Gili Islands Part Tree

All pictures courtesy of Max Wan Gomez and his kick-ass camera... (I want one).

I think i was really stressed in this moment...

Jumping for Joy... thanks Bintang, I love you.

Ballerz

Max and Me

mmm... Bintang

I think the water in this pool was about 90 degrees and the beer around 39

Gili Islands...Part Duex

All pictures courtesy of Max Wan Gomez and his kick-ass camera... (I want one).

I don't really know what to write about these pictures, just beautiful.

Gili Islands.... Part 1

All pictures courtesy of Max Wan Gomez and his kick-ass camera... (I want one).

Juan, Habi, Max and Me en route to the Gilis

A curious new friend of ours, Bob Marley of the sea. One relaxed ass animal.

Step 1: Keep your eye on the prize and don't look down...

Step 2: Use your locally learned coconut hacking skills and a machete to get to the goods.

Step 3: Enjoy natures natural vitamin water and then find a seashell on the beach to scrape out the meat from within.

I heart the Gili Islands

Getting Loud on "Silent Day"

The three Gili Islands.

Got back from Nusa Lembongan today. Some fun waves over on that island. Most people go for the diving which I heard is amazing but didn't try yet. The waves break over colorful and totally live coral which you can see below through aquarium clear water while surfing. The coral was beautiful but also apparently pretty dangerous. In fact, one of the waves there is aptly named Lacerations. It didn't break while I was there so i surfed this more consistent spot called Shipwrecks.

Kannish came with me to do some research about accommodation prices because he is trying to organize a 30 day trip for a travel agency so that was cool, but other than diving and surfing there wasn't much else to do. It was otherwise all couples vacationing or honeymooning. No night life whatsover. But now, I'm headed to the super small (you can walk around the main island in an hour) Gili Islands in a couple days where there is not much surf but i guess some crazy party on the 26th. The 26th is a Balinese holiday called Silent Day. Literally everything shuts down. No planes fly in or out, the electricity turns off, noone leaves their houses, tourists can't even leave their hotel. So, all the westerners take off for the Gilis off the coast of Lombok. I guess so many people went last year that there wasn't enough accommodation and people either passed out and slept on the beach or partied all night. Should be a damn good time. They're party islands. Pretty much everything is tolerated there, kind of like Amsterdam, so it's a major backpacker stopping off point. Going with three cool Spanish guys from the Canary Islands that I met at Bingin. Check out Max and Javier on my Facebook friends list. Max takes some damn good pictures and and is working on becoming a professional photographer. Maybe he'll let me use some of his shots on here to share since my camera is busted.

Green Ball

Poached shot of Green Ball since my "waterproof" camera is full of water.

Found and surfed a new spot this morning called Green Ball for about 3 hours, so much fun. Head high and fast rights with just a few other guys. One of my favorite surf sessions of the trip so far. After that, just did some exploring. Driving down random, tiny roads into small beach side villages that must rarely get visited by tourists because the locals seemed so surprised to see me. Off a tip from as friendly local, drove my bike down the narrowest dirt path between palm trees and cow pastures to a tiny pristine white sand beach with a only a couple other surfers on a nice wedgy wave. Asked a guy what the name of the break was and he said he only knew at as "secret spot." Nice.

First Real Swell of the Season Arrives

Cheapo sunglasses salesman and us in our new shades.

We made him release it later to make peace with the Paccha Mama.

Nice one at Impossibles. Shot with my waterproof camera while surfing.

Another good one. Fun day, rides so long your legs are tired by the time you kick out.

Sequence of me out front at Bingin.

Bali in my Eyes

Ate a mushroom turned into Bali
Didn't look it just jumped down my throat
I was starting to die until I
Took a trip to Bali
Their eyes are god
In a glass full of jelly
Bali in my eyes
My skin turned the color of the earth
I felt like a tree
People asked my name the next day
They remembered who I was
I took off my shoes
And my feet they took root
I've got Bali in my eyes
When I opened up my eyes first thing
Early light in Bali
What a day it's gonna be I think
It looks good already
So hold me close before
All the doors start knocking!
Bali in my eyes...

Got introduced to this interesting "Porno for Pyros" song by Hugo
while partying the night of my birthday, thought I'd share.

Surf All Day & Fish All Night

Small, high tide Nyang-Nyang.

Crystal clear water.

All by myself.

Indonesian fishing gear (or lack thereof).

Paddling through the night trawling for squid.

First Blood! (small squid in Kannish's hand).

Lunch time today. Looks good, no?

Kannish eats every part, even took one of the eyeballs off my plate.

