The Perfect Storm: Sun, surf and Swedes

24^th – 25^th April 2015

The Convicts: Dane, Josh, Storm and Ben

Our first night in Gerupuk was one of fun and feasting. Dane and the guys treated us to beers as we enjoyed our shore leave. It turned out that Dane has been living in Lombok for a few years now and coordinates a few of the surf guides in town. Gerupuk is popular with backpackers due to the cheap surf schools and range of surf on offer. Breaking waves appear all around the bay from small white waves on washing over hidden sand bars to giant green waves slamming close to the rocky headland at the mouth of the bay. Dane and his Lombok son were kind enough to introduce us to a group of Swedish birds who had been having lessons in town for a few days and we made plans to meet up for a surf session the following morning.

Plenty of obstacles in Gerupuk Bay

The sheltered bay offered something of a rarity an interrupted night’s sleep and after a swift breakfast we regrouped with Dane and the girls for some surfing. Sadly a slack tide meant the conditions were pretty crap in Gerupuk on this occasion so Storm offered to treat our party to a day trip to Ekas, a bay East of Gerupuk which promised to offer true Lombok tranquillity away from any tourism.

All set for the surf session

The sail to Ekas was easy enough as the sea remained calm and the weather warm. The famous rugged coastline continued and as someone who always enjoyed Geography and Geology I couldn’t help but be impressed by the range of weathered natural structures. As we sailed close to the isle of Ekas it became apparent to all that Dane had not overestimated the area. The scar on the landscape that are so prominent on the western side of the island are non-existent leaving only small scale farming of rice, livestock and sea life. The hotels and guesthouses that can be found all over the region are nowhere to be seen although as from what Dane told it wouldn’t be long before the developers move in. What we witnessed was a scene that few outsiders ever get to see and it was all due to the Strikly Bizness. Despite the lack of tourism our first surf spot was a little crowded as the local lads wasted the day away. After my briefly successful surf in java I was confident I could move up to a hard board. It’s amazing how a combination of beer and trying to impress some chicks makes you forget your limitations and in my case it’s that I have possibly the worst balance of anyone on the planet. That being said I’m pretty confident I can face plant better than most. Whilst Ben, Josh, Dane and Storm spent the afternoon showing off their skills developed over a lifetime of living by the coast I spent the same time working on my impression of a sock in a washing machine and was quite pleased when the call finally came to return to the yacht after being pommeled amongst the shallow, rocky shoreline.

Our gang of stowaways

With the surfing finished for the day and the sun setting we sailed slowly back to town with the Bintang flowing and without a care in the world. After all the sleepless nights it was nice to finally see what all the effort was for and I can truly see the appeal of purchasing a yacht and the freedom it gives you to explore (if you have the money). For Maria, Frida 1, Frida 2 and Laura the day was a nice trip towards the end of their Indonesian holiday.

Nice end to a good day

Our last night in Lombok was a good time to reflect on the last few days and I’m truly thankful that fate and luck gave us the opportunity to return to the island and give it the second chance it deserves. Lombok remains Bali’s sleepy neighbour and I really hope the rate of development for tourism doesn’t take away the tranquil, relaxed pace of the island. Backpackers don’t visit this region for huge piss ups, foam parties, McDonalds or western influences they come for the nature, relaxation and slow paced lifestyle and I really hope that continues for many years to come.

The Perfect Storm: Deserted at Desert Point

23^rd – 24^th April 2015




Bungs Bunga Bay

I had never heard of Bunga Bunga Bay before, in fact I’m still sure the guys had the name mixed up with a Servio Berlesconi party. Despite the area having a name that a UKIP politician would give to any African nation the scene that greeted the crew at sunrise after a pretty rough first night was pretty special. The bay itself was enclosed by vegetation rich hills on three sides. The shallow natural harbour gave the sea a beautiful opal tint and the sound of small fishing boats motoring on out to the open sea comingled with the sound of the sloshing tide. The spot would have been a nice place to waste a day if it wasn’t for the unsheltered western flank. The decision to lay anchor here was solely to provide rest bite from the swelling tide and sadly the shallow bay was not all that suitable. The Strikly Bizness uncontrollable swaying left Storm no choice but to change his plans and search for a more suitable site of anchorage. After consulting Ben and Josh our colleagues set course for Desert Point on the South Eastern tip of the island.

