Travelling with equipment in Indonesia

Traveling with equipment

Just look again pictures which I made from our trip last year to Lombok and I found the one I made on ferry boat. Picture of our poor heavy loaded rent car.

 

Compare to other waterman activity, for example diver, surfer or kitesurfer, windsurfer has more bulky equipment to carry around. Dive activity develop very well in Indonesia, we could find dive center even in very remote area,so the divers do not need to bring they own equipment. But not for island hopers surfers, windsurfers and kiters. Travelling around in most places in Indonesia to find different spots they have to carry their own for most of the time.

For us it is not so easy when we like to travel with our windsurf stuff, we are two, me and my husband are windsurfer, and my husband always insist to carry two set of equipment, one set for himself and another set for me. One set means, a board with minimum two rigs. Can you imagine, how bulky it will two board, 4 sails, minimum 3 masts and 3 booms.

Once we travel from Bali to Lombok by plane, and at the check in desk the flight refuse to carry our equipment. Fortunately, I book the ticket by travel agent, so I have somebody to blame. Oh yes, they deserve to be blamed, we announce before that we have big bag of windsurf equipment travel with us include the size, the length, the width, the thickness. After make drama, by shouting, crying, begging, finally we manage to bring it with different flight.

We learnt too, on our second trip to Lombok with equipment we used car and crossing to Lombok Island with ferry boat. Still, we have to learn, we should used a four wheel drive car to drive along south coast of Lombok. Next time we will arrange our trip better.

Ours with equipment on the roof

Situation in Ferry Boat

Not enough seat out side, some just laying on the floor

View from the front side

Sanur Bali Windsurfing (again)

I found many information in the internet forum asking for windsurfing in Bali and people are telling others that there are some good wind in Bali but no windsurf facilities. Also, it is not one time tourist pass in front of our friend's, Pedro, windsurf station comment : "Oo, I never know that there is windsurfing in Sanur".

This is not true that there's no windsurf in Bali. Windsurf in Bali start already since long time since the era of Robby Naish in the 70's. Many local windsurfer admiring and fans of Robby Naish, at least they know when we are talking about him. And there's Indonesian windsurfer, Oka Sulaksana, he is now almost 40 years old, he was very strong in South East Asian and Asian competition when he was young. But that's it, and the developing of this sport in this country is very slow, this is correct. Yes, as a windsurfer and as an Indonesian I am not happy with this.

But it was long time ago when not much facilities to windsurf in Bali. These last two years around 2009 until this time 2011, there's some changes, little bit development in windsurf community in Bali. With dedication to the sport we (me and my husband, thanks to him) run a windsurf shop in Sanur area called 'Jump and Jibe', where you can find complete equipment and accessories and repair parts. Pedro a guy from Flores, the other island in Indonesia, he was several years living in Japan, with his friends he start running a windsurf station at Mertasari beach called 'Ocean Cowboys', live up the beach with better and more modern equipment compare to several old crapy windsurf station in Sanur area.

I agree when people say windsurfing in Indonesia not developing very well compare to the potensi of the country. Our problem is there's no support from Indonesian goverment to developing it. We found many Mistral One Design used in several rental place, coming from Porlasi, Indonesian Sailing Association, those stuff are used for the KONI (sport organization) before. It is true that boards for slalom, freeride, or wave sailing are really really hard to find. Okey a wave sailing board not really need in Bali, because the wind and good wave never come together. But slalom and freeride boards with medium to bigger size sails is needed. Our experience in importing stuff for our shop is we are robbed and pressed by the goverment system, I think the situation is worse than during the Dutch colonial goverment. The import rules, the trading rules, the shop registration, the taxes, all are crazy. It is an antagony, and contra productive to the tourisme campaign made by the goverment and the Board of Tourisme.

Anyway, the aim of what I write now is to tell the world that Sanur - Bali can be one of your windsurf destination. And with all the troubles we have in developing windsurf in Indonesia you still can windsurf in Sanur Bali with good equipment and reasonable price. And when you need information about when and where to windsurf in Bali just call us in +62 812 814 959 34 or check our web site: www.jumpandjibe.com or email us at : info@jumpandjibe.com or jumpandjibe@gmail.com or check our Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/JUMP-AND-JIBE-Windsurf-Center-Shop. We can arrange your windsurf tour or to help you make deal with Pedro's windsurf station: www.baliwindsurfing.com or to get contact direct to him. His place also a place for tourist information.

