Having had the great pleasure of learning to surf recently, I’ve realized things out their on the waves and learned lessons I’d of never learned otherwise.  Many of them are life lessons, things I’ll hopefully remember forever and live by, much to my benefit and now that I’m sharing them with you, hopefully yours.

The expression “Things come in waves” is the long and short of it.  I often say to a new friend while waiting and just lounging on my board “It’s true, things really do come in waves”. Let me elaborate for you.

When you are out there, if you chase every wave, you will be exhausted and most likely displeased. If you wait for “your time, your wave” you will be much happier and better equipped to ride “your wave” when it comes, and believe you me, anyone who has the patience… Their wave will come.

When I first started this trip, I bought a bunch of commodity related equities in Bangkok and they climbed for 1 day. The next day, they got a size 15 doc marten to the teeth and I was down, big. Normally you’d freak out, angry over wasted energy. I just waited, patiently. Now I’m pleased to report they are ripping again, to higher levels then before.

At about the same time, I had that whole “Spam issue” on my site and it effectively crashed my website, my sales went from good / great to nothing, nadda, zip. I didn’t stress it I was patient and thinking long term. Things come in waves, misfortune, loss of coin, misery. No sooner then you think another wave isn’t coming and many go to the beach ‘giving up’ on the day… The monsters come in.

I’m pleased to report, it’s “back to business” on all fronts.

When things aren’t going your way, it’s time to save your energy, relax, smile, be thankful for what you have. Nothing is static and merely observing the ocean for several minutes with a clear mind, you will realize this. Just when many give up, those that wait are rewarded, tidily might I add.

To continue on this note, when the waves are great don’t think they will last forever, you must act and act quickly. Also when the “waves of fortune” are in your favor you must be grateful for your circumstances and know full well that IT WILL NOT LAST. Sooner than later you’ll be in a lull again. Before the lull comes, cash in whether it’s catching the wave, selling some stocks, doing something you wanted to. Also remember, you don’t have to catch the top or the bottom, forget polarity, forget optimal “timing” just get on it when you need to and that’s “good enough”. Life isn’t about perfection it’s about putting concentrated effort into action.

Just remember the waves of fortune will not last forever. When there are no waves and you’re not banking coin, having the time of your life and whatnot. Fear not, just be patient and happy for what you have. In the case of surfing it’s that you are out on the ocean, in the sun, surrounded by other cool people and often, beautiful babes. Save your energy, be patient and just enjoy the moment knowing full well that if you have the “staying power” you will be rewarded.

Too many people are overly dramatic. When the waves are strong they expect them to last forever and get disappointed, sad or irrational when they stop coming. When the waves in the ocean or life are poor, they get discouraged, depressed, disheartened. Never be that guy. Just realize everything from the ocean to the events and emotions in your life come in waves and enjoy both because both are opportunities to grow.

When they are low, it’s an opportunity to build your character, to realize nothing in life is given and nothing lasts forever. When the tide is high, you must learn to get into action and fast, to “seize the moment” and make the most of it because nothing lasts forever and much like a wave as in life, you only have 1 shot at it. Make the most of it, yes?

There is a quote from someone very intelligent but I’m not sure who it reads “Write your misfortune in the sand and your successes in stone”. Those are words to live by.

These are just some things I’ve learned on this trip, my friends father who is a Doctor who put some of my mental malaise to rest after having swine flu told me that going on a trip like this will be the best thing I ever do for myself. He also said to be prepared for many “dark moments” as they are inevitable when doing something of this nature. They can be external or internal but they will appear. He finished by saying “It’s always darkest before dawn”. The waves are often crummiest before they get grand. Also don’t be overzealous, things come in waves. You don’t have to catch the first one of the new set, often times the first one is the fake out, and if you float over it, the “big one” comes right after.

Enjoy your life and act accordingly because whether you are out catching waves or just catching the “best ride you can in life”. Things will always come in waves, be cognizient of this and thrive in the process.

Good day to you, tips hat.

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Greetings ladies, gentlemen and vagabonds,

Lived the life of a beach bum today on the beautiful beaches of Kuta, Bali. Woke up, hit the beach. Met these girls from Europe who had been here 4 months and chatted in the ocean.  Shortly after this guy who was their surf  instructor says hi then says he is going fishing. I ask if he’s cool they say yes, so I run to catch up with him.

