Destination Bali...Finally!

After 5 full days of travel, we have a destination.  Before I start telling of Bali, let me first send a prayer and positive thoughts to all those affected by the earthquake, floods, tsunami, and volcanic eruption.  As we were leaving Padang this morning there were a lot of people trying to get out to the islands and report on the happenings surrounding the Mentawai's.  We made every effort as a group to stay and get out to the islands, to lend a helping hand. Everywhere we turned, however, we heard the same response.  It would take days to get out to islands in the boats we had and there would be not much we could assist with, especially with our resources.  Having known this, we made a group decision to take ourselves out of danger and try to get some surf in, holding those lost and in need, in our thoughts at all times. We handed our waters filters to Rudi, our guide, and hopes he would get them to those in need. We then left Padang and boarded our 6th and 7th flight our trip and made our way to Bali.

Upon arriving in Bali, we were greeted by the locals with open arms.  We were loaded once again into cars, surfboards stacked 3 high, and made our way through traffic that made the 405 look like Disneyland.  We arrived shortly at our villas and the "Dream" trip to Indo, finally began to settle in.  Finally, a  place to settle into. And finally the ocean, which meant surf.  We quickly unloaded the bags and made our way to dinner (8pm local time), where were greeted by our host, and an abundance of Bali Mexican food.  We ate, we had drinks, and we were all exhausted and eager to back to the room to sleep and prepare for the next day. A little side note about the villas we are staying in, they are amazing...something only out of a magazine.  Our villas sit on the side of a cliff, with pools in each backyard overlooking the ocean.  Each with amazing decor and patio furniture everyone dreams about, complete with the backdrop to boot.   Upon return from dinner, we all jump into the pool to cool down.  It was then, that surf bags started to unzip, and the preparedness for tomorrow began.  It was only then, that I began to realize, the surfers I was surrounded by.  Three to four boards each, in shapes that only experienced riders caught waves on.  I am a beginner at best, and am looking forward to see what my new friends are capable of shredding, and more so to see what I can learn from each one.  Tomorrow we surf!!! And the epic tales will continue.....

One last prayer and moment to all those affected by the recent natural disasters in Indo.......................... Much Love and Respect!!