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The Endless Summer

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As I walked down the beach in the late afternoon sun, enjoying an ice cold Imperial beer, the warm temperature, and a slight offshore breeze, I reflected on the previous nights arrival to paradise.

We arrived at night. A blast of warm air enveloped the mass of tourists exiting the plane at the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica. A small group of men clamored for our luggage, to take them to their waiting van or taxi.I had the same experience last year, but much larger and louder in the countries capital San Jose. With a crowd of shouting would be drivers assaulting the senses, it reminded me of old news clips of the fall of Saigon. Liberia was much more scaled down. This was more like the fall of Mayberry.

An hours ride in a shuttle van to our hotel, we found ourselves in Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The ride involved near miss accidents including a head-on, a T-bone, and a herd of cattle crossing the main highway. Our driver did not flinch at our eye-opening ride. It appeared to be a normal uneventful drive for him. As I had been to Costa Rica before, I had expected this kind of driving. I recommend hiring a driver, not only do they know where they are going, they know the “ways” of the road. (I would not say laws or rules, it appears there may be none)

Costa Rica is located between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south in Central America, and not too far north of the Equator. Last winter my family and I traveled to the mountains and rainforest of the country, this year we headed for Playa Tamarindo, a surfers paradise. My daughter Katie had surfed a little with her uncle Dave in Santa Cruz, California, and was looking forward to hitting the local waves and warm water. My wife was looking forward to a drink with a small umbrella in it. They both got their wishes.

We stayed at the Pasatiempo Bar and Grill and Hotel, and enjoyed a double room for the price of a single in the States. They made the best pizza in town, a staple in this community, as one would assume with the amount of places to purchase the pies. (best burrito in town is at “The Crop”, just west of the hotel, ask for Oscar!).

While there, I learned that there would be a semi-private screening of “The Endless Summer” at Bar One, a local pub about a block down the street, hosted and narrated live by legendary surfer Robert August, who also starred in the movie.The place was packed! Robert August, who has been surfing since he was 6 years old, lives in Huntington Beach California , and visits his home many times a year in Playa Tamarindo Costa Rica. He was one of the two surfers in the 1966 Bruce Brown documentary film The Endless Summer, (the other surfer was Michael Hynson) and was also in the first part of the movie “The Endless Summer II”, which was filmed on the local beaches here in Tamarindo.

Robert mentioned that the cost of surfing is getting pretty high, with “ a board is equal to a drum of oil, with all the resin used to make it”. “People now, especially people from the east coast, where it is still very cold this time of year, choose Tamarindo for it’s warm climate, and warm water” (for surfing).

When asked about bringing your own board down on a plane, Robert answered “The airlines make you feel like a leper, with all the packaging conditions and the cost of about 90 to 100 dollars charged each way. It’s a lot easier to come down here and rent a board, and there are many surf shops that rent and even sell boards of various sizes and shapes to fit the riders needs”.

The town has plenty of surf shops, including Robert’s, with scheduled surf lessons for those new to the sport. I would highly recommend this, as you will pick up the skills a lot faster, and will be able to enjoy more rides. Robert also mentioned that “Tamarindo has weather like summer all year round, with the exception of September and October might be a little overcast, an offshore breeze, and the waters always nice, and you will never need a wet suit”.

The waves were small at the main beach when we were there, 3 to 5 feet, but I had heard about 9 to 10 foot swells just south of the town. Still the waves were fun to ride for locals and tourists alike.

Surfing is not the only activity in Tamarindo, besides just relaxing on the beach. There is a sunset cruise on a catamaran, kayaking, snorkeling, ATV rides (down well marked paths and roads) and Sport Fishing. There is something for everyone, and can be arranged by exploring on foot, or at the hotel you are staying at.

Once again we brought home fond memories of a very special march vacation, spent in a beautiful country and full of sights, sounds and smells that we will never forget.

