Costa Rica - Pura Vida!

2/29 (night)- 3/1 (Morning) : The good news was my wife and I were flying first class, the bad news was my wife got very sick during the flight. About five or six hours later we landed in San Jose Costa Rica. We were traveling with my wife's mom and husband. We took a ride over to the Alamo car rental place and haggled with Roberto to get a decent deal on a big 4 wheel dive car. About an hour later we hit the rode. I was sitting up front and in charge of navigating us to he port ( punta something ). The GPS was tricky and put us on the back streets going down some not so friendly areas. We did finally connect to he 27 highway and made good time getting to he port (except when we would get stuck behind one if those big trash trucks on the single line highway.

We took the ferry over to Mal Pais and took the winding one times paved but mostly unsaved dirt roads to Santa Teresa. My wife was still very sick and the bumpy roads didn't help her situation. Eventually we made it into town and went to the grocery store to stock up on he essentials (beer, water, coffee, and some food). The directions to our place weren't be best to go off of. There are no addresses in that part of Costa Rica, just some names and land marks.

We made it safely to our place Casa Macondo that turned out to be a true paradise. I've never stayed in a place so nice. Infinitely pool, ceiling fans in every room and the patios, lots of lounge ares.

I broke away from everyone and found the route to be beach. There was basically here pathways to take to get here. The first part ran down the middle of all the casa's that are part of the villas were we are staying, the second was a small dirt road then finally was a trail that led through the jungle the ended on a wide beach edged by big palm trees. The sand felt like powdered sugar and the  water was almost 80 degrees.

I couldn't wait to go surf, but I didn't have a board yet. I had tried to pre coordinate renting a board, but it didn't seem to working out. One of the guys tried to drop off a 7-6 but it was a logger, a beater for a beginner and I was really in search of something a bit more high performance. They told me of a surf shop in town (Kina Surf) that should be able to help out. It was already late in the day so we made plans to go there in the morning. Two of my wife's parents friends met up with us that evening and we all went to koji's for dinner. Wow that was a great dinner!

3-2 Sunday

We made breakfast at our casa and we headed back into town in search of a surfboard for me, rental for my wife, a few bodyboards and a some more groceries. We stopped off at Kina Surf and I saw a board that was ok, a little heavy but it would due in a pinch. I stopped off in about five other surf shops and I was begining to get discouraged. Most shops only had a few boards that look like they had been trashed and repaired a few times, not a lot of options. Farther in town I found another surf shop, Nalu Surf and saw a that they had a bunch of new boards and felt like I had options again. 

I found two boards that looked good, one was a 7'2 hybrid for $550 and a 7'0 for $450 that had a pressure ding on the bottom near the nose. 7'0 reminded me of my 6'10 that ride back home just a little thinner and I new I would have this chance again so I asked if they would buy back the board at the end of my two weeks and David said that they would for half the price. He was pretty firm about that and I knew I was the best deal I would get for now so I bought the board and a leash. My wife grabbed some groceries next door and we heaed back to Kina Surf to rent a board for my wife. I talked to Erick that was working there and settled on two bodyboards and a 8'0 single fin that seemed stable and easy enough for my wife to get some fun smaller waves.

We headed back to our casa and then it was staight to the beach. The afternoon surf was little choppy and reminded me a lot of Florida because you can walk out way far in the surf and it was still shallow out. I caught a few fun ones and was stoked that my wife took some pictures of me surfing.

After surfing it was back to our casa and the warm swimming pool. We ended up having some pasta and beer for dinner.

3-3 Monday

I woke up early when the birds starting singing outside, and made the walk down the trails to the beach. The surf was calm and I was stoked to only see three people out. I went back to the casa and slapped on my trunks and paddled out in the warm surf. It was little tricky getting in the right spot on some of the waves but I got a few really fun ones.

We had dinner at Colour Cafe (new place chef is Sabastian) - awesome food!

3-4 Tuesday

I woke up early again when the birds started singing and headed down to the beach. It looked cleaner than yesterday and I was stoked. I paddled out and talked to this kid that was ten years old and started surfing when he was five, and he was fearless. I ended up surfing closer to the rocks off to the right but not on the peak, beacuse sometimes the wave would shift to the left and line up real good. I caught a big macker there and made it down the line before punching through the lip just before it closed out- very stoked.

We all had a big lunch that turned into early dinner at Colour Cafe.

