Nothing is easy...

Nothing is easy

But why should it be?
How boring would that be?

We GET to have hurdles... Obstacles... Proverbial puzzles...

We get to have hardships.
Because the law of physics will grant us the beauty and love on the other side of this snaking line of emotion from darkness to light and frustration to ease.

So... I accept the bullshit the Indian embassy in Jakarta is putting me through.
I am surrendering.

(this took a minor freak out- a scream out- and a time out... Where I listened to Avasa & Matty Love and meditated breathing with each prayer bead my fingers passed by)




I came down here to sulk and and cry and be a baby and then saw my prayer beads hanging on the green plastic hook next to shayne's towel and my silver toilettries bag.

I knew it was my choice -my reaction here was totally up to me and so far it was unnecessary... Explosive and pissed off to a zani degree.

I sat on the bed holding the beads and my thought were of my dear girlfriend in venice beach, Tawney and her miraculous ability to come from such a grounded peaceful place when shitty things happen.
I let my mind transport me back trough memories to the compound where she lives and I heard the music that was played in her living room when she was healing from our car accident and so many gifted beautiful souls came by to share their gifts. 

I picked up my I-thing... flicked off the cabin lights and flicked on Avasa & matty love... Closing my eyes and meditating in the darkness as the boat rocked from side to side, I felt all my frustrations melt off of me.

It's not even that I just let go of it- I found a place of feeling gratitude for it.

We americans get to just flounce around the world- but my friend sam's Malaysian passport legitimately says on the front page "valid for all countries except israel"... And the south Africans have it the worst... They have to jump through the most outrageous hoops to get visas to anywhere.

So I am getting a taste of it- and that's okay. It's beautiful.
This part of my story was never going to be easy and seamless so I accept it and honor it and will just roll with it and see what unfolds.
It's Friday night. I'm on a boat in the middle of the Indian ocean floating around and there is nothing I can do but just be.... And breathe and accept and smile.
On Monday I will still be at sea but hopefully will find an area with cell coverage when I can call and beg and plead for them to release my passport so that I can make my flight to India on Friday.
John E Ocean decided last minute that he's coming too and it seems a band of mentawai/telos landcampers will be assembling in an amazing way - me, John E, Ben from Kingfisher resort, and Mario & Michelle from Surfing village in the Telos will all be in the India/Nepal vicinity at the same time.
I just need my passport and my visa and everything to unfold and work out for me, which it currently is not...
But again... Surrender... Gratitude... Surrender.

Shayno came down a few moments later and was the sturdy yet gentle and tender partner he is to me... Making me feel even better yet.

I am lucky.

We all are.

Even when it seems the odds are stacked against us... It's all a blessing.. Somewhere down the line or maybe even right now in this moment.

... And I thank the universe for it all.

-----

The boat pulled into Macaronis Bay where we were handed a letter letting us know that beginning next year the Wave would be privatized- limited to one charter boat which would have to make a reservation months in advance... (ridiculous if you know anything about surfing- since how can you predict swell).

In all honesty, I have seen many of my friends wear these shirts that say "FREE MACAS" but didn't really get it.

A friend came over from his boat and we sat on the bow of kaimana and talked about it. I heard the guys sharing their feelings and decided i would help as much as i could to stop this craziness...

I helped Shayne draft this letter to everyone out here with a charter boat or land camp and few friends in the surf editorial world too...

As soon as we reach land with wi-fi Shayne will send it out.

---------

October 8, 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues,


As my 7th season out here in the Mentawai Islands comes to a close, I am sad and frustrated to receive a letter from Kantor Desa Silabu regarding the privatization of the wave at Macaronis.


As I see it, this cannot work fairly or benefit anyone but Macaronis Resort itself, and comes from a place of pure greed and selfishness.


There are several things that I think it's important we all recognize.


1. The MMTA, which has been disbanded, but not stricken from Indonesian law, stipulates that resorts have rights to 1000 meters from where their Resort is built. However, a simple look at google earth and using of the ruler application will show you that even IF paragraph 16 was being enforced or recognized here, the wave of Macaronis is out of that 1000 meter radius anyway, making it unsubstantiated and groundless.


