Eat, Surf, Sleep, 2012 BCC Pavones Surf Trip
I have heard the mantra over and over since we have been here. I have seen the t-shirts, bumper stickers, and signs; eat, surf, sleep. I never knew how serious it was until this last week. I was fortunate to be invited along for a men’s surfing trip to a surf spot called Pavones, on the very southern Pacific edge of Costa Rica. It is said to have the second longest left ride in the world, and even though I lean to the right, I was willing to give a ride. So me, Ben & Jeremy packed up for a post church 9 hour drive to surf. Two cars, 15 men, about 20 surfboards, probably 15 board shorts and half as many pairs of clean underwear headed south praying for great waves and good times. We were not disappointed.
The drive was long and tedious at times as the rains and darkness slowed down the last half of the drive. As we drove the tiny roads and crossed the many, very high, un-railed wooden homemade bridges it dawned on me that these guys really like to surf. And as I looked around, there was only one other guy in the group, over 40, who had just started surfing this last year. Everyone else in the group had been surfing since childhood, so either we were idiots or we were brave, time would tell.
Pavones, or turkey town, is a very small village, a couple of tiny stores, some local surf shops, and a couple of places for non-surfing, non-sleeping surfers to grab a bite. No pavement, no ATMs, no Walmart, just a spot near a beach for world class waves, and that was all we needed. We all stayed in a house that was converted to rent to loco surfer’s such as ourselves, some on beds, some in tents, couches, floors, anywhere away from the mosquitos and the rain, cuz we knew we just needed a place to keep our boards and to nap.
The first morning we were all tired, pulling in well after 10 pm excited for an early rise. There were many among us as giddy as schoolgirls before their first dance, unable to sleep. At 5 am the floor started creaking, bodies started moving and the coffee was being poured. As the sun began to rise, boards were being prepped, waxed, new fins attached, leashes made ready and the anticipation of the sun too much for us to bear. Qucikly, men starting walking the 200 yards to the beach to get a taste of a world class wave. Overcast skies, and offshore breeze, huge slow breaking waves greeted us all as we tip toed over the rocks seeking the quickest way to the shoulder.
Personally my arms turned to jelly on the swim out to the waves. It seemed like never ending strokes attempting to reach a mirage way off in the distance. Even the seasoned vets had to take a break before attempting to catch one of these endless waves. It was gratifying to watch man after man as they found they peak of the wave, stroked quickly, slid down the wave and rode on for what seemed like hours. Four hours later, stomachs grumbling, the waves subsiding just a little, we decided it was time for the eat portion of our trip.
During breakfast, exhaustion seemed to overwhelm us, or our adrenaline had abandoned us, because men were dropping where they sat, some with plates on their laps, forks in their mouths, or coffee in their hands. But as quickly as they fell they again rose looking for the next wave. Me, Lyle and Mike F. decided to try and find our boys who were surfing a secret spot. We had loose directions from Marcell, and set off on an adventure. Unable to find them, we went down a trail by some cabanas. As the trail became overgrown and jungly, we decided it was best to turn around, so we stopped and Mike ran ahead to see if there was an opening to turn around. We should’ve know by the way he bulleted back to the car that something was up. There were waves, big long waves he exclaimed, in short panting breaths. But the best part, no one, not one person was in the water. You can make it, he exclaimed, it opens right up. Open up was a very loose word usage, as we had to dodge Lyle’s car between trees, under branches and to the beach to get to the waves. But it was worth it. He was right. There were big long waves and we were the only three people on the face of the earth that day that got to surf those waves. It turned out to be the best 3 hours of surfing we would have on that trip, and possibly in our entire life. Wave, after wave, after wave of rides 100 – 200 yards long, with only each other to take turns with. No wind, no chop, just rideable wave after rideable wave. In all honesty, it has probably ruined surfing for me from that day forward, and I truly wish my skill level was better so that I could’ve rode the waves for quite a time longer. Unfortunately I have no photos for we were all in the water.
So that’s how the trip went, eat, surf, eat, sleep, surf, eat, surf, on and on and on. Our muscles were tired, our body’s were aching. Some of the waves were too big to ride, some were too crowded to ride, but every wave caught was better than any wave we could catch back home. Ben got barreled and Jeremy rode the longest waves of his life, by far. And because of this trip I now know how to eat, surf and sleep, and although it is certainly not as easy as it sounds, I can’t wait until I get to do it again.
