Good waves and good vibes in Bali

Fire ceremonies at the Uluwatu temple. Evening Bintangs at Balangan. And groomed, 4-foot double-ups at Rob Machado’s favorite stretch of Balinese reef. The Phantom Sweepstakes “Indo Dream Trip” has been full of twists and turns, but in the past few days, we’re starting to find a dream trip kind of rhythm.

First, an update from the Mentawais, where Bob Hurley, Pat O’Connell, Jon Rose and a few others jumped on the Indies 3 to help with the relief efforts and catch a few waves on the side. Here is the latest email from Bob:

“Just went into a village with 60 homes destroyed.....real major, but only 8 fatalities. We (Jon Rose) gave out some water filters and showed folks how to have safe water.

The kids were really joyful and inspiring....super happy despite the devastation. The kids loved Pat.....The Indies 3 had lots of food and shelter supplies to distribute.”

As of Monday night, Jon Rose and the Indies 3 have distributed cleanwater filters to more than 1500 people.

Meanwhile, here on Bali, we’re witnessing the second coming of The Drifter. This morning opened up to groomed, 4-foot Uluwatu, which gave the Dream Trip winners a chance to watch Machado perform in his element. “It’s crazy to see how fast he really surfs,” said our San Diego winner Dylan DeBie, who works for the city of San Marcos and happened to snag a few of the better sets of the day. “Seeing it happen in person is, like, 10 times more impressive.”

Our other winner from Surfside in Newport, Greg Jensen, was able to surf the spot he first visited in the mid ‘70s. “It was all jungle back then,” said Jensen, who scored a few at the Inside Racetrack today. “But the wave remains the same.”

Next on our list? Possibly the monkey forest. Maybe the Waterbom water park. A Canggu beachbreak session. A field trip to Kuta. Who knows? Bali was the last thing on our minds when we headed to Indonesia a week ago. But now we’re loving every minute of it, and we can’t wait to see what it shows us next.