Well, we made it to Costa Rica mostly intact. There was initially some bathroom humor: the flu aches and pains I had prior to departure evolved into a stomach crisis and our first night here, in a disappointing dump of a hotel in Liberia, Costa Rica, was tragi-comic gastrointestinal theater. Suffice it to say that it’d take more than two hands to enumerate my brisk runs to the dingy, steaming Latin American bano. Luckily I packed a few leftover Loperamide HCL tablets. If it wasn’t for those three extra pills, I might have finally lost those ten pounds I’d like to jettison. Anyway, enough of that sorry sh_t! On to the good times…
This place is a lot like the Costa Rica I remember from twenty years ago, just as I’d hoped! You must come. You will love it. The “town” in Playa Negra, where I sit now on a balcony overlooking the road, is really just a small collection of small businesses and homey shacks at the intersection of three roads. There’s a tiny Pentecostal church in a 12’ x 20’ cinder block box. Apparently the services are on Tuesday. There’s no mistaking that kind of evangelical preaching in any language. The Catholics are losing around here, maybe just by reason of inadequate volume. Their public address system really did address the wider public. I suspect the parishioners are all now deaf and are praying for a miracle so they can here next weeks berating sermons.
The Peruvian hotel we’re in is called Café Playa Negra. It’s great: architecturally interesting, friendly staff, clean, and cheap. A room that sleeps up to four people is $65 and that includes breakfast, Internet, pool, AC, hot water, and taxes! The walk to the beach is a pleasant 5-10 minute stroll through second growth forest mixed with former cattle fields. We’ve already seen howler monkeys eating fresh leaves from a large broadleaf tree and a few huge iguanas that scatter at high speed across the leaf litter as we approach, their prehistoric legs whirling akimbo.
The surf itself at Playa Negra is unbelievably good. When it’s “no good” it’s better than 90% of what we surf at home. The reef picks up just about any swell and shapes it into a beautiful rolling right face with hollow sections. I’m told that when the swell picks up today or Friday it will start to barrel and get a bit scary, but yesterday when every other beach around here was running 1-3 feet, Playa Negra had occasional 5-6 footers. My first session yesterday consisted of four rides in a casual hour, but two of them were so clean and perfect that I feel like I could learn more in a few waves here than in twenty at home. On the second wave, a gentle peeler of about three to four feet that reformed into a glassy bowl, I managed to drop in, make a tight bottom turn followed by a tail stall to get deeper. I then pumped across the bowl generating tons of speed and finished with a big tail slide back into the face (completely surprised that I’d pulled it off, of course). Amazingly, there was still enough face left to cruise along the remaining waist high wave for many meters more.
As promised, the winds blow all day and all night offshore. The only problem is that they occasionally hit 15 or 20 miles an hour and can make it hard to get into the waves. They can even hold the wave face up too long. Interestingly, there seems to be no discernable pattern to these winds with them surging at any time of day or night and dropping to a gentle, perfect offshore breeze without warning.
Photos of Playa Negra and Hotel Cafe Playa Negra: https://picasaweb.google.com/surfer.prof/PlayaNegra?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCI6a1ITTxo3Qdw&feat=directlink
The water and air are much more pleasant up here at this time of year than in June. The offshore winds evaporate water off my rash guard constantly, keeping it cool, even pleasantly chilly, in the water. Moreover, there is some upwelling because the winds have been blowing out to sea for weeks. Locals are complaining about the cold in the water, but you guys would think it perfect. It feels like it’s in the high 70s out there and the air is in the mid 80s most of the time, but is quite dry. In fact there’s a thin layer of dust on all surfaces all the time.
There are only a few restaurants, no giant hotels, and two small surf shops. Chickens, roosters, lost cows, and men on horseback are all still common in this part of Costa Rica. We’re only 45 minutes from Tamarindo, but if feels a world away, thankfully. We had lunch yesterday at Kon-Tiki, the youth hostel on the main gravel road leading north out of town. There were cows wandering about across the dirt road and monkeys lunching in the threes. It’s owned by Peruvians, but is currently rented and operated by two former French cooks! That means delicious food on the cheap and a ready supply of wines by the glass. Alas, Pascal says that they “only have Chilean wine, no French.” Fine with me! Tonight we’re going back for shrimp curry. They offer one option only for each meal, but the price is right and they do it well. Pascal made a simple pasta and sweet crepe for the kids. Camille looked after June, their two year old who had just returned from Costa Rican kindergarten. She’s already learning three languages (Spanish, French, and English).
