Rian Cope and Dylan Brayshaw were two ordinary 20-somethings from Australia, working normals jobs, and living relatively normal lives. But in the year 2009, these two young men gave it all up to cycle across Indonesia and surf at some of the best surf spots in the world. While cycling, surfing, and discovering a whole lot about themselves and the people of Indonesia, Rian and Dylan shot a ton of video footage, which was later turned into a 4-part documentary series titled, eat. sleeep. surf.
At the start of their adventure, neither Rian or Dylan were big cyclists, but both were extremely passionate about surfing (what some would call “boogie boarding”). So, when they read a book listing some of the best surfing locations around the world, they noticed that several of these world-class surf spots were located in nearby Indonesia. That’s where Eat. Sleep. Surf. was born!
Over the next several months, Rian and Dylan began planning and preparing for a 3-and-a-half month-long bicycle/surfing trip across the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Similue, Nias, Sipora, Java and Bali.
The resulting 2-Disc DVD series about their adventure is truly entertaining. While the camera-work and audio mixing is far from professional at times, the editing is superb, the story-telling magnificent, and the lingering affects of the series are nothing short of inspirational.
You don’t have to be a cyclist in order to appreciate what Rian and Dylan do in Eat. Sleep. Surf. Nor do you need to be a hard-core surfer, ocean lover, or traveler of any kind. All you need to appreciate this series is a desire somewhere within yourself to do something big and seemingly impossible in your own life. Because in the end, that’s exactly what Rian and Dylan set out to do in Eat. Sleep. Surf. And after three-and-a-half months in Indonesia, that’s exactly what they did.
Eat. Sleep. Surf. is a magnificent adventure through the islands of Indonesia. It’s a story I’ll remember for quite some time, and by the time you finish watching it, I’m sure that you’ll want to do nothing else but jump on a plane and cycle/surf your own way across Indonesia.
By Daren Alff – Bicycletouringpro.com