i woke up early and didn’t feel like surfing. i washed the truck and thought i’d drive to the beach to check the waves anyway. it was absolutely perfect! even coming back from a surfed out boat trip to indo, i wanted more and more. i surfed Bowls with my friends and had a wonderful time. felt so good to be back in paradise. yes, i went to Treasure Island, but Hawaii is Paradise Island.

i’m so fortunate to have such good surfboards. i think that’s one of the main reasons why i love surfing so much.

getting to the Banyaks is pretty hard from hawaii. just so many flights and layovers. and riding these small airplanes makes you tired. but i guess that’s the fun part of traveling because once you get there, it’s all worth it! Kekoa, James, and Travis all getting ready to board their tiny seats.

this is Sibolga Airport. very small but i can see it getting bigger really fast, just like Padang Airport. thanks to the millions of surfers like us that flock there every year spending millions of dollars chasing our dreams.

the drive is 1 hour to the boat but a very interesting drive. just pure untouched culture.

no helmet laws here. a father taking his kids to school the old fashioned way. if this were hawaii, this father would be arrested. and if this were hawaii, this father would be considered very irresponsible. i think this is cool. i think this is part of third world culture. who needs a Mercedes Benz? not these happy people. i love it!

religion is big in indonesia. mostly Muslims with mosques and prayer rooms everywhere. if you asked any person which way is Mecca, they will point it out. and if you are looking for suckling pig, forget it. i didn’t eat pork in 11 days and i felt guilty when i asked for it once.

who needs an ipad or xbox when you have a fishing pole and friends. these kids are enjoying life the way i did growing up in hawaii before this crazy digital world ruined this kind of quality time.

fishing boats in the port ready to go out.

and squid boats with the bright lights to attract the squid. Kyle and Tiare fascinated.

we finally arrived to our boat called “The Dream.”

the second crew heading over in the rain.

this was one of our first real dives on the trip. we had no idea where to go but found some amazing grounds. just trial and error. all us divers were super excited to get into the water and find our sashimi for the week.

then coming back, everybody on the boat looking to see what we caught. sometimes a little, but mostly a lot.

right there in front of you is a lot of fish worth a lot of money. imagine eating fresh sashimi, fresh poke, and fresh grilled fish every day? well, if you come with us, there is nothing to imagine. this is reality! thank you Takami-san for taking these photos.

Kawaii!

want to thank Toco-san for the wonderful gift. always nice to see you volunteering for great purposes.

seemed like a year ago, but it wasn’t that long since we left wakayama for the airport. van fully packed with luggage, boards, and excitement!

always going to miss my Yamari Family. one of the kindest in the world. but i’m sure they were all happy that Kimura-san was coming with us for the next 2 weeks. it must have been so quiet in wakayama after we left. haha.

if you ever plan to use air asia, go to the airport 3 hours early or you will miss your flight. the lines are so long and it’s so unorganized down there. you get what you pay for. might be better to pay more for better service at times. that’s what i learned on this trip. use HIS.

so stoked to see Team Okinawa in the same line checking in for the same flight. they went to Nias and i’m sure they had a great time.

Team Okinawa. coolest surfers in the world. i miss surfing and drinking with them. hope you all had a great trip boys!

Kimura-san and I pretty excited for the long trip ahead.

welcome to Malaysia.

been to Malaysia a few times and seen it growing and growing. the airport is freaking huge! takes about 20 minutes walk and 2 check-in’s before getting to the gate. if you have a flight in Kuala Lumpur, go real early.

body clean disinfection health quarantine? wow.

it’s still very sad that a malaysian airlines went missing, and another one got shot down. yeah, it’s in my mind at times, but that won’t stop me from doing what i love. travel.

always good to get a helping hand.

throw the boards in the truck for the 12 hour ride to Sibolga.

Tiare on the first day of the trip on her first wave in indonesia. she had many many more to come. photo by Matsu.