my time in the mentawais
‘a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there’
@islandstylephotos
my family was quite the caravan dragging 8 bags & 15 boards through multiple international airports.
3 flights & 2 boats later, 8,977 miles from california, i found myself on a little island, 100 miles off the coast of indonesia. the furthest i could possibly be from home, before circling back round the other side of the globe.
no need to edit any photos here
@islandstylephotos
before now, i had no idea a place like the mentawais existed. it truly felt like traveling back in time. never have i been somewhere so remote, seemingly untouched. crystal-clear water, vibrant jungles, & white sand beaches. the beauty left me speechless, only able to laugh at how unreal it was.
the mentawais is a chain of 70 different islands and islets, with new surf spots around every corner. baby blue water, uncrowded lineups, & a diverse selection of waves that break consistently throughout the year. a surfers’ paradise. i’ve never seen my brothers so excited :)
my dad getting some shade
@islandstylephotos
as someone who hasn’t been a fan of tiny planes or tiny boats in the past, this trip left me with enough stories to last a lifetime. the ultimate example of exposure therapy haha.
after riding in the trunk of an indonesian taxi, encountering multiple storms in the tiniest boats, almost stepping on a cobra, & repeatedly finding abnormally giant insects in my clothes, i can confidently say that it will take a lot to intimidate me after this trip :)
my new friend pippa from the caribbean!
after 64 hours of travel, we made it to our little island. & within 30 minutes had already unpacked our boards & paddled out for our first session. the water temp being quite the opposite from the freezing conditions of northern california.
this was the boat we were in, while caught by the storm
the next 3 weeks were spent exploring uninhabited islands, meeting other travelers with a shared love for surfing, finding perfect waves, lots of laughter, & just being in complete wonder of the fact that a place like this existed. after about a week, i found myself falling into the slow rhythm of the island.
me & pippa on ‘snake island’ which takes 10 minutes to walk a complete circle around. i timed it.
the way of life for the locals is slow & simple. the days felt long with such little distractions. a reminder to live fully present, moment to moment.
from just observing, i found the mentawai locals to be incredible craftsmen, brilliant at using the resources availiable to them. my favorite was watching them climb to the top of coconut trees. i tried & made it about 3 feet off the ground before climbing back down.
some woodcarvings of surfboards by the locals
the native language spoken is mentawai, an undocumented lanuguage. so if one wants to learn, the only way would be to live among the locals.
despite the language barrier, we would all laugh at the same things & get stoked by the same waves :)
making new friends out in the water is one of my favorite things about traveling. i figured anyone willing to make the long journey out to the mentawais, must have quite the heart for adventure. i made friends from australia, new zealand, ireland, the caribbean, belgium, bali, & south africa!
i could not believe this water color
above all, the highlight of this adventure was getting to experience it all with family. watching my dad surf some of the best waves of his life was incredible. seeing my brothers stoked out of their minds brought me so much joy. & i will never forget paddling out with my mom & sister.
i will always remember this magical place, & the people i met there.
leaving with a full heart, in awe of god’s creation.
the heavens are telling of the glory of god; & their expanse is declaring the work of his hands
psalm 19:1
much love xx