Sumatra

( solitude)

Observing peoples relaxed attitudes and actions around these parts - I've come to the conclusion that South Sumatrans live fairly happy, stress free lives. The community operates so differently to our own - it's almost not comparable. It's like every character - the kids at school to the ojek drivers - play an important part in the societies of little villages that line the streets. Everyone seems to interact, work , talk to, bump into or trade with each other at some point during the day - keeping everyone as one big family.

As I cruise north to surf every morning - there's always a new marque set up somewhere for some kind of party and all the locals descend in their best batik threads - looking a million bux (not rupiah)!
As there are no footpaths - the sides of the street are constantly occupied by children coming to and from school - most of them see you coming and wave energetically screaming "HELLO MISTERRRRR!!!"
Yesterday I surfed a reef while Iu stayed on the beach talking to some kids - when I got back from the surf he had this huge gang of kids as an audience as he performed various basic magic tricks. When I came up the beach they ran over screaming "Camilon, Amilon, Amiton" - "Hamilton" I said. Then then proceeded to ask the routine questions like where I was from, if I was married, how I speak Bahassa, do I have a family and so on and so on... I told them about Catalina from Argentina and they all started giggling saying that I was going to kiss Catalina in Argentina - then made a little song about it! These kids were pretty cool and they all ran after us when we left.

( kids in Liwa )

( desert at base camp )

A day in Paradise

( Typical afternoon showers in the mountains, with smoke from locals cooking or burning rubbish )

( Haji and Saffira at the Camp )

Back sitting on the floor of the white tiled internet cafe - I feel hot, exhausted and eternally stoked. I was woken this morning before dawn by the only other guy at the surf camp - Iu - from Spain. We picked our way over the reef, speaking in Spanglish, then proceeded to devour perfect deserted lefts. After a brekky and coffee at the surf camp - we scooted up to another deserted beach - with little school kids running along and holding their hands out to be high fived screaming "Hello misteeeeeer!"

( "Chuck Norris" is our go - to guy )

Weaving through the huge palm trees running behind the beach - I started to think about falling coconuts so I drove along looking to the trees - then whooooooaaaaa!!! I swerved off the track into a ditch narrowly missing an unfazed big Brahman cow! I was still adjusting back into the Indo state of mind while driving - taking it all in, just cruising...

( Debriefing the days waves out front )

Parking amongst the Palm trees and excitedly sprinting down onto the hot sand, we were greeted with the most rippable crumbling a - frame suck bowl I've ever seen - and my new board "MARIA" loved it. We just took wave after wave hooting and screaming till our bodies couldn't handle anymore.
After the dream session, we cruised into the local markets to buy a kilo or two of mangoes ( 1kg = app 80c! ). The markets were lined with all sorts of hanging fish and octopuses and cuttlefish and you name it! We drove to the fruit section and bought a bunch of fresh tropical fruit laughing with the ladies in veils - as we were a novelty and our normal body language and movements appeared to seem awkward and hilarious to them.