Entries about surfing

My friend Trey and I journeyed down to the Bukit Penninsula in search of some surf.
The ride down was a bit tough with my stomach still aching from the day before but later in the afternoon is settled down.
Trey knew a driver who took us down the coast and we found a nice place to stay in Padang Padang. A very nice place , with my own room no longer dorm style bunks! Our own bathroom, beautiful gardens and a gorgeous clean very private pool. All for about 8$ a night. We don't have A/C but I have a fan, and there's a nice outside shower too.

Right down the road is a yummy cafe called Buddha Soul with an amazing amazing chic pea feta salad but the first day I couldn't eat any solid food yet so I ordered some fresh green tea kombucha and iced ginger tea drink. The perfect hangover or sickness cure.

I thought Valentines Day was a commercial Americanized Holiday but right across the street from us the restaurants are decked out. We decided to explore the area and rented a motor bike and get away from all that nonsense. This area of Bali is much more spread out than Sanur and Seminyak and Trey knows his way on a bike so I put my helmet on and trusted him and all is well.

The first day we explored Pendawa Beach Balis best kept secret. It actually had some good surf, epic views, and lime stone statues everywhere of Hindu Gods. Throughout our stay in this area we found an awesome cheap local Warung to eat at (Warung means 'place to eat' but usually means a place with authentic local indonesian food for very very cheap) .
Throughout the week we surfed another beach right next to Pendawa, Padang Padang, and Uluwatu. I didn't think I was going to surf any of these areas but this week the swell is pretty small for Bali and I woke up every day and checked it and didn't count myself out. I even surfed at Uluwatu and all we had was a 6'2 tiny short board (which I never ever ride) and I went out there in a super crowded line up and hung in. I know to some of you surfers I sound like a total dork right now, but I'm very proud of my willingness and progress in my surfing abilities . But more surf and time in the water means more sun, and sometimes my body is too burnt and worn out to be as fully dedicated to my yoga practice as I should be. I am brushing it off because the last two weeks of my trip should be yoga non stop.
One day was pretty small and we rented a SUP to surf and do some yoga on and did some snorkeling.
I like to challenge my practice on the SUP because poses that normally I take for granted and can always do are suddenly so much harder. Head stand was quickly accessible for me, forearm stand took a while longer but I am now comfortable with, and I am still getting used to the handstand. But it's still quite scary because if you drop back into wheel you can slip and slam your back on the board, which I've done and it hurts. But fear does not prevent death it prevents life! Right? So I kept trying And that day I did catch more hang time on the SUP than I ever have. My falls are getting more graceful, but I did take one that some limbs landed on the board and that's when I called it a day haha.

In this area you can get caught up in the single surfer almost club like scene and spend a whole lot of money or you can motor bike around and find the chill surfer vibe. After paying for a watermelon mixed drink at the Single Fin Uluwatu that cost more than the place I am staying, we decided to stick with the Warungs.

Haven't done much yoga in the past few days because I am so sun burnt from surfing, but I must say this area has been my favorite thus far.
One of our last nights here We put on our purple sarongs to cover our knees in the sweltering heat and caught a beautiful sunset at the infamous Uluwatu Temple. This temple was smaller than Tanahlot but it was more about the view, a long walk on giant cliffs over the ocean. If the breath taking view wasn't enough this temple gets its character from those meditating around it and the little monkeys running around that look and act so human it reminds you how much we are all connected. We shared some quiet moments with the monkeys as we all watched the sun the energy source that supports us all, lower over the Indian Ocean.
I said thanks to the sun for all the energy I am given, for growing our food and providing us warmth and light. Feeling so grateful for the life I am given but also proud of myself for choosing to live it. For choosing to go out in the water, to come to Asia alone, to follow a spiritual path and sometimes dare to be different than the average. Because life is not happening to us, it's responding to us, and only I can create the life I want to live. I must be true to myself and what I want. And respect others and what they want to do. Because in the end we are all connected by the same sun that warms us all and the same love that we all seek.

I arrived 6 am feb 7th. Shared a cab with a new friend after bartering with the taxi drivers at the airport and got dropped off at my place. I had forever been thinking I arrive February 8th and not 7th and of course I messed up my booking. So when I showed up I got a room for the first night as well. The room I originally booked was full so I got another one with air conditioning. It is a little pricey compared to what I'd like to be paying but I do have my own room and porch and bathroom it's very private, but it is still not quite the American hotel which is fine and to be expected. ( Ashley there were spider webs all over my shower ! )
I settled in and started to explore, it took me a while to get my bearings. I had an Indonesian health tumeric juice and breakfast. I forgot my lock and light and charger adapter I was supposed to bring so I did a little shopping . (Mom you'd be so happy the only flash light they sold at this market comes with a built in tazor for self defense if you charge it ) I feel pretty safe anyway, although I stick out as a tourist like a sore thumb, the Indonesians are harmless people, they just can be a little tricky and want to sell you something every five minutes.
I made it down to the beach and the waves were pumping and the beach was hot. I took my first dive in the Indian Ocean and watched some skilled surfers mixed in with plenty of beginners on surf boards, I contemplated going myself a few blocks down were it was a bit smaller and there is no reef, but decided I didn't want to get beat up my first day and I had spent enough money today.
I wandered my way back to my hotel looking like a total lost 'shoobie' as we would say. I had Been wandering around looking for a yoga teacher olap, a friend told me to find in seminyak, but was sun burnt already, dehydrated and had been up for two days, so I gave up on the first day. I could have paid a cab driver to take me but like I said I spent too much money because of my own forgetfulness that day and I figured I should meet this talked up yoga guru in a more refreshed state. It was only about 12 o'clock then and I was feeling discouraged, I wanted to stay up for the sunset but could do nothing else but pass out in bed by 2pm. I woke at 10 pm disoriented thinking it was the next day, and realized it was night time. Went back to sleep till 5 am today.

Today I wake up refreshed and calmed. I open My Daily book of living your yoga, yesterday's passage says you cannot get to grandmas house if you do not go through the woods, similarly, you cannot have the paradise bali is, untill you travel across the world and deal with the chaos that it also is. Today's passage is about patience . Yesterday I lacked patience, I expected myself to have it all figured out in one day. I was not connected, or confident. Today I will watch anytime feelings of frustration or anger come up and recognize that I am disconnecting from myself....
Morning meditation and chanting
108 x Ganesha mantra
OM GUNG GANAPATEYEH NAMAHA
Ganesha is the ruler of the root chakra, our seat of confidence, groundedness, feeling at home. He is the remover of obstacles.
... Fast forward 8 hours...
This time yesterday I was a mess. Today I have gone for a run, know my way around town a bit, had some Indonesian black rice coconut milk porridge, surfed in seminyak, made some new friends, found olaps place thanks to a free motor bike ride from a kind local surfer and now am going to watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean for the first time. Life is good ❤️ phew. ?