Good Evening,
My day started at 5:15am when I got out of bed and ran down to the beach to try and catch the sunrise coming over the mountains on its way out to the ocean. I made it with a minute to spare. It was pretty awesome.
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| Not a bad way to start the day! |
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| My hair is on fire. This is me trying to be artistic. I'm not. |
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| Yeah, the Paw is sideways. It was 5:15am. "I couldn't operate a toaster right now." - Collins |
From there I went and found something quick to eat before my surf lessons began.
As for surfing, I'll stick to pictures. I'd probably try and make myself sound better than I was. Proof is in the pudding. Here is the pudding.
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| Kickin Butt so far! ( please know that I wanted to use the other word for butt) |
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| Being able to do this puts my on par with Pete Sylvester and Kevin Broome. Zing! |
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| The water must have been 80*. It was ridiculous. |
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| Pretending to be in the barrel of a wave. Hey, I can dream! |
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| Dropping in. No big deal. |
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| Much of the day looked like this |
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| And this |
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| The wave had been double overhead. My camera guy was late on the trigger! |
After about 5 hours of surfing, the tides changed. Literally and metaphorically. I know, I shouldn't use words if I don't know what they mean. Too late.
As the waves vanished with the tide, I started to scout Gauntacaste for something else to do. Down the street from where I am staying, I found a community center. Brenda, a Northeastern graduate from Mexico, presented me with a few options. The one I decided on, took place right where I had just come from surfing! I signed up to help clean up the beach. This seemed like a good choice as I was garbage trying to surf at it earlier. I was excited for the opportunity to give back to the community that gave me my surfing and this morning's sunrise. As an aside, Costa Rica is making a major push towards improving their trash and recycling efforts. I noticed this earlier in the week when I taught in La Fortuna. Part of the curriculum was to teach the kids to be responsible with trash and recycling. I guess this is a real issue in most of Central America. Then I found $5.
I loaded my pack with a half gallon of water and some trash bags. My plan was to hike,ruck,run, climb, and swim out to that island, and on my way back, pick up the beach.... It was 12:40PM.
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| That doesn't look to far does it?... or does it? |
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| In route to that island, I had to scale this cliff. I deserve some sort of medal here. Not for the climb, but because my tripod mounted Nikon Camera only allows for 10 seconds when you use the automatic shutter for pictures! I gazelled it like a champ to get up there after pressing the shutter. 10 seconds! (it took 5 tries.. at least) BOOYAA! |
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So I made it to the island.. sort of. From afar it looked VERY doable. From here, it looked like I'd have the same commute as Edmond Dantes had while escaping Chateau D'If in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. I decided not to try and use all 9 of my lives in Costa Rica and ended my hike here.
It was time to head back and fill up some trash bags on the way! About an hour and a half later, I needed a break. There were no trash receptacles on the way so I just had to carry the bags I was filling in my pack and carry the rest by hand. My 5 pound pack was getting significantly heavier every step of the way.
This log looked like a great place to take a break. I was about 1 mile out of town. I was running low on water (even though I packed half a gallon. Turns out that wasn't enough. It was HOT) I tried using the tried and true method that Dad and I see the monkeys use on tv. Smash a coconut on the tree stump behind me and drink the water. Another shocker, it didn't work. I am not having much luck with these Costa Rican coconuts! Shortly after I took this picture, I lost today's and yesterday's lunches. I'm not sure if it was the heat/dehydration or the smell of the trash. My guess was a little of both. I just kicked it into overdrive and made it back to town about 20 minutes later. I desperately tried smiling for this picture but it wasn't going to happen.
15 Kilometers later, I made it to the brink of that island and back to the town beach. I tossed the bags in the trash and walked directly into the ocean. I didn't even bother to take my shoes off and I wasn't wearing a bathing suit. Didn't care.
God, it felt good. It was 3:45PM. Three hours and five minutes. Take that Corc!
I'm done for the day. Satisfied.
PS, the only times I smiled on the way back from Alcatraz was when the following 3 songs came on my ipod.
All I Want For Christmas - Mariah Carey ( Kenny)
My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard - Kei$ha?? (Collins)
Fantastc Voyage - Coolio ( Dave Peach)
Thank You!
Mark/Chops
pps.. I just got a picture emailed from The Netherlands!
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| Representing the 617 Rambo style The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days |
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