Are we getting bored of beach living yet?
Trip Start
Sep 16, 2007
1
77
87
Trip End
Ongoing
Playa Maderas,
Nicaragua
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I get the feeling that some people back home think I'm just dicking around, avoiding responsibilities and leading an unproductive lifestyle. Fine.
Now, details of the dicking around and unproductive lifestyle can be found on any other of the 'beach living' entries in this blog. Surfing, fishing, wombling, playing chess....
Nicaragua is a beautiful country and I've come to really like the people I've met here. I stayed on the beach, in the feral 'chicken shack', run by Manuel (sudoku master) and Quique (Jimi Hendrix lookalike and chess hustler). These two brothers in their early 20's have WAY too much time on their hands and their existence can be summed up by Quique's motto, "La vida: aburrida y feliz." ("Life: boring and happy"), said whilst exhaling a bong hit at 6 o'clock in the morning.
And why shouldn't it be. I joined their life for nearly three weeks. The busy day's events got underway at 5:30am each day, with the dawn surf, followed by a brekkie of rice and beans then another surf before the crowds arrived. Then off down the beach for a spot of spearfishing (didn't catch anything here so ended up selling the gun). The afternoons would be made up of reading my Rosario Castellanos book, writing my journal, translating short stories for my buddy Jorge, getting whipped at chess by Quique, all of the above interspersed with short surf sessions.
For those who are interested, the surf was great with offshore wind ALL day, nearly every day. The local rippers were fun to watch too.
My last day on Maderas was spent having a big birthday bash for me (my birthday's not till November 20th but, hey, why not) and Leonel, one of the Nica beach bums. Leonel and I chipped in to buy two whole lambs, which we roasted, and a stack of beer. Good times were had by all. At the end of the day, when everyone decided to finish the party at a bar several kilometres up the road, I stayed behind and went out for a moonlit surf under the nearly full moon. Magic.
