3 month trip en route to a new life in Australia.

[Dantastic1985]

Hi guys.

I'm 28 and stuck in a rut. I live in a decent house, have agood job and a great girlfriend but find myself wanting to sack it all off to spend 3-4 months surfing en route to starting a new life in Oz. Crazy yeah?

What I'm after is some info on the surf trip. Initially I was planning to stay in Bali for 3-4 months surfing medewi style waves until I'm a bit better. However i understand that you can only get a 30day visa and buy another 30 days for $25. This cuts my trip short. I'm aware some people do a "visa run". If anyone has done this can you inform me on the cost and time taken and the easiest way to do this.

Alternatively I'm also interested in other countries in and around Indo I can stay in for 2months. I'm an intermidiate level surfer, am pretty comfortable on the board etc but def need to hone my skills in Bali.

So I want to ask where you suggest. Things I'm looking for are cheap relaxed living, good but not massive or dangerous surf, somewhere I can buy a board cheaply.

There's a million other questions I want to ask on Bali but at this stage I'm interested in either staying in Bali for more than 60 days and the hassle involved or a second spot en route to oz.

Cheers.

Dan

[drowningbitbybit]

\ I live in a decent house, have agood job and a great girlfriend but find myself wanting to sack it all off to spend 3-4 months surfing en route to starting a new life in Oz. Crazy yeah?

Not really - that's what I did

[dtc]

Have a look at the Bali 'social visa' - i think its still around. You need a Bali sponsor, but visa agents in Singapore (and probably elsewhere) can organise this for you. Anyway, this allows you to stay for up to 6 months (initial 60 days then extend monthly - for a small fee, of course). The usual Bali visa run is to Singapore; but you can also head to Perth. Flights are usually around AUD400 return or so; sometimes there are good bargains and sometimes they are more than that. All you need to do is leave the country then return and get another tourist visa on the way in; so you dont even need to stay overnight in the other country.

I'm not aware of too many cheap alternatives around Bali that have the consistency of Bali. Places like Thailand and the Phillipines (Cloud 9) have surf during their winters and are cheap, but inconsistent and dont have the Bali surfing infrastructure.

[Aqualife]

Hi,
In my experience, the social visa for Indo is hard to get. I have studied in Indonesia and even with a sponsor such as an Indonesian University, it was a long process to get this. So might not be as easy as DTC says. I wouldn't count on it unless you have a real sponsor.
The visa run mainly goes via Tiger Airways to Singapore or via Air Asia to KL (which is the much cheaper option), you get regular flights from DPS-KL for about A$90 one way with much cheaper specials advertised, so usually a visa run costs you (incl flights, 1 night in a hotel, dep tax etc) around $200-300. Air Asia flies to Sri Lanka from KL, so a nice option would be to just leave Indo after 30 days and go to Sri Lanka where you can stay 90 days on a Euro passport. Sri Lanka has got surf all year round and is consistent, cheap and fun with great culture, people and food. It is not as heavy as Indo wavewise and a good option. The Hikkaduwa side breaks roughly Nov-April and Arugam Bay side from April-Oct, so you are covered whenever you go.
Thailand has mediocre surf most times with some better days only when the weather gods align which is rare. Phillipines - that is not a bad option. It doesn't only have Siargao Island (Cloud 9 and thereabouts) but it does have many many breaks all over Luzon and the other islands. The surf infrastructure isn't as good as Indo but it's there and you have no crowds and dirt cheap and really amazing.
Buying boards: Phillipines - only in the surf centres on Luzon, Sri Lanka, all over depending on people departing and getting rd of theirs, usually second hand.
Air Asia goes to both places. I can recommend both - Sri Lanka and the Phillippines.

Re: chucking your job/life in and just going. Sometimes it's the best thing you ever do, sometimes the grass is greener on the other side and the malaise settles back in once you are on the other side. But you just don't know that until you go. I am all for taking the risk.
Enjoy.

[dtc]

Hey Aqualife, how is your new board going?

[Aqualife]

Hi yourself. Shaper buggered up the rails but apart from that good fun. Just been to Hawaii and we got a freak swell and going to Indo in September, free airmiles, lucky this year! Back among the shortboarders now....

