Maldives - Like No Place On Earth

It's difficult to describe the Maldives to someone that has never been. I can't provide an analogy or say that it's "like somewhere else". The truth is that it is really like no place I've ever been. Imagine a country that consists of over 1,100 tiny islands (no bigger than a large parking lot) spread out over 35,000 square miles of ocean. The islands are grouped together by 26 atolls... and they have an average ground elevation of only 1.4 meters above sea level (which makes it the lowest country in the world). As you can imagine, the locals are a bit concerned about global warming.

Just arriving in the Maldives is a bit of an adventure (especially if you're coming from the US). If you include total transit time, it can take about 30-40 hours just to get there. Do not bring alcohol or pork into the country (as they are Muslim). The resorts have special licenses to serve liquor... but you can get into some trouble if caught in the airport (also recommend that women cover up if going to a "local island"). The airport is located on an island close to the capital city of Malé. Upon arrival, there are no taxis, limos, or buses to take you where you are going... you need to hitch a ride on one a boat or sea plane. The island I stayed on was about an hour speed boat ride from the airport.

Life in the Maldives depends on the ocean. It provides food, transportation, and supports the huge tourism industry (diving, fishing, snorkeling, surfing, etc). The water is the clearest that I've ever seen. When sitting in 20+ feet of water, you can see straight down to the bottom. Because it is so clear, your depth perception gets messed up (looks much shallower than it is)... and this creates some confusion when surfing.

Anyways, this was one of the most memorable holidays that I've been on. The resort was very nice (Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort). I was situated on a tiny island surrounded by coral reefs. The food was delicious (endless fresh seafood buffets!!), sunsets were breathtaking, and there was a barreling right hand reef break directly in front of my villa. I couldn't ask for much more! I would like to thank The Perfect Wave for making this a reality.

More photos to come later!

Hideaway Beach Resort - Dominican Republic

Hideaway Beach Resort - the grounds

When I first started looking for a place to go during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I did a google search for "best place to surf November". A lot of the options were far away (Fiji, Morocco, Indonesia) or during the midst of their cold season (France, Northern California, Ireland). However, one search result I kept coming across was Puerto Rico. I had already been there and had a good time... but many of the breaks were rather crowded. Therefore, I wanted to try something different and I knew that the Dominican Republic picked up the same swell as Puerto Rico. I did a bit of research on the various surf spots on the north side of the island and found a little condo resort on the beach that looked nice: Hideaway Beach Resort. I wasn't too sure where it was (google maps had it in the wrong location), but I thought it was relatively close to one of the surf spots: Playa Encuentro.

I arrived at the resort very late at night (took about 20 hours of total travel time to get there from Santa Barbara) and could hear the surf pounding in the background. After getting the luggage in the room, I almost immediately passed out... and when I woke up the next morning, this is what I saw!! (see 2nd picture) I really couldn't have gotten more lucky... the resort was literally right in front of one of the best waves on the Dominican coast.

The resort itself was very nice... beautiful surroundings, good food, and friendly people. However, the only issue is that the power would occasionally go out and the sink in my bathroom kind of exploded and almost flooded the condo... but these are the kind of things you expect when traveling in the Dominican. You just have to accept them and think of it as part of the adventure!

View from the condo... looking at one of the best waves on the Dominican Coast.

Careful for the coconuts!

I loved the texture on that tree

The resort pool and the bar/restaurant. Serving ice cold Presidentes all day! (and they had some decent wines as well).

The Resort at Musket Cove

Looking down at Musket Cove Resort

If I was asked to describe Musket Cove Resort in one statement, it would be "laid back luxury". If you wanted to hang out in the spa, hire a private sailboat, or arrange for a private picnic on the beach, there was someone at the resort that would do that for you (at a cost)... or if you wanted to borrow a kayak for the day and find your own private beach, you could do that as well (for free). I've stayed in many luxury resorts that would charge you for every little extra thing, but Musket Cove wasn't like that at all. In fact, they even encouraged guests to go to a local market for food and hand crafted souvenirs. You definitely got what you paid for... and they made you feel like part of a community.

