albert413's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries

albert413's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member albert413 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/albert413 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:40:43 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Day of Reflection — Charlotte, North Carolina, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248195001/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248195001/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248195001/tpod.html Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:40:43 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

1. I miss everyone and wish I was still there2. My body hurts, Bruises and bumps    - Nasty black and blue bruise/scratch on right bicep- Ninja chalkboard    - Bruise on left shin - surfboard    - Bruise and small puncture wound on left sole of foot - Walking on rocks and puncture?? no clue    - Red marks on both shins courtesy of those mean jellyfish, they were the size of honda civic.    - Scratches on toes and knees - surfboard wax    - Shoulders are sore, but not bad, which is a good sign2a. Brendan, well he got the gout...seriously, who gets gout nowadays? Its like he went went on a bender in a Charles Dickens novel? Is scurvy or ricketts going to make a come back? Well, I truly hope that B gets better.3. Books Read - NONE4. Broken Mac and Bar Tab - $$$ Lack of self control5. I made great new friends, Mike "the wave ripper/Rookie"Murphey, Canadian Dave-expert surfer/world traveler, The Blandy's-too much to say, The Canadian Hotties- Jamie-awesome surfer and a scar to prove it, aka Wave Thug, Sara- Super surfer Party girl, Hayley-Surfing Enthusiast, super smart academic, working on her MA in History, so she gets my respect and props!, Shelley-quit job and moved to CR to surf, hero!, Liz-super cool and funny Intern and surfer, the Jersey Boyz, and Carey and Kiany - Rave/Glow stick girls, who also liked/appreciated my super cool funny shirts, so major props and love to them!5a. Some Classic Barney Blandyisms - Forgot his boardshorts and rash guard, had to buy them that 1st morning and complained about it, went for a walk on beach, and sand was too hot, wanted to buy a beach blanket, but too many sand fleas?? No one else ever experienced any sand fleas at all!. Very jealous of wife's success at surfing, wanted us to make fun of her? During video analysis, i mentioned to him what I saw he was doing wrong, which was what I was doing last year, trying to be nice...he ignored me then came over to me afterwards and when I told him, that if I start doing bad I come in and practice pop ups on the beach to get back into rythm..lol he looked at me with a straight face - "what? never...its too hot, I will just lay on my board and let the waves come to me..." LOL its too hot to get on the beach? He is all taped up from head to toe, cuz he had blisters after the first session? Too many stars in the night sky and went to bed like at 8pm every night...Classic Barney!6. The Curse continues....ugh Rafa hates me...lol I put the DVD in and There is the music he burned for me, very cool, and pictures, which there are none of me and NO Videos!! Unbelievable, there is some sort of conspiracy. 7. So happy to hang out with old friends, it was great to hang out with Brendan, he is like a brother to me, so cool that we got to shred waves and party. We are very good at that. Those young kids have no clue how to do it right. Great to see my boy Rafa, he is so hilarious and good guy, though refuses to acknowledge my surfing in any sort of video or photography medium. Shawna, great to finally meet here after talking to here for 2 years. Got to see Joe, Holly and the Kids, Freedom, Marcela, Chino and the crew, Johnny Tu-Tone, and Sweet Maria.8. Over all it was an amazing trip, the pain and bruises will eventually go away, but my memories won't, getting up on a wave and feeling that speed, the stoke, then getting thrashed in the wash, good times.I hope you all enjoyed the blog, sorry about the lack of pictures, but as soon as I can get access to a pc where I can download and Brendan can send me more of mine, I will post them here and on Facebook. Hopefully, I will be in Costa Rica longer in the coming year, doing something different and surfing. Only time will tell.- Possible Next trip - Mount Kilimanjaro??? Who knows.Quotes of the Day-  - "Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled." — Mohammed - "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." — Martin Buber  - "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."- William Blake
]]> The Anguish & Departure — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248051638/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248051638/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248051638/tpod.html Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:48:14 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Ugh, I hate leaving, plus I hate how much my head hurts, along with my shoulders, shins and giant scratch/ugly bruise on my right bicep from the stealth chalk board that is on the door, that busted out some ninja move that caused the bruise, be that I am not the only one who got caught by it, Brendan was about to rip it off the door as well.Anways, B and Mike were leaving at 9am, so I had to get up as well, and see them off, I can't believe B ate breakfast, Mike sat there ready to yak, I just sat there in a daze. We started talking about all the pain were were in, I think its because we are out of our rythym, getting up surfing everyday and excercising each day, the adrenalin has diminished and we are stuck there with our bodies wondering what happened along with dehydration from night before, actually getting up at the average time of 6am each day and getting in the water truly helped, now we are suffering. I saw them off, and went back to room to finish packing, came down had my last breakfast, the Pinto, god its so good. I bring a few thing downstairs that I don't want to take back, Marcela is all happy I leaving the big can of bug spray, ha! I say good bye to everyone thats there, Flash and Rafa, so sad I didn't get to see Chino, Freedom or Maria, And didn't get to say good bye to Shawna. As I was getting into van, Holly, Joe's wife said bye and apologize for not getting time to talk more, she is so sweet! They had their little organic vegetable market going on, it was cool seeing people come in and get fresh food. Its amazing when I look at my diet how much processed food I eat, due to laziness, Im going to make a better effort to just eat fresh food. Oh Im going through my epiphiney stage, Eat better, exercise, never drink again and get my shit together...and I wont start on that until a week from now ,cause it will take me a week for my body to recover and detox.Off to the airport, ugh, that was torture, sitting in the van and all the bumps along the way was not the best for my condition, stomach churning and head pounding, but I made it safely there. I go stand in line to pay my $26 departure tax, then in line to check in, had to fill out some form, and mistakenly scratched out something, cause all the forms are somehow different, First Name vs Surname, Middle etc...I screwed it up and then had to do it all again, the sweat started to run down my face, oh the agony, then get passed that stage, then in line to actually check my bags/boarding pass, that went ok, then up the stairs to get something to eat. The little eating area that has air