After 4 nights in Pavones, we decided to head back to Matapalo. We had such a wonderful time there, hanging out in our hammocks with the blue blue ocean as a backdrop. Plus the price is right. The waves were huge at the main beach in front of our tents. I got pretty scared out there after some huge bails and getting the crap beaten out of me, so Tim and I decided to check out the beach around the point called Backwash. It was much better. Not so big but some waves were still head high and the whitewash didn´t wash us into a graveyard of huge rocks. I caught some pretty nice waves. I think Backwash is one of my favourite beaches.
Ian and I went to explore the waterfall that was nearby. However, it´s a waterfall in the wet season, not the dry season. The river was little more than a trickly and the waterfall was dry. But it was a nice little adventure and on our way back down, we saw Spider Monkeys!! The Peninsula de Osa has all 4 type Central American monkeys living there and we got to see all 4! The howlers and capuchins and regular everday monkeys and we say the squirrel monkeys on our way out to Pavones last time we were there. Woot!
We headed back to Puerto Jiminez the night of March 27th so we could stay in a hotel and get all our gear packed properly. The next day, Tim dropped us off at a bus stop on the highway so we could take a bus to Panama and he headed back to Uvita to drop off the rental car. He flys out of CR on March 31.
The border crossing was pretty easy. We didn´t have to wait more than 5 mins at the bus stop and got every connecting bus there after. The actual crossing didn´t take much time either. We took a couple of buses and made it to the city of Santiago, where Ian has stayed a few times last year. We decided we needed a break from travelling (a vacation from our vacation) we we´re staying an extra night in the city, relaxing and we're going see a movie tonight.
Tomorrow we head to Santa Catalina, a surf beach on the Pacific side. We hope to be there for at least 5 days before we move on to explore the rest of Panama.
Monday, March 29, 2010
From Pavones back to Matapalo
We spent 4 nights in Pavones. It was a great little town with huge waves. Ian had more and more fun as waves got bigger. Unfortunately, it was the opposite for me and Tim. Some of those waves were just too big and freaked me out. We ended up heading back to Matapalo where we could camp on the beach for free and set up camp like we never left.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Pavones
The Jimny, our trusty (hopefully) rental car hanging out with my surf board.
Me and my board, walking in to the beach after a surf.
Me (yes, pictures of me surfing for once!) on a nice medium sized wave.
Wild horses (or at least loose horses) having a dip in the river. Looks like the whole family including baby.
I´ve had some time at the internet cafe today. The boys are out surfing so I don´t have anyone to rush me along. Today we got up early and were in the water by 6am, then back for breakfast (fried eggs sandwhich with cheese, tomato and avocado) then a nap while the boys surfed again, then hanging out drinking some rum and cokes, then time at the internet cafe while boys surf again. I´m going out to join them now. It´s been a nice day.
Matapalo
Tim living the life, his ideal vacation. Camping in the middle of nowhere, lazing in a hammock with a beer in his hand. I was right behind Ian who was taking the picture, doing the same thing but didn´t have as much sunscreen on my face and not such a goofy look.
Someone getting a nice ride at Matapalo.
Sunrise.
Our camp.
Snakes!
Snake that someone found in the outdoor shower at the hostle in Uvita. It was eating a frog and Ian picked it up and played with it after it´s meal.
Another snake Ian caught in Manuel Antonio. He showed up all the tour guides by actually catching it.
More Uvita
Frog and baby snake Ian caught.
Land crab with full mating colours.
Ian out of the Whale´s Tail. A point in Uvita that´s shape like a whale´s tail. There must have been some sort of lighthouse or structure years ago.
Uvita
The gang of friends we were with in Uvita: Tim, Rick, Katie, Meredith (who we met at the hostel) and me. We´re checking out the surf at Dominicalito.
The waterfall in Uvita. Ian´s having a nice massage right now but it´s actually a natural waterslide. You can sit at the top and slide halfway down and it lauches you out into the pool below. So awesome!
Me, being very hot and sweaty.
Manuel Antonio (1st time)
Ian caught a ghost crab on a night walk we did on the beach.
Beautiful West Coast sunset in Manuel Antonio.
Tim with a sprouting coconut.
