Back in Santa Teresa

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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 America because they sounded good and there was a pretty large crowd. I especially enjoyed one of the bands that sounded like a mix between Sublime and the Chili Peppers...not a bad combination if you ask me.

I ran into a guy from Vancouver Island named Rob who I have randomly met in four different places. Its funny to run into people in another place in Central America, when you met them somewhere else a week before. Its happened quite a few times now.

Mark and Josh took to the streets with Mark´s guitar and jimbae to play some tunes while sitting on the sidewalk like a couple of street performers. After leaving the discoteca, I found them jamming some Sublime with a pretty large crowd around them. Then I left and when I returned they had given their instruments to one of the bands that played the festival and we had the pleasure of enjoying a private concert on a sidewalk with 20 other people.

We returned to Tamarindo the next day, and the following day I surfed with Mark and then took a bus to San Jose. I stayed the night in San Jose and took another bus to Panama the next morning to meet Cesar, Max,and Cochisse in Bocas Del Toro. Bocas is only accessible by boat, so after taking the ferry in I went to the first internet cafe, checked my email, and learned in a message from Cesar that they were stay just down the street at Hostel Heike. I walked in the hostel, saw Cochisse and checked into the dorm they were staying in...$9 per night and very good vibes. That night there was an 80´s costume party at another hostel and bar down the road. My hostel had a whole treasure chest full of 80´s clothes and to my delight a sleeveless superman shirt, complete with a red cape attached. I decided to wear the costume with the shorts I was wearing, but then a girl pulled out a pair of red panties and told me I had to wear them...so i did. The party was fun...they had cheap drinks and a game called 80´s power hour in which an 80´s music video would come on the tv every minute and everyone had to take a shot of their beer everytime a new video came on. My costume got a lot of laughs and everyone wanted to take a picture with superman...I felt like a celebrity. Cochisse and Max shaved their face stubble, leaving just a mustache, and they both wore aviators, in an attempt to look like Magnum P.I. Cesar just wore some tight, pink, womens´ pants. We had a blast.

The next day, the four of us went out on a boat to scubadive and snorkel. Cesar and I went diving and had a real jerk as our dive master...it was ok though...we did two dives, one where we saw some nice coral and fish and the second one at a ferry boat wreck. The latter was better as we were able to see the sunken boat, more fish, and a morea eel.

The next night we took a ferry across the waterway about 200 meters to a bar built on the water. Everyone there seemed to be getting so drunk..it was fun, but every gangster panamanian in the place asked me if I wanted coke. I snorted a lot... there was just so much of it ....just kidding mom.

The following day we took the boat back to the mainland and then a taxi to the border. From there the guys had rented a sport utility that they left at the border and we piled in, but couldnt go anywhere bc a light had been left on and killed the battery. We all pushed the 5 speed suzuki to the road, got some speed going, and Max hopped in and started her up. I had a vision of my mom parking her first car on a hill everday because a roll start was the only way she could start it..hahaha. Cant believe I remember her telling me that.

We drove to a town near Totuguero, our planned destination for the next day´s adventure. We got a cheap hotel room with 2 twins and a full bed, had some dinner, and passed out. In the morning, we headed to Tortuguero. When we got close, we had had to park the car and take an hour long boat ride down a winding river to the the town of Tortuguero. When we arrived, we had breakfast at a soda and walked around until we found a guy who had a canoe for rent. $15 for the whole day. The four of us pushed it into the water and hopped in...I was in front, followed by Cesar, Max, and Cochisse in the back. We paddled down some amazing rivers for four hours and saw some spectacular wildlife...spider monkeys, caymen, many birds, and some animal that I dont know the name of that looks like a combination of a small dog and an anteater.

Late in the afternoon, we stepped off the river boat, drove 4 hours back to San Jose, and checked into a hostel. Cesar and Max were catching a flight back to Europe the next day and Cochisse is going to Nicaragua to surf for 10 more days before heading back to France. I really enjoyed haning out with those guys. We had some good adventures and they tought me some dirty phrases in Spanish and French. Va to fer an cule!! Thanks guys...hope to see you again someday.

I took a bus back to Santa Teresa yesterday and arrived at Casa Zen at 9pm. They put me in a room with a guy that smelled terrible. It was so bad that I checked out and went to another hostel called Cuesta Arriba. Martin, from the hostel, picked me up in an old land rover jeep and checked me in. Cuesta was a little loud for me. People were up late partying, so I listened to my ipod until I fell asleep. I woke up at 5:45 and headed to the beach. Surfed form 6 to 7:30. Each day on a surfboard gets better for me. Up until today, the waves I have been able to ride have been kinda small and the big ones I just get crushed in. But today is a new day....I caught and surfed some big, powerful waves today and it felt fantastic. I cant decribe what it feels like to ride a nice wave now, after working so hard to finally get to this point.

I walked down to an Italian guy named Andrea´s place who I had previously spoken to about renting a cabina for a month. He had a cabina available and is renting it to me for $100 a week. I have two beds, so anyone who wants to come down and surf should come before May 8th. May 8th, Candace arrives, and we will spend a romantic week together...haha...after which we will fly back to Tampa.

Andreas´s mother just arrived from Italy and Andrea tells me she will be making food all the time. Que bueno!! I cant wait to eat some real Italian food.

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