conditioning is full, ugh, I just paid $8 for a gatorade and 2 packs of crackers!!!! Unbelievable! I have to sit at the little tables outside the AC room, oh how I hate those people inside, just sitting there all cool, slowly eating...I am sweating profusely my body is detoxing and wants me to suffer.I seriously can't stop sweating. But I shouldnt be such a Barney Blandy, I had an amazing trip, it was great to see Brendan and meet new people and start new friendships, that is the best part of WRSC and CR, the people you meet along the way. We had great weather, no rain at all and had waves everyday, I got more waves in the first 2 days than I got all last year, so I had a great week. I know what I need to work on before next years trip. Did I mention how bad im sweating? Seriously I don't sweat this much in a sauna and I don't leave for another 2 hours!!! I now once I go into the gate area, they don't have AC either but its more outside so there will be a breeze. So I check in and its nothing like leaving the US, you don't have to take off shoes etc..I go to my gate and its this big giant room with chairs and they are all filled there are several flights before mine, so I find a seat near some fans. I go and knowingly pay the over-priced gatrorade and got a super small can of pringles....umm yeah $8.00!! I feel violated, lol.As I sit here, sweating and listening to all the tourists re-hash their trips amongst themselves, its all positive, they are smiling and laughing, I wonder what Barney Blandy is saying right now? lol his poor wife.  I got the DVD with my videos, pics and some music Rafa put together for me, I can't wait to watch it!-----As I take my last step off Costa Rican soil and onto the plane, its bittersweet, I don't want to go home but know I need to get back and re-evaluate. But I will be back soon.----Flight was pretty easy, I sat next to a couple with a baby...baby Riles, he was sooo cute and they kept apologizing for him, but he was really funny and well behaved for not even being 1 yr old. They were really cool people, they live in Myrtle Beach, very good people. So I was really fortunate, on the way down I met Katy who was super cool, and I feel bad for not contacting her, I do need to talk to her about teaching etc.Flight arrived on time, go through the long line at customs, then get my bag, my hands were full, I was tired so I pulled the customs form out with my lips from my hand then handed to the agent and she was like in the most condecending sarcastic mean tone "...I just love it when people hand me their forms with their mouths..." OMG if I wasnt so tired, I would have went off, and then of course i would have put in some sort of room and held there and each time I take a flight I would be strip searched and probed...rude people. It took forever to get the shuttle to Long Term Lot 1... but I was the first stop, got in the car and did what every American does, i went to Mcdonalds and got a Big Mac, I was starving....I don't eat fast food, but I was in no mood to stop at a grocery store at 10 at night or make anything, needless to say I ate every fry within 2 minutes.Home at last, Im beat. Great trip, I miss everyone already! Thanks again WRSC!<i>PS-once I get my pics restored from my broken mac, I will post lots of pics here and on facebook. Be patient.Quote of the Day- "No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -- Lin Yutang Words of the Day - Shred Ability to execute rapid, crisp turns. Someone who surfs well is said to shred. Shredecessors  Surf elders that have paved the way for the future generation of shredders.Shredquarter Your local area of bro activity where bros go to brocialize and get amped for shredding. Synonym: shred, nest
]]> Blood in the Water- The Unforgiving Beach — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248036247/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248036247/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248036247/tpod.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:26:23 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Wow, I can't believe its Friday already, it went so fast! Today we had to be ready by 7am to leave for our final session, the school bus was getting its brakes fixed so we had a small van. It was me, Brendan, Mike, Jamie, Sara, Hayley, The Blandys, Andreas, Liz and Rafa going on the trip. We all thought we were heading to Avellenas but were headed for a Secret Spot. It was pretty cool drive there saw a lot of the country side, crossing creeks, back into the middle of nowhere. We arrive and there is no on there, its beautiful little place and it was pumping, by the time we got out of the van and unloaded the van, it picked up more than we thought...it took like 20 min to paddle out, a bit rocky...it took awhile to just get situated on the board to paddle out, but we finally made it out passed the break, and then I just laid on my board, exhausted for like  15 minutes watching people get pummeled on their way out. So I finally paddled in a little closer and saw a wave coming, I took off, chest up, paddling slow, looking back watching the wave, (all the things that I have not been doing consistently) paddle paddle...boom..I catch it and this wave, omg it was fast and big..the speed was crazy I felt like I was flying I couldn't even see where I was going but I was riding this wave on my stomach and didn't let go..finally slowed down enough, set my hands, set my back foot, then brought my right foot up and was too close to the right rail and blamo..Im toast, yard sale, Im in the wash...physically getting thrown about like a rag doll...very reminicent of Sandy Beach in Hawaii, but not as bad, but I get pushed back into shore, short of breath, a little scared, and sand and little pebbles are all through my boardies and its not a calm little beach break that I can just go out and rinse myself...its nasty, I already felt its wrath when I first went out, I just sat there on the beach breathing heavy and was watching everyone else. First Lynn got up, she is great, for first time surfing she is unstoppable and she rode wave a few seconds then got crushed, then Mike catches this left and freaking shreds this wave it has to be at least 5-6 feet, but the volume and power of the waves was crushing but he rode it out and then paddled back for more, Jamie caught a short little wave, she was awesome too, the girls totally ruled the secret spot, Andreas of course is a freak on this little 5'10 and was carving these waves, it was fun to watch. Jamie got pushed in and rested a bit on shore, I watched Brendan smartly go a bit outside and paddle in without getting crushed. He caught a little wave but the waves kept getting bigger and heavier, jamie and I tried to go back out but got crushed. Andreas and Liz paddled in and said we were going to go to Avellenas, Rafa of course just paddled out and couldnt catch a proper wave to get back in...so everyone went back to van and I watched him  until he came back in..he wasn't having a good session.We head to Avellenas (Av), we went there last year and got crushed cuz the waves were so big and a hurricane was on its way, remember Jill got knocked out by a board? The ride there was cool, we got delayed by cattle on the road, they took up the whole road and they just went around us, it was a sight. We get to Av and its beautiful, lots of people the whole way down to the crazy fallen tree, thankfully no dead turtles along the way. But waves were big, winds offshore, sunny and water blue! We unload and head down to the crazy tree to paddle in, luckily