Pelican hanging out on the beach. Must have been injured but not entirely sure. Don´t know why else it would just be walking on the beach like that.
Mal Pais and Santa Teresa with Tim
All these pictures are in reverse order.
Tim and me waiting waiting for the bus at 6am to leave Mal Pais.
Ian found the treehouse he hung out in 5 years ago and went up there with Tim. I preferred to lay in the hammock and wait (wearing a skirt and all). This is a picture of Tim´s decent.
Me and Tim hanging out on the beach with some nice break behind us.
Tim walking back to the hotel along the street of Santa Teresa with his brand new used board and me being a little jealous.
Monday, March 22, 2010
On to Pavones
Matapalo was an amazing place. My board was in serious need of repair (again) so I didn´t surf too much. Ian and Tim were ripping it up. We took a drive to the end of the road where the entrance to Corcovado National Park is. We checked out some nice beaches, had a bathe and a clay rub in a clear little river. We had a nice dinner with a Canadian we met from Ontarion, Emre, and his Tica girlfriend. We had a great time drinking wine and eating good good food.
We left Matapalo yesterday and took a detour back to the river for a quick bathe before heading into civilization. On the way back from the river, Ian spotted squirrel monkeys in the trees. Finally!!!! Squirrel Monkeys!!!!! We were so excited and pulled over to get some pics. They´re prettyshy and move fast, so we didn´t get any really good pics but we got to see them. Now we´ve seen all 4 monkey species in Central America, the Howler, Capuchin, Spider and Squirrel Monkeys. The local term for Squirrel Monkey is Mono Titi. Yes, many a joke made with that one.
It took us about 6 hours to get to Pavones, which is one of the southern most spots in CR on the pacific side. We´re staying in a room with a bathroom and air conditioning. Oh the luxury. I actually had a good night sleep where I wasn´t sweating the entire time. Today we´re taking it easy. I had to do some more repairs on my board and we wanted to find the internet cafe. We´ll probably surf this afternoon. Apprently, when the swell is pumping, Pavones has the longes left break in the world. The ride can last up to 3 minutes and at one point the wave comes so close to shore in front of a beach bar, they´ll throw you beers as you surf by. Not sure if the swell is going to get that big while we´re here but we´re keeping our fingers crossed. We´ll probably be here for 4 more days before we part ways with Tim and head to Panama. I´ve been reading up on Panama and I´m getting really excited to get into another country.
We left Matapalo yesterday and took a detour back to the river for a quick bathe before heading into civilization. On the way back from the river, Ian spotted squirrel monkeys in the trees. Finally!!!! Squirrel Monkeys!!!!! We were so excited and pulled over to get some pics. They´re prettyshy and move fast, so we didn´t get any really good pics but we got to see them. Now we´ve seen all 4 monkey species in Central America, the Howler, Capuchin, Spider and Squirrel Monkeys. The local term for Squirrel Monkey is Mono Titi. Yes, many a joke made with that one.
It took us about 6 hours to get to Pavones, which is one of the southern most spots in CR on the pacific side. We´re staying in a room with a bathroom and air conditioning. Oh the luxury. I actually had a good night sleep where I wasn´t sweating the entire time. Today we´re taking it easy. I had to do some more repairs on my board and we wanted to find the internet cafe. We´ll probably surf this afternoon. Apprently, when the swell is pumping, Pavones has the longes left break in the world. The ride can last up to 3 minutes and at one point the wave comes so close to shore in front of a beach bar, they´ll throw you beers as you surf by. Not sure if the swell is going to get that big while we´re here but we´re keeping our fingers crossed. We´ll probably be here for 4 more days before we part ways with Tim and head to Panama. I´ve been reading up on Panama and I´m getting really excited to get into another country.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Peninsula de Osa
So we're finally on the Peninsula de Osa. We have always wanted to come here, especially Ian, who's been in CR twice before and never made it here. We packed the little Suzuki Jimny (it's a little 2 door jeep type of thing) and hit the road on March 16th. It took us all day to get to Matapalo, which is the very tip of the peninsula. We got lost down some dirt roads for a bit but we found a beautiful spot in the end. We're camping for free on a beach down a remote dirt road where there are only jungle/beach lodges. No phone, no stores, no nothing. And the surf break is right out front. The waves were so big yesterday. Most were head and a half high, but there were some double overhead out there. I haven't been that scared in the water for a long time. Ian was having the time of his life. Today the waves were a little bit smaller, mostly head high, which suited me and Tim much better. I caught some nice waves today.
