Hola
I can´t tear myself away from Samara. I´m enjoying the surf, sunsets and the company of a Nicaraguan gangster. I´ll finally be leaving after a full moon party at the weekend (minus the metal souvenir elephant that said ganster has asked me to carry back to the UK). My itinery is a week´s Spanish study in Nicaragua, then diving in Honduras, followed by trekking up the volcanoes of Guatemala. Finally I am meeting back up with my lovely friend Eda in Saint Cristobel in Mexico before flying to LA. Needless to say, I really don´t want to think about coming home. Who knows, maybe I won´t........
Vic xx
Monday 22 February 2010
Thursday 11 February 2010
Dating Dilema
A Costa Rican guy I like asked me if I fancied doing something with him today. I thought he meant a stroll with his dogs along the beach, or a game of pool, but before I knew it, I had agreed to go to the river to swim and hang out, NAKED.
In hindsight, I´m more than a tad apprehensive. Not for the fact he could be the Samara serial killer, more for the fact that a few days surfing hasn´t yet turned me into a beautiful beach babe. Nor has my Brazilian wax done me any favours; my nether regions make me look more akin to a pimply, plucked chicken sporting a God-awful goatee, rather than a sexy porn star. Add that to the fact that my overstretched swimsuit makes me look like I´ve just stepped out of a Mothercare catalogue.
What am I to do? After surfing I am going to race round the shops to see if I can pick up a half decent bikini. Maybe I can compromise by going topless? Surely he can´t help but be impressed by marvellous mammaries? I´ll save the Dixy chicken look for after sunset.
On the plus side, I may not yet look like a surf chick, but I can surf. Yesterday, when I was feeling lazy and reluctant to drag myself down to the beach, I caught the first wave and many more after that. I am so chuffed with myself.
Vic x
In hindsight, I´m more than a tad apprehensive. Not for the fact he could be the Samara serial killer, more for the fact that a few days surfing hasn´t yet turned me into a beautiful beach babe. Nor has my Brazilian wax done me any favours; my nether regions make me look more akin to a pimply, plucked chicken sporting a God-awful goatee, rather than a sexy porn star. Add that to the fact that my overstretched swimsuit makes me look like I´ve just stepped out of a Mothercare catalogue.
What am I to do? After surfing I am going to race round the shops to see if I can pick up a half decent bikini. Maybe I can compromise by going topless? Surely he can´t help but be impressed by marvellous mammaries? I´ll save the Dixy chicken look for after sunset.
On the plus side, I may not yet look like a surf chick, but I can surf. Yesterday, when I was feeling lazy and reluctant to drag myself down to the beach, I caught the first wave and many more after that. I am so chuffed with myself.
Vic x
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Another strenuous day in Samara
I´ve been far too busy to keep up my blog. Busy doing what? Well here´s a idea of my daily grind.
I wake early to a quick breakfast of delicious sweet, soft and ripe Costa Rican bananas. They taste so different to the hard, green, artificially ripened ones we eat at home. My breakfast provides me with much-needed energy for my surf lesson. I´m sad to say that I still can´t get up on the board and catch a wave under my own steam, but at least Samurio, my surf instructor-come-DJ, hasn´t seen my backside (yet). The way he is talking I think he´d like to see a whole lot more, but I think I´ll stick to bumping and grinding to his Latino tunes at Ladies Night.
After surf school I prepare a healthy light lunch. Today it will be lush, ripe avocado and sweet juicy tomatoes with local cheese. In the afternoon you´ll find me chilling on the beach, finishing the day with a long walk along the crescent shaped bay, whilst listening to the sounds of The xx and Beach House (courtesy of my lovely Fairhaven neighbour Pierre).
At one end of the stunning, palm-fringed bay, I´m welcomed by surf-fishermen, who catch fish whilst wading waist deep in the white foam of the surf. Sometimes the Pelicans beat them to it, deftly swooping in for the catch of the day. At the other end of the beach, buff Costa Rican guys play soccer as the sun sets. I tend to linger here a little longer than perhaps I should.
Yesterday evening, as the deep orange sun set into the water, shining like a crystal ball, it made me wonder what the future holds. I was listening to John Lennon "Imagine", which reminded me of my childhood; Mum played it all the time. With her gone, I am free as a bird. Words cannot express how sad I am. Sad that I can´t ring her to tell her about all my amazing adventures. Sad that I can´t write her a postcard from every exciting country I visit. Sad that she won´t be there to welcome me at the airport on my return, and most of all sad that I may never see her again.
Despite the sadness, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and hope. Joy that I am so blessed to be here in Samara, experiencing the beautiful beaches, the pleasant people and the overall feeling of tranquillity that permeates this sleepy seaside town. Joy that I am free to explore the world. Hope that I think somewhere, somehow, both my Mum and Dad are together again, looking down on me, happy for me. For every tear I cry, I smile and laugh a million times more. Where better to deal with grief than in Paradise?
Pura vida.
