Indonesia

Travelers to Indonesia are granted 60-day visas on arrival. You can renew by leaving the country briefly and returning. Flights to Indo go from Penang, Singapore and Darwin.

Inter-island travel is best done by boat. The Pelni Boats are a good option, but bring your own food and water and don't be in a hurry - the Indonesian chain is 2,500 miles long. Cargo ships are also cheap way to go. Visit any port and ask which ships are going where. Many captains will take a foreigner along for free.

If you're hitchhiking on land, use a downward waving motion with your hand, as if petting a dog.

The budget accommodation option are losmen's. You should be able to get a bed for between $1 and $3.

Subject: Re: Bali in August?
Date: 1999/06/18
august in indo = prime time my man. the swell window is the southern indian ocean between south africa and australia....dead of winter with winter storms abounding.....long distance swell travel across open ocean gives periods of 17 sec or more..... need i say more? have fun and take pics - i logged 14 rolls of kodachrome, SURFGEO

Subject: cylindrical houses
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000

After three days of public bus (indo style) and masses of bullshit I got
there, Southwest coast of Sumbawa that is.......
32 hours of village interrogation I went straight to the south
coast.Hitching had never been so easy, rarely did they pass me by. The
vehicles consisted of ; dump trucks, fuel trucks,company buses from the
copper mine, motorcycles and heavy equipment.
Got to a fancy resort (that I later became a local at) and happy to see big
mounds of waterwith a left breaking. Paddled out alone and undergunned
realizing it was much smaller fromland got a couple big boys and called it,
"testing".
Next day went to the same place and couldn't believe that the wide channel
was closing out. Went back grabbed my 7'4" and headed to Super Suck. Met a
guy when I first arrived who was coming in on a fishing boat who suggested
we eat first.
Tim Abbott was his name. Hawaiian pipe charger and now friend forever due to
the following experience. Ate, took a boat out with his girl and said a
prayer before jumping in. I knew it was solid!!
Just a bit nervous due to the fact it's been over a month since I was
comfortable....three weeks in France with a Basque Queen draining my
testosterone glan making me weak , plus you add the three and a half days
traveled. But it's why I went!!
I just thought solid six, "ain't no thing". Boy was I wrong!!
Then the set came, dug wide and was alive. Most beautiful empty waves I have
ever seen in my life, solid 8! Personally I would say bigger but if I were
to tell ya the truth you wouldn't believe me.
In position for the incoming bombs, I was nervous...and they came.
Tim was to deep but I was in the spot and attempted the second of six...
got pitched, dragged and rattled. Coming up gasping for air thinking I bit
the reef and had a mouthful of broken teeth. Luckily just some rocks I had
scored...luckily
First wave was such a surprise , so fast making the drop, momentum with
gravity flung my right arm over my head, off balance, belly out, watched the
lippitch over my head the first of a three barrel, 15 second ride. I have
never experienced anything like it!! Just Tim and I taking turns, getting
the best the world has to offer.
The sets seemed to grow as the tide was sucking off the reef. Made one drop
somehow , so easy and was piped in the biggest cylindrical house I've ever
been in, it kept on throwing further and further infront of me. NEVER BEEN
IN ANYTHING THAT COMPARES (Mundaka was big and round).
So happy, So happy !!! The wave of my life!
Partied heavy (North shore style) taken home by the police...and was flat
beat for round two. Two yachts full of boat goats, no taxi to the line up,
the 1.5 kilometer trek with no water. Two guys in the water, guy on land
filming, guy taking photos for surfing life.
Got one little one and took three ugly wipe outs. Ego bruised paddled in.
Nothing will compare to June 26 except another trip to Malok with a friend,
anyone??
PJM
Bigger then twice this size....no shit

From: edabd@cc.flinders.edu.au (edabd) Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: Any surfreports on Indonesia ? Date: Sun, 26 Nov 1995 09:24:54 +0930 Organization: Flinders University of South Australia

In article , tkeener@connectnet.com (Thomas Keener) wrote:

> In article , Yogibear@xs4all.nl (D.J. de Boer) says: > > > >Has anyone heard of a good surfspot in Indonesia ? > >(preferably no reefs ! ) > > > >And if anyone knows a great spot over there .... will it still be > >great around the 29th of april '96 ? > > If you've never heard of Indo surf, you're probably not ready for it. > > PS. Is this flame bait or what?

