves as it is much thinner and much force to give you that push to have longer rides. The atmosphere in the sea were simply fantastic, mostly surrounded by the locals, sometimes foreigners, pro surfers, hot chicks and sometimes the cocky town locals (they just had that look on their faces like surfing were only meant for them, not for others to learn – usually the ones that would get pissed off with you and blame it all it on you). There was always time to chat while waiting for the waves. And to make it all worth it was that moment of ride. It was another dose of adrenaline shot to repeat it over and over again. For me that was the steps of a beginner. It took me about 5 weeks to get that ride on my own. The next level would be the maneuvering and skills.
Besides surfing, we did other activities when the sea was flat. For instance, skim board at the edge of the sea water, volley ball, beach football, kayaking and more. It was the school holidays and the young locals would always be around to make it all fun and worth staying. There were even people from outside Cherating who would stay just for the monsoon season just because of the adrenaline of wave catching. Thank you to the locals and old & new friends I gathered . Thank you Pak Tain for the stay. Now I know how it feels like craving the waves. It’s going to be some time for my next trip as I started working a couple of weeks ago just for the purpose to save up and explore. Till then see ya
