This Must Be The Place

Indonesia

2006-06-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

The ferry from Sumatra to Nias Island takes 12 hours overnight and is extremely ghetto. Its passengers were scary violent pirates. At this point an old man was standing outside their cabin door and gesturing that he planned to cut off Noah's head.

So Ryan opened a bottle of Asoka rice whiskey. A long and scary night.

Then the sun came up, the boat landed, and the pirates evaporated in the heat.
Welcome to Nias.

As they rode to their destination, Lagundri Bay, they were excited to recognize the backdrop, so familiar from films and photographs.

The Sorake Village (where they stayed) soccer field, mind the stream and the coral, during a rare empty moment. Serius Losmen (the guest house they stayed in) in the background.

Tsunami removed this house. Few people were hurt in the tsunami since most noticed the warning signs and fled inland.

Sorake shoreline over the reef, which was raised by the 2005 earthquake.

For the next month they surfed about 5 to 8 hours a day.

Nia claims these children are all hers, their fathers swept away by the tsunami. Funny, funny. Other than Nia, the daughter of the owners of the losmen they stayed in, Noah and Ryan saw very few women in Lagundri. No women from Nias surf, and Nia laughed at the suggestion.

German Mattias, Little G (aka Tankius) - younger brother of Nia and Serius- presiding, and Santos' Sketchy Friend on the far right. Just about every local guy under 40 surfs extremely well.

Little G's dance style defies genre.

Marcus.

Lots of Catholics on Nias.

Pastor Mike will be on Nias at Lugundri Bay for one year, missionizing on money donated by church members in western Australia. By "missionizing" we mean eating, sleeping, and surfing.

One day they paid a fisherman to take them out to the channel in his outrigger canoe. Noah, Ryan, and Marcus took turns taking pictures. Noah gets a barrel.

Ryan turns on a glassy shoulder.

Noah circa 1975

Ryan off the top.

Noah comes in for lunch.

"Indicators", up the Bay, indicates when set waves are coming. It is perfect, but too shallow to surf.

Marcus reads "The Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently" by Alan Carr.

Pastor Mike breaks a brand-new board... another letter goes off to the charitable folks of West Oz.

Little G sees a new repaired board in his future.

Lagundri Bay formal night.

Noah after a tough day at the office.

Marcus gets very drunk and quietly tells Pastor Mike what he thinks of him. They never speak again. The Champ evesdrops.

Rahel is a nice, easy-going guy, an incredible surfer, proficient in five languages, and, if you're interested, he is available and looking.

One day they went to surf a wave called Rockstar, about an hour's drive from Lagundri. Rahel and his younger cousin, The Champ, took them.

Marcus' music.

Rice paddies along the way.

A creek to the sea.

Rockstar locals.

The wave at Rockstar is very fast and breaks right on shore.

Rahel is Spiderman.

Hey, The Champ, nice air.

Downtown Tuluk Dalam, nearest town to Lagundri.

Treats!

Another cabbageburger for Noah.

A bush pig was to be slaughtered for a village feast. For some "I should be able to kill it if I am going to eat it" reason, Marcus volunteered. However, he struck a rib with the big rusty sword and the pig began to squeal like crazy.

So Rahel did the deed. He found it very unpleasant.

Rahel goes into the water to recuperate.

Cleaning the pig.

How do you feel about eating pigs?

The meal is ready.

Noah and Ryan very excited about their first meat in a month.

A happy occasion.

Another village par-tay. Somebody's engagement, maybe?

Titus frequently enjoys.

Titus the spearfisherman and his Asoka.

Guy Who Surfs Amazing Goofyfoot and Rahel do a duet.

Trouble.

On the balcony at Serius Losmen.

Hmm.

Fishing in the channel.

Snapper dinner.

5am surf check.

Sunrise from the balcony.

Goodbye Nias.

After a less traumatic ferry ride back to Sumatra, and a 13 hour bus ride across the equator, they had a two day pause in Padang.

Ryan gets a mullet in Padang.

Then a flight to Singapore and one night out on the town. Here on the immaculate Singapore subway with too much luggage.

Hong Kong! for a few days

Then home.

