Bali Odyssey
If you want to get stoked for the ride of a lifetime and follow a group of surfers as they search the seas on a quest to find and ride the world's most perfect waves then stop reading this and buy 'Ulu 32' on dvd! 'Cause this article is about 3 mediocre surfers testing their (in)ability to ride some of the best, fastest and heaviest waves that Indonesia has to offer - you knows it clart!
Having survived a heavy drinking session at a mates wedding on the night before we flew out, plus a 19 hr flight via Kuala Lumpur, Jon and I finally arrived in Bali at mid day. On the descent down, we could see the famous lefts below at 'Airport lefts' and in the distance the waves crashing onto Kuta's famous beaches. The adrenaline was pumping but our energy was quickly sapped once we stepped out into the stifling heat of Bali.
As usual, our organisations skills were not great as we hadn't booked accommodation! However, having spoken to other travellers on the island we were reassured that it would be dead easy to find accommodation and they were right. We got our taxi driver to take us to one of the cheaper hotels identified in 'Lonely Planet' in Kuta and checked in. Eight pounds a night for two of us with air-conditioning, a swimming pool and breakfast - Result!
The wedding prior to the flight, the lack of sleep on the flight and jet lag had all taken its toll and we just didn't have the energy to surf that day, despite the pumping Kuta waves. We had a quick look at the surf, the temperatures in their high 30's, clean 6ft waves but with so little energy, admitted defeat and decided to crash and find our surf legs, the next morning.
Bali's volcanic reef fringed coastline has made this island one of the great surfing mecca's of the world and its reputation for producing an unusually high number of perfect and consistent tubes makes it particularly appealing. With this kind of challenge, Bali's breaks are a great draw for advanced surfers (NOT US!) but there are also plenty of gentler beach breaks. While much of our time was spent on said breaks, we couldn't go to Bali without trying out Bali's best breaks, concentrated in the south of the island.
Our first proper days surfing began at Kuta Halfway, a 10 minute walk from our hotel. The beach was packed and the line up was busy with local Balinese, Australians, Japanese and us. The Kuta Beach breaks are fun waves to begin the trip with and a good alternative to the dangers of surfing over sharp coral reef elsewhere on the island. I caught my first wave of the holiday - Stoked! These were fun waves, nice 4 footers, - left and rights and an excellent beach break to start the trip.
The only down side was having to share this ever so popular break with so many surfers was that 'drop ins' were common especially by the local Balinese surfers. Having witnessed and been involved in a number of 'drop-ins' on my first day was a tad annoying but having spoken to an Irish surfer later that day, it was something we would have to get used to. Surfing etiquette had obviously not been taught to the local surfers. So put up with it or search for quieter breaks was the message!
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