Catch up and he’s new to fishing but totally hooked (sorry had to say that). Fish for a while in front of the Discovery Shopping Mall then hit back up to the beach. I rent out the nicest surf board I’ve seen in my life from his shop along with top for 30,000Ru for the rest of the afternoon. Met a guy in the water who paid 100,000 for his crappy board and a “boogie board” for his wife for 2 hours. Last board I had was decrepit and it cost me 40,000 and that was about a ~10 minute walk from the beach. The board I rented was brand new and 7.6ft long. I’ll be using it for the next while, if I do well on it I may go shorter.  While fishing, buddy has a tone of fruit, eat it while discussing fishing, life, surfing,  just chilling.

Surf for a few hours and actually manage to  catch some of the bigger waves, what a rush. The ocean has so much power it’s insane. Going to try and do surfing in the morning or evening. Being out in the mid day sun is cancerous and hazardous and ridiculously hot.

That’s it really. I then came in and bought a bottle of water for 3,000Ru($0.30) and went back to the beach for sunset to chill with some new friends. Then had dinner for 6,000Ru($0.6), found out about it yesterday from a guy at my guest house / budget hotel / whatever and it’s right next door, cheapest I’ve seen and tasty.  I’ve also  spent the 45,000($4.50) for a room. That’s 84,000 RU or ~$8.4US for a day of chilling and surfing, a room, food and money to burn.

The dinner was great and I’m tired from a day of chilling, fishing and surfing. This internet will be 10,000Ru for a grand total of 94,000Ru ($9.40) but could be less if I used my laptop to write this then just came in, checked a few sites and upload, yes? I’m glad I waited to go on this trip but so glad I did. Life is what you make of it as long as you don’t get suckered into finding your “self” through crappy consumer items that will keep you from being who you are. Funny how that works, yes?

Living around the world can be as cheap or expensive as you want. In the future I won’t be boring you with my daily expenditures but this is  a great follow up to yesterdays update which got the most traffic this site has ever seen. People want to know how much things cost and who better than I to fill them in!?

I’m off to chill in the heat with strangers I will meet that will soon become friends. That said, need to get to bed early if I want to catch a lift to another beach with slightly bigger waves but still a beach break at ~8am. I will not even consider going near a reef break for a very long time, if ever.  You can get seriously mangled on one of those.

Tips hat, good day.

Greetings ladies and gentlemen as well as monkeys trained to read,

Today I got a cheap hotel in Kuta, Bali, went surfing for the first time ever and rode some waves, had a great massage then got RIPPED OFF! Let me elaborate, will you?

Woke up after a rejuvenating 5 hour sleep on the top of my bed, try to never go under the sheets in these places. Decided this place costs too much, off to find my fate. I roll out of bed and presto run into this extroverted Irish girl also looking. We cruise around… I was paying 165,000 a night. I think I did because I hung with those cheap Austrians and they were 2, I was 1. Therefor it was more “their night” and I was on for a ride instead of making my own path, my own destiny.

I digress.

So we’re cruising and I see this beautiful blonde haired blue eyed beauty sitting in a restaurant after looking at a few places. One place was 150,00. If I pay for 1 week 100,000 checked for bed bugs with Irish girl and we both saw lots of black. Maybe sand maybe not, definitely not risking it. She got them and said it was horrendous. So I ask that girl eating for suggestions she points me to a place nearby and get this, 45,000 a night! DEAL, yes?

The place is full so I ask for a similar place, leads me down this little lane and find a cool place, no bed bugs I could see and it was only 45,000. So I go back to my hotel, check out with and switch rooms. I get there and say “anything on top floor?” he says, yes. I remember when I was a kid, like 8 years old. I was freaked that my bedroom was closest to the stairs… If a pyscho killer came it was my room first. Similar now only thieves. Upstairs is more secluded but you have to pass through the area longer so in theory a lazy thief will hit ground floor, yes?

I get up there and there is a crew of cool looking people. Awesome.

Rent a surfboard for 40,000 for the entire day. Guy on beach wanted 50,000 for 1 hour, no way. I was like totally lost but thought hey, lets go for it. I run into this instructor way out and he’s like if you’re new, you are too far out, try and catch closer near the breaks. Also showed me where to position myself and said your board is too small for more advanced people, you want a massive long board. Then tried to sell me lessons, I said “If I can’t get up, I”ll come see you tomorrow”.

First few times you fight through waves haha it’s interesting. My arms were tired after 10 minutes but I surfed for 3 hours. About 30 minutes in I realized, better to wait for bigger ones and whatnot instead of going for all. Supposedly today wasn’t that good aka no big ones but whatever. I finally get up all sketchy for 3 seconds, I was hooked. 3 attempts later I was fully standing and just glided into the beach. What a rush it was arguably the coolest sensation I’ve had in ages, I’m totally hooked and so glad I tried surfing.

