It has been 2 weeks since I returned home from Costa Rica and am now 2200 miles North but it has been with me a lot the last 24 hours. The sunny picture above showed up this morning on my Instagram feed. As November is over so is rainy season there. I shared the photo with the 7 people who were there with me and Pierre (who was there with his wife in January 2016 as well) shared this photo from then. We saw an “almost” sunset from beach one day but nothing like his, i especially love the cloud reflections in pool.
Seeing the story clips of current “campers” keeps surfing in my mind. I can get a decent soft board for only $200 on Amazon to fool around with when surf too big in Erie or Ontario for swimming. The Boca Raton surfing beach is just north of my uncles apartment and I just need to figure out how to get a cheap used board down there and store and will maybe get to use a few times a year there. At my still beginner level just paddling around and practicing in white water will be plenty.
Yesterday I had my post adventure tattoo appointment and got a Costa Rica one I had roughly designed and my artist Craig Cheape made beautiful. My back is getting pretty full, not sure I want to delegate a nation to tramp stamp land 😉
Almost 2 hours of pain for this one. And a Caduceus for my right forearm. Another 45” of pain. Including Craig’s time creating the templates it was almost 5 hours. But I prefer not to have to go twice as can’t swim for a week after tattoos.
I also just finished reading “the Costa Rica Reader” , an anthology of the country’s history. It helps to explain how it has remained a social democracy (with no army) amongst the volatile nations of Central America.
The book was only half done when I had unpacked all my souvenirs and gifts. Today at 2pm were the last round robin games for Group E at FIFA. Germany needed a win to advance to next round as did Costa Rica. Spain would advance no matter what happened. Japan needed a win to advance.
At half time both Germany and Spain were leading 1-0 and seemed to be in control. But second halves were wild and high scoring. Tokyo went to 2-1 for a win, Costa Rica went ahead 2-1 but then Germany came back and won 3-2. Good effort by the Ticos! Germany goes home to very disappointed fans.
I’ll take a FIFA break on Friday to save up energy for USA Vs Netherlands on Saturday morning. 10 am EST, even west coast fans can watch, Californians drink a Mimosa for each USA goal!
Bonus Video
Mulan the 2 toed Sloth. Hard to tell as my tattoo sloth not that large but she is a 3 toed. If u r reading this in email u may not be able to play video. Go to sailwestmac.com
And here it is as a Vimeo link. I need to hurry to get my GoPro footage onto computer and make some movies before I leave for my Dec. NYC trip for NYS Anesthesiology Conference.
I didn’t take that many photos with my good camera despite an effort to have it with me when “likely to see” animals 😉
The 3 toed sloth 🦥 spotted by one of the employees in a nearby tree my first day at Kalon Surf Camp near Dominical. The only 🐊s we saw at Crocodile Bridge on way from airport to Kalon Surf. There were a lot more on the way back a week later when the river wasn’t as high and there was more sandy bank for lounging. View of Playa Linda with zoom lens is what I would see with the binoculars in Lodge while checking surf conditions. Perfectly full moon that lit up the views one clear nightPorch hummingbirds
Breakfast birds! Better photos than ones with the iPhone.
With a long day of sitting in cars, planes, airports ahead of me I wanted to get a nice long hike in this morning.
Cloudy over the Poas Volcano But blue sky to the south.
I made a short slideshow of my hike. You should be able to view it by clicking on the image or the arrow. If not it may be because in an emailed version of the blog entry the links aren’t all active. If so, go to sailwestmac.com directly and then when you open the blog all the videos and links should work.A few highlights Finally, the Kinkajous were awake this morning. So cute!And luckily safe from this guy!I wanted to get in a long hike since I had time before my car left at 10 for airport and it would be a very stagnant day exercise wise later. I retraced all my favorite trails and went to all the waterfalls. I took pictures quickly as I hiked. I finally used my trekking poles that I had packed. They made the uphill sections SOOOOO much easier on my legs, which was key because I didn’t want them sore while trapped in airline seats.Ah, my last meal in Costa Rica, I spoke only Spanish to the waitress today. I had my real camera with me and got some nice zoom closeups of the hungry birds.I got a quick ID with my inaturalist app for this beauty.For trip home I would check both these bags and just bring my small backpack on plane. I know many people travel the world with just a carry on but I always need space for my running/hiking/swimming gear. And my apple AirTags in the bags for tracking have been extremely accurate so far, hopefully I will never need them to “help” airline find lost luggage but great to know they are in there and working so well.Adios Peace Lodge. Quite the place. Highly recommend for anyone who loves animals and especially for those with kids. Goodbye Rusty! I’ll see FIFA in 14 hours and tell her all about you!Very pleasant views on the one hour drive to San Jose airport. Coffee plantations on the slopes. As well as coffee, this region is known for growing Strawberries and local cheese from the dairy herds. $1.80 for a box of strawberries sounds like a bargain. And they are already selling Xmas decorations. They were hanging the holiday lights in the Hotel lobby as I checked out.
Michael (who gave me the night time tree frog tour) was my driver to airport in a comfy SUV. I sat up front and we chatted about Costa Rica. He has worked at Peace Lodge for 20 years. He lives only 10” away and was able to see the Poas Volcano erupt from his house in 2017. He told me the area was also affected by a big earthquake in 2004. Starbucks bought a lot of the smaller coffee growers land a decade ago and has a lot of employees. In Costa Rica the coffee berries are picked by hand while in the mass produced coffee from Brazil machines shake the bushes and then it is collected from the ground. Most of the pickers are refugees from Nicaragua since most Costa Ricans get well educated in free public schools and don’t want to do manual farm labor as much (kind of like in USA).
And just like that I was back in a city after a relaxing 11 days of rural life. No thanks. New bracelet joins the precious one my kid made for me. I had noticed this in front of airport earlier but finally got time to Google it and Lindbergh did a tour of Central America. Very well organized airport. It took me less than 30 minutes from sidewalk to sitting at my gate (including selfie photo and coffee stop). This was another case of the “full employment” ethos I saw in Costa Rica. 4 people working at this kiosk. No wait. At Terminal 5 at JFK the Starbucks has only 3 people for many more travelers and always a long, long line. Several times I have just given up and went elsewhere for coffee. And there were several artists creating and selling works and a guy on saxophone 🎷 making a living. The Ticos will be very excited for the World Cup next week. I will root for them but their group seems impossible. My Puerto Rican friend Jaime says he can’t find Imperial here anymore. Dave the adventurer! Made this my new FB photo with a love the Planet frame ❤️ 🌍 I did a little blogging at airport but was just too tired on flight. I knew my vacation from reality was over when I heard annoying USA accents in the airport after 5 days of mostly Ticos and a few Brits and Canadians. Americans do talk more loudly than anyone else. The Ugly American exists. Grateful for my noise cancelling headphones!Michael had told me that at the height of the dry season all the grass and bushes in the San Jose area turn yellow or brown. The city sits in a valley between several mountain ranges. One reaches over 10,000 feet. With Costa Rica being so small it was only 10 minutes later that I Saw on Delta flight track screen that we had crossed border into Nicaragua. Big river below.