[Dantastic1985]

Hi guys,

Really good pointers there. Guys who have been to Bali, can you get away with living on about $15 a day including a hostel. Im not looking for posh dinners and a 4* bed but simply a bit of rice, some water, maybe a local beer and a cleanish bed.

Can anybody reccomend the best books to read up on, suring for waves as well as getting to and around Bali cheaply?

Also if anybody has any more info on the best spots for beginners to intermediates that would be great. Medewi especially.

Cheers

Dan

[Lebowski]

Meals cost a dollar or two if I remember correctly. Adding a beer will be more expensive than the meal itself, but still cheap.
I would probably budget a bit more than $15/day, although maybe it is doable.

You can stay in a few different places near Medewi, one place is right next to the break so you can roll straight into the surf in the morning. There is also a warung right there so you can eat there too, as well as a few other food options.
The surf itself is fun. It's a long cobblestone pointbreak. You can go out from the rocks about halfway up the point, then paddle the rest of the way. It's a pretty long paddle on sizey days and you can get some long rides. It was pretty crowded when I was there (around September) but I had no problem getting waves and everyone was very mellow. There are photographers on the point with huge zoom lenses making a living from getting your photo, so make sure you bring your best moves!
I will be in Bali again in about 2 weeks.

[Aqualife]

$15 per day might be pushing it somewhat. Possible but not much fun. You will not be drinking any beer for that money or partying. You will also be restricted to local warungs and the cheapest menu options being nasi and mie goreng, the campurs and soups, banana pancakes and mostly drinking water. What about transport though? Might be ok if you stay in one place for a long time, but as soon as you move around, you need to add your transport costs. What about eating a bit better or even more (you are surfing 4-6 hours per day in Indo on average and it makes you hungry). You can get rooms for $5-7. That leaves you $8-10 for ALL your other needs. In 3 months, you might need shampoos, sun screen, wax, washing powder (or someone to do your laundry) and some better food to not waste away. 1 month, I'd say ok. 3 months like that gets old really fast. Plus haggling with the Indos over every last cent is really ugly considering what they live on per month. I have spent 4 months in Sumbawa like that - super low budget, we got feral, had infected coral cuts and lost on average between 12-17kilos in that time. Great waves, would never do it again. I just remember being hungry. My 2 cents - take more money - stay shorter and have more fun. if you want cheaper, you need to leave Bali and go to Java, Sumbawa or Sumba and hang with locals.

[jaffa1949]

Pushing your luck Dantastic on the $15 per day call, you can still do it on outer islands but even there it is a hard call. Aqualife calls it as it really is, living cheap is just plain dangerous and any westerner is seen as being richer ( and you are) than any village Indonesian.
Outside of Bali on other islands you risk arriving in Australia with assorted serious diseases, if you have gone the feral route .The medical system in Oz will smash your funds. Traveling without insurance could bankrupt you and if you have to go to an Indonesian hospital you will need cash upfront for any treatment. Scary place Indo Hospitals.
The days of cruising through Bali on the really cheap has gone, they know exactly what your dollar is worth! Bali is still cheaper than many other surf destinations.
Your eyes will be opened

[Dantastic1985]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys. It's really useful. I'm glad you popped a bit of info on Jaffa, I was hoping you would.

Taking everything on board. Cutting it down to 2 months sounds like a sensible idea with visa and money. How much would you say would be comfortable?

In terms of other lower ability breaks. Can you recommend any? Kuta beach and cannggu (bad spelling) I'm going to visit first to get an idea on what I'm in for.

With regards to boards, is it worth taking one?

At present I'm looking to take a 3 month sabbatical from work and doing Indo. Then Going home, saving for a move to oz.

[Aqualife]

If you love your board(s), take it/them. If they are generic dimensions that everyone rides and you a e not good enough to really tell the difference between concave/convex/V/different tails/rail shapes and rocker, then you might as well get one there (off the rack, shaped, off another traveller). Also if it's free to take a board, you could and then just upgrade/leave it there/possibly break it
With regards to money - no one can really tell you that, as we don't know how much you eat and drink and move around, whether you are happy to rent a motorbike or will hire cars, whether you will go out partying, hurt yourself on the reef and need some anitbiotics and a first aid clinic. I would take out good travel insurance in any case.
I usually average $25-40 per day but I eat really good food, go out every once in a while, hire cars (and share them with others as I am too chicken to ride a scooter), have the odd massage and buy some presents for people at home and some surfgear for myself.
Just ENJOY yourself, it is cheaper than at home in any case and a lot of the time it's not even worrying about money too much when you are there, it's that cheap.