Welcoming beach party

The watersports area.. free snorkel gear, kayaks, and wind surfing equipment for all (I had some struggles with the wind surfing stuff) 

A true "house boat"

Looking at my beach front villa accomodations

Peru - Non Surf Photos

Staircase up to Chicama Surf Resort

Finally adding the rest of the photos from my Peruvian adventure back in May. This set features a bunch of random non-surf photos that I took over the course of two weeks. Peru is an incredible place. Everything about it is massive in scale... waves whose length can be measured in miles, giant mountains, barren desserts, lush jungles, and friendly people with big hearts. I really enjoyed my time in the country and look forward to returning.

Isolation 

The coastal town of Chicama. The Chicama Surf Resort was one of the top employers in this area... and also one of the only businesses offering year round employment. At the far end of the town was a fishery that's open for just a few months out of the year. When the fishery is in operation, there is a massive influx of men that pour into the town looking for work (it was closed when I was there). After the fishery shuts down for the season, all the men move on to the next town/job... and apparently, leave a bunch of single mothers behind them. I was told that this was quite a big problem for the area. However, they were hoping that more businesses like Chicama Surf Resort can offer year round employment.

Contemplation

Post-surf enjoyment. Cristal and Cusqueña were two of the local beers... they were quite good. 

The beautiful Chicama Surf Resort

A super friendly Brazilian surfer I met during the trip. 

On the cliff looking toward Chicama. 

The coastal areas of Peru receive less than an inch of rain per year... and it causes the landscape to look like the surface of the moon. The ground is a mixture of sand, rocks, and dirt. Never before in my life had I seen so many rocks! One interesting thing I did while staying in Peru was take a walk into the desert. When walking in the dessert and not having anything to use to measure scale, everything ends up being much farther away then you anticipate (such as that mountain in the background). On this particular day, there was a lot of wind gusts blowing (as is common for this area)... and as you walked up and down hills,  you would get blasted by the wind. It was rad to stop in between hills where the wind was blocked and just listen to the sound of nothingness.

The road leading out of the desert and into the town.

The coastal areas of Peru receive an incredible amount of wind... and apparently, this windmill used to power the entire town. However, it broke about 2 years ago. Instead of trying fix it, the government decided to bring in power from elsewhere. It seemed like a waste to not use such a plentiful and renewable natural resource. At least the windmill made for a good back drop on the photos. 

Peru - "The Surf" - Chicama

View from Chicama Surf patio. This was the view I had every afternoon after 3 hours of surfing in the morning.

Had feet torn up by reef, gave myself 2 black eyes when surfboard hit me on separate occasions (same eye), got stung in the face by a jellyfish, body is exhausted, face is sunburn, missed flight connection in Lima (was stuck there for 10 hours)... if I stopped there, it might seem like my holiday to Peru was a disaster. However, it was actually one of the best surf trips I've ever been on. I stayed at a resort on Peru's Northwest coast called Chicama Surf. This resort is situated right above the longest left hand point break in the world- Chicama. The general rule of thumb for Chicama is that the bigger the wave, the longer the ride. When I was there, you could get rides over a half mile long on the sets (with an occasional barrel on the takeoff or on the inside)... locals claim to have ridden waves over 1.5 miles long.

It's funny how great waves, great food, and a friendly atmosphere can make you forget any problems you might have had.

The resort at Chicama was very nice... friendly service, good food, and comfortable lodging. Since the wave was so long, they actually had a boat in the water that would pick you up after each ride (and take you back to the point). The first day I was there, I was anti-boat (thought it was cheating). However, the current was very strong and the walk was very long... therefore, I succumb to temptations after the first day and started using the boat. This might be one of the first trips where my legs got as much of a workout as my arms.

Another thing you'll notice from the photos is an absence of people in the water. Regardless of how famous Chicama is (within the surfing community), not many people make the journey down there. On the smallest day of the trip, it got a little crowded (happened to be a Brazilian holiday)... but nothing too bad. The wave is so long that it helps spread the crowd out.

(recommend clicking on the photos to view in full size)

Looking at Chicama from one of the 2nd floor balconies at Chicama Surf.

The guy walking below didn't use the boat... over a half mile walk to the point.

As you can see by the lines of white water, the wave peeled forever.