Yoga and Surf!

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From Granada, Nicaragua to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in a day...just!
I left Granada at 7.15am and managed to board several buses and reach the border by 11. Unfortunately, there was a bus crash that stopped the buses leaving the Costa Rican side. Although the border crossing was pretty smooth...if you allow for strange Nicaraguans that follow you with the exit forms and a pen then ask for money! I´m not very good with that sort of stuff so got out my own pen and continuously repeated ´ésta bien´, that allowed me to be directed the Costa Rican side!
I finally got the bus to Liberia then waited about 3/$ hour for the next one to PuntaArenas, which took hours.On route I found some new travel buddies and, arriving at the ferry, we had to make a decision! Take the ferry at 8pm and fingers crossed we can get a taxi or stay over in the rather seedy little town! New buddies were on a tight schedule so 3 to 1, we decided to have an adventure. It had been raining all day and little did we know that the Peninsula Nicoya was in the process of its second day of torrential storms, an offshoot of the hurricane recently hitting US and Caribbean!
At 9.30 pm we arrived at the port of Paquera, and low and behold a bus appeared! the bus took us to Cobano then we took a cab to Santa Teresa. The roads were awash and only dirt roads so full of pot holes, missing edges and small ravines. Thank goodness this is Costa rica and all the taxis are plushy 4 wheel drives! We arrived at 11.30pm...one of my longest travel days!
The next day we arose to beautiful blue skies, which stayed for the entire duration of my stay...about 10 days!
The surf was fairly big, steep out the back and a mess to paddle through so avoided it for a day or so...then it was on! Surfing 3 times a day, yoga everyday and incredible sunsets. Absolute heaven!
Downsides...accommodation, food and yoga classes more expensive than anywhere else! Santa Teresa and Malpais are virtually full of US ex-pats, who own the accommodation, restaurants etc..hence the prices. The board hire seems to be standard everywhere in Central America $10 a day. We struck up a good deal for multiple days and had a load of fun! Cooked every night and did my yoga on the great deck.
I stayed at Tranquilo and Casa Zen, both highly recommended!
It is possible to surf through to sunset here, but this is a fashionable place...even in low season! The amount of people doing push-ups on the beach, crowding the surf at pose time (sunset) was laughable! But go out at mid tide, for us during siesta time and you virtually great a break to yourself! the waves are very inconsistent, in so much as beautiful waves will roll in, 5 ft ish, clean and calm then a massive set would come out of the blue and wipe everyone out!Very funny to watch but not so funny when you are out there!
I cant imagine what this place is like in peak times.
I bet it was great 20 years ago!

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