G-Land Photos

G-Land

There is such an abundance of beauty here on the Southeastern Corner of Java. It is only a short boat ride from Bali to this jungle paradise. We are in our last week of our two months in Indonesia and I am for the first time feeling my connection to this place and the beginning of sorrow for the time that we will leave. We have met some beautifully natured people and some kindred spirits this last leg our Indonesian journey. This has enabled me to connect all of our experiences and reflect upon them with these good feelings I have now. I have a clear view unjaded by previous discomforts.

We made a spontaneous choice to come to G-Land. One of those divinely timed, pack your bags now kind of decisions (and a good one it was!). I could stay here for a while. We are situated in the back of the Bobby's Surf Resort amidst giant bamboo clusters and away from the general bustle of the resort. But we are still close enough to the beach to wake at night and through the stillness hear the roar and the crashing of the waves across the reef. Every morning I hear my gecko alarm clock it usually starts to sing around 5:30, "Ge-kooo Ge-kooo." I wake up, walk out with a pillow to my golden hammock and see the morning light shooting through the bamboo canopy. Before too long I more than likely have walked down to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee to sip in the hammock while turning pages of whichever book I am in the middle of. Besides book reading I am fully entertained by the jungle around me. Just this morning I saw a procession of monkeys emerge from the trees in a single file line jumping from bamboo branch to bamboo branch, into the forest of our camp. There were maybe thirty of them, male, female, youth and babies clinging to their mothers bellies. I hear the birds chirping, and some crying out a piercing song to one another. The camp dog, a golden retriever named Molly, has become a good friend of mine. She tags along as I walk to the beach or back to my room. Once the monkeys see her they all come out of the trees in order to yell and hiss and bear their teeth. But she still follows me regardless of the harrasment. In return I shower her with affection and food. She always has an amiable smile especially while showing off by chasing small sea animals through the tide pools.

Each day is over before I know it. Breaky lunch and dinner provide enough structure to let the time slip through the day like water from a glass, so smoothly, then one day into the next so that I can not distinguish which was which. Each day is so enjoyable.

We came here with our Swedish friend Fredrik who we had met in Sumba then saw again on our plane to Bali. He had also been to Rote earlier this trip just like us. The three of us travelled to the camp first in a large van from Legion (Bali) across land then onto a ferry (which I had completely forgotten about untill our return) then a few more hours by land, and finally onto another boat which took us straight to the resort. This sounds like a bit of a hassle but it was the easiest trip we have had in Indonesia. Everything was taken care of for us. We were like the kids in the back of the car with no worries. After getting to camp we settled into our budget rooms and kicked back.

A few days after our arrival an American guy joined us. It was his 40th trip to G-Land in the last 30 years. This poor guy was so sweet, but was taken away by the police after someone tipped them off that he was smoking stogies. There is a heavy sentence here for those caught with marijuana. "Punished by death" is what all of the signs say throughout the airports. This fellow has some good connections, hopefully that will be enough to get him out of the Indonesian justice system sooner than later. I just saw an Indonesian newspaper with his photo on the front, saying that he will have to serve 15 years. It is hard because the crime he committed is nothing big in our culture but here in Indo it has such devastating consequences. The whole situation really affected my heart, seeing this guy leave was like watching a dead man walking. The morning they took him, we'd checked the waves together and shared a pack of oreos and enjoyed a conversation, then a few hours later he was being forced away to the unknown, to a new very difficult sort of life.

It is funny how some people follow the same path but separately. Aside from Fred traveling to the same places we had in the same order, our second day here in G-Land we saw a couple from Canada who we had met in Rote, then missed in Sumba by a few days, they hit Bali then showed up here just like we had. It is interesting to see the patterns and meet the personalities of these travelers. Aside from having nearly fifteen thousand islands Indonesia is a small country when it comes to surf tourism. I think that Jess and I have covered a lot of ground while traveling here. We've done a good job taking the road less traveled by most first timers.

There is something about meeting people when you travel, where you bond on a different level than if you had met at home. There is an openness available, and a connection of shared experiences. Our orientation to G-Land introduced us to some wonderful friends, Rachel and Jeff, and Analiese and Chris. These Australian couples were so much fun, and such wonderful people. I hope to see them again in the future.

Yesterday I met a Hawaiian named Cora. We went surfing together down the road at tiger tracks with a few friends from camp. This was possibly the most amazing day of surfing I have ever had. We walked from the road and through the jungle on a hard packed earth trail speckled with little orange fallen flower. Once we hit sand we wound through the long white arms of the beach trees which had a canopy of bright green flat leaves. Then, looking out I saw the water, blue like glacial ice merging with cream colored sand bordering it. The sunlight poured out across the horizon creating a thousand sparkling diamonds. Each wave that would break looked like an avalanche of fresh snow. This place was a piece of paradise. As beautiful as anyone could imagine. Only our group was surfing that day, so we joked and laughed and shared the waves cheering each other on. As we left that afternoon, I did my best to take each sensation and memory from the day. I replayed them and savored them, I wrapped myself up in them breathing them into me. Carefully preserving the wealth of joy they had given me.

