Bali is my paradise. It is a place where I have found everything that I was looking for in one place. What we seek changes from time to time, but when you find what you seek when you seek it, life is amazing. I set out to find a place with fun surf, great people, relax environment, a little party, good climate and affordable. There were a few places in Costa Rica that I really enjoyed, but it wasn’t until Bali that everything fell into place perfectly. Here is a day in paradise for me.
No matter what happened the night before, I am up early to watch the sunrise. Everyone else is asleep and it’s so quiet that I can hear the geckos talking to each other and the birds singing their morning songs. After making a quick cup of coffee, it’s time to enjoy the sunrise. The air temperature is perfect for relaxing and it is a stunning sunrise, like every sunrise so far. Just as colourful as any sunset, but there is something different about a sunrise. As the sun gets higher, so does the energy of the day. Once the sunshine hit the house, it’s time to do 30 minutes of yoga.
After getting the blood flowing, I’m hungry and decide that it’s time for breakfast at my favorite place. A 2-minute scooter ride brings me to my favorite street vendor. The lady knows me and smiles. Without the need to ask, she knows my order and makes me a quick breakfast that only costs about 50 cents!
By the time I get back home people are starting to get up. We all know the tides and the swell forecast, so the plan is to surf Impossibles starting at high tide. It is supposed to be perfect sized for everyone. I know that there are more challenging waves for me, but I enjoy surfing with the newbies. Every wave stokes them, which in turn stokes me.
Around 11 am we get the Hells Angels Surf Gang together and set off to surf. There are about 5 scooters loaded with people and boards. We weave in and out of traffic, enjoying the freedom of scooters to the max. No need to wait in the exhaust filled traffic while listening to endless honking if we don’t have to.
When we arrive at Impossibles the waves are perfect for everyone’s level and there is no one out. It’s not too fast or big for the beginners and a fun size for me to play around on. Everyone is catching waves and stoked on life. After 3 hours of surfing our own private wave, it’s lunch time at one of our favorite local Warungs. On the way back to the house after lunch I spot my motorcycle pancake guy. He sells dumpling/pancake things to the school kids after school and I have made it a habit of getting one or two every day that I see him. This time I choose chocolate, a little sweetness after lunch.
After chilling at home for a few hours it’s time to get the house together for dinner and beers. About 10 of us get together and eat at Casa Asia, the best Italian food in the area. As we eat, we decided to drink and go to Padang Padang. Tonight there is a reggae beach party. It’s typically a fun event. The drinking commences and quickly everyone is at a good level of drunk to dance for the rest of the night. The scooter gang gets back together and we move it to the beach to dance all night. No stress, no drama, just fun. Everyone trickles back home according to how tired they are and we meet again tomorrow morning to do it all over again. This is a typical day in paradise for me.
