The End of the Road?

The end of the road?  Of course not. I actually got a bit choked up reading Genji's post below and reflecting on the things we've seen, the waves we surfed, the food we ate, the places we stayed, and the people we met. Having been home a few weeks has given me some real opportunity to consider what we've done, and I realized something big.

Its about the people.  The world is full of incredibly beautiful people.

From the moment we landed in Santiago, to the last flight home of the indonesia leg, there were constantly people to talk to, to discuss life or politics or food or work or the news.  People curious in where we were from, what we were doing, and how we liked it.

People were generous to share their half built container homes with us.

Or stack our boards on a tiny car and go check the surf.

Generous and funny and happy people that are truly stoked to be alive and to meet you and show you a spot or grab a bite to eat or buy you a drink.

Or wish you a happy birthday - Caleb, Fabi, and Craig.

People are what make life worth living and the earth worth seeing.  Of course, we liked getting out into the rugged remote places, but those experiences wouldn't have been any fun, in fact they would have been critically dangerous if not for the people.  

Ruperto and Genji and Locos.

Down home cooking.

When you don't know where you are sleeping or where your next meal is, you transform into viewing every social interaction as a possibility to make a friend, get travel advice, find a wave, or just a have a beer and a laugh.

Ruperto and the Giant Pizza.

We did our best to give back, like Genji calling sets for me while I untied Ruperto's net from a rock that was getting pounded by surf.  And of course they shared the fish with us.  

And the inside jokes are unending on a trip like this, and when Garth and Jessica showed up in Bali, they were almost lost because Genji and I had so many little one liners and references from the past 5 months that we were speaking another language.

"Thats Wave Wang!" - a classic inside joke you can only begin to understand by googling "wordwang" but really you had to be there.  PS I can post this picture now that Ollies shoulder is healed and he is surfing again.

This is the wave that wanged (winged) Ollie.

Caleb - mata hambre maestro.

And when you are travelling your eyes open up to this fact so much more, this sense of one or community.  Its hard to get that at home, especially in a big city.

The crew, chilling up on the rock.

Sunsets are that much better with good people to share it with.

We literally met dozens of people around the world that if I showed up to their house unannounced any time day or night, they would let me in and give me a meal and a bed and stay up and talk story.  And I offered the same to all of them.  I know there are many people we met that I will be friends with for life.  Heck I've already seen 2 of the friends I made in Chile since being back in the states.  

The golden rule is the only rule.  Respect goes a long way on the road, and being decent to the locals and trying to learn a few words or being a gracious guest go a long way.

 All the gringos sitting around the table.

Claudia is an amazing human and friend to surfers, even though she can't speak much english.

Family dinner with everyone helping.

Blogger is cutting me off so Indo pics to follow...