The realization and back to reality

Its been a little more than a week since I last wrote anything…I wouldn’t call it “writer’s block” because I’m not a writer, and it’s not that I have been to busy surfing “professionally” because I’m definitely not a pro surfer. For those of you that don’t know me and know what I do for a living, I lay Tile and Hardwood floors. Since my last blog it’s been more of figuring things out more clearly for myself before I could put them into words worth reading. The waves this past week for Indonesian standards have been pretty bad. For a Floridian’s standard, well we don’t really have standards so say no more…
One day I did some exploring with Doug Gall to Nusa Dua via 125cc motorbikes. I don’t know what’s more intense, pulling into draining 8-10ft. G-land or tempting your fate in Balinese traffic. The waves ended up being really bad on that side of the island, so it turned into just a scary, but fun motorbike tour. I actually got ran off the road at one point and nailed the curb. I didn’t realize the thing was leaking oil until I returned it. The rental guy was kind of pissed but I got out of it for $10, ha! He wanted to give me another scooter, but I was over it. It’s just way to sketchy, I handed him the key and said, “no thanks I’ll walk”. Uluwatu turned on for only a few days and the “Race Track” did its thing for a couple nights, but it has stayed pretty small the past two weeks. Like I said in a previous post, El-Nino has really had it in for Bali this season. Dismal swells, weird winds, and lots of rain, the Balinese have been calling it the worst season in 7 years. Thats ok though, I got the best waves of my life in G-land and had plenty of ripable days at Ulu’s, so I’m not complaining at all.
Although surfing has been my main intention, its certainly not the sole purpose of being here. Traveling alone, and this far away from home can definitely be an emotional roller coaster ride at times, but you have to make the best of it. It always helps meeting new people from around the world and taking in whatever they have to offer, as well as offering my Southern American “twang” which gives them something to laugh at. Just talking about life in general with people other than Americans will really open up your mind. I met this guy from England traveling with his Polish girlfriend and we all had a fish BBQ one night. They have been traveling since January. They went to India for 6 months, then to Tibet and had to leave because Tibet had some kind of lock down and no foreigners were aloud to be there. Then they are going to Malaysia, then Russia, and then back to India for another 6 months. They don’t plan on going home until April of next year. And I thought what I was doing was kinda rough… I met a few other Floridians that turned out to know most of the people I know back home, which was really nice as well. Also I got to hang out with a couple of my friends that I’ve known for some time, North Carolina rippers Rob Brown and Mark Yonkers accompanied by there buddies from home. I didn’t surf that much with them, but we definitely had some fun together. My last night we all went into Kuta and ate sushi. We stayed away from the party scene, ‘cause it is simply to much to handle. Kuta is such a hell hole, it makes me appreciate home so much more. For those of you that don’t appreciate where you live, go hang out there for a few nights. Our taxi ride back was hilarious. Most taxi drivers here are nuts, just no regard for other people on the road. This driver was different. He was 10 and 2 the whole way and I swear he was driving with both feet. A 20 minute drive from Kuta to Uluwatu turned into an hour of gas/brake check, safety driving. He couldn’t speak English very well, so we openly joked about his performance during the drive. I asked “Is this your first time?” I don’t think he really knew what I had just asked him, but he nervously replied “Yes,Yes”! “Do you even no where Uluwatu is?” “No, No!” We were hysterical the whole way back. The driver probably thought we were all on some kind of drugs, because we could not stop laughing. A real “you had to be there” moment.
I have experienced a lot on this trip, with these travels at times definitely getting the best and worst of me. From insane surf at Garajagan to unbearable crowds in small waves at Uluwatu, from pure happiness of the local people that hardly have any possessions, to unappreciative, frustrated tourists looking for A/C and T.V. I was at this warung one day just getting something to drink and a snack when along comes this yuppie from California with his Bintang tank top (like every other tourist here wears), trying to bargain for water. Yes, bargaining is big here and you can do it when you are shopping for touristy things, but not food and water. He was trying to beat down a 6,000 Rupiah bottle of water to 5,000 Rupiah. 6,000 Rupiah is only like 60 cents to begin with and he was mad cause he couldn’t get the water for basically 10 cents cheaper. 10 cents! Are you kidding me? I was disgusted.
Even dream trips have there ups and downs, just like in everyday life, but you have to taste the bitter to taste the sweet. It’s been a great trip and an amazing experience that has brought me to grow to another level of myself. With world class surf and meeting amazing people, in the bag, its time to head back to Florida. Where hard work and mushy waves await me, I am glad to be heading back to reality, ‘cause home is where the heart is and I wouldn’t trade home for anything. I encourage everyone to travel far from home, but I challenge you to at least take one trip on your own .You never know what you will learn about the world and what you might figure out about yourself. For me I realized that I didn’t just come here to surf perfect waves and push my limits in the ocean. It was more about embracing myself and this beautiful world that we live in, a world that a lot of us at times take for granted.
Thanks for taking the time to read my posts,
Ross