Monthly Archives: January 2013

The spectacular weather continued here the last couple days. Swell has been a bit bigger, but the tide has been low in the morning which isn’t very good for us on the longboards due to mostly being closeouts. Resumed our surfing with a double session on Wednesday. Surfed early AM, then again at 4pm til sunset. Sunset session around high tide was a lot fun with some nice easy rides. Surfed again on Thursday morning, but only caught about an hour of it until Chris had to call it quits. The cracked rib is only getting worse each session, so think I am gonna hang up the surf board for our remaining days here. A bummer, but glad I was able to get in as much surfing as I did! Definitely feel like I have improved my surfing skills on this trip.

Been enjoying some tasty lunches of home made salads with tuna on top. Got a chance to Skype with the Schaul family on Tuesday night. Tried to get over to the yoga institute for a yoga session on Tuesday, but that was a bust as they weren’t having public classes due to some special event. Planning to try again Friday morning for a session at the same place. Been avoiding the touristy stuff like tours and such, but renting a car this weekend to check out some new beaches.

Plans are finalized for our sailing trip in the British virgin islands on February 8th, just working on provisioning and other small details. The group is getting excited, especially the Chicago folks who are getting some serious winter weather lately. Gonna be a quick turnaround for us between costa and sailing!

We expected to take it easy on Monday and let our bodies recover a bit. Had the usual early morning wake-up routine. Once Cindy woke up , we decided to try some at-home yoga prior to heading to a class this week. Checked YouTube and found a couple intro to yoga videos. Laid out some towels on the patio and follow along. Figured out we are both quite inflexible, at least compared to these yoga instructors. Went thru a few videos and felt pretty good afterwards. Next up was supposed to be a leisurely stroll down the beaches, but ended up being a run to the southern end of playa guiones. A beach which is about 3 miles long!

Found a shady spot at the southern end, away from everything other than a flock of pelicans diving for lunch and a few monkeys enjoying a snack up in the trees. Laid back for a bit just taking in the sights and sounds with a relaxing onshore breeze. Took a dip in the water and trotted back up the beach towards our place. Quite starving by the time we got back. Heated up some rice and beans with salsa for a light lunch. Combined that with a banana pineapple smoothie, using the adulterated pineapple chunks. Might be the best smoothie ever! Took a taste of the leftover flavored vodka, yum as well! Threw that in the freezer for some afternoon shots later this week.

Sun was getting further to the west and the patio had been become uncomfortably hot, so we retired to the meat locker for a siesta. The hours between 2 and 4 are best enjoyed with a siesta in AC or a shady spot in a breeze. Refreshed from our nap, we built a knock of Smirnoff and fruit juice to enhance the senses for an evening stroll. Headed off north around 5pm towards playa pelada. Planned to show Cindy a nice lookout I found last week during my fishing trips. The sun had already set, but we still enjoyed the view from the elevated point. Dusk was quickly fading, so we made our way back down the path towards a pizza place for dinner.

As soon as we got back on the path, a few “birds” buzzed over our heads in the jungle gap of the trail. After about 10 or 15 of these inflight missiles cruised past, we quickly reanalyzed their traits of silent, quick, and numerous around dusk… BATS! Immediately both ducked down to our knees to avoid taking a head shot of a misguided aerial rodent, thus leaving us vulnerable to guano bombs. After what seemed like 5 minutes and a couple hundred bats later, we slowly started making our way down the path using the flashlight I brought and Cindy’s iPhone flashlight app.

Laughed about our bat encounter at the pizza restaurant over a cold beer and glass of red wine. Enjoyed a delicious vegetarian pizza and bananas flambé. Walked back down playa pelada and crossed over the point to playa guiones and back home for the night. Once again we came across the hoards of hermit crabs which come out of the jungle underbrush and night to feed down near the water. Without a flashlight you would definitely be stepping on them in mass.

Legs were quite stiff this morning due to our barefoot run/walk yesterday. Really plan on just relaxing today and checking out a gentle yoga session this afternoon.

La Luna restaurant from playa pelada at sunset

Sunset view from the vista point overlooking playa pelada.

