Padang Padang

Day 31: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia

Aah Bali, these guys know how to live.

Got in to Dempasar Airport on Monday night and was picked up by the transfer to Padang Padang Surf Camp for a week of sun, surf and relaxation on the holiday island of Bali, Indonesia.

I used to surf heaps as a teenager but it's been quite some time since I have been out, my fingers were crossed that I would still have the muscle memory needed to manange the cat like balance required to ride the waves without falling off.

Padand Padang Surf Camp is awesome! Run by Andrew and his wife Ina, it embodies everything that the world has come to love about Bali. From the wooden wind chimes that jangle gently in the breeze, the hammocks and sitting mats on which to relax, snooze or read a book to the thatched huts full of ultra comfy bamboo furniture the place is built to recline and chill out either before or after the twice daily surf sessions.

The camp is inhabited by a diverse mix of nationalities, as I write there is a Korean car designer (Sophie) swimming in the pool with an Aussie dive instructor (Simon), Dutch chef Mika is reading a book, French Sales Exec Lon is showing Austrian Brigitte Nielsen lookalike Lauren the snaps he took today on his camera as her Italian boyfriend Renie chooses his favourite Jack johnson mix to play on the camp's stereo. Diverse indeed.

The group dynamic changes daily as people arrive and leave, everyone spends the evenings together exploring Padang and Kuta's restaurants and bars, last night we enjoyed a fantastic seafood restaurant on the beach at Jimomaliya Beack sipping margaritas as the sunset which was so nice that the drinking session was still in full effect at 3am this morning.

Not so good for the 6:00am surf session in the morning though....

In other events, I took the new Olympus Tough out in the water yesterday and am just waiting for the seals to dry before I download some pics, so happy to have a camera again!