there people in the line up were other beginners. But the waves started picking up and literally there were people getting barreled!! I was freaking out happy and stoked! I paddled out behind the break and just watched for bit, it was surreal, I had some trouble at first but was determined to get my picture taken, I missed a few waves I should have gotten but to be honest I was a bit tired, my shoulders were killing me, from the secret spot, but I tried and Andreas even pushed me on a couple, Liz was helping as well, calling out waves and keeping my head in the game. I just watched Jamie get caught in a barrel and watched her loop around in the water, it was crazy..then I paddled into a wave and only got part of it and was ready to paddle out and Brendan called out and I looked over a Jamie was walking in and her hand was on her head and there was blood everywhere, I run over to her along with other people, Hayley runs from the beach, at first glance of the cut, it looked like a huge gash, and the water wasn't making it easier to see how deep it was, i pulled off my leash and Brendan and Rafa grab my board, Jamie was still leashed and her board was flying about in the waves and we were desperately trying to get a hold of it, I got caught between her and the board and the leashed and the waves pushed me back and the board knocked me inthe lower shin, I finally got a hold of Jamie and she got her leg up and ripped off the strap, Hayley thankfully got out in the water and we got direct pressure on the cut, walked her to the beach and looked at it again, it looked pretty deep, we washed it with some water and we had to get to a Dr, she needed stitches for sure but didn't any other first aid stuff, so Hayley, Sara, myself along with Andreas head to the van, that walk seemed to take forever, Jamie was really concerned and we didn't want to freak her out, so we just kept saying it wasnt that bad, we just needed to get the bleeding to stop. It had to be tough for her, she is a beautiful girl and she had a cut on her forehead, but first concern was getting her to a dr, the bus driver didn't speak english and we wanted to make sure that the dr understood that the stitches had to be small and tight so the scar wouldn't be too big, especially of the location of the wound. The waves were kicking so Andreas being the surfer he is was a little hesitant to leave, lol, but he came along to translate. Hayley was very persuasive in her tone. We get in the van and take off to some clinic like 10 miles away, I find some tissues and Barney's tape he uses on his whole body cuz of all the blisters and scrapes he has gotten, I don't know how he got some many blisters on his fingers? but I put the tissues and tape to her head she keeps the direct pressure on the wound, she is not sure how it happened and we were concerned she could have a concussion if the board hit her, we kept her talking and kept giving her water, trying to joke a bit along the way. We finally get to the clinic and we go in, I take the makeshift bandage off, the bleeding had stopped and I pinched the cut together and it wasn't as deep as we thought but she did have a large cut, but it should stitch up ok. We made sure that Andreas explained the short and tight stitches to the "Dr" I think he was an EMT, but he seemed confident and in the Tico way of no confrontation, he gave the "no problem, no problem". We took a few photos, I know it sound macbre but its a story and she should document it since she couldn't see it, once we did show her the pics, she wasn't too happy, she didn't like the look of it, but the dr would only let 1 person in and Sara stayed with her in the room. Hayley said they were fine and Andreas had another van coming to pick them up and take them back to Tamarindo. Andreas and I headed back, he was frothing to get more waves, I felt bad for leaving but there wasn't more I could do and being the strong Canadian girls they were, they would be fine. We get back to Av and Andreas takes off running...lol...he wanted more waves, I get back and its like, ughhhh I still haven't got a picture of me surfing, Im totally cursed and Jamie is a total wave bully and this was her way to get me off the waves, back at tamarindo she would play line up mind games calling me off waves or cutting me off, she was like a hawaiian local..lol...just joking.Well I paddled out and I was just freaking tired, and the waves were pretty big, my paddling totally sucked at this point, did I really need a picture that bad, even though Barney Blandy happened to get one after having the photographer all morning when I was at Picos...hmmm I caught a wave and Rafa happened to catch part of it, as I was about to fall off, lol, but could be perceived as me dropping in and getting ready for a massive carve up the wave...lol...but I was done, I came this far in the week without actually making my shoulder worse and no other bad injury, so I paddled in and we headed back to camp. we first stoped at the little local place we did last year, omg the food there is amazing, everyone liked it well except Barney, he was odd man out at the table, even his wife sat our table, so he had to sit at another table and Rafa was the lucky one to sit with him...lol We then head back to hotel to rest and get ready for graduation.We are tired, Brendan is really hurting, he has a bruised or cracked rib, and he got in the shower first, now the shower is not very strong and he couldn't wash his hair properly so he had to bend down each time and have the faucet rinse his hair, well he is going to kill me for this but he slipped and didn't have a Med-Alert badge on to call me, he was was stuck in the shower floor cuz his rib and shoulders were in so much pain, he was taking so long, I just went down to the pool to cool and rinse off a bit, I came back up and he was still in shower and was just about to go in and check on him and he came out and we cried laughing for about 10 minutes as he told me how he fell and couldn't get up..then had to manuever his body to get out of the shower without hurting himself and imagining if I walked in to help him...how I could never be able to look him in the eyes again and would have needed lots of therapy to get that image out of my head..lol, but I felt so bad, he was in a lot of pain....good times...surfing!We get ready and head down to the bar, they have food for us, the Canadian girls come to graduation, I was so happy they came, Jamie was in good spirits. We get our certificates, take pictures and start partaking in the celebatory pitchers of beer, Canadian Dave takes the punch the made for us and gets it spiked...its a party. Rafa makes us all DVDs, with pictures and the videos of our surfing, this note will come to play later. We all have a good time, there is a guy playing by the name of Tico Hendrix, oh now this guy is an entertainer, has more teeth then Gary Busey, but is quite funny, until he came over and yelled in my ear for like 30 seconds about I don't know what? We all sat there looking at each other, as this was part of his act? Then he came around for tips...like a million times. We head out to the Monkey bar for our final night out. We walk down the road, we also bring along a new guy Sergio, he just got there that night. As we walk along...The Rookie aka The Shredding Machine aka Mike, ran into a huge sign and he had a cut on his head, ugghhh this was not a good omen, we already had one of our own with a head wound. Well Sergio gets some paper towels from a place across the street and Mike and I set off to find some light