Rob's Travels

Yeah, it´s been a while since i´ve posted something, but in case you were wondering, i am still alive and well. I am back in the capital city, San Jose, and I fly to Madrid tomorrow (Feb 14th). I´m excited to see Europe, and my friends from home who I´ll be meeting up with while i´m there.

After staying in Santa Teresa for about three weeks, I finally decided to change up the daily surf-hammock-surf routine and do some actual travelling. I camped out for a few nights in nearby Montezuma, which had some beautiful beaches and waterfalls. I went as far north as Tamarindo, then met up with some hostel friends from Santa Teresa and took a road trip towards the southern pacific coast, stopping in Quepos/ Manuel Antonio before heading our separate ways. I ended up staying in Dominical for a few days, and lucked out with some really good surfing. While i was there I ran into some santa teresa hostel friends once again, and they told me that i had to go to Pavones, a small fishing village near the border of Panama in the southwest corner of the country where they had just been. Apparently when a swell comes in from the right direction it has the longest wave in the country, and you can ride a single wave for so long that your legs get tired. I left Domincal for Pavones, and after spending a night in Uvita (more beautiful beaches and waterfalls) i was on the road again. Unfortunately, by the time i showed up in Pavones the ocean was lake-like. I guess i learned that before lugging heavy bags and a surfboard onto several busses (some of which likely transported New Mexico school children in the early 70´s), it is best to first check the surf report. Nothing wrong with seeing some new places though, anyway.

I´ve spent the past few nights on the Caribbean coast in Puerto Viejo. It was a nice place... good beaches, lots of rasta dudes, and Bob Marley playing from somewhere 24/7. The coral reef break wave there, the infamous ¨Salsa Brava¨ (Angry Sauce) was none too brava until this morning, but i had already sold my board the day before. Though I didn´t get quite as much surfing in as i would have liked to during my last week here, i have done plenty of it during the last month or so. Costa Rica has been a great time, and I´ve met some really cool people from all over the world who i´d be glad to run into again.

The next time i write something will be from Europe... no more living in board shorts (for now), but I´m happy to trade the hot weather for the people and sights that are waiting for me on the other side of the pond.

Adios
Robbie

I'm writing this from my hostel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. The hostel is great... hammocks, pool table, free pancake breakfasts in the morning, and most importantly, a short walk to the beach, where I've been surfing twice a day or so. People staying here are from all over the world... US, Canada, Sweden, Israel, France, Argentina, and others.

As of today I am fifteen days into my trip. I spent my first weekend in Costa Rica's capital San Jose before taking a bus to El Salvador to visit a friend from school. The bus ride took about nineteen hours, crossing through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, but the Escapini family was very hospitable on my arrival. Humberto took me on a tour of San Salvador, surfing for a day, and to a lake formed by a volcanic crater where we went out tubing with his family's Boston Whaler. The trip was very fun, and I got to brush up on my Spanish.

After heading back into San Jose for a night, I took a bus and ferry to Santa Teresa on the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific coast. The waves here are great, and surfing (and living) in board shorts has been amazing. There is a price to pay for the weather here though... in order to literally save my skin, i've come up with a routine that involves fistfulls of SPF 45, and lying in hammocks in the shade during the middle hours of the day.

I had planned on doing some travelling around the coast here, but after a few days at the hostel, im pretty much ready to move in. Either way, I'll probably check out the jungle and volcano scene on my way back to San Jose in a few weeks.

I'm having fun meeting new people, but I miss everyone back home, so keep in touch. Email is probably a safer bet than a phone call so write to grygiel@bc.edu if you'd like.

Hasta luego,
Rob