Playa Avellana

Hola! Last night's bbq/rodeo was pretty funny. I think the people that work at the hotel get a big kick out of making fun of Americans. I can't blame them. Line-dancing was more like Salsa with clapping, but hey, they tried. The bbq was marginal.

I woke up this morning, waxed my board, and hit the dusty trail to Playa Avellana. It's about 40 minutes up the coast. Finding one's way there requires many questions to the locals since there are no signs. "Perdon, donde esta Playa Avellana?" about 20 times and I eventually found it. I tried to surf at Playa Negra first, but it was just too big. Playa Avellana was a bit smaller with longer intervals, so I made it out and caught many great waves. I took pictures also with my waterproof Olympus. That thing is is awesome.

When I finished surfing, I grabbed a beer and took a nap in a hammock under some lovely shady trees. It rains extremely hard for about an hour every afternoon. It cools things off, which is a blessing-it's about 85 deg. F-not San Francisco weather. I made my way back after giving the lady that let me use her bano a few dollars. She was so grateful it almost made me cry. People are extremely poor here. I feel kind of guilty making a playground of their environs, but it brings money to the community, so I try to focus on that.

People ride 4-wheelers EVERYWHERE here! It reminds me of my childhood neighbors who had a 4-wheeler. Paul, the youngest boy in the Canantsi family, ran over me completely on his. He felt so bad he cried. It actually didn't hurt-the tires are pretty bouncy.

Also, everyone waves at you here when you pass them on the road...whether in a car, on a bike or on a mule.....it's fun!

Tomorrow I am going to look at the wave at Playa Grande, then surf in Tamarindo. I already know Playa Grande is going to be huge, so I am going to go take some photos. There are some really good surfers down here, but not that many women are out in the water. I was actually all by myself today, which was a rare and wonderful experience.

That's it for now......

K