It was too early in day to really sleep but I just rested with my eyes closed and listened to music for the less than 4 hour flight to Atlanta.
Ack! Not the “Hotlanta” I am used to. It felt cold on the jet bridge.
I am glad I had a 3 hour layover for the largest airport in the world. It didn’t really take all that long for the lines at immigration, through TSA checks, the escalators, the train from international terminal to a different one but would hate to be in a rush.
I really don’t understand why luggage isn’t just sent through to final destination. They make u collect it and then give to a person to put on a different carousel. No one looks at luggage, asks u about contents at any point. I also saw no “faster” lines or automatic kiosks at Atlanta for global entry???
Sunset as approaching AtlantaStill confused as to how I moved forward a time zone but … I prefer Costa Rica where it gets sunny every day at 5:30am and dark at 5pm in winter and 6pm in summer. Clear skies for the second leg of flight. No lake Effect yet. They canceled most elective cases Friday so I got the day off luckily , i really should have realized I would need more then 24 hours to get resettled in reality after 2 weeks in Paradise. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Costa Rica anymore!I had texted and FaceTimed with other family but my precious was so happy to see me finally! and Fifa very excited about the World Cup!
Modern transportation is amazing. Half a day and one goes from Equatorial rain forest to Frozen Tundra.
I REALLY tried to get my vacation blog done by yesterday as today is Monday and I leave for work in 30 minutes and for some insane reason I am also working Wednesday this week. But going through 2 weeks mail and paying bills took longer than expected and then it was time to watch Ecuador beat Qatar in the World Cup Opener…..
Tuesday was my last full day in Costa Rica, I was muy triste. I was heading off to the Hacienda Pozo Azul at 8am for another adventure activity but still had time to get in a short morning hike.
There were a lot of clouds above the Poas Volcano to the west at 5:30am but also some blue sky visible north and south. Coffee and a Clif Bar was breakfast before I headed out.
Since I had already done all of the trails on the resort property I decided today to redo the nicest part of the Rio La Paz trail and then visit one or two waterfalls also.
The Rio La Paz was again awe inspiring with its magical strong flow through the jungle. So many shades of green from the moss, leaves, vines, etc.
The path ascended and gave a nice overlook of the river when the trees were not too thick, and when I couldn’t see it I could still hear the river. I had probably taken the exact same picture last time on this path but couldn’t resist those bright red flowers in the foreground of shot. Just as I snapped it I heard a noise to the right and assumed another bird I wouldn’t be able to see but as I turned I saw…..This very cute creature was heading down the path towards me but quickly changed directions and then walked into the underbrush. I was lucky I had my camera app open already or else would have just gotten several photos of his retreating rear end. I had no idea what he was having not seen one anywhere in my Costa Rica guidebook or depicted elsewhere.
For some reason “bandicoot” was in my head but I googled that and it is a smaller, less hairy creature from Asia. I entered the image into the iNaturalist app and found out it is a Coati. White nosed Coati or Coatimundi to be precise. Relatives of Raccoons but bigger and fluffier.
Article says some that were illegally kept as pets have escaped and formed breeding populations in Florida. Maybe they will replace the raccoons that the invasive pythons have almost eliminated from the Everglades (seems these guys must be more used to escaping pythons).To get from the Rio La Paz trail to the Waterfall trail I had to cut back briefly through the La Paz Waterfall Gardens area with the animals, restaurants, etc. I had seen on the map that there was a “Casita”, traditional farmhouse of Costa Rican 19th century but hadn’t really considered it a “must see”. But from a distance I heard an animal sound and …..I got to say hi to Princesa and she even let me pet her!It was a whole family farm recreated in great detail.Sansone and Hercules. Hearty looking Oxen. I read in my CR history book that Oxen were used to pull the carts full of Coffee beans from all over the country to the main port on the northern pacific coast for shipping. North to the US or South around to Europe (pre-Panama canal and I guess no good ports on the Caribbean side?)The Casita was basically one large room with a kitchen in one corner and beds in another corner. It was very nicely recreated and I learned that during the day they had reenactors serving lemonade and traditional snacks and describing the history.I said “buenos dias, que tal? Mucho leche hoy?” He said si.Interesting, I had noticed lots of Pine trees at the higher elevations.There was also a rabbit hutch but my photos didn’t come out very well. I love all animals…..but not that many people.
On the way to the waterfall trail I passed through the Orchid gardens.
Back on the paved path to the waterfalls.My waiter at dinner had mentioned there had been a wedding. What a setting for the ceremony! The flower petals and bouquets were still there. I guess they are biodegradable:) The shirt (that I designed years ago for the club) is missing “take a minute to appreciate the present”.I set up my selfie stick tripod.The 10 second timer on iPhone not quite enough time for first try 🙂On the way back to my room I swung past the Jungle Cats but they were all sleeping.Looks like they had a big dinner!The Pumas seemed like light sleepers, they always kept an eye on me.I also visited the Butterfly exhibit (Mariposa en espanol). I only saw a few though and wondered if maybe they hadn’t released many as not the peak tourist season yet. I did see a lot more Blue Morphos (huge!) once I realized that while at rest they usually displayed only their brown bottom sides with the fake “eye”s to trick birds.Pablo told me later that there were very few butterflies out early in the morning and I should try again when the sun higher in sky and they emerged from sleeping spots.Time for one more cup of Costa Rican Cafe before heading out.I didn’t take many photos on way to Hacienda Pozo Azul as second time driving there.Another cemetary with above ground crypts, too much rain for underground burials. We hit some rush hour traffic. Buenos dias senor vaca.Just another amazing plant at the Hacienda.
I was the only tourist this morning for the zip line adventure. I met this cute guy while gearing up. I asked “como se llama” and they said they didn’t know, he just evidentally shows up every day from a nearby house to beg for food from tourists and get his belly rubbed.