A smattering of hermits living it up at night

Started another beautiful Sunday in the usual manner with coffee and breakfast on the patio. Suited up, sun screened, waxed the boards and ventured down to the beach around 8am. 15 straight days of 3+ hour surf sessions was beginning to take its toll on our bodies. Low tide was around 10am, so the surf was expect to be a bit steeper and closing out (aka. dumping on your head). That was true, but we were able to pick off a few shoulders and make some decent rides during the session. I incurred one nasty wipeout towards the end. Started off as a nice right, but quickly turned into a wall of liquid about to curl over all at once. No where to exist quickly, so ended up in the washing machine with a 9′ surfboard flying around. Board ended up smacking into my right thigh and appears to be an impressive bruise developing. Also been dealing with what appears to be a cracked rib, originally from a prior injury at a 3 on 3 tackle football game years ago. So… Cindy and I agreed that we should take a few days off from competition. Likely check out some yoga, run the beach and explore on foot over the next few days.

Talked with a waiter at the gilded iguana yesterday, who mentioned some nice beaches to check out north of here, with some lesser known surf breaks. That could work out well if we can attain a reasonably priced rental car for a few days at the end of the trip. Tried negotiating a rental deal with the 3 places here in town, but no luck so far. Thinking we will rent a car for the last few days, then drive it back to San Jose on Tuesday to catch our flight.

Lined up a taxi at 6pm to take us over to the fiesta de Nosara, which is an annual event for a week which has the normal carnival atmosphere plus bull riding! Incurred our first pay-to-use bathroom, 60 cents for a stall. Didn’t see anyone get hit by by the bull, even though anyone can run out into the arena. Heard that some drunk gringos got pinned against the wall on Friday night. Enjoyed the sights and sounds at the fiesta and headed back to the house at 9. Not sure our butts could handle sitting on the wood benches much longer anyhow.

View of some of the food vendors at the Fiesta de Nosara

Impressive arena for bullfighting

Opening ceremony includes a group hug by the bullfighters

Bulls are loose after the rider is thrown, leaving the court side spectators to dodge them

Live music in the stands, just like Jags games

Freshly sliced pineapple and vodka is marinating and gonna make some outstanding shots or drinks later in the week

Came out to the porch this morning for the usual coffee and Internet check to start the day. Discovered a new pal had joined us here at the house.

Enjoyed a nice dinner and live band at gilded iguana last night. Additional free entertainment provided by some hippie chicks drinking and dancing with their Tico guides.

Somehow got a letter in the mail yesterday too. It turned out to be from our cat, jalapeño. Guess she has learned English and writing while we have been gone.

I have been cuddling with Grandma at night, snuggling under the covers. She feeds me REALLY well, just what I like, you know, Fancy Feast meat meals. I sit/recline on Grandpa most nights while he watches some strange shows that talk about DOW averages and such. I still hawk up a hairball now and then because you know, I bathe FREQUENTLY. I haven’t lost any more teeth and I continue to have reeky breath. Did you not take out dental insurance for me either?? Well, that’s about it for me. Oh yeah I do like the catnip that Grandma puts on the living room rug. AAAHHHHH……
Love, Princess Jalepeno

Woke up leisurely this morning around 8am and noticed that the power was out. Walked over to the hotel next to our house for some coffee and found that the Guanacaste winds were blowing nicely. Ate some oatmeal with bananas and honey, suited up, sunscreened up, got the boards waxed, and headed down to the beach. Waves seemed a little bigger today. Talked to the photographer at the beach and he said the waves hadn’t been forming too well early this morning but were starting to look better as the tide started coming in. Turned out to be another awesome day of surfing with the winds staying offshore all morning and having a little more size to them. Taking that last wave in always seems to come to a question of which comes first: the onshore winds causing poor surfing conditions, or such extreme hunger and fatigue that we just can’t go on! Once we finally took the last wave in for the day, we headed back to the house, put the boards up, and took a walk into town for some much needed lunch and in search of some more sunscreen and surf wax. All of the roads around here are dirt and gravel, and since it is the dry season, dust has been an issue. Many business and homes will pay to have molasses poured onto the dirt roads to prevent dust from flying around. It’s pretty sticky at first but after a few days, it hardens and sort of “paves” the road. It was interesting to see how it’s done, a big truck comes with barrels of molasses that is manually poured onto the road. As we walked into town, we found a local soda, Rosie’s Soda Tica, and stopped for lunch. They seemed to have a good lunch crowd and we discovered the food to be delicious! We both had the casado, a local tico plate which has a little of everything- beans, rice, salad, vegetables, and meat. I decided to have chicken and Chris had pescado (fish). Both were amazing and seasoned so well! Along with our meals, we each had a fresh fruit shake- I had banana and Chris had papaya. After lunch, we went in search of more sunscreen and surf wax. The surf wax was no problem, but after searching many markets and surf shops, we were finding sunscreen to consistently cost around $20. Note to self: when traveling to tropical destinations, bring enough sunscreen! Finally found some for a slightly less $15 per bottle, and as Chris pointed out, it’s cheaper than a visit to the dermatologist:) Lastly, we hit up the mini market for some groceries and headed back to the house for another heated game of canasta!

