Surfing is not for everyone ;-) (Day 49 of the world trip)

October 23, 2019

This time the alarm clock rang at 6:00 am and we woke up quite refreshed. Because, for some reason, the night was (almost) mosquito-free!!! Yay! Instead, a neighbor decided to play loud music from the charts at 2:30 am, so that we could also enjoy it ;-) Jonas slept through the event :p

What slightly spoiled my mood was the pouring rain outside. Not surprising for this stay but somehow less inviting for a surfing lesson in the morning :D I briefly hoped that the instructor would write that it would be postponed to the afternoon, but no, he only wrote "Good morning" to us and then we got ready to be picked up at 7:20 am.

Since the tuk-tuk was already here before 7:20 am yesterday, we went out today at 7:15 am. The few meters from the bungalow to the communal terrace were enough to take the first little shower, as a warm-up ;-)

Of course, the tuk-tuk didn't come too early today, when we were already there^^ But it didn't matter. They were on time and we drove to Black Beach - this time without picking up the other couple first.

When we arrived at Black Beach, Krishna got out of the tuk-tuk and we checked out the waves with him. He hesitated at first because the current was very strong, but then decided that surfing was still possible. Just to be safe, he called a friend who runs a surf school at another beach, but the conditions there were apparently not better, so we stayed at Black Beach :)

The surfboards were unloaded and carried to the beach, and then Jonas and I were supposed to warm up. So, like yesterday, we walked along the beach for a short while and then quickly went through my standard Taekwondo stretching program^^

When we were done, the fifth participant from yesterday (who had also joined us individually yesterday because he has a scooter and doesn't need a tuk-tuk ;-) ) arrived. He and Krishna talked briefly, and suddenly it was decided that the waves here were not suitable for a surf lesson :D

So everything was packed up again and we decided to go to Varkala Beach, where Jonas and I had already spent two afternoons. However, we had to wait for the tuk-tuk, which also transported the surfboards, and our fellow surfer decided that he would either surf again in the afternoon or not until tomorrow^^

The main problem with the waves was that they were moving in an uncontrolled manner not only towards the beach but also from left to right and from right to left. So, the current would also be strong and well...

Now completely wet and a little chilly (but only me, Jonas was okay), we waited in the rain for the tuk-tuk, and after about 15 minutes it finally came and took us to the other beach.

There, Krishna and the third person (who collects the money and is the one who communicates with Jonas via WhatsApp) briefly checked out the waves and then decided that surfing was possible here!

The tuk-tuk took us along the promenade (we actually thought it was a pedestrian zone, but apparently there are exceptions^^), and Krishna and Jonas kindly carried a surfboard each so that I could focus on the steps :)

When we arrived at the beach, I initially looked somewhat skeptical at the water. Here too, waves were moving in three different directions. When they collided (which happened constantly), the whole thing foamed up and the waves frequently broke, with the foam moving forward with tremendous force :O Right at the "shore", there was an area of about 20-30m that was occasionally flooded and then completely exposed depending on the direction of the wave. The waves that broke about 20m out on the water were about 3-4 meters high, and well...

As I said, I found the whole thing a bit intimidating beforehand, but the surf instructors know the water here and another surf school (a teacher and a student) joined us, so it couldn't be that bad ;-)

Since we had already done the warm-up at Black Beach, we only did a few pop-ups on land under Krishna's instructions, practicing paddling and then getting up on the board. Unlike Akhil, Krishna was a bit more tense and we had to repeat the pop-ups often and correct each other.

What was a bit confusing about the whole thing was that Krishna and Akhil didn't give us exactly the same instructions... But it didn't matter. After about 10 minutes or so (I somehow have no sense of time in this situation^^), it was time to go into the water.

The first great thing about the water was that it was super warm <3 Maybe it was because we had already gotten wet before, and the sea is warmer than the rain. In any case, it was really pleasant :)

And then, yes, then it started :p Krishna, like Akhil yesterday, found a spot where we should alternate. He picked a wave for us, we got on the board, and he pushed us to give it a try.

I have to say that after three or four tries, I was completely exhausted. Yesterday it was already difficult to move in the water, but today it was even more difficult for me :/ What didn't help was that the waves also came from the side and sometimes merged into a huge mass of foam...

In one situation, I tried to stand up again, Krishna grabbed my board to help me, and in that moment, a wave crashed over me. I was pushed towards the beach, but since Krishna was standing in the opposite direction and my foot was attached to the board by the leash, my body and the board were pulled in different directions. Because the wave was actually made up of several waves, it was also long and even though it may have been only 5 seconds, it felt like at least 30 seconds until Krishna let go of the board and I somehow fought my way back to the surface of the water.