For the zip lining I must have overdone my Spanish because when we got to the first tower and it was time for instructions they were all in Spanish. I got about 60% of what he said, I kept saying “si” and nodding. I shot GoPro footage of most of the 10 zip lines and will have to make a Vimeo movie later. Maybe one movie for the Horse/Rafting/Zip Lining and then one for Surfing and one for Snorkeling.
This was the younger guide, he spoke excellent English but preferred Spanish, the older guide spoke only Spanish, he took great photos on my phone and his (he WhatsApped them to me later). There were twin lines so you were always double attached. One guide always went across first, then me, then the other one. It was super fun and as the only person it went quick since didn’t have to wait for many others to come across one at a time.The guide pointed out the names of many trees and plants and birds, we heard Howler Monkeys and saw moving branches but didn’t really see any. This is a Mahogany tree.A Walking PalmBambooThis vine is full of water, good to know if lost.A couple of places we hiked for 5 or 10 minutes, quite hot and humid in the jungle , the guide said to watch my step and to look out for “serpientes “.Bullet ANT, at least an inch long…. Googled them and they have a stinger on rump that is extremely painful for up to 24 hours after but “not deadly”. Only the second largest ants in world. An Amazonian species in Brazil can be up to 1.4 inches long. Glad I didn’t wear flip flops!I thought I was just not understanding the Spanish when they told me to go upside down or let go of hands!
Hit the play arrow at left bottom of screen!My buddy wagged his tail when he saw i was back safely! And got his belly rubbed. I bought an ice cream pop for the drive home.From further away and a lower altitude the Poas Volcano’s magnitude and 9000 foot height is more evident. This one lane bridge reminded me of the dozens we dealt with in Iceland last year, but most were. A lot longer …..After getting back to Peace Lodge I brewed some more coffee and finished up a blog entry.Some people at home starting contacting me to find out what day I was traveling home. Best case scenario would be getting trapped in Costa Rica, worst case trapped in Atlanta. But snow wouldn’t affect my travel.
I had planned on having a big, late lunch and skipping dinner so it worked out well that the restaurant I chose had a Buffett. There were actually a decent number of people there but ALL were speaking Spanish, people who were visiting the waterfalls and animals for the day.
I had 2 large plates of local foods, I skipped the pizza, French fries and hot dogs the local kids were loving. (They must get more rice, beans and plantains than they can stand at home).Costa Rican beer is good. Pura Vida!!!Plate number 2!Pablo had mentioned that the big cats were usually more active in afternoon, especially as got close to 4pm feeding time. Most were prowling about.
I sat for a few minutes to see which hummingbirds visited.
And went back to see a greater variety of butterflies.
I am definitely hooked on the CR coffee.Jacuzzi and waterfall in my bathroom.The bathroom was quite over the top, it had a regular shower and a “cave” shower, a huge skylight, stained glass, etc.I had gone to sleep early and around midnight I had trouble getting back to sleep. I went outside and saw so many stars. This was in iPhones night mode. I know the constellations are fdifferent in the Southern Hemisphere and not sure what was to the west at the equator. I didnt think to use my StarFinder app.
I read for a while and then edited photos on my iPad, my system has evolved to me first selecting the photos I want to use for a days blog, then editing and saving them in a favorites folder and then loading them all to WordPress at once. Then when I am doing my blog the photos are “somewhat” quickly able to be added. I still have the issue though that when a blog entry gets as long as this one and has as many photos it really starts to get very slow to work with.
I clearly could have broken this entry into 3 parts.
Although I had all notifications on my phone turned off I had not been as careful with iPad and this appeared on top of screen !!! Ack!
2 weeks of no TV or news and this is the first I hear of USA 🙁
Biden just turned 80 he 100% MUST announce ASAP that he will NOT be running in 2024, not endorse anyone and will support whomever the democratic voters pick in the primary! This will give the democrats a long time to find a strong candidate. Trump is mentally ill and maybe developing dementia so hard to predict but seems he cannot win a primary, question is how long before he or his handlers realize and he finds excuse to drop out.
Monday was my official REST day. It was mostly overcast but a few bits of blue in sky. I had a 7am breakfast meeting scheduled but had enough time for a short hike first.
There was less climbing on this trail than the waterfall one.Waterfalls into poolThe Fern Trail started behind the waterfalls and the trout pond.One can catch a trout and have it cooked 🙂 I passed.They had some big beauties in there! Just like the Trout Museum I saw in Montana in April.Very tall bamboo100 feet from the pool and it is dense jungle filled with bird calls.A small waterfall on the Rio la Paz, this is upstream from where the big waterfalls are. The jungle seems to have overgrown the path…..While hanging out before my 7am meeting I spotted this hummingbird in a tree nearby, they are quite noisy.Hmmmmmm.I headed into the Aviarium at 7am and was surprised that Pablo, my driver and rafting partner, was my morning guide.Big falconPair of parrots.Pablo unlocked the door to the Toucan enclosure and they quickly came over to us knowing it was breakfast time. They had 3 of the 5 Toucan types found in Costa Rica. The one on my arm here is the yellow throated (black mandibled) type I saw in Dominical. The one over my right shoulder is another.They enjoyed their kibble. They tilt their heads back all the way to swallow. They have amazing talons, they look like made of blue stones.This fellow was a little shy but stayed nearby patiently waiting for me to leave so he could have breakfast.
The Toucans were so calm, they let me stroke their feathers. They were all “rescue” Toucans, seized from people illegally trying to export or keep as pets. The shy ones probably remembered being mistreated by the cruel human species.
There were a lot of birds flying about inside the main enclosure, but I only had my iPhone and they rarely posed for photos, these cute ducks were underfoot a lot though and happy to be models.
This Parrot was the loudest, a SQUAWK that was audible even outside the aviarian and unbearably loud when I passed his cage.We next went into the Sloth habitat. This is a two-toed sloth. Looks a lot like Cousin It!This one is named Mulan, cute girlI got to feed them a healthy snack, green beans.She held the bean with her claw.While i climbed the fake tree to visit the other sloth, Mulan quickly (for a sloth) climbed the fence up to roof and then moved across ceiling to…Lie on top of the heater. Such gentle, precious creatures. I had seen Both a two and three toed sloth in the wild in Dominical which was amazing but getting to interact with them was incredible and I appreciated how lucky i was.