A ten minute drive to the north brings us to the very popular Lola’s on the beach It’s a grand hardwood open air bar built in the trees on gorgeous Playa Avellanas beach. White sand backed by thick green trees and the occasional clump of mangroves compliment a mile-long stretch of beach, reef, and point breaks. The reefs and rocks are scattered up and down the beach with stretches of gorgeous white sand between. At the far north end is Little Hawaii, which breaks like a reef/point but needs more swell than is currently running. Last night we wandered the beach at sunset. The little waist to shoulder high waves would have been worthless if it wasn’t for the solid offshore winds that held them up and surprised me time and again with small but fast rights and lefts. They invariably seemed like they would close, but never did.
Photos of Playa Avellanas:
https://picasaweb.google.com/surfer.prof/PlayaAvellanas?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOyUq7_rmt75tQE&feat=directlinkWe’re doing some schooling with Catalina this morning as the tide drops and then starts to rise back up after 9:45 AM. I’m planning to head over there around 12:30 and try to score some more waves. I’ll bring the camera this time and try to get some photos to back up my little story here. Regardless, I’m stoked that I’ve found yet another region of Costa Rica to love. We’ll have to come as a group during some January or June. There is plenty of adventure to be had here. We crossed one small stream on the way in that required 4wd and it hasn’t rained here in weeks. Moreover, the Surfer’s Guide to Costa Rica says that there are “miles and miles” of unnamed beach, reef, and outer reef” breaks in this area. “Explore and be rewarded,” or something to that it effect is what it says. Of course, I’m happy to just hit the two beaches I’ve already described over and over. We leave tomorrow for Nosara and Playa Guiones where I’m told the water is warmer and the forest wetter, but I fear I’ll be a bit disappointed with the waves after Playa Negra. It’s a beach break and is less hollow and there’s no reef. Interestingly websites and The Surfer’s Guide to Costa Rica describe Negra as “for experts only” but it seemed perfect to me. Partly that’s because it was smallish, but it’s also because it’s just what I need to improve my skills. It’s right at the intersection of challenge and fear when a big one rolls through. Hollow drops and long speeding faces is just what I need to master these shortboards.
Finally, a note about my board: I brought the older Ludwig 6’4” thruster because I remembered the ding damage American Airlines did to it last time. I wrapped it completely in bubble wrap this time and paid my $150. First thing I had to do in Playa Negra is buy Sun Cure and fix a puncture hole near the fin boxes! Plus they put about five smallish pressure dings and linear dents into both the deck and bottom. I’m glad it’s here despite these problems but I’m also thrilled that I didn’t damage my new Becker that I love so much. The first little surf shop I entered had a bunch of decent boards for sale new, ranging in price from $300-$450. They told me that they could “go lower” before I even asked. Next time I will definitely rent or buy here. This time, there’s a good chance I’ll be able to get about $125 for my board on the way out and, if so, I won’t take it home but will instead pay $30 to bring home an empty board bag as “excess baggage.” American Airlines needs to be boycotted by surfers. They charge more than any other airline for boards and seem to invariably damage them. Finally, for Australia I’m going to have to get a better board bag. Mine has 5mm of padding. I won’t go below 10mm in the future and will look into hard cases, though I’m sure they are way too heavy. Still, I’ll be bringing two boards to Australia and I’m tired of worrying about dings and damage.
Anyway, the adventure has definitely begun. My flu is 90% gone and when I finish this note, it’s time to rub sun block gel (Gracias a Dios for Aloe Gator) all over my face and legs and then start my leisurely journey to the break.
Update: 3:35 pm
Those persistent winds turned side shore today and the surf quality really suffered. The only good thing about it was that the locals cleared out. I think they’re spoiled. There were still head high waves with long shoulders now and then. Still, suffice it to say that is was not the same magical wave as I experienced yesterday.
Off now to Playa Avellanes for another sunset stroll and surf with the family, followed bv Shrimp and Pumpkin Curry at Kon-Tiki. I see a couple of glasses of wine in my future. I may be psychic.
Adios amigos.