and some water..lol...the Mens bathroom is just a concrete wall with a trough, behind a truck, where as the ladies have a room with a door, so we put some napkins on it, it didn't look too bad but it had to hurt, he stopped the bleeding and the night continued. We did some canadian game that Im supposed to bring to the states, per Dave, called Pace Car, and he makes the huge mistake of stating he has never been beat, this is not a statement I take lightly, I give him a headstart...then the pace car gets put into orbit, I was like a beer and a half on him and going strong, right when I say to Jamie and Sara that Dave made a mistake, he gives in and stops the game. I get some major props, but I will pay for that win in the morning. But I also got the Vice proposition trifecta that night, I got offered weed, coke and then a hooker propostioned me, all within like 15 minutes, that has to be a new record!! Well, we head out and back to the girls hotel to go to the pool? Why at 3 in the morning? well its last night and we were all a bit tipsy, everything sounds good then, we head to the pool and the security guys come out and to make a long story short, we arent allowed in the pool, so we head to our hotel, we all get in the pool and instantly the security guard, says we cant be in there, so we head to the ocean, ummmm the tide is super way out, that was a long long walk in the dark, I head back cuz im freaking tired, we say our good byes and go to bed. We made every minute of the last night there count.Quotes of the day-"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home." -- James Michener"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -- Helen Keller"To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world." —Freya Stark Words of the Day-Whiffled To get pounded by whitewater as if one was in a washing machine. Also to get messed up. After emerging from heavy surf with tousled hair or with a cut or rash. Synonym: Get Worked.Throwin' Heat Used in place of ripping to describe someone who is surfing well. Example: <i>"You were throwin' some serious heat out there today." Throwin' Tail sliding the tail of a surfboard in a turn breaking the grip of the fins" Throwin' a Fan  Spraying a rooster tail fan as the result of a particularly sharp gashing turn.
]]> The curse continues and Rave BBQ — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248032437/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248032437/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1248032437/tpod.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:43:22 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Well, Thursday was super interesting, I have no computer due to my own doing I was a bit upset of how slow it was taking to upload pics, as I have been wanting to post some on facebook, iPhoto was being difficult and I pounded on the wrong side of the macbook, ummm the side where the hard drive resides. Brendan could not fix it, so he is taking it with him to see if he can recover everything, hence why I haven't posted any pics on facebook nor why its taken so long to blog. So dear fans, friends, family, I thank you for your patience.If you haven't figured out, it seems I am cursed and not consistent enough to get my picture taken. The first day they took pictures and videos, I got several waves caught on video but Louis didn't take pictures cuz he thought Rafa already got pics of me, then the next day we were at Pico's and Rafa and Louis didn't know where we were, so no photos that day, when I had probably my best day on sweet consistent waves, the day of rest I took, seriously helped my shoulders. Then today, Brendan took his camera out in the water to make sure I got a picture of me riding a wave, well we were out there and caught a few waves, Brendan put himself in position to get a few shots and I got up on wave and right when its closing out I look back standing up and see he is looking down at his camera..lol...it had an error saying the waterproof latch was open???lol once again the curse continues, no pic! Last chance is tomorrow when we go to other breaks with Rafa. So hopefully it happens. Its not like I need to prove it to anyone but its just freaking weird that I can't seem to get a wave and have someone with a camera catch it. Oh well...So Flash talked to us about getting in on having a bbq with the Jersey Boyz who have the one penthouse room with the big patio on the roof. Flash is going to cook, lol the other night he was saying he was a gourmet chef, Tai Chi master, expert camper amongst other professions, god I love Flash. ptWell here was his chance, everyone chipped in cash and Flash got all the food etc, we get into the room, ice cold beers, Flash is prepping all the meat, fresh red snapper, potatoes, sausages, bread and lobster. We head up to the roof, and lol there is hardly any light at all, no one has a flash light so people are using their phones to help them cook the food on the grill, it was classic! I remembered i brought a glow stick in case the power went out, which it sometimes does, so I get that and they use it the best they can and give it eventually to a girl Cary. More about Cary and the glowstick later. Well Flash is putting together a feast, sooo much food, we have a great crew of people there, Simon the Brit, the Blandy's the jersey boyz, B, Mike, Canadian Dave, myself with a bunch of other folks, We got the music going, and you just look up and the stars are so clear and close, its amazing, I never get to see the stars in charlotte due to all the artifical light. Truly a great sight to see, even a few shooting stars! That is what I love about Costa Rica, you truly slow down enough to see things you normally take for granted. Did I mention how much I love it here? (oh and our pal Barney Blandy...lol god that guy kills me, as we talk about the stars, just says there is just too many of them...how can you have too many of them, he seriously can't find anything good to say...haha)Anyways, Flash starts presenting the food, its great no untensils just plates and you eat with your fingers. First up is the sausage and the grilled garlic baguettes, great idea, and delicious, then the beef, tons of it along with potatoes, everyone is getting stuffed, then the read snapper, it was like butter. During this time im taking pictures and Brendan helped me figure out all the settings, since his camera is dead, Cary had the glow stick and i just asked her to spin it around and started snapping pictures with different settings, it was awesome I got some amazing pics, very trippy as the girls were saying, I got a complete glowing blue circle on film its bad ass. Hopefully I will be able to share the pics soon, but it looked like a rave on the roof.  