A week in the Jungle is never enough, however it certainly is better than no time in the Jungle !
It’s hard work jamming 3 swells into 6 days, however if you can do it anywhere, its G-land. I think its purely the fact that you can surf whenever you feel like and when conditions prevail, your out there. If you choose to surf all tides and through the lunchtime periods, I guarantee you will get a period of uncrowded, pinch yourself time.
The first swell was really West meaning the top part of the reef was collecting all of the swell. These swells are typically fun up at Kongs and Fan Palms, but heavy and square down at Money Trees. The next swell was a little more South West around the 220 deg mark which made for some really fun, much more user friendly Money Trees, with even a few sneaky smaller ones down through Launching Pads. The third and final swell hit on our last day and it was a thumper… in fact it was a little bit big and stormy for the size tides we had. It was fun getting washed around on the Launching Pad trying to dodge the 12ft wash through sets from The Launching Pad Bomby.
Some changes since last year, there has been a well sealed road connect from the local village. A noticeable amount of local tourists checking out their National Park. Lots of smiling faces and young people keen to practice English. Even though the local tourists don’t have any boards in their car, the future of G-land will certainly see an increase of inquisitive locals.
With the rumour of the G-land contest being held back here since the first time in 1997, it will be interesting what further infrastructure the local government provide. G-land has largely been off the map since the last contest and it will be really interesting to see what happens next. The lure of G-land for me is the exotic blend of the waves, place and people. Lets hope this balance isn’t thrown upside down and the camp style, chilled out vibe always remains.
Joyo’s Camp as always, are setting the bar in G-land. The camp improves every year and for me the most noticeable after 20 odd years is the food. The quality of the meals is incredible now with access to fantastic fresh produce and a quality kitchen and baking facility. Who can go past the all you can eat break every morning cooked by the World Famous Jimmy Beam (Jibut).
As amazing as it always is to arrive, unfortunately there comes a time, I have to say goodbye to my G-land friends for another year. I look forward to my next trip already !