First Stop, Tasmania!

The journey

For the first leg of this year-long adventure, I left Sydney and headed for Tasmania, an island off the southeast coast of Australia. This adventure promises to be exciting, so buckle up and join me for the ride!

I should add a bit of background to this journey. I lived in Sydney for about 18 months, had amazing flatmates, and worked at a solar start-up called "5B." Life was good. But after four incredible years in Australia, the itch to explore returned.

Fast-forward to Sunday evening. After bidding adieu to my friends with a pretty hilarious hippy-themed farewell party, we gathered for one final dinner with my flatmates. Leaving behind the warm memories we created in our Maroubra "House of the Rising Sun," I hit the road. First stop: Canberra, a mere three hours south of Sydney, where I slept before making my way to Geelong to catch a ferry to Tasmania the next day.

The real fun began once I reached Tasmania. With no fixed itinerary and after seeing a pretty flat surf forecast, I decided to slowly make my way down the east coast of Tassie, without any specific destinations. The first few days are therefore spent driving, searching for waves in places like Scamander, hiking, and coding (this Riples web-app you are reading this on).

I ended up making my way down, quite quickly, as I saw there was a bit of swell hitting Bruny Island, an hour's drive from Hobart, Tasmania's largest city. There, in Cloudy Bay, a surf spot on the south of the island, I managed to get my first good surf in ! Apparently it's the southernmost surf spot of Tasmania, and therefore Australia, so even with the neoprene hood, booties, and gloves on top of my old 4/3 wetsuit, it was still fresh!

I really enjoyed my time on Bruny, and ended up staying 3 nights until I had to make my way to Port Arthur for a 4-day hike, called "Three Capes", which I had pre-booked. The journey was nothing short of remarkable, offering awe-inspiring views and a newfound appreciation for—wait for it—rocks. At the start of the hike, they funnily said: "Well you are all here to see rocks". I had no idea, but I did enjoy the rocks :)

This 4-day hike was the stand-out moment of these 2.5 weeks in Tasmania! I'll do 2 more photos of cool moments before moving on to the "Insight Section":

Insights

While sharing the stories behind the images is fun (hopefully reading it as well), I would also like to share an idea that resonated with me during this part of the trip. It comes from this podcast, and it's phrased as "follow your heart", but I find the core idea is to embrace spontaneity, which opens up a field of opportunities. I'll give a few personal examples:

Booking the "Three Capes Hike" on a whim a couple of weeks before leaving for Tassie. Turned out to be the best part + got a 100$ discount a couple of days after booking! It also got me doing a lot of amazing hikes prepping for this one

Met a nurse in a hostel that had been to this "Baker Street festival", which was nearly finished. There was one more event the next weekend which I went to by myself. Turned out to be beautiful music + stargazing with a lot of hobbyist astronomers with great gear, and I continued admiring the dark Tassie sky for the rest of the trip.

Changed course on my planned hike of Mount Wellington and arrived at the top exactly when it cleared up (+ got to see the snow which made me think of home)

The point of these examples is not to show that by some magic because I took unexpected decisions I was rewarded, but rather that by listening to an inner voice I opened up the field of opportunities. And the fact that these were quite outside of my "normal" opens up even more opportunities! Anyway I think you get the idea, and to put things in perspective, I will acknowledge that at the NOCTURNA festival, it started with 2 hrs of pretty average scientific talks and I nearly left !)

Conclusion

From the lakes framed by mountainous backdrops to the countless hiking trails and beautiful skies, Tasmania has been an absolute blast (even though I was pretty unlucky with the surf). I would like to finish up with a call to action for you: try to follow your heart on something(s) these next few weeks. The more out of the ordinary the better !

PS: Doing a blog post like this is definitly out of my comfort zone / style, and mainly just to showcase the idea of sharing projects on Riples. Let us know what you think about the Riples app here )

Long roads, Great Times

Last fortnight, we had a taste of Tasmania, and it’s majestic rocks. This time around, we will be crossing two more Australian states together, but with a lot more driving involved, as you can probably tell by the map below:

Show Time !