There was a crazy thunder and lightening storm last night. We saw the lightening earlier on in the evening across the gulf on the mainland. Then after we went to bed, the storm came right in over head. We had to put the fly on and peg everything down. A big palm brach came down on the tent as we were running around. Thank god there weren't any coconuts up there.
There are tons of wild scarlet macaw parrots flying around. We see them all the time over our campsite and they make such a racket. Defintly not song birds.
I got a crazy heat rash on my face in Uvita and that's now all cleared up. I'm feeling good, no more itchy, red bumpy angry painful bumps. Pam, the owner of Flutternby where we were staying in Uvita, showed me how of mush up the leaves of a tree (can't remember the name even though she told me so many times) and put the green goo on my face. It really worked. Tim had some bumps too and they went away with green goo as well.
Ian is checking the swell report and he's hyperventilating. Looks like some nice waves are rolling in. He's spinning in his chair like a mad fool. We better get back to the beach soon before his head explodes.
There was a crazy thunder and lightening storm last night. We saw the lightening earlier on in the evening across the gulf on the mainland. Then after we went to bed, the storm came right in over head. We had to put the fly on and peg everything down. A big palm brach came down on the tent as we were running around. Thank god there weren't any coconuts up there.
There are tons of wild scarlet macaw parrots flying around. We see them all the time over our campsite and they make such a racket. Defintly not song birds.
I got a crazy heat rash on my face in Uvita and that's now all cleared up. I'm feeling good, no more itchy, red bumpy angry painful bumps. Pam, the owner of Flutternby where we were staying in Uvita, showed me how of mush up the leaves of a tree (can't remember the name even though she told me so many times) and put the green goo on my face. It really worked. Tim had some bumps too and they went away with green goo as well.
Ian is checking the swell report and he's hyperventilating. Looks like some nice waves are rolling in. He's spinning in his chair like a mad fool. We better get back to the beach soon before his head explodes.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Manuel Antonio and Uvita
The 3 of us left Mal Pais/Santa Teresa on March 7 and headed to Manuel Antonio. We hadn't heard from Rick and Katie so we decided to head south anyways and stop to visit a National Park for a day. It was a bus ride, a taxi, and bus ride and another taxi ride and we got to the town of Manuel Antonio about 8 hours later.
We found a cheap, crappy hotel by the beach which cost the same amount as the luxurious place we stayed in Santa Teresa. The bed frame had no supports and we thought we were going to fall through to the floor. Manuel Antonio was really charming, very small and touristy but a place where gringos and ticos vacation together. The National Park is one of the few habitats for squirrel monkeys, which are very endagered. They are the one type of monkey living in Central America that we haven't seen yet. There was a little break where we could surf at the beach in front of our hotel. We had one day to spend in the park which was a monday and wouldn't you know that the park is closed on mondays. Defeated, we went for a surf and tried to find squirrel monkeys at the restaurant near the park at dinner. Still no luck. We did see a lot of white faced Capuchins, Ian gave them a lighter to see if they would burn down the forest but they dropped it when they figured out the couldn't eat it. We left for Uvita on March 9 sad that we didn't get to see the elusive monkeys.
We had heard from Rick and Katie that they were staying at the Flutterby hostel by the beach in Uvita. We left early and got there by 9am and surprised them. We pitched our tents and have been camping there for the last week. The Flutterby is an awesome place, very remote and protected, a big fence runs around the place. There's a communal kitchen and nice bathrooms and showers. It's a pretty new place owned by an american girl around our age. It's so safe that someone left their camera in the kitchen for a few days and was there when they went back for it (it wasn't us though, our camera is very closely guarded).
