The Telo Island Telling.

As the dream trip to the Telos approaches its all nervous energy, prophetic ramblings and building excitement…….. 1 week remains.

The anticipation is building, like so much air in a balloon I’m ready to explode with it. There a nervous energy to it as well though and I’m reconnecting with my inner grom it’s all bouncy and randomly directed, I feel as though I should be twitching like junkie.

I’m so intent on surfing all day that I have somehow deluded myself enough to believe that I’m ready to do the 6 hr, killer python, fueled stints of my past. The obvious fact that lately any intense 2hr session leaves me stiff, tired and drained is doing nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. In one week I live the dream!!!!

The whole trip stands blazing like a holy grail, blinding and bedazzling a mere one week away. I’m so distracted by the idea of the trip that I’m constantly regulating my workload reminding myself to curb and focus my enthusiasm and forcibly direct it to accomplishing the mundane at hand.

Lately it’s all been face book and social media gingerly spiced with reporting and the occasional advertising content- fun work and fulfilling, I’m a lucky devil and I know it. But……right now every task weighs a tonne and the minutes are passing way too slowly. One week! I’ve remembered weeks flitting by like the beat of humming bird wings, too fast to measure. In stark contrast this week moves like a snail- languorously slow and without direction. I stand behind the days in the cue bouncing impatiently from one foot to the other filled with an urgency like that of a full bladder with the cubicle in sight – Hurry Up, Week!

We’re heading to Telo Island lodge and we’ll be skipping to Resort Latitude Zero for a paddle too. The surf fabled land of Sumatra awaits us. I’ve never been, in fact this will be one of my first, I have been on other trips, packed my board like a sleeping babe and boarded planes to other worlds – but this is Sumatra and a dream. Justin, one of the travel consultants, stands point with me. 5 years my junior but infinitely more experienced with surf travel he stands like a guru all patient wisdom and practicality, calm, composed and above all bloody patient. By comparison I must look like a sugar crazed loon. He hands out pearls of wisdom giving the next week a shape and a schedule that only serves to occasionally earth my sporadic energy – Necessities like going to doctors, organizing flights, getting insurance, packing extra leg ropes, little things, useful things, important things, the I’ve done this before things that I keep missing – If I haven’t said it before Justin, Thanks!

Checking surf reports, a rough picture starts to form even from a weeks distance. It looks good, a low off the coast of East Africa should push swell onto SW facing magnets (Thanks Don Weather) and whilst we won’t be charging 6ft pits (sort of glad for this) we can expect 3-5ft and fun, with a wait between sets. Which is fine with me I’ll enjoy the paddle, the warm air, clear skies and the alien, palm fringed shores of the Ments. I’m even looking forward to the Flight. There’s a downside of course, I’ll miss my daughter and wife. My daughter in all her one year old enthusiasm looks behind doors and in boxes for me when I’m missing from home and presumed busy at work I can’t imagine her cherub innocence grappling with a whole week of me not being there. I have no doubt her still forming memories won’t forget me but there’s still an intense feeling of guilt attached to the trip, not to mention my wife’s frowns and constant elusion to her turn for a holiday. I can live with it but I’ll miss them – It’s the only dampener and its bitter sweet, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Work Now, I’ll throw myself unashamedly into it, burying myself so deeply that my mind will reel from thinking ahead by two minutes let alone a whole week. I’ll be a model employee so snowed under my work that I’d be confused for an avalanche victim – it’s the only way to make the minutes speed up and stop their sluggish mocking.

The pics below are from Telo Island Lodge (Shane Peel) hope you’ll understand the impatient ravings…..

Until next time

Cheers

Grant (World Surfaris marketing).