Sumbawa
Tom from France who I met in Lombok and I took the bikes over to Sumbawa on a 5 day mission to surf some uncrowded waves. Sumbawa is one island to the east of Lombok and was supposed to be about a 5-6 hour journey that wound up being closer to 8 or 9. The first major town Praya is very confusing and we drove around in circles several times before we were going in the right direction. Found the ATM as they are few and far between and then set off for the ferry. A flat tire on his bike was the only other setback but luckily it was right in front of a tire repair shop and they took us right away. Waited about an hour at the ferry terminal for the next boat and then took off on the 1.5 hour ride. Dark clouds were awaiting us in Sumbawa and shortly after disembarking we were caught in a torrential downpour. The rains didn’t last too long and we eventually made it to the mining town of Maluk which was close to our destination. We asked for directions to the Supersucks Hotel (named for the hollow reef break in its front yard) and went up and over a mountain and down to the ocean to where the accomodation was. The hotel is run by a Hawaiian man and his Indonesian wife and for the first 2 nights, we were the hotel’s only guests. He explained they are on the verge of bankruptcy as they only have a 6 month season (when the waves are good) and that the initial investors haven’t help support them along the way. I think they built it with high hopes but it is so isolated it will be hard to maintain. The first morning we got directions to a more manageable surf spot called Yo Yo’s and there was only 2 other people in the water, which is a trend that continued. We surfed a spot called Tropicals down the road that was my favorite of the area. Supersucks only works when there is a large swell which happens about once a month. I know I’m not ready for that and probably never will be as its very fast, shallow, and hallow. There are people hanging around who just wait for that wave to work and don’t bother with the other tamer ones. To each their own! Anyway, was a great week. Tom stayed on since he had a friend coming and I headed back to Lombok where I am sitting now waiting to head back to Bali and then home tomorrow. Its been a great journey, thanks for all the support everyone has given me, and I will put pictures up as soon as I get home. Take care and keep in touch.
Themocracy