When we returned I found the boys watching nature take it's course as a snake had skillfully wound it's body around a gecko and was in the process of strangling it. The gecko had no chance. Ah, the circle of life. I actually heard the bones of the gecko crack as the snake tightened it's grip.....Cora came over and we took advantage of this rare opportunity to have a mini photo shoot.

Aside from from these photos, everyday I walk out onto the reef and shoot photos of Jesse and other surfers. It takes a bit of time walking out to take the photos, and my toes have become soar from bending to the contours of the reef. But there are always interesting creatures to observe and I definitely appreciate the exercise. The boys have had some awesomely gigantic waves and overall are really happy with the surf. The food is decent, actually more than that, it is really good and healthy. There is a nonstop flow of coffee ready to feed my habitual cravings, I do not resist. And I have been thinking about how amazing it is, how rich and flavorful is. Until just this morning I saw one of the staff refilling it with Nescafe, really Nescafe! I must be desperate or just fooling myself, but I really like it.

We only made a few trips outside of camp other than walking to the surf. A group of nine of us piled into the clunky jungle truck provide by the resort and took a trip to a local cave, temple, and animal feeding ground. The walk to the cave was much more exciting than the cave itself. The temple was fun to see and the feeding grounds had a peacock, a heard of deer, a pig, and hrmm, I think that was all. It was a fun day, and well worth going for. Another fun "cultural event" was shared one night when a instrumental group and four traditional dancers came to the resort. They performed then had everyone come out and dance with them four at a time. I think that everybody enjoyed this.

Well, we leave G-land soon, back to Bali for a few days, and then we will take four flights to Siargao. (weather permitting) Love to all!!! Jessica

Faces

Sumba: Waingapu -> Wakabubak -> Pero -> Waingapu -> Secret Surf Spot...

Once we got to Sumba we stayed a few days in the town of Waingapu where we had internet and some decent food. We scheduled our ticket to Bali and set out to Western Sumba. The Wild West. This area is known for its traditional beliefs and tribal practices. Megalithic burial is still extremely common here as well as in the rest of Sumba. When there is a death of a King or member of the royal family, there are hundreds of buffalo chickens and goats sacrificed, and the servant of the King is always buried with him. So if he hadn't died yet, he would before the ceremony. We took a five hour bus ride from Waingapu to Wakabubak with a nice Swedish girl named Ida who we met on the Ferry ride.

Wakabubak was a special town, slightly smaller than Waingapu. The treat of visiting Wakabubak is being able to explore the villages on the hills called Kampungs. (shown in the last slide show) They are comprised of traditional style homes built out of colossal bamboo for the walls and floors and have thatched roofs with a tall center. The middle originally had an area where the men could exit the roof and fight for there homes and families if under attack. Also being built on stilts and on a hill, the homes within these kampungs have the advantage of height to ward off invaders. There are giant tomb monoliths on the outside of most peoples homes, made out of cement or stone slabs, with carvings of bulls lining the sides. While eating dinner in Wakabubak, we met a really nice Indonesian named Ringo from Jakarta. We later found out that he is a high ranking police officer assigned to help in Sumba for two years, away from his family in Jakarta. We made plans to all travel together the next day to Pero.

Pero is full of born warriors and is constantly at odds with the surrounding villages. As soon as we drove in, we found out that two people had died that day as a result of a conflict between the villages. Just walking down the street you can sense a difference in the people and the streets compared to peaceful Rote.

That night we enjoyed a bonfire on the beach, underneath a sky full of stars. Four Austrian guys and Ida joined Jesse Ringo and I. We had a really nice evening. The next morning Jesse, Ringo, and I hired some local boys to take us out on their boat a little ways up the river to do some fishing. There were no fish, but the scenery of mangroves surrounding the river were enough for us to enjoy. On a whim Jess and I decided to leave that day with Ringo, back to Wakabubak, and then to Waingapu. We'd had enough of the area. and were glad to have at least seen it. We went back to Waingapu and spent the night before heading out to Tarimbang.