We also got to hear more from Canadian Dave, he is a very cool guy, he starts his job in January, so he is going to travel al through Central and South America before he starts,we are all so jealous, plus he turned into a great surfer in the mean time, also he is hilarious, he scored so many points, cuz he hates the same guy we do, there is this total douche, I will call him Doosh Bag Steve, he is there the surf tours, but spends the whole day on his pc and headset working, he is some sort of salesmen for Business plans based on the book The Secret and that big toothed Tony Robinson freak, we were sitting there listening to this guy everyday with the stupid headset walking around like it was his office and sucking up all the bandwidth, and Dave lol is like..."I hate that guy, I want to punch him in the face"..lol it has hilarious, everyone hates that guy. When he finishes a successful call, he then calls someone and brags about it, "dude...I just scored, just sold a 6K deal..blah blah doosh doosh....etc" Dave wants to go over and smack the headset off him...good times. Everyone was stuffed and Brendan was opening everyones beers with his trusty sandals with the bottle opener on the sole. He is a professional party person. Flash did a great job! Now I just got to get him to teach me some Tai chi.We leave the patio and head to Babylon for Reggae night, we meet up with Rafa, the place is packed, I switched up to Pilser beer, the Canadian girls are there all looking pretty, Jamie, Sara and Haylee. Mike, I love that guy, is a little tipsy and talks about surfing the whole time, he is more stoked than anyone I know and he is good as well, he catches so many waves everyday, its sick. But he had a lot of fun that night, he was too funny.  Well, I take some photos of the bar and see Cary and Kilani again, they still have the glow stick, they were super sweet and fun. Rafa was totally loving Reggae, he is a very cool cat. Finally we had enough and had to be up early for the surf trip tomorrow, we were not sure where we were going but we had to be ready by 7am. Jersey Boy Mike asked if he could walk back with us, omg, he was totally wrecked beyond belief, couldn't stand up straight and wasn't sure he could make it back, B and Mike bought some street food and Mike gave Jersey Mike some money so he could get some food as well, he scarfed it down in seconds and we head off, Jersey Mike was swerving all over the path into the shrubs a few time, I just kept on yelling left to get him straight, then I saw a group of hookers, or I should say, Ladies of the evening headed our way, I yelled at Jersey Mike as he was swerving in their direction and god knows what would have occurred if those to forces collided. They passed and were saying all the nice things they say and then Jersey Mike took off running in flip flops we couldnt keep up, I tried to keep sight of him and he would fall now and then or his hat would fall off etc, but he was cruising the street, it was hilarious, but he made it back, (he didn't remember it at all when I talked to him the next day)Thursday was quite a day,  bad morning session, great sunset session with great friends but still no pics, the curse continues. Pura Vida Quote of the Day-"Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions." — Peter HoegWords of the day-Rail  The outside edge of a surfboardTemplate  Outline or overall shape of a surfboard and/or which style of blank was used to shape it. Synonym: Outline, Plan ShapeWidth  The dimension from rail to rail, measured at several key points by the shaper/manufacturer. Like the rocker, it's usually measured 12" from nose and tail along the stringer.Rocker  The curvature along the surfboard from nose to tail. The degree the nose and tail bend up is critical to board performance. More rocker makes for easier turning and handling, but generates less speed and is more difficult to get into waves. Like width it's usually measured 12" from nose and tail along the stringerStringerNarrow strip or strips of hard wood running down the center of the surfboard. If multiple stringer design, running parallel from nose to tailHull  A bottom shape similar to a boat hull, in which the bottom density thickens out from the stringer to the rail
]]> Technical Difficulties... — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247769314/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247769314/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247769314/tpod.html Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:50:46 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Well, unfortunately my Mac is no longer working, Brendan tried to recover it but its dead, so I lost all my pics,music etc...im not too happy, he is going to take it home with him and see if he can restore the data, so hopefully that works.I will try to post some pics once I get a chance to download some on Brendans pc. I will try to write more later, but had some funny stuff happenWent to Gringo Jax with Rafa, its an Indian/Mexican/Italian restaurant,  I got the Yellow Curry, very good and we had the banana flambey? I have no clue how to spell it but it was freaking delicious.Then back to Voodoo for coldest beers in TamarindoSomewhat early night, 7am session this morning, waves were ok, and I had a bad day, I only caught 2 waves and was a bit grumpy about it. So I cut it shortMy food is here, need to have some lunch but I will add more when I get a chance.Need to Talk about the Blandy's, especially Barney as I will call him, he thinks he is creative because he can spell his name backwards, he is jealous of his wife's success and her superior surfing skills and she is super nice. No matter what we think he is not happy, the sand is too sandy, water is too salty, the sun is too hot etc...its hilarious.Pura Vida
]]> Lazy days — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247682579/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247682579/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247682579/tpod.html Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:01:58 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Well, yesterday was a day of rest somewhat there wasn't a lot of waves and I took the afternoon off to conserve energy and give my shoulders a rest for today's swell.  But more about yesterday before getting into today's events. Days here move soooo slowly at times especially when you are getting up and surfing at 6am! Brendan was not feeling too well yesterday, too many Witches Tits had a serious effect on his body and stomach, he pretty much slept all morning and I got him up at 11am. He had a bad case of the  babalaas, and technicolor yawned like 3 times yesterday and it took him a while to get back into the groove until last night. I actually took a 3 hour nap! I never nap! It was amazing, but I feel like I missed something, I don't like to sleep on vacation, especially with how beautiful the weather is, the water is so clear and warm.We had Video analysis of our waves from the previous day at 11am yesterday, it was cool to watch all our waves, so I do have video proof of my surfing I just dont have any pictures, which sucks, I went out in the water with everyone in the afternoon and was taking pictures of them, so I will post a few, it was really great, I did a bunch of great shots, so Rafa said he would make sure he got some pics of me later this week. We got in after sunset back to hotel last night after that session and then had like 3 sushi rolls we were starving. Then went up and changed and had a few drinks up in the Penthouse, met a few more cool people, Shelly is an expat chick, very cool, and she quit her job and moved here in May and is loving it, surfing everyday and then will try to find a job in high season. So we headed up to PasaTiempo for open mic night, we were trying to get Brendan to sing again, but it was a total cluster with the band, we drank some beer and it was so freaking hot, and quite honestly it just wasnt the same without the rest of the crew, I sooo missed Anna, Raf, Maya, John..everyone, remember all the crazy pics we took there last year? LOL.. well we waited and waited it was after Midnight and Brendan still didn't know when he was going to sing, so we just left, we wanted to be smart cuz we had to get up early for a 630am session. So we get back to the hotel last night and we were starving, nothing was