In about 6 hours I take a boat from Padang, Sumatra to the Mentawai Islands, where I will be for one or two weeks, probably just one. I will be totally off line, at least as far as the wired and wireless world goes, but hopefully plugged in to and on some other line. I have found two amazing guides who are like angels from heaven guiding me on my trip. They are Chi Chi and Nikmah, students who are graduating from the English Language Study Program at State University of Padang (UNP). I was shopping at Gramedia, a store that sells books and multimedia stuff, and a woman who worked there, Nanda, hooked me up. These young women want to go into the Travel Guide or similar type of business, and they are using me as their test case! I already can tell that I would highly recommend them.
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You’re the best test case they could ever find! By the time they’re done, you’ll have seen and done far more than with any off the shelf tour and they’ll have a business plan in hand. Mentawis are great surfing. The real deal is a wee bit north – the Andaman Islands. I was slated to do a regatta out there a few years ago, but didn’t go. Off the coast of Burma, they’re owned by India…
There are islands even more mystical and far off than the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Also off the coast of Burma are the islands of the Sea Gypsies, and these have been pretty off limits in the last 50 years. Now the Burmese government will let you go, but they want thousands of dollars for it, and it all must be pretty tightly managed by them. Still, that’s an amazing spot. As are the Andamans. But for sheer exhilaration and soulfulness and beauty and hilarity as well, all somewhat accessible and not crazy expensive, you can’t been Siberut.