Sufen - Bali and Surroundings

It has been a little while since the last entry. The reason for that is quite simple. It was just too beautiful and there was no time. For the last 8 days, I have been on a surf camp. We visited three islands. From Bali, we traveled to Java by car and ferry. Java is an island west of Bali and very pristine. Our accommodation was beautiful. We could see the beach from our accommodation. There was also a beautiful pool. My first surf lesson was at sunset. It was magical. Surfing is an amazing feeling. My group is also great. We are 5 participants and a wonderful tour guide. We stayed in Java for three nights. There, we surfed in the mornings and evenings, at least according to the plan. One day, as beginners, we suddenly found ourselves in a very big set. So, high waves one after another. Beginners have a larger, more compact board. It is a bit difficult to handle. So, we were really washed away. One beginner did not make it to the beach without help. But the surf instructors were very competent. It's really crazy what the water does to you. But you also learn a lot about water, waves, and currents. So far, my worst injury was a cut from the fin on my foot. I hope it will leave a cool scar. We took a break from surfing and took a boat to a secret beach. It was really beautiful and secluded :). We spent the last night in Java with a volcano hike. The goal was to see the sunrise from the volcano. We had to leave the hostel at eleven o'clock at night and hike for two hours. It was incredibly cold, maybe ten degrees. I only packed the bare essentials for the island tour so that I could carry them in my small backpack, so my whole hiking gear was not with me. It did not say anywhere that you could do such a tour, luckily I had at least sneakers, leggings, and a hoodie with me. You could also buy a hat and gloves there for less than 5 euros and still of good quality. So, we climbed the mountain in pitch darkness and then slid down a bit to get into the crater. We had very good guides, it was incredibly slippery and you could hardly see anything. However, the sky was breathtakingly full of stars. On the way down, we had to put on gas masks because there was a lot of smoke. After all, it is an active volcano. Breathing was very difficult with the mask, as the air was already very thin. But we made it, just in time for sunrise. In the crater, there is a huge lake with crystal clear water. However, suddenly there was a lot of smoke and we only heard: don't panic & duck. So, we all crouched on the ground and waited for the smoke to pass. It was very surreal because you could hear the breathing sound through the mask and it sounded a bit like Darth Vader. When we walked back in the daylight, I was very surprised that we made it in the darkness without slipping. But the view was simply incredible. We were above the clouds and could look directly at them. Absolutely beautiful :). Then we went back to Bali where we spent one night, went surfing in the morning, and then moved on to Nusa Lembongan, our last stop. Nusa is like a Caribbean island, crystal clear water, incredibly beautiful turquoise color, and great beaches. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of reef. Which is great for surfing. We stayed in a really cool accommodation in small bungalows with a view of the sea, absolutely dreamy. I had an amazing surf session there, the waves were perfect and I was able to stand up and turn slowly each time. The next step is definitely a hardboard :). In the afternoon, we went on a tour of the island. We visited the mangrove forest and the sunset beach on the cliff. On the last day in Nusa, we went swimming with manta rays in the morning - crazy shit - they come towards you with their mouths open and then turn away. After that, we went snorkeling and saw many colorful fish and corals. Then we went surfing again. I was really looking forward to it. Some bigger waves came, so I pushed my board away and ducked underwater. Unfortunately, there was another surfer behind me who did the same thing, so I got hit by her board on my shoulder and neck. I could hardly move my arm and paddled to the boat with one hand. Our surf guide then helped me and when we got back to the beach, I started crying. Partly because of the pain, partly because of the shock and the fact that everyone was talking to me. Well, we went back to Bali and Abi (tour guide) went with me to the hospital. It looked a bit like in an American medical series. And they wanted a lot of information, from relationship status to the names of both parents. I was very grateful that Abi was with me. She held my hand and distracted me. I got four X-rays and pain medication. Luckily, nothing was broken. The doctor immediately said, oh surfing - we already had 8 fractures today. I only had a strain and a few bruises, but I had to wear an arm sling for a few days. Everyone was really nice to me and took good care of me. There was a man behind another curtain who then tried to flirt with us. It was very funny. At first, I thought it was because of the pain medication, but it actually happened. He said it was like a blind date. So, we had a lot of fun for a hospital visit. Let's see how the remaining weeks go. So far, my souvenirs from Bali are a beanie and X-rays :D