i came to bali in 1993 for the first time. i’m still amazed on how things changed so fast. hiroko-san asked me which bali i liked better, the old or new. i said the old. back then, there wasn’t as much greed, there was no internet so we scored padang padang so many times i cannot count, and hiking down to dreamland with ganti was another amazing experience. there was no buildings, no people, and the ocean was ours. now? it’s worst than waikiki. so yeah, i prefer the old bali….

uluwatu has changed too. hotels and villas everywhere!!! the wave is the same but the location isn’t as magical as it was before….

the things that didn’t change are all in the backstreets. this is the part of bali i like. i hope the tradition never dies….
well, i’m going back to japan tonight. 14 hour stopover in osaka, then going back to my home, hawaii. it’s been a long 16 day tour. so many cool things have happened. as soon as i get back to hawaii, i will download all my photos and show you all the wonderful things and people we experienced!!! can’t wait. and guess what? a big north/west swell hitting hawaii on the 29th? lucky again??? shoots!!! i love how the waves follow me. people call it lucky, i call it “Magic”….. have a great day!!!!

Babi Guling Party!!!
Ena!!!!

good morning. this is our last day here in bali so i’m going to do everything possible. gotta run so see you in japan!!!

meet my bali surf guide. sugimoto-san and i have been exchanging emails this past year. he’s from kobe, japan and is working as a bali surf guide. sugimoto-san sent me an email asking me if i wanted to surf. of course!!! so we hung out all day yesterday and had a great time….

round 1, 7am changu. the waves were super fun out in front. there were 7 guys out and as soon as we paddled out, everybody came in. we had it to ourselves the whole time….

round 2, 10:30am uluwatu. the waves were super fun. nothing big, but perfect. i got a few good ones that connected all the way. super satisfied!!!

then sugimoto-san took me to a really good babi guling, or suckling pig restaurant in sanur…. oh my gosh!! so good!!! so good that i won’t say where it is…
wanted to say thank you to sugimoto-san and hiroko-san for showing me around bali. next time i come here, i will stay at your villa. and when i get back to hawaii, i’ll post photos and a link to your sites. for now, my battery is going down and i’m sweating in this office. have a nice day!!!