Sometimes i totally forget where i came from. I forget why I’m here and how I got here. Them I remember that every single friend I have in this world played some part of my dream life. I am who I am because of the friends I have in this world. And from now on, I promise I will never forget that! Going to Bali woke me back up and made me realize how important my friends are. It was like somebody slapped me in the face and said “wake up!”

This is Wayan “Ganti” Gantiasa. Ganti was my first Balinese friend who I met on a boat trip to the Mentawai’s. We met on that trip, and became good friends ever since. I use to go to Bali and Ganti took care of me. He’s a legend surfer that gave me more waves than anybody else. At Padang Padang, he use to say “Go Kirby” and nobody would even paddle for that wave. I got big barrel after barrel because of him. Haven’t seen him for a while so was stoked to see him and catch up on this trip to Bali. I miss those BBQ days eating suckling pig in back of his surf shop on the main street in Kuta. What great memories.

Made Adi Putra or better known as Bol is like my little brother. I met this kid on my first trip to Bali at Padang Padang from Ganti. He was 12 years old at that time, didn’t speak English, and didn’t speak Japanese. Since then, this kid climbed to the top in Bali. A champion surfer, fluent in English and Japanese. We use to hang out in Bali 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Had some great surf sessions in Bali, Japan, and Hawaii with this kid. I haven’t seen or talked to him in a long time either so bumping into him was cool.

I’ve known Garut Widiarta since he was 7 years old. He’s Ganti’s cousin and I remember him swimming with his friends on the shore break every evening as we surfed Kuta Beach. The cutest kid how loved the ocean with the cutest smile. I always told Ganti back than, “This kid’s going to be a ripper!” I took him a surfboard to Bali when he was 10 years old and ever since then, this kid climbed to the top faster than anybody else in Bali.
Ganti, Bol, and Garut are like family to me. Since 1992, we had so many great memories and know each other very well. Thousands of priceless memories in the water and out. Just to see the three of them in Bali was well worth my trip. I gave them all big hugs and it felt so good to be connected again with my family in Bali. The only bummer was I didn’t see my Balinese brother Budin. But I know we will meet sometime soon.

One week ago I was stuck at the Airport in Honolulu trying to get a flight to Central America. When that didn’t work out, I decided to go somewhere in Asia. I called Kimura-san that night because I knew I had a stopover in Kansai. When I called, Kimura-san happened to be in Bali. I had no idea! He said “come!” I “went!” And the rest is history. Thank you Kimura-san for inviting me to Bali. This past week will go down in my history of one of the best weeks in my life. Surfing and hanging out was just what I wanted to do. Now I’m totally satisfied! I surfed great waves, I met my friends, and made many more memories that will last a lifetime. Terima Kasih from the bottom of my heart!

I’m going home.
So tired.
Goodnight!

day 4 bali rained so hard in the middle of the night. the thunder was so loud that it kept on waking me up even though i had earplugs on. it was like huge bombs dropping from the sky. boom after boom. then next morning, dirty water. and if you know or see what happens in the mountains in bali, you don’t want to go in the brown water. you have a great chance of getting very sick. that’s why we didn’t surf here, and ended up at empty and epic Keramas on the last day. i always believe that things happen for a reason. and there was a reason we couldn’t surf here and ended up at Keramas. thank you mother nature.

Hideyoshi Tanaka is a JPSA Grand Champion. i had a fun time in bali hanging out with him. such a cool, calm, and kind guy with a pure heart. not too many of these guys remain in this world. i hope he stays that way. here he is on an early morning wave at Keramas.

Kimura-san, Kin-san, and next is Leon-san. Leon-san is a bali legend surfer. he’s one of the first to surf in bali and still rips. super nice man and i’m always happy to see him. i’ve known him ever since the first time i went to bali 21 years ago. we had an awesome dinner. shrimp, crab, fish, and a few bintangs.

if you want my advise about staying in bali, don’t stay in kuta! the traffic was just too crazy. all day and all night. you won’t even move, and you will get frustrated. it is out of control and i never want to stay in kuta again. be smarter and stay in sanur.

i get back to kansai, we jump in the car, and head back to Yamari. after a wonderful breakfast, i get a wonderful surprise! We Are One Kiku-chan from sendai was in the neighborhood. it’s always great to see her smile! what a wonderful world we live in.
well, gotta get ready for another over night long flight. i’m half way home and can’t wait to jump into the blue ocean in hawaii once i get back. i’ll probably have some jet lag but i don’t mind waking up at 3am as i will just lay in bed and think about the great week i just had. have a great evening and see you in hawaii!