INDONESIA, ROTE, NEMBERALLA - SUNSETS, SURFS AND SWIMS - 3 OCTOBER 2018

25 SEPTEMBER 2018

The ferry ride from Kupang to Ba'a  was pleasant and soon we were at Rote. Our car was late and it was a hot and shadeless wait. An hour or so later, we were arrived at Angurah. We settled into our room. The bed was fine and the breeze running through the room made it quite cool. We had lunch, I had a nap then we wandered down the beach for a beautiful sunset and a few beers at the bar next our stay. It was a different night with the owner telling us a lot about Rote culture and his life.

We chatted with a few guys back at our lodgings. Amazingly, two of the guys went to the same teachers college as me. More amazingly, one was Sparra, a good friend I shared a house with and a number of surf trips. We hadn't seen each other for forty  years.

26 SEPTEMBER  2018

I woke and caught the boat out to the surf. It was small but fun. The crowd increased. Back in for breakfast and another sleep. After lunch, I had another surf. It was bigger and the crowd was wave hungry and greedy. I had some fun waves despite the vibe. Jacinta and I had a short walk along the 'main' street. We watched the sunset, had a beer and sat in the breeze reading. Talking to Andrew, in the room  next door, turns out he knows a number of long time friends of mine and was a guest at a reunion I attended last year. 27 SEPTEMBER 2018

I walked out along the reef to the surf break. The waves were bigger at double overhead on the sets. I had a great time but was pretty tired  towards the end of the session. Back in for breakfast. Jacinta and I spend the day at beach - sitting under the cabana, swimming and reading. At sunset, we had a few beers at a bar along the beach and watched the sun sink over the ocean. 28 SEPTEMBER 2018 It was cool in the morning. I  sat in a cabana on the beach while watching the distant waves and chatting philosophy with a guy from the guesthouse. Jacinta and I had walk along the beach. Later in the morning I had a snorkel. The visibility was poor and there wasn't much to but random pockets of small fish, dead coral and weed. My go-pro camera stopped working as well. About mid afternoon, I caught the boat out for a surf. I had a number of good waves before the crowd increased. A fun session. We watched the sun set and ate out. A nice change. 29 SEPTEMBER 2018 Jacinta and I had an early walk along the main street and returning via the beach path. The people were smiling and friendly. There were lots of dogs, pigs and goats. After breakfast, we  had  a swim and sat in the shade in the beach. About late morning, I had a surf. The waves were a bit crumbly but still had good shape. There were only six surfers out. I had an afternoon kip. At sunset, we sat on the beach and had a couple of beer. 30 SEPTEMBER 2018 Sunday equals church day in Rote. It was very quiet throughout the day. Jacinta and I had a morning walk along the road and the beach towards the north. All quiet and serene. One cafe was open so we stopped in for second breakfast. About mid morning, I ventured out for a surf. It was really good but very windy. I had heaps of good waves so I was very happy at the end of the session. We had an afternoon kip then I had a snorkel while Jacinta baked in the sun. there were a lot more fish and the current was very strong. We finished the day with  sunset beach drinks. 1 OCTOBER 2018 An easy morning. I hired a mountain bike and went for ride following the coast road'. The road became a track  crossing two dry riverbanks and  become a road again. I took a number of side tracks leading to the seashore' The sun blazed down and the ride back was very hot. I followed a different road back which lead uphill. I had a fun downhill track towards the end passing through two small villages. A hot 3 hour ride. I spent the afternoon recovering from being over heated. We had sunset beers on the beach and a nice dinner at Becky Boo restaurant. 2 OCTOBER 2018 An easy day - swims, reading and escaping the sun. We had to book a flight from Rote to Kupang for tomorrow as the fast ferry wasn't running due to strong winds. Later in the day there was a blackout. No fan that night. 3 OCTOBER 2018 We spent the day swimming and reading. The surf was very small. The power was still out. No internet, etc. They couldn't finalize our bill. We approached them a number of times to work out away to pay but nothing happened. Anyway, we left for the airport and said we would contact them by email. All a bit strange. We checked in at Rote airport and the flight took 20 minutes.