That might sound a lot more dramatic than it actually was, but that was how I felt. I don't handle losing control well, and it triggered real panic in me. When I resurfaced, Krishna and Jonas asked if everything was okay. I would have liked to cry first to express the stress and fear :D

But, I pulled myself together and continued a little bit. I even managed to stand up twice, but the second time I was already at the beach, and when I fell, I hit my knees again, and somehow that was the icing on the cake that made me reach my limit :D

I told Krishna that I needed a break, and despite his attempts to convince me, nothing could get me back into those waves. Maybe I was a bit stubborn and difficult in that moment, but if I'm afraid, I'm not having fun, and so I saw no point in continuing. Supposedly, the waves are calmer tomorrow, but not even that could convince me. My "surfing career" was short and is temporarily finished for this beach. I can imagine trying again in really calm waters, but for here, I'm done :p

Alright, enough about me and my difficulties :D :D Jonas was really really good!!! When he concentrates, he manages to stand up every time and stay standing for a few seconds!! Incredible. When you watch others, I would say he really has a talent for the sport :)

Like yesterday, he was still being pushed today, and Krishna picked out the waves for him, but technically it looked very secure from my perspective as an outsider. Once, when I was still there, Jonas tried to paddle himself and catch a wave, but unfortunately he fell right away...

Otherwise, he is ready to practice his own paddling from tomorrow onwards! I'm so excited to watch him do it :p And since I'm not surfing, depending on the weather, I might even be able to take a few photos so that he can see for himself how stable he looks standing on the board :D

It will also be exciting to see what the waves really look like tomorrow. Today, the conditions were already pretty extreme :O Even Jonas admitted that he had to struggle a lot, especially towards the end, to move back and forth ^^

(In case anyone is wondering: the girl who had her private lesson and was also at the beach with the other surf school/teacher was also pretty good and sometimes paddled on her own. Either she was much stronger and had more endurance or willpower than me, or she has already had a few more hours of lessons :p)

By the way, we did NOT go to the ABBA Restaurant for lunch today because we wanted to give the Tibetan place next door a chance :D

Jonas ordered a drink that was only available in a different size. My drink was on the menu but not available, so I had water. That's no problem :) Then it was time to order food. Jonas chose a dish with glass noodles. "Sorry sir, we don't have that." Oh. Okay. Then Jonas pointed to a dish above it. "Sorry sir, we don't have that." Hmm. Jonas chose another dish and asked what it was. The server explained something in not-so-good English that neither Jonas nor I understood, but Jonas decided to give it a try ;-) I chose a noodle dish that was actually available right away! It seems like we just had bad luck with our first choices^^

The food was actually quite tasty but unfortunately not convincing enough for a return visit. However, we had Tibetan food. Not bad! :D

After eating, we went to the beach, and this time I didn't complain about the sun, because there were enough clouds^^ The sea looked similar to this morning - wild with huge waves and strong currents... You could even see parts of the beach being washed away abruptly, shortening the width of the beach :O

But the main part looked as usual, and we found a spot to watch the sea for a bit (the other surf teacher was there with a new student, and Jonas and I watched the whole thing with "knowing" eyes and then philosophized about the type of wave or why the girl fell off. Real know-it-alls :p).

After a while, the sun came out and it got too hot, so we went into the water. For some reason, I was quite apprehensive and always stayed by Jonas' side. I think it amused him a little, but that was okay ;-) Subconsciously, I knew that my fear might be exaggerated :D

Without a surfboard, it was less scary but not less wild. I felt safe holding Jonas' hand against the waves that kept knocking me down, but without him, it somehow seemed creepy to me. Two or three times, I went out (or asked him to help me, as the current in the surf, which pulls you out, was also not without^^) and watched Jonas have fun. He really enjoyed throwing himself into the waves, getting rinsed by them, jumping over them, or paddling with them as if he were on a surfboard.

Even though I couldn't share his fun, watching was not bad^^ Once swimming was enough for me this afternoon :p

Since we didn't have a clock with us, we estimated the time based on the position of the sun - like true nature people :p :D :D (The sun always sets around 6 pm here), and yeah, it's almost 7 pm now and we're in the bungalow, having oats, cookies, toast, and letting the day end quietly.

Tomorrow will be a special day that I'm almost more excited about than Jonas himself ;-) :D