I timed the ferry to return me to the mainland with enough spare time to catch some waves and wake those legs up, before having to drive to Lorne (just an hour away). I had booked myself on a trail race about three months back, while planning this trip. Why ? Since my first marathon in Sydney about a year ago, I've been loving endurance sports and trying few different ones to find out which I liked best (my fav so far is the triathlon ! )

The race was a 50km trail, featuring a ridiculous number of waterfalls and river crossings—as high as knee-deep sometimes. It’s pretty weird running with wet sock, but they actually dry out pretty fast, and there is no way around ! No music for the first half; just me, the trail, and the sound of rushing water. What threw me for a loop was the massive climb around the 40k mark. The way up, probably around 500 meters, was actually fine because I just walked it — but it turned into a death run for my legs on the way down. Plus the race organizers gifted us a few kms. Advertised as a 50km, it turned out to be a bonus 5km, a good old 10% reverse discount :)

After barely surviving the race, I reconnected with my friend Casey, a local shaper I met during an unforgettable surf trip in Hawaii four years ago. Check out his work at braesurfboards on Instagram. With the waves firing, I fought my heavy legs, and we got amongst it ( I reckon the cold water helped recovery !!). Oh, and post-surf saunas? Absolutely incredible.

Crossing the Nullarbor!

Life was good in Victoria, but as I wanted to make my way to Margaret River pretty fast, I left after a couple of magical days. En route, I encountered some astonishingly remote surf spots, learning locals in South Australia don't think twice about driving hours for a good wave. No surf photos to share though, as I got too excited and jumped straight in every time (and the spots are often quite a bit of a paddle away). Instead, enjoy this one:

With the last famous surf spot, “Cactus” taking me right to the beginning of the infamous Nullarbor road, I got a few good last sessions in before the long drive. The Nullarbor is fascinatingly barren; the name literally means "no trees," although you'll find a few stubborn ones. But really it is pretty much just dirt, low vegetation and road, including a no-turns road for 130km ( and not just like no turn-of -we are talking 1100k without turn-offs, but straight 130km line! Armed with 30 liters of water and tons food, I ventured forth. I will say I am grateful for podcasts and music, and the few breathtaking view sand camping spots

Blue Gold

After 2 and a half days of driving and a long awaited hot shower, I pulled into Esperance, where I was greeted by the bluest waters I've ever seen. For the next couple of days, this will be home. I’ll leave you with this view from the back of my car—a car that, quite frankly, I wasn't sure would make the road, but I'm ever so grateful it did.

Insights

On top of the journey, I also want to share a secret with you. It’s called consistency, and done well, it will work wonders (not unlike compounding money in the bank, with the current interest rates). The core idea is simple, doing something over and over again, you get really good at it, and progress will stack up eventually. This is what allowed me to run the trail in Lorne ( ie. consistently running in zone 2 for a year, mind you never more than 20k).

The secret is in the how you do it, especially for things you might enjoy less, like writing this blog for me ;). The key is to turn the desired action (eg. Writing) into a habit. My top three tips for this are:

📅 Schedule it with reminders (eg. every second Sunday, alarm and notifications to write and post a blog).

👁️ Have a visual cue for the habit ( eg. every time I am coding this app I see my last blog post, and I am reminded I better start thinking about what to write next).

🗣️ Tell your friends about it to have social accountability. ( I have told a few of my friends I will keep writing this !)

You get the idea, but if you want to dive deeper, I recommend James Clear’s book “Atomic Habit”. On this note, get out there, and let’s all compound together :)

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Western Australia Waters

For this last leg of the Oz road trip, I had designated 3 weeks around the Margaret River area. Indeed, since I first stepped foot in Australia, I've dreamt of surfing here, and it was worth kind of rushing the first part of the journey !

From Denmark to Margaret River, think of vast, uninterrupted beaches with myriad options. The picturesque Gracetown and the iconic Mainbreak at Margaret River were clear highlights. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I got to surf the renowned Mainbreak with fewer than 10 people on more than one occasion (even if it might have been better elsewhere).

Creating on the road

Aside from surfing, I have been working on Riples way more than the previous month. When asked if I feel like I'm missing out on my trip, my answer has layers. True, I could explore more if solely dedicated to travel, but it’s also super fun to combine working and travelling. You get to see cool places before and after 9-5 working sessions, and with the freedom to tailor my schedule around the surf and weather, I never feel like I am missing out. Apart from the kind of subpar work setup (cramped in the back of the car, or libraries), I have nothing to complain about !