Much faster climber than i expected. I made this into a Vimeo video, now that I am blogging from the couch at home I am not as rushed and can take time to add media of my own and search web for resources and links.The sun came out! I was heading to breakfast buffet but as they were on the way I wanted to say hi to the monkeys and visit the snakes.The acrobats.Spider MonkeyPensiveWhite Throated CapuchinLos Serpientes! Me gusta!So only 22 out of 137 snake species in Costa Rica are poisonous, decent odds. I did not see any in the wild, at 5000 feet there are few at peace lodge but my zip line guide (at only 500 feet elevation) did tell me to watch where I stepped in the jungle.These were just a few of my favorites, they had dozens. I was the only one there. The animal enclosures open at 7am so I had private time with the butterflies, birds, and snakes. The monkey and jungle cats are available all the time as outside enclosures. Any child 5 to 75 that likes animals is in heaven here. Like any computer program or app the more I use it the more features I find. This is gallery view which allows me to display multiple photos without loading them separately. If you click on one you will get a larger image to view.
I didn’t get to handle any of these snakes but if you have you know they are NOT slimy. They are dry and cool. This one below has such shiny scales though that it looks wet.
Ach! Most of the snakes ignored me but this one followed me from one side of cage to other and then ….
While there are 600 snake bites per year in Costa Rica there are almost no deaths because they have an institute that produces anti-venom and it is available widely from their excellent free public health system. They also sell anti-venom at cost to other nations in region and Africa.
No horses were harmed in this video!It was becoming a beautiful morning as I walked thru the winding path up the hill towards the restaurant for breakfast (having used Purell and washed my hands after handling the animals).
The hummingbird gardens had many beautiful flowering plants and one could hear the birds loud chirps and even their wings but they flitted from flower to flower and up in sky so quickly that easiest to get photos of them by the feeders placed near some shaded benches. In just 5 minutes I saw at least 4 species. These are just iPhone photos, can’t remember if i took any with my real camera.
Such variety!
5 hummingbirds can be found in New York State (which is twice as large as Costa Rica) but only 2 are commonly seen. We have a few who make the rounds of our porch and English garden at the same time each day in summer.
Traditional Costa Rican breakfast including rice with beans, plantain and passion fruit. A few species of cuter than sparrows birds were hanging out on the restaurant patio looking for breakfast scraps.Some were pushy enough to land on table but easy to scare away with a wave of the hand. When I was done eating I did give in and throw some bread crumbs on the ground for them 🙂There was a great large wooden carving of all the animals of Costa Rica. Seeing the Iguana reminds me that we saw a bunch of them in a tree overhanging the river while rafting. Animals I didn’t see but was told about were anteaters that can be seen near the zip lining area and Tapirs that can be seen in the highlands between the Volcano and the river.There was a Tapir on the episode of Archer I watched last night!With nothing on my schedule until a massage at 3pm, i settled into a lounge chair at the bar by the big pool and trout pond. I read for a while and then did some blogging. They had Wi-Fi everywhere but really didn’t need for most things since I almost always had more bars of LTE than from ATT in my home or yard.It had been sunny at breakfast but a light drizzle started to fall and I slid my chair under the roof. There was Spanish language music playing which i was getting very used to. My total immersion Spanish learning was going great. I enjoyed speaking Spanish as much as possible with the staff, drivers, guides. My Buenos Dias, Buenas Tardes greetings I think finally sounded native Enough that people responded in Spanish (there were very few English speaking guests at the resort). I usually understood about 60% of their responses and it was usually only when I requested a switch to English that they did so. I continued with my DuoLingo lessons on iPhone until end of the surf week but then got lazy. i need to keep up with when at home.Darts and fishing rods in bar.Having finished a blog entry I felt like a swim, the pool by bar was unheated but definitely warmer than I have swum in at home but I wanted relaxation so headed to the heated pool, hot waterfall pool and Jacuzzi.The jacuzzi jets felt great on my still sore hips, legs and back. The hot waterfall was nice on my neck and shoulders.
After a shower and drying off with the super fluffy towels I settled in too start blogging again with the relaxing sound of rain falling on the pool, it was exposed but the jacuzzi area had cover. I started to actually doze off though so headed back to my room for some coffee. They had a real brewer and Costa Rican coffee that i drank constantly.
I got a NEST notification about motion in front yard and when I opened screen I saw this image from the prior evening! Ach. It melted the next day but I would soon start hearing from friends about the approaching big snowstorm.Australian fern palmsFrom my seat while blogging I was continually distracted as hummingbirds visited the feeder on my deck, invariably they were gone by the time I turned my camera on but I got a few iPhone photos, they were silhouetted though so colors i saw dont show up in photos.
I also saw a bizarre looking bird visit the tree next to my patio. My photos were a little blurry as he was in the shade under big leaves but I googled Costa Rican black bird with yellow tufts on legs and ….
“Odd” yellow tufts, “rather hefty” ; not very sensitive review! 🙂I blogged and read my book until 3pm when I had scheduled a deep tissue massage. My legs and hips were still sore from all the surfing (and my continual hiking and activities since).
This was the real luxury spa experience, cotton robes and slippers, etc. The masseuse must have trained at the same school as the one at Kalon Surf because again she was a small woman able to apply intensely painful pressure to my sore muscles. My trapeziuses and calves were the most painful although my quads no picnic either. After an hour of pain I was taken to a comfy chair and given a cup of herbal tea.
View as I sipped my tea. My monthly massage with Nick (looks like a HS football coach) will forever be but a pale reminder of the 4 massages in my 2 weeks in Costa Rica.
I managed to enjoy an hour nap before heading off to dinner. The sounds of light rain on the leaves and the bird calls was just like the music track they play at my home massage place.
The Caprese salad with locally made cheese was tasty and artistic. The Chicken and Risotto was tasty also but not photo-worthy 😉I skipped dessert as my Pina Colada probably had 500 calories! Note the sloth painting behind me, looks like a 3 toe with that dark fur.
I went to sleep early after reading a little about Costa Rica in the 1700s (sadly the usual story of imperial slaughter and enslavement of natives). The Costa Rican Reader explains that when the Spanish first took over Costa Rica (part of Guatemalan province of empire) there were 120,000 native Americans. By 1611 census only 10,000 and by 1700 less than 1000. There was intermarriage and also a small number of slaves imported from Africa for a small Cacao industry on Caribbean side of nation. By the 1800s the population was a fairly stable population with mostly European roots and mostly small farmers and ranchers.
