Before I even knew what a bucket list was, I have wanted to surf. Well, dreams really do come true, and I wrote this post all about it :) There's a surf shop here in Hualien (http://tidal.com.tw), with a beach 40 minutes away!
We met a New Zealander, a guy from Taipei, and our native instructor (who was awesome, by the way).
Side note - Guys from NZ are just adventurous and fun - he saved up, quit his job, and traveled Asia for the last 5 months. (Aaron, you are one cool dude). Everything sounds cooler with an accent, and it was great to hear him talk. He's seen "Heaps of temples" and lent me his surf board while the instructors were "Hawking the boards".
We took a few photos on the way. Check out this breath-taking roadside view!
When we got there, we had sunny weather (miracle, people! It's rainy season).
The waves were small and cute, which was perfect for beginners.
Unbeknownst to us, the instructor's side kick brought a camera, and he got lots of footage of us!
He took tons of photos, capturing almost every wipe out, play by play.
When we got back to the surf shop, he put the photos on a loop, and his wipe out shots caught us play by play. You should see the faces you make when you know you're falling off a board! We were DYING LAUGHING.
To top it off, we found Mango Ice, right here in Hualien!!!!!!
Happy Mother's Day, everyone!
OK. That's the end of my post. In case you ever want to go surfing, here's the DL of what we learned in our surf lesson -
1) Lie on your board -
Lie in the middle with your feet together. Your toes should touch the back of the board. Scoot close to the nose for small waves, scoot away from the nose (closer to the end) for big waves.
2) Paddle -
Paddle with your chest up, with 50% power on each side. You'll get more power if you dip in slow and pull back strong. Paddle before the wave starts to crest.
3) Stand up -
As the wave starts pushing you, push up into a kneel. Then stand in the middle line of the board, with your feet firmly planted. Your left foot is in front, pointing straight, and in the middle line of the board. Your right foot is in the back, behind your right foot, and planted at a 45 degree angle. Bend your knees WAY down. If you start to fall, bend your knees. (Have someone push you to make sure your balance is right).
I almost stood up twice! (Thrill and a miracle).
Hualien. I love this place.
No comments:
Post a Comment