Southeast Asian Backpacking Interlude

2006-05-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Bangkok tourism culture shock. They leave their boards at a hotel.

Straight to Vietnam. Water puppets.

Hummer in Hanoi

Vietnamese taxi

"Chinese Monument" Hanoi

American tank at Cu Chi, near Ho Chi Minh City

Viet Cong tunnels at Cu Chi

In the tunnels

Cobras in liquor

Ho Chi Minh City

To Cambodia. The land mine museum, run by a former child soldier who has since removed about 20,000 land mines using just a broomstick, adopts children who've been injured and trains people in detection and removal.

What he remembers.

Angkor Wat is still in use by Buddhist monks.

Many heads taken by looters.

Locals commute through the huge complex.

Noah and Ryan part ways. Noah goes to Chiang Mai in nothern Thailand. The city is vibrant and the food is great.

So he takes a cooking course.

The cooking students enjoy their products

Wat Prathat Doi Suthep on a hill outside the city

?

Then a 2 day boat trip down the Mekong into Laos

Laos is murky and hilly

First stop, Luang Prabang

Noah and Ryan meet up there.

For 2 dollars this woman will free the sparrows she has taken hostage in those little cages.

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage City.

Buddhist monks love Social Distortion.

Ryan and Noah go south to Vang Vien, where Ryan had just been.

Ryan goes ahead back to Thailand and Noah stays a few days in Vang Vien. Off-road tractor taxi

Vang Vien is for backpackers to intertube down the river

and swing off giant rope swings into the water.

'Beer Lao numba one, Lao-Lao numba two'

United Nations intertube flotilla

Ryan and Noah meet on Koh Pha-Ngan Island, Thailand.

Full Moon Party at Had Rin beach

It goes all night and into the next day. Thai scenesters

After a few days they move on to more quiet Had Yuan beach.

Then back to Bangkok

They are eager to get back to surfing. Noah sews up his crap boardbag and they make for Indonesia.

Havelock Island

2006-02-15T02:09:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Noah go to Havelock Island

First they stayed in bungalows at Beach #5

Havelock Radha Nagar (Beach #7) was said by Time mag
to be the most beautiful beach in Asia.

There are elephants in the forest behind the beach

Noah releases his pet Little Andamanese hermit crab

Goodbye you little jerk

The lagoon at #7

A hut at beach #7 will set you back $2 a night.

The evening scene

Later, Noah and Ryan stayed on opposite
sides of the island, visiting each other by motorcycle

The commute was pleasant

The sun goes down on #7

Eeeeeee, sunset

So many Israelis, Revi and Elan

Hermit crabs on #7, 2am

Drunk Bengalis bury each other, Lia is an aggressive paparazza,
and for some reason that one guy is wearing Noah's bedsheet like a skirt

Ryan and Noah regret not taking their camera to the village #3 Mela (festival). Suffice to say they ate lots of weird sweets and won prizes including purple sunglasses, a lice comb, two tounge-scrapers (not pictured). They were also wowed by the village #3 dance troupe's interpretations of the latest Bollywood hits

Adorable

Not so much

Ryan goes back to Port Blair to try to find a way to more waves

Long bus ride, but no way to get to Cinque Island, where
there is supposed to be surf

Ryan makes a friend

Betel nut is a filthy habit

Maurice and Emerique draw a crowd with chess on the
boat from Havelock to Port Blair

Bad cow eats the merchandise, the grocer is helpless, Port Blair

Back to Chennai aboard the Nancowry

Bunk class, day 2, 5am. This baby punched Noah in the face

Early morning staring children

Michael sleeps through the long ride while Oren and friend
busy themselves with projects

Goodbye Chennai. Goodbye India.

Ryan in Spain

2005-12-15T01:12:00.000-08:00

Madrid is absolutley beautiful

Before Kings cup with red wine

After Kings Cup with red wine. Hammered!

Segovio Aquaduct, 2 hours outside Spain

Roomates from Madrid

The waves were great when I arrived in Gijon,
by the time I put on my wet suit it was horrible
and I never surfed. Boo!

Sevilla bullring

Bulls that have killed matadors

Ole

"Si has muerto sin ver la Alhambra no has vivido"

Going out for tapas and beer