The ride from Waingapu to Tarembang was insane. (shaking head) How do I describe this....well, to start, we were told by several different sources where to wait for the 6:00am bus. We showed up at 5:30 to find that they were all wrong. Luckily we found the bus and got on before they left town. Actually, we got on then stopped and didn't leave town for another two hours while they gathered supplies to take. The bus is not a bus at all. It is a giant truck with five rows of wooden slab seats for people to sit on five across. It is loaded to the brim with rice bags spare tires, boxes, cartons of oil and food supplies. There are two giant speakers on either side (probably made in the 80's) blasting fuzzy Indonesian pop songs. Jesse and I layed out a blow up sleep mattress across and up the back of our seat, then popped in some earplugs and dramamine in effort to make the trip endurable. Every seat was full and there were three guys who would rotate between the roof the side of the truck and a small crawl space inside to flirt with the girls. Within two hours of our trip we blew out a tire. That delayed us an extra hour or two. The last bit of the road, was a one lane goat path across the mountainous ridges leading to the ocean. The truck swayed from side to side and chugged up the steep potholed hills. Aside from being scary, this last part was very beautiful. There were hills as far as my eyes could see, covered with fresh grassy growth and crisscrossed by buffalo walkways and covered with the shadows of heavy gray bottomed cumulonimbus clouds. Eventually we made our way down through some dense jungle where I saw monkeys sitting in the crutch of several trees. There were vines falling across branches connecting one tree with another. Finally we made it to Tarimbang, haggled our way back down to a fair price from the overly inflated one the driver suggested, and settled into our hut at Marthens. The only thing I could think of was how excited I was to eat oatmeal in the mornings as it had been said we would.


Earlier today our friend from California, Micheal, gave me a chunk of milk chocolate with almonds from Trader Joe's and I teared up. I never knew how much a piece of chocolate could affect my emotional status. There are many joys from home that we miss. Jess and I have to be careful not to talk about these things too much we don't want to taint our experience here with pointless thoughts.

It has been five months since we flew out of SFO, and we have three months before we will return. The brightest thing in the next month to happen will be the visit from my brother Daniel. Having home come to me is more than I could ask for.

Jess and I have been in Sumba for around two weeks now. The beach is a short walk away with white sand and blue water, nestled between two towering cliffs. The beach is such a long stretch around. At high tide the water hits the rocks on the cliffs and at low tide you can walk across the hard packed sand comfortably. There are hardly any people around. I walk down to the shore in the afternoon and am the only one there.

There are five individual huts and two four bedroom shared structures, as well as a common area in the center where all of the guests share meals and spend the day. Right now this place is packed with people .This is the busiest Marthen's Homestay has ever been. There are actually two mattresses being used by some Aussies in the family's home. Jesse and I have our own hut, then three other southern Californians and an Austrian have huts, there are seven Kiwis, three Australians, a Swede, two French, and an Indonesian staying in the other rooms.

It is basic here. I really mean basic. The family has help around because they are building a home. So on top of the extra guests there are construction help staying on the property and there is only one bathroom. It is the worst bathroom I have ever seen (except for the one on the boat to Sumba). A small room with a raised area that the squat toilet sits on, it is built poorly and angles down aginst the wall so there is a constant puddle of accumulated water that has been spilled or splashes out of the toilet onto it. Half of the time this toilet is clogged up anyways. Most of the people at the camp go number two in the woods or down by the beach. Where it is much cleaner. Around four days it has rained here. I was talking to the French guys who had a leaking roof, and pigs sleeping direclty benieth one of their rooms. Apparently when there is nobody sleeping in that room, the dogs use it as a bed. One said the stench was terrrible and it was difficult to sleep at night because the dogs were scratching on the door for hours after he barred them out with his surfboard bag. Later he lifted up his besheet and found dog "poo" on the matress!!! This poor guy. He was so nice and so ufortunate.

When asked what Sumban people like to eat more, and given the choices of chicken, pork, beef, fish, or dog. They agreed that they much prefer dog over the other choices. They said that the meat was better......wow. This is culture shock. Every night we had a plate of mystery meat on the table. This is one thing I didn't touch. Most of the people here are really nice. The family rom San Diego, I have adopted as my temporary family structure. They have been wondereful to have around. There are plenty of Kiwis and Aussies. We've made some nice friends.

Four days later.... We have finally had a bug swell come through! This made T-bang, a huge success for Jesse and everyone had a great time surfing. The waves were awesome and big. I hiked up one of the cliffs directly in front of the wave around 6am with Coreen (SD) and Joeanne ( OZ) and took photos of the waves all morning. It was so beautiful and we had the best view possible. Jesse got so many epic waves. After a few hours the tide shifted and one set of waves came out of nowhere (which is expected to happen eventually). It was a bomb set! Joe and I stood up and were drop-jawed.. We yelled, "wooooohhhh heyyyy outsidddde!!!!" and watched thee luckily guys make it over the top and the others get worked by these solid 25 foot set waves. Jesse took two on the head, but Joe's partner got hit by the first one and had his board broken right away. One other guys leash broke. fortunately a charter yacht was parked in the bay and they used their dingy to retrieve the guys and there boards then take them to shore.

At the end of the day Joe and I put up slide shows of the photos that we took and everyone was stoked on the day, nobody was hurt, just happy. Jesse loved it. He surfed some of the biggest waves of his life and had so much adrenaline and fun. I will put up the pics. :O)

Next we go to Bali. We are looking forward to the food! We hope that everyone is doing well at home and enjoying the beginning of Fall!