2. Cloudbreak in Fiji is the only break I know of that has ever enforced something like this. They were only able to implement it due to the fact that certain Fijian tribes had rights to certain reefs. As of last year the government realized that you cannot own a wave and has demolished the exclusive rights to Cloudbreak, once again making it public. Mark and the Macaronis crew were not the first people to find this wave, and therefore have no rights to call it theirs. I believe that it is with arrogance that they would lead us to believe that an otherwise peaceful Mentawai village miles away from the beach itself, are actually concerned about how many people are surfing on a wave that is not even visible from where they live.  It is karmically so wrong to start this way of thinking, bringing greed and a selfish mentality such as this to these regions. I have great concerns of this sentiment spreading throughout the Mentawai chain, which is why i believe all of us, friends, colleagues and competitors should come together act on this right away.


3. I think everyone saw how badly it affected the flow of boats in 2010 when they attempted to enforce this previously. We were forced to surf nearby breaks after being chased out of the Macaronis Bay, taking guests to surf a wave that they didn't necessarily have the skill set to surf (i.e. GB) which potentially put our guests in danger, only to regularly see Macaronis Resort pull up and drop off ten of their guests even though there were more then 2 or 3 chased out charter boats already at that break. It felt like a brutal slap in the face. Seeing boats chased out of the bay into dangerous sea conditions showed a total lack of concern for the safety and well-being of anyone other than themselves.


As much as I would like to just ignore their letter and carry on surfing Macas myself and bringing my guests through the break, as and when our trips work out that way, I know that this problem will not go away, so here is what i propose.


I am attaching a form letter that I ask everyone who feels the same way we on Kaimana feel, to send this letter to all of our booking agents, letting them know that we will no longer work with them whatsoever if they continue to work with Macaronis Resort in any way.


I personally want to have no connection or recognition of their resort, and I feel that if enough of us come together and stand up for what we believe is right here, all the booking agents will have no choice but to drop Macaronis Resort as clients altogether.


The beauty of this archipelago, and the reason i have made it my home for so long, is that we all take care of one another. There is a sense of unity among all of us, running boats or land camps. When disaster has struck we have been there for each other to pick up the pieces and help rebuild. We ask our guests to be courteous to the guests on other boats and from the resorts, follow surfing etiquette in the water and sharing this piece of paradise that the universe gave us to play on out here.


I applaud the effort to put moorings down in an endeavor to save the what little reef is left out here, most of the places I know that we anchor is on top of is sand, and no damage to reef is actually happening, but I recognize that this is certainly an issue that we all need to be conscious of.


However, I feel that the amount and positioning of moorings should be something that should be discussed and agreed on by all people concerned.


If any of you disagree and side with the Macaronis agenda, please feel free to express yourself and let me know why, because, i personally cannot see any reason why this should be acceptable or legal.


I know that many boat operators had their hands full this over the last two seasons with the flagging issue, which makes me believe that time is of the essence and we need to get on this right away.


I was always taught to be cautious of stealing another man's bread and butter, and i feel that Macaronis Resort is attempting to steal our bread and butter by limiting our movement in this region.


I can't sit here and watch the Macaronis guys do this.


I ask that if you agree with me, please stand by me and let’s put a stop to this, by letting each and every one of our booking agents know what's up.


Thank you,

Shayne & the Kaimana crew.
----------

This afternoon, I was re-reading some of the stuff I wrote from back in Bali when I was at the Ghandi Ashram and read

"Om Samaneva Akotih
Sama na hridayani vah
samanamastu vo mano
Yatha vah susahasti
OM, shanti shanti shanti"

Meaning:

"May our ideals be the same.
May our hearts be the same.
May our minds be the same.
Thus established in the principal of the Universe, which is Unity,
We can live and work together in Peace! Peace! Peace!"

It's okay... I forget this sometimes too! 

I think macaronis is gonna come to their senses and rediscover unity consciousness and the essence of surfing. 

Just another hurdle blessing thingy along the path!