Bulli Bagus

I had a few days off and was thinking how I'd love to go to Bali, but I just didn't have the time or the funds. So I decided to just have a 'Bali holiday' at home.

I'd just do all the things I like doing in Bali, in OZ. 

I made my plans clear to the family, that I'd be unreachable for a few days, jumped in the 'Jimny' and I was off.

Things that define a Bali surf trip that I recreated at home.

1) 3 surfs a day.- With a nice south swell running that wasn't hard to organize at home.

2) Banana pancakes for breakfast.- Coldale cafe do an excellent banana yogurt dish.

3) 1 massage a day for the length of the holiday.- A touch of Thai in Thiroul is a cheaper massage than the Warungs on the Bukit if you take out the airfare. Ask for Jenny.

4) Break a board.- Well, I dinged one.

5) Go back to work with an infected wound.- That was easier to do than you would think.

6) Have a nasi goreng and chicken sate for lunch.- Done and done.

7) Drive around drinking several long necks of Bintang, looking at the surf at sunset.- No problem.

8) Go into town, buy a 'copi watch' that doesn't work, spend all night in a crappy bar drinking arrack cocktails, get hit on by a bunch of sun burnt English girls on a hen's night. Get in a fight with a belligerent drunk from Perth, lose my wallet and one of my thongs, walk home, with one thong, at dawn and be sick out the front.- This part I decided to skip.

South Sydney Bukit Peninsula

I dedicated my 'staycation' to surfing my new / old Steve Griffiths shaped 6'2" single fly swallow tail twin fin.

The unique thing about Steve's shapes from this era are the very low rails. There's lots of foam through the middle but instead of an even soft rail he finishes the board with a tight radius on the bottom and then a long soft curve blending up to the deck.

Steve Griffiths at Kurnell Point, pic from Cronulla Surf Museum

Sandon chicken' is one of my favorite Indo dishes.

So I renamed this place 'Sandon Chicken Point' for the duration.

One of the reasons I think you surf so well in Bali, in addition to the great waves, is you have the opportunity to get regular massages between surfs.

I adopted this policy at home and had 3 massages in 3 days to keep me relaxed and flexible.

Bali breakfast in Bulli

On day 2 of my holiday the clouds came over but the waves got bigger.

Nothing beats glass on fins.

Less crowds than Ulu.

Instagram @sandondan joined me and was ripping it up

Using the pole cam is not as easy as it looks. I hope you like it.

Day 1 of my holiday. No jet lag. No arrival tax.

Aaron seems to always be on holiday.

Aaron Hughes from the water by me.

and from the land by Clarrie at www.sandonpointphotos.com

The paddle in through 'the cave'

ad for Emerald from Cronulla surf museum with what looks like this board in the bottom right.

Nice Emerald single fly swallow tail 1.

Nice Emerald single fly swallow tail 2.

the author at work