Saturday 22 June 2013

Nicaragua 2013

Nicaragua June 2013

ISA World Junior Surfing Games

Winter in Australia and a call up from a young Russian surfer named Nikita Avdeev to accompany him to Nicaragua as his coach. Nikita is a good little surfer living in the city of  Yekaterinbug situated in the Russian Urals.  He gets to surf Bali around four times a year. He has been selected by the a russian Surfing federation to represent his country. Pretty cool and at 12 years old a big call but great experience.

I fly through Los Angeles, Miami and then on to Nicaragua. 20 plus air time hours in total so a long haul. I decided to break the trip at LA. Huntington Beach is only a 45 minute drive from LAX. Taxis and shuttle buses don't really offer much of an option. You can get a car to pick you up for $150 or most hire a car at the airport because you need one to get around anyway. Pretty cheap but make sure you get one with GPS . I am staying at the Hilton on Pacific Highway about 500 metres south of the famous Huntington Pier. Pretty good value?



First night PT, the very first Pro World Champion picks me up for dinner. He has his non surfing brother with him. PT has been living here for 30 odd years after moving from the Gold Coast. We eat right in front of the pier at Dukes. I have eaten at Dukes in Honolulu and here was the same. Great seafood and cool memorabilia. 

Huntington Beach is surf town, maybe a big version of Torquay in Victoria. Plenty of cheap eats and bars. Hard to get a real coffee though. There are a million versions of coffee drinks here but I could do with a decent espresso.

The surf? Onshore 2-3 ft slop. Cool water so will wait for boardies and warm central American temperatures. So instead of hunting surf I hunt all the old surf spots that I used to dream about back in the sixties. You can go north along pacific coast highway up to Malibu and Zuma beach or south down past Trestles and Oceanside. While you are at it you may as well check the skate boys and weirdos at Venice Beach. 

Wednesday 5
Up at 5.30 to LAX. Need to catch a four hour flight to Miami and then two and a half flight to Managua in Nicaragua. I meet Nikita and his father Andre in the transit lounge for the last leg. Andre has been here for work and Nikita does a solo flight from Moscow through Rome to Miami. Gutsy effort!!
We arrive at Managua airport around 7pm local time our driver Martine is waiting for us for the three hour drive to the Tola area. Wet season has just started and it is bucketing down with rain. The last 40 kilometres of the trip is just mud and slow going. Arriving at night anywhere is strange but when you are in the middle of a central American jungle it is even stranger. The road is over grown with vines and trees. We pull up at a big gate made of cane. It takes a while before the security guy will let us in. The owner arrives and while we expect to drive to a hotel of some sort he explains they have 6 rooms spread over a 15 acre organic farm. This is normally a yoga retreat (Equilibrio) run by James and Gabriela, We grab our gear and head off on a muddy track through the jungle by torch light. After 10 minutes of dodging vines, branches etc we get to a small room made of local timber. There is a separate bath room dwelling up the track. All fairly different. We are tired and crash out with the rain hammering down with thunder and lightning thrown in. The room is open with big fly wired windows. 




June 6th
Nikita is up at dawn (5am) we try to ignore him and eventually wander through another jungle path to the kitchen hangout area. The Argentinian team are also staying here which is cool because I know a few of the coaches from a level two course I presented in Mar Del Plata. They are super friendly. Our host Gabriela is very hospitable, she drives us to check the surf. There is a hurricane in the gulf and the swell is huge with no quality surf.  We decide to check the contest site and register for the event. The beach is covered with drift wood washed down the river from last nights storm. The water is soupy brown with the surf exploding on a shallow bank. Only a few guys try to get out but not much surfing going on. They reckon the swell will peak tomorrow. The ISA organisation team are concerned the peak swell may crash through the podiums and grand stand set up on the beach. Nikita is keen to surf but we opt for resting up back at the hacienda. There is a deep bricked up well near our room. In the afternoon we join the Argentinian team and take turns jumping down the 7 metre drop. Everyone has a lot of fun. Meals are in the main room, food is good and Gabriela and James are great hosts.


