14. Back in the 'Wave' of things

We’re at our gate, eagerly waiting for our flight… and guess what? We’re headed back to Sumatra! Can you believe how fast we got here? We’ve been planning and chatting about this trip for ages! I even dabbled in some Indonesian language lessons on Duolingo (not exactly a master yet!). “Tidak mingerti” is pretty much the only phrase that stuck with me, but hey, it’s one of the two most essential Indonesian words since I really “Don’t understand!”

What a whirlwind it’s been getting everything sorted! We were invited to a wedding on the same day as our flight! One of Vicus’s surfing buddies tied the knot, and while I was a bit nervous about fitting everything in—packing up, attending the wedding ceremony, and then racing off to the airport—we knew we couldn’t miss this special occasion for one of his oldest friends. Huge congratulations to Len & Lorraine Bradford!

After the beautiful wedding ceremony, we quickly congratulated the happy couple and dashed off to the airport. We settled in at Spur for a glass of wine and some ribs (because we’ll be feasting on fish for a whole month, we wanted to indulge in some hearty meat!). During our meal, Vicus made a fantastic analogy—he compared surfing to life! One of the things he loves about the surfing culture is that while you might be surrounded by friends in the water, there’s also a deeply personal and solitary aspect to it. Sure, you chat and share laughs, but ultimately, everyone is riding their own wave, aiming to catch that perfect barrel. The beauty lies in having your friends right there with you: cheering when you nail that flip or looking out for you if a wave tries to pull you under.

I can’t wait for this adventure! I’m excited to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and see what lessons this journey has in store for us this time. I’ll keep you all updated as we go along!

Cheers for now!

"Sampai jumpa lagi"