So this blog is quite old, back from May of 2009, I couldnt get proper internet access but figured it was still worth posting, so enjoy...
Its funny how over the course of just a few months things can change so quickly in your head space. Suddenly you become so familiar with a lifestyle and state of mind that things start turning into shades of gray. You become jaded in a way that is nearly incomprehensible to most people who are living everyday working life back home. The things that I consider an issue or stress in my day to day basis would be laughable to most people in the western world. But in reality, its all the same, just on a different level in a place on the other side of the world. I have been back in Indonesia the past five weeks and quickly flew from Bali to my niche on a small island where waves are plentiful and the locals genuine. Even though these people live on a mere $2 a day and the average income only $50 a month, the basic principles that we live upon are the same, yet the mentality and quality of life is astronomically different. Things are very simple and the community is very small, you instantly establish a first name basis with the locals and before you know it a nickname basis in which then you become a part of the family. The grommets that you surf with out in the water become your surrogate children and they surf better than most of the tourists who visit the destination. They call you into waves and splash around the water in excitement, reminding you of where you once came from and the passion your youth still holds within. The energy the kids give off is intoxicating and it is impossible not to have a smile on your face when you are in the water with them. These locals have an amazing bond and connection with themselves and their environment which never fails to inspire all who come to visit this beautiful place. I have spent enough time here in the past to have acquired the ability to return and slip right back in like I never left in the first place. Nearly a dozen people that I have encountered here in previous years have returned as well to surf the same mesmerizing waves again. After weeks of surfing the same waves on a daily basis, it eventually becomes surreal at some point, and you begin growing immune to the perfection in front of you. Suddenly the repetition of surfing the same spots day in and day out and seeing the same people again and again was quickly replaced by a massive influx of unfamiliar faces. It was as if unwanted guests came along with a friend that you invited to a personal dinner party at your home. You feel a sense of invasion by all of these unwanted visitors who pack in and out for only a week at a time. These blow-ins pass through for such a short time and in such large groups that they rarely make any connection with the locals or gain appreciation for what the place really is. We are now entering into the high season and it rapidly went from a sleepy, predictable, and relaxing place to a crazy tourist ridden attraction over night. Now suddenly I’m trying to find ways to get away from the chaos to find a piece of serenity and solitude in a place that is already so rural and undeveloped. In this quest I found myself motor-biking nearly an hour up the coast on a rugged goat trail and crawling through the thick of the jungle to find that undiscovered gem. It led me up the side of a mountain where at the top I could see the expanse of the coastline and the beauty it holds from a bird’s eye view. It was there I realized again that this place truly is amazing; despite the numbers of people there are still waves going unridden, still destinations not yet reached, and how few people actually look outside the box. For a short time I seemed to have fallen somewhere between the lines of reality and this mystical place of simplistic paradise. Going out on that quest revitalized my awareness and appreciation of where I have gone and what I have done to be in this place. Once again I feel empowered to be here and am thankful that I am where I am, and what still lies ahead on the journey. Though my two month visit here is nearly up, I feel like I can leave this time knowing that the same friends I have here will still be living in their own world, surfing the same perfect waves, spending time together, and growing as a community. The crowds of tourists will come and go, the waves will rise and fall, and the rain will come soak the land and dry back out again, but the people here will still have a smile on their face and will pickup with you right where things once left off. Now the time is coming near for me to delve even further into my quest to find another piece of tranquility and enlightenment with my new found enthusiasm.