open of course and no street food? ugh so B and I ate the rest of the pringles, goldfish and I remembered I had some crackers in my bag and we scarfed them down in a matter of seconds. Finally passed out and next thing it was time to get up again. We had Pedro as our instructor this morning and he is awesome he is stoked all the time, and makes sure you get better each day and teaching us more about reading breaks and how to do turns in the wave! So we went down to Picos this morning which had bigger surf than in front of hotel, water was so clear and waves were big! We paddle out and I catch a big wave first time and then Im super stoked, it was a great day, everyone was getting waves, Bren and Mike moved down to smaller boards and were really ripping and of course in between our sets Pedro was putting on a carving and aerial clinic, that guy can rip! on this tiny board its amazing to see. I went through a period where I was not getting waves and crashing, so I went back on to beach and practiced pop ups for a while then came back out and then started catching them again...then caught a huge wave at the end at the end of our session. Came back and got lunch, got the breakfast burrito today, it was killer. Then Mike and I were like lets go back out...so we back and surfed for like another 2 hours, swell wasn't as consistent as this morning but we were catching waves, even the Jamie girl from Canada who started surfing a couple days ago was catching really good waves, it was cool to see her get all pumped up! I did have a bad wipeout today and it was  total yard sale, everything went flying and I got hammered by the wave and saltwater is still draining out of my nose...yeah soooo sexy, you love it. Then we came back in and had lunch, had a burger today, it was good, needed something different and we were too lazy to walk anywhere. Watched a little bit of the All Star game, National league lost once again...ugh.  Then I finally got my Mac back from Dave...lol and he gave it back to me and the battery was dead, B brought down my cord and here I am typing up a long and boring blog, Im having a great time but missing the old crew and Im having trouble not doing anything, im not a big napper and its super flat right now, so Im going to go back out at high tide and get another sunset session in and hopefully will get some pics of me on a wave. I have had some great waves, so that is all that matters I don't have to prove it and I will get the video at end of week. Well, wrapping this up, i will post some pics and then when I have more time I will post allof them out on facebook.Pura Vida Quote of the Day-"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru  Words of DayBeachbreak  A sand bottom beach where waves generally approach straight in breaking closer to shore.Babalaas A hangover of the worst kind. The Babalas is no mythical beast. But look at yourself in the mirror and you'll wonder as you examine that furry tongue slithering in a mumbling, parched mouth, puffy eyelids scraping bloodshot eyeballs. Comes from the Zulu word ibhabhalaziYard Sale  To fall with appendages flailing everywhere before hitting the water. To fall ungracefully. Technicolor Yawn To barf, blow chunks, bark the dog, park the tiger, feed the tuna, etc
]]> Lost a dog, gained a cow — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247582705/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247582705/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247582705/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:52:15 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Well yesterday was full of Shoulder pain, but I did catch some waves, the swell is almost totally diminished, but they are calling for more later today and tomorrow, We had another 6am session this morning, ugh and NO waves, it was silly I went out for punishment because of staying out late last night. 6am comes soooo quickly. Waves were so small, Carlos was like "you should have stayed in bed....no waves" But we ended up still going out and trying to catch some small waves, I caught one and had enough, its too much paddling on that tank that I ride. So I just came in and took a shower and came down for breakfast. Let me just say when you get up at 6am like yesterday and once your done surfing, the day goes quite slow, I actually took a nap for a bit and then had lunch etc, watch other people surf and just talk with everyone that works here.We had dinner last night, drinking lots of Witches Tits and Pina Coladas, god they are soo good, not sure why I don't drink more of them, its like an ice cream shake with booze!  We had like 4 different sushi rolls, the Dyno-Mite!, Crocodillo, Tsunami and finished up with the fan favorite Volcano roll. Lyle the guy who sounds like David Gray and Jack johnson played last night, the place was packed, it was awesome and he played Plush by STP so it was a great night. Flash showed up and had some Canadian girls meet him here, so we all could go to Ladies night at Aqua, and after last year on a Monday I wasnt really excited but when we got there it was a little dead and we met up with Johann, that kid is hilarious, anyways then with in 5 min the place get totally packed, dance floor is kicking, Jenn we so could have torn that dance floor up, wish you were here!!But we hung out talking out on the patio and let me just say when I am the responsible one and Voice of Reason, there is something wrong with the world, Brendan and Mike got a little tore up, it must have been the naps they took...they were funny and kept on saying 1 more beer or 10 more minutes, we planned on leaving at 1130 or 12, well we didn't leave until like 130ish. On the way back we saw these cows along side the road in this little grass patch, Mike said, "dude don't get too close, there is electric fence there, Im from Pennsylvania, I know these things" ummm I was like dude there is no fence there, just old posts..your bombed...and the cows just came up over the hill, he was in shock, Rookies! So since I lost my adopted dog Stanley I gained a cow that I fondly called Claudio. As you can see by the pics, there is a remarkable resemblance! So we continue on as the cow runs down the middle of the road, I love this place. Cars flying bye, cows and horses, its like the old west! Well I tell Mike not to get too close to side of road and he totally bites it on this little hill and slides down it...scuffs up the side of his leg! Rookies. And we have to get up to surf at 6am. Overall a fun time, I can't compare it to last year and I stayed relatively aware and lead the crew back home safely.Today as I write this as I mentioned earlier, there are no waves,  I have been up since 6am and its only like 9:50am now. I already ate breakfast checked on the Billabong Pro in J-bay, my fantasy surf team is getting smoked...I have like 2 guys left, it is not good for me! ughNot sure what we are going to do today, we have a Video Analysis seminar today, there are going to go through our session yesterday, they said they got good video of me...of course its going to be an example of what Not to do. But Rafa and Pedro did help me a lot yesterday correct my pop up due to my bad shoulder, moving my hands back. So regardless Im super stoked, its another beautiful day, no rain! Im loving it, having a great time so can't complain, but happy I didn't surf too much today and give my shoulders a needed rest for rest of week.  I posted some pics from the other day on one of my earlier blogs, so check them out. I will attach some from last night. Pura Vida More to come.
