Next overnight crossing. Off to Marosi in Sumba. We had a peaceful surf session in the morning. Small but good waves on a beachbreak. Went to the outside break after the beachbreak session. Was a bit scared in the beginning, the wave did look a bit like a big wild water-mountain. But figured the wave out after a while and found it quiet nice. In the afternoon I went to the market with Joachim to buy fresh vegetables, fruit and meat. It was a bit of an adventure I have to say. Firstly, we had to find a road on the beach. We drove to Marosi bay, asked some locals and finally found the road. Met some locals there and asked them where we could find the nearest market. They said in the city, about an hour from here (on super bumpy roads). So we asked them if they could help organize a vehicle. So we had to discuss a price with the guy that he would go and look for a car. He wanted IDR 50’000 as petrol money. We managed to negotiate it to IDR 30’000 (which is enough, really). Then we just sat at the beach and waited for him to come back. In the meanwhile, we were talking to some other locals and they offered us some young coconut. I found them quiet friendly and thought it nice that they give us some coconut from their garden. They were dressed in traditional clothes, still wearing that dangerous looking kind of sword on their belts. After a while, the guy came back, a bemo driving behind him. So we had a whole bemo for ourselves, hahaha. But then again, we had to negotiate about the price. Almost all the people in Sumba just wanted to rip us off, it was so annoying. And we know the prices and speak the language, so we’re not the stupid naïve tourists, but they just didn’t seem to get it. Anyway, we managed to agree on a price and then the guy who offered us the coconuts seriously asked for money for the coconuts. So we gave him some, but he wasn’t satisfied with it and wanted more. By that time, we were already angry, we felt like an ATM really and my opinion about the guy changed completely to the opposite.
On the way to the city. The scenery is beautiful, Sumba really is a treasure, very worth to visit. It’s a big island and if I remember right there are only around 320’000 people living there. Most of the island is protected area. And a friend of mine told me that they have very rigid laws concerning the protected land. For example, if a local is caught red handed cutting down a tree in a protected area, he’ll go to prison for many years. On one side it is a good thing that they are seriously protecting their island, but on the other hand I really think it too harsh to send someone to prison for that long. But then, how to find a good balance.
The market was like I would imagine it would have been in Bali 15 years ago. Very basic, very simple, a big chaos, loads of people, a lot of noises and it smelled bad, hundreds of odours mixing together. But we found everything we needed and I also found the women in Sumba so much more likable than the men. They were all smiley, happy to sell us their food, and they didn’t rip us off. It was really a scene worth seeing. From young kids selling products (mostly cigarets), to adults to really old people (one very old man with almost no teeth in his mouth, and the remaining teeth a reddish black, grinned with a big smile at us and held some scared chicken right in front of our faces and really really wanted to sell it to us), everyone gathered there.
Well, we found everything we needed and were on our way back to the beach, loaded everything into the Dingi and off we were, into the sunset and towards the Sama Sama. The whole adventure took us 7 hours. That’s life in Indonesia. You never manage in a short time, for everything you have to have a big portion of patience.
A quick surf to end the day and a warm freshly baked banana chocolate cake gave us some new strength and happiness.
At this point, my notes end. So, the rest of the trip is told quickly: We stayed a few days around that beachbreak, because it was the only option given that the swell stayed small. It’s a beautiful place to stay. Tried a bit of SUP as well, explored a bit what was around at the beach. Ate well. Chilled out. It’s really amazing what our cooks could do on the boat, real magic. And sometimes I would stand there at the table, thinking about chocolate or crackers or cookies or cake, and they would sit at the other end of the boat, seeing me standing there and just reading my mind, and there they suddenly stand, grinning, with whatever I wished for in their hand 🙂 I was seriously impressed, I don’t know how they did that mind reading thing, but it worked well J
Our last spot was a reef break a bit up the coast, a very beautiful wave and I can imagine that it would be quiet vicious there when it’s bigger. We sometimes complained a bit about the small swell. But seriously, I think for our intermediate level, most waves would have been way too difficult and dangerous if it would have been big. So for my part I was really happy with what we got. The atmosphere was a bit tense though. Everybody was dropping on everybody just to get as many waves as possible. It was our last session after all and that’s were friendship ends. Just the fight for the wave counts, pure selfishness ruling that session. Hahahahaha. There you go. Humankind is a special kind 🙂
And then, overnight crossing past Komodo islands to Flores. We arrived early morning and went directly to the airport. Ah, yes, the airport is a tiny building with a small landing pist. Then our real problems began: Merpati wouldn’t take any of our boardbags with them. They said, the airplane is too small. We can send them with cargo. But three of the guys left in the afternoon and early evening the following day, so we couldn’t send it with cargo, the boards would arrive too late. We ran around in the whole airport, tried every company, tried to bribe different people, tried everything. The answer was always the same. Sorry, we can’t. We would if we could. And it’s not about the money. We just can’t.
Finally we had to leave all our bags in the airport and leave. Uhhhh, bad atmosphere during the whole trip back. I didn’t care that much because I stay in Bali, but it was a big disaster for the guys. So Joachim, our Skipper, had to go back to the airport and find a way to ship the boards back to Bali. He managed it somehow that all the boards arrived at noon the following day. I have no idea how he managed and why there suddenly was a possibility, but the important thing was that everybody got their boards on time.
End of an awesome surftrip and a wonderful adventure! Really recommendable to everyone who wants to experience something special, uncrowded waves and beautiful nature. The only thing I say is: Schedule your return flight a few days after the end of the trip, just in case you get some problems with the transportation of the boards or the flight or whatever, you never know in Indonesia.
Kim Faraway 