Bali

I’m sorry for being so lazy lately and not putting up any posts over the last few days. If Hawaii time is slow, and Fiji time is one grade slower, then I’m on Indo time which is somewhere in the middle. Over the last few days I’ve settled into a really good routine of waking up, surfing for a few hours, eating, having a nap, and then surfing again. I’ve probably spent about 25 hours or more in the water since I got here.

I absolutely love Bali and it is so much different than I expected. I’d heard horror stories from people who stayed in Kutu and were constantly hustled by touts, lady boys and other interesting characters the entire time they were there. Thankfully I’m not staying in Kutu but rather on the Bukit Peninsula where things are quite a bit more normal and very relaxing.

In a calming sort of way Bali has a way of over whelming your senses. Visually the Bukit area is stunning. Breathtaking cliffs drop off into the turquoise water where perfect lines of waves peel in. Small centres of commerce have sprung up at all the surf spots and carved into the cliffs are temples, warungs and tiny shops connect by little walkways. In the walkways the smell of incense fills the air and you are constantly tripping over the flower Hindu offerings that line the steps and ledges. The local people here are really nice and its not uncommon to meet a random stranger one day and for them to call you by name the next day when they see you.

The sounds are also very stimulating. As you walk away from the road the buzz of scooters fades and you are greeted by the pulse of the ocean, remixes of the latest pop songs, traditional Bali music and the chatter of the Balinese people as they talk among themselves and ask tourists passing by to look at what they have to sell.

From a surfing standpoint the Bukit Peninsula is Bali’s version of Hawaii’s fabled North Shore. Here, like the North Shore, there’s a really county feeling, the waves are amazing and everything revolves around the surf. On the road you see scooters with surfboard racks and all the little shops sell boards, wax and surf related t-shirts. If Hawaii is surfings mecca, then Bali is its southern hemisphere cousin with traveling Aussie, American and Brazilian bros and pros alike passing through, our calling it home for the season. Even the chances of getting dropping in on by an over stoking Brazilian is also pretty high here!

(Sorry no picture... bad internet and broken camera)