Since there was 5 of us we decided to go in on a rental car as the breaks and town are very spread out. We got a Suzuki Grand Vitara and have been bombing around on the dirt roads. We went on surf adventures everyday and took a trip to some waterfalls that had a natural waterslide down the falls that spit you out at the end. There was a ropeswing too ( I didn't got on that one). We went on a few night walks and Ian caught a baby snake the other night and lots of cool bugs and even tried to sneak up on a caymen. Rick and Katie left yesterday and since the closest major bus depot was up by Manuel Antonio, we decided to drive them up there and make it in to the park. Our friend, Taylor, was supposed to be in Manuel Antonio and we were hoping to meet up with him but never got a hold of him.
The park was awesome. We saw 3 3-toed sloths, and lots of cool birds and bugs. Ian caught a yellow-bellied racer (1 meter long snake) in front of a bunch of tourists and showed up all the tour guides. The beaches in the park were beautiful but crowded so we did a little swimming. Back in the town of Manuel Antonio, we had some drinks at a nice restaurent then headed back to Uvita. My surfboard has been wounded for the last few days and Ian has repaired it today after it finally dried out. I hope to get back into the water this evening.
We took the rental car back today but we are getting another one tomorrow for our trip further south to the Peninsula de Osa. We're renting a smaller car as there's only 3 of us now. We head out on the road tomorrow and will probably spend a week and a half there before saying goodbye to Tim and heading into Panama.
We found a cheap, crappy hotel by the beach which cost the same amount as the luxurious place we stayed in Santa Teresa. The bed frame had no supports and we thought we were going to fall through to the floor. Manuel Antonio was really charming, very small and touristy but a place where gringos and ticos vacation together. The National Park is one of the few habitats for squirrel monkeys, which are very endagered. They are the one type of monkey living in Central America that we haven't seen yet. There was a little break where we could surf at the beach in front of our hotel. We had one day to spend in the park which was a monday and wouldn't you know that the park is closed on mondays. Defeated, we went for a surf and tried to find squirrel monkeys at the restaurant near the park at dinner. Still no luck. We did see a lot of white faced Capuchins, Ian gave them a lighter to see if they would burn down the forest but they dropped it when they figured out the couldn't eat it. We left for Uvita on March 9 sad that we didn't get to see the elusive monkeys.
We had heard from Rick and Katie that they were staying at the Flutterby hostel by the beach in Uvita. We left early and got there by 9am and surprised them. We pitched our tents and have been camping there for the last week. The Flutterby is an awesome place, very remote and protected, a big fence runs around the place. There's a communal kitchen and nice bathrooms and showers. It's a pretty new place owned by an american girl around our age. It's so safe that someone left their camera in the kitchen for a few days and was there when they went back for it (it wasn't us though, our camera is very closely guarded).
Since there was 5 of us we decided to go in on a rental car as the breaks and town are very spread out. We got a Suzuki Grand Vitara and have been bombing around on the dirt roads. We went on surf adventures everyday and took a trip to some waterfalls that had a natural waterslide down the falls that spit you out at the end. There was a ropeswing too ( I didn't got on that one). We went on a few night walks and Ian caught a baby snake the other night and lots of cool bugs and even tried to sneak up on a caymen. Rick and Katie left yesterday and since the closest major bus depot was up by Manuel Antonio, we decided to drive them up there and make it in to the park. Our friend, Taylor, was supposed to be in Manuel Antonio and we were hoping to meet up with him but never got a hold of him.
The park was awesome. We saw 3 3-toed sloths, and lots of cool birds and bugs. Ian caught a yellow-bellied racer (1 meter long snake) in front of a bunch of tourists and showed up all the tour guides. The beaches in the park were beautiful but crowded so we did a little swimming. Back in the town of Manuel Antonio, we had some drinks at a nice restaurent then headed back to Uvita. My surfboard has been wounded for the last few days and Ian has repaired it today after it finally dried out. I hope to get back into the water this evening.
We took the rental car back today but we are getting another one tomorrow for our trip further south to the Peninsula de Osa. We're renting a smaller car as there's only 3 of us now. We head out on the road tomorrow and will probably spend a week and a half there before saying goodbye to Tim and heading into Panama.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
San Jose back to Santa Teresa
We met Tim at the airport with much hugging and high-5ing. We went back to our hostel and were about to show Tim to our room when we ran into our good friend Dan, an Aussie guy who we kept running into in Nicaragua. It was such a crazy coincidence. Dan was flying out the next day so between that and Tim´s arrival, we tied one on. We took advantage of the $2 rum and cokes at the hostel and had a cheery good ole time. Then I had to go to bed (as usual) and the boys went out on the town. I think they got back at dawn. Poor Dan, I think he had to be at the airport soon after, I don´t envy his flight.
