A Week In Review

Last week as the surf started to drop, Nick, Mariah, Josh and I decided to check out some of the other islands in Indonesia. 

A fast boat took us from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan. The island is very small, 8 square kilometers to be exact. Upon arriving we saw hundreds of small canoes scattering the shore, most of which were propelled by a man standing on the front bow maneuvering himself with a long stick. On the island the main cash crop is seaweed and on a low tide you can see the seaweed plots divided with stakes (you want to avoid the stakes with your surfboard at all costs!) 

We had heard that the island might have waves, so with a little optimism we brought our boards. There are a few different breaks on the island, Playgrounds, Lacerations and Shipwrecks. All of the breaks work best on a high tide. Just in front of the bungalows where we were staying is Shipwrecks. To get out to the break you either pay 10000 rupiahs ($1) or you paddle. Josh and I paddled. By the time we got to the break we were freezing...yes! freezing! There must have been a cold current coming through because after an hour my toes turned white. Mariah, a Mainer', kept laughing at us calling us babys. 

After our surf we rented bikes and decided to ride around the island. We stopped at Mushroom Bay and took pictures on the bridge to Nusa Ceningan. Josh and Mariah were in a hurry to get back to the fruit stands in town. Every day they make me try a new fruit, every one smelling worse than the last. Josh's favorite is a durian. Apparently in Thailand you can't bring it on most buses because it smells so bad. When we got off the speed boat in Nusa Lembongan, the locals were saying in Indonesian, "look at the tourist with the durian." J and M also bought a 20 lb jackfruit the other day, which broke the refrigerator shelf. 

After two days on Nusa Lembongan, we took a different speed boat to  Gili Trawangan. We found the island to be a little funky. With no cars on the island, you either walk, ride a bike or take a small horse carriage. The island is mostly known for its superb diving and magic

 mushroom milkshakes. Unfortunately we didn't partake in either, just a little snorkeling. Mariah and I decided to cycle around the island, and while the island was much smaller than Nusa Lembongan, the roads consisted of 4 inch sandy stretches. It felt like we were walking our bikes through the desert. After two days and no surf we headed back to Bali.

After spending a few crazy nights in Kuta, we packed our things at headed back to the Puri

 Uluwatu villas on the Buket Peninsula ( that is a pic of the villas that overlook the surf!). Nick and I rented mopeds and drove, while Josh and M took a taxi with all our bags and boards.  

The tide was too low this morning so Josh, Nick and I took our mopeds down to the temple Pura Lehur just a few minutes drive away to mess with the monkeys. Mariah started work as

the manager at the villas today so she didn't get to partake. If you're not wearing pants they make you wear a sarong and sell you food to feed the monkeys. And trust me, you want the food so you can barter with the monkeys when they steel something. ie cameras, sunglasses. I played tug o war for my camera and one monkey ran off with Nick's sunglasses. The pictures we took are classic, check out the sequence of the monkey tricking me!

A few more weeks in Bali, then I'm off to Thailand on the 9th of Nov. We surfed this afternoon at Ulu but the waves are a little inconsistent. We are pondering riding our mopeds two hours north to Ubud for a few days, before the surf picks up again on Monday. Fingers crossed!

Aloha

pics...

I love Indo!

Okay, here we go! It's been over a week since my last blog entry, so I have a lot of catching up to do in a short time.
I arrived in Bali on the 12th of October. On the flight from Taipei I met Rodrigo, who is from Brazil, but has been living in Oahu for the past 6months. We spent the first few days staying with a friend at the Hard Rock in Kuta, then headed down to Padang Padang to surf.
After a few days of surf I headed back to Kuta to hang with Ben's friend Mariah. She is from Maine, but speaks Balinese and just got a job as the manager of the Uluwatu villas. Mariah came to Bali with her friend Josh, who owns a restaurant and farm in Costa Rica and I must note that he is a vegan who eats more than any person I know. After every meal he asks ,"when is lunch #2? when is dinner #2?" We are also joined by Nick, who is a former USC grad traveling while in between jobs. In the past week we've been lucky enough to score some epic waves at Uluwatu, Impossibles, Dreamland and Nusa Lembongan.
Bali is amazing... you can live for dirt cheap or you can spend a little bit more and live like a king! It is hard to get homesick when the waves are good, the food is amazingly cheap, the sun is shinning and the beers are flowing. Sleeping in bungalows overlooking the ocean. White sand beaches. Too much Fun! I never want to leave. Gotta run tho. try to get pictures up soon!

Bali

...Bali adventures coming soon! currently on the island Nusa Lembongan, off to Gili Islands today. Will update soon!