Alaska; Costa Rica similarities? It’s a breeze.
Throughout the last 7 months I have been highlighting the differences between Costa Rica and Alaska, today however I am going to key on a similarity. In Alaska, we always mused that we only had two seasons, 9 months of winter and 3 months of summer. Some would say breakup was also considered a season. Our springs were mired in the much of breakup and our falls, well they seemed to last about a week. So we endured winter and lived for summer.
Here in Costa Rica they have two seasons as well, the green or rainy season and the dry season. I posted several blogs during the rainy season, and man it sure does rain. It rains like I have never seen, like Forest Gump Vietnam rain. Well were are now a couple of months or so into the dry season and much like breakup in Alaska we are experiencing a new intra-season, the windy season. The wind here, like all great winds has a name, the Papgayo (I think there are 50 different ways to spell it) winds. These winds are fierce. They start rattling the palm trees at about 5:30 in morning, a natural alarm clock, and often die down about 12 hours later, before repeating the cycle. They are strong, gusting and loud. I mean these are the kind of winds that take a toupee to Panama. They will dry a clothes line full of clothes in 10 minutes or less. They will hurl a coconut down the street faster than a Roger Clemens fastball, post steroid use. These are seriously impressive winds. Winds that would frighten me if I was patrolling the Bering Sea in January like the old days.
a little spray taken off the top of this small comber.
another small one showing the evidence of the winds
Personally I have been enjoying them for they make being outside quite bearable. However, yesterday while hanging at the beach and doing a little surfing, I saw a glimpse into the downside of the Papagayos. You see if you have ever tried to sit on the beach in a bathing suit, during a wind storm,it is akin to being shot at by dozens of kids with airsoft guns. Basically, you are being sandblasted, the same method we used to remove paint off of our old steel boats in Alaska. It is slightly unpleasant. So to escape you jump in the water with your surf board to catch some waves. The problem there is that the wind causes a wind chop that has you taking constant green water over your bow, making it very difficult to navigate. Furthermore it pushes wherever it wants you to go, which is not where you want to be. The good news, if the hurricane is blowing off shore, then you get the perfect barrel for surfing, if you know what you are doing, and I don’t. So I usually end up upside down, holding my breath on the bottom of the ocean waiting for the thundering of the ocean to quiet down so that I can emerge to get some air, pull my surfboard back to the water as it flutters in the wind like a kite, paddle back into the wind, and try again.
spray warning
more wind clouds
but it does lend itself to some nice sunsets and cloud formations
So there you have it, Costa Rica is just like Alaska, two seasons and each with their good and bad points. Alaska’s interim breakup is messy and makes it difficult to be outside, Costa Rica’s windy season is messy and makes it difficult to be on the beach. A couple big differences, although I do take a ton of water over the bow, I don’t have to worry about icing up, and during AK’s breakup your toupee is not only safe, but a good way to keep your noggin warm. Here in CR, unless you are using superglue, best put that thing in lock up for January and February and get a little sun on your dome, after you sandblast off all the dead skin of course.
Here is a short video, with the full sounds of the winds in our back yard.
Costa Rica Day 11 The boogie man!
Today was a day for boogie boarding. So back to Playa Grande we went, for the surf on our beach is nearly non-existent, great for swimming, not surfing. Picture a surf town you would see in a movie, very small buildings, very small community, lots of small bars and hostels, and some small surf type eateries except with 75% percent of the people habla espanol, y solomente espanol, and that is Playa Grande. Once there, we rented a boogie board, because you are never too old to boogie. I would have preferred more of an offshore wind, but I made do.
Tra showing me how it is done
Now remember I have already conquered ( or survived) my guacho time. I have become a wildlife expert, so it is time for me to join the surf community, except I think I will do it on a boogie board. It’s basically the same thing right? You know, skis vs. snowboard, they both bring you down the mountain, they both bring you in on the surf. One small miscalculation, I am 41 years old, and my body doesn’t twist and turn like it used to. Therefore, when the power of the ocean wants my top to move one way and my bottom to move the other, well there’s a bit of a problem there.
Tra working the surf
I did manage to get a few good boogies ( pretty sure that is the technical term) in before I pulled my left leg out of socket and bent it over my ear. At least that is what it felt like. Tra then hit the water and showed me how it was done, catching three waves in row. Maybe she should be giving the lessons at the local surf shop, Frijoles Loco. It was very fun day, with many hours spent in the sun, a fantastic sunset (again), two hours cleaning our sand from every inch of our bodies,and a great dinner at Angelina’s here in Playa Flamingo. A nice simple day in paradise.
time to head out and catch another one
Catching the big Kahuna.
