Surfing and exploring Simeulue

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Balisurfergirls.com gave me the opportunity to spend a week at the Mahi Mahi resort at Simeulue. To spend a week in tropical paradise and to surf some of the best waves around! One word: wow! Imagine to wake up in an air-conditioned room to open the doors at your balcony and to look at one of the best surf breaks in the area.

In Holland we surf on cold, sloppy beach breaks and here I have the opportunity to surf in warm water of 28 degrees Celcius and to surf on some glassy, sometimes heavy reef breaks. And don’t forget the palm trees on the background or the white sand. It is pretty fun to be in the water and to have a view at the tropical forest when you are waiting for the waves.

This morning I got up early (around 07.00) and I was able to surf the break for myself for about 40 minutes. I was the only one to sit one the right handers and I was able to catch a few nice waves. Isn’t it amazing to surf in tropical water and to relax after that, while you are looking at the surf. After my surf I got a nice and healthy breakfast, which is served every morning by the crew of Mahi Mahi. Oatmeal- banana pancakes with fresh fruit (pineapple, papaya and water melon!) on top of it. With a fresh dragon fruit juice and a cup of tea aside. That is very fulfilling when you have just surfed for 2 hours.

The food at Mahi Mahi is amazing. Every morning, afternoon and evening they serve a great meal. With some nice nasi, chicken, fresh fish and fresh vegetables. You won’t be starving if you stay at the Mahi Mahi resort. Far from that! It’s so nice to get a good meal after a long surf. There is almost nothing better than that.

Besides from the surf we have also made a trip to the jungle. Together with two local guys and Alia, a girl from Hawaii, we went bird watching. We saw a few birds (a wood pecker), but for me, the most special were the trees. I have never been in a tropical jungle like that and it is definitely worth checking out. It’s so green! And you see so many different trees, flowers, butterfly’s and other animals! Did you know there’s more than one type of bamboo? I didn’t.

Besides the beautiful nature and the great surf you need to meet some of the local people of Simeulue. I can be hard to communicate with them if you don’t speak Indonesian. But with a few words, a nice smile and some gestures you come far! Especially the kids love to play with foreigners and if you walk around or make a roadtrip on your scooter along the coast you get a nice hello from everyone. At Simeulue there are no people who are trying to sell you something or at least they don’t hassle you. That makes it really easy to walk around here and to just enjoy your holiday.

 

The photo’s are made by : Matthews Alexander Williams & Natasha Smit

 

Come surfing with us in Morocco or Portugal! There are still spots free.

 

 

A challenge: surfing in Simeulue

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Surfing on the island of Simeulue. It is fun, but it also a challenge. The first time surfing at the spot called ‘The Peak’, which is just in front of the Mahi Mahi resort, I just paddled around. The waves were pretty big and I didn’t wanted to get my ass kicked immediately. I first wanted to explore and see how the spot was working. To see where to be and where not to be and to see what to do if you get a big set on the head. What is the escape route and how do you get in and out of the spot? Without getting your feet scratched over the reef.

The next day was already much better. I surfed at the same spot again, but now I was doing much better. The waves were a little bit smaller, but still a solid two meter high. I was able to find my position and able to take two waves. One wave to the left and one wave to the right! That were only two waves, but I was happy! If you are surfing in waves that challenging, two waves can already be enough.

Being a girl and travelling out to an isolated destination like Simeulue can be interesting as well. Not only because it is a traditional muslim country and as a woman you are supposed to dress up decently. You have to cover your shoulders and you can’t wear short shorts. But it is also interesting because you need to handle yourself as a girl within a surf community that is full of guys. Most of those guys are really nice, but some of them can be a bit macho as well.

It is different to be a surfer girl than to be a guy. We don’t always like big waves and we don’t always like to get washed. But if you go to a place like Simeuleu, which is full of big waves, you need to handle yourself. Take care of yourself in and out of the surf. You need to be able to pick your waves and swim up when you get hold down. And take care of your feet when your scratched them across the reef. That’s where surfing in Simeulue is about! It is lots of fun and it is beautiful to surf on a tropical island, but it is also a challenge. So if you come here, you need to be ready for that!

Dreaming of Indonesia

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For a long time I already thought about going to Indonesia. And not to Bali where everyone goes to, but to the other islands in the region. The Mentawai, Sumatra and Java.

I booked my flight to Jakarta already a while ago, but my whole trip was still a bit of blur. There are so many islands in Indonesia. How do you decide where you want to go? How do you know where it’s good to go to and which places you should avoid?The travelling itself is of course a nice journey, but the planning of this surf trip is an adventure itself.  A journey with ups and downs. With excitement about all the beautiful places where I want to go, but a few times I also got scared. I am going by myself and will it be safe to go there?How can a blond girl from Holland find her way around Indonesia? Without being hassled or getting into trouble?First, I bought the stormrider guide of Indonesia. Well, there are some beautiful pictures in there, but there are also so many spots to go to! Which spot is good and which is not? I don’t want to surf 8 meter high waves, because then I’ll just die. And a little bit of water instead of surfing at dry coral reef would be good as well. The storm rider guide is an amazing book, but there are too many options.

Second, I asked my Dutch and other international friends about the places that I should go to. Patrick Schmitz, a Dutch singer (you should check out his music: Pat Smith) and a former pro surfer, spent many winters in Indonesia and over a coffee he gave me a few tips about Indonesia. The few places on Java he mentioned were Batu Karas and Pacitan. Hmm, exciting! The photos look amazing. But he also warned me to be careful. Are you sure that you, a blond girl from Holland, want to travel there by yourself? Oh, he scared and inspired me on the same time.  Planning a surf trip to Indonesia can be difficult.Yannick de Jager, another Dutch surfer who was surfing the WQS, said that I should go to Sumatra and then more specific to Krui. Krui, is a small town in the south of Sumatra, where not many people go to. That sounds great. That’s the kind of place where I want to go. Not too crowded, not too many tourists, but still fun. I am going to put that place on my list!Then I started to talking to Alycia, an Australian friend of mine and she gave me another good idea. I should go to the Mentawai! Wow, can I afford that then? Aren’t those places crazy expensive? Well, she found a place called Southern Mentawai Outpost that I couldn’t resist. On the most southern island of the Mentawai there is a place called Sikakap and that’s where I will go though. No crowds, a wooden cottage on the beach and only a few people around. Wow, that’s looks amazing and I can’t wait to go there!

 Second, Emerald of Balisurfergirls got in contact with the Mahi Mahi surfresort on the Simeulue islands. Wow, this trip suddenly got better and better. A bounty island with palm trees, dolphins and the most amazing waves that you can ever imagine. I am already surfing for 16 years but I haven’t been to a place like that. Okay, I learned to surf on Kauai (Hawaii), but still. This looks amazing! I am going to be the luckiest girl in the world and have the best trip of my life.I got really excited from seeing all those photos and videos and I can’t wait to pack my bag and fly to Indonesia. After that I got my vaccinations and my medicines of course. It’s nice to travel to remote places like that, but you also need to take care of yourself.See you in the ocean!Natasha

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