Krui

We start the trip, confirming once again that we should never trust people that talk about places they have never been to. In this case, the worst “information” was that it would take 2 hours from Kota Agung. It took 6. Endless (especially when you are not prepared and don't expect it). Crossing the mountain range was long, road works and lunch breaks. When we finally see the sea, still 2 hours more!
We arrived exhausted, they make us get off in front of a hotel, we have no clue, we passively accept and enter the place, choose a cheap triple room, leave our stuff and head to the beach, though the sun had already set. We find the harbor instead, and then a Scottish-looking cliff covered in soft thick grass, and then a dirty coral reef. Not encouraging. My expectation of finding a beautiful Australian surfer who would teach me to surf is crushed. in fact, in the whole town there seem to be only men. The next day we meet two real surfers, from Germany, who give me advice. I buy beautiful makeshift goggles (they are made of two pieces of glass encased in wooden shape and tied together with inner tube rubber and fishing line), and with no food we head to the beach again. We find great waves, we play and get hurt a little. We “learn” them, and create a professional terminology: “laters”, “earliers”, “killers”, “slappers”..
We are invited to play beach volley. We accept, and sit in the shade watching gay players play. We are given refreshments and water. Then we play, and repay them with a comic performance. Then we all have lunch together, and a nice chat. Gays are not accepted in Indonesia, and this was a rare gathering of many of them. Very funny and friendly. They ask Alice for some sunscreen, and most of them want to have some (one applies an inordinately thick layer to his whole face).
On the beach, stretches of fine sand alternate to coral platforms, with interesting tidal pools and dangerous waves pounding on their edge.
We see nice moray eels, crabs, a “sea-penis” (Sipunculid), probably a sea-snake, one, single bird.
I manage to pass the dangerous area where the waves break, and go snorkeling with my amazing goggles. Some pretty fishes but nothing exalting.
There is an accident, probably due to the waves slamming a fisherman on the reef. He is rescued by two people and taken, unconscious, ashore, where a big crowd was waiting. Don’t know his fate.

While I enjoy the last wave session of the afternoon (with a hint of uneasiness, thinking of sharks), I am called back toward the shore by some kids (uneasiness increases, is there something I don't know?), they just want to make sure that I can swim (they cannot, and yet they come out with me, dangerous..) and to chat about Luca Toni and Italian football..

Later on, Heather saw news of the accident on TV. Next to Heather, the German surfer and me, was a middle aged Indonesian man, who groaned in response. He knew about it! ...but probably was dumb, unfortunately. But really wanted to communicate.. and amazingly, I seemed to catch exactly what he was trying to say, every time. Until I realized that besides dumb, he probably had some more problems.. Here is the best summary of the info we gathered: this man, on the shore, was looking at the sun, and then some lemon was poured into his eyes ("lemon??" - the hand sign was obvious - "hmm, hmmm", with big affirmative nods..), and he perhaps fell, and then all is blurred.