Sunday drive

Yesterday I drove to the beach like I do early every morning, except I cant today but you will understand more about that in a minute, the surf wasn’t looking that good so I decided not to go out but instead drove home stopping at Café Mocca on the way and getting some croissants, a bit of a treat, something from our life in Sydney that no one had had in a while. Went down a treat, as I knew it would. Then some Balinese friends dropped over. Her name is Dewi and her husband is Endi. They had their two boys, 4.5 & 1.8 with them. I met her online, no it isn’t like that, when I was looking to book some places for our anniversary last May. Even though Gabi was in Germany at the time with the kids, she left them with the Oma and flew to Bali and met me for a week. Dewi booked our places arranged transport and we chatted online. Then each time we come up we get her to organise some other things, she is good like that. So when Gabi came in Nov last she left a big bag with her. They dropped it off and brought the whole family for cake and drinks.

After that we went for a drive to Sanur, there was a house sale on but by the time we got there everything was sold, can you believe it? I think we needed to be there at 8am. We drove down to Sanur beach and had a look, very beautiful we will definitely be going back there one weekend. From there drove into town, right through the centre, being a Sunday drive and all, then came home got our swimming togs, well I got mine Maxi can’t swim for a week as he fell in the pond which is at the back of the house and subsequently got a really bad ear infection and the doctor said not water for a week, bugger eh? So I grabbed mine and my board, a long board as our freight arrived on Friday, another story just there. And we headed out to Echo Beach, yes just like the song, and it is. So we had some late lunch at the Beach House there and then about 4 I paddled out into this lumpy surf with these wickedly pitching lefts coming through. Only problem was the moving peek I soon found out. There were two guys in the water so it was definitely not crowded. The first wave I took I was deep inside managed to get my nose around and shoot across the face but was smacked by the wall as it collapsed in a heap, I was thrown, board and I akimbo and banger my bicep on the edge of the board, the rail it is called. I think I have a really deep bruise from that. Sore as hell.

Then I was a little more reserved and I stated to enjoy myself. Over the next hour I got about 6 waves and they were all good. I was having fun.
Then paddling out from this great wave, what made it even better was Maxi and Oscar sitting up on the break water watching me waving as they saw their dad out there, so anyway I am paddling out and the other two surfers are further out than me but I am gaining when all of a sudden the wave of the day comes through. Face about 2.5m high and it is sucking the water from the reef on which I am paddling. I could tell that I was going to be about 5 metres in front of where it broke and when it did it would be a washing machine. Best place for me was well under it, so I jumped off and swam for the bottom. I felt it go over, I felt my legrope strain then ‘twang’ my legrope went slack. Shit!

I thought I had broken my board. I surfaced and my board was no where to be seen, cursing again I struck off for the shore some 100 metres away through more breaking waves and the two other surfers. As I swam in I could see the boys and some other people looking down at the base of the breakwater where I knew my board to be, more swearing as it was being bashed on the rocks. Then one Balinese guy scrambles down the breakwater and comes back with my board, I could see as I swam that it was still in one piece. I swam in and found it with the boys but with dings, gouges and scratches all over it. I have circled the big ones and in obne phot you can see where the plastic of the legrope 'sheared' off at the connecter right behind the swivel. Bugger!!


The guy was Agung and I brought him a beer. We chatted a while and about then the Beach House (as it is called) started to really fill up with expats all coming down for Sunday arvo seafood BBQ. Maxi met another kid called, wait for it... Maxi and they played together. Oscar tagged along, they all had a ball. Playing with little rock crabs and looking at what the fishermen were catching and the great thing is, that they can do it all under your watchful eye while you sit back, relax and have a beer, coffee or as one table were doing it, Martinis at sunset. Respect!

We will definately be going back there for the Sunday arvo BBQ again.

Peace.