3-5 Wednesday

Am surf was bigger than yesterday, but inconsistant. Keith walked down the beach with me and watched me surf for a while he talked to Zoe who we met the night before at dinner at the next table over. I caught some really long waves and had a great time. I saw the family of surfers that are staying near us paddle out but they didn't last long out there. Turn out one of the kids lost thier gopro off their board and that was the third one lost on this trip. I had a great time and eventually came in to eat breakfast burritos at our casa.

We had a big lunch that again turned into early dinner at Colour Cafe- so good!

After lunch my wife and I paddled out on the 8'0 longboard and took turns surfing and taking photos. It reminded me of being in high school with Dust and Steph and how we used to trade off taking pictures way back then, it was a great time.

3-6-14 Thursday

Last night I must've killed about 15 misquitoes in my room. Even with the AC on the misquitoes were out for blood. I woke up early again and I was still a little tired from lack of good sleep. I made the walk down to the beach and there was no one out yet. The shape looked great, but it was hard to tell how big the surf really was. I figured it was about the same size as yesterday and went back to my casa to grab my board and head back out. 

The water was warm like yesterday and the tide was on the high side again and dropping. Half way out I could tell it was much bigger than yesterday and I made it all the way out and got two big waves one right and one left. I saw Gerry and his two friends paddle out at the right at the rocks. I caught another right and saw the surf family paddle out. A really big set showed up and I was scraping to get over it. I just barely made it over before it exploded behind me. It was a solid 16 foot face and I was wondering if I could have caught it if was just another 10 feet out. I talked to one of Gerry's friends and he told me about the time he surfed Dana Point before the harbor was built (yes he was an older guy). He said that six years ago there would've been only been two people out surfing, now there's twenty out at Santa Tereasa. I caught a few more waves and came back in. I didn't want to press my luck, all the average waves were well over head and there were big monster sets now and then that seemed to catch everyone by surprise. I was just happy that I didn't break my board in half or get clobbered.

Later the tide really dropped and I went back to the beach to snap a few pictures so that you could see  how big it was. It looked a little smaller that when I was out, but you get the idea. I took a few pictures standing on the tallest exposed rocks off to the right close to were Gerry was surfing early this morning.

I also took the path north to see if there were any other surf breaks around the corner, but it looked like it wasn't worth the risk of hitting any of the lava rocks that covered the coast.

Just before sunset I went back into town get grab more ice and soda and saw first hand the aftermath of a car that had flipped over. The moral is drive slow, be safe and watch out for yourself and each other.

3-7-14 Friday

I woke up early again and walked down to the beach to do a quick surf check and I could tell that it still very big. It's always hard to tell how big it really is when no one else is out in the water, but I could tell it was big. I saw Jerry and his friend walking down the beach towards me and probably headed to the rocks off to the right. I felt out of my league, but made up my mind to paddle out anyway. I headed back to the case and grabbed my board and made my way back to the beach. I watched the sets thunder in, very consistently. Some sets looked like there were twenty waves in them. I saw that just in between the big sets were some (small) clean shoulder to head high waves that l set my mind on trying to catch. I caught one right away, then another shortly after. Then I got caught by what felt like a thirty wave set and really made me work to not get pushed all the way back in and I was getting dragged a hundred yards south down the beach. 

I decided to give it one more quick paddle out when my wife offered to take pictures of me surfing (if I could catch another wave). I caught two more waves and my arms were beat tired. I took out the olympus water camera and took a few water shots of the guys out surfing. Some of them took a real beating, other guys just made it it look easy. I really want to get more comfortable in larger surf (like today). The waves were not that predictable at Playa Hermosa. Playa Hermosa is a beach break (not a point break) and some of the bigger waves were closing out all the way down the beach. Plus there was a big current dragging south and as the tide dropped the undertow would try and suck you out to sea. Maybe I can talk someone into a quick surf trip down south around point were the waves should taper and wrap more, maybe find a point break...

3-8 Saturday

I surfed early again. My wife's mom took a few pictures of me out there. Then we all went back and played in the pool all afternoon.

3-9 Sunday

I went out and surfed early again. Then later on I took pictures of my wife surfing. I rode a few on the longboard. I even took Adam out for a surf lesson and he stood up. Then back to the pool. I felt like I got some water in my ear, but it didn't bug me that much. We all partied it up after dinner. Pura Vida!

3-10 Monday

I thing everyone was pretty hungover, but I ended up surfing early anyway. I got some good waves before it got crowded. My ear really started bothering me so I decided to take it easy. Plus we moved down the beach to our new home. Pretty amazing place.

