Surf school

I have now been in Santa Teresa for 3 months! Time goes by when you're having fun.
Calixte has gone home and my girlfriend Angela from Chile has join me for the South America's
journey.
Learning to surf was my main focus here... day after day of pounding waves on my head, getting scared,
drinking salt water, it all paid off at the end. After 2 months of hard work... I finally started to catch real waves...
no more white wash. Surfing has to be one of the hardest sports to learn... if not * The hardest!*
Like everything, you want to get better.... put in your time!
Thanks to Tomas Richie, I have learn from the best...

Here I am, on a sunset wave.

*Focus*

NAMASTE

Another day in Paradise.....

Life these days consists of... 5 am wake up call from Tomas - Surfing - Yoga - Eat - Sleep -

My alarm doesn't even get to go off before Tomas shows up to my shack. *WAKE UP!!!* Time for a power shake- the sound of the blender doesn't give me time for a secound snooze ... Surf looks good!
Lets go!...
I'm half asleep - trying to wake up while Tomas is playing a few notes on his *Bong* The day has started.
The question of the day.... * which board to use???* I'm living in Tom's board room - The Office -
a dozen of different boards fill's up the celling.
For me it's easy... one board is all I need, anything to keep me floating!! - my lifesaver.

Surf'n the morning while the ocean is shinning with the early sunlight rays. Few hours of trashing, washing machine rides,
water filling up my brain until it's time to come out...
have some food, nap in the hammock, check the waves, little yoga, more food, then off for the sunset washing machine ride....
ahhhhh
Life is Costa Rica,
Ya it's bed time again, and look forward to that alarm clock!

Santa Teresa ...

Santa Teresa Costa Rica

It's been almost a few weeks now in Costa Rica.
We spent a week in Tamarindo, Cal had to get some teeth worked on - cheap good dentisto!!
Bikes got new back wheel bearings, oil change - We have now traveled over 20 000 kms since Jasper Alberta.
Costa Rica was one of the mystery places I wanted to see. It's like they say, bad roads, green lush rain forest,
Perfect surf, beautiful beaches, friendly atmosphere, a good place to chill while the rainy season goes by. Usually the most rain comes in October. So the idea is to get as much surf in while relaxing under the palm trees.
Prepare for Panama then then to South America!!!

Calixte went home. It was time for him to visit his family. A long year went by, Long enough that days - time - dates - don't even matter anymore, it's just another beautiful day.
We drove from the Rocky Mountains in Canada, threw the beautiful valleys of Montana, Crazy red landscape of Utah, riding in snow storms to go Ice climbing in Colorado, Rock climbing in the desert of Utah, 2 months of rock climbing in Mexico, Summit on the highest peak of Mexico *Pico de Orizaba*
Going back in time with the Ruins of the Yucatan, threw Belize - More green lush dirts roads and amazing culture of Guatemala
to Surfing in El Salvador, crazy headache border crossings in Honduras - Muddy roads of Nicaragua - and Now, back to surfing in Costa Rica... yes, already a year went by! - NO flat tires - No bike problems!!! (keep fingers X !!!)

Unfortunately the Cal & Al mission will be no longer the Cal & Al....
Calixte is staying home in New Brunswick Canada, different plans for the future. His budget was running low so it is time for him to get back to work.
A year was enough for him. But it has been a good year! Many new friends, experience - memories.

I will be staying in Santa Teresa until end of November - the bikes have until dec to leave the country. A friend of mine from Chile
will be taking over the saddle and joining me to Tierra Del Fuego Chile.

The Blog will not change, ... new images and stories will be posted as we go.
So stay tuned for more adventures...

COSTA RICA!!!

Two little boys see us from miles away, running down the dusty road along with millions of truckers.
"COSTA RICA????" one says to me, "you want to go to Costa Rica??" The boyz were ready for business.
Every time we cross borders, it's business, Little Antonio was going to be our paper boy.
Photocopies, more photocopies, $20 here, $20 there.... more copies more money... hours go by and you wonder when you will
actually cross and get it over with.
Running in one office, then to another office, It's always an adventure on its own. The bikes are the most paper work.
3 hours later and $85 US cost... we were on our way into Costa Rica.
As we drove down the road, lined up truckers for over 2 KMs waiting to cross made me feel better that 3 hours of waiting was better then 3 days!!! We had never seen a border with that many trucks. All coming from Panama, making their way into the Americas.

The windy paved road, music blasting in my headphones, already it felt good, GREEN, VERY GREEN, as I always imaging Costa Rica, but an hour later down the road, we realized why they call it " THE RAIN FOREST " as the rain started to come down just after sunset. Then heavier rain hard enough to hurt you threw you jacket! It was getting a little scary driving with all the giant trucks zooming by at 120 kms / hr so we quickly started to look for shelter.

We spotted a some kind of restaurant with a big open terrace. Seems like a good spot! Lets check it out.
We pulled in, soak to the bones, the owner was sitting in front looking at us confused. " Hay Comida aqui?" we asked the guy.
"si - si - claro " So we took our wet layers off and ordered a couple of cold beers and some warm food. Already the food was better then Nicaragua. It felt good to eat something tasty. We asked the guy if we could stay under his porch in our hammocks and told him we would be gone in the morning. The men accepted us with open arms, so we set up camp, had a few more beers and fell asleep under the roof listening to the sound of poring rain.

Adios Nicaragua...

Leaving San Juan Del Sur at our usual *crack of noon* we decided to check out the lake site of Isla De Ometepe were 2 beautiful volcanoes- Maderas (1394 m) and Concepcion (1610 m) create this island of lush green pristine forest, culture, wildlife. Sitting in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.
We had plan to go to the island and drive around for a few days then the possibility of crossing to the other side and make our way to Costa Rica threw very remote road and border crossing of San Carlos.
But since we are in the middle of rainy season and due to Hurricanes on the Caribbean side. Heavy rain made us think about it twice. Dengue fever is at high risk right now on the island, also chances of malaria.
The road on the other side is BAD as locals say...* mucho Lodo!! * puddles of mud. I was ready for an adventure, but with our visa expiring a week later, we could afford having any Epic and the border is also only open several days a week.
Plan B - drive straight to Costa Rica on the Panamerican highway.

Nicargua was nice, very remote places to discover, dirt roads all over the place, makes it adventurous in the rainy season!!! But after getting a little sick in San Juan ( got some kind of Parasite from food) I was ready to be in a new country.

We've been looking forward to Costa Rica since day one of this trip. I've travelled all over the world in the past decade but Costa Rica
was a place I always wanted to see. Travelers have told me about all these great surf spots, Rain forests, crazy wild life.
Costa Rica..... Here we come!