]]> Sunsets and Cerveza's — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247498181/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247498181/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247498181/tpod.html Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:36:17 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Well, after morning session yesterday I was totally stoked about the waves and was looking forward to the afternoon session. We ended up taking a walk up the beach taking some photos, killing some time before high tide, then came back and had some lunch, and of course a few Imperials.Then around 3ish we went out for another session, not realizing how tired I really was I was not having any luck with waves, it seems I was in the worst part of the wave each time and was getting frustrated, and my shoulder was in a little pain and was no providing enough power to keep me straight on the wave, ugh. and we got  pushed down the whole way to the river mouth, I decided to go in cuz I was just not catching waves and was getting a tired, then had to lug that huge board back to the hotel, im seriously getting a work out. Then of course came back and started having a few imperials and witches tits. Maria was working and we talked with her for a while, her English is really coming along! She is so sweet. Then Brendan and I totally left Mike with the boring couple and we went out to take pictures at sunset it was so smart to get a water proof camera! We got some great shots, which I will post soon, just too lazing to do it at the moment. Then we closed the bar and the literally turned all the light out on us, then we headed up to Voodoo lounge...not a lot of people, but beer was ice cold... Sooo good! Then i adopted a dog, which I name Stanley, but right before hotel there was some garbage bags that he was more interested than me. So I lost my dog, so sad. This morning we had lessons at 6 am...omg it was rough getting out of bed, I didnt feel that bad but was still tired. Came down have a cafe con leche and headed out, we had Pedro for an instructor and he was great and Rafa came out as well and really helped cuz i was having troubling paddling and popping up cuz of my shoulder was just sore and tired and I was compensating with my right arm hence why i kept falling right...so we came back in and practiced on the beach and made some adjustments and went back out and started catching waves again! I was stoked so I got a at least 5. Brendan and Mike were doing well, like yesterday, they were on waves non stop totally shredding waves,  Brendan was a bit hungover and tired this morning..lol and his shoulder was really bothering him so he went back in early. Then me an Mike came back in probably did almost 2 hours...my shoulder is beat tired, I had my Tico b-fast with coffee, talked a little with Rafa and figured I would do short blog, still not a lot of people here, last night it was a big crowded and lots of people in line up and bar. Kind of a slow wee, not a lot of people staying...stupid economy, its so amazing here, I can't believe its only Monday and its super early...not sure what Im going to do, probably get some reading in as its only 930 and already surfed and ate breakfast! Surf is a small today, but plan on going out again at sunset and get board and take some cool pics!Looking forward to relax a bit, probably need to go check on Brendan in a bit...I hasnt had bfast yet. I promise to post some pics soon.  Pura Vida.Words of the day- RailThe outside edge of a surfboard Width  The dimension from rail to rail, measured at several key points by the shaper/manufacturer. Like the rocker, it's usually measured 12" from nose and tail along the stringer. Rocker  The curvature along the surfboard from nose to tail. The degree the nose and tail bend up is critical to board performance. More rocker makes for easier turning and handling, but generates less speed and is more difficult to get into waves. Like width it's usually measured 12" from nose and tail along the stringer StringerNarrow strip or strips of hard wood running down the center of the surfboard. If multiple stringer design, running parallel from nose to tail  Quote of the Day- "We live in a wonderfl world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru 
]]> Rippin up Waves baby! — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247415996/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247415996/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247415996/tpod.html Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:49:27 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Buenos Dias Chicas y Chicos,  A Pura Vida Bonita to you all out there, I just finished up breakfast after a sweet surf session this morning, waves were not that consistent but we got some bigger waves than I thought. I started out with a sweet Thruster  9' 0 yellow, fiberglass, took it out before the lesson and paddled around and felt ok...so much lighter than the 10'2 i had last year. Carlos was our instructor so we talked about timing and tides etc then got into the water, i paddled out ok, but could not pop up, the board didn't feel right, Brendan got up on his first time and totally shredded a wave, I got stoked for him. The he and I took off on the same wave and were way to close and our boards converged and I went back but held the board and he jumped on to my board like some sort of circus move and rode my board in with me holding the back as it was attached to my ankle. It was hilarious but super cool move, Carlos and other went crazy..people were cheering...it was epic!!Well, i just couldn't catch a wave on that 9'0 so I switched to the 10'2 Log and blamo...I got up and rode a tasty wave! I was so happy...the stoke was on, everyone was hootin and hollerin for me, and Brendan was like,"I looked over to Carlos and said, do you know how stoked he is going to be now, he is not going to want to get out of the water now" lol and then I kept catching waves consistently I was sooo happy, we had to be patient cuz the waves were few and far between, but it was great to just hang out in the water and the weather is perfect, sunny, light breeze, water is warm and clear! So much different than last year. So we stayed out for almost 2 hours came in and got the Tico breakfast of eggs, blackbeans and rice and toast..and that yummy yellow sauce, OJ and cafe con leche...im full, and I am actually waiting another 30 min before I have my first beer. Met a cool kid on his own, Mike, he just graduated grad school from UVA, pretty cool kid, he was in the Army for 5 years and did a tour in Iraq, he was in Ramadi in 06-07, so I was talking to him about Travis, they may have been there at the same time?Well that is enough for now, I miss you all it was so weird coming from the beach and not having anyone here, i kept looking for Anna and Maya, Sean, Jill and John, Jenn and the Bens. Paul....dude you are missing out man, the weather is amazing and killer waves you would be ripping. We are going back out at high tide, he told us to go out early ..supposed to be pretty big. Can't wait, I am Frothing for waves..can't get enough, Im so going to do a few snaps!! THough I did do a turn and rode a wave left versus straight in on a few so the Indo board has truly helped my balance!!Pura Vida, I will post more later and try to take some pics of some of the waves and nice weather. Imperial is calling me. You all should be jealous of how amazing it is here!  Quote of the day-"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain Words of the Day- ThrusterA surfboard with three similarly sized fins. Synonym: Tri-finLog Longboard, nine feet or longer. Characterized by generally thicker volume in the deck and rail areas and a spoon shaped nose. Longboard Usually over 9' in length; a Tank. Their size makes them easier to paddle and get into waves sooner.
