Then the magic of a surfing trip...

Nusa Lembogan...Lombok and back for one night at the mighty Tugu!


Nusa Lembogan felt like a short pilgrimage, since I was there 12 years ago with my buddy Eric and brother. But all has changed so much, so touristy, americanized.

The wave of shipwreck is still as beautiful though, and the sunsets there, still mind blasting (as Russell Peters would say!).

But the new part was Lombok...like a honey moon!:
amazing island, very wild, beautiful beaches, coast line, strong feel of change of culture, ethnies and religion with Bali. A lot harsher in many ways. Wilder and more raw too! 
To me....more beautiful!



And one of the most amazing left I got to surf: Desert Point
A hut for 3 days, a long beach, deserted... we took it for granted!
Very simple, basic feelings...maybe the best way to connect to the sea ... life... divinity...one another...

And then the Tugu for a splash of tenderness, class, culture and... magic...

a romantic cove... the best way to end such an amazing indonesian dream...

 

before heading back to... reality!

Bali...Jakarta...Bali

One week work, 2 weeks holidays...why have I not thought about such a ryhtm earlier.

Actually my buddy Alo is getting close to that :-)

Which gives him all the time in the world to teach his beautiful daughter India to dance Hula Hup!

After a few adaptation days in Canggu everything went by in a spark:

one session of surf after the other:

Kuta Reef, Airport left, Serengan, Turtle Island, Echo Beach, in front of the Tugu...

And after a ceremony of offerings to Balineese Gods in a wonderful temple in front of the sea with Nenga, things seem to settle down with the surf accidents!





 Even a memorable session at Uluwatu before sailing of to Jakarta.

  

So beautiful to be back here after the bad experience 12 years ago (we almost got into a fight with Uluwatu locals who screwed us up on a repair of a board.

Jakarta, another buzzing indonesian/asian capital... people everywhere, late arrival of the plane, very tired the next day...

I miss conference site visits which annoys me as I was really looking forward to some real experiences of the field here.

Then 2 days of great conference, very inspiring...lots of interactions...

" INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Conference "Social Economy 4.0: Innovation, Sustainability, and Responsibility"on 16 May in Jakarta. with  Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and BINUS Business School

will examine the challenges of the transformation to a new generation of a social economy, one that reflects the increasing efficiency and impact orientation of social ventures, especially social entrepreneurs, as well as increasing attention of the business community to social and environmental impact beyond simple financial performance. The terminology is taken from Anatole Kaletsky's, Capitalism 4.0 and subsequent discussions at the World Economic Forum on "Economics 4.0". Four issues will serve as lenses to examine these transformation in a more focused manner: the environment, women, technological change, and values, ethics and transparency. 

Jakarta old center: bar/restaurant the Batavia, memorable... with a short tchuk tchuk visit of the harbor!

In the square kids come running to take picture of our 'giant' Aaron who is 6'3 and a real attraction here.


The harbor is as well a beautiful part, especially at sunset time, an invitation to wander around, enjoy the downloading of materials.

 So much nicer than that humongous mall which they proudly showed us a lunch time which we rapidly escaped from.

The back to Bali and lots of brainstorming with the Insead social entrepreneurs buddies!

Really very stimultating to be with such bright and open people... and get to share, present, get exposed so much.

Yesterday one of the most amazing days: scooter to Nusa Dua from Sanur... already nice.

The snorkling investigation...followed by trip to Uluwatu... sweet swimm in front of the spot in a hiddent part of the beach... Svenji loves it!

Then a surf session with some ISEP friends in Legian beach: too short.... but nice to share my world with them...



And finishing with a massage in Tugu Hotel, simply amazing.

Now waiting for the boat to Nusa Lembogan on our way to Lombok!!!
Life is good :-)

Om shanti shanti... making offerings to the Gods to avoid te Balinees gohsts!!!

Bali... now even if I wanted to... I could not have made that up...

when I arrived in DPS Intl airport, Bali... Ketut, the driver from my friend's wife hotel was waiting for me!
Ketut (same as Julia's I thought)...but with teeth!
I told him I did not want any palm reading and he did not insist :-)

Actually that Ketut, driver of the Tugu hotel (founded by Lulu's father, wife of Alo...please take notes, I wont repeat!) was so nice to wait for me while I was filing my report on a broken board, very professional, very kind...better when you see the size of this ex-boxer!

Of course one of my surfboard got broken on the plane so...hassle of insurances files...
One hour taxi ride, through Kuta and then the beautiful Balinese countryside... Fragrances of Frangipani bringing me right back to childhood, Tahiti, Guadeloupe...and here, like it remained untouched!

Then the magic of the the hotel of Lucienne's family: the Tugu. On the south west coast, Canggu beach.
http://www.tuguhotels.com/
and here in Bali:
http://www.tuguhotels.com/bali/concept_&_design.htm

One of the most beautiful place I have ever been to, facing a magnificent beach, left and right waves... and inside the hotel: the finest antiques, trees settings...like you would of course expect in Bali, but here with an extra refinement that I rarely experienced.

Everything here is refined, without being kitch or showing of...just soft, delicate...class

First surf around 5.30pm, with Aloisio. So happy to see him after ... 12 years, when we first met in Ilha Bella, Brazil with a rugby friend of mine from Toulouse! Then a few times in London but Bali... is another place to catch up!

