On a surf trip, be it for a day or longer, there are a few things to keep in mind. When going to a destination you may get skunked or the winds might be off or the waves to big/small. Skunked or skunking just means SOL, plans are to surf and you show up at the beach and there is something not right in the conditions. So the approach to beating a skunking is to have something worth the drive/flight for. Westport has the Reuben sandwich, Santa Cruz area (Portolla Valley to be exact) has the breakfast sandwich, North Shore Hawaii has Ted's Bakery and Tofino has Americanos with attitude and the fish tacos from the taco bus. In all these situations if the surf was bad the trip was still worth it. If the trip was great it makes it that much better.
The point that I am trying to get at is that it is worth the trip to Tamarindo for the burger from La Esquina called La Esquina (translation - The Corner). This baby is found to hold a thick house made patty with a piece of ham, fried egg, cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato. Be disgusted if you want but this puppy washed down with one to two Imperial's and you can call it a night because satisfaction will be had. This meal fills any void. This restaurant also fills any void after a good days surf with pizzas, calzones and such. Other high notes in Tamrindo are the mutant wings from Witches Rock and fish burrito from Taco stop (LN note - must add a side of their guac).
So the last week of surf has been a mixed bag. I scored my biggest waves of the trip at Langosta. It was consistent overhead waves until about six or seven waves rolled through in the double overhead range. It was fast and fun to say the least. I walked to the north end of Playa Grande where the surf is way more challenging. It is about an hours walk from our place but worth the trip for the french fries at Hotel Las Tortugas (LN - dipped in real mayo and ketchup is Dan's fav!). First day out there the waves were almost maxing out on the sand bar but big sets were still coming through. My first wave was a late drop down the face into a double-up which threw me off my board and I got slammed around not once but twice. After I paddled back out to the line-up, one of the older guys commented on what just happened "Your wave got picked up by another wave and wow there you went". The rest of the session went a lot smoother. Nice size, fast waves, some barrels and a whole lotta fun! The second time around the group of us walked up and I brought my board along. The swell was just too big but the french fries sorted me out. Other that those sessions most have been down at the south end of Tamarindo due to size of the swell. Laura has been killing it working on her rights and trying to make those critical drops.
Tuesday five of us went on a fishing trip. We got picked up at 7am and left out of Playa Flamingo about 30min away. Our first fishes caught were bait fish which were about a pound each. These were then used to try to catch something bigger. We hooked a big one, the captain guessed a 60-70 pounder. We got it a few meters from the boat but then got away. We then proceeded to jig for red snapper and we caught a dozen or so which became fish tacos that night. (LN - yummmm!!)
Yesterday was a fun road trip day down the coast to are final destination Samara. We stopped in Marbella where my godfathers son has a friend who runs a hostel there. We are undecided if we are going to stay there due to being one with nature. Still a really nice place, where we had a drink then continued journey. Samara is a nice town and low key. The waves were bush league but the drive through a river and relaxing on a beach front restaurant is always good living.
Both Kate's have left back home and there are five of us still kicking around. The days have been spent lazing around and I think everyone had and is having a great time. Our time in Tamarindo is coming to an end and the next adventure begins on the 19th. New faces, food and waves.
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