First OS surf trip.

[swvic]

There's an alternative antibiotic for malaria. Think it's just one tab a week or maybe every few days. No sun sensitivity. Potentially quite severe depressive side effects though. I've had no probs with them, but know someone who's holiday was ruined

[crabmeat thompson]

Mate, I've been in some real 3rd world pits, and never needed shots or malaria tabs yet. We will live like the locals do, for the full immersion experience.

[crabmeat thompson]

... and by white man's highlighters, we mean a tube of lube and rubber gloves. Amirite Finch?

Has anyone here mention PNG as a spot? Saw some pics last year of some really fun set ups, points, reefs and the odd beachie too.

Not sure what their season is.

[Skipper]

Png's been mentioned a bit. I get these ads from a surf travel co. spruiking Clem's place. Looks nice. And the diving is supposed to be sensational.
It's on the up over there I'm sure once they can erm pursuade the feisty members of its population to desist from unruly behaviour.

[swvic]

Season's now; Nov - April

They're pretty well organised I think. Apparently very mindful of it not being crowded and overexploited

[jimmy]

Has anyone here mention PNG as a spot? Saw some pics last year of some really fun set ups, points, reefs and the odd beachie too.

Not sure what their season is.

From what I hear about PNG it's a great place to go if you're not too concerned about whether or not you get pumping waves.. If it's on it's great but if not you'd better be happy to occupy yourself with fishing or highlighters.

I know guys who've been there for 2 weeks and not had waves over waist high. You'd be extremely unlucky to have that happen in Indo.

[crabmeat thompson]

Shit. I'd go all that way with a dozen highlighters, no waves and still come back floating on clouds.

[Donweather]

There's an alternative antibiotic for malaria. Think it's just one tab a week or maybe every few days. No sun sensitivity. Potentially quite severe depressive side effects though. I've had no probs with them, but know someone who's holiday was ruined

And it's 3 times the price of Doxy too!!!

Doxy whilst being very cheap does havea few side effects.....some are more sun sensitive, but that just means whacking on more sunscreen. I wasn't more sun sensitive when taking it. But it did give me the most unbelievably weird/abstract dreams I have ever had.......very spinny waking up the next morning let me tell you. Other than that doxy is fine and cheap as chips. It's an antibiotic so also helps with reef cut infections!!!!

[el rancho]

they give doxy to blokes in the army while they're away. it's not strictly a malaria drug and will kill anything, most just use it to bomb the clap.

[el rancho]

oh you can get night terrors on malaria meds too. you cool with that?

[alakaboo]

they give doxy to blokes in the army while they're away. it's not strictly a malaria drug and will kill anything, most just use it to bomb the clap.

Heard quite a few of them come back gluten intolerant as being on antibiotics for that long wipes out the good bugs too.

[swvic]

For the sake of completeness, there's actually three commonly prescribed anti-malarial medications - doxycycline, mefloquine (sometimes known as lariam), and malarone. Doxy and malarone are a tablet-a-day type medication but mefloquine is once a week.

Larium - that's it. 1st time I was going to Indo for a surf trip and wedding. Aside from no increase in sun sensitivity, it's not as bad as doxy if you're drinking piss. I drank a lot at the wedding. Wedding or no, I usually drink a few beers each evening when in the tropics

[Beanpole]

Png's been mentioned a bit. I get these ads from a surf travel co. spruiking Clem's place. Looks nice. And the diving is supposed to be sensational.
It's on the up over there I'm sure once they can erm pursuade the feisty members of its population to desist from unruly behaviour.

From my random enquiries....and knowing someone who worked over there for a while it seems to cost about the same as a round the world airfare to get there.

[brendo]

I went to indo with a crew of older locals when I was in my early 20s. These guys had been going for 15yrs straight at the time. The trick they found for not getting sick was to take over a bottle of apple cider vinegar, have a shot before brekkie and one with dinner. I was sceptical but did it. 4 other mates my age came as well, they didn't drink it, they all got sick. Me n the old guys were all good. It tastes shot, I actually mixed it with a bit of water first, but hey, it was better than squatting over one of those cesspit dinners in gland blowing your bowels out

[marauding mullet]

I stopped taking my doxy a few days ago, i was getting big blotchy red whelts on my feet and ankles despite being slathered in 50+ while riding a motorbike. I"ll just take my chances i guess. When booking flights beware of jetstar's shorthaul flights where they use the airbus a320, there is a length limit of 6'3" on surfboards which isn't obvious until after you've paid for your (non-refundable) ticket and receive the confirmation email.

[petulance]

So whereabouts in Indo will you be surfing, Matticus?

The direct Jetstar flight from Sydney to Bali is on an Airbus A330 which takes larger boards than 6'3" so you'll be ok unless you are bringing board longer than 9 ft.

http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/planning-a ... ulky-items

If you are flying Jetstar, make sure you take a direct non-stop flight. If you are taking a connecting flight via Melbourne or Darwin then the domestic leg will be on an Airbus A320 with the 6'3" board limit.

As tonks said, Virgin are less restrictive on length. I'm sure this applies even on their domestic flights.

[Beanpole]

Hope they treat them better than our last year.
Looked out the window when we were leaving and went "oh, look there's our boards. Lucky they stacked them up the end of the trolley with nothing on top of them."
Then watched as they chucked a couple of suitcases on them from a distance...with a bit of height to the throw as well and a few laughs."

[petulance]

The tip of my board's nose got dinged by the Garuda baggage handlers on my last trip. Ended up being a 100k Rupiah ding repair.