June 7
We take off early with at an Argentina. The swell is still massive and about the only place to surf is "magnificent rock". Pretty cool spot but with the swell size a nightmare to surf. We rename it "duck dive point" We have a couple of goes and get pretty cooked on the beach. The Hawaiian and French teams are trading there as well.  We all head back to the hotel packed in the Argentine team bus like Sardines. The Argentinians are super cool and very helpful.
Steak for lunch and a well earned rest in the arvo.
We have an early evening meal and head to Rancho Santana for the managers meeting. Plenty of talking of  rules and regulations.



June 8
We head off early for another surf at Magnificent Rock. The swell is smaller but still plenty of wash throughs. Nikita tries his small board and gets his confidence up with a couple if good waves.
Back for lunch and then the opening ceremony. Major operation. Everyone congregates at the contest site and we bused in to San Juan Del Sur. Pretty cool marching through the streets while the locals cheer us on. Every country has a name banner and flags. Drums,  horns, everything is going on. The ISA president Fernando Aguerre shakes Nikita's hand and makes a big deal of him being the first Russian junior competitor. 


The whole ceremony mimics a small Olympic Games opening. Athlete pledge, entertainment etc. the cool difference is the mixing of the sands. This tradition requires each nation (30 in all) to bring sand from there country and a designated surfer from each nation is called by name, country and beach and then invited to pour the sand I to a glass tank. Very symbolic and super cool. Nikita is stoked by the privilege. During the whole ceremony we manage to get rained on but no one is that bothered.
We make a quick getaway with Gabriela but still don't make it home until 8.30pm. We quickly eat our dinner and are about to head off to sleep when a few of Andries friends turn up. I think is glad to have a good Russian conversation. Nikita and I sneak off to bed.



June 9
We are up early for the start of the contest, the swell gas dropped on the beach break but still majority closing out. Tough conditions. Nikita goes out in the first heat and has a red hot go. Half way through he is in second place but by the end just gets pushed down to fourth. He has down really well. We have been joined by a couple of Andre's friends. We move up the contest site a little and kick back in a beach side Restaurant while Nikita free surfs with the other competitors who are warming up.

June 10
Nikita is surfing in the rep round today. We have a surf in the morning to warm up them cruise back to the farm for lunch and a rest up. Back down to the contest at 1.30pm. The Argentinian boys take Nikita for a quick warm up surf and then we wait for the action to start. The surf is pretty good offshore but a little tricky picking the right waves. Both surfers in the water start with good waves but Nikita's is better. He surfs well and wins the heat. Everybody is really happy. Nikita advances to the next round. He has reached further into the contest than anyone thought. Super Kruto.
We move hotels tonight. It is further away from the contest site but Andre has some friends there and i am pretty sure they will be celebrating tonight. 



June 11
Another tough heat today and Nikita just misses out on advancing placing third. He has finished above surfers from Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Germany, Chile, Panama, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico Everyone is very proud of his effort. 

June 12
So the surf, you will see plenty of smoking' barrels in all the photos but all the beaches are similar, shifting left and right beach breaks with plenty of duck diving. the wind is almost always offshore and living is pretty cheap. It is a long haul from Australia so a quick holiday it ain't but if you have at least six weeks up your sleeve and want to do the Central American trip Mexico, Costa Rica etc then put Nicaragua on the list.

The contest finishes with the Hawaiians taking out the Under 16 and 18 girls titles and the Aussies the Under 16 boys. The blue ribbon under 18 boys is so tight with Hawaii getting the nod over Australia by point one of a point. The Australians hit back by winning the overall team points gold medal.
Japan takes out the Aloha Cup for the very first time and everyone is stoked for them.



Almost 300 competitors and thirty countries are represented in these ISA World Junior Surfing Games. this event is a real stepping stone for the Pro surfers of the future.

Friday 10 May 2013

Tavarua Fiji


Tavarua Fiji

24th November 2012

Tavarua, first time and am pretty excited. Although this time of year is not the best surf window it looks like we may have some shoulder high waves when we arrive. I am travelling with a couple of buddies and it is first time for all of us.

Flight time from Melbourne is only a short five hours jaunt.

Hot weather in Fiji and after a forty minute bouncing ride in a battered Hi Ace van we stop in front of a mangrove swamp.