I wanted to get up for my usual sunrise jungle hike before heading back to Hacienda Pozo Azul for another adventure at 8am.
I just thought to check my google photos and saw that Irene had uploaded the last surf day to the cloud. All her videos and photos are there for me to access. Of course by Murphy’s law she did not get my best green wave ride of the day (and my life) except for I think the last few seconds, when I can see that everyone watched my ride as they told me.
Heading out for last day (after wearing my GoPro for the first 10 minutes). Cy, Anand, Geneviève, Pierre, Aaron, me, Bill, Courtney!And with our coaches. From left, Jainer, Leo, Jose, ?name, Director of instructionThis is a screenshot from the video of the ending of my long ride. I must have taken the last green wave of a set because everyone else is heading back out to lineup and there are no real waves out there between the bigger sets.
Sunny Sunday morning and perfect view of Poas Volcano from my patio. It is only 62 degrees at 5:30am, elevation 5000 feet here, but sun rises early here and it will be in 70s soon.Since it was sunny I wanted to go and see the 5 waterfalls of the Rio La Plaz, the dotted lines on the map.
I was leaving at 8:15am for the Pozo Azul Hacienda so made sure to pay attention to time, if it got too late I would hurry back and see rest another day. I wore my jacket since slightly cool but once I did a few steep climbs in the rising jungle heat and humidity I took it off.
Less than 2 mile hike with lots of photo stops but on way back up hill I was breathing hard and glad I had brought a water bottle. 5000 feet has less oxygen. Breakfast before I headed out was coffee, a bar and some fruit.Pool near my rooHad to cut through monkey houses on wayThe waterfalls trail was well paved but stones slippery so had to pay attention.I heard many birds in the jungle but most flew by quickly or I never saw. This bird was digging in the ground near path.Wow! First waterfall, very tall, flow very strong as it is the end of rainy season.Double!If I had more free time I would have returned here with a towel one day and done some wading and laid on the sand for a while listening to the rushing waters and bird calls. No crocs at 5000 feet.They had a huge garden with many varieties of these. I had some time after my hike still so I was heading to see the Jungle Cats since on the way back.Sleepy OcelotPuma. Same species as those in California, etc (mountain lion, cougar) but the tropical varieties of mammals are usually smaller.These two were sleeping whenever I visited, I was told their name, Kinkajou, relatives of Raccoons. They are very nocturnal.Jaguars are largest cats in the Americas. So beautiful.Whose a good kitty? You are.I found the heated pool near my building. It also has a waterfall pool and jacuzzi there.I met my driver Pablo (who would also be my Toucan/Sloth guide and drive me to Pozo Azul on Tuesday.
WOW. I really fell behind those last 2 days on the blogging. It is 8:10pm EST and I am settled in at gate B34 in “Hotlanta”, 41 degrees??? I should have plenty of time to finish up the Blog during the first major lake effect snowstorm that is going to hit Central Buffalo and Amherst starting tomorrow and going until Sunday. So skiing on Black Friday next week? I am working this Friday 🙁I did at least make a Relive video of this mornings hike while at the San Jose airport.
Beautiful valley views as we descended from a mile high to near sea levelLess than an hour drive but much hotter and humid in the lowlandsThis place offered a variety of activities in the Sarapiqui Forest and River. I would do horseback riding and whitewater rafting today and then zip lining on Tuesday. They also offer a farm experience, rappelling, glamming, etc. etc. I highly recommend them, great staff and facilities.It was just me for the ride (still slow “rainy” season until Dec. 1st). The woman spoke English a little better than my Spanish, the guy only Spanish. She was very informative and showed me native plants like Anise. His talents would be revealed later. We started out on a paved road for the first 10 minutes.These houses were across the street from a dairy cow pasture.My horse was named Lucerna. The saddle was more western than English but had no horn, I just grabbed the front of saddle if needed support but she was so steady even in mud, rocks, hills that I rarely did. We rode some trails through the pasture and saw dairy cows and horses. It started to drizzle a little but we then cut into the rain forest and the canopy kept us dry.We took a trail down to the river and saw people whitewater rafting. The river was very fast and high with all the recent rains.And then it really started to pour. Hard to see in this photo but me and the horse are soaked completely. We then had to wait here for a few minutes as the Caballero used his machete to clear a tree that had fallen in front of the path.He was handy with the machete, also using it to cut a coconut open for me. Very refreshing! No need to bring water bottles if one has a machete!I liked this part of the ride where there was almost no trail. The sun came back out and it felt good on my soaked skin. Get along doggies!We were back on the road for the last 10 minutes. It was Sunday and a lot of families were out walking with their kids and strollers.This cute pup led us partway, just off to the right is a barbed wire fence enclosing another pasture. Guide pointed out this amazing bird on the shed next to corral when we got back. A Tiger Heron.
After the horse ride it was time for whitewater rafting. Class 2,3 in this area (higher up the mountains they have 4,5 which would be a little too scary to be fun I think). I had brought a dry set of clothes and a plastic bag for after rafting but was so soaked from riding that I just went with my bathing suit and wet shirt and flip flops for rafting.
I was NOT the only one for rafting luckily. There was a nice couple from London and Pablo joined us also. I brought my GoPro, I hooked it to the front of my life vest and am sure I got some amazing videos. There was a guy in a tiny kayak who came with us to shoot video and also to do any rescues necessary if someone fell in. Our guide gave us a set of command to follow. “Lean in” was the one I made sure to never miss, that was when you lean whole body into the boat before a giant wave or hitting a rock.
The photos were awesome.When we passed a high bank of the river the guide asked if anyone wanted to jump in and I said YES. Any chance to get wet! Notice me holding my flip flops. The Brits came also but chickened out when they saw how high it was.The current carried me downstream to where the raft was beached.Their photos were great but just of us. I shot lots of video and photos of the river with the GoPro. We saw Cormorants, an Osprey, Vultures, an Eagle, a variety of herons and egrets and a Baltimore Oriole down for the winter. We also saw howler monkeys and Sloths in the trees along the river.
On the plane from Atlanta to Buffalo……
After the break for my plunge into the river, Pablo and I switched sides which wasnice and we moved to the back seats. In the front seat there was a rope to wedge your foot under and in my flip flops it got annoying after a while and also paddling on one side for an hour was rough. In the back seat one wedges the foot under the inflatable front seat.