Quite admirative of the dream life he managed to set for himself and his family here (Luciene his wife and India his daughter, almost 1 year old).

All good! amazing guest room in their house, mansion I should say, with Hotel service!

Yet...never go surfing after a massage! and heavy flights and night stand in airports...
I had no more arms, did not catch one proper wave (was 8 ft) and ended in the rocks, breaking Alo's fins!

So in one day: 2 boards broken and a few urchins pins in my skin!

2nd day:

This morning, no wind, waves a lot cleaner.

Time to test the Gods of the Tugu, and the magic of Echo beach in Canggu!

 
So...this time, I do surf a bit better, but on the last wave this local guy drops me (stills my wave in surfing language) and so trying to push him away while surfing, I falls in front of me... and I run him over.
Results: I have to take him to the nearest doctor in a local small hospital: 5 stitches and ... of course he tries to black mail me!
Discussing in Balinese and ... the bill ends up to be double.
Lucky enough my local friends sort me out!

An amazing fruit breakfast, and a swim with Alo and his beautiful daughter: India...

The some relaxing time at the house... good to catch up after all these years...

and finishing the day with another surf and a yoga class in a dream garden ... after a scooter ride with the 'spiritual daughter" of Ayrton Sena, good friend of Alo from Brazil, proud owner and rider of a Harley back in Brazil! perfect connection/share of passions and drives...on paper...but it felt to me that she was more masculine in her ways that many of my rugby friends... so not really my thing... as well as never really feeling good at the back of a motorbike, prefer to be in the front!

Some other time Alo!
Would be nice to have a sweet feminine, soft connection... but no rush...not like that: funny how bad feelings come in waves: he/she feeling,  she is more interested in the yoga teacher, female, and I feel like we are even chatting up the same woman at times!?!...then a harsh dinner conversation with a fashion photographer who believes that social good things have to come with beauty, have to be fashionable (to present them on TV of course) and that an american guy expropriating sumbawa tribes is doing more good than Amma hugging people around the world and raising up to 250 Mio$ per year for deprived people....building houses all around India... come on Gal, stay in your field of expertise please! ....more fashion less action... and cut the BS will ya!

Thank you ladies but... no thanks!

and to be honest I already was getting that sweet, feminine, tender feeling that I was after...from Bali itself! no need for Harley and/or Prada women!


The yoga came at the perfect time, to wash away the stress of the day and the bad surfing vibes so far, yet another masculine touch ... from that UK teacher!

Tomorrow some more surf south, Serangan, and in the afternoon some offerings in a temple near the Tugu! Time to honor the Gods to push the evil spirits away and be grateful!

That's it for now.

Sampai jumpa!

On the road again...

This morning packing took me a good 2 hours: packing everything in 2 suitcases that I leave in the ashram, tydying cleaning my little corner, and then packing my 2 surfboards, as light as possible, with one small backpack, my uke and yoga mat!
3 hours of stressfull car ride to Kochi shared with my friend Nat (too stressed about time, quite german on that, needing to be 4 hours before at airport...:-) who was in Amritapuri for 10 days... and here ya go!
Airasia... Crossing over Sri Lanka, the bay of BEngal, Andaman sea...and landing in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately too short a stop in the middle of the night to go and visit this interesting town:  federal capital, seat of the Parliament of Malaysia and most populous city in Malaysia, area of 243 km²(94 sq mi) and population of 1.6 million as of 2012. Greater Kuala Lumpur (or Klang Valley), is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country, in terms of population and economy and you feel it when you arrive!

Well leaving one of the most populated country in the world, in its most dense part, Kerala, and landing in another crowded place!

People everywhere now at 6am, popping from all around, forcing me to get out of my 3 hours sleep, on the floor of the departure hall on my yoga mat (it comes handy in those situations...).

But the real chock is to be back in US mode, starbucks, DunkinDonuts...all this high sugar world, high materialistic where a coffee is 2$! far from my good old chai at 5Rs!

But in a few hours I will be in Bali, on a beautiful beach with my 2 'wives': my ukulele and my surfboard!

Worth all sleeping on the floor in the world.

Back in Bali after 13 years! Great feeling, and really looking forward to the surf, which is forecasted with 6 to 8 foot...perfect for a good Nusa Dua session!!!!

And when a politician gets killed here...

when he goes from one very powerful local party to set his own... all the town gets shut down for a day! not even one rickshaw to head back to the ashram... until 6PM. Everything gets cancelled including the book inauguration of Amma...
Kerala gives this wierd feeling of a very conservative, religious state, the most densely populated in India, the richest as well, mostly due to money coming back for Gulf countries, sent by Malayali expats...and at the same time strongly communist! a mix of Don Camillo and Pepone war! Posters of Karl Marx, Staline, Trotsky everywhere in the streets... so strange!

What a blessing to spend the afternoon with a master...

directly speaking with her and a few of her close friends, laying at her holy feet.
Her name is Amma, Saraswati Devi, from Noida, New Dehli. Such a beautiful face, I could not even tell if I was speaking to a father or a mother... both at times! such deep philosophy of life...
She will sign a special note for me on one of her books in english tomorrow during the launch of her new book here in Trivandrum.
All these amazing encounters once more with my friend Sajitha... thinking about you brother Walead...Khouya!