Anchorage close to Desert Point

It took perhaps an hour to relocate and satisfied the ship was not going to capsize Storm set out the day’s agenda. After a hearty fry up with vegemite (naturally) we lowered the dingy o explore desert point. The area is famous with surfers for some of the largest waves in Lombok and as keen surfers Ben and Josh was keen to get stuck in. Sadly the conditions were not favourable due to changes in the tide but we were able to make use of the snorkels and fins. We had last snorkelled in the Gili Islands where we had a great time exploring reefs overpopulated by tourists. The great thing about Desert Point is that although the reefs are in no way as large as in the Gilis, they are pristine and untouched. Being landlocked in central England for our entire lives certainly made us feel inadequate amongst the lads who thrived on or in the ocean. Storm, Josh and Ben are all used to free diving which enabled them to get up close with the reef life.  After a few hours we returned to the small bay where the Strikly Bizness was waiting and made landfall for the first time since leaving Bali to grab a bite to eat in a small fishing village. The locals were pretty surprised to see tourist which was nice to see. When we visited the island after the Gili’s we were restricted to the tourist traps and never really felt we saw the “Real Lombok”. After a bit of asking around we managed to find a nice elderly lady willing to cook up some fish and rice. As we tucked into a ”nice” meal of un-gutted fish served with rice and banana fritters Josh caused a bit of a stir when he paid with a 100,000 IRP note. Awestruck by the payment the locals offered to put on a cock fight with their prized chickens and even let Josh spend the night in the village with the elderly ladies daughter (which left Josh a little awestruck too). Sadly we were on a mission and therefore a tight schedule and as the evening drew in we all knew it was time to move on.

Getting ready to snorkel at Desert Point

Consistent with the prior evening he heavens opened as we left Desert Point which once again left us with a shite night passage. The only consolation was that the trip around the South Eastern tip of Lombok to Blongas Bay would only take a few hours tops. Confident I would avoid the call up for watch I set about making the most of a slightly calmer sleep in my cabin. The cockroaches were final starting to recede now that the bombs were doing the job and I had final found a way to wedge myself in the bunk with some spare clothes. stale, warm air remained pungent and uncomfortable and there was no way of removing it as the bad weather meant all hatches had to remain closed but despite this I managed a few hours of uninterrupted rest. That was until I realised I was time for my watch and we hadn’t laid anchor.

The short trip had meant the agreed watch schedule had changed and after giving me the desired bearings Storm left me at helm with Ben. Neither of us were keen to be up. The precipitation was the kind that was neither heavy nor cold but retained an undying energy that crushed all prayers for even the slightest break in weather. We gritted our teeth and bared the misery for a whole hour and half before the rain began to die. The unpopulated coastline in this part of Lombok made the night feel much darker than during my first shift but even with the vale of shadow it was still possible to make out the silvery reflection of moonlight on the cliffs and headlands. As we turned towards the mouth of Blongas Bay our vision was helped by the electric lights on the wooden pontoons laid out by the local seaweed and lobster farmers. Satisfied we had a clear path Ben picked out a path towards safe anchorage and pressed our vessel forward while I set about sticking to course using the light between the sails to hold the line without looking at the compass. No sooner had the ship reached parallel with the two headlands Ben and I suddenly spotted an object floating amongst the gloom on the Portside. “What the hell is that?” Ben said. It kind of looked like a box or a chunk of floating Styrofoam at first but slowly grew into a much larger structure. Suddenly aware of what it was Ben suddenly turned to me and screamed “pontoon portside, hard turn to starboard”. As he hastily moved to my side I turned the helm as quick as possible away from the obstacle whilst Ben slowed the engine down to allow the ship to idle along. By this time the others had quickly woken from their unsettled sleep and assumed positions at the front of the yacht to relay information to Storm. It took over an hour to creep into Blongas and by the time we found safe anchorage away from any pontoons I was well and truly knackered. If we had hit just one floating platform it may have had devastating consequences to our voyage and even resulted in injuries to the rest of the crew but taking the risk to attempt such ventures and overcoming challenges is all part of taking the step away from convenient, tedious travel.

Leaving Desert Point

As with Bunga Bunga Bay, Blongas retained that same Lombok feel. The early morning mist burns away quickly here as the intense beams of sunshine highlight the beautiful turquoise bowl. The pontoons that caused so much stress to us the night before were now occupied by the local seaweed farmers. Storm and the gang were still keen to find a decent surf spot on Lombok’s south coast and despite the hype Blongas didn’t really cut the mustard with this group of beach bums. The harvesting of the seas fruits meant that many of the breakers were either obstructed or not large enough for decent surfing. Once again this meant another short stay as our sights turned to a bay that we were familiar with Gerupuk, East of Kuta. Exiting Blongas in daytime was a hell of a lot easier and by 3pm we had passed Kuta and arrived in Gerupuk bay. Jono and I had visited Gerupuk briefly a few weeks before when we explored the region on scooter. We knew the area was exceptionally good for surfing but had also informed Storm that like Blongas the bay would not be the easiest to find safe anchorage due to an even greater mass of pontoons. Thankfully we had a secret weapon as a good friend of Ben’s was in Gerupuk and knew the region like the back of his hand and after an hour or so of dodging buoys, pontoons, shallow sand bars and small boats we finally made landfall outside a bar with Ben’s mate Dane waiting with the booze.

