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 As the plane pulled up and away over L.A my mind drifted to where I was headed. The Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, a paradise for surfing. But I wasn’t so focused on that aspect of the trip. You see, I had been on a trip to Indonesia, years before, and this trip had a different purpose.
It was amazing to experience the wonder that the Mentawai Islands are from the perspective of its people. Its easy to remove yourself when your on a boat off shore, but going in to remote communities and connecting with the people inspired me, made me feel like I was part of the places I was in. When you feel part of something, you want to help it grow, and grow with it.
Each morning I would wake with the sun and the rumble of the boats engine, off in search of waves… but after the surfs, we spent afternoons in villages with the Mentawai people, exploring islands and reefs that had been forced meters out of the ocean in the recent earthquakes. These moments stay with me as much as the macaronis sunset barrels. One of the hardest things for me was to leave the people, the places and the laughing children. Though returning to LA 2ft onshore made me miss the waves too…
It’s a land drenched in sun, waves and blue waters but behind this beauty lies a land in the balance, and I really feel like we are making a big difference, and did on this trip. We shared knowledge and experience, about building, protecting, health care and agriculture. It felt priceless. The words and actions were worth more than any amount of money. It feels like we are really giving a future, and more of an understanding of how we, surfers, can integrate and give back to the places we enjoy so much.
Being there and having that connection to the place and people made me want to share and promote the work going on and tell more of work still needed. But it felt right, the way its happening there. No them and us, or charity… but we, as a whole, sharing education and showing the first steps on a better path.
The group that came together for this project was amazing, and proof of the desire we all have to give something back. From Tom Carroll and Bruce Raymond to a young indo ripper, Mustafa. The SurfAid team, film crew and everyone around it. We worked together, on equal terms with the local people, knowing that together our cause was the same and we all worked towards that.
As a musician I felt so inspired to be there, everything is a muse when you are open and in the moment. I wrote and played a lot on this trip. To the kids, the crew, the government officials, the lone ocean, and returned with a desire to write and write about it. The fabled Mentawai Islands are well known among surfers but outside this community there is little knowledge. Through music I hope to reach these people and share our story.
Much love,
Ry |
