i have to say the after traveling all these years, Delta Airlines has one of the best business class around.
the movie monitor pops right out in front of you and when you put on the noise reduction headphones, it feels like you’re in a movie theatre.
the seats go 180 degrees flat and i feel like i’m on a dream bed.
and the pillow and blanket is better then the ones i use back home in hawaii. i must have slept most of the way here to the philippines. watched 3 movies, drank a lot of fresh orange juice, and ate good japanese food. thank you Delta!
10 years ago was the first time i came to the philippines. at that time, cloud 9 was empty. maybe a couple of traveling surfers and a couple of local surfers. the lineups were empty. i remember paddling out on some big days with only a few guys around. the wave was heavy, huge, and super powerful. kind of like backdoor but breaking over a shallower reef. i remember one afternoon taking out my 6’4 on a solid 8-10′ day. you either take off or die. the typhoon was super big and sending the most powerful barrels to cloud 9 all week long. it was right before dark when i seen some 10′ sets starting to break on the outside. i sit in the take off zone and wait. the waves kept on building and i knew i was in the right spot. i see the most perfect wave starting to jack up over the reef. i turn around, paddle hard, take off, bottom turn, and get the hugest philippine barrel ever. photographer John Callahan was there to get this shot. a shot used in magazines around the world. and a shot that brings back the memories like it was yesterday.
the next typhoon is building. we are going shopping today to get food for the week. loading up the van, and heading off to search for the perfect wave. i’m so excited to be reliving the philippine dream!
