Indonesia's Nias, and its star attraction: Sorake Point!

October, 17 - KHH to KL to Medan to Genung Sitoli to Sorake Point.
Thus started the trip to Indo; long overdue for me (about 6 years later than expected) and traveling apart from Caila again. She used her airmiles to fly from Taipei to Singapore to KL, and there we hooked up. You can fly straight to Medan from Taiwan, but we wanted to see Cheryl and Chris in KL and hence the roundabout route.

We spent a night in Medan at a fairly decent hostel and left for Genung Sitoli early the next morning. From the chaotic little airport (for lack of a more accurate description) we caught a 3-hour bumpy ride for about US$40 (regardless of the amount of people in the van) with a local named Abilly, and so paying for a few other locals to get a ride home. At the first sight of Sorake Point I knew it was going to be a holiday made up of surfing and little else. The way it should be. Abilly introduced us to his "friend" Anni, who runs a Losman and we were bundled into the empty room next to a very amicable blonde from Mexico named Ana Scales. The lodgings were basic, but comfortable and affordable at US$5 a day. In retrospect we lucked out by getting dropped at Anni's losman, since its distance from the surf break (appr 5 min walk) makes it a bit less subject to local peddling of wares and trinkets and Ani and his family are all wonderful people. I got my dinged-up surfboard fixed for 5 bucks and Lares (Ani's cousin who speaks great English and does odds and ends around the place) helped Caila rent a MiniMal, which she claims improved her surfing by making things "easier".

5:30am - wake up and eat a banana before heading out to the wave
9:30am - come out of the water for ablutions, fresh fruit muesli and a nap
2:30pm - paddle back out to surf till the sun sets
6:30pm - come out for a beer and some BBQ or curry fish before passing out

We managed to watch SA take back the World Cup with Ani, his family and a SAFA named Leo Erlank one evening. Caila managed to get around to the local village and study some of their offerings. She even went for a quick snorkeling session. We read pages of our books, discussed religion and the advantages of regular yoga with Ana and avoided the boys-who-can't-stop-fiddling-with-their-toys both in and out of the water. But the rest was surfing. Surfing till your arms are spaghetti-like tendrils and it feels like there is a metal rod running between your shoulder blades and your neck. Good, clean, healthy fun.

Lagundri Bay and the island of Nias was heavily struck by the tsunami resulting from an underwater earthquake. More than a thousand people lost their lives and for many their means to make a living was swept away by the rush of slush. Leaving them with the mammoth task of rebuilding without proper means, implements or materials. Rocks are excavated from the sandstone sides of cliffs with tiny chisels or bamboo poles by elderly women. Children dry rice grains in the sun, while UN relief vehicles filled with newly-suited moral missionaries play otherwise-unavailable international radio stations and spread hope against Tuberculosis and poverty. (Check out the LEAP Project link under "The blogs we know" for more info.) Who knows what possibilities await there.

When it came time to leave, after a Sunday spent taking pics with the extended family of the family, we were anxious to get to a hot shower and our admin in Kuala Lumpur. Lares came with us to Genung Sitoli to get money, via the only ATM access to our dwindling account on the island, to cover our expenses (around US$120 for everything over 4 days). Hindsight helps in preparation. As things turned out we had no reason to rush. All flights to Nias were grounded due to weather and we were stuck for the evening, forfeiting our flights to Kuala Lumpur and worrying about our visas in KL. We joined up with Daisuke from Tokyo, who had similar hassles and tried to help each other by sharing the cost of accommodation and transport. After much fussing the three of us were fortunate enough to find Lisa Zebua from Tiara Tours & Travel Service - (0639)323538-7000150; Jl. Diponegoro No. 196, Genung Sitoli, Nias Island - North Sumatera, Indonesia(isa_zebua2005@yahoo.com (personal);niastour_@msn.com (work)), whose wonderfully helpful manner lifted our spirits. She took time out of her personal schedule to call our respective airline agencies and rearrange schedules, give us Internet access and arrange cheap reliable transport from our nearby hotel for the next morning's planned departure. If you're ever going to Nias or for a trip around the Mentawaii's, contact her.


Next came Kuala Lumpur and a much-treasured day spent with C&C, where we walked and talked and laughed and cried and ate and drank and applied for and received visas. It made us well knowing they are well, and working well and well...working. It was with bleary red eyes that I begged the taxi driver to take me the 18km to the domestic terminal to get the surfboards we had stored upon arrival, and back just in time to get everything on the plane before passing out before the first movie.