Season 2006, starting from zero

  Whats up guys, i was waiting for some swell to send the first article of
this season but as it is taking a while for anything significative to arrive lets start talking about the beggining of the season 2006.

  Since its beggining the season 2006 has been really different than the others; The most important points of this beggining of season 2006 were the holidays of hari raya Galungan and Kuningan that mark the biggest holiday on the hindu calendar that simbolizes the thanking by the balinese people for the past 6 months of their lives and for the next six months to come. On this date the whole island gets decorated for the week celebrations that include Cock fights and Gamelan (traditional music). Speaking about decoration, the island of Bali live at this moment its most green period i've ever seen at this time of the year.

  Usually at this point of the season the island is already completely dry again but what we have seen latelly is unusual rain at night and early morning and a Bali completelly different, a lot more green than what everybody is used to see at this time of the year.

  Speaking about waves, we had some scarce days of 5 feet swell but on the majority of days the swell has been around 2 to 3 feet; Looks like this reallity is about to change on the 19th when the first swell of this season is expected to hit the coast. We hope it comes on full power and wash the whole coast and bring us a lot of positive energy for the season that starts.

  Another important point about this beggining of season is the fact that i don't live at Padang-padang anymore, place where i lived from 2000 to 2005 and where i used to take care of brazilian and foreigner surfers in general organizing everything they might need such as surf trips to G-land, Lombok/Sumbawa, Lakey Peak, Mentawais, besides rental car and motorbikes, airline tickets, visa extensions, group dinners, barbecues and feijoadas (brazilian dish) at the guest house where i lived, etc...On this year of 2006, as soon as i arrive i was friendly pushed aside forcing me to leave behind years of promotional work and a few important business contacts!!!

  Even another guest house from the area that also got it good from my promotional work of the area amongst brazilians was togheter and when i went to ask about the price of one room for the whole season the told me something ridiculous (100.000 Rp. per day for 1 person without any discount for 6 months of rental) then i understood the game and moved on...That's how the destiny took me back to Uluwatu.

  Uluwatu was the first place i stayed at on my first trip to Bali back in 1995 when i lived at the local's houses. As i believe a lot in God and destiny, i believe that this change was marked to happen, because in the beggining what was looking like something really bad for my person that i felt like a stab on the back when i saw my hard work of many years literally trown in the garbich now i can see from another angle that it's also has its positive side.

  I've always been a hard worker, i believe in my work and in my caracter and i know my friends will always be there for me backing me up giving me support!!! Apart from the financial and organizational difficulties of beggining fom the zero again i now live on a new place, people that care about me and that i know since my first time in Bali are the ones that surround me these days; i have been surfing a lot more because i live closer to the beach now and i have helped as much as i can to the development of the tourism on the area; Now i live at Tete Bali Inn at about 5 minutes walking from the beach of Uluwatu that now has an amazing infrastructure with new bars and restaurants guest houses and hotels to all preferences and budgets.

  I start now on this area, again from the zero, the same job of offering the best service i can provide on the receptioning of brazilian and foreigner surfers in general in Bali by wich i'm already known. I thank to all my friends that always gave me strenght and my main goal now is to bring a bit of prosperity to Uluwatu area having as the base of my work always the good service provided for surfers that only another surfer can give.

  I ask everyone that when you come to Bali organize your trips or any other thing you might need with me so i can continue with my work of reception of surfers in Bali and get thru this sets on the head that i'm getting right now"; Thank to you all, God is greater!!!

"THINGS THAT CAN'T KILL YOU WILL ONLY MAKE YOU STRONGER"

Rodrigo "Digone" Mascarenhas