ok, i knew that the new surfboard charges went into effect but i wanted to investigate. not only for me, but for all us surfers that travel on japan airlines. so i pack 1 board in my board bag along with my dive guns and fins so my bag is kind of heavy. i pull up to honolulu airport and check in. the girl at the counter asked me how many boards i have in my bag. i say 1. she asks me again. i say 1. she told me to open my bag. i said no. she asked me again to open my bag, i said no. i was smart and put a lock on my bag so they couldn’t open it. she asked me again to open it. i said “why do i have to open it? i told you that there is only 1 board in there.” but she insisted and even called the security guard to open it. i didn’t want the guy to break my new lock so i opened my bag. she felt around and made sure that there was only 1 board in there. then she told the other girl “yeah, there is only 1 board”. i just stood there and shook my head…
*then my JAL friend met me near the gate and i told her to tell the girl sorry. i didn’t want to be mean or anything, i just wanted to know how far us surfers can go without being drastically over charged. times have changed. airlines hate surfers. why can golfers take a heavier golf bag for free? why can you take a bicycle on for free? why can seth moniz tell the agent that there is a guitar in his surfboard box and get it on for free? i don’t get it. i’m kind of bummed at the new charges but i guess we have to live with it. what can we do? either travel with only 1 board and hope you don’t break it and ruin the rest of your trip. or marry a millionaire and take as many boards you want. but just remember this, the JAL staff WILL open your board bag and count your boards so don’t bother trying to be sneaky. it won’t work…. good luck surfers….

after all that traveling, i finally got here. i got a fast massage, ate some nashi goren, and am waiting for the rest of the group to show up. it’s 6:30pm and they should be here anytime soon. then a 1 hour drive to your boat, then it’s off to mentawai or north sumatra. or both… i got a phone so will try to keep you posted though out the trip. when we wake up tomorrow morning, we should be waking up to some epic waves. i’m going to set up my boards tonight…. i’m ready!!! see ya….

good morning and happy easter from kuala lumpur. i got here 7pm last night and it was storming. so i grabbed an umbrella went to town. gosh, if i knew how long it took, i wouldn’t have gone. a 10 minute shuttle bus back to the airport, a 30 minute train ride to the central station, a 15 minute walk to the monorail station, and a 15 minute monorail ride until i got to bukit bintang. my brand new leather shoes, socks, and pants from knee down was soaking wet. the roads were flooding and wasn’t a good time to walk around. i ended up going to this hole in a wall to eat roasted chicken, malaysian style. then got one of the best thai massages i’ve ever gotten, even better than cozy in bali. my dinner cost $2, massage $21, train ride $22, and hotel $60. not bad for a day in malaysia….
now i’m jumping in the shuttle bus, then going on a train to the LCC airport. i have to lug my boards and suitcase around. i’m at 40kilos and will probably get charged for my luggage. i’m at the point where i don’t care already. i’ll pay what ever because i just want to get on the boat. a 1 hour $20 flight and i’ll be in padang to meet up with everyone else…

this is the luxury boat we will be on. it’s called the SanSouci II and it looks pretty sick….
and here are the members:
YASUMORI TOKURA
HIROYUKI KOTSUSA
KAZUSHI HORIGUCHI
HIDEMI FURUYA
TAKAMI TODA
TOMOYASU TODA
KAZUNORI NUMAJIRI
HIROYUKI MATSUO
MASAKAZU KOUNO
HARUHISA SUNAKAWA
JUNKO SUNAKAWA
HAYATO MAKI
KENJI SAHARA
AND ME, JACKSAN
**i heard we have an internet connection and cell service so i’ll try to keep you posted on our somewhere in indonesia dream boat trip. the reason why i say “somewhere in indonesia” is because we are so special, that the captain told us we can go where ever the heck we want to. north sumatra? or the mentawai’s? that will be decided tomorrow… all i know is that i’m going sailing… diving…. and surfing… have a great week easter sunday!!