The Tipping Point

The gratifying thing about travelling is you get a chance to see how insignificant our troubles are compared to other countries, or how similar they are depending upon your view. Specifically, I refer to Australia as that is my home country. Of course ,if you are from the USA the whole world is your country, or if you are from China, and by some miracle you missed out on the "all people are equal" concept, you are currently buying up Countries.

6Ps photography - The ocean has no boundaries

We are currently working on a combination of Photography, film and writing about the observations we make as we travel. titled "One street back" we hope to convey the truth behind the tourist facade of many popular places on this earth.

The role of the eyes becomes frustrating when the mention of Bali is included in observations. It seems with little or no understanding, a judgement has been passed, by some, that it is the land of Australian bogans, cheap shit and food that regurgitates itself. Not to mention Bintang and singlets.

EST,  at great expense, has been on a quest to discover every inch of Bali, including it's rich culture and history. We have also visited Lombok and immersed ourselves in their world.

At this point we should give a sincere thanks to Phil Jarrett who has recently published a book "Bali heaven and hell". This book details a rich history and understanding of the Balinese mind.It includes the Dutch involvement in Bali and the influence surfing has had on Indonesia in general.

Of course it would be a very narrow view of the world if we only observed Indonesia and for that reason we are travelling to Spain and Portugal to see what happened to their world. Now a basket case economically, but what about their culture?

The one thing we are discovering is the influence that money seems to have over most things. Maybe it always has, of course we all like to be comfortable with our lot. But with this comes an enormous imbalance between happiness, the earth and long term understanding of "what has been". If we take Bali for instance we have the following scenario:

1. Farmer (grows rice) hacks out a living to provide for his family, but in general very poor.

2. Tourism becomes a huge part of the economic engine room.

3. Speculation grows by those willing to invest and who also have the capital that villas are required to accommodate the growing tourism.

4. As a huge number of rice fields surround the tourist centres, farmers are approached to purchase their land.

5. Farmer sells and has a one off "lottery win". 

6. Rice field levelled villas built.

Only those that have the money can afford to buy and only those poor enough are willing to sell. Nothing unusual about that scenario, except the land becomes unbalanced, the production of rice creates moisture and space. This space is now a villa (s) producing nothing for the land, but takes away a lot.

As for the Farmer, he now can afford to buy a car to transport tourists around. this of course adds to the already thick air and congestion.

According to Phil Jarret, there is now an oversupply of vehicles (taxis) and accommodation, and to top it off an imbalance in Bali between all Hindu principles.

EST will be making many more observations about the countries it travels to and also Australia in comparison. To conclude todays report, we do make the observation that Australia is not far removed from the Bali scenario.

Australia has condensed living areas in it's cities and property prices are all on millionaires row......  Agriculture is becoming "owned" by foreign investors. We have no balance, particularly if you live in county towns or regional centres, where basic resources are expensive or not in reach at all.

This is not a doomsday article, it is observation. Somehow, this world seems to keep going around and crisis comes and goes.

But one word that best describes the imbalance is:

Greed.

Indegogo Campaign - Expedition 196

Once again this remarkable woman impresses with her view on Peace and sustainability. Take 5 minutes out of your busy lives and discover through this video the reason it is important to travel and understand a much bigger picture of the world today.


It is quite often a forgettable or unnoticed aspect of news throughout the world, that "people" in some countries are violent or are slaves to pay rates etc., when the fact is these "people" are like you and I. They need trade and tourism just to put food on the table. Quite often much poorer than some western ways of living ,they may not have the education resources to reach their full potential.

By taking the steps that Cassandra is forging helps to highlight the need for the people of the world to understand each other not necessarily believe the media or politicians.

Tourism will help forge deeper relationships and better conditions for countries less fortunate then the one you may live in.

Maybe your next travel location can take in some of the places Cassandra dares to step.

Paul Hayllar

What is Vanimo? An adventure!

Vanimo Surf Lodge is a little more than its name suggests. On the northern side of Papua New Guinea, this place is an adventurers dream. Uncrowded, lush with sea life and tropical food, and land activities that will take you back to Raiders of the Lost Arc!!

Owned in partnership by Australians and native Papua New Guinea people this place is well laid out comfortable and  above all it is yours!!!! for the time you are there. No neurotic tourists, no fluffy cocktails just adventure, with friends or family.

A hop, skip and jump from Sydney, Brisbane or Cairns to Port Moresby and then an unbelievably picturesque flight over the mountains to Vanimo.

The Detail

Vanimo Surf Lodge has a range of surf breaks on the north coast of Papua New Guinea neighbouring Indonesia’s territory of Jayapura.

