Indonesia - Bali

25.07.10 - SUN; my plane landed at Denpasar about 7pm with Azad while Khad & Man waited for us as they arrived on earlier flight. Checked in Bali Manik, Poppies Lane II, Kuta which cost us 100k per room per night with two beds which we bunk in the four of us. Sneaked preview the beach and felt exhilarated for next dawn. MON; the day that had finally attained!!! Woke up early just to surf at Kuta beach. The long beach had many beach break points as Kuta beach was connected to Legian beach. Khad, Man and Azad scouted their surfboards as I carried mine from Malaysia. The waves were fantastic, almost 2m at its peak. Browse on the nightlife in Kuta. It seemed that mostly everybody was partying all night long. It reminded of my stay in Surfers Paradise,Gold Coast, Australia when I encountered the schoolies during my stay there. Bali is like a 2nd home for Aussies. additional to that there were many Europeans and Japanese. TUES; Morning surf. Great day surfing for me as I had a long ride with my own board which I find it difficult to ride it during my time in Cherating. Met up with Vania and Ebby which was our neighbour. They were from Jakarta and were on vacation. It’s easier to roam with them as they were Indonesians and managed to bargain stuff to a local price. Evening surf. We rent motorbikes which was 200k per bike for a week. Vania and Ebby exposed us more of Kuta. Went to Discovery Mall at Central Kuta where local youth loiters. WED; Morning surf. convinced Abby and Vania to surf. Met Ben & Morehu which was our other neighbour . They were pro kiwi surfers from New Zealand. Bungy jump with Vania in the evening at Legian Beach nearby Seminyak. 550k rupee as I imitated to be a local. The cost had been double if you were not a local. Cannot deny how frightening it was just to glance down but once leapt it was purely awesome adrenaline rush through the veins.

THU; Morning surf at Kuta halfway and went to Canggu beach which were 45minutes motor drive bearing north. The waves were simply bigger and angrier. Canggu had reef break which made it easier to predict but can be risky when low tides because the corals were about a foot away. It was a tiring day just paddling throughout the strong current and windy day which made the break unpredictable at times. It was the last night for Ebby & Vania as their time in Bali had almost came to its end. Had seafood to celebrate the night. FRI; Morning surf as it has become our routine during the day to surf until fatigue. Khad with the most drive but I always come out early from the sea depending on frustration with performance or simply just knackered. Vania & Ebby left that evening heading back to their home in Jakarta. Met up with Kish n Zan from Malaysia. Kish was our friend who won a trip to Bali. Showed them around Kuta and looked for Kish’s soon to be surfboard. SAT; by today I begun waking up late and would likely to surf around 9 – 10am. The sea water in Kuta can be too chilly during the dawn. I do not know how Khad did it every sunrise. Went for a hour drive heading south to Uluwatu after lunch. The waves were incredible mainly because of the clear sea water but I didn’t surf only to be envious of Khad & Man surfing the waves of Uluwatu. Besides that the evening scenery was mesmerizing enough. Today was Ben’s (new zealand neighbour) 24th birthday. He invited us to celebrate it at Apache Reggae bar. Music was good. Met Robyn (Aussie) & Yanti (Belgium) which was one of our neighbours too heading for Ben’s birthday.











Week 2
01.08.10 – SUN; Morning surf. It was Azad’s last day as for me, Khad and Man extended our stay. Went to Denpasar Airport in the evening. Azad departed on 7pm flight followed by Kish & Zan on 9pm flight. Yanti also left the next morning on 7am flight. MON; took a day off from surfing after continuous work out for a week. Mostly did my resting (sleeping) and planned out the rest of our stay. Met with Okta at a tribal music instrument shop where he works. Man met up with Okta before I did and Okta was a close friend of Robyn. They all had the same interest with tribal drums and beats where they would jam even for a while in the music shop. Just listening to beats and trying to join them with other relevant percussion had surely made my night. TUE: good surf day for me as I had another great ride. The waves were smaller this week comparing to the first week. That night Okta brought us to a Roti Canai and Teh Tarik restaurant as Robyn was craving for it. Good food but not as good as Malaysians. WED; worst surfing day up to date. Most of my time was battling with the waves. A washing machine day as I rolled within the waves a couple of times. Met with Ibu Ul’us which was an owner of a Warung Jawa where the foods were cheaper than most of the Warungs or Restaurant around. Also met up with Pak Imron and made plans to Grajakan as Khad was eager to go to Pelengkung (G-land) which was said the biggest waves in Indonesia were found there. THU; early morning surf and the waves went big again today. The waves were not cute anymore, much angrier and could put you in shock when a 2.5meter wave coming in front of you. Glad with a few rides and of course a lot of wipe outs. FRI; slept the whole morning. Went for Friday prayers and the khutbah was about Ramadhan as it was a couple of days away from puasa. Evening surf. Knackered because had to paddle through the strong rip current. SAT; Nothing much today. Body felt a bit warm. Evening surf. Cannot wait for tomorrow to explore the Java Island...