Cities and Palm Trees

Stunning landscape. Amazing surf. Beautiful ladies. Awesome waves. Insane surf tricks. Incredible cinematography. I cannot think of anymore ways to describe this insanely great, short, conceptual film featuring the talented Dion Agius doing his thing in the world’s best wave pool in the Middle East’s Abu Dhabi.

Globe’s ‘Electric Blue Heaven’ portrays 7 minutes of remarkable production of Dion being unleashed on the world’s best man-made wave in the middle of a desert mountain range. This setting, plus ten Russian models looking enviously good in their teeny bikinis, blinding scorching sun, exotic waters and a Lamborghini makes this short film mesmerising and hypnotic, to the point where I would cut off my right arm to be there with them.

The trailer to the film was released last week and got hugely hyped up by the surf scene as the interesting concept looked incredible! Globe released the full film on the 19th June and it has been raved about non-stop. And for good reason.

It’s reminiscent of old 1980’s television dramas and with its summer vibe so incredibly strong, it makes me wish for summer to roll back around as soon as possible… scroll down for the video, watch it and join me in Summer/Abu Dhabi surfing lust!

Taken from my travelettes article

Indonesia was always a place that had beautiful landscape that blew my mind: Stunning beaches, hypnotic rain-forests, mysterious temples, hidden waterfalls… it is a tropical paradise that was immense to explore and backpack about in. I swear my camera hardly left my face as I attempted to capture scene upon scene of terrain, but as usual, it never looked as good on my camera as it did in front of my eyes as I stood there.

However, I stumbled upon Hengki Koentjoro’s work, and wow. He totally does Indonesia’s landscape justice.

He was born in Semaran, Central Java, Indonesia and graduated at Santa Barbara, California where he majored in film and minored in fine art photography. Back in Indonesia, he now specializes in photography both underwater and on land, and does a goddamn amazing job at it!

He believes that his photography allows him to enable others to see the unseen and the unspoken of the beauty of nature. It is both a mystical and mind-blowing force which he attempts to portray through black and white photography, while also trying to make the common things he encountered in his home country, Indonesia, a beautiful and unusual scene for all to see…. but enough talk. Just look at Indonesia through his eyes.

Taken from my travelettes article

Stranger Series #1

Angel

Please don’t think I made this name up. This is all true.

At the beginning of my first ever backpacking trip, I was disillusioned. Everything I was expecting hadn’t come to light: Where was Leo Dicaprio? Where was paradise? There was too much tourism and I was severely disappointed with Thailand. The tourist route was littered with drunks, prostitutes, tame families and souvenirs. 

Then as I was journeying across the country to meet a friend on the West Coast, I met Angel in the taxi. The Spaniard’s chocolate brown eyes and rugged beard had me at “Hello”. Then upon learning his name was Angel, he could do no wrong.

He spoke of a paradise that lurked in a hidden bay, a mere longtail boat ride around the corner from the area I was heading to. A small community of Thais and rock climbers who chilled in beach bars, swam, kayaked, climbed, smoked and smiled the days away. everyone knows everyone, everyone says they’re there for a week… but end up staying for a month. Hammocks, beach swings, reggae, limestone cliffs, glowing sea plankton… how fast could I get to this place??

He held my hand to help me out the taxi at my stop. He held on a fraction longer than necessary: “I’ll see you there? Ask for Angel. They all know me.”

Three days later I arrived to a magical and amazing place that made my backpacking trip truly begin. Everything I had hoped and dreamed for in traveling came true there and it was my paradise that I had been searching for. I ended up staying longer than I had planned, especially when I bumped into Angel during one beautiful Andaman Sea coast sunset.

My slice of heaven that Angel showed me. Thank you.

21 Lessons I have Learnt from Traveling

1. Traveling with a friend can leave amazing memories, but traveling alone is more eye-opening.

2. Only forward-plan when dealing with visas.

3. Homesickness can strike at any point. So can diarrhea.

4. If you find somewhere better than home, why ever leave?

5. The beauty of traveling without a strict itinerary is that it’s impossible to guess what’s around the corner.

6. When on a boat in rough waters, focus on the horizon to keep the vomit down. On a bouncing boat in the dark? Good luck.

7. Hippy pants have a time and a place: exotic locations. Not rolling around in your home city.

8. When in a Buddhist temple, ensure to sit with feet facing away from the Buddha statue or be prepared to get spanked by a monks bamboo stick.

9. The hype of a destination can often set you up for disappointment. Take what people say with a pinch of salt but still check it out!

10. You don’t need five pairs of trainers, seven pairs of pumps and thirty pairs of denim shorts. Pack light as after a while, your backpack will definitely weigh you down.

11. If you feel that the boy with the nose ring could be the love of your life… why not?

12. Photographs help record and capture moments. A travel journal is priceless.

13. Traveling helps you discover exactly what you’re capable of, whether it is jumping out of a plane or putting your hand down a squat toilet to retrieve a room key.

14. The world isn’t actually that big. You may very well bump into someone in Bali who you served pints to at your student union bar in England.

15. Traveling on a budget isn’t a myth. Just don’t be squeamish about the quality of the guesthouse and man the f*ck up.

16. The kindness of strangers demonstrates that people in general are genuine. But don’t ignore your gut feeling if you find yourself in a sticky situation.

17. Your independence gets exercised to the extreme and with that, confidence in yourself and in your decisions grows.

18. Companions and friends will appear along the way when traveling alone. Don’t sweat it and chill out with a beer. That’s when they will find you.

19. Attempt understanding the local languages and culture, roll with the inevitable cultural differences and don’t be surprised with the amount of McDonalds that litter the world.

20. I can survive without my daily western lifestyle luxuries… roughing it is easy as everyone’s doing it.

21. Everything will be o.k. in the end, and if it’s not o.k. then it’s not the end.

Taken from my article on travelettes

The Stranger Series

Welcome to the Stranger Series.

So many travels, so many countries, so many beaches, so many cities, so much time lounging against palm trees, so much money spent on cocktails, so many skies, so many seas. And so many Strangers encountered.

The Stranger Series will be me picking one person who stuck out in my mind, featured in a travel highlight, or made me really change my way of thinking or my outlook on life. With some individuals I may remember every last detail: their smell, their eye colour, their nervous twitches, their dry jokes, their choice of flip-flop. With others, I may not even remember their name but just a single quote, sentence or act of kindness that has made me double-take and think for hours of them despite only having a 3 minute encounter.

All these people made my travels what they were: awesome experiences which have led me to where I am today, whether it influenced my decision making on my next destination, or the choices I made in an everyday life situation. 

These people have probably forgotten me. But they are more important than they could ever guess to me.