]]> Day 1-Im here — Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247158781/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247158781/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/albert413/10/1247158781/tpod.html Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:18:55 -0400 Tamarindo Part Deux Electric Boogaloo

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Well, the day is finally here! I am so stoked for this trip and if you have read my previous entries, then you are probably sick of me saying "stoked" but too bad, cuz I am and I will probably say it a lot more throughout the week! But I will try to use other adjectives to describe my excitement.I finished packing last night and through my bags in the Jeep and headed to the airport. Packing was  a lot easier than last year as I knew what I truly needed versus last year, but I probably still took too much, especially t-shirts, but its hot, rainy and I sweat a lot, due to my superior evolutionary sweat glands and pores, my body remains cool, but that is how I see it, regardless, I go through a lot of tshirts.Got to the airport and it took forever just find a parking spot in Remote parking, then the buses were filling up instantly, In what people are saying is a bad economy there lots of people at the airport. Lines were sooo long. And my favorite demographic of people are always in front of me, Old people who have no idea how lines or technology works and families with like 5 kids, so many bags to check and annoying. But that is the last thing negative im going to say.Got to my gate, read a little bit and got on the plane, it was filled mostly with church group missionaries, not sure if that is a good omen or bad one? But the plane really wasn't packed, i got assigned a window seat and sat next to an amazing girl Katy here and her boyfriend live in Costa Rica, she works as a teacher there, we had a wonderful talk the whole flight, I felt bad for her, we pretty much talked for 4 hours, you know how much I love to talk and ramble on, but we had a great talk and I learned more about CR and got some info on doing the whole ex-pat thing and making a living.So that was great, she was awesome, she totally recharged my stoke after a long boring week at work.Got to the airport and it was just me in the van, I told Brendon to leave when he got there, apparently he left only an hour after I did. It was completely different than last year, the ride had no rain and we got to WRSC in less than an hour. Its amazing how they drive here at top speeds, passing each other, and people along side the roads walking don't even flinch, we passed a girl,, we were flying and i looked out the widow and she didn't even move I was only like less than 3 feet away from her. NO Fear here. Along with horses that roam around without being tied up, cattle everywhere...and its all green and lush. I am glad I got to see more of the countryside without it raining.When we got to wrsc Brendan was there beer in hand, he was already in the ocean, lucky b@stard! Then Shawna came up to me, gave me hug, it was so great to see here after talking to here for 2 years...lol She is just as sweet in person then on the phone and email. I needed to make sure she got her boots!Put my stuff in the room and its really nice, much bigger than mine from last year, AC works well and we have a little porch. Went back downstairs and finally got me an imperial, tasted sooo good, hung out and I gorged myself on mexican pizza and sushi, we got the volcano roll....Yummy.  Then we went down to the little store and got some bottles of water and snacks just in case. Then came back and went out in the water, we didn't take any boards though, and the surf was pretty good, lots of big waves, and lots of people out in the line up. The water was perfect and we just body surf and cheered on the surfers, i was tempted to come back in a grab a board but too lazy and I wanted to take pics of the sunset while we were out there but by the time i would get the camera and come back out it would gone. So stayed out in the water until after sunset, then back to the bar for Witches Tits, yes they were still super goo, had a few of those then back to Imperals, the beer was like water in the heat. Sooo good. So we hung out got some food, a guy was playing guitar, it was a little slow last night, not a lot of people out, which was fine, we didnt want to get to crazy on Day 1.  Oh apparently we had  surf lessons at 430 with Flash...umm we thought it was tomorrow afternoon, we were wrong. Flash saw us with beers and the waves were good so he went out without us...lol he made the right decision.So we pretty much drank beer and caught  up last night. We caught our second wind but decided to save it. We have our lessons with Carlos at 8am.My body of course got up at 515am(715am here) there is a 2 hour difference from East Coast. So as Brendan slept I came downstairs to do my blog. Nothing too crazy to report except the weather is beautiful not a cloud in the sky, water is warm and maybe a little swell is on its way. Im looking forward to my Tico breakfast. In fact im going to back to the room change and get some stretching in and maybe get a board out and see which is best. I was swimming in the waves last night and my shoulder seemed fine..we will see when paddling on a board.I am alive and well in Costa Rica. More blogs to come and pics, Pura Via,Albert   Ok I took 4 books last year and didn't read any of them, but I am going to bring a few just in case.Books Brought:Dangerous Games: The Uses and Abuses of History - Margaret MacMillanThis is the same author of Paris 1919, which is one of my favorite history books, this is more about how most of the history we learn in school is bogus and how governments use these fake histories for propaganda etc.I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago- Hape KerkelingI am almost finished with this book, its pretty entertaining, about a guy who hikes the Camino trail in Spain, though he cheats a bit and is a bit of an jerk at times.Quotes of the Day"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." -- Susan Heller "A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent (which I cannot deny myself to be without being impious) will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place." — Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWord of the DayAmped  Really charged up...stoked, psyched. It's on!
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