 

Online:

Playa Tamarindo

www.hotelPasatiempo.com

hotelpasatiempo@ice.co.cr

http://www.robertaugust.com/

 

 

Mountains and Rain Forrest

Our tours and activities (hikes, horseback riding, white-water rafting, zip line) were booked through www.centralamerica.com

La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Varablanca: www.waterfallgardens.com

Arenal volcano: www.arenal.net

Costa Rica Shuttle: www.costaricashuttle.com

 

Welcome to the Jungle

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We landed at night. Everything seemed normal, until we picked up our luggage — then all hell broke loose.

Hundreds of men clamored for our bags, shouting their offers to deliver our luggage from the terminal to the street, a distance of 15 feet. They would also hail a cab, and for their trouble, expected 1,000 colones, about $2. Add a helicopter on the roof of the building, and it was the Fall of Saigon. Fortunately, we had hired a driver, whom I managed to find amidst the sea of frantic humanity. Hours earlier, our traveling party had left sunny, but cold, California for the mountainous jungles of Costa Rica. We were seeking adventure and relaxation.

We found both. (Here’s one big tip: Imperial, the local beer, is very good.)

The Adventure , Welcome to the Jungle

Costa Rica is located between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Most tourists who venture here end up on a beach along the Pacific or the Caribbean oceans. But our group’s travel agent – my wife, Carrie – had other ideas. From the get-go, she had us trekking a death march through the tropical rain forest in a semi-eco adventure. Who wants to lie around on a beach, sipping a neon drink with a paper umbrella sticking out of it, anyway? During our nine-day stay, we hiked, we rode horses, and we white-water rafted.

At the La Paz Waterfall Gardens nature park, a one and one-half hour drive northwest of San Jose in Varablanca, we stared down poison frogs.

Sort of.

Before photographing the frog exhibit at the park, I asked my guide about the toxicity of its tiny amphibians. for safety reasons. It went exactly like this:

Me: “Can they make you sick?”

Costa Rican guide: “A little.”

Me: “Convulsions?”

Costa Rican guide: “Ah … maybe some …”

Me: “How about coma?”

Costa Rican guide: “Maybe some … but not that bad …”

I found out later that the frogs were not toxic at all. Maybe.

In Costa Rica, there are seven species of frog, three of which boldly display the bright, contrasting colors that are the family trademark of poisonous amphibians. In Columbia, the Choco Indians use the toxin, secreted from glands in the frog’s skin, to envenom their blowgun darts. Simply rubbing a dart across the frog’s body is enough to transform that dart into a lethal weapon. Costa Rica’s poison dart frogs aren’t nearly so venomous. Still, any animal that eats one is likely to suffer violent sickness or even death.

After a few days in the rain forest with poison frogs, we were off to the live volcano.

The gods were not angry with our party – at least they didn’t roast us alive as I had predicted. The mighty Arenal volcano, located near the town of Fortuna, was shrouded in clouds. You knew it was there only by the dozens of post cards for sale in the hotel lobby. Arenal is the only volcano in Costa Rica that has been constantly active since it awoke after 400 years with a huge eruption in 1968. It is considered one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world, producing ash columns, explosions and streams of glowing read lava almost every day.

The Relaxation

Hiring a private driver was a smart move and took a lot of stress out of getting around. (We went with Costa Rica Shuttle, whose owner, Leonel, answered our hundreds of pre-travel e-mail questions, all within 24 hours, some within minutes.) In Costa Rica, we found, the skills of the local drivers far exceed anything you have seen at a NASCAR track. Their vehicles’ horns honked out morse-code type messages, warning other drivers of their location and intention. I picked up this much: Three short beeps followed by one long translates to, “I will now attempt to pass you on the sidewalk.”

