Back on the board

Today I decided to get back in the water. My ear was feeling good, and I really couldn't handle another day with nothing specific in my schedule. Sitting on the beach all day is fun for awhile, but soon it becomes painfully boring. It was important to get back on my board today.



I bought a swimming cap last week, and chose to combine it with my earplugs to create a two-tiered defense against water in my ear. It was pretty dorky, but got the job done!

I also rented my board at a different board stand. I didn't really trust the guys at the other one, and I also wanted to try a new board. I opted for the 7'8" mini-malibu you see in the picture, instead of my 8'2" mini-malibu that I was using two weeks ago. I want to progress to a shorter board, so it was a good time to do it.

I had to learn to surf all over again. In the week I didn't surf, my body forgot pretty much everything! Also, the shorter board is less stable than the longer one, complicating matters more.

I went out for three sessions today. The first two were terrible...I couldn't even get up on my board. The new shorter board needed some getting used to, and I needed a few good waves to have a good day. In my last time out I found them. I got standing up again, and feel I'm ready to graduate from the white chop into a real wave.

I think I'm the world's slowest beginner, as far as surfing progression goes. It's a good thing it's fun, or I'd be pretty frustrated! I've been surfing the white frothy chop for the whole time I've been here, and have never caught a real wave. Someday, sometime, it'll get done. Hopefully before I leave Bali!



Here's my new board stand. Robin and Jake run it, and they're both from the northern part of Sumatra, another Indonesian island. After highschool, they both moved to Bali, and now rent surf boards on the beach.

Everyday, they wake up and bring the boards to the beach at around 7am. They stay on the beach all day, and clear the boards off the beach by about 6pm. They know all the local surfers, the local pros, and everyone that works the beach with them, selling food, drinks, or massages.

They don't own the boards, but simply man the stand. They get commission on the boards they rent, so like the other thirty board stands on the beach, they're always trying hard to get people to rent.

When they're not working to wheel customers, they're sleeping in the shade. Renting boards on the beach may not a hard job, but I imagine the payout isn't that great. I rented my board for 50 000 rupiah, which is about five dollars. It was the only board they rented today.

Both Robin and Jake enjoy asking me questions about English, and working on their grammar skills. When they moved to Bali a year ago, they both knew no English. Today, Jake was anxious to learn the proper use of the word "unless". It was a whole lot easier teaching English to 19 year-old Sumatrans then 3 year-old Chinese.

I will hit the beach again tomorrow, teaching English in the shade when I'm not surfing in my blue hat!