Spent another 2 hours and got up about a dozen or so more times and eat it hard about 3 dozen times or so. It’s not easy. I will say twice I got up as it was breaking further out where I stood up then felt the wave starting to break and you drop like a foot and really start motoring, that was awesome. I will be doing MUCH MORE SURFING. It’s my new “thing” and a great way to pass a day. If I have nothing to do I tend to smoke and eat aggressively. The beach in Bali is sick, like chilling no your board waiting for waves and look to the shore and there are topless women swimming around… Paradise, “Heaven”, I think so.

Ok, so I’m all sore from sleeping on a couch and getting rattled by the ocean, get a full body massage for 48,000R or ~$5US. It was awesome and I THOUGHT the lady was nice.

This is how I got ripped off in Bail… I ask the massage place “I want an authentic Balinese meal” away from the touristy place for cheap, she says “follow me”. I follow her for like 30 minutes through a labyrinth of lanes until we get to this crappy little diner. We’re “off the beaten path” and I didn’t see one other tourist. I mean there were flys all over the food and it was just sitting there, no ice nothing. A big chicken leg with stands and some odd looking stuff. I don’t want to offend her so I say “oh yes, looks great”.

Ok, so I’m eating the sketchiest meal I’ve had on my trip. If my stomach does not explode in 24 hours, I have official been “broken in” to withstand almost anything. Long story short I go to pay and she says 100,000. I’m like WTH, 1,000?!? She says no, 100,000. She adds it all up, the lady bought food for her whole family it looked like she was grocery shopping and expected me to pay. She is like “no money” and other lady “No speak English”. I saw a guy earlier leave with bags for 20,000. So she says mine is 25,000(Still being charged 4-5X) and then adds ridiculous sums for the ladies.

Since 50,000 is smallest bill I have I say listen, here is 50,000R and that’s it, I’m not paying anymore. Others would fight and make a scene, others are so cheap it’s obscene and others get knifed in back alley’s. I mean they could of said anything to some gentlemen who came over had we started arguing and I was far from the tourist area. I mean there was no tension, I just wasn’t going to get ripped of and we both left with smiles. They made some money, I learned a lesson.

They take it and I leave. Then I walk home, get to town and notice I can buy delicious sounding dishes, around the corner from my place for like 8,000-12,500R ($0.80-$1.25US). Yep, I got played and ripped off.

EVERYTHING happens for a reason. What have I learned?

A) Never ask women in these countries where to eat, or go with them to eat. I’ve done it twice and both times they thought I was their meal ticket. This time was even more ridiculous as she had other things and they jacked the price 10 fold.

B) As soon as you exchange money or take out money, go to a 7/11 and buy something, anything to get change and smaller denominations. 25,000 was still too much but had I had smaller change I’d of left that and been like sorry, have a nice life, or don’t, I don’t care.

C) Whenever you get all culturally lame like “show me this or that” all too nice, you’re asking for it. Someone left a comment saying “Hey Rob, are you mixing with local people or just tourists”, so I tried this out. I do meet lots of local people but it’s through random encounters where you’re like what’s up, have a beer, or meet on the beach or meet out surfing like I met Joe the instructor today, or meet at a resort etc etc…

Yeah, that’s it. Whatever I got 30 days here and my hotel bill for 1 month will be less than $150US and I’m in paradise. I seriously love it here, coolest place yet. Everyone agrees if you get dropped off on Poppie Lane at like midnight it’s a sketchy feeling but it’s still “all good”.

Have a friend coming on the 16th, here until then (for now) and take it from there. Plan on doing lots more surfing, the stuff is near free (free if you have a board) and is amazing fun and that’s what Bali is known for. If you are reading this “Munbr0ach” and “WIllzzzz”, next time in Vic, excited to hit up Sombrio Beach and Tofino.

Do I miss being home, shoveling snow, trading my youth for peanuts and “security”? hahah, no.

One thing I will NOTE. I love how I’m 13 hours ahead of EST. Why? Now when I used to be at home sleeping before work, dreaming of this, I’m living the dream. Also when I WOULD OF BEEN at work, I’m now enjoying a cold one for $2-3 and resting up to do it all again.

Anyone can do this with some wise money management. There is only 1 golden rule YOU CANNOT BREAK. DO NOT GET IN DEBT. Once you get in debt you trade your freedom for the crap you bought, remember that.

Peace out, off to have a cold one and hopefully an early night. Hear the waves are good early morning.

Good day to you!

P.S Photos I take to come tomorrow as I’ve been busy. Will try and replace others I used a well as “Bali” for some reason isn’t heavily updated on google images… I smell opportunity.