[Dantastic1985]

I'm def not good enough to notice what is going on with my board. Hopefully that will change with a bit of time in Bali surfing everyday.

Thanks for the £ help. I'll be hiring a scooter, eating 3 meals a day but nothing fancy and maybe a few beers one night a week. I'm hoping to really get healthy and super fit so will be cautious on what I'm eating.

I appreciate what your saying, I'm just trying to get an idea on how much I need to save which directly links to how quickly I can get out there!

[jaffa1949]

Dantastic, the scariest thing in Bali is the traffic, I ride motorbikes and stuff but the scooter traffic and the amazing chaos of the roads and users means quite a few westerners get scrunched (badly).
Anything that you thought were traffic rules do not apply. But it sounds like you are getting the rest of the trip wired. The meals are surprisingly good and surprisingly cheap so Aqualife's budget is if you'll pardon the pun is on the money!
i

[Dantastic1985]

Cool. Im pretty confident on a scooter. I used one as my only method of transport for about 4-5 years. It was a knackered Vespa with no brakes = loads of fun!

Sounds like it is all coming together. Just wanted to ask about the 60 day visa, is it a case of buying the first 30 days then when its running out buying another 30 days?

Money and trip aside, waves. As a beginner hopefully moving to intermediate, am I going to be really restricted in terms of spots to surf? If its going to be 6-8foot for 2 months Ill not be getting much surfing done as ill be hiding on the beach dreaming of 2-3 ft glassy waves.

[Aqualife]

Hi there,
June/July/August are generally the biggest month in Indo and the busiest, so you will get surfers from all over the world chasing big swells. You can find more protected spots, but when it's on, it's on and it's big. Usually swells last around 4-10 days with a peak in the middle. So if you want smaller waves and less crowds, go in the 'in-between' month. You still get the odd bigger swell in those months but it is less often and less liekly. I personally like March-May and also Sept-Nov. You can still get waves in the wet season (Oct-Mar) but traveling is a hassle, the ocean is dirty, the winds are cross-shore and it's overall a mixed bag. I personally think late Nov to late Feb is the absolute worst time to go, but then it's quiet and prices are cheaper.

[dtc]

Cool. Im pretty confident on a scooter.

Have you ever seen how they drive in SE Asia....

Actually, Bali is one of the better countries in SE Asia for driving. This is relatively speaking - meaning its about 10 times as scary as Italy but 1/5 as scary as India. It doesnt take too long to figure out the 'road rules' (like just merge from anywhere without looking and hope the oncoming traffic weaves around you), but I do highly recommend not trying to drive on your first few days while you have a look and figure it out.

[Dantastic1985]

Cheers for more info on the Bali seasons and roads!

At present ill be looking to visit somewhere between March and May and finding somewhere steady before ripping the big stuff.

You chaps got any preference between Sydney and Perth?

[Aqualife]

Sydney hands down if you want to surf before and after work. If you are happy to fly to Bali for surf and drive to Margaret River or you get a ridiculous paying job in the mines, then Perth.

[dtc]

When you say 'between Sydney and Perth' do you mean 'either Sydney or Perth' or 'somewhere in Australia situations between the two cities'?

In any event, as a 'tourist/backpacker' you will probably have a better chance of picking up a job in Sydney as there is a huge backpacker community. And there are plenty of surf beaches for all levels (play amongst the learners in Bondi or head to the somewhat harder 'crews' in the northern beaches). Rent near the beaches is fairly expensive, as you would expect.

If you go 1-2 drive hrs north or (especially) south of Sydney there are another 100 surf beaches and other places you can live and surf - Wollongong, Newcastle for starters. So plenty of weekend trips if you have a car or just want to live someone a bit smaller/cheaper than Sydney. There is a well worn, but justifiably worn, backpacker/surfer trail from Sydney up the coast to Noosa and all points along the way.

While if you head to the NSW south coast, then there are beautiful and basically deserted beaches for km after km.

Finding somewhere to surf wont be a problem. It will be finding funding (job?) and being able to afford Australia and also finding time to surf that will be the issue.