Point Break, Big bad bugs and another day

So the 5th was recon, food, find a board and have a look around the town, enjoy the sea. The food here is great some places are now offering Thai food as well. So I have to choose between Malay, Thai, India Malay (yes there are differences) and Western. I have to say as yet I have not had western food since subway in Brisbane airport. Mostly on the road it has been Roti. I have been eating a more India Malay breakfast then a Malay one which is normally just something with rice. You can only eat so much rice.
The Beach is really nice and unlike most other Malay beaches it’s pretty clean. So not really much went on on the 5th, it rained most of the morning so had to go out and get a new book, I was on the beach most of the afternoon. O forgot to mention, on weekends lots of Malaysians come to the beach, it’s a shame Cherating closes on a Sunday, yep that’s right, not much open till about 12pm and then all closed by 5-6pm which I have to say was nice.
I did find a contact for getting a surf board, was talking to a local girl and she said she knew someone with a board I might be able to borrow. Was told to meet her at the Little Bali bar at 10pm. I thought it best to go armed just in case something was up, so I took Barnaby (little teddy bear, he wanted to come anyway) along for protection. Anyway thought it was best to get there early and case the joint out.
Well it was a bar, by a river and there were a few Malay’s in it, so had a beer and waited, and waited and yes waited some more, 10pm she said, it was now close to 10:30pm well passed my bed time. While I waited talked to the bar lady and took some photo’s for some girls out on a hen night, women are worse than guys, or maybe it’s just Malay women the things they were saying. Had to tell Barnaby to close his ears. Feel sorry for the guy who is going to marry that one.
Anyway gave up waiting in the end and walk back via the beach, it was a clear night with the promise of a clear day. Let’s hope I can find a board and get some surfing done, the waves were calling. So off to bed.
All was well until about 3 in the morning, all of a sudden bang something large lands right on my pillow, dam near shat myself, sorry mum. This cockroach landed right by my face, and we an’t talking no NZ cockroach here we are talking about something that was about 2 ½ inches long and about a inch wide, it can also do a hundred meters in under ten seconds as I found out went I tried to kill it.
But the trouble was it was too quick and I was way too slow, only because I had just been rudely awakened. So I lost it, now I thought will hopefully it will go away and not come back. Yea right Steve. A few minutes later I could see a dark shape moving up the wall. This was it, I was wide awake now and ready to attack. No escape bug. So screaming I got up and ran. No just kidding I chopped the bottom off a bottle and managed to catch it in there. Took it to the door and through it out. Told it, it was band form this night club for a year.
Finally back to sleep, O yes stars were still out, perfect. Woke up the next day with the rest of the night in peace. Headed out for breakfast and board location. Found a board after a bit of a search. 30 rigit or $15 for half day. Not bad I thought. So out to the waves, I was a bit worried because I had seen a few locals coming back with their boards so thought I might have missed the best surf.
But No, surf was perfect for me, now just to fill you in I have had 3 days surfing in NZ in my life, and a couple of those days I spent more time trying to get out to the waves then catching them. So it’s safe to say I am a beginner. Now I do know a little bit about surfing, were I was going it was off a point break which for you who don’t surf , the surf starts at a rocky out crop. Then the wave just slowly breaks along the beach. Now Cherating has a perfect point break, and the waves just keep rolling down the beach all the way along. Now if your good I recon you could ride the wave for maybe 100 meters, yes that good.
Me I was going to be happy if I can still stand up. Now when I got out to the waves there was one local guy out there. Long haired short board looked like he knew what he was doing, yep I sat and watched him catch a couple before I headed out. Catch up on the local know how sort of thing.
Right I’m ready, out I go. The local guy, have to call him that because I never got his name, pointed out the waves to catch, the only thing was he pointed out the biggest waves to catch. So what the hell I have always been a all or nothing kind of guy. Yippy I up I down, I got slammed. Bugger. This was all much to the local guys amusement of course. So back out this time he pointed out one wave more my size not to small, just right. So up I went standing I was away for at least 20m then off. Came up with a smile on my face. I was the bomb.
Back out next wave, bam slammed again. Came up out of the water to find a crowd of people come down to watch. Lucky for them they had the local guy to watch. So I had a watch of him again and back out, changed my technique a bit and yes I was back, well for about 10m. This was it I was going to get it this time Local Guy pointed out a wave it was mine. Paddle, pop up standing, riding, going along the wave front, still going along the wave front, bit of a turn still going maybe 40 to 50 meters along the beach and the wave put me down nicely in about two foot of water. Arms in the air, I wooped, that’s right, I wooped. Absolutely grand, even one of the spectators gave me a clap. Who’s the beginner, I am.
So after this ride I had it down pat, started riding the bigger waves, yep the local guy was still pointing them out to me. Whoever you are local guy you’re a legend to me. After about 45 minutes I was picking the waves and getting some really good rides in, still had a few slams but that’s part of the fun. After about an hour and half local guy left. So the waves were all mine. I had started riding the waves around 9:30am and left at about 12:15pm as had to get the board back.
So it’s now about 4:30pm have done my days washing, cleaned my bike as it had got dirty on the ride from Kuantan and am going to arrange the board again tomorrow for some more surfing. So will stay another night then back on the bike. I have heard there are more surfing places up the coast with bigger waves, I think I am ready. I heard by day 6 surfing your classed as a pro. But there are also some nice islands as well up north. God this is hard to surf or to snorkel.
Have heard some more news from the south of Thailand, there has been no trouble for a couple of months so hopefully it stays that way. Will take some photo’s of the surf and up load them tomorrow.