Scooter around Kuta (Lombok)

5th- 8th April 2015

     Our first few minutes on Lombok didn’t quite go to plan. No sooner had we stepped onto the soft sandy shoreline we had lost money to a simple but effective ploy. The local horse drawn carriage taxis mass in the car park all too aware that at regular intervals throughout the day naïve foreigners are looking to pass swiftly through the village and onto popular destinations on the island. Information regarding where tourists find the minibus station is vague at best and they use this to their advantage. We were corralled onto one of these carriages and told the station was a long walk away so we needed a taxi. A transaction of cash was naturally expected and after a little haggling we got the cost down to a couple of quid. The “long” journey to the station turned out to be an 800m trot around the corner at a pace that would make a snail caught in treacle seem fast. So if you do make the small ferry crossing from the Gili’s to Lombok and you have the physique to complete a short walk don’t make our mistake and walk to the station yourself.

Kuta Hotel is a real Oasis amongst the hustle and bustle

     Two hours was all it took to reach the southern village of Kuta. It’s fair to say that the place is a little rough around the edges. The boutique hotels and basic family run guest homes are nestled amongst scrappy looking warungs and pothole ridden streets strewn with loose rubbish. It may leave you thinking what the hell the fuss is all about. After a quick sweep of the range of accommodation on offer we splashed out and checked into the aptly named Kuta Hotel. The place is owned by a couple of Spanish guys and offers large, clean, comfy rooms, an awesome swimming pool and a great buffet breakfast. If you’re on a budget you will want to give this place a miss as it is a the higher end of the price spectrum in town but you don’t need to look far as there are plenty of cheap and cheerful guesthouses dotted along the same street.

The south coast of Lombok is dotted with rugged but sheltered bays

     Kuta isn’t the real reason why backpackers flock to the south coast of the island. It’s the areas reputations for stunning coastal scenery, beaches and surf that keeps people coming back and the best way to find your inner beach bum is to hire a scooter and explore and your own pace. Almost every guesthouse has scooters to hire in town if you haven’t already brought a bike over from neighbouring Bali. Rentals are extremely cheap at an average of 50,000 IRP (£2.50 a day). Make sure you check the brakes and give the bike a ride around before committing and ensure they also provide you with a decent helmet. The locals don’t seem to care but there are plenty of potholes around and accidents do happen. Sure you look a bit stupid but you wouldn’t want the last memory of your travels to be sat in the emergency room of the nearest hospital.

Many locals make a living harvesting the fruits of the sea at Gerupuk

Tanjung A'an

Great spot for crabbing, Tanjung A'an

     You have two options when riding around Kuta. East to Gerupuk or West to Mawun? East of the village along the road towards Gerupuk you’ll pass the litter ridden and unsightly Kuta beach. It’s a convenient place to wander if you lack a scooter and offers good views but it won’t take long before the ever persistent kids selling crappy bracelets and old women offering to cripple you with a back massage get on your nerves. It’s only when you get 3.5km away to seger beach where you’ll find the first real surf spot. The surf is variable here but mostly suitable for beginners and intermediates. 7km east is the popular spot of Tanjung A’an. It’s all about the soft white sand here and it doesn’t take much encouragement to waste away an afternoon under the sun and maybe taking the odd swim in the turquoise bay. All the beaches along the coast have at least one warung and if you feel a bit peckish it’s never hard to find a local willing to cook up some nasi goring and throw a can of bintang your way.
 

      

The roads continue to deteriorate as you reach the fishing village of Gerupuk. If surfings your thing look no further as the shallow bay offers four surf spots ranging from suitable to beginners to advanced. Most of the locals offer lessons although you do require a ferry to get out to the breakers at a cost of 150,000 IRP (£12) for two hours. If you’re looking to stay close to the surf gerupuk has a few cheap guesthouses run by the restaurants and cafes. Jono and I gave it a miss with the surfing this time as it was low tide when we arrived but it was clear from the steady stream of backpackers that this is the best place to learn to surf in the region.