 
We wade out to a small boat and cruise over to Tavarua Island. The trip lasts about twenty minutes and the smart move is to pack a water proof spray jacket and sit in the middle seat.


The staff greet you on the sand and with a minimum of check in procedure you will be in your Bure or bungalow in no time. 

The island resort is pretty spectacular and if there is some swell and offshore wind Woo Hoo!!! 

We are in for a week and the surf varies from waist to shoulder high to just over head. The wind is sort of offshore but the wave faces are clean. For a few hours of the day it glasses off.

The water quality is brilliant. Racing down the line at cloud break you can clearly see the coral bottom and fish as you you surf.

Cloud Break and Restraunt's are the two classic left handers  here and were exclusive to Tavarua. That has all changed but the upside is you can boat to all the other breaks close by. Namotu is only a stones throw away and has three waves around it. The surf here is fast breaking hollow waves over coral.

If you are fifty fifty on deciding whether to pack reef booties throw them in your bag along with your rash vest, Board shorts and sun screen. 

As for your quiver! The small fat beach break model can stay at home, you need a good paddler that goes good down the line, preferably at warp speed. Extra concave always helps.

If eight feet plus thundering cloud break or five feet super hollow restaraunts is out your league don't despair it ain't always like that and even if those are conditions when arrive on your trip Nomotu lefts and swimming pools can be great fun. 

All the surf spots bar Restaraunts have to accessed by boat. The surf guides are cool and know there stuff. Boats start leaving at 5am and then  all through the day. It isn't an on demand service but with a little planning and cooperation from other guests the boys will look after you. There will always be a guide/life guard on a boat or in the water with you. You will not get dropped off in the lineup by yourself and the boat leave.  
 

snorkelling, fishing, kayaking, Stand paddling, tennis, table tennis and a massage are all on the to do list. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served from the buffet at set times during the day. If you hear the conch shell being blown, tucker is on. The bar stocks are pretty cool and everything is on the room bill to be settled as you leave. Plenty of people get a bit of a shock at there bar tab. ( did I drink that much? Answer - Sure did) 

Cava Night is usually on a Thursday and comprises of an official welcome by the chief, a ceremonial drink of Cava and some entertainment.

The Fijians love it. Laughing, singing, traditional dress  and dancing.

I didn't pick up too much of the language but Bula is welcome and Vinaka means thank you. 
Never been to Fiji ? put it on your bucket list because you won't be disappointed.  Looking to take the family and are frothing on Restaraunts and cloud breakTavarua works a treat. Prefer the late night bar life try Nomotu.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Banda Aceh 2013



Banda Aceh

January 2013

So where do I start, and please cut me some slack on my writing coz I only just passed fifth form English back in 1970 and only because the one novel we had to review at exam time was fortunately for me also a movie. The extra study I did was to ask a few A grade students the difference between the book and the movie. Bingo! Question one right there. I winged the rest and Voila, pass mark at 52%. The missing 48% was or were ?? transitive verbs, correct tense and the like.  

So back to Aceh, there is good news and sadly bad news, but I will get to that later, just to set the scene which is quite different from any other surf destination you may end up in.

 
Sitting in the line up with a fiery red Sumatran sunset in twenty eight degree water, small hollow lefts running down the coral reef and an A frame across the channel.  A ramshackle warung sits on the beach in front of a golf course. Hard to tell it’s a golf course, not your average garden variety manicured greens and pro shop deal but it is green and there where people with golf clubs walking around on it along with the odd cow and a family of goats. There is clear view of a cement factory across the river that looks like the Helms Deep fortress from Lord of the Rings. It is eerily quiet with the only noise from the imam on the loud speaker from the local mosque conducting evening prayer. I am not big on any formalised religion but an imam can sound pretty cool as it drifts over the water. Mind you sometimes the noise from those loud speakers is not dissimilar to raucous sound a cat makes with its tail caught under a rocking chair.
 
