http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Central America Caribbean , Costa Rica , Puntarenas , Mal Pais en-us Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:34:10 BST Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:34:10 BST It had to happen eventually we have been having way too much fun in the water I guess you have to pay to play. At the end of a great morning surf I Derek got smacked in the face with my board leaving a nice big gash above my eye. I didnt realize I was cut until Heather started hyperventilating H only becuase his guts were hanging out of his face. We caught some waves back to shore http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-274887.html We made it to Mal Pais on Monday night. The trip up here wasnt too bad we were lucky to catch a ride with some Americans after the ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya. We have gotten two good days of surf in catching two sessions each of the past two days. Some really nice longboard waves for us to play around on. We are going to stay on here for a while and check out the peninsula get some h http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-273932.html Time for an update. Let me see if I can remember the last week and a half...when I go more than a week without adding an entry the memories get fuzzy.The dogs in Central America are loco but also really cool. They are not like American pampered wimpy dogs. They usually belong to a pack of 3 or 4 dogs. The pack has a terriorty consisting of a small distance length wise but their territory http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-273882.html after a stop to tamarindo for two days luxury beach resort where you pay 14 dollars for a shitty room in a shitty dorm compared to 2 and half dollars in the farm of ometepe we met up again with aussie biatch timmy and headed to mal paisbad land. it is pretty shitty in terms of land the sea is not that great and yet one of my favorite place in this trip. the hostal was great really family http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-272346.html I came to Central America to surf but during the last 10 days I have been traveling around seeing other places meeting up with friends and partying a little too much.Our last night in San Juan Del Sur was much like the night before... we drank a lot. Went to the music festival that was set up in the middle of the main street of town. The bands that played must be pretty popular in Latin Amer http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-270578.html Ok let me try to remember whats been going on since the last entry.....The Italians were worried about immigration police coming around and asking questions. A lot of foreign business owners arent really supposed to be allowed to own businesses here. So they took off to Pavones because there was a big swell coming. When Pavones is on its one of the longest waves in the world.They told me I c http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-266822.html I took a taxi back to Nicoya on Monday and from there took a van with 3 other travelers to Mal Pais. I met two of the guys in the van Joe and Mike from Seattle. Joe and Mike were headed to Monetzuma a town close to Mal Pais so I decided to go with them after reading about Montezuma in Joersquos Lonely Planet guide to Costa Rica. We checked into a big room with three beds at Hotel Aurora. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-264801.html Der Titel sagts schon... Die letzte Woche war von einer gediegenen Pechstraehne ueberschattet. Allerdings liess ich mir die Freude nicht verderben schliesslich lernt man ja auch so Land und Leute kennen siehe punkt Aua zum Dritten... Ich machte aber auch ganz coole Erlebnisse wie z.B. Manuel Antonio oder die wunderschoenen Straende der Halbinsel Nicoya... Habe vor der PanamaReise einen Ruec http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-259349.html Its been a while and theres so much to update I was supposed to stay in the jungles of Costa Rica for 10 weeks of voluntary conservation work but ended up escaping after 6 weeks following the second evacuation from camp due to flooding with water up to my chest and the threat of having a piece of me chewed off by the Caiman but anyway that is another story to be told later.So safely back in S http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-229132.html well after hanging out for 4 very long days in the city we finally made our way to santa teresa on the nicoya peninsula to visit my sister taylor. A five and a half hour bus ride turned in a 16 hour trip due to roads being closed and ferry being missed and ferries breaking motors and buses stuck in the mudd. anyways we made 'er. its was epic but so glad to be here and out of the city. its sooo pe http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-211202.html On to Costa RicaRoss OlsenIt would be great if we could transport ourselves between locations like Scottie or Dr Who. No were all herded into great metal cylinders stacked packed and tortured on long haul flights transit lounges in and out of airports......someone has to invent a better way. If it wasnt for destinations like Costa Rica wed all stay home.Travelling to Mal Pais and http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-157460.html Itrsquos time to wrap up the Costa Rica entries and move onto Argentina. I had made previous arrangements to stay at the Tranquilo Backpackers hostel once the camp had ended. My budget was ldquotranquilordquo at 10USD per night however my mind was filled with skepticism. After checking it out and talking with some locals I felt uneasy by the amount of people traffic and partying. Phys http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-155178.html Pura Vida Adventure Surf Camp March 39 2007 Daily schedule Sleep yoga eat surf eat surf eat sleep. Literally translated ldquopura vidardquo means pure life. This phrase is the common response when one is asked how they are doing. To further expand on the meaning I found the best description within the Costa Rica section of Wikipedia. It states that this motto ldquohellipencap http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-147670.html Tuesday March 06 2007 Surfing in the Bad Country We had a glorious sunset filled ferry ride over to the peninsula. By the time we arrived it was dark so we drove straight to the Belgians house. They have a great open air porch and hammocks to go along with it. We chatted then Giles helped us find a place at Surfers Paradise. Well its not so much. Kat Mike and I are sleeping on http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-147644.html I bolted wideeyed out my sleep on my flight from Atlanta to San Jose Costa Rica. For a solid minute or two I had forgotten what I was doing