Here I come

My last night in indo is tonight and I am keeping it low key seeing that me and the boys did it up big in kuta last night. Tomorrow I have a big day ahead of me traveling through Singapore on the way to Sydney. I have a 12 hour lay over so that should be pretty boring. I am super stoked on Australia. And just getting on the road in my own car and cruising. and yes ray I have been practicing looking right especially since in south Africa I was almost run over about 3 times crossing the road ha-ha.

Indonesia has been another great eye opening experience. There is definitely a culture shock once you are here especially in Bali. Little kids following you down the road begging for a few cents is reality here and something I have had to get used to as well as having to deal with the fact that it is usually past 3 in the morning while this is going on and they are being overlooked by their parents. It saddens me and makes me almost resent the country I come from. I have come to learn that all of the money spent on things such as war and oil consumption coming from our country could easily come close to eliminating such problems as poverty and UN education around the world. One very positive thing to come from this part of my trip is the ability to now accepts peoples cultures they have been raised in whether it be a poor Indonesian or a European with a totally different way of going about things. i.e. as my dad puts it French people have a stereotype of being "pompous assholes" where as I learned that this arrogance is just a way they have been raised and they are looking at things usually just as positively and with just as much appreciation as everyone else. I was frustrated with the two guys I was traveling with once they just gave up on the frenchies we were with because of their "attitude" where as I saw them as great people with just a different background. I can’t imagine how much this trip will enlighten my view on life if it has already had this big of an impact on me in just two months. Another thing I really enjoyed about being in this country is the way that life for the most part isn’t as fast paced and materialistically consumed especially in places like Sumbawa where people enjoy living so simple that they own a house, 1 outfit and a few goats while never using a computer their entire lives. I wish it was as just as easily done as said but I would love to be able to live a life like these people and have my outlook on life be only half as great as theirs. The culture here in indo is very interesting and I would love to come back for 6 months or so and learn bahsa the national language. There are 27 different languages here but the gov't set up this widespread language that is very easy to learn and is spread through most of Indonesia’s thousands of inhabited islands. And what is more amazing is that this was all brought about within the past 50 years. Besides the tourist hot spots the people seem so interested in you as a person and it is not uncommon to sit down for an hour or so and have a convo in broken English about everyday things and they are very interested in the way we live and how to make their lives better. The funniest thing is that 9 times out of 10 if you tell someone you are from California they automatically say “o Arnold Swartzinager (sp?) Ha-ha.

I miss everything back at home but know that what I will be able to pass along once I am back will not only benefit me but many of those around me. Thanks everyone for all the support and comments on this page. It makes me so excited to see all of the people interested and concerned in what I am doing. O and another thing; I am reading the best book ever right now titled Confessions of An Economic Hitman by John Perkins. I definitely suggest this book as it will most def. change a lot of your views on everything around you and your culture. Sorry if this constant babble bored you but I felt that a long one was due. Cheers Nick

me about to take one on the head
simplistic life?

These are the only pics i could manage to get from my friends camera. Hope to get up more soon.

This is me at a wave in Bali named Sri Lanka.

This is Scar Reef on a good day.

BALI[b]

joey and I at the tennis match in Bali

Motor bike wound.

Cool staute in Bali.

BEYOND BALI

Sleeping on the ferry.

Scar Reef posse.

Scar Reef on a bad day.

waiting in the jungle for a flat tire to be fixed.

Pre- pig hunt

sunset

So the last time I typed I was heading off for the unknown. We went to the island of Sumbawa and two ferries, overland in Lombok and about ten hours later we were at our central location, Scar Reef. We chose the area because of the waves and we weren’t disappointed. Sumbawa was amazing and the people were so hospitable. We stayed at the scar reef guest house which is run by three first generation surfers around the age of 25 and the place is usually always frequented by their friends who love to have a good time. The island of Sumbawa is about the size of Bali with way less people so it wasn’t as much of a hassle when it came to being hoarded for tourist driven dollars. Every island in Indonesia besides Bali is Muslim driven and that was a whole new culture to take in. we could constantly hear the chatter from the mosque over the hill and it was super active for we were there during Ramadan. We got a kick out of driving down the road because most sumbawanese people don’t know much more English that screaming “hello mister!” at every westerner they see. We were taken to a secret surf spot one of the days by the boys and were not left without an adventure when we got a flat tire in the middle of the jungle about an hour from the nearest town. Also another fun thing we did quite frequently was hunt pigs. I came up with the idea one day and it caught on like wild fire. Soon everyone was shaping spears from bamboo and all the locals got a kick out of watching us trek through the hills at night trying to kill pigs but to come up empty handed.

I was out of the water for a few days because my wound looked really bad. Much worse than the picture which was taken a week prior. It was a good time to reflect on my trip and I read 2 books in 2 days. We finally headed back to Bali after a week at scar reef and made a new addition to our traveling squad. We are now traveling with three frechies as we call them and are all having a blast.

NOW... gettin back to Bali was a whole nother story. the trip that should have taken 10 ended up being a 16 hour trip through the night into lombok and getting lost numerous times. The time passed easily with how much fun we were all having until our police episode started. To make a long story short we had to pay off the corrupt Indonesian police at the ferry because of the fact we didn’t have a proper license but if it wasn’t that it was something else. We were warned about this type of thing but when it happened it really hit home how much of a 3rd world corrupt gov’nt this is. We were set back about 35 dollars which didn’t compare to the frowns on our face as our trip turned sour. I am leaving for Australia. On Friday and meeting my good mate Brock. The plan is to buy a station wagon and cruise the coast for a month or so. Stay tuned...

As my mates in South Africa would say I had a BENDER last night. Went out until about 5 in the morning and believe me I am feeling the effects of it now. Things in Bali are great and I am catching some really good waves. Looks like communications will be cut off for a week or so as me and the boys leave tonight on a boat for Lombok and Sumbawa outlying islands in Indonesia which are very basic and rural as u can imagine. Got my first bout of homesickness today after talking to a lot of family members or it could just be after effects of last night ha-ha. Pics up as soon as I get back! Oh and looks like the wound is getting infected but I have taken medicine so it looks good cheers nick

Loving life here in Bali. Got back in the water today after a bad motor bike accident the other day so I feel very good. I have been hanging out with 3 Americans who are going to get me a bartending job in New Zealand where they work and I will probably live with them for about 3 months. So great things ahead... weather here is perfect and waves are unreal. I can look left or right from my room and see some of the best waves in the world. We walked about a mile last night to get to a party at another beach and after reef cuts and a few Bintangs later finally made it and had a great time! The walk back was a little rough but worth every mosquito bite along the way. haven’t really gone to town yet to party because it is supposed "bombing season" and with a rumored bomb here and there it just isn’t worth it but mom don’t worry I am about a half hour away from kuta beach. Went to jimabron yesterday and ate fresh seafood that was brought in right in front of us. We had a good sized red snapper and tuna steak and a huge squid for about 13 dollars that could have fed the whole village. I could probably live here for about 2 years on the savings I have which isn’t that bad of an idea.
Cheers, Nick