Abram in Motion

Ah :) it feels so good to be back in Kuala Lumpur. It has been over a year since i've been here. I'm flooded with memories of my last Malaysia journey. I was with my friend Fabian from shanghai.

Bali, or the Island of the Gods, was a 3 week experiment for me. I had one major goal for my time in Bali: learn how to surf. Ever since I heard Asuka emote her passion for surfing, I have had it in my head to see what it's all about. In order for me to try surfing, I thought of 3 places to start: Bali, Australia, or Hawaii. Bali being the least expensive of the three, it seemed like a logical choice – plus, my sister wanted to check out the island. Bali is known in the surfer community for being a great place for both beginners to learn and pros to push themselves.

After my adventures in the Philippines, I met my sister and her fiancée, Jochen, in Bangkok. The next day we were on a cheap Air Asia flight to Bali. We decided we would stay for 3 weeks in a beautiful villa about 15 min from the beginner surfer beach. To get around, we rented motorbikes. This was an exciting challenge as vehicles drive on the left side of the road, and the traffic was a horrendous chaotic mess. To make things worse, at any moment there could be a huge pothole that would end your good health and fortune. I find that I drive very aggressively and as fast as the flow of motors would allow. I felt pure excitement flowing in between cars and motorbikes.

So far, in 2009, my time in Asia has been rattled with illness. Bali was no exception. I spent a week down and out with a fever. The skin on all of my body was very sensitive and painful to the touch. I'm not sure what I had, but I was more than ready to have my energy level back up. It was time to surf baby!!

Sarah's friends from Veitnam joined us, Jonny and Helen. Jonny is from Wales and has had the goal of becoming a pro surfer for a long time – this was also his time to learn. All four of us, Sarah, Jochen, Jonny and myself rented surfboards at Kuta beach – 20,000 Indonesian rupia (about $1.65) per hour. I found that I was most comfortable with a longboard – 8'2” long to be exact! I hurt myself multiple times already surfing – the back fin of the board swiped my foot by a crashing wave and left me limping for a few days. Various small bumps and bruises showed up over the weeks, but thankfully nothing major. We opted to get 2 hours of “surf lessons” for about $10. It was pretty simple, as the Balinese teachers were by no means pros, but their simple advice seemed to work out ok: “this is how you stand on the board”, “this is how you paddle” “this is how you catch a wave”, and so on. Once we were in the water everything broke down into a series of shouts: “PADDLE PADDLE! UP UP UP!”. All of us were able to stand up within the first hour. From there on out, it's just practice and getting better.

I would awake at 7:30 and jump on my scooter to meet Jonny at the beach after grabbing a scone and coffee breakfast. Same surfboard as the day before, and into the water. Excitement rushed through my body as the waves incrementally got larger as I long strokes took me away from the shore. There was no worry in the world as I gazed into the distance, calculating each potential wave. Everything was beautiful- The unrestrained potential cast by the morning sunlight, the surfboards to be rented under the palm tree groves on the beach, the volcano in the distance surrounded by clouds, and even the rainbow in the sky – not to mention the caffeine and adrenalin pumping through my veins.
My final day in bali was spent in the ocean and on the board. My most successful and tiring day. I felt my aching tired back, chest and arms couldn't propel me fast enough to continue a successful ride to shore...but most of the time I was wrong. The sun started to drift into deep orange and violet hues. I gazed at the glistening horizon, alert and waiting for waves. As the last metallic orange sliver drifted into the indian ocean, the full moon was the only illumination against the silhouette of Kuta beach - I rode my last wave in. I had accomplished my goal. :) I now have a new desire – obtain a lifestyle where surfing will be a weekly possibility. Ah, would be so nice!


Sunset timelapse in Bali from inMotion on Vimeo.

When I think of the Philippines, my mind is filled with vivid raw untouched nature, crystal clear ocean, calm nights filled with stars and crickets, polluted dirty impoverished city, jeepneys coughing out thick black exhaust, small stuffy buses lunging out of control on check-point roads, huge roadside rum and beer signs urging “slow down”, security guards with sub-machine guns and automatic shotguns, “little America” shopping centers, cheap tricycle rides, and endless fast food. My experiences here have been rich. A full range of emotion cycled through me. I was excited to see old friends from the old world in Shanghai and disappointed when travel plans to meet up didn't work as hoped. I stayed up two days straight to journey by plane, bus, and boat to a remote island. I fell asleep to crashing waves in a bungalow on a cliff above the ocean and awoke to the sound of the sea. I was bed-ridden for days and unable to eat for almost a week. I lost 2 kilos. I narrowly escaped having my head violently smashed from a chunk of lava tumbling down a lava flow. I climbed a volcano. I was horrified when I awoke to find my legs covered in a vibrant rash. I swam with huge bus-sized whale sharks and panicked when I realized their massive size. I road a small fishing boat up a river to see swarms of fireflies synchronize their flashes on a full moon night after the rain. I was stung by the largest jelly fish I have ever seen. I sprained my ankle by said volcano and was taken to the emergency room for a $20 x ray – just to be sure. I raced around in a wheelchair and induced laughter in a Manila hospital. I was a photographed specimen. I drank with the locals. I drank a ton of coffee and had the best two hour massage of my life. I was a driver in the adrenaline inducing traffic chaos of Manila and road-tripped to the sea. I felt alive. I wanted to stay longer. I want to go back.

Photos here: http://flickr.com/photos/abramhodgens/sets/72157613688294614/