Joys of entrepreneurship

But why you may ask, have I been working more. Firstly, I shared a first version of Riples, and that got me super excited at first, but then left me in the “Trough of Sorrow”. But adversity fuels me, whether in sports, learning, or other pursuits (also to balance emotional swings, I can’t recommend meditation enough). So I got a massive boost of energy and determination, from the feeling that the Riples start-up idea is an impossible mission (and it may well be !).

Secondly, Ideas are powerful and that this one is taking me for a ride. I am super excited with the numerous facets of Riples project hosting concept, always eager to build and shape it further, always refining the Idea. So much so that in my final two weeks in Australia, almost everything took a backseat to surfing and Riples, even selling my car and planning my subsequent Indonesia adventure (all those side things turned out allright in the end !). Also, a side observation: I'm discerning striking parallels between entrepreneurship and creative endeavours (creating something people enjoy, thinking outside the box…)

Just in time reading

In the previous Riple, I delved into the wonders of habits. Among all, reading holds a special place for me (shoutout to Goodreads for being a stellar reading list app). Lately, I've adopted a different approach to reading, termed by others as “Just in time reading". The crux is to synchronize your reading choices with your predominant thoughts at the moment. Contemplating travel? Dive into Sylvain Tesson's writings. Deciphering marketing for disruptive products? "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey Moore awaits. If you're in my shoes, building a consumer product that needs regular users, "Hooked" by Eyal Nir is a must-read.

Ready to continue our adventure? Our next stop: Indonesia. Until then, ride the wave of inspiration and keep exploring!

Bali Bagus

Having landed in Bali with little preparation, finding a room for the first night was a fun challenge. I rented a scooter, and after checking three hostels/homestays, the fourth one had availability for a night. Fortunately, after that initial hiccup, I met up with my friend Nik, who had been in Indonesia for two months and was familiar with all the hotspots. Some highlights included a fantastic homestay and co-working space, wonderful Warungs (Indonesian style buffets), and the legendary Uluwatu wave.

Bali, Lombok, and Sumbawa - A Journey on Two Wheels

After spending five remarkable days in Bali, I set off for Lombok and Sumbawa equipped with only a scooter, three surfboards, and a backpack. The picturesque journey from Bali to Sumbawa, which involved taking the scooter on two ferries, gave me a unique peek into rural Indonesia. I cherished moments like eating rice from paper cones with my hands on a ferry and and refueling .

I won't sugarcoat it – the ride was anything but smooth. The traffic on these densely populated islands, coupled with overtaking trucks and potholes, kept me constantly alert. On the way to Sumbawa, after discussing with Nik, I chose to surf Desert Point during the peak of the swell. On the first day, I needed to navigate to this remote location, about a two-hour scooter ride from the ferry. To add to the adventure, the ferry, delayed by the swell, arrived at sunset. This meant I had to tackle the treacherous road to the Desert at night with my heavily laden 100cc Honda Scooby. An unforgettable experience indeed!

However, the next day outdid it all. The swell was massive, making Desert Point quite intimidating. Although I woke up at 6 AM, I only mustered the courage to enter the water at 9:30, fearing the razor-sharp reef at low tide. The ensuing days provided surfing sessions that will forever remain etched in my memory, having witnessed the most awe-inspiring barrels. While I do wish I had arrived a day earlier to bolster my confidence for that initial session, those three days at Desert Point made the waves in Sumbawa seem like a breeze!

A Slice of Paradise in Sumbawa

Upon reaching Sumbawa, the pace of life became delightfully relaxed. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of Bali, and the crazy waves of desert point, Sumbawa offered tranquility. For the first time, I could go for a run, a task impossible amidst the chaotic traffic of Bali and Lombok. But the most enchanting aspect was the stunning vista that accompanied my work. This blend of work amidst nature provided a welcome deviation from the usual routine.

Conclusion:

From co-working hubs to quaint villages and magnificent landscapes, Indonesia is filled with treasures for intrepid travelers and surfers. I hope you enjoyed this ride with me, and I want to share two final thoughts with you:

Keep Ripping !

