((((( All things Indonesia- News, Surf, Stories, thoughts, documentaries etc )))))
Saw this documentary on SBS last night (haven't watched the other episodes yet)
Probably one of the best Indonesian documentaries I've seen as show's a real side of Indonesia I've seen in remote Indo fishing communities, just how they live, the struggle and issues they face and also how some of these people think.
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/520695875561/hunters-of-the-south-s...
PS. expires in 12 days or so , just use Facebook to sign in if needed is easy and quick.
watched Episode two last night, just as good again in Indo near Rote.
This one is on an Indo community that hunt whales, i honestly had no idea about this.
Quite an eye opener, stirs up many emotions and does make you think how is this sustainable? and that's coming from someone who has always wanted to try whale meat.
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/525398083630/hunters-of-the-south-s...
I saw an exhibition on the whale hunters at the museum in Kupang a few years ago that included a full skeleton as well as lots of photos. It's hard to criticise the killing of a whale when the men risk their lives to do it and make use of every part.
Indo, I've tried whale sashimi. It's very similar in taste and texture to fatty beef.
Yeah i kind of started watching the video with that mindset Blindboy, I've always been with the mindset that as long as it's sustainable i don't really have a problem with it.
But then in the video they catch half a dozen whales which is fine as it will all be used and its a seasonal thing, but then not long after also catch 16 big manta rays (that are actually protected in Indonesia)
Then it's justified that the whale is to eat and the manta ray is more to sell, i can understand this, but it just feels as though there is no way it can be sustainable.
Or what if other communities on nearby islands decided they also wanted to kill whales or many rays? (I'm not sure if they do)
In just my going to Indo I've seen areas where on my first trips i saw locals getting sea cucumber in one night they would get big bags full and they use to sell to the Chinese and earn a months wages in one night, recently i kind of thought hey i haven't seen them get sea cucumber for years.
So i asked my local friend and he was a like..oh yeah nobody does that anymore for a long time now because there is none left, apparently totally fished out, they started on the reefs, then had to start diving then no more all gone.
Yeah i remember you saying that Zen, I'm going to feel a little bad and i know it will make me part of the problem in a sense, but i think one day when i go up Rote way I'm going to have to try it, just once.
Huge floods in sumbawa at the moment. My girlfriend is from there and has a lot of photos but i cant see anywhwere to donate or help out.
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/68865/flood-inundates-hundreds-of-hous...
Saw there was some earth quake activity near lakeys not long ago also, not big but around 5.
Indonesia never ceases to amaze me, you would never expect these kinds of things to happen
.
"Indonesia has agreed to cooperate with Sweden in developing renewable energy in the archipelago, Energy Minister Ignatius Jonan said on Friday (17/02)."
http://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesia-sweden-to-cooperate-on-wind-hy...
I also saw a huge solar panel farm in the Mentawais last year.
Id like to be a part of this. Cleaning up the garbage in Bali.
I am off to indo for a month happy days.I have never been on the off season.
Good luck the chase.
I've been here about 7 weeks and I don't think I've ever surfed so much in my life. Actually having a day off cause I'm cumulatively fucked from so many hours in the water - and its four foot and sheet glass right now.
Yesterday was average and it was still 3 foot oil slick glass, crystal clear water and smackable walls with a very manageable crowd.
Get amongst it. Seasons changing now. Trades just starting to puff lightly on the odd day. Swell , sun , delicious food.
Good times indeed.
Did you get new boards blowin? Care to report?
Sounds good blowin sounds like a nice little east coast island spot that still represents the Bali
of old...basic warungs with the 80s vibe.
Yeah linez , got 3 new sticks.
6 '0 " + 18 7/8 + 2 5/16
6' 1" + 19 1/8 + 2 7/16
6' 5" + 19 1/8 + 2 7/16
All Channel Islands Semi Pro 12.
Amazing boards.
Maybe best Evers ?
The 6'5" especially is like a machine. Rode it a few days ago in some clean , powerful walls 6-8 ft. Long rides with the odd throwing section. The board was a dream - stable , fast , responsive, driving . Chewing through sections and going exactly where I wanted it to.
Had the 6'1" in everything from point style reef walls to slabbing reef pits and it excels also. I've done turns on that thing I didn't think I was capable of.
Talking it up too much ?
No - that's how good it is.
Hi Blowin so where are you?..............only jokin mate.....sounds like your having more fun than me at the moment....jealous.How do you find the glass jobs on the ci boards?
Glass seems ok Simba - touch wood.
I'm very heavy footed so there are the usual deck wells happening. Nothing too crazy.
Rode a Matt Hurworth ( ? ) board a couple of times in small waves about a month ago and the deck sunk to the point where the stringer is sitting an easy 8-10 mm proud of the foam on each side.
Piece of shit !
Maybe could be dismissed as an " Indo " glass job.....if you couldn't give a fuck about the integrity of your brand or your product.
Blowin when you get a minute ..trace the outline of your 6'1 onto your 6'5
What's that about Udo ?
A mate had a custom longer board made ..normal was a 6'3 the step up was a 6'6..both had the exact same width and thickness - when the outline was traced from shorter to stepup Had same rail line ,,identical,except the stepup nose was stretched out from about 9'' back with a little added rocker only in that area...so was really just the same board ..the bit of extra point in the nose the only difference.
The step up looked so different.....but wasnt ?
