Perfect waves, kayaking through estuaries with crocodillas, empty beaches for miles, enough avocados to turn you green, beaches littered with shells of every imaginable shape and color, hiking Corcovado national park where scarlet macaws circle above, sailing to remote Matapalo where whales dance and in the waves you are the only crowd, swinging from vines while hiking volcanoes and watching lava flow... just to name a few reasons why I came back to Costa Rica yet one more time. Many stories to be told, but I will have to catch everyone up later as the last few days have been extremely eventful!
Two days ago I woke to yet another day of rain in Playa Hermosa. Up until the last 3 days I didn´t know why they called this the rainy season. My friend Ricky told me that the bridge just east of Hermosa where they feed the crocs chicken daily had flooded and washed the crocs into the ocean. Nope, not surfing today, tomorrow or even the next day. I packed my things and was off to the Jaco bus station.
I came to find that everyone had the same idea and the last bus to San Jose was full. Despite my better judgement I took a cab 3 hrs to San Jose. The taxi driver Oliver lived in Alejuela, a small town near San Jose, and was headed home so he only charged me $24, compared to the normal $120. Deal! A little bit of a crazy driver, but his broken english and love for terrible American songs proved to be entertaining.
When we arrived in San Jose it was dark and if you have ever been to downtown SJ at night you would know it is extremely dangerous (don´t worry mom, happy ending!).
My bus for San Salvador was leaving at 3am and when I told Oliver I was going to sleep in the station he pleaded with me to stay in a hotel. He took me to the bus station to get my ticket, the bank to get some money, the grocery store for some snacks, then to a small hotel just a few blocks from the station, and he insisted I take a taxi at 2 am. All the while not accepting a dime extra.
I tell you this story to show that not all taxi drivers are shysters and I´m a lucky SOB.
the hotel I stayed at was a family business and the kids took an early liking to me after I gave them "cheesy" Maui key chains. They even knocked on my door at 2am and gave me breakfast and coffee.
Yesterday was a long day on the bus, 22 hours long, passing through Nicaragua and Hondurus before finally arriving in San Salvador at 1 am. If you are ever planning on travelling on a strict budget through C America, Tica bus is the way to go. Movies, food and getting through customs is a breeze. Only cost me $58. Running 4 hrs late, I had no idea where I was going to stay and walking the streets of downtown San Salvador at night is a no no!
Fortunatly I made a friend on the bus named Maria Jose Nonez, who was visiting her family in San Salvador and speaks english better than me, although she informed me she was the only one in El Salvador. She was surprised to hear I was travelling to her country bc they don´t get many tourists. With 16 right surf point breaks, some being the longest and best waves in C America and 82 degree water, why not come to El Salvador?! Maria offered me a pull out couch at her parents house and with not too many other options, I accepted. I stayed up late with Maria and her friends. One of her friends even sang Mariache and they told me all the secret spots in San Salvador.
I awoke to a beautiful day and just walked 20 blocks with my surfboard and backpack because I´m afraid to take the overcrowded buses and I´ve done enough sitting to last me a few weeks. I plan to stay in San Salvador for another day, check out the museums and cathedrals Alexis recommended, try some pupuseria, take in some live jazz tonight and head to Punta Roca tomorrow to surf.
One of the travel hints for blending in with locals is to travel with a duffel bag and wear neat clothes and long pants. I´m wearing board shorts, slippers, and a tank top, while carrying my surfboard bag and brick orange colored backpack. I almost caused a few accidents walking down the street.
Has anyone not listened to the "Into the Wild" soundtrack with Eddie Vedder. Listen to the song "Guaranteed." It has been an inspiring soundtrack as I travel solo, which at times can be lonely, but at others it can be uplifting. Life is what you make of it and the attitude that you take can make all the difference.
And isn´t it funny how one moment or encounter or decision can change the coarse of so many! ...something I think about more often when I´m travelling solo.
Pura Vida
Another terribly difficult day of surfing, laying around in hammocks, walking the beach at sunset and drinking dollar beers. Much of what my last week has been at the Papaya Lodge in Playa Tunco, El Salvador. With only a few more days left of my c. america adventures, I must soon bid farewell and head back to "my" reality...Maui. I had originally planned on heading to Patagonia and Peru, but my lack of proper planning made it a little on the unsafe and expensive side.
With almost every ammenity at your fingertips, backed by mangroves, hammocks that swing 
over the river, and a friendly monkey named Pablo. Papaya lodge has been my favorite oasis in c. america. I'm yet to see a day of rain and there has been no shortage of waves, although the paddle out to the lineup feels like 2 miles. I've also made friends from Whistler, Berlin, Switzerland, Australia, and Vermont.
Here are a few links to check out:
On our way up north we stopped in Richmond at the Meadowbank winery. We tried 9 different 
