Is it strictly still traveling if I don't really go anywhere?

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Hello, and welcome to another blog! The observant readers will have already noticed that this one comes from the same island as the last one - namely, Lombok. This is because I have really slowed down over the last week, settling in a small town called Kuta. Pretty much every traveler who comes here comes to surf...I've been no exception, getting out once or twice a day every day for the last week.

My days have started taking on a familiar, but not boring, routine. Up at around 8am for a banana pancake and Lombok coffee (unfiltered, so slightly chewy...still excellent though). Then jump on a motorbike and head to a surf spot at around 9am, spending around 3 hours trying to catch some waves before paddling or taking the boat back to shore. I'm normally absolutely starving by this point, so lunch is the next priority. My preferred dish is normally either Gado-Gado, vegetables served in a thick, peanut sauce with rice, or Nasi Campur, a big pile of steamed rice served with a spoonful of each of 4 or 5 different meat or vegetable dishes. Or both.

The afternoon is then spent playing cards, reading and sleeping, before, once enough strength has been regained, heading out into the water again. When my arms are completely exhausted (surfing is really, really hard work since most of the time is spent lying on the board and paddling around), I'll head home, grab dinner and spend a lazy evening with cards and maybe a Bintang before crashing out fairly early. It's a tough life but, hey, someone has to do it.

I'm planning to spend another week here at least - I know Simon has been surfing as well, so I'd really like to be better than him by the time we meet up again! Genuinely, though, I see no reason to move on right now...the people here, both travelers and Indonesian, are great, the scenery is amazing and the beaches are wide, plentiful and deserted. I guess I'll have to move on at some point but it will be with a heavy heart when I do.

The only slight blight on my last week in Kuta has been the treatment of the dogs out here. There are stray dogs everywhere, as in a lot of developing countries - they obviously aren't sterilised and so there is nothing to control the population beyond the periodical culls they have. This, combined with the fact that the Islamic faith considers them a 'dirty' animal, means that they are regarded as a pest and treated as such. A particularly horrible example occured while a large group of us were eating lunch in a roadside warung. The dogs are all awfully thin, since no one feeds them. This lunchtime, one was hanging around our table. We gave it a few scraps, which it accepted gratefully. The dog was causing no annoyance to anyone, just quietly lying near the entrance of the cafe. No barking or real begging; nothing. Nonetheless, after the dog had been there for around ten minutes, a local man, who was also eating, decided he objected to this animal's presence. He thus picked up a large piece of wood, similar to a fencepost and, walking up behind the dog, smashed it over the head with his weapon before casually walking back to his table and sharing a joke with his friend as he continued his meal. The dog was at this point rolling around and screaming in pain, while we Westerners angrily asked the man what the **** he thought he was doing. He merely smiled at our ignorance and sensitivity. It was pretty sickening and unfortunately not a particularly isolated incident. A 'cultural' difference, I've heard it described as. I'm not sure I see what culture gas to do with it though.

Apologies for ending on such a depressing note...all part of the experience I guess. Hopefully next week's blog will instead be full of light-hearted anecdotes.

Chris.

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Comments

[Lorraine Botley]

Surfs Up!
Hey Chris, what an exhausting time you seem to be having - all that lying around on a surf board and sleeping in the afternoon, it sounds fab! What a shame though about the treatment of the dogs, I'm sure it was a fairly shocking incident and not something easily forgotten. Unfortunately cultures vary hugely and we of course mostly love our animals in the West - keep smiling there is good and bad where ever you go! Si too seems to be enjoying some surf - he tells me he has some dubious looking facial hair which could be a worry when he goes through customs for New Zealand! Keep blogging - we're only mildly jealous! Lorraine x

[Dad]

to travel or not to travel...........
I think travelling back and forth to the beach every day, pretty much counts as travelling in my book! Sounds great apart from the sad dog story! have you had a shave yet or are you going the whole Robinson Crusoe effect or is it the Tom Hanks look in castaway? Do you think you are going to be able to push yourself to move on or are you going to stay awhile more? Our glorious Champions League run is over, we played well should of had at least 1 pen in first half hour which would have made it interesting! But then we had a Gomez moment start second half, all over, Bale, Modric and Lennon,back to form, roll on Arsenel at home next weds. Better let you get back to the surf and me to work(I know who's got the best deal there) love Dad x