and where I was going. Not exactly the best feeling to have at 30000 feet. ldquoAre you traveling alonerdquo asked an American woman who was traveling with her husband and two sons. I nodded as I rubbed the sleep from eyes. We weaved in and out of http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-144489.html Well i have to admit im lagging on my blog entries unfortunately ive been having way to much fun and to much sun to remember to make regular entries. So after the 9 days straight of partying in tamarindo we decided to head south down the pacific coast to a little place called mail pais. We took a shuttle bus with a few other fellow travellers that we had met in tamarindo. Two surfers shawn a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-141606.html Hello everyone. We are getting lazy with the blog along with everything else. We are adapting to the tico lifestyle slow and relaxed. Well after Dominical we left for Orosi. We got to see everyone again and played some futball and taught the people of Orosi Yaniev. It was nice to relax in the colder climate of the mountains. On Thursday in Orosi we went to Magaly the hostel cleaner's house for http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-115985.html Happy HolidaysGreetings from the sun the sand and the surf We are having a very different holiday experience than the one we are both used to back at homeSo we finally met up with our good buddy Erik in a little surf town on the southern tip of the Nicoya Pennisula called Mal PaisSanta Theresa basically a gravel strip with shops all along it spread between two municipalities. We have bee http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-113917.html Hi everyoneThere is not much to tell except that I am still having a blast back in Santa Teresa and enjoying spending more time here with friends.Im currently living and working at the Funky Monkey Lodge. The house we had paid for happened to be moved in by a bunch of other people while I was in Ecuador and my friend was in Mexico. The landlord seemed to think he could get away with the two set http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-113835.html Hola amigosWell its great to finally have my vacation 100 days on the ship and 45 in a drilling shack has finally paid out. My route has gone something like this. Arrived in San Jose on November 27 and quickly B lined it to the beach. Arriving in Jaco a few days later to find perfect waves and warm water. Jaco is costa rica's surf center and is the place to pick up a board and whatever else http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-112756.html So I asked around town in Santa Teresa where all the hostels were and came across Tranquilo Backpackers. There also one in San Jose not exactly cheap but 10 a night on that peninsula was cheap. After I settled in I borrowed some books and headed out to the beach. For the next few days all I did was sit at this resort called Luz de Vida cuz they had the hammocks on the beach. There was never anyo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-109179.html So I get to Garys place and was surprised to see a tent in his yard and a small little house.After the small talk Gary takes me inside the little house and tell me that it only has a bathroom and a kitchen. The sink and shower which was just the head are outside and so is his tent where he sleeps.I couldnt help but ask then was the point of building a small house if everything was outside. His http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-109170.html So I forgot to mention in the last blog about my costa rican experience with the fucken banks there.So when I first arrived I had to try and track down an ATM well theres hundred of banks all over the city but none of them worked. So that night I thought I was gonna go hungry until this guy from Melbourne staying in my dorm whom was also traveling the world bought me dinner and a beer. I didnt eve http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-109167.html So here's the dealio right now. Ali and Jo have left Santa Teresa and will go to Ecuador this friday starting work at the wildlife sanctuary there on monday. Now GUESS WHAT I've decided to stay in costa rica for another month I've found a house I can live in for FREE and share with my mexican friend Sheila and an american guy. Right on the beach hot water tv beautiful wooden a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-98208.html Sorry This was a diversion from the Mountain air.Got pics met people swam in the Pacific got HOT and saw property...then got disgustedMet a woman hope to hear from her soon gave her my email hers was defunct.See what I sawNow google surf pics under Costa Rica...... http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-96275.html It was independance day in Costa Rica today. And a very peaceful independance it was too. Flag displays and school children marching down the street at night with lanterns and playing drums. Independance was peacefully declared for Central America by Guatemala i think it was and Costa Rica has not had an army for the last 50 years so the country has an incredibly peaceful feeling There is http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-91086.html Hey GuysQuick update on the old travel blog..not much news but just thought id put up a few photos..etc.I have just had a fantastic lazy week of eating sooo much and being extremely lazy wat a supriseWe have met some great people here we even have a kiwi contingent of older guys that have moved here and own a surf shop close by and a juice bar so they look after us and play kiwi tunes wen we http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-87909.html Ok guys I know a few of you have been waiting for a few of these photos so here goes...We're staying at an amazing hostel called 'Brunela' which is the spanish feminine version of the name Bruce and also the name of the leading lady in a novel written by the owner go figure... Since we're here for a few weeks Juan the owner is only charging us 4 a night for which we get the BEST coffe http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-87650.html Hi allI'm back in Santa Teresa again what can I say we love this place which means I can blog to my hearts content.So here goes.. A photo update of Profelis the centre Ali and I have just left after working and doing research there for the last month. We had very rewarding experiences at Profelis enjoying the company of wonderful likeminded people who were willing to share all manner http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-87641.html Ali turns 20 today Feliz CumpleanosWe're at the beach again to celebrate see the photo... looking blissfully happy http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Mal-Pais/blog-84571.html