Day 5- bugs bite, wipeouts happen

Further leaving comfort zones every day.. Now I'm down to a smaller board, 7 foot 2 inches to be precise. Went to a new beach with some stronger waves than past days. It started out with some nice rides. Awesome moment alert- caught wave, rode it in.. Took a second to look down at the clear water and there was a huge school of decent sized fish scurrying around in front of me. They were probably scared I was about to fall and land on them. So that was cool. Then I got pretty exhausted in the middle with all the extensive paddling out, harder than you think. Ended with a beauty. Always good to do that so you want to go back in the AM.

Timing was epic yesterday. We caught the beautiful sunset as we were loading the beach van back up. The attached picture was right after it from a friend's phone. As you can see I've gotten really tan. The drive back was one of those classic- this is why i came here moments- (costa rica / Pura Vida / surf life). Beach van loaded up with surfboards, argentine surfers, bumping around poorly paved pothole filled roads post surf 30 min outside Tamarindo in a village, locals riding old bikes around, living their life, and playing 90s Spanish music (they were singing along).

Got back to hostel around 7 and did the chill, regroup, hang out thing until hunger hit. I went to a BBQ joint called Longboards for fish tacos that some fellow travelers recommended. Cool little place owned by an expat from Colorado, food prepared by the locals. The fish tacos were amazing, to the point where a return trip is in line before I leave this town for sure. We're talking- Smoked fish tacos with avocado, pineapple, and mango with a nice salsa and BBQ sauce on top.

Let me recap my chow yesterday- fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast, traditional home cooked Costa Rican lunch covered in hot sauce and those next level fish tacos I had for dinner. Oh yeah and the late night toasted chipotle chicken bacon avocado Cuban sub! Anyone that knows me knows every bit of the day's consumption were hitting the right spots in my stomach.

Today I woke up at 7 and headed out to the same spot I was yesterday afternoon. It was an early morning after a, well Friday night, but the excitement of surfing again made the transition from bed to board super easy. I'm getting better at reading waves and predicting where they will break, which is really helpful when catching waves. Caught some really nice waves this morning and had some even more impressive wipe-outs.

Bruised up knees and ribs, rashed leg and stomach from the waxed board, bug bitten ankles, cut up left hand and sore shoulders/traps/neck explains the worst of my physical condition right now but you will hear no complaints from me as its a part of this great experience, the taxes that need to be paid to live this way- no evading.

Alright time to rehydrate and go back for round 2 today. And yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going back to that BBQ fish taco joint tonight.

Day 3- Start of Surf Camp

Got into Tamarindo safely yesterday using the Interbus shuttle service. I was originally planning on using the public bus system but when I was informed it turned a 4 hour direct shot into an 8-10 hr journey with 4 different transfers I made the decision to fork over an extra $25 and take shotgun in the smaller shuttle. If I had more time in Costa Rica I would acquaint myself more with the public transportation but the purpose of this trip isn't to live completely on a backpackers budge but to enjoy what the world offers before reporting to duty Oct. 1 for IBM. The shuttle worked out very nicely. I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish w/ the driver and grab a few morning siestas in the reclining front seat.

The shuttle arrived me at my hostel in Tamarindo around 1 in the afternoon (instead of 5-7 in the evening) which allowed me the opportunity to settle into my hostel, watch some Spanish television during the rainy part of the afternoon and grab an evening/sunset surf sesh to remove rust from my system before the start of my surf camp.

Out of every hostel I've ever stayed in (around 30) I think La Oveja Negra Hostel I'm staying in now holds the most character. The place is ran by a few guys from Spain, Argentina and Costa Rica that love to surf. Guests range from dreadlocked dudes to surfers to backpackers from Switzerland and Canada. Attached is a picture of the "Internet corner" to give a taste of the place. Oh and they hooked me up with a private room because they aren't at capacity (low season).

So I settle in and get to the beach to test out the Costa Rican surfing everyone speaks highly of. From te second I step foot in the water, I fall in love with it... Because the water is so warm (83-86 degrees I'd say). The waves are consistent and the hour out there went by quickly. I caught some nice waves and before I knew it, the sun was setting and it was getting dark. I'm not sure what it is about me doing things once dark and loving them (hot springs slide Tuesday, surfing yesterday) but it was really cool surfing in the near dark! It forces you to trust yourself and your abilities because you can't see the board amongst other things.

So that was cool. Went out last night.. Yada yada.. And now I'm about To head out for some more surfing (day 1 of the 3-day surf camp). Huge shout out to my friend / hockey linemate Matt Gellatly for buying my bed back at school and uncle Dave and aunt Renee for the generous gift of $ upon graduation that made this surf camp possible.

All is good in Costa Rica, living that Pura Vida. Hope all is well with everyone reading this, wherever you are in the world!