Same Country, Different Path

Featuring more than 17,500 islands it’s no wonder that multiple trips to Indonesia are necessary when attempting to travel this remarkable country. Home to more than 300 different ethnic groups and 250 different languages, each island seems a country in itself though they’re just ferry rides apart. The national language, Bahasa Indonesia, was established by the government in the 1920s as a means for national unification and today serves as the primary method of communication between islanders (and an essential tool for we island hoppers).

The diverse nature of Indonesia plays a big role in drawing a plethora of travelers. The sands, the waters, the jungles, the histories, the temples, the religions, the wildlife, the food, the alcohol, the traditions, and so on all vary from island to island. Thus, people jaunt from all over the globe for a variety of different reasons. Backpackers, divers, partiers and loungers hit their islands of choice searching for whatever it is that brought them. But one particular group of people that revels in a specific naturalness of Indonesia are the surfers. Jumping from island to island, chasing waves, the surfers are on a mystical mission for the perfect right-handers and barrels, while embracing an Indonesia of their own.

Having ventured through Indonesia before following the inner island roads, I have found myself a year later on a new venture: following the water…