Vietnam and Laos

Coming soon

Smooth Operators

Thailand and Cambodia

Coming soon

A month in South India

A spicy journey

Arriving to India at midnight was propably not the smartest idea I ever had. As I was to find out, not everything is as easy and tourist friendly in India, as it was in the other South East Asia countries I was coming from. So after a long travel day from Cambodia, in a run-down, freshly repainted taxi, I started to wonder what exactly I was doing here. Most of the people I have met since had a similar experience in their first couple of days in India. The culture is so different, and the poverty so striking, that it shocks and shakes you. And you could say I had it easy, Chennai, where I landed, might not be the prettiest or most exciting city in India, but it's definitly not as poor as Dehli, where most tourist land. Nonetheless, I am certain I will remember my first day in India forever, as you'll see.

Waking up to my first light in India, I had 3 missions for the day: get some Roupees, a SIM card and get out of Chennai. Only crossing a few sleeping cows and people on the street in front of my hostel at 08 AM, I realised the city was still sleeping. Indians are not early risers. Yet, I managed to get money out on the 3rd ATM I tried, and found a small restaurant for breakfast on way back. After ordering practically at random due to language barriers, I was sat on a table with 3 other customers, which is, as I would found out, both customary and practical. Turns out that I ordered a Masala Dosa, a popular crepe-like south Indian breakfast dish, filled with potato and delicious spices! It brought back some excitement and energy.

Not long after, I was back at the hotel, sitting in the staircase between the 4th and 5th floors, to use the wifi. I was on a mission to accomplish my other goals: get a SIM card and then get out of Chennai.

To kill two birds with one stone, I grabbed my backpack and took a local train from Chennai's beach districit to the nearby Eggmore district. Here, not only was one of the few Airtel stores open on a Sunday, but it was also a location from where I could catch a train out of Chennai. I got the SIM card after about an hour of questions, such as my "reference contact in India". Finaly armed with an internet connection, I was confident it was going to be a piece of cake to get to Pondicherry.

Arriving at the train platform just 15 minutes before the train was set to depart turned out to be a significant error on my part. I quickly discovered that the train was already packed, with large crowds gathered at the doors of the red unreserved coaches—the ones for which I had tickets.

In those frantic 15 minutes, I pushed, ran, and shouted, yet it seemed impossible to board, particularly burdened with my large backpack. I started to consider that I was not going to make this train, but, so desperate to get away from this city, I pushed harder. Some guy pointed to the nearby blue coaches, implicitly telling me to try my luck cheating on the upper class coaches, and he was right I was never making it in here. With only a few minutes left, I found a door with only 4 people outside, and elbowed my way in.

Beginning the 3 hours train ride I managed to find a sweet spot near toilets, with my bag under a sink, and about three people resting on me. But, Eggmore was only the first station out of Chennai, and in the next 30 minutes we stopped twice more, and I watched unbelievingly crowds of people pushing in every-time. Luckily, the next train was the complete opposite, nearly empty, and having met some friendly cyclist from Ponducherry on the empty platform, a pleasant ride. They explained to me, that it was Pongal holiday on Monday and that the trains where so busy because people where going back home for the holidays. And that was my first day in India.

On left: First taste of train rides in India. On right: Second train ride with the cycling gang.

The rest of the trip

The route, mixing tech hubs for co-working spaces, with tourist destinations

Ponducherry

Arriving in Ponducherry, the first thing I noticed was that even in a "touristy" place, such as this renowned ancient french colony, there were many more Indians than any other culture. And that led to an interesting phenomena I called the "low culture dilution effect". My theory is that because of this low tourist ratio, the original Indian culture wasn't lost. Day by day I was started loving this country more. But I had come to Pondi, to visit Auroville, a closeby community of xxx people living "off the grid". And so I spend 4 days living and working in the community, which had amazing organic food and coworking spaces. It was pretty nice residents would pay with a ticket systems whereas external people like me with Roupees. First exposure to the photoshoot scenes that can get quiet funny but it's serious buiseness for them

Auroville,

I had to inlcude some of the delicious food. This one rivilised with the Dosa (should I put a Dosa )

Some trash collection with the friendliest hostel owner @heartspace Hampi