I tracked our raft on my paddling app on my Garmin. We traveled 6 miles. There was a brief thunderstorm with heavy rain towards end of ride. It made me think of all the river scenes in the book “Jungle” I had just finished, most of them did not end well 😉After our raft finally came ashore we got towels and then shared a freshly carved pineapple! A van took us back to the Hacienda and after we changed into dry clothes we had a nice lunch. The hot coffee was much appreciated.Plantain trees on drive back to Peace LodgeView of the La Paz waterfall from a hairpin turn about a mile from the Peace Lodge entrance. It had space for people to park and a few makeshift shops selling snacks and souvenirs.Cool mists on jungle view from my room when got back. Lunch wasn’t until 3 so I planned to skip dinner. I had time for a Jacuzzi and some decaf coffee before a well earned nap.Jacuzzi on my balcony. View of jungle and volcano. Kept my camera close by as hummingbirds were active.
Evening activity was viewing the nocturnal tree frogs.
Taking shelter from rain under the “poor man’s umbrella” plantiPhone night mode view before i went to bed after a long, fun day.
It is 10:50am on Monday. I am settled on a lounge chair under roof of the poolside bar as it has started to drizzle after being partly sunny for my morning hike, breakfast Buffett, animal feeding, etc. I have NOTHING scheduled until a deep tissue massage at 3pm. I wasn’t planning on one but my body ached yesterday after hour waterfall hike, 2 hours horseback riding and 2 hours white water rafting. The bartender has starting setting out placemats and ketchup (Heinz 57, Salsa de Tomate). Tomorrow I just have a few hours of zip lining/jungle canopy scheduled so can hopefully get blog up to date before leave here for airport at 10am Wednesday morning. 2 hour layover in Atlanta and in Buffalo at midnight Wednesday. I saw SNOW on my Nest cam from yesterday in backyard.
Before starting to blog I read for a while. I finally finished Jungle and have started “The Costa Rica Reader”I liked it but the details of jungle survival were pretty awful, better option is probably to watch the Daniel Radcliffe movie from 2017. It’s worldwide gross was only $1.9 million which probably barely covered Radcliffe’s salary! It gets 6.7/10 on IMDB, I will watch it, Amazon Prime.This 2004 book was out of print but i got a “used” one on Amazon cheap and in perfect condition. It is an anthology of 50 works about CR each with an intro by the authors that ties it together into a thorough history of the country from pre-Colombian times to modernity.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5 before my alarm went off. My driver wasn’t taking me to the airport in San Jose until 8am so had some time to relax and read and blog before heading down for breakfast at 7am. It was sad to see only 3 place settings at the table. 5 people had left way before dawn to catch morning flights home.
I went for the avocado toast for my breakfast, no one was there at first so i read my Kindle but then a few others trickled in.They had also packed me a lunch for the ride 🙂Goodbye Mango treeGoodbye Kalon Surf. An amazing week. Will give them a 5 star review on Trip Advisor when I get home.Goodbye ocean viewLeo (one of the surf instructors) would drive me the 3 hours to the airport in San Jose where I would switch to my guide Inez for the hour to Poas Volcano National Park and then onto Peace Lodge.Near the bottom of my last 15 minute trip on the steep, twisty road from Kalon to the coast Leo spotted a Toucan. It was a black-mandibled one like i had seen at breakfast the other day, also called the yellow-throated. Largest of 5 or 6 kinds in CR. They live up to 20 years and are omnivores, eating small birds, reptiles and insects as well as fruit, berries, etc. The route back to the airport was the same but the weather was nicer so I saw a lot more of the coast road than a week ago. This is a palm oil plantation, we also passed the large refinery where it is processed. Leo is 30, he has only been working at Kalon for a year. Before Covid he was getting an advanced degree in natural resources management and working for an NGO that managed some large reserves. After Covid the NGO laid everyone off as foundations funding was cut back. He worked as customer service rep for Amazon for a few years which he said he was glad to have as a salary. He is still working on line to get his degree. Very smart guy. We discussed issues of environmental and economic policies of CR and rest of Central America.Sorry for blur but they were moving fast 🙂 We saw several groups and individuals on road bikes. It was Saturday and sunny. Almost no shoulder on road though so a little scary.Typical mid-sized towns I saw a lot of. All seemed clean and safe looking.Jaco is a much bigger surf town, has tall apartments and hotels along beach.Leo said there was a life-sized crocodile statue soon and rolled down his window so I could shoot a good photo. On the stretch up to Jaco there were a lot of signs for wildlife viewing, reptile shows, zip-lining, etc. Economy of CR is very tourist dependent now as opposed to just Coffee, fruit and flower exports 20 years ago. They also have a lot of large global manufacturers businesses. Their stable government and educated population is good for corporations.Some of the businesses at Crocodile Bridge. It was busy as a fun place for Ticos to bring the kids on weekends. The river was a little lower and I could see a lot more crocs on the banks than last week as we drove by.Just past the Croc bridge you change to toll road (they have EZ pass) and get a highway with 2 lanes each way.As we headed inland from Jaco the terrain was more beautiful. We hit about 20” of traffic. If I was catching a plane my anxiety would be kicking in but as I was not, it was all Pura Vida.At airport i said goodbye to Leo and met Inez who would be my guide. She was driving a Prius taxi she had borrowed for day instead of the usual mini-bus as it was just myself for the tour.
This seems like a good spot for a break. Going to take a dip in pool/jacuzzi, hasta pronto.
Ah, nothing like a short, lazy swim, a few minutes under the hot waterfall and then a long soak in the Jacuzzi.
Ok, back to Saturday, at the airport at 11am.
I introduced myself to Inez and she responded “great, you speak Spanish, my English is not so good”. But, of course, it was better than my Spanish 😉 She told me it was only an hour to the Poas Volcano. On the way she told me a lot about Costa Rica, the different regions and answered any questions I had about things we saw.