View from a headland at the secret surf spot just a few kilometres east of Kuta

     On our second day with the scooter we turned our attention west of Kuta towards the bay of Mawun. The road this side of town is a little more interesting as the warn tarmac ascends the rocky headland scarred by small quarries and scattered with tiny colonies of shacks. It’s the best place to get a great view of the low lying patchwork of rice fields and crystal waters below. You have to pay a small toll to access the track to Mawun beach which apparently goes towards maintaining the road but evidence of this is limited but the guys at the barrier seem to have a steady supply of alcohol. Mawun is another great swimming spot and I think you may be able to find a little surf if you can wrangle a local guy with a boat to get you out of the sheltered bay. It was certainly good enough to distract us away from heading further west.



Easy to see why we wasted a day at Mawun Beach

      Back in Kuta we once again crossed paths with our pal Alberto (Yogyakarta & Ubud). Being an experienced surfer Alberto had been drawn towards Gerupuk and Mawi after exploring the Bali surf havens around Uluwatu. We were in no way good enough to join him on the kind of surf he was searching for but regardless of that it always nice to bump into a familiar face and catch up on travelling tales over a few beers.

Locals here rely on the fertile volcanic soil for their staple food rice 

     Our stay on Lombok was brief but we stayed long enough to grab a glimpse of an island quickly embracing tourism and reaping the benefits of development but still manages to retain a back and beyond feel (for a few years longer at least).              

Medewi Beach: Bali's quiet surf retreat

15th-19th March 2015

Not bad for our first sunset in Bali

    

Heifer on the halfway line

It took us no time at all to find transportation from the ferry terminal at Gilmanuk. Unless you want to explore the nearby national park in Bali’s extreme north-western peninsula there is no real need to hang around. After turning away the usual taxi and bemo touts that lurk around whenever a ferry arrives we soon found a public bus heading to Denpassar, the islands capital. We knew that our intended destination was located halfway down the western coast of the island and any transportation to Denpassar (which there were many) would pass by soon enough. The public busses are pretty small, cramped and resemble knackered VW campervans but are by far the cheapest way to travel to the islands main destinations. It cost us 70,000 IRP for both of us which equates to £3.50 and for that price it was worth losing the blood flow to our legs for 40 minutes.

Medewi is a hell of a catch

     At first glance Medewi didn’t look like much. The small fishing village is strewn with family run convenience shops hugging the main road selling the usual essentials of snacks, water and fuel. Some may offer a few more expertise such as basic vehicle repairs or have even branched out as a sole greasy spoon café but if you wander away from the busy, chaotic mass of trucks, buses and scooters on the main road and head towards the coast what you find is a little bit of real Bali.



What do you mean the rooms double booked!

     This one road surf retreat offers a few accommodation options ranging from a 1,000,000 IRP a night hotel on the coast (a strange place to have an exclusive resort hotel considering most of the visitors are die hard surfers well accustomed to basic digs but the fact that it had no paying customers at the time probably says it all) to basic, family run homestays. Being the budget backpackers we are we were quite content with opting for the homestay. We weren’t planning on spending all day indoors anyway. This was the first time we had been by a beach for a few weeks and we planned to make the most of it.  The twin room we vacated cost 100,000 IRP (£5) per night with breakfast included and the family running the place were incredibly welcoming and even offered to drive us to the nearest ATM (5km away) if we ever needed it.

   

To say that the beach is a little rocky is an understatement

Right Ross you can do this

  If you’re the sort of person who gets bored easily the only option you have to beat the chilled out vibe is to grab a board and hit the surf. After my short three hour class on the steady sloping, white sand beach at Pangandaran I was full of confidence and grabbed a long board which resembled a kayak more than surf board, while Jono longed to be in there with the best of them and picked the shortest board he felt he could stand on comfortably. The swell wasn’t the greatest and we had to show a little patience waiting for the right wave.


Whoa!



SHIIIIIITTTTT! (Actually looks pretty badass) 

Sometimes hanging around admiring the stunning coastline with the quintessentially Asian panorama of rice fields and buffalo’s in coastal valleys loomed over by great volcanic peaks for ten to twenty minutes at a time but we managed to catch a couple of waves at least. Medewi isn’t the most beginner friendly place for surfing and although locals are happy to offer their service as instructors for a little cash I’m certain there are better places along the coast. When we visited the good surf is narrow and you have to fight your way through other, more experienced surfers to make the most of it. Added to this large rocks with razor sharp barnacles dominates the black sand coast and its’ very easy for someone as inexperienced as myself to end up back first on the volcanic strata. If you do visit make sure you hire some of the boots to protect the sole of your feet when the wading back to shore. We ignored this the first day and hobbled around like two old guys for the remainder of our stay.

