I'm back! Day 10...I think...

Wow, it's been a few days since the last time I blogged, and so much has happened. On the 1st of May a friend from Huntington Beach flew in from Perth, Australia. Matt, a photographer, will be staying with me for a few weeks here in Bali. And I couldn't be happier, he's a great guy and he loves getting in the water and getting photos of me surfing. I've got some great shots so far and should have them up asap. I've spent the last few days basically showing him around the area, getting him accustomed to his new surroundings. He's lucky, I wish I had someone to pick me up at the airport and show me to my hotel.

Well, here are some of my photos from the last couple of days.

This first photo is of Matt and I on our balcony just enjoying the Bali heat. We've been just talking about Orange County, mutual friends, and how much traveling means to us.


I took Matt to Uluwatu, where he got some great water shots and was even able to sell a few to some Aussies, making us some money for food and Bintang. This is a photo of the sunset at Uluwatu on that day. Simply priceless...



So today, Friday the 4th, we rented a truck and Salmon took us to Tanah Lot, a sacred Hindu Temple, and Monkey Forest, in Ubud. Here's a photo of us on our way. There's nothing like the driving in Bali, it's like the Indi 500 without seatbelts or an emergency medical team. But we're still smiling!


Our first stop, Tanah Lot, was the filming location for Raider's of the Lost Ark, or one of the Indiana Jones movies. It's been here for centuries, and a very respected and holy area. The temple is built on an outcropping rock formation. As you can see below, if the tide was high, there's no way off the temple. I could only imagine the storms that this place has survived.


One of the priests approached me on the beach and asked me to follow him. I grabbed Matt and he lead us over the reef to the temple. They asked us to drink the water of the holy temple, followed by a dosing of holy water, a simple prayer, placed rice on our forhead and a flower in our ear. It was a very surreal experience that I will never forget. I snapped a shot afterwards. Here it is.


On the way back to the car we saw this scooter, it had a great license plate and it's actually from the movie Indiana Jones.



Once we left Tanah Lot we headed for Monkey Forest. I've been waiting for that quite awhile and I can now say I don't want to see any more monkeys! Lol. Don't get me wrong, they're a great animal and fun to feed, but they're very aggressive and if you don't have food, well, they'll just take your hat, camera, glasses, whatever they want. I had this little bastard jump on my head and try to steal my hat. I had to take a photo of the little guy so I could remember the monkey who tried to steal my stuff. He seriously came down from a tree onto my head and I couldn't get him off. We all got a good laugh, I'm just glad I still have my hat!

Here's a photo of the rainforest that we were in. It really couldn't be any more beautifull, with monkeys swinging on the branches and greenery as far as you could see. What a great experience that was. Thanks for all your help Salmon!



Hope you liked the update, I will have my surfing photos shortly. We're trying to get them off of Matt's laptop. Hopefully tomorrow!

Day 6 in Bali...

Last night my buddy Salmon said he had some friends who work at the local bungy jumping facility located directly on the beach in Kuta where I'm staying. We were a little drunk so when he said he'd pick me up at 10am to go for a jump I said I'd do it, thinking it wouldn't pull through. But sure enough, Salmon and his girlfriend Elsi showed at Suka Beach Inn to take me at 10am on the dot. I'd just finished breakfast and the idea of bungy jumping from 50 metres in the air wasn't to thrilling. Not to mention I have a nasty fear of heights.

But after a few Bintangs and a couple of smokes, I said, "What the fuck, I'm in Bali right?"

Here's me going for a big dive, looking over Bali, with a beautiful view of volcanoes, rice paddies, and surf as far as the eye can see.

The feeling of jumping off the ledge was by far the scariest thing I've experienced in my entire life.

After that first jump I couldn't feel my entire upper half of my body, I was numb from the excitement.

After the first jump they made me go again, I think just to get another good laugh at my face before jumping. Only this time the owner, Reese, an Aussie, made me go backwards. Pretty much the raddest shit I've ever done.

You can't see it in these shots, but there's a pool at the bottom of the jump. On this one my hands hit the water, I guess my last jump loosened up the rope. Reese knew I'd hit it, he just thought it'd be funnier if I didn't see it coming.

This shot below is from the poolside patio, putting a little perspective on how high I actually was. You can barely see me 150 feet in the air.

After that we sat around and pretty much smoked a pack of Durangs, trying to get our heartbeats back to normal. I spoke to Reese, and he's gonna hook all the boys up when they get here. Yeah, you guys are all taking this plunge too! hhahahaha

When you're bored in Bali you sticker up you and you're buddies rides, OC1503 style. And yes we'll run you over on one of these bad boys if you don't get out of our way.

Salmon loves the gear I've been flowing him. Here he's sporting his new HSS shirt and his future board when I'm done with my trip. Gonna teach him to surf tomorrow after I surf Uluwatu in the morning. Hope you liked the photos of the bungy experience, I will never forget it. Thanks to Reese and the buys at 66 Club Bali for the hookup.

Canggu, Pandei, etc.

Today I surfed a nice beach break in Canggu. I'm sad to say that yesterday a Japanese surfer died here. We prayed for him before paddling out today. It was a surreal session, with great barrels, remembering the power of the waves in Bali. We all showed each other much respect, giving waves to one another and thinking about life and how easy it can be lost.

Here's Canggu, where the man lost his life yesterday, may he rest in peace.





I was wandering along the beach with my stuff and found this cool spot with lots of boats, which the Balinese call Jangolans. You can pay someone about $6 each way to take you out to the 2nd and 3rd reefs when it's on. I hope to do so soon.




This is Kuta Beach, only a minute's walk from my hotel, Suka Beach Inn. It's a beach break that's mainly closeouts, but you can find some nice corners as well.




Here's the view from my room at Suka Beach Inn. Don't be fooled, this is the only patch of palm trees in the entire area, it just happens to be in front of my balcony.




This is the cut I got from the broken fiberglass on my board I broke at Uluwatu yesterday. I consider myself lucky. I also cut my foot inbetween my toes today, which hurt pretty bad. But a little super glue and a large bintang does the trick!




And here's me on my patio. Shaka to all my best friends waiting for me back home. I picked up a new necklace that represents Bali wind, waves, and fire. It's supposed to bring good luck, and considering I haven't broken another board or been seriously injured since I bought it it's worth the $1 I spent on it.

I have some great footage of Uluwatu I want to show you, but I need an internet place that will let me download a larger file. Because bandwidth here is small, most places frown on files larger than 500kb. I will find somewhere to pay more so I can get it to you. I will also see if I can get more information on the Japanese surfer who passed, maybe his name at least.

Coming soon I will get some photos of just everyday things. Like the food I eat, Suka Beach Inn, my motorbike, and waves. Also, I plan to surf Uluwatu tomorrow and pick up a few of my photos as well. Thanks for all the support!