Casado pescado for lunch

Banana and papaya smoothies are delicious on a hot afternoon

Said hola to the parrot at coconut harry’s

2 weeks of non-stop surfing can lead to strange ankle tan lines

Tough job laying down molasses in this heat

Ahh, no more dust

Swell has subsided a bit the last couple days into the 2-3 foot range.  Took advantage yesterday of the fewer surfers in the water.  Brought along the gopro and hopefully took some good footage of cindy cruising on some glassy rides.  Been a good opportunity to work on some nose riding, turning, and footwork while the waves are smaller.

Spending our afternoons with a siesta in our bedroom where we have AC, then a lively game of canasta. It’s a mid-life retirement for us, so it’s kind of expected that we learn card games which are normally played by a 70+ crowd. Usually around 4 or 5 we’ll head back out to the beach for more surfing or just to enjoy the sunset.  Too hot out from 1-4, so finding shade or AC is a must.

Woke up early again this morning and walked back to the nosara river with my fishing rod.  I really enjoy the early AM when it’s serene and cool.  Very low tide at sunrise today, so all sorts of creatures hanging out in the tide pools.  Still no luck on finding an elusive snook, but did entice a crocodile to check out the lure.

Southern view from the north end of playa guiones

Tide pools at low tide

Northern view over playa nosara and nosara river mouth

Mirror-like on the river, watch out for crocs!

Some sort of worms leave these trails

Annual rodeo is happening this week down in nosara by the airport.  Plan on catching a ride and checking it out one of these nights.

Weather continues to be amazing and consistent here the last couple days. Offshore breeze in the morning with clear skies leading to an onshore breeze by mid-day with bright sunshine followed by light winds for a beautiful sunset with minimal clouds. Daily surf sessions have also been great. We can definitely notice our improved physical condition compared to our trip in 2011. Paddling out a few times in heavy surf really wiped us out last time, but now we have been able to do 3-5 hour sessions each day with no problem.

After dinner on Saturday night we walked down to the beach around 9pm and decided to start a campfire and lay back checking out the stars. Came across another fire which was partially extinguished and brought it back to life with a few piles of sticks. Pulled up a large log for a headrest and laid back listening to some music on my phone, taking in the sights of a partial moon and various constellations of stars. We both looked out to our left and noticed something flying across the sky to our right. Best guess would be a meteor of some sort since it had a trail, looked to be really close compared to the stars and appeared to burn out towards the horizon over land. A first meteor viewing for both of us!

An immense amount of wood is available on the beach from rainy reason when the flooding washes out the nearby river. Highest tides make a nice line of readily available firewood, normally dried from the daily sunshine and dry conditions. Most people think of Costa Rica as a rainforest, but this particular area is very dry this time of year. So dry in fact, that most people who ride motorbikes or atv’s wear face masks to keep from breathing in the dust from the gravel roads. Most everything near the roads is covered in dust, so some places water down the road each day or pay to have molasses sprayed on the road near their house or business. Walking on a fresh coating of molasses sure smells good, but leads to a stickiness on sandals with a coating of gravel underneath.

Been using up the Mahi we bought each day for lunch and/or dinner. Made some really tasty sandwiches on Sunday for lunch. Just sautéed Mahi served on toasted bread with home made salsa and lettuce and bit of cream cheese. Went down really easy with a glass of Imperial after our surf session.

Checked out a few local bars yesterday during the nfl playoff games. First stop was kaya sol, which is right near our place. Had a couple beers and tried their tostones with black beans and cheese. While enjoying our food and beer, we both noticed the table sway slowly and Cindy mentioned the ground appeared to be moving. No one else in the bar seemed to notice, so we didn’t immediately head for shelter. Another first for us, an earthquake! Afterwards we talked about it, then mentioned to Cindy that earlier in the day during my siesta I noticed the bed swaying a couple times too. Thought maybe I was losing it when I first felt it, since she didn’t say anything. After talking to some folks, guess they have been experiencing tremors on a regular basis ever since the larger earthquake occurred back in September.

Continued on to Marlin Bill’s to catch the second game, where we met some folks from NY area. Guess they are staying near us in a house and have a 31′ offshore fishing boat over on garza. Hopefully see them again and possibly get out on the water for a fishing trip. Finished the night back over at Pacifico Azul for their weekly BBQ and live music. Decided to try their BBQ, which we split along with a ceviche appetizer.

Just over a week for us here so far and loving every day!