Assuming that Yogibear is serious, there is a very good book on surfing in Indonesia written by Peter Neely, called 'Indo Surf and Lingo'. Write to Peter at Peter Neely, Indo Surf and Lingo, P.O. Box 950, Noosa Heads Australia 4567

I am not sure of the cost but US$20 or equivalent would probably cover it and postage. It will tell you enough to get started, when to go etc.

If you don't like reefs though, you are going to the wrong place. I am sure that there must be some beachbreaks closer to home. edabd

From: s.imber@qut.edu.au (Steve Imber) Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: transport &accomodation in Nias
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 96 23:31:33 GMT >I had a friend come back from Nias about six months ago. He liked the waves >but said the locals really ripped him off. He left the place with a real >bad taste in his mouth. So if you go, be prepared to spend more than you >expectted. There appear to be better places to go that welcome toursists. >Have you considered Lombok (near Bali)? > >

On the subject of travel... I made a two day trip to Taiwan and from the >plane saw plenty of surf before touching down at CKS (Taipei). (I was there >to check out my equipment manufacturer.) >WOKMAN >

>hennie schwithal wrote in article >... >> dear friends >> Did anyone of you visited Nias in Indonesia recently? >> I would like to get some updated travel and accomodation info. >>

I visited Nias 4 years ago .The boattrip from the mainland was very >> tricky at that time.But accomodation and waves were great!!

>> I came back from Nias about 2 months ago and I would have to agree with the previous poster regarding rip-offs. IMHO, The Niassians have become money hungry and will rip you off if you give them the chance. All in all there are a lot friendlier places. Whilst the surf was good, it was usually crowded! To get there has become a bit easier. You can fly from Medan to Gunung Sitoli on SMAC airlines (if you're brave :-) ).

From there, we took the Sorake Beach Resort Bus back over to Lagundri. The fare on a public bus from G.Sitoli should be around 8000Rp but you'll be crammed in with as many Indonesians as the driver can fit in and on the "bus". The Resort bus was at the airport when we arrived and it cost 20000Rp each (6 people). For that, we got A/C and only 6 of us on a medium-sized bus with comfortable seating.

As the trip to Lagundri takes ~4 hrs over poor roads, this turned out to be a good investment(I had done the trip on the public bus twice before and it WAS NOT fun!). If you want to get there from Sibolga, there are two ferries running each night. One goes to Gunung Sitoli and the other goes to Teluk Dalam. The ferry to G.Sitoli takes about 8 hrs , I'm not sure about the cost but I think it should be around 10 - 12,000 Rp. The ferry to Teluk Dalam is the better option as far as ferries go as Teluk Dalam is about 15km from Lagundri. It takes about 12hrs. This ferry doesn't always run. If the swell and wind is up, it might turn back to Sibolga or hide out behind islands until the swell drops. I know of some people being stuck on it for >30hrs. I would definitely recommend that you get a cabin!!

A word of warning about Sibolga (I have never met anyone who has a good word to say about this place and I can understand why after being there), rip-offs and rip-off merchants abound in this place and they will be on the ferry hassling you before you get off the boat. If you are travelling by road to Medan, then hiring a long-distance taxi is is good value. Take some tie-downs or SoftRax with you. It cost 100000Rp between 3 of us for about 8 hrs travel. The other way is by public bus and can take up to 12 hrs (cost about 15000rp and they will try to sting you for 5000Rp for your boards). If you're heading off towards Bukittinghi then a small mininus will set you back 20 - 25000Rp. As far as accomodation goes, I would recommend Seabreeze losmen (although there are probably others just as good). It is reasonably well-run and has a good restaurant.

I would recommend that you avoid Olayama Cottages (near the Sorake Beach Resort) like the plague! Cost vary depending on what you want. A basic room and shared toilet should set you back 1000 Rp a night. Costs for a better room will be up to 5000rp. Hope this helps, Steve.