We eventually got up and made it to the bus depot and caught the 11am bus to Puntarenus (only 3 hours later than we had hoped). We made it to Santa Teresa only a little after dark, but we knew where we were going to stay so it was no problem. We ended up moving to a new hotel in town yesterday. It was only $35 a night for a nice hotel with cable tv, full bathroom and mini fridge. Between 3 of us, that´s as steal! Tim got a great deal on a board and we´ve been out surfing. The waves have been huge. Tim and I aren´t catching much but Ian is having a rip roaring time (as usual).
We may be leaving tomorrow, depending on what our friends, Rick and Katie are doing. We need to meet up with them, so if they get back to us tonight, we leave tomorrow and if not, we leave the next day. There´s talk of renting a car and exploring lonely surf breaks which I´m totally down for. Onwards and Southwards!
We eventually got up and made it to the bus depot and caught the 11am bus to Puntarenus (only 3 hours later than we had hoped). We made it to Santa Teresa only a little after dark, but we knew where we were going to stay so it was no problem. We ended up moving to a new hotel in town yesterday. It was only $35 a night for a nice hotel with cable tv, full bathroom and mini fridge. Between 3 of us, that´s as steal! Tim got a great deal on a board and we´ve been out surfing. The waves have been huge. Tim and I aren´t catching much but Ian is having a rip roaring time (as usual).
We may be leaving tomorrow, depending on what our friends, Rick and Katie are doing. We need to meet up with them, so if they get back to us tonight, we leave tomorrow and if not, we leave the next day. There´s talk of renting a car and exploring lonely surf breaks which I´m totally down for. Onwards and Southwards!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Playa Guiones, Nosara
We had tons of fun with Ian´s family in Nosara. The house we stayed in was close to Playa Guiones that had awesome surf, I think it´s the best so far (for me anyways, Ian´s favourite is Mal Pais although Ian got some sweet barrels at Guiones).
Ian´s grandma rented a car for the family and we explored some other beaches. Playa Pelada was nice a quiet and had a great bar/restaurant on the beach. The beers were cold and the ceviche was great (ceviche is a raw fish salsa with the fish cured in lime juice, delish!) There was a blowhole there that shot water out of the top of the rocks when the tide was high.
We met up with Rick and Katie and had fun escaping the family for a bit and drinking beers at their place. We went to Nosara Biological Reserve and had a wonderful hike with Cam, Natalie, Ian´s Grandma and Rick and Katie. The entrance was at a lodge and we had to walk down 168 stairs (yes, we counted them) into the reserve. We explored through mangroves, 15 foot tall grass, and arrid jungle along the side of the Nosara River. We found a boa constrictor carcass and there were lots of monkeys in the trees. Some of the trees had numbers on them that corresponded to a map we were given that explained what their names were and their uses. At the end of the 2 hour hike, we cooled off at the river mouth and watched the fishermen and fisher birds (so many pelicans, terns and gulls). The hike back up the 168 stairs in the blistering heat did us all in. I was super impressed with Ian´s grandma, she made it no problem, although she hikes up a mountain everyday at home so if anyone was going to make it, it would be her. We had some beers at the top taking in the view of the river valley and long beaches.
One day we went to Playa Garza, which was even quiter than Pelada. The ocean here was so calm but a tiny wave was breaking a little way down the beach, so Cam and Ian had fun. The rest of us enjoyed swimming at a beach where the waves weren´t breaking on our heads constantly. Some fishermen came by with a bag full of fresh lobsters and we bought enough for one each. We had an amazing feast that night. Ashraf (Ian´s step dad) had made curry too so we gorged ourselves. Ashraf kept us fed most nights with his delicious curries. We did another family car ride to Playa Ostional where there´s a turtle reserve, but they weren´t laying at this time, so we just hung out at the beach. We surfed a little and made friends with the police officers keeping an eye on the place. Ashraf did some karate on the beach and the cops were so impressed they gave him a Policia hat. Ian and Natalie are already fighting over who gets it in his will.
