I decided to pull the eject button from Indo earlier than planned. No wax, can't surf - no use sitting around. Currently in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. An unlikely place to buy wax you would think, but searching around on the net, found theres a die-hard surf crew here which i tracked down on facebook. This is the place my wife and I come for visa runs anyways - we've just come earlier than usual.
Anyways after a couple days of missed calls, unreturned emails..things were looking grim. Sounds like I'm making this up but this arvo was sitting in a Kopi Tiam (coffee shack) in downtown Johor Bahru resigned to the fact that I would go home wax-less, I look up and see what looked like the tops of some beat up old boards through a shop window. Walk over and look in and theres a little surf shop called "Lala Loco" owner's name is Lala - selling wax, old boards, clothes, leg ropes etc. Wax looks real old and the paper packaging all deteriorated - but the wax itself looks fine. He imported it from Bali for the local city surfers who live/work here. The closest body of water from here is the straits of Johor - from here you can look across to singapore - flat as a lake, you wouldn't think there surf here??. The surfers from here, I'm told head East, to the south china sea side, and out to places like Pulau Tioman - not world class but enough for them them to stay stoked.They showed me pics on their phones of a contect that was held a few days ago. Anyways - Like striking gold I tell ya

Bought the 5 bars he had in stock and he made a phone call to a friend he knows at another surf shop who will bring around a stack tomorrow - some imported organic south american brand that works well (apparently). My impression of Malay surfers are really hospitable people - they were keen to hear stories about where I live - made some great new friends. Picking another 10 bars of the organic stuff - that should see me out for a while. Price is about a dollar more expensive than what we normally pay in Australia - but all things considered...stoked
Thanks for all the tips and info. You don't realise how important wax is untill you run out. Determined to perfect making my own. Tracking down beeswax (lillin lebah), has proved elusive so far, figure i just need to track down local honey producers.
Thanks for the suggestion to try
http://www.paradisesurfcampsumatra.com/home/ - thats about 12 hours bus drive from where I live in Bengkulu, Sumatra - longer on a scooter

. Easier to fly to Batam, Indonesia>catch a fast boat to Johor Bahru - only takes about 4 hours.
cheers
Waxed up Steve