The waves on offer in Vanimo make it an idyllic location for surfers who are looking to surf without a couple of hundred “mates” in the water. On most days you would be lucky to have in excess of six surfers at any break and more likely three to four.

Foresight and planning is the secret to low numbers here as the Surfing Association of Papua New Guinea has introduced a global first to maintain and limit the crowds for the benefit of all. The various locations around Papua New Guinea have a limit on the number of visiting surfers and at Vanimo the current limit is 20 visiting surfers spread over eight breaks. The ability to travel to the different local breaks by foot, land and sea provides great variety.

The range of waves varies from the easy Town Beach to the freight trains at the right at Log Point and Lido’s Left. Immediately out and in the front of the Vanimo Surf Lodge within easy view from the restaurant deck area is Lido’s right which peels endlessly over a mostly sand covered rock bottom with enticing backdoor sections similar to Australia’s famous Angourie Point.

Vanimo’s surf area offers a total backdrop of tropical wilderness with a view back to shore only occasionally dotted with a village hut amongst the thousands of coconut palms and beautiful tropical jungle.  The lodge currently accommodates 12 guests. It is located on the beachfront adjacent to the small Lido village.

There are no surf shops but there are local doctors, hospital, banks, supermarket and pharmacy in town.

Local villagers gather each day in the Vanimo town centre to sell their crafts made from all natural materials.

Vanimo Surf Lodge has contacts with local villages to facilitate tours around the area. A favourite is the Waterfall tour where you meet with a team of guides who walk you along the cool mountain stream for approximately two kilometres upstream to a series of waterfalls where the water is so refreshing, crystal clear and cool.

The lodge can also arrange snorkelling and game fishing tours on request.

The lodge clientele ranges from those looking for adventure in waves surrounded by a jungle shoreline in uncrowded waves where smiling and waving dominates any aggression in the line-up which is reserved for the wave faces, to those simply wanting to relax by the beach sipping a cool drink of your choice or coffee. Papua New Guinea grows some of the world’s finest Arabica coffee so you can be sure it is as fresh as you can get.

It makes for a holiday atmosphere where you can totally relax in and out of the water, time is not a problem because not many people bother with a watch and nothing much runs on time in Papua New Guinea.

Consistent swell is about the only thing that runs on time and most times the season runs early in October and finishes late in May. The Lodge is open from November to April. Fishing can be another option, we’ve had Giant Trevally up to 10kg caught right out the front of the lodge, just off the beach, on lures. Enjoying a meal at the restaurant with a couple of ice cold local South Pacific lagers to wash it down is not a bad way to end the day as the sun sets to the west in a very similar scene to that of Hawaii’s North Shore.

Meals at the lodge are made from locally sourced seafood, meat, chicken, farmed crocodile when available and vegetables so it’s always fresh and cooked in the traditional way for another cultural experience. If you like fruit there is certainly no shortage as the lodge grows its own red paw paws and there is a wide selection of other locally grown fruits including bananas, star fruit, pineapple and even local vanilla beans. The locals are always up for a bit of a chat and you’ll get the chance to learn some “pidgin” English at the same time.

Bookings are easily made online, just go to their site (linked below)

https://www.vanimosurflodge.com

https://www.instagram.com/vanimosurflodge/

https://www.facebook.com/Vanimo-Surf-Lodge-Papua-New-Guinea-219921698049007/?fref=ts

Vanimo is located approximately 1500kms north of Cairns, Australia. Air Niugini has daily flights from Brisbane to Port Moresby and every second day from Port Moresby to Vanimo (1.5hr). Air Niugini has fares to Port Moresby from Sydney (4.5hr), Brisbane (3hr) and Cairns (1.5hr).


Earthseatravel Vanimo an excellent tick for value for money and a unique place to travel.
Should you require any further information, hit us up here on this blog, or go to the Vanimo website.

The Travels of Expedition 196.

We love exploring the world, especially those places that are special and make you take a huge breath and sigh with delight.

We are lucky in Australia because of our vast land and huge distances. This gives us the opportunity to explore landscapes and places that vary greatly. It also means we are close to South East Asia which gives us the ability to take short trips to rich culture and colours we do not get here.

Macleay Valley Australia.

Expedition 196

We are currently following a great woman who is focused on travelling to 196 Nations in world record time of less then 3 years and 3 months and be the first person to do so. Travelling as a Global Citizen for peace and sustainability.

We first discovered this remarkable woman on Instagram and admired the most beautiful photos of unique places and corners of the world. Since then we have been following her exploits including on YouTube and via her web site. This is Cassandra De Pecol.

www.expedition196.com
Facebook  : expedition 196
Instagram: expedition_196
YouTube   :expedition196

We wish Cassandra safe travels and will continue to update her travels for you.

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