September 25th, 2010

Somewhere in Nicaragua

The rain was pouring the whole day but it’s stopped for about an hour.  On the way to the beach I got to snap this unfortunately accident.It happened when it was raining cats and dogs and the pavement was very slippery.

We were so excited because the weather was looking better.  We got to see some sunshine and we were able to snap some ok shots with decent light.  This is La Bestia Calderon going big with an amazing backside maneuver.

The local kids were taking advantage in the lineup.  Here we caught this one picking up a nice looking left.

A few international surfers made it out and were able to pick up some fun ones as well, right before the storm start to show up again.You can see all the rain coming at to shore in the ocean.

The rain was getting closer and we were in a hurry to snap some pics before we get wet.  Here is another local kid with a cool frontside turn.

On the last shot of the day we have La Baloy Chamorro hanging around the bay with his baby.  I am just kidding, that’s only his SOBRINA!  Please check back tomorrow.

Meanwhile, on the complete opposite side of the Globe, I’m still hanging out in Padang and making friends.  I’ve been here for three days now and I’m going stir crazy.  Here is my new sidekick, Riki Tiki Tavi (Roberto, I gave him that nickname myself – are you proud of me or what?).  RTT saw me waking around and decided to follow me so he could practice his English.  When he saw that I had a camera, he wanted pictures to post on his facebook.  After an hour, I told him I had to go back to my hotel – I already had an email from him requesting the photos.  I’m ready to go surfing now.  Fortunately, I leave tomorrow morning for the Telos islands.

One time in Nicaragua, I saw a family of 6 on a motorcycle…but I didn’t have my camera with me.  When this “5-pack” passed by, I just had to snap a shot.  5 people, one motorcycle, zero helmets.  That’s how we get it done in Indo.

Just outside of Padang, it turns from a crowded to city to rural farmland.  These are the traditional rice farmers working in the paddy.  It’s hard to describe just how many different plants and trees grow here.  It feels like I went back in time when I look up the steep mountainsides.  It’s very green, very lush and full of life.  There were even monkeys playing on the side of the road.

Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world (by population) and it is predominantly Muslim.  The girls start wearing their head coverings very early – elementary school or so – and it’s not uncommon to see groups of them walking to and from school.  They must study at least a little bit of English because each time I passed a group of them, I would hear “nice to meet you mister” or “have a nice day mister”.  They were all very nice and I didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable.  When they saw my camera, the asked for a photo – you guessed it – for their facebook.  These two refused to smile but as you can see, I almost got the one on the left!

Indo taxi drivers are stoked on their rides.  They like to paint and sticker them up as much as possible.  It’s hard to tell from this shot, but this van is about the same size as one of those double golf carts.  You still wouldn’t want one to hit you because they whip them around pretty fast.  Crossing the street is a huge challenge in Padang.

Everybody smokes here.  I ate at a restaurant and requested the non-smoking section.  We were in a tiny room and my table was the one right next to a smoking table.  At least they are trying.  This guy was driving a horse-drawn carriage and I thought he looked cook with is cigarette.  Classic indo man.

Indo street vendor.  I love all the colors in this photo.  It’s not so different from some of the scenes in Nicaragua.

This will be my last shot from the beach in front of Padang.  You can’t see them from here, but if you go straight out from this beach, you will run straight into the Mentawai and Telo islands – arguably the most concentrated collection of the best waves in the world.  I’ll be out there tomorrow…