Just to give everyone an idea of what the metro in Japan is like during morning rush hour...

トイレはどこですか。

"We travel to have enlightening experiences, to meet inspirational people, to be stimulated, to learn, to grow." Rick Steves.
I'm in full travel mode, safe and sound in Tokyo. My friend Alban says there are two types of people, the ducks and the chickens. The ducks migrate and travel, the chickens don't travel, they lay their eggs and take care of their young. He says I'm the duck! =) It's 5:30 am and I just awoke in Alban's apartment. The view from my room looks out over the Tokyo skyline. What a life! Alban moved to Tokyo with his girlfriend Claire about a year ago. I met him back in my Hermosa Beach days and we've been friends ever since. He is in charge of the Asian region for a French sparkling juice company and she works for a French architectural firm. They are both French and of course, their wine refrigerator is almost as large as their food refrigerator.

Lets rewind back a day, a long day. And don't worry I'm not going to describe every day in detail, just the most worthy ones. At the airport in Honolulu, I was approached by a customs officer. He asks,"Where are you traveling? Are you traveling alone? How much cash, travelers checks did you bring? And how many bags did you check?" I answer, "Japan, Bali, and Thailand. Alone. Hmm... let me check...$2. And I didn't check any bags." So he gives me this look, hands me back my passport and says, "you're crazy, you know that right?" Ahhh shucks.
My flight over was a breeze. This is where I met Gibby. Gibby is originally from Philly, but has been a bouncer for the past 8 years in Honolulu and is off to see his girl in Japan for a few weeks. I slept little on the plane and made the mistake of watching the moving My Sister's Keeper. Disclaimer: Boys! Do not watch this movie with girls around, I cried for a good hour and trust me, I fought it!
Landing in Tokyo I discovered that my ATM card doesn't work at 90% of the ATM's. But thank heaven for 7-Eleven in downtown Tokyo, it finally worked! Gibby decided to tag along, or I decided to tag along with Gibby, in case my card never worked. I would have ended up in China if it weren't for Gibby's japanese. I know I know, I may sound like a stupid American, but I thought all kids in Japan were taught English at a young age. Wow, was I wrong. I was also thinking I might run into some Ninjas and Samurais. Wow, was I wrong ;)
My flight landed at noon. And with the help of Gibby's friend Shiho, we deciphered Alban's address, and I made it just before night fall. Shihu and Gibby introduced me to Kamo Soba, a duck noodle dish, and taught me a few greetings to help me on my way. Alban explained to me that if you ask someone for directions in Japan, they will walk you across town until you find it. Shihu guided me all the way to Alban's apartment and made sure I met Claire. Arigato!

I may have to buy a rain jacket, apparently there is a Typhoon headed for Japan today. In Maui that would probably ruin my day but in a city like Tokyo there are still tons of things to do.
Btw, トイレはどこですか。means Where is the toilet? My parting shot is of the buttons on the toilet at Alban's apartment, I'm yet to learn to use them but he reassured me he would teach me today =)

Here today, Gone tomorrow

Where to begin?

It has been months since my last blog so I have some catching up to do. I continue to work on a sailboat in Maui, surfing whenever there are waves, and enjoying day after day of sunshine. The boys and I raced in the Hana Relay this year, sponsored by Polli's Mexican restaurant and wearing Mariachi costumes, we placed 1st out of 122 teams with a 6:13 mile pace. For anyone who doesn't know the Hana Relay it is a fifty-two mile race, from the airport in Kahului to Hana, along 617 curves and over 56 bridges through the most breathtaking scenery in all of Maui. We even had a support team, also dressed in Mariachi costumes, blaring ghetto mexican music while riding a tandem bike. Definitely the highlight of our year!

Abe and Beth came to visit in August and we borrowed Alli's kmart beach cruisers and rode down Haleakala Crater. Byan Dennis also paid a visit and we drove around the entire island in a 24 hr time window.

I'm still yet to travel this year, other than a short trip to Oregon and Washington in August. Short, but what a great trip! I got to skydive in Oregon and see my niece Blakely. I just said my goodbyes to Oren and Alli who are traveling to South America, Israel, Cali, and Georgia for four months and Kyle and Heather who are traveling to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand (check out http://kylethevagabond.com). And tomorrow...I'm off on a two month trip which includes 6 days in Japan visiting Alban and two months exploring Bali and Thailand.

I've been extremely busy the past week packing, finding places to store all my junk, moving out of my house, working and all the while there has been a south swell, which has made it hard for me to get anything done. Not to mention it feels like a bazillion degrees on the West Side. I'll be sure to blog as much as possible along the way.

Aloha