Biggest wave of the trip

After travelling around Indo since the mid seventies I found Banda Aceh pretty mellow and damn interesting. Sharia law is part of life here and to foreigners that means no bikinis for the girls and under the counter beer. Definitely no spirits. Don't get too upset if there are limited supplies, one shopkeeper got sent to the big house for eight years just having eight cartons for sale on his premises. That’s one year per carton, case, box or slab depending where you come from. There are also rumours this will become law throughout Indo. Another one is women should only ride side saddle on a motor bike. Given women are often on the back of a scooter holding two kids, five live chickens and the weeks groceries I reckon these laws are a tad impractical and will struggle get through parliament. Mind you Indonesian law can change daily. 
 
Golf!!!

You may be wondering why I am blabbing about a secret surf destination in Indo. Two reasons, last time I checked my Google analysis blog Info I only had about a hundred hits. Twenty five of those were from me and apart from you the rest were from my dear 87 year old Mum's senior citizens 'how to use a computer class'. Second is Aceh ain't no secret. The bad news is Lhoknga can hold around 20 -25 guys. There were fifty odd tourists including Aussies, Euros, Seth Efricans and Americans and 20 odd locals when I was there squabbling over 2-3 ft short waves. Granted they where hollow fun little runners but if you a surf nazi the frustration factor will kick in big time before the end of day one. If you like to spend time absorbing the Indonesian culture and can handle doing two or three airports there is plenty to do and see cruising around checking the markets, snorkelling and scoping a different area you will enjoy the experience.  

Speaking of culture and the values of sharia law, tourism etc I did see the proud Aussie exhibition at 10.30 am on Australia Day here. One really pissed unit dive bombing a plastic toddler’s pool half full of water without spilling his beer. 'Way to Go'. Pretty sure some of the locals where starting to think eight years in the big house for selling grog was light on. 

The waves are not heavy and only turn on in a short two month season around January. The rest of the time is onshore. Anything over head high is considered an epic swell. Waist high is the norm and be prepared to hang for a swell. Locals are super friendly although a few of the surfing variety don't share waves all that well.  

We stayed at Udi's place, awesome hospitality, only basic rooms with a fan and a trickling version of a shower but a five minute walk to the beach, great food (try the BBQ fish) and coffee. Speaking of coffee, Aceh coffee rules. If you want to ante up you can splurge of coffee lewak. A lewak is a small cat like animal that seeks out the best coffee beans in the wild and eats them and only digests the beans outer skin before crapping them out. You give them a wash and roast them up as per normal and it is a great drop. It is expensive and unfortunately the latest trend is to capture a lewak and feed them as many beans as possible. The poor animal doesn't have a chance to select the best beans as it would in the wild but that's progress for you!! 

Masakan Padang food is a treat and you gotta try the Rendang. It is beef curry slow cooked by mama for a week or two but Woo hoo taste bud sensation. I should add it may take a few days for those taste buds to regrow after the Rendang chilly hit has killed them. You can even score a Magnum or Cornetto at the local super market. 

Easy place to travel around, plenty of buses and scooters or Yudi will organise a car for you. The roads are great. There has been a massive rebuild here after the horrific tsunami in 2004. They stared with roads and mosques, although I suspect the other way round. There are tsunami evacuation signs everywhere but the nearest hills that surround the area look at least a half marathon away, if another one came I couldn't tell you where to head because it is flat as a shit carters  hat in between those hills.  Maybe a mask and snorkel while sitting on your board ready to kiss your arse good bye might work. 
 

Two hundred and fifty thousand people lost the lives due to the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. 
Tsunami damaged hills

That is almost the ammount of supporters at three AFL grand final days at the MCG. Another perspective is more people tragically perished from this Tsunami than all the US soldier fatalities in The American revolutionary war, World War One, Korean, Vietnam, Afgan and Iraq wars combined. !!! 

I don't want to end this little story on a downer though, the place is up and running and a credit to the Acehnese.  I visited here with my Russian buddies, old and new. A big Spicey Bar (thanks) to Alena. I learnt six more Russian words and forgot twenty three other ones. It's a complex rich language. I did learn Russians don't have green with envy in the vocabulary rather white and black envy. Pretty handy to know these sorts of things. 
 
 

So I probably won't be back in hurry but we had a blast soaking up the culture despite the fickle crowded waves. Hope you have a better perspective of the place now when you are considering how to spend you surf travel dollar and if you ever decide to check it out remember to decline any business offer to start a lewak coffee venture or more importantly a bottle shop.

 
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