Second day in Nosara, first day in the water...

This morning I woke up and met the other women at the Harbor Reef hotel (the "2 starfish" hotel) for a light breakfast of fresh fruit and costa rican coffee. Sooo good!



We hit the water after a brief safety lesson and shore lesson on how to pop-up on the board. The first wave I caught and was able to stand and ride it all the way in! The rest of the morning sesh was equally awesome and I caught several waves. We were all so excited to finally be in the water and riding the small surf waves. I think everyone got up?  My instructor asked me, "are you tired yet?" I looked at her like she was crazy or something and said, "no, this is awesome!" She replied, "well, I'm surprised because you're using a lot of upper body to push yourself up, most people would be tired." Well, after the morning session, we went back to the hotel to eat a real breakfast after a hard two hours of catching surf. Breakfast was pretty good but I was starting to feel the upper body workout.

This afternoon, we took a walking tour of Nosara, guided by the lovely surf instructor Melissa (she has the pleasure of living here 9 months out of the year so she knows the town well). We stopped by Robin's (a french taught chef who opened her own restaurant with homemade ice cream and sorbets) and got some sorbet...it was refreshing after walking in the heat through the dusty, molasses covered streets (yes, they use molasses to bind the dirt together so it's not so dusty).

Then it was on to yoga, taught by Richard. Melissa warned us that if Richard takes unusually long pauses, it might be that he has actually fallen asleep. And guess what, he paused for a very long time, his breathing getting deeper and louder, then snoring. We were left in this very comfortable position though. We were all giggling our assess off and then Sara had to go and tap him on the shoulder. He just played it off like nothing happened. Funny guy. Well, yoga was a little weird but nice and relaxing. I felt Richard's pain though, I was ready for a nap. BUT then I stumbled into this little boutique and bought two amazingly beautiful dresses and two pairs of flip flops...an hour later, it was time to surf again.

Back in the water, the current was stronger and the waves were faster than this morning. There were some amazing waves further out that some boarders were catching that were sheer walls of terror to us girls. After the first wave I caught, I tried standing up and realized my upper body was not understanding that I needed it to work for me in this afternoon sesh. I was more tired from this morning than I realized! I think I had been looking forward to surfing for so many months that my adrenaline was pumping like crazy this morning and I felt no fatigue and may have overdone it. Or, maybe I should have taken that nap right along with old Richard! Despite not being able to get up on my board too many times, this afternoon session was equally enjoyable. I got a better feel for which waves were good ones to catch. And I had a ton of fun and just laughed at all my weak attempts to pull myself up to a standing position!

Post-surf rinse, Cerveza y Juego de Naranja and breakfast back at Harbor Reef! A daily ritual and well deserved!







We ate dinner at Casa Tucan tonight, the "1 starfish" hotel. It was so good and I thought much better than Harbor Reef (last night's dinner and the meeting place every day for breakfast). It had a bar atmosphere with more people and our waiter was on top of the program and very generous. They gave us a round of free drinks. Woot. It was really fun sitting around the table with the other women. We are getting along really well and starting to enjoy each other's company. Jokes are flying, little quirks are coming out and we have a great sense of support and comraderie beginning. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, but my upper body is killing me. Maybe a good night's rest will do me good. And some Advil. And an Imperial.  

Costa Rica - Day One in Nosara

Nosara, Costa Rica is amazing. Pristine. Clean. Beautiful. I guess it helps that I went with the "3 starfish" accommodations with turn-down service every night next in an eco-friendly resort next to the beach. But really, the people are very friendly and everyone smiles and tries to help you in any way possible.

I arrived yesterday in San Jose, and stayed overnight in the capital city. A dirty little place with a Denny's and Burger King across the way from my very americanized Hampton Inn. I flew 4 hours from Seattle to Dallas and then flew from Dallas to San Jose. It was a bit intimidating at first, being alone in a foreign country, so I mostly stayed in my hotel room that night since I wasn't about to go out on the streets alone. I drank my first Imperial (beer) and went to bed early.

This morning I was picked up at my hotel by the Surf Diva shuttle along with the other girls that had also stayed at the Hampton Inn. None of us were able to meet prior to that morning but we had a brief introduction to one of the instructors, Christi and Lauren, our coordinator. We then piled into the vans and headed down the paved Costa Rican highways, headed for Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula. 4 hours of paved roads, and 1 hour of bone jarring dirt roads later, we arrived in Nosara where all us girls got settled in to our hotels. So, there was the "1 starfish", glad I didn't stay there. It's more of a hostel. Then there's the "2 starfish" accommodations. We had dinner there tonight but I haven't gotten to see the hotel yet. Then there's the "3 starfish", The Harmony Hotel, a little slice of heaven. It's beautiful. And luxurious. The last thing I was expecting. A salt-water pool, a fresh juice bar, a spa, a restaurant, a bar, free WiFi with mac laptops, daily yoga classes and a little bookstore.

After settling in, I had a little free time, so I went down to the beach. It's beautiful. It reminds me of the Oregon coast actually, but more tropical and warm. Then we all met for dinner tonight to talk about the routine for the week. We met Melissa, another instructor and the director for the camp here in Nosara. All the women are so different but we're all very laid back and easy going. Two girls from Norway who are currently med students (Sara and Sissal), two lawyers (Lynn and Jenny), an HR girl (Joellen), a travel agent (Carmel) and her sister (Melody) who works for the government in DC. Good group.

I'm looking forward to sleep tonight and I'm looking forward to my first day in the water tomorrow.

10 Days!

It's 10 days until Costa Rica! I can't wait! Today I'm shopping for flip flops and some sun dresses...where to go in rainy Seattle for beach stuff in November? I found a cool surf shop on the web, so I'm goin' to check it out in person! Wish me luck!

A Great Weekend!

Wow. What a great weekend! I worked all day Saturday and then went out that night with Sara, her boyfriend Ryan and another girlfriend Amanda, to see comedian Steve Byrne...hilarious! I laughed my arse off and had a great time with friends.

Amanda, me and Sara, prefunking at Dante's Saturday night before listening to comedian Steve Byrne (jello shots out of a 60cc syringe! Why didn't we think of that?!?)

Sunday, I wanted to hear some live music, so I decided to go to a show at the High Dive. Emily Wells was playing. It was sooo good. Sara, Bre and Amanda were all able to join and it was great hanging out, drinking beer, talking and listening to this amazing artist with a spot-on voice and amazing musical talent. I am really enjoying being in Seattle and taking advantage of the easy access to great musicians. I mean, this girl is better than most pop stars, but doesn't have the crowd that they have...why not? Sad. :(

Bre and Sara at the High Dive Sunday night, listening to Emily Wells and blinded by my camera flash