Feels Like Home

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Long day on Monday getting from San Jose to Mal Pais. Missed the early morning transfer, so I had to wait until the 3:30, which I knew would be getting me in super late. The bus was completely brand new, it still had plastic on the seats, with AC and TVs(this never happens in costa rica). I was stoked to say the least, but luck was not on my side. We made it an hour out of the city before the bus broke down on the side of the highway. A couple of gypsies came and tried various procedures, then somehow it magically just started again. We barely made the ferry from P town to Paquera, then it was another 2 hours on the bus to Mal Pais. I met a bunch of people on the ferry, most of them from Canada, a few Swedes and one Scandinavian. We all booked it to Tranquilo backpackers, the new hostel in town-which is absolutely awesome! Spanish style open air architecture with tons of hammocks, a huge common area, and free pancakes and coffee for breakfast. Couldn´t ask for more. There are definitely more people from various countries here than anywhere else I have been in Costa Rica. Tons of Aussies and Swedes, I am one of only 2 Americans, and quite a few Canadians. The hostel is not all the way finished, so I got a job there doing construction. There are only 3 of us working, so labor is pretty intense, and the heat here is ridiculous. I probably drank 4 liters of water this morning alone. My first assignment was to move 300 cinder blocks up a hill with a wheel barrow. Not much fun when it is 93 degrees outside. It is good to be working outside, though, and I get free rent and a little bit of extra money, nothing special. Weekends off and I surf every morning at sunrise, then a quick session at sunset. No complaints here. Tonight is open mike night at Mal Pais surf camp, definitely my favorite place to go here, everybody from 3 beaches goes there. There is no town here, just a long stretch of beach and some small family style cabinas and a few restaurants strung along the coast. Biggest waves I have ever been in, and picture perfect sunsets. Who needs Hawaii?...

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