View from a cliff side, Jaco beach |
So I figured I may as well take some surf lessons since I’m in one of the best surf locations in Central America, I mean how hard can it be? You just stand up on a board...it looks so easy. So I’ll start off with what I did well, and that was getting up on the board once I was “in a wave”. The balance part is a bit tricky, but if you've ever snowboarded or skateboarded it’s not too bad. With my instructor spotting waves for me, positioning my board exactly where it needs to be and literally pushing me into the wave itself, I just had to stand up on my own and ride that bitch into shore. What I still need to improve on though, is the spotting of the wave itself and getting my board into the right position, as well as learning to get out of a wave if it’s not looking so well. But whatever, I've taken lessons it’s time to head out past the break and catch some serious waves on my own....
It got ugly real quick folks let me tell you, surfing is not easy. I wasn’t spotting the right part of the wave at all, I was simply seeing a wave, turning around and paddling like crazy trying to catch it, only to have the peak of the wave crest right on me. It’s tough to explain the feeling of looking over your shoulder to see a wave crash on you, although these were only 4-5 foot waves, it’s still daunting looking up at this wall of water that’s laughing at you and you’re stupid rental board and sunburned face. I’m pretty sure I heard Posiedon yell at one point (in a Samuel L Jackson voice) “THIS IS MY HOUSE SON, WHAT YOU DOIN’ IN MY HOUSE” and wave his trident around like Mutumbo would after a block. But I’m a persistant mofo so I’d get back on my board, paddle out and try it again. I got better at spotting waves, but I definitely need practice. Let me tell you when you do get up, and actually ride a wave, it’s a pretty amazing feeling....and at the same time you’re getting excerise and a suntan so win/win.
Dog catching the sunset |
Jaco is a great town for surfing, chilling and hooker dodging...but it was time to move on, so on Wednesday I caught a bus down the coast to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio is prodominately known for it’s national park which is chaulk full of birds, monkeys, sloths and other things that can kill you if you don’t bring their sister back by midnight. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but the highlight definitely was the monkeys. Our guide was amazing at spotting everything, and did a great job at spotting and calling down 3 monkeys from up in the trees.
3 toed sloth |
Who ordered the banana daiquiri |
After the guided tour a few of us went down to the private beaches inside the park, and we’re glad we did.
Jake (Philly), Steve (UK), Chantelle (NY), and me |
Playing an invisible Saxophone or brushing up on my Thriller impersonation? |
Quite the contrast from the beaches of Jaco, these beaches have fluffy white sand and crystal blue waters. So the group of us took the opportunity to chill out for the afternoon in paradise.
From there it was back to the hostel to grab a bus into San Jose, where I would depart the next morning for La Fortuna which is a quant little town that sits at the base of Arenal Volcano. The hostel I stayed at in Manuel Antonio had stunning views, free breakfast and air conditioning....all for $12 a night! Oh and the movie of the night was Sniper 2 “starring” Tom Berenger. You put war paint on his face and a rifle in his hands, and that man makes dream comes true people let me tell you.
So anyways, here I am waiting for the bus for La Fortuna and looking forward to some volcano action. Oh I almost forgot to talk about the buses here in Costa Rica, what a delightful experience this is. For example, to catch the bus out of San Jose to La Fortuna my guide book (updated in Dec 2010) says 12:30pm departure time. The cab driver on the way over assured me there wasn’t one until 4:30pm, and the guy at the ticket booth just printed me off a ticket for an 11:30am bus (40 mins from now). I’ve had this same experience with pretty much every bus I’ve taken. Luckily I’ve found someone who speaks decent english to make sense of it for me, but be forwarned and try not to have a tight schedule to accompany these “changes” in bus times. But once you’re on these busses it’s a comfortable ride, and cheap (about $1 per hour).
I'm meeting up with my friends on Sunday, and then it's back to the coast! Until then keep fit and have fun folks.
Coub! Looks awesome dude - love reading these posts. So jealous that you got to watch Sniper 2. And I suppose being in Costa Rica isn't bad either.
ReplyDeleteNobody has ever explained surfing to us quite like that. Sounds like a real challenge. Anyone spotting for shark fins while you were doing this?
ReplyDeleteChalk another one up on Big Coub's board - I was up and spotting waves no problem inside an hour on Waikiki. Try a little harder next time lil' bro.
ReplyDeleteShawn man this is wicked!! You are totally gonna make more people wanna travel by doing this. Have fun be safe. - Marcus
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