So the eyeballs are good, eh? Alright I'll go for it.

Woke up back at Sticky's and the tide was too high and the surf too small for out front so I headed out to find waves at Nyang-Nyang. Slid all down the muddy road on my motorbike till the mud got to be too much and walked the rest of the way to the trailhead down the cliff. Got some fun waves by myself then back to Bingin. To my surprise, perfect, small, speedy waves pouring in now that the tide dropped out. Caught two set waves right off the bat by sitting deeper than everyone else in the prime spot until on my third wave I realized where I was taking off was almost sucking dry. Could see the reef was no more than one or maybe two feet below the surface. Crazy. Went in to recharge with some nasi goreng (indonesian fried rice) and a Bintang and saw with the tide getting lower that little micro barrels were becominig possible. Paddled out for round three, snagged a couple little barrels in some of the shallowest water I've ever surfed in and came in after sunset.

After that, it was up to Leggie's place to chill with some UK surfers I met in the water. Watched and ridiculed probably one of the worst surf movies ever made, Blue Crush, and nine Bintangs later I stumbled back down to Sticky's to find out that it was time for squid fishing and there was a spare canoe for me to give it a try. Alright, what the hell. Drunkenly launched my canoe with Kannish and paddled out into the night. With an almost full moon and no clouds, I could see like it was daytime. Tie the lines to your big toes, paddle slowly until you feel a bite, reel in, stuff squid in bag, and repeat. Easier said than done in my drunken state. Fell out of the canoe once, tangled my lines, had some bites but lost the squid, lost two lures, cut my toe on the reef coming in... the score was Kannish: 5, Dominic: 0. Even with the rough time, I think I'm addicted. Got so pumped when I felt the squid hook on and tug your foot off the canoe. Got some new lures today, gonna stay mostly sober and am not coming in tonight until I get a squid.

Cooked up Kannish's squid for lunch today. The meat is so sweet I thought Nyoman (Sticky's wife) had cooked it in some kind of sweet sauce, but the only thing she added was salt. So good.

Ubud Energy

With the surf gone flat, yesterday we decided to head to higher elevations and into the heart of Bali to seek cooler air. One thing i love about Ubud is that there is not a moment during the day where you cannot hear live music coming from somewhere in this town. Completed the day yesterday by getting absolutely drunk (I even attempted to dance) at a bar and seeing a live Balinese reggae group.

Late this morning Hugo and Marion left for the Gili Islands, and as much as they tried to get me to go, I decided to hang back (waiting for you Nikki). Insane diving on the Gilis but rarely any surf and with one of the better swells of the season on the way to Bali and good conditions predicted, I head back to Sticky's tomorrow. In the mean time, got a nice new shirt, went to the Sacred Monkey Forest and saw the Legong dance for myself.

Selemat Malam (Good Night)

One Sticky Day

Post surf and breakfast lounging on my patio at Sticky's Place

View from my patio looking towards Dreamland and small Bingin in the foreground

Some fun surf at Impossibles

Looking back towards Sticky's from the water at Impossibles

Cliffs near Impossibles

Birthday Feast

Bintangs and "Pass the Pigs" with Hugo

Pictures from a few days ago that I have lagged on getting posted up here. Just a typical day at Bingin Beach.

Sounds of Ubud

I have so many pictures to post but haven't had the time. At an internet cafe now in Ubud. New friends Hugo, Marion and I did an hour and a half motorbike ride into the interior of Bali to the town of Ubud. Great ride through winding mountain roads past rice paddy fields and tropical forest. I would post pictures, but the camera battery is dead. As I sit here typing, traditional gamelan music is flooding the streets from the Legong dance at the Ubud Palace. I did a quick You Tube search and found a video. Enjoy.

Return to Nyang-Nyang with Kannish

520 stair steps to the bottom (we counted)

Kannish and the Nyang-Nyang locals

Crazy Guys

Contemplating the paddle

Hard to see, but taking off on the shoulder

Going left

Brothers, back at the top

Nyang-Nyang Sunset

Went back to Nyang-Nyang a couple days ago with Kannish. Surfed again by myself! Head high to a little overhead and powerful. I could see super-hollow waves to the left and right of me. Chose the mellowest peak to surf until I get more comfortable withe the place. Sticky said the locals don't like to surf here because there is a dark energy. It's definately true. Water was clearer this day because it hadn't rained the night before and I could see that there are all kinds of intimidating holes and caves in the reef which create some pretty unsettling undercurrents.

Kannish got a few shots of me with the camera while the German couple pranced around naked up the beach (sorry, no pictures). After surf beach combing and hackey sack back at the top completed the experience.