Vic x
I wake early to a quick breakfast of delicious sweet, soft and ripe Costa Rican bananas. They taste so different to the hard, green, artificially ripened ones we eat at home. My breakfast provides me with much-needed energy for my surf lesson. I´m sad to say that I still can´t get up on the board and catch a wave under my own steam, but at least Samurio, my surf instructor-come-DJ, hasn´t seen my backside (yet). The way he is talking I think he´d like to see a whole lot more, but I think I´ll stick to bumping and grinding to his Latino tunes at Ladies Night.
After surf school I prepare a healthy light lunch. Today it will be lush, ripe avocado and sweet juicy tomatoes with local cheese. In the afternoon you´ll find me chilling on the beach, finishing the day with a long walk along the crescent shaped bay, whilst listening to the sounds of The xx and Beach House (courtesy of my lovely Fairhaven neighbour Pierre).
At one end of the stunning, palm-fringed bay, I´m welcomed by surf-fishermen, who catch fish whilst wading waist deep in the white foam of the surf. Sometimes the Pelicans beat them to it, deftly swooping in for the catch of the day. At the other end of the beach, buff Costa Rican guys play soccer as the sun sets. I tend to linger here a little longer than perhaps I should.
Yesterday evening, as the deep orange sun set into the water, shining like a crystal ball, it made me wonder what the future holds. I was listening to John Lennon "Imagine", which reminded me of my childhood; Mum played it all the time. With her gone, I am free as a bird. Words cannot express how sad I am. Sad that I can´t ring her to tell her about all my amazing adventures. Sad that I can´t write her a postcard from every exciting country I visit. Sad that she won´t be there to welcome me at the airport on my return, and most of all sad that I may never see her again.
Despite the sadness, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and hope. Joy that I am so blessed to be here in Samara, experiencing the beautiful beaches, the pleasant people and the overall feeling of tranquillity that permeates this sleepy seaside town. Joy that I am free to explore the world. Hope that I think somewhere, somehow, both my Mum and Dad are together again, looking down on me, happy for me. For every tear I cry, I smile and laugh a million times more. Where better to deal with grief than in Paradise?
Pura vida.
Vic x
Thursday 4 February 2010
It's ladies' night
Here's a pic of the gorgeous sunset on Samara beach. After a really quiet but active week surfing the waves in Samara, we are off to ladies' night at a local bar where our surf instructor is DJing. Buenos Noches.
Monday 1 February 2010
Chilling in Cahuita, Costa Rica
I've gone all American after spending 3 nights in the Big Apple. I'd love to move there, not least for the friendly people, the delicious food, amazing art, and cool fashion, but also for its proximity to Costa Rica. After a hairy late night arrival in Costa Rica's capital San Jose, I managed to find a bed for a night in an area which all the guide books warn against. Typical me, but with limited Spanish and a small budget I found myself in a windowless room with only 2 cockroaches for company.
I always find that these experiences are rewarded with far better ones, and this time was no different. The next day I found my paradise in Cahuita, a tropical tranquilo resort in the Caribbean. My host was the hospitable Adrian at Cabinas Palmer, a wonderfully chilled resort stunningly situated near the sea. Every morning I would wake to the melodic chirrup of birdsong and the wonderfully aromatic smell of local Costa Rican coffee which would lure me out of my pit. I spent the mornings leisurely chatting with Luca, a B&B owner from Italy, and Amanda & Ranger, a nanny and artist from Oregon, USA. Already I can't believe my luck at the wonderful, inspiring people I've met.
My main passion of food is being well and truly sated. I've been enjoying mouth-watering meals of melt-in-the-mouth chicken in a piquant sauce with spicy rice and beans, or local fish in coconut sauce. The food is essentially Caribbean, a cuisine I don't know much about, so I've enjoyed using this as an excuse to eat as much as possible. Fortunately the men here like a bit of meat on the bones of their women. Instead of being called "Sumo" or fat, like I was in Thailand, or being asked by complete strangers how much I weigh, like in Sri Lanka, I have been told I'm bonita (beautiful). This is great as I can keep gorging myself on fried chicken and plantain. Yum.
After a wonderful three days in Cahuita my next stop was Puerto Viejo to meet Ceri and her colleagues. They kindly let me tag along on a day trip to the Cahuita national park. We swam in the bathwater-warm waters with an amazing view of the beach, fringed with tropical palms and an animal rich forest. We saw sloth and iguanas in the trees, cute baby raccoons , turquoise blue butterflies as big as birds and gorgeous tropical plants.
A weekend with Ceri wouldn't have been complete without a couple of nights of hedonism. On Sunday we found ourselves being woken at 6.30am, having had just an hour's sleep; we'd partied the night away to sizzling salsa and merengue beats on the beautiful beach, illuminated only by the magical light of a full moon.
After a gruelling day travelling, we arrived to meet Viv in the surfers' paradise of Samara on the Pacific coast. Mostly we plan to chill out on the beach with a cocktail in hand, but we may be tempted to surf, especially as the guys are so hot. We might get lucky with a surf dude like I did in Sri Lanka. He was impressed not by my skill in catching the surf, but for the fact that every time I caught a wave my bikini bottoms fell down, thus exposing a large white bottom as I careered towards the shore, landing like a beached whale. I hope my surf skills have improved since then.
Hasta luego
Vic xx
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