Surf camp - week 1

The ŸyyIt has been an amazing trip so far!!! I am Soo glad we decided to come back to this beautiful place!!!

It was a long flight to get here, but lucky for us we had an empty seat in our row, so we were able to stretch out a little bit.  14 hours to Hong Kong, then a 4 hour layover, then another 4 hours or so to Denpasar.

The line to get thru customs was very long, so by the time we got thru and found an ATM, we had missed any flights to Lombok.  We had to find a place to stay for the night.  I am so glad Mel knows his way around foreign countries!!!! I don't know what I would have done had I been on my own.....

He found a place to stay for the night within walking distance of the airport.  We had been awake for about 30 hours, so we were absolutely exhausted.   Mel did happen to catch a few Z's at the airport in Hong Kong

We didn't bring anything like a jacket and the air conditioning at the airports work quite well.  All I had for a blanket was a towel and my sarong.....they worked pretty good!!!!😄 

We got a flight the next morning and coming into Praya, Lombok was like a deep relaxing sigh!!!!!

Spotted a mosque

We were able to get a room at the home stay where we stayed last year.  Then a wander around to see the little town.  It has changed a lot this past year!!!!  There are more home stays, more restaurants, A LOT more tourists, more of everything!!!!  I'm SOO glad we came back this year, it will continue to grow and get more crowded......

They had market day the next morning.

Amazing to wander thru and see it all.....

Then it was on to the surf camp.....Ahhhhhhh

Since I was a returning guest, I was able to go out for a "free surf" (not a structured lesson) on the first day.  I was the only one in the beginner group, so it was fun to go out with 2 of the coaches all by myself.  They say it is a good way to dust off all the cobwebs...😄.  I got tired pretty quickly, but I caught and rode every wave, which was good for my confidence.......

The next day was the intro day for all the beginners, but again, since I had already been thru the lessons last year, me and 3 other returning guests got to go surfing first thing.  Our first surf was at 5:30am!!!!!  It was perfect!!!!!  We had the break all to ourselves, the water was glassy and soo smooth.  We caught wave after wave after wave!!!!!!!   I think I only fell on 1 wave.  I can definitely tell that my lessons from last year, plus my time surfing since then have really helped me.....

We have had 2 surf sessions every day, each for 2 hours.  It has been great!!!!!  

This is Lucy.  She does the photography for the beginners, as well as organizing some of the activities we do, and she helps a lot with the foundation.  

This is Sally, from England.  She was chilling in the tree house....

Here are some of the kids, gathering in the skate bowl, waiting for one of the classes to start.  They have classes for the local kids to learn English, as well as teaching safety and health, and a number of other things.   These classes are not part of their regular school, they are an option, but the kids really want to learn and more and more kids are coming each class.  They have these classes 5 times per week.......it is a great organization!!!!!

Today we are taking the big boat out to another bay called Eckas.  I have heard it is beautiful and the surfing is great.   Tonight they have organized dinner at a nice restaurant in Kuta, so hopefully I can get some wifi to send this off.