Surfers paradise
Loading Map
Malpais,
Costa Rica
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Brett and Chelsea had Monday off from school, so they had the beginning of Monday to goof around on the beach with me and grab a nice lunch. After lunch I hurried off to grab my bus to Malpais. Malpais is about an hour away right on the corner of the Nicoya peninsula. Chelsea and Brett headed back to San Jose shortly after.
Malpais has great surf. It has a fairly consistent break that was at times head-high. Apparently it goes off the hook in the rainy season. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a house down here just so that they can go surfing.
There isn't much in Malpais. Its a dirt road that kicks up a bunch of dust (really annoying, the locals all spray the section of the street in front of their house with water to keep the ground wet and dust free).
I found me a cabina with a fan for 12 bucks a night with a cool neighbor. His name is Roman and he is originally from Germany but moved to Canada when he was 15. He is now down here in Costa Rica for about 6 weeks. He is gonna spend the entire time in Malpais and is gonna surf the entire time. Yea he has a rough life too.
Soon after I arrived on Monday, swells rolled in and I hopped out to catch a few waves. As I paddled out I got totally worked over by a huge set that rolled in, I hate it when that happens. Caught some nice waves and saw a beautiful sunset.
The beach here is beautiful and endless. Montezuma and Malpais are definitely my two favorite places in Costa Rica. The area isn't too touristy yet, but it will be. Its still a really small, rural and basic town, really not much here. Property is being sold all over the place and you can tell that there is gonna be some serious development going on here. The government is slowly working on a plan to pave a road that goes down the whole pacific coast. This will be great for tourism, but its gonna totally destroy the cool hidden spots. These spots are known, but they are tough to get to, so not many people go, and for that reason its still kind of untouched and not too touristy. So although this highway will aid the country, its gonna destroy a lot as well. I think its a bit too late to buy and develop stuff in Costa Rica, but I think Malpais has still a ton of potential. Malpais will be the hottest spot on the pacific coast of Costa Rica once it gets easier to get to, its in a perfect spot and its beautiful. If I had money to invest I would definitely consider this place.
The plan is to do nothing but chill out, eat and surf. I hung out a bunch with Roman. We drank a few beers, caught some waves, ate some great food, and talked about life. Really great relaxing time. I was bummed to leave on Wednesday, but I'm heading back to San Jose to pick up Chelsea so that we can get a long weekend down on the beaches of Manuel Antonio and Dominical.