All over the country there were roadside stands selling everything from cheese to flowers to BBQ chicken. The pickup trick had Poinsettas and I commented “por Feliz Navidad”. She told me their Spanish name. The car’s A/C was on at airport but after we passed El Restaurante Mirador (view) and saw San Jose below, Inez turned it off and we rolled down the windows to the first cool, dry air I had felt in a week. I checked on the iPhone’s compass app and it showed we were over 4000 feet up, San Jose is at 2500 feet.The vegetation changed as we climbed further, this was at 5000 feet.There were Hydrangeas everywhere, in front of houses, along pastures, etc. They are called Hortensia in Spanish. Along one road we saw a family collecting some huge bright blue blossoms.I like how the dog gets to ride! Woof.We saw many dairy cows (Vacos de leche) versus all the meat cattle we saw on the coastal ranches (Vacos de carne). There were lots of stores and stands selling cheese. I sampled a few of the local cheeses at breakfasts and they are VERY mild. This photo shows why CR is sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Central America. Up here at 7000 feet the cool air, green grass, trees and sky don’t seem tropical. But it is like summer in Switzerland year round. This close to equator there are just wet and dry seasons with same temperature year round.MooooooooThe Lonely Planet guide told me that the Volcano had been quiet for 60 years until 2014 when it got going again. In 2017 there were significant eruptions and all the hiking trails in the park were closed and still are except for one to view crater and one to view the lake.Not that long a “hike” but at 9,000 feet I got a little winded on the uphill parts of the Lake trail.
Good aerial image showing how the lake is a former crater (higher up) filled with rain water, the color is from the volcanic chemicals. The crater is huge, a MILE across, largest active volcano in world.The lonely planet guide is a little outdated as after Covid they have gotten rid of the requirement for hard helmets and timed entry. Also the museum was undergoing renovations but the cafe and gift shop were nice. After the hike I bought Inez and I coffee, I shopped while she got us a table. Right next to me above is a quote from The Little Prince which was also widely quoted in a recent memoir I read called “Fox and I”.They had lots of signs, don’t want you complaining if you die.This is the nicely paved road for the less than one mile from visitor center to crater. One for each direction, must get crazy busy in peak tourist season. That doesn’t start until mid December and runs until April. Today it was totally TICOs out for a nice Saturday outing. I did not hear anyone else speaking English. There were ferns everywhere, on the trail to lake there were interpretive signs explaining that this was a cloud forest. But the sulphuric gases affect which plants thrive here.
Sorry for the delay. It is 24 hours later now. Almost noon on Tue. Nov. 15th. I REALLY wanted to finish this entry before today but I think I used the time between massage and dinner to nap yesterday and then after a great dinner (and Pina Colada) I just read for a while before going to sleep at 9pm. I slept all the way to 5:30 and awoke to blue sky and birdsong. I had a powerbar and coffee as breakfast and then did an hour hike and then went zip-lining. Had a coffee in lobby when I returned and brewed another pot to drink while blogging on the patio. Poas Volcano is slipping in and out of clouds and humming birds distracting me at feeder and bigger colored birds flying in and out of trees below my balcony. My plan is to blog until done with THIS entry, pool/jacuzzi, a BIG lunch and then a nap until 4pm when the big cats are fed and most active. Planning to skip dinner tonight and just have a snack and to sleep early so can do a long sunrise hike tomorrow before breakfast and packing and 10am car to el aeropuerto in San Jose.
Ambulance at top of Poas Volcano, next to the station that monitors for dangerous levels of noxious gases. Even when at safe levels I imagine the sulfur smell and long walk at 9000 feet produces frequent cases of respiratory distress that probably usually resolves with a quick ride back to the visitor center.Glorious view! And soooooo lucky it was sunny and not fogged in by clouds as it often is in rainy season.Even in the sun it was coolish at 9000 feet but on the hike up to lake i had to take off the jacket.It was bubbling a little but Inez said sometimes it is much more pronounced.This is the view to the left of the crater where the lava fields ran.It is so huge that it is hard to appreciate the perspective, It is one mile diameter of the rim.This is the trail up to the lake. I noticed on the way to Poas that Inez was a little short of breath and I told her that I was fine doing the Lake Trail myself. She was VERY happy to agree to meet at visitor center.As I mentioned, this trail had a lot of nice interpretative signs in English also. As a cloud forest it had lots of moss, Bromeliads and a predominance of trees and plants that tolerated the sulfuric gases and occasionally eruptions (of hot gases, not lava lately).The lake was amazing, circular as old crater, it had some nice looking beaches that are no longer accessible to tourists. I heard someone say in Spanish to his friend that it has fish in it. If true, they must have been stocked there by people in the past since seems unlikely they could have gotten there any other was after the volcano went dormant and filled with rain over centuries.The path continued around the lake a few hundred yards but then was closed, it would have been cool to do the full loop but even if still allowed it would be at least 3.14159 miles and require more time than i had.Was glad i wore my hiking boots, they have been to the top of Kilimanjaro, the Galapagos and Iceland. The visitor center where Inez and I had some excellent coffee (supposedly the best beans get exported but I was very impressed with the coffee everywhere I was served some, even lobbies and the Dive shop). I got some overpriced souvenirs but glad to be supporting the national park. Inez and I discussed the World Cup. Costa Rica was one of the last teams in by a “wildcard” spot. They are in a tough group.Spain and Germany great and Japan decent.USA has a more easy group. England will be good but Iran not and Wales a ? Cup starts in a week or 2. Qatar bought off the committee at FIFA, their human rights record is awful but sadly little different than the Olympics being in repressive Russia and China so much lately. The European countries are planning to wear rainbow armbands to show opposition to Qatars intolerance even though they will be fined for a “political” protest. Not sure if USA doing anything, the men are so happy to actually be in World Cup they may keep a low profile. The sloths are super cute but I think Alex doesn’t need anymore stuffed animals.Only about a 30 minute drive from Poas to the Peace Lodge. Descended from 9000 feet to 5000 ft.It poured briefly and then was clear again by time we got to Peace Lodge.RUSTY, the lobby dog at Peace Lodge and my new best friend, very soft fur.Because I made my reservations only 6 weeks ago they didn’t have a smaller room available, don’t hate me …… 😉Volcano view from my patioHammock and jacuzzi tub on patio….Fireplace warmed the room at night, it did get down into 60s up here at a mile elevation.Map and activities!I had made dinner plans for 7 but since I got there before 4 I decided to just eat at 5pm. I was only one in dining room that early and then a family with kids came in and I was worried, but they were CANADIANS. Hadn’t heard an American voice since leaving Dominical at 8am. Menu was in English 🙁I had this ensalada bonita with flores and then a trout from the lake here and a flan for dessert! Deliciosa. I read my Kindle and enjoyed the Spanish music playing.