View back from the water on the packed beach
Packed beach
our dinner spot, it was very nice, great night breeze
We had the whole beach pretty much to ourselves, figuring hard partying surfers don’t get up till after noon sometime (actually they get up at 5 am to catch the best waves), until a couple of local guys came to the beach with a blue soccer ball. Within 10 minutes , there were nearly 20 guys right in front of us playing a full fledged soccer game. Within the group I heard some Spanish, Italian, and possibly some French, or that could have been cursing. It was amazing what one little ball could do to an otherwise peaceful beach. Not that we minded, but we found it interesting that we had a 1 mile long beach with hardly anyone there, and the soccer game broke out right in front of our spot. Maybe I’m just upset they didn’t ask me to play, after all once I got my leg back into place I could have sat in goal.
Costa Rica Day 4 Surf’s up!
Today, like every other day so far, the weather was fantastic. It was actually a little cloudy in the morning which allowed me and Tra to get a jog in on our beach. During which we ran into a snake, I think it was dead but I wasn’t positive. I picked it up…with a stick of course and I couldn’t tell if it was moving due to me or trying to get a way. It was black and yellow and about 16 inches long. Of course we did not have a camera. Then last night, Tra went out to sit on the patio and screeched, she saw about 5 or 6 raccoons chilling near the pool. She tried to get some pics, but it was a little dark.
Raccoon getting the heck outta here!
Tra's favorite gecko cuz he is missing his tail
all the kids wear uniforms to school, some blue some white, all beautiful children. Tra wants to bring em all home.
After our jog we decided to check out a couple of surf beaches, first we went to Playa Grande and we loved it. The beach is a popular surf site and it was a cool place to be. Even as popular as it is we only saw about 30-40 people there, mostly locals. We really liked that beach a lot, even more than the one at our house. I know, sacrilegious. As we parked the car there, Tra spotted an iguana and went to get some pics, we soon noticed there were about 7-8 iguanas in that ditch, it was great.
- One of the iguanas, this one was about 3 feet long.
Gotta protect the dome at all times at Grande
Grande surfer
Tra on Playa Grande
Mr. hermit wanted us off his beach.
We then went to Playa Negra, the trip there was very interesting. The roads were pretty horrific, to the point that I thought we were for sure lost many times, but alas we were not and we made it. It too seemed to be a local hangout, but it had an awesome set up with these handmade wood loungers set up in the trees. The surf was not as good as Grande, but it was decent and I even did some body surfing, or flailing and drowning as Tra called it. I thought I looked pretty awesome, I am sure I was mistaken for a local.
Playa Negra
Glenn praying for help
Tra bracing herself
Tra beach-combing at Playa Negra
Check out the cool hand made loungers (that is my word)
In between the beaches we did a little house hunting and found some great lots near Grande. They were up on a hill, and had great views and I think they were about 3-4 acres each. A very nice area. We also looked at an open house, it was beautiful, granite counters, dark local wood, tile floors, huge kitchen, outdoor kitchen, garage and pool. Only about a mile from the beach and it could be yours for about 500k, with special international financing at 8.5%. Good stuff eh?
lotsa lots for sale
lots of lots for sale
One lot we looked at
One lot we looked at near Playa Grande
house we looked at near Playa Negra
cool sinks
We ended the night in the pool at our house listening to the surf and watching the sunset. We did have a nice lunch near Grande at a place called Kikes, it was suggested by the locals and it was cheap and tasty. We loved the atmosphere. All in all another great day of Pura Vida.
Here are the things we learned today:
1. There are definitely roads that require 4X4, but they lead to great places.
2. We don’t want to know where the chicken we had for lunch came from.
3. Dudes love their surfing, and it is worth while to check other beaches out.
4. There is some great property for sale here.
5. Many beaches don’t have a bano or a place to change, so think ahead.
6. It takes a cold can of diet Pepsi about 10 minutes to get to 80 degrees, and it takes about 25 minutes for the can to absorb enough heat to scar your lips when you attempt to drink of it.
Tra hanging ten and staying dry
This is the proper form
Lunch place, good local surfer hangout, we fit right in.
Near day's end at Playa Negra, notice dome protector.
Da da, na na, jaws is on the loose.