Great stuff blowin. Talking it up too much? Nah...nothing like a magic board/s. Hope waves continue for me like they have for you, I'm over there for 3 weeks next week. Yew
Anyone here surfed in (((Israel)))?
Udo - this board is a model so I guess the computer extrapolates the difference in length with the program ?
Otherwise that would explain the 4 inch section glued in the guts Frankenstein - style.
Fuck knows how they sort it mate , but it goes like a dream.
Linez : best of luck over here. It's pretty hard to go wrong amongst the best waves in the world ....though plenty do ! Hope you get some.
Never been to Israel , Turkey. To be honest that would be at the bottom of the places to see list.
Actually I have zero interest in the joint .
You been ?
Never been to Israel but i did surf and hang with an Israel dude in Indo about two years ago, or maybe it was Iraq it was some crazy middle east country.
I on-offed with a French-(((Israeli))) a while back. Took her to see the film THE BAADER-MEINHOF COMPLEX once. Just to piss her off.
I don't think I will ever go to (((Israel))). Definitely not to surf.
I went to Bondi once .
Does that count ?
This dude surfs pretty good, love that layback to pig dog.
Boat tripping Bill... from Dane burnheim on Vimeo.
Is he an (((Israeli)))?
Nah he is an (((Aussie))))
What's the (( Israeli )) shit about , Turkey ?
Mate, you've got to get your parentheses RIGHT!
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2016/jun/12/echoes-beat...
Here you go Indo, one persons history is someone else's treasure
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-27/why-are-world-war-ii-naval-wrec...
Thanks Distracted, interesting read.
Here is another interesting Indo related read, I've read about this before, but many people don't know about this part of Indigenous Australian history where Indonesians visited long ago and traded etc.
"Macassan (Indonesian) History in Arnhem Land
If you listen to the Yolngu language of East Arnhem Land closely, you'll come across a few familiar sounding words, for example 'Rupiah', the Indonesian word for money.
If you listen to the Yolngu language of East Arnhem Land closely, you'll come across a few familiar sounding words, for example 'Rupiah', the Indonesian word for money.
The words are just part of the Indonesian culture that has infiltrated areas of North Australia during hundreds of years of trade between the Macassans (from Sulawesi) and many Indigenous clans."
Continued here http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/07/21/2632428.htm
bit more on the history here, interesting stuff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makassan_contact_with_Australia
Pak Hussein of Katiet (HT's/Lances Right), Mentawai's passed away today.
He was the guy who housed Lance when he visited HT's and according to my source many other surfers since about 1977.
R.I.P
I touched on refugees in Indonesia in another thread, this is an interesting article that deals with the issue of refugees in Indonesia http://www.insideindonesia.org/no-durable-solutions?utm_source=All+Subsc...
Had a surreal experience on Rote a few years back. Cruised up to Dave and Jenet's place one morning to find half a dozen cops sitting around drinking coffee. Jenet explained that a refugee boat bound for Australia had broken down and drifted onto one of the outer islands. The cops had comandeered a few local fishing boats including Dave's and were bringing them to Rote then taking them who knows where. We went to the beach to find another 6 or 8 commando looking dudes with what looked like machine guns slung over their shoulders waiting there as well as 100 or so curious locals. We walked down to the waters edge as the refugees started arriving and a well travelled european guy came over to talk to us . He could point out where each of the refugees was from as they walked through the waist deep water to shore. A few could speak english and one even asked us if we were from Australia and asked if we could help him. The cops didn't seem fazed by us being there and let us talk as long as we liked. Eventually all the refugees, about 100 , were literally herded into the back of cattle trucks with a couple of the armed dudes assigned to each truck, but before they left all the cops got together for a big group photo. Weird shit indeed. Just a totally surreal feeling after witnessing this then trying to go back to trying to enjoy ourselves. They felt helpless and we felt helpless. Still hard to fathom.
Here's a few of my stories. Back in the day I camped at Turtles and I used to watch the turtles head out in the arvos', at night there was a govt ranger type person patrolling the beach, and we could watch the turtles lay eggs and bury them. Apparently people used to steal the eggs, hence the guardian. Not sure if it still happens now. Surfed this break near the West end of Lombok and the locals would use a knife to skim the white bark of a particular tree, thinly, then roll tobacco into the bark and smoke it. Went free diving with some kids in Sumbawa for fish, and didn't have goggles, asked to borrow the kids goggles, didn't fit as they were made out of wood and carved to the shape of his eye sockets only with lacky bands wrapped around his head and Perspex for lenses. Stayed in a local house with a family in west Java for one night and the next day the family wanted a photo, it took about half an hour for them to run up and down the street finding everyone. Finally they are assembled and about to take the snap, and the grand pop halts us, runs inside, runs back out a minute later with a 22 shot gun, and stands proud with it in the middle of his family. I still have that slide photo and plan to print it and frame it and give it back to the family one day ... that was over 20yrs ago now.
This is kind of cool vid of Indo, not for the waves or surfing which are both very average, but more so just because it shows such a different side of Indo, plus it's filmed really well and the song fits in perfect.
Suicide bomber tonight in Jakarta
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-blast-idUSKBN18K25E
Yeah saw that lot of crazy shit been going down in Indonesia the last six months or so, kind of dark days.
Do you know if that bill about premarital sex becoming illegal was put through yet?
I cant see how it would work in Jakarta or Bali. Maybe in small villages.
Starting this topic to add all things Indonesia that are interesting or surf related.
Please feel free to contribute.