Belongings. TPW Surfing Mermaids in the Mentawai – Part III

All photos in the gallery by Grant Davis. Vid clip by Grant Davis. Location of this trip: Aloita Surf Resort

The wind is brushing through my hair and I move slowly along to the rocking of the Fast Ferry to Padang.
We look back one last time at the Mentawai Islands as they disappear slowly in the distance… I glance at my feet, which suddenly look strange with flip flops, the word “overdressed” crosses my mind…I look over to my colorful luggage, squeezed amongst all the others.
Funny, I think, what makes it be mine?
For a second I freak out and make sure I have my little handbag, which somehow fell of my lap.
Containing my passport, credit cards, driving license, tickets, coins, photographs… I need to get used to the responsibility of owning things again.
From the simplicity of needing only a surfboard and a bikini, to carrying things with important objects in it.
In this little handbag, I seem to carry my existence. If I lost it, what would I be?

I look at the sunlight dancing on the water, and I feel peace. Memories and feelings, that’s what I would keep.
Wave after wave. Our last sessions were pure beauty.
Scarecrows was in fine form these past days.
I think about last night.
After our last waves we decided to paddle back to our dinghy… but then somehow on the way we got “kidnapped” and ended up watching the sunset on the deck of a boat with 16 Aussie boys, parked next to the wave, who we shared cold Bintangs and a lot of laughter with.
Good times.
I look over to Sylvi, sitting next to me on the ferry.
She looks also deep in some happy thoughts… maybe she is thinking about our tandem waves we caught the last days in Icelands the other day.

Or about our infinite Jenga and table tennis matches with our crew, the people on our trip who arrived as guests, and who departed as friends.
The mermaids already miss you and we hope to reunite soon in the ocean with all of you again!”.
TPW Surfing Mermaids next trip is a fun filled boat charter in the Maldives and you are invited!
Join us for some surfing, socializing and stories from the catwalk. Enquire here.