The room was just perfect temperature snuggled under comforter with fireplace on and I slept very
Hola amigos. It is now 6:55pm on Sunday. Very busy last 2 days and wiped out physically but mentally rejuvenated after a lovely 2 hour nap. I have a nighttime frog finding tour at 7:30pm to finish off my day. Tomorrow is my total relax day. Planning to just hang out by pool, lake, jacuzzi and visit allbirds and animals here. Will also Blog about yesterday and today in detail. For now here are just a few photos.
Poas Volcano, 9000 feet elevation! And sunny despite it being rainy season still !!!View of Volcano from my room patio at Peace Lodge. One of the 5 waterfalls I saw on my hike this morning. Me gusta caballos Wild ride !
Noisy for her size. On my deck. It rained from 5pm Thur until 11am Fri. While blogging on Friday morning I was listened to Apple Jazz radio and somehow they snuck in Willie.. I love his music but hard to classify him as jazz.
It’s 5:30 am on Saturday, Leo is driving me to the airport at 8 where I will meet my tour guide Inez and head to the Poas Volcano National Park. It seems like it will be rainy most of the day so may have zero visibility at top but still worth the trip for me. I can download some photos from the internet. Goal is to finish this blog and shower and dress and pack by 7am, then breakfast and get ready to leave Paradise.
Hard to tell in this still photo but it is pouring. I hadn’t seen one of these plastic chain “drains” before but Anand said it carries most of the rain from the short roof spout to a drain on the ground. I went with the waffles today. I went down at 7:30 for breakfast and Bill was already there on his laptop. I had brought my Kindle because doubted anyone else would be awake this early as we didn’t have anything scheduled until Yoga at 11. I had a 9am Massage/Facial. We chatted for a few minutes but then I read my Kindle and enjoyed my food and coffee.View of jungle out my room door.My massage room today. The Lazy Sloth. The others are the Chilling Monkey, Mystic Morpho and Laughing Toucan.I had an hour long deep tissue massage which I really needed. After Thursday my hips and quads VERY tight and sore. And I didn’t realize how tight my shoulders were until the pain of getting the knots worked out. The rain sounds and bird calls from jungle through the open window/door were amazing.
The facial was included as part of the “surfer pack” I had ordered. One massage included with room but I got the pack also so ended up with 3 during week. The massage was a full hour and then a 15 minute facial but I actually dozed off during it as it was the ultimate relaxation. Various lotions, scrubs, gels were involved.
Am i glowing?I saw this landscaper doing weeding with a sharp machete in the rain. The jungle never stops encroaching on the plants around the lodge. They have to work in rain or would not work at all in the rainy season.I was expecting another 30 minute mellow relaxing stretching session with Irina but then Jose appeared and let us 5 (I think 3 at massages) through a more challenging 45 minutes of Yoga moves specifically tailored to surfing, especially the pop up. Things I can definitely work on back home. Last one was lying on mat like a surfboard with eyes closed and then doing a pop up and while standing (still with eyes closed) visualizing ones position and then opening eyes and seeing if everything is correct.
At the end I asked for help with my difficulties getting my front foot forward enough due to my stiff hips. Jose suggested I only put my foot as forward as I can while keeping midline and then can take a short second step with it as soon as up. Made a big difference in water later.
At video review session they had some drone footage. It went out after I was done on Thursday.Not me 🙂Pierre and Jennie from Quebec, such a cute surfing couple. They were here a few years ago and have done a few other surf vacations and are avid snowboarders, they seemed to move from being beginner to intermediate surfers this trip, still using long boards. There was some great drone footage of Jennie that I said would make her 5 and 8 year old kids say “you are so AWESOME, mom”. They are ER and Infections disease docs.I was surprised they had any decent footage of me from Thursday but I guess I did have some fair pop ups and short rides.The blue line is to show that my knees need to more bent and pointed inward, standing tall is unstable. I do have good arm position and am looking forward though!Tasty looking bruschetta was out during video session but it was only an hour until lunch so i just had a banana.But I couldn’t pass up the offer some very fresh coconut milk.Lunch was chicken tortilla soup, soooooo good.
The rain had stopped by 11 so it was just overcast when we headed to beach at 2pm for our last surf session. Waves at Dominicalito were a little smaller than the day before so few good big ones for the better surfers but perfect for me. The white water was mellow enough that I could paddle out with just one or two turtle rolls. I started in the whitewater (wearing my go pro) and did a few pop up fails, then had one good one and headed out to the lineup to find a green wave. I was a little too forward on the board and nosedived, which should be exciting on GoPro footage. I then paddled back in and put away camera and headed back out to whitewater. I wanted to take my time, use Jose’s advice and do 3 good pop ups in whitewater before going far out again. I actually did 2 in a row!
This is from my Garmin watch. I actually forgot to start the app until after I had been out for 10 minutes because of distraction of GoPro probably. I caught one excellent biggish green wave and had good pop up and ride. And everyone saw it and said it was my RIDE of THE WEEK. I stayed out for almost an hour and a half before heading in for a break and saw that everyone except for Courtney and Aaron were already in. They made us CR style snow cones by shaving a huge chunk of ice and adding the syrup AND powdered milk, AWESOME.Fury loves to tear the husk off the coconuts. Cy alone went out to catch a few more waves and I put on goggles and followed him while swimming all the way out past the breakers to the lineup. It is so much easier for me duck dive under a wave and then do one breaststroke just above sand then to struggle with the surfboard. I only swam for 10 minutes but so enjoyable in the 80 degree water, I body surfed a few waves on way back in. That smile says it was a great week of surfing.Rash guards are not perfect, everyone had these to some degree. Souvenirs of trip, I will see how long they take to heal up.
Before our last dinner all the surf instructors were there for hugs and goodbyes and thanks.
I won a t-shirt for the most @KalonSurf mentions on Instagram.Last meal together, several people leaving at 2 or 3 am to catch early flights at airport which is a 3-4 hour drive. I get picked up at 8am so get one last breakfast.Cy had picked this up at duty free on way in and said we had to finish it, I had stuck to just 2 glasses of red wine at dinner but had some tonight.
It was emotional saying goodbye to everyone. The 8 of us had spent a huge amount of time together over 7 days. The 4 Californians (Aaron SD, Bill Santa Cruz, Cy and Courtney in or near SF) made plans to stay in touch and get together for surfing out there. Now that I know one can get a board for $200 at Costco I just need to make sure I can store it in my uncles garage in Boca Raton…..
I have some notes i need to review and will add another post about this week at some point but time to move onto next adventure.
I recommend both these books. The Theroux one is fiction, the second a Memoir by a New Yorker writer who is also a big wave surfer.