Vehicle emissions weren’t fretted over. I saw one truck, which, I swear, was on fire as it lumbered toward us on the way to the rain forest of La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Our first hotel had been a beautiful restored mansion in the middle of San Jose that afforded us a good first-night’s rest. The Peace Lodge, located within La Paz Waterfall Gardens nature park, offered the best of two worlds: opulent comfort and raw nature. Plus, Peace Lodge guests don’t have to pay for tours and admission to the nature park, which is about $25 – or one bail of colones.

As well as the frog exhibit, the La Paz property also features a butterfly observatory, a hummingbird garden, orchid gardens, an authentic castia (historic indigenous dwelling), five waterfalls and miles of hiking trails. The Waterfalls Walk, in particular, is well worth your time. It’s all downhill, and a shuttle bus will drive you back up to the lodge at the end.

We left Costa Rica after nine days of taking in the lush tropical rain forest, listening to jungle sounds, lounging in hot springs, eating great food, drinking great beer and hanging 250 feet above the treetops. (That was the zip line tour).

We brought home fond memories of a very special winter vacation, spent in a beautiful country and full of sights, sounds and smells that we will never forget.

 

Online:

Our tours and activities (hikes, horseback riding, white-water rafting, zip line) were booked through www.centralamerica.com

La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Varablanca: www.waterfallgardens.com

Arenal volcano: www.arenal.net

Costa Rica Shuttle: www.costaricashuttle.com

Leonal, with Costa Rica Shuttle, can be reached at info@costaricashuttle.com

 

 

 

Alien Mayans

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When the Yucatan Peninsula dries 
out each winter, the tourists arrive. At peak times — Christmas and spring 
break — the tourist centers of Cancun and Playa del Carmen swarm with visitors.
My wife and I went in February, 
when the weather is a perfect 80 degrees and the crowd is still manageable.
Playa del Carmen makes a good base 
to explore the peninsula. That’s where we began our archaeological adventure 
to the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. An air-conditioned van trip took 
about two and a half hours each way, with stops, of course, at the souvenir stands.
During the trip, our tour guide, 
Norma, regaled us with stories about the ruins. She explained that the Mayans 
were not descendants of an alien race, which hadn’t crossed our minds as yet. I decided to keep an eye on her.
She did add, though, that some wealthy 
and royal Mayans did keep marriage “in house” as a way of preserving the family’s 
wealth. As a result, some Mayans were born with genetic anomalies such as odd-shaped 
heads, four fingers and such. These genetic deficiencies were depicted in temple 
artwork, which were mistaken for alien life forms. Sure, plenty of Alien Mayans. Before I could inquire more, 
Norma changed the subject to the Mayan numerical system, which consisted of 
only two characters, a dot and a slash. She went on to count to 20, add and 
subtract numbers, and translate math problems from Mayan to English.
I would discover that Norma changed 
the subject a lot to avoid numerous, unnecessary questions from the likes of 
us.
(Later in the day, as I finished 
off a water glass of the local tequila, I reflected on her Mayan math lesson 
and realized that the ancients were using a base two numerical system, just 
like computers use.
Chichen Itza was the center of political, 
religious and military power in Yucatan, if not all of South-eastern Meso America. 
Between 800 and 1200 A.D., this was a large city with many inhabitants.
Rising above the grassy plain in 
the center of Chichen Itza is the giant Pyramid of Kukulcan. Two of the four 
sides of this imposing structure have been restored. Each side originally had 
91 steps, and, with the addition of the platform at the top, there are 365 steps, 
one for each day of the year. The building of the pyramid was planned so at 
that the spring and autumn equinox, the setting sun would cast a shadow of a 
serpent writhing down the steps of the pyramid. Every year, more than 40,000 
people make the trek to the great pyramid to observe the snake’s diamond backed 
body as it slowly appears.
An ambulance waiting in the shade 
near the massive pyramid wasn’t comforting to the climbers on the steep stone 
steps. From the ground, the structure isn’t an imposing climb, but the top is 
more than 100 feet above the ground. The steepness of the steps make it a nerve-wracking 
climb.