Mentawai Magic (Part 1/2)

Without to much planning I plunged from urban, English speaking Singapore straight into the deep end of Indonesia where dirty busy streets replaced clean streets and where almost absolutely no one speaks my native tongue. Padang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia blew my mind with how easy it was to feel completely lost. I must have been one frightful looking foreigner, as it turns out I did get bitten by mosquitoes in the jungles of Malaysia in fact I got eaten alive. However unlike most mosquito bites mine did not manifest themselves for an entire week by the second to last day of my Singapore trip I started to have bits appear on my feet and legs, by that night I had severe itching and on the day I flew to Padang I had inflamed, red itchy feet. By the time I landed my feet were at least 2 ½ times they’re normal size.

All the Aussie surfers in the airport were asking me what had happened to my feet at we were passing though customs, I paid for my visa and went through with no real hassles although the customs guy did ask me how I was after he looked me up and down and I just replied “Fine thanks, how are you”. As stated before I had some idea of how to get to the Mentawais, I knew what days the ferry’s left (Monday) I was there on Friday. Turns out that was about all my collective knowledge on the subject. I had no clue where to stay in Padang or in the “Wai’s” (shortened, not an actual nickname). I knew how to get to town and that was to take the bus, I figured I would find a place when I got there. So I hoped on the buck fifty bus and it was there that my trip and my health were saved when I met Miko.

All of a sudden on a packed bus (surprise surprise no white people, turns out not a lot go to Padang, unless you’re a surfer and they charter rides and boats so none of them were on the bus) this Indonesian dude wearing skater clothes and carrying a surfboard(short board) plops on in the only seat left on the bus (beside me). Taking as chance I asked (in English) where he was heading to surf, his reply in pretty good English was he was waiting in Padang till Sunday then going to the Mentawais with some friends. “Cool” I said “that’s my plan too but I’m not sure where to stay once I get out there.” After knowing me for only all of five minutes it was decided I should come and join along and stay with him and his friends. Seizing on what I saw as the opportunity of a lifetime I agreed and that’s where great friends were made and a trip of a life time was about to unfold. I must admit that trusting someone you just met with your life and your money was a little risky but if you can’t trust a fellow surfer who can you trust?

There were things that made Miko trustworthy in my mind, he too had never been to Padang or the Mentawais before either. Turns out that Miko is from Bail and pretty well known there too boot, his friend owns a surf shop in Padang (the only Surf shop in Padang “Substance”) and so we went there because Miko was told that they could help him out. Harry the owner was still in Bali but his employees helped us out big time, they found us a place to stay, gave us a drink, and took us to the hotel on mini-bikes. Jan and Leo turned out to never have met Miko but treated us both like brothers in about 5 minutes (seems to be the time it takes to make friends in Indo) Miko and I shared a room, he threw in for half no questions asked, which is a nother good sign of a trustworthy person in my book. So like I said it seems very little people speak very little English in Padang but everyone was already asking about my swelled up feet. Miko had had decided I must have contracted an allergy so that’s what he was telling everyone in Indonesian who asked, so I would here the world Allergia and just turn to whom ever asked and wave. So about 2 hours in Indonesian and I had already established a new nickname. Ends up that there was a doctor right across the the street from the hotel, who of course spoke no English, luckily for me, Miko never let me out of his sight and acted as my interpreter from start to finish. I got a prescription for two pills and a cream, one of the pills was an anti-biotic and the other I have no freaking clue but was instructed to take both at the same time. Figuring that they wouldn’t try kill the fat footed foreigner I obeyed and used all meds as directed.

Jan and Leo (from Substance) were so incredibly cool, they rented a car the next day out of their own pockets or the surf shops. They took us surfing at a local break Air Manis [Sweet Water=Air(odd ?)] where I stayed on the beach taking some shots and hiding my frightful feet from all the stares I got I must have been unsuccessful. They took us to lunch and around town, me to the Apotek fro meds and cream. We hung around the surf shop a bit, had dinner and called it an early night, seeing as how Miko didn’t try to kill me in my sleep or run off with all my gear in the middle of the first night my confidence in trusting him was solid at this point. The next morning we hit the same surf break for another session, Jan and I stayed in the car and napped. A bit later in the morning I got full on interrogated by a curious local who spoke English very well ( too much in fact, he won’t go away.) He did however know some funny catch phrases, he kept telling everyone to “F-Off man” in a Borat like accent that cracked me up. After lunch the indo crew set off to pick up Miko’s friends from the airport. I hung around the hotel room with my foot elevated to reduce the swelling and read a book (No Country for Old Men, which I can’t wait to see now.) Several hours later (almost half a book) Miko returned with two Aussie brothers Craig and Jared from Melbourne and who it would turn out are both really good guys . After dinner we all crashed out early our ferry the next day leaved at 8pm but there was a lot to do before then.

There are no real stores on the main island of Seibarut, so if you want to eat and survive you bring it ALL with you. Also you stay in what is called a “losmen” ( a local families second home kinda like a B&B.) After a short surf and a quick brunch we had the interesting experience of purchasing every single thing 4 people could possibly need for 10 days. Lots of rice, noodles (by the end I was ready to puke at the sight of a grain of rice or noodle or eggs.) egg, water (we bought 190 litres) and a ton of misc. everything elses. All of our food got packed up and taken to the ferry ahead of us along with out 10, 10 gallon jugs o-agua under the name ADE a mentawaiian kid who was to be our means of transport. The ferry was a trip and a half, there are but so many sleeper cabins that fit 6 some with 4 (our was 6) everyone else sleeps on the first deck, along with all the cargo (and there was a lot) the rest of the overcrowded ferry sleep on the floor(hallway) of the second floor (ours). Lets just say that midnight trips to the bathroom were next to impossible to accomplish with out stepping on someone’s something. The water was just choppy enough to cause some amongst us (not I) to spend some time leaning over the railing on the back deck. The boat was rocking and squeaking all night and around 1am the two things of eggs (60) landed on me and my bed, luckily only 2 broke on my bed and my arm.

Come morning we chugged into the port of Mauraseibarut, it was a circus everyone was awaiting the ferry and all their supplies for a week, it seemed like the only island population had come to greet us (they just wanted their stuff). It also seemed like I had finally made some progress with foot rehabilitation, and we boarded a smaller boat(Ade’s dads or one he rented something like that) and by smaller I mean picture a “vessel” two and a half times a canoe about twice as wide and one and half times the height. Lets just say that it was a wet ride, the gear bone dry, the passengers soaking but we got there no problem.

We had arrived at our small island where the waves were, but the adventures didn’t end with the boat rides, in fact they were just beginning