Maslin
Holidays With Purpose Trip July 2007
On the 9 July 2007, the plane touched down on Nias Island in North Sumatra. The group was made up of six guys (mostly engineers) from WA and two girls from Sydney, Australia. Everyone had high hopes of epic surf combined with some practical community development work in conjunction with LEAP (Local Empowerment Assistance Program).
We are now halfway through the trip and the general consensus is that this has been a trip of a lifetime! The surf has been awesome, and we have been lucky enough to score some decent sized swells. The only fatalities so far have been one snapped board and some reef cuts. Touch wood…
A typical day usually consists of breakfast, helping with a LEAP activity, lunch, surf, swim, snorkel or fish, dinner, then chill time. The LEAP programs involved the “Coconut Kids Club” on Hinako and Asu, which was lots of fun. It was really satisfying to be able to distribute the gifts of toys, books and sporting equipment to the local children– knowing they will be put to good use. We also set up vegetable gardens on Asu and Hinako, with the aim of demonstrating sustainable organic farming practices to the villagers. It was practical work and also gave us the opportunity to interact with the locals.
The “Indo Jiwa” is a great place to stay – delicious meals every day, friendly crew, air conditioning below deck and comfortable cabins. This water is such a florescent aqua it almost seems unreal. We will take away some great memories and would recommend this trip to anyone looking for an awesome holiday experience!
Lisa and Emma Mulquiney