I surf...

...for real. Ever since I was a youngster and saw Point Break, surfing has been something that I always wanted to do. After being in Jakarta and Bandung for a total of three days, Brent and I hauled it out of those packed, polluted, and totally boring cities. We found ourselves in a small beach village in a bay on the southern coast of Java called Pangandaran. After a very packed six hour bus ride that we literally had to run and jump onto. It took me about a week to be able to pronounce/remember the name of the place. After seeing the beach and the waves the first night we arrived, I said to Brent "Those waves look surfable." To which he replied "Those waves are definitely surfable." Two days later I met a man named Full Moon (for real) at 10:00am for my first ever surf lesson. Full Moon, aside from being a very good teacher and nice guy, is a total and complete surfer bra'. He IS the Indonesian version of Bodhi (Patrick Swayze's character) from Point Break. Minus the bank thievery part of course.

Everyday since then I have been surfing. And getting better all the time. Surfing is very difficult. Gaging when and which wave to catch, predicting when the wave is going to break, getting the feel of when the board is moving sufficiently enough to stop paddling and stand, the rashes and scrapes that come in the first few days, and added on top of that is how incredible of a workout it is. Even just paddling out far enough to where the waves are. I started out on a long board which is a heavier board meaning that it moves slower thus making it easier to stand and maneuver. Then I switched to a short board, which is pretty much like starting from square one. Shorter boards are made of fiber glass, are slippery, and weigh almost nothing. Which makes it possible to catch waves on the slope before the break, turn quick and swiftly, and maneuver yourself easier because you do not want to be stuck underneath the barrel when it comes crashing down on you. Even that though is fun. It is truly an exhilarating experience to be thrown around by a huge wave. You come up out of the water after being flipped and turned every which way without any idea of which direction you're facing, where your board is, or if in the crashing you've lost your shorts. It is a humbling journey to be at the crux of something as large as nature. Of which all control has vanished. But all in all, surfing is something that I have set out to do for a long time now. And I can truly say that I do it. The first wave I caught (which was probably about 12 inches high), I felt like Bill Murray in What About Bob when he is tied to the sail of the sailboat screaming "Iii'mmm Saiiiling". Truly a magnificent experience.

That's all I got right now. Travelling is amazing. The places, the people, the smells, and the life in general. This world is truly remarkable.

Brent and I have parted for a short time. He is travelling east towards Bali (where we will be meeting soon to catch a flight back to Kuala Lumpur), doing awesome things like looking at incredibly old and beautiful temples larger than one could imagine, volcanoes, probably taking some wonderful hikes, and witnessing some outrages landscapes. I decided to stay in Pangandaran to surf as much as possible. I actually went out with the locals today. Sort of felt like a child again being taken along by my older brothers to do something cooler than I ever could have imagined. And I surfed very well...proving myself to the initiation of the surfing brotherhood.

hope you are all well and smiling
nate