Got up early this morning to try my hand at some beach fishing.  Brought along a rod and a couple topwater lures to try out.  Started down the beach around 530am, just as the sun was starting to rise.  Muy tranquilo!  No one out other than a couple howler monkeys.  Planned to make my way over to the nosara river which is a few coves north of us in playa guiones.  Crossed over the first point into playa pelada, where have been numerous times already.  Continued north along the beach to playa nosara then found a trail heading inland a bit to cross over the point.  Appeared to be some roads cut thru the jungle for a subdivision that never came about.  Hit a couple dead ends before ending up on the right road to the river mouth.

Caught a great view from the hilltop of the northern beach and river mouth.  A great view at that time of the morning.  Also saw some animals crawling around, but still need to find out what they were.  They looked at me with an inquiring stare until i moved on.  Talked with a gringo down by the river, he was just returning from the other side of the river on kayak.  He owns a kayak rental shop nearby, which we may check out next week.  They said the fishing had been slow all morning.  Turned back and made my way back to the house, making some casts with no catching success.

Got back to the house and found cindy just out of bed relaxing on the porch.  Found out the farmers market was going on until 1, so we walked up after breakfast.  Not a lot of vendors at the market, but they did have a nice selection of treats, jams, sauces and a couple selling seafood.  Talked with a couple nice guys who run a nearby farm and bought a loaf of bread, salsa, honey and a tamale (aka costa rican fast food).  Seafood vendor had some real nice fillets.  Picked up 1kg of mahi and a container of ceviche.  Mahi seemed like a great deal at $12 for 2.2 lbs.

Tamale wrapped up

Lunch with a real biodegradable container!

Hit the surf when we returned around 11am but found the onshore winds started already.  Caught a couple nice rides before we paddled back in to save our energy for a sunset session with hopefully some glassy swell.  Ate our ceviche for lunch with a liter of imperial.  Time for a siesta before surf session numero dos.

Awoke this morning to strong offshore winds, referred to as Guanacaste’s, so after the plumber who came to fix our sink left, we headed out to surf. Offshore winds usually make for good surf conditions and today they didn’t disappoint. Not much of a crowd out in the water today, I guess because a lot of surfers didn’t want to fight the wind. The wind was quite strong, and we kept having to paddle back in as we were getting carried out to sea. We also had to paddle harder to catch waves, but when we did, the winds held the waves up for super long rides! The winds let up as time went on, but remained offshore, and the conditions just kept getting better. After 4+ hours of surfing, it was still hard to finally take one in, but we were physically exhausted and our appetites were ravenous! We headed back to the house for a couple of well deserved cold beers and lunch. It was an awesome day of surfing!!

Celebrated another birthday yesterday (Cindy’s) and it was about the most perfect day you could get! Woke up to warm sunny skies and Chris got our day started with a yummy breakfast of eggs, buttery Cuban toast and coffee. Headed out for a morning surf session and the conditions were great. Hard to beat surfing great warm waves (no wetsuit required) in the middle of January! We surfed for a few hours, then had a couple of beers and lunch at the Gilded Iguana. Afterwards, we relaxed at the house for a bit, then I headed to Tica Massage for my birthday massage. Thanks mom and dad for the birthday fun money!!! It was the best massage I’ve ever had- they put you in little huts with the windows open and the breeze coming in while you’re getting massaged with aloe which makes your skin feel nice and cool and it is fabulous!! Walked back to the house in a daze with every muscle in my body feeling totally relaxed. Much needed after 5 straight days of 3 hour surf sessions! In the meantime, Chris had booked our fishing trip for the next day with Fishing Nosara, and headed out for an evening surf session. I walked down to the beach to watch the sunset and meet up with Chris. Afterwards, we got cleaned up and walked on the beach to La Luna Restaurant in Playa Pelada for dinner. La Luna is right on the water and has a beautiful ambiance. Once we crossed the path from Playa Guiones to Playa Pelada, we noticed that there were hermit crabs all over the beach so we stopped to watch them for a while. We started with ceviche for an appetizer which was delicious. Then, I had the snapper and shrimp with a coconut lime sauce, with rice and veggies which was fabulous! Chris had the fish tacos. We followed it with a trit for dessert which is an ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream with a chocolate swirl sandwiched between 2 of the best sugar cookies you’ve ever had. You can buy trits in the grocery store here, so we thought La Luna may have a homemade one, but actually it was the same thing, just covered with chocolate syrup, ha! Oh well, it was good anyway! Then we walked back to the house with full bellies and called it a night. It was truly a wonderful birthday!!!