3-11 Tuesday

I woke up early again and took a long walk along beach. I was pretty sure I was getting an ear infection. I flushed with alcohol and vinegar  just to be safe. Did a quick surf session to see what was out there on the outer reef. 

I did see a big fish, probably an 8 foot shark so I paddled back to the inside section of the reef. I managed  to catch a few waves without getting my head wet, and my ear felt a little better. I went to the farmacia in town got medicine for ear infection and rested and used hot compress throughout the day. I also took sometime to just relax and play some guitar out on the patio.

3-12-14 Wednesday

Have you ever been deep sea fishing? Well it was my first time. The four of us took this fishing trip on Montezuma (Zuma Tours). It was a catch and release fishing trip and I was stoked! My wife  was first up and she caught a big one, but it cut the line before she could get it all the way into the boat. Then I caught a sail fish, it must've been 300 yards out because I just kept reeling it in but it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. It was the biggest fish I ever caught in my life (so far). 

Then My wife's mom got a big sail fish. Then my wife was up again and she got a sail fish. We also saw pilot whales, a few pods of dolphins, and we rescued a turtle that was caught in some plastic. My back got a bad sun burn, but it was worth it. My right ear was pretty useless all day, but it was the best time I've ever had on a boat trip, even with an ear infection. 

We got back home just as the sun was starting to set to I paddled out to get a few quick waves to keep my surfing streak going. The tide was pretty low and there were a bunch of hidden rocks just below the surface of the water. It was tricky, but I got a few waves.

3-13-14 Thursday

My ear was getting worse so we went into town and I had the local doctor check it out. He said it was very swollen and inflamed. He ended up flushing both my ears (get rid of ear wax) then gave me three shots in the butt that hurt for a while. Plus they told me that I had to get three more shots tomorrow. 

The Doc said that I should stay out of the water and not surf for the rest of my trip (just a few more days), but I still paddled out for a few quick waves- I just didn't get my head wet. 

Then we all made plan to do the jungle zip lining tour tomorrow.. could be fun.

3-14-14 Friday

Got another walk along the beach in the early morning before heading to the Jungle canopy Zip-line tour. I'm afraid of heights so it was a little scary for me. Actually I'm more afraid of falling from high places, and really it's just the last few feet before you crash land that gets me the most. I ended up having a great time!

That afternoon we returned the red surfboard and bodyboards that we rented at Kina Surf and had my check up with Dr. Moreno.  My wife was ready with the camera to take shots of me getting more shots, but the doctor said that I had improved enough not to need more shots. 

We headed back home and I took out my 7’0 one last time with my gopro strapped to my wrist. It was awkward paddling, and surprisingly heavy. I ended up only catching one good wave, but it worth the experience.   

Later that night I sold my 7’0 to Jeremy (Adelia’s husband) for $350. Honestly I was sad to sell that board but Jeremy was so stoked plus he said that he’d sell it back to me on my next trip out there. Then it was time to pack up and get ready for an early morning start. The plan was to get on the road at 3:30 am so that we could make the drive in the dark to the ferry and be there by 5:00 am because it left at 5:30 am. If we missed that then we would probably miss out flight back home...

3-15-14

I had a hard time sleeping. It was a lot like being on business travel and I was afraid I’d over sleep so I kept waking up ever half hour or so until I finally got up around 2:15 am. I checked out the surf that was lit up by the nearly full moon over the water. Then I ate a few power bars and got the last of my stuff ready for the car. Everyone else got up around 3:00 and we all piled our stuff into the car and left just after 3:30 am. We took the short cut to by-pass the main strip in Santa Theresa. We took the big hill up at the “T”, then the right at the two houses, then another right at the bogonzillias then finally a left onto the main road at the sumi sushi sign at the tin shed. Then fished off the two hour drive in the dark and luckily made it to the ferry right on time. 

Then we made it to the other side and made our way to the Alamo car rental place with only minor detours, and finally back to the airport. I was starving as usual and I had a Smash Burger and fries at the airport and was really stoked on how good it was, even for airport food it was good. We made it to our flight on time and then made it to our connecting flight as well. Eventually we made it back home and it had been almost 24 hours of traveling since we left left Costa Rica until the time we made it to our own beds back home. Worth it!

