Indo for the soul

There are those rare times in life that you meet people that change your life in ways that neither person can possibly know.
This is the way I feel about my buddy Christian. Unbeknownst to me (and especially him) when I met Christian 15 years ago on Kauai I had NO idea the world he would end up opening my eyes to.
Now, being from Hawaii, Indonesia is a place I'm very familiar with as it's discussed often as one of the worlds most epic surf spots. I knew this WAY before I knew christian and undoubtedly he knew this way before he knew me.
What I didn't know, is why the bloody hell my ass would ever be in that country and that Christian (with lack of a better term) would be 'the reason' 15 years after our not so friendly first meeting.
Last year I was laying around Hawaii nursing a broken hand when Christian invited me to join him in Indonesia as he now had lived there for 15 years working in the mentowais on surf charter boats.
I advised him not to joke about these sort of things with flight attendants, because, well, I have means. He assured me we was certainly not joking and in 2 weeks time I found myself nervous, yet wide-eyed and smiling in indo.
Not knowing what to expect, and being well, honestly, scared, I was pleasantly enchanted with what I discovered in this magical country (see last years album for pics). It is a place I will always cherish in my heart. It's people most of all. I think of my trip there often and it could be one of my favorite journeys as of yet in my life. And, as y'all know, I've been around the block a few times.
I was lucky enough to join Christain again this year. Although a very different experience, a rich one as well. Anyway, enjoy this years photos :) and thank you, Christian.