LOCKED DOWN IN PARADISE
For the crew at the Kandui Resort in the Mentawai Islands, lockdown has meant months of empty waves and the chance to slow down and appreciate their incredible surroundings. We asked manager Ray Wilcoxen, aka All Day Ray, what it’s been like having paradise to himself and his family …
CM: When did you first realize the whole pandemic situation was going to force you to close?
RW: It all came on very quickly. The resort was full with new guests on the 17th of March and at that time we still were not sure exactly what was going to happen, but within just a few days it all became pretty clear the whole world was shutting down. Our guests cut their trip short and bolted home. Our only remaining guest was a lucky guy from Poland who got here in February, then stayed until almost July! He's a yoga and meditation enthusiast and found the current environment at the resort the perfect place to spend the lockdown. An empty, beautiful little island with healthy vegan food was just the perfect spot for him!
CM: How tough has it been being shut during peak Mentawai season?
RW: Our first thought was how much money we would lose. We're not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination and this will set us back years, for sure. But after the shock and acceptance of that passed, the realization that the Mentawais would be basically empty for months settled in. Hell, it's only money! And it wasn't just about the waves. I've been living out here for over 15 years and pretty much have just had my head down, working my ass off from the first day I set foot on the island. I've never really had time to take a step back and just enjoy the place. Waking up in a guest uma a couple of days after our guests left, I sipped coffee on the porch with zero pressure of what had to be done that day and just soaked in the incredible place we are lucky enough to have here. That might have been the first day in 15 years that I honestly sat back and took it all in. This place is absolute paradise. Little wonder why our guests froth on it!
CM: How have the waves been and who do you have to surf with?
RW: Surfing has been banned for much of the time and far be it from us to take advantage of empty lineups 😉, but if we had been surfing it would probably look something like some of these photos. No foreigners were allowed to come out to the Mentawais after the lockdown of course, but anyone who was already in the Mentawais at the time of the shutdown could stay. There are a few resort owners and/or operators out here, our one guest and a couple of friends here on the island too. There are a few other foreigners in our area, mostly over around E-bay, but we are far removed from that area and we rarely see them. I heard there were 40 or 50 foreigners spread throughout the Mentawais during the lockdown. Lucky souls! The lockdown is over now and people are allowed to travel domestically. Many of the people that were out here have left with only a few people, unexplainably, taking advantage of the situation and getting out there from Bali. I think there are actually less people out here now than during the lockdown. Crazy!
CM: Are you struggling with home-schooling like the rest of us? How are the kids doing?
RW: The kids usually go to a local school and are also home-schooled. The local school is shut down until at least mid-July, but we are continuing with the home-schooling. Education is tough out here during the best of times, but I think they will do okay. What a great place for kids that age to grow up. They are 11, 9, 8, and 3 years old and are living a tropical Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn life. It's so cool to witness.
CM: Do you have any sense of when you’ll be able to re-open? Is there anything your loyal clientele can do to offer support in the mean time?
RW: We are officially open now to people already in Indonesia. We have two new guests that jumped on that opportunity when the door opened and they are here scoring. It's amazing to see all these empty waves. As far as people getting here from outside the country, we can only guess. Who knows, as fast as the lockdown came on it could just as easily open up. We are keeping a close eye on it. We have a very loyal clientele and many are frothing to get out here whenever the doors open and that is good to know. Our guests have been great. They have moved their trips to later dates without asking for refunds, and many are depositing for trips in 2021 which is keeping the lights on over here. And thank god for our Polish angel Tomek who has really kept us alive by extending his trip for so long. And hats off to one very special guest who has been here several times and knew we were hurting financially and fully paid for several spots in 2022. We can't thank our buddy Al Ramadan enough for the support! He's a great human being.
CM: How are the local community and staff holding up? Have there been any cases in the Mentawais and how much has it impacted the local economy?
RW: There have not been many reported cases in the Mentawais, I believe less than ten with no deaths. Thank goodness because there is really no way to care for someone in critical condition out here and we were worried about a major breakout. That would have been ugly, but so far so good, knock on wood. But, of course, there was an economic price to pay by halting tourism. Most of the resorts here pretty much shut down and sent their staff home. I've heard of some good things about resorts that are still supporting their staff a bit, but others not so much. It is what it is, it's tough times for everyone, but we are the biggest employer in our area and probably the whole Mentawai and we felt responsible to keep the money flowing from our resort out to the villages, so we lined up some potential loans in the worst-case scenario, created some projects for the crew, and have continued to keep any crew that wants to work employed. This pandemic is a temporary problem, it will end. We're not going to go bankrupt by keeping our crew working and their families, thus villages, with money, so why not do it?
CM: How have you been passing the time without guests? Any All-day sessions?
RW: Ha, those all-day sessions are a thing of the past for me. I'll be 62 this month and it's all about the kids now. This has been a great time to be able to hang out with them whenever we like without me feeling like I'm neglecting my duties to the resort somehow. Such a great time. My kids are young, but in a few years they will probably be hanging out with their friends and it won't be cool to hang out with old dad anymore. So, I'm soaking all this in while I can! It's probably the best thing that could have happened to me in some ways. The grind of keeping 18 or so guests happy and safe for the past 15 years has been lifted and I can spend quality time with the family.
CM: It must be strange seeing the area and the surf so empty after so many years of growing crowds. What’s the mood or atmosphere like over there?
RW: The atmosphere is fantastic! That's probably not much of a shock to anyone. Ha. But this area really hasn't changed too much over the years and it seems to come in waves where some years are busier and some years are not. We can still score an empty lineup in a normal year, even mid-season, but you are always looking at the horizon for boats coming. But now we pull up to an empty lineup and know it's going to stay that way. It's like going back in time and turning the clock back 30 years. I keep telling my kids, this will in all probability never, ever happen again. Soak in every minute!
CM: The Surfboard Warehouse mentioned you have a quiver of their boards over there, is that right? What have proven the most popular boards to borrow or personal favorites for specific conditions?
RW: The Surfboard Warehouse has been an incredible partner to us and we're so pumped to have them part of our rental quiver. We now have the largest rental quiver in the Mentawais and maybe the entire country! The Tajen has been a great all -round board out here, the Gold Fish and Amazing Grace are super fun with the waves in front (4 Bobs and Karangbat Left) and of course the SUPs and longboards are perfect for when wives and girlfriends visit the resort. My oldest grommet, Dylan, still froths on the foil boards out front! So many of our guests prefer not to travel with boards and The Surfboard Warehouse helps make that possible. It's been a great partnership with Sean and the Surfboard Warehouse and pumped to get him and his crew back once the world returns to normal!
FOOTNOTE: Indonesia will re-open to international travellers with strict COVID-19 protocols in place from September 11. Visit the Kandui Resort website for more information.