Windsurf Trip Farwa, Libya July 2010

The place is about 30 km from the Tunise border. It is still in Libya teritory. Not much people know this village except people living in Libya and love wind sport, means sport like windsurfing or kite surfing. The small long island made only from sand protecting the small harbour. The small island called Farwa. I don't really know the name of the village. People always called it Farwa the same name as that small island but I am not sure this is the right name. If we driving from Tripoli we have to pass the small city called Swara then leave the main access cross border road to the beach road. It is one of industrial village of Libya. As a marking you can find 2 big factory, ceramics and tiles factory at the left side and chemical and plastic factory at the right side. After the chemical factory there's a camp of the workers and just before the street continue to the main street there's a small fish factory. You have to leave the asphalt road in front of this fish factory to the unpave road and just right side of it you can see the steel gate to the hotel. The only hotel in this area. If you not familiar with the area will be difficult to find the place. Hans was several time went there until finally he found the hotel. To drive from Tripoli needs around one and half hour to reach this village with avarage speed 120km per hour. The hotel is small but okey, avarage standard hotel with Libyan style. It is clean and quite, people are friendly. We love the Libyan food they have for dinner. It just standard Libyan food but taste good and you will get full menu, salad, soup, main dish couscous with haruf and fish, and after a bowl of apples and bananas.


The live looks very simple there. Before the dusk come women and kids chilled out at the beach. In the morning people are working, kids going to school and women stay in the house. The village is very quite during day time. Nothing special in this village except the wind. I think this village is the most windiest place in Libya and almost a whole year you can go for windsurf and kitesurf, in any direction of the wind. Summer and winter. 'When we are not able to windsurf in any other place in Libya we always can windsurf there', that's what Hans said.

Corner part of the lagoon the water is too shallow and we have to walk far until reach the deeper water. So the starting place for windsurf and kitesurf is in front of the factory camp. The lagoon has flat water and at the starting place the water only waist deep. Because the water is not deep and it is so flat so it is perferct for somebody start learning kitesurfing. It has big sandy open area at the beach for launching the kite. The lagoon it self also long and wide so tens of kiters will not make the water become crowded. It also perfect for windsurf. And for the storm chaser it is also the right place. One time we was in Farwa during winter time I was not able to windsurf there. The wind blowing so strong more than 20 knots. Everything is blown away, the beach chairs, the food, putting the beach umbrella is a mission imposible. My other problem is the water so cold. I have 3.5 mm wetsuit which is good enough but when the finger is frosting it is so difficult to hold anything.


April to June we have good wind in Tripoli specially Regatta thats why we don't like to drive far to windsurf. But July in Tripoli not much windy days we have very few really good wind so we start thinking to go Farwa where always wind. Now it is the third time for me to go there for windsurf. It was a week ago. We checked our windguru and it said that for our weekend at Friday the wind will be around 12 knots and as usual the summer thermic wind start around 2 pm. In Friday morning we check once again the weather forecast we compare windguru and windfinder, it showed almost the same prediction. So we pack our car with some of our equipment including beach matt and chair, then at 12 am we left the house. Driving is easy on Friday and normally the street is always quite, people are going to the mosque or just stay at home. Before 2 pm we arrived, we could feel that the wind already coming, we made reservation in the hotel and then heading direct to the beach after. At 2 pm the wind start picked up and when after we finished put out all the equipment from the car the wind is reach avarage of 14 knots. Stronger than what we expecting. The wind was picked up more but I am not measured it again. I just take a rest when the wind getting stronger and I was over power. We were 3 cars, 3 windsurfer and 2 kiters. I had a good time with my 5.8 m sail and 120L board. What I like most from this trip is, we can stay late up to 8 pm and I have not to cook after. Because the nice dinner is ready for us. I haven't any picture during windsurf because when we are all in the water nobody taking pictures.