    

Anyone heading to Australia?

I wish I could say more about our stay in Medewi but I cannot. We had a great time surfing, avoiding involuntary laceration, chilling out in the late afternoon with a cheap bottle of Bintang, watching the sun setting behind the distant hills whilst the local fishermen bring in the days catch. As our friendly Australian neighbor who has visited Medewi over the last twenty five years explained “If you’re the sort of person who enjoys giving your hard earned cash to luxury chain hotels owned by foreign billionaires c***s with a walled compound ensuring you have no contact with the local population then Medewi is probably not for you. If however you want to see one of the few parts of Bali that hasn’t yet been discovered by the tourist hoards then you will love it”.  

Surfs Up in Pangandaran

4th - 7th February 2015

     It was another full day by bus to the coastal town of Pandandaran and once again the road was hard going and pot hole ridden. The bus was extremely cheap and basic. No A/C or W/C but there were tinted windows thanks to the dense cloud of cigarette smoke but a little discomfort was worth suffering to get to the beach.

 

Bamboo Beach Café



The J Dog

We quickly found lodgings at the “Bamboo House”. A small guesthouse run by locals with a range of rooms with fan or A/C and en-suite. The lady running the place was always keen to offer advice on local tours and the best local hangouts.

The last light of the day was dying and we hadn’t had a good meal all day so we decided to wander around. Pandandaran isn’t a large place and you can get around quite easily on foot although you will be pestered by the rickshaw drivers. As we strolled about the first thing we noticed was just how low lying the land was to the extent where many of the homes close to paddy fields lay submerged in a few foot of water. In fact the number of tsunami warning signs was enough to convince us that the local folk were well used to living with the scornful side of Mother Nature.

We grabbed a beer at the “Bamboo Beach Café” which unsurprisingly was established by the son of our guesthouse owner. With a prime viewpoint of the stunning coastline “Bamboo Café” is a popular spot for foreign travelers thanks to its friendly and chilled atmosphere and top notch cuisine. When we were told they provided the best food in town we thought that was just advertising spiel but it made the dishes we ate in Jakarta seem like a Little Chef meal.


Pangandaran Beach

     The draw of Pangandaran was mostly due to the town’s reputation for good surf and it didn’t take long for us to find a local instructor. Joe spends a lot of his time around the Bamboo Café and after showing us some past reviews we decided to arrange a surf lesson for the following morning. Jono had surfed before in New Zealand and the UK but it was my first time and I was a little nervous. Probably because I had not exercised in months other than lifting a pint to my mouth.

     We got up bright and early in preparation for our class. Joe was a pretty chilled out guy and took his time in ensuring we knew all the basics which as far as I could gather were line your board up straight, when you see a good wave paddle like hell and try to stand up. Now I have pissed about body boarding as a kid before and more recently been on a few snowboarding trips and any of my friends and family will confirm that I have piss poor balance, but after a few attempts with the long board even I managed to stand up be it for a whole two seconds. Jono opted for the hard board and naturally took to it like a pro. He says he joined our class to give me moral support but I think he really wanted to show me up. The setting on Pangandaran beach is a scene fit for a postcard, with the nearby national park peninsula blanketed in a jungle canopy to the east and the curved bay populated with ever growing breakers and the distinct distant silhouettes of nearby strato-volcanoes to the west.


Jonah

 

We were quite content with spending a few days close to the beach, surfing in the morning and afternoon but there are other sights that draw people to the south west Java shore. The National Park located just outside town can be access by foot or by boat and is supposed to contain a few caves and enough jungle for a small trek. The downside is that according to the locals the wildlife is limited mostly monkeys that harass visitors for food. We have visited similar coastal spots in the past like Monkey Beach near Penang, Malaysia so this didn’t really offer enough to drag us away from the sand.

If you’re willing to venture further afield then most guesthouses and hotels in towns offer tours to “The Green Canyon” and “Green Valley” where visitor can trek, climb and tube their way along the turquoise river waters and steep cliffs and caves. Many people we met had opted for a day trip and considered it a highlight of Indonesia but for once we were quite content with giving the day tours a miss and soaking up the sun instead. No matter how long you travel sometimes you have to accept you cannot see or do everything.


A traditional fishing boat

In many ways we were sad to leave Pangandaran after three nights and could have quite happily stayed a week or two. Sadly we had wave Joe and the Bamboo House goodbye and head to Yogyakarta to sort out our visa extension. Boring I know but without it we have no chance of finding a boat in Bali.