Other than that, our days consisted mostly of early morning surfs around 6am, back in around 8:30 for breakfast and coffee, a few trips into town to pick up groceries, beer and mix for the rum. We ate in most nights with a few expensive meals out. Nosara is mostly a gringo settlement, so the prices are all north american. We named the Coatimundi that came by to visit Carlos Don Dingleballs. He came by almost every day and we tossed food for him. Monkeys would swing through the trees in the yard and a few nights ago over 10 of them, not including all the babies, came through. It was amazing. We got some great pics on Ian´s grandma´s camera. There was even an old grandpa monkey that was missing a hand. He moved a little slower than the rest.
All in all we had an awesome time in Nosara. I caught some amazing waves and Ian did too (of course). We´re in San Jose now, we´re meeting our friend Tim at the airport tonight then we´re off back to Mal Pais and Santa Teresa for a few days to get Tim set up with a board and stuff. First though, we are going shopping for another new camera, again. Fingers crossed this one sticks around.
Ian´s grandma rented a car for the family and we explored some other beaches. Playa Pelada was nice a quiet and had a great bar/restaurant on the beach. The beers were cold and the ceviche was great (ceviche is a raw fish salsa with the fish cured in lime juice, delish!) There was a blowhole there that shot water out of the top of the rocks when the tide was high.
We met up with Rick and Katie and had fun escaping the family for a bit and drinking beers at their place. We went to Nosara Biological Reserve and had a wonderful hike with Cam, Natalie, Ian´s Grandma and Rick and Katie. The entrance was at a lodge and we had to walk down 168 stairs (yes, we counted them) into the reserve. We explored through mangroves, 15 foot tall grass, and arrid jungle along the side of the Nosara River. We found a boa constrictor carcass and there were lots of monkeys in the trees. Some of the trees had numbers on them that corresponded to a map we were given that explained what their names were and their uses. At the end of the 2 hour hike, we cooled off at the river mouth and watched the fishermen and fisher birds (so many pelicans, terns and gulls). The hike back up the 168 stairs in the blistering heat did us all in. I was super impressed with Ian´s grandma, she made it no problem, although she hikes up a mountain everyday at home so if anyone was going to make it, it would be her. We had some beers at the top taking in the view of the river valley and long beaches.
One day we went to Playa Garza, which was even quiter than Pelada. The ocean here was so calm but a tiny wave was breaking a little way down the beach, so Cam and Ian had fun. The rest of us enjoyed swimming at a beach where the waves weren´t breaking on our heads constantly. Some fishermen came by with a bag full of fresh lobsters and we bought enough for one each. We had an amazing feast that night. Ashraf (Ian´s step dad) had made curry too so we gorged ourselves. Ashraf kept us fed most nights with his delicious curries. We did another family car ride to Playa Ostional where there´s a turtle reserve, but they weren´t laying at this time, so we just hung out at the beach. We surfed a little and made friends with the police officers keeping an eye on the place. Ashraf did some karate on the beach and the cops were so impressed they gave him a Policia hat. Ian and Natalie are already fighting over who gets it in his will.
Other than that, our days consisted mostly of early morning surfs around 6am, back in around 8:30 for breakfast and coffee, a few trips into town to pick up groceries, beer and mix for the rum. We ate in most nights with a few expensive meals out. Nosara is mostly a gringo settlement, so the prices are all north american. We named the Coatimundi that came by to visit Carlos Don Dingleballs. He came by almost every day and we tossed food for him. Monkeys would swing through the trees in the yard and a few nights ago over 10 of them, not including all the babies, came through. It was amazing. We got some great pics on Ian´s grandma´s camera. There was even an old grandpa monkey that was missing a hand. He moved a little slower than the rest.
All in all we had an awesome time in Nosara. I caught some amazing waves and Ian did too (of course). We´re in San Jose now, we´re meeting our friend Tim at the airport tonight then we´re off back to Mal Pais and Santa Teresa for a few days to get Tim set up with a board and stuff. First though, we are going shopping for another new camera, again. Fingers crossed this one sticks around.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
