Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Day At The Beach

Day 33: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
Another day in paradise...
Have I used that line in this blog yet? If so, please forgive me, I've had such amazing luck on this trip finding these little pockets of heaven here in Asia that it's hard to articulate just how nice it is over here.
The blogging has been a bit irregular of late due to the demand on the one computer at the surf camp, as well as being the only one for the 8-15 guests staying the staff also use it for downloading photos of the daily surf sessions, doing the daily online surf report as well as all the miscellaneous tasks that go hand in hand with running a business in Bali.
First of all, the camera is working again after I finally found a new battery in Kuta so will be posting a stack of photos over the next few weeks, these go all the way back to El Nido and coron so I'll be adding those to the relevant previous posts on the blog. Got some great snaps over the last few days including some of the biggest surf all year round, so big that even the intructors wouldn't go out in it. Good times.
The average day at Padang Padang camp starts around 6am when everyone gathers around the common area and loads up the vans for the first session of the day. On a side note I plan to create one of these for my house when I get back to Oz, along with a few of the other features that Bali has down to a tea. It's generally decided the night before which break will be most suitable, given the abundance of beaches around the area there's always one which is breaking well on the day given the swell and tide conditions. Get to the beach about 6:30-7, surf for about 2 or 3 hours (depending on conditions), head back to camp for breakfast which is made by the camp team and meet with the other team and compare notes (there are two teams which go out, beginners and advanced).
From here it's rest and relaxation time, you can read a book on the comfy hammocks, go for a swim in the pool, watch a dvd, play tennis, order a masseuse or jump on a motorbike (scooter) and head into the village to run your errands or watch the surf at the local breaks.
The next session starts in the afternoon (again, he timing is dictated by the tide and conditions), the vans are loaded up and head to the beach, surf for another 2 or 3 hours then back to the camp for lunch.
As I mentioned there's quite a few people staying in the camp so after lunch, a swim and a shower, everyone will head into the local village for dinner at one of the many restaurants on offer, sip a few Bintangs and enjoy some nice food. It's usually pretty late by the time dinner is finished, from here everyone retires to their respective room for a sleep, however a few nights we have taken the 30 minute cab ride to Kuta for cocktails and seafood, this generally sees sore heads the next day as the drink specials and volume of alcohol present around Jalan Legian make it difficult to maintain your composure for very long a time.
The last week has flown by, time flies when you are having fun and I'm quite sad to know I have to leave this place in a couple of days, have made some great friends and had an awesome time but I will definitely be back here as soon as I can manage it in the near future.
Jumpa lagi!

1 comment:

  1. Great review. Very helpful when deciding to stay at Padang Padang Surf Camp, and I also loved it.

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