If you want to make the journey to Santa Theresa then this is how you can do it:

The fastest way to get to Santa Teresa from San Jose is by flying from San Jose Airport to Tambor. Duration of the flight is 20 minutes. From Tambor to Santa Teresa it's a 40 minutes drive. I recommend doing that if you can arrange it. The airline flying from the international airport near San Jose to Tambor is Sansa
 http://www.flysansa.com | Phone: (506) 2904100. Another airline that flies to Tambor is Nature Air who also operate flights from the international airport of San Jose (SJO).
http://www.natureair.com | Phone: (506) 2203054. If you are planning to drive to Santa Teresa with a rental car from San Jose (we recommend 4x4), you drive to the big city of Puntarenas, from there, crossing the Gulf of Nicoya by ferry direction to Paquera.
 For up-to-date ferry schedules call the ferry company: 2661-2084.
From Paquera drive on to Cobano and then straight to Santa Teresa / Mal Pais. The whole trip from San Jose to Santa Teresa takes around 5 1/2 hours. Public busses and shuttles get to Santa Teresa also on a daily basis from San Jose. For schedules of the direct busses from/to San Jose call (506) 2642 0219 or (506) 2221 7479.

If you want to stay were I stayed this is how to get more information:

Casa Macondo

Casa Macondo has 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms villa, 2 story with upper terraceand private pool

Casa Macondo is a wonderful and spacious luxury villa that offers a group or family, the ultimate vacation home. Its vibrant colours and architectural style gives our guests a relaxing and truly unique Costa Rican base from which to have an incredible vacation. This house has several private spaces for you to enjoy reading in the sunshine as well as socialising with your friends and family. The villa has a fully equipped kitchen and a large dining room table perfect for dinner parties. You can lounge between the two living areas, one on the ground floor that opens to the lush garden and the private pool, and one on the large upstairs wooden deck that allows you to soak up the afternoon sunshine. In keeping with Casa Macondo’s tropical design, it has two outdoor spa bathrooms, one upstairs and a large downstairs one in which to enjoy the stars while showering in the evenings. The three bedrooms all have large ceiling to floor doors that completely open up to the patio or upstairs deck to bring the outside in but can, of course, be closed up completely for privacy and comfort when you want to use the A/C; they have delightfully large and comfortable beds with high quality mattresses, pillows and Egyptian cotton sheets. Enjoy its wonderful pool or walk 2 minutes to the incredible Playa Hermosa through natural jungle and Howler monkeys overhead.

The Casita is a smaller house just off Casa Macondo and of the same design; it offers an incredibly large bedroom with a king size bed, a full size day bed, beautiful linens and a mix of antique and eclectic furniture; a beautiful garden spa bathroom; there is a kitchen/ living room and it can accommodate up to four people. The casita opens completely to a private deck where there is a dining area and a comfortable lounging area. The house also comes with air conditioning, wi-fi and a laptop safe.

Casa Macondo and Casita can be rented separately or together.

Maison Marazul

MAISON MARAZUL is located in the beach town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.  Known to have some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Santa Teresa is situated just north of the of the Cabo Blanco National Reserve, in the unspoiled southern point of the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean side.  As Santa Teresa stretches north, it grows more intimate, more pristine, and more exclusive.  MAISON MARAZUL is located on the northernmost edge of Santa Teresa.

As a vacation destination, SANTA TERESA appeals to a more intrepid type of traveler.  In the adventure comes the reward. Imagine Hawaii before it was overrun by tourism, or the anti-St. Barts.  This was how we came to know Santa Teresa, raw and untamed.  We came back, year after year, and committed to develop our own oasis, a Moorish inspired haven of casual cool rising out of the jungle canopy.

Welcome to MAISON MARAZUL, where our vision of a relaxed, but luxurious beach villa has been realized, created to suit our collective sense of comfort and style.  MAISON MARAZUL is offered to those seeking a rarified private vacation home experience.  An oceanfront refuge nestled in the trees, nature and luxury combined.

“What’s it like there?”, people ask.  Those who have already experienced Costa Rica know that SANTA TERESA is very different than the mainland.  The area is less humid, has fewer insects and is less developed.  These features, and the area’s beautiful beaches, consistent surf, and 80F water have made it the insider destination for surfers, backpackers, nature aficionados and hip bohemians from all over the world.

This wanton and unhurried pace of living is not for everyone, and is best suited for seasoned travelers who make their own itineraries.  Surprising things happen when you spend time in a place like MAISON MARAZUL.  The atmosphere intoxicates, and the memories will compel you to return.