Times up!

It's been a while.  We are still in Nosara.  Laura managed to come down with a fever and I tended to her and surfed on my time off.  I will call myself Doctor Dan but she will say otherwise.  The surf over the last days has been good.  Many epic sessions had but it is an aggressive paddle out and Laura has not enjoyed herself.  We are planning on cutting our time short here and heading to Nicaragua early, as it is more unchartered territory for us.
 

A few days back I made friends with a proper Englishman in the water.  We have hung out a few times and surfed plenty.  Yesterday we did a road trip down the coast about an hour to a new beach called Caramonal.  Black sand and quiet beach.  After 20 duck dives I made it out to the waves which had some size to them.  I had my first official hold down of the trip.  For those who do not know what that is - picture this.  I caught a big left hand wave, which after the drop, I had to straight hand it to avoid doom.  Once I jumped off my board, the wave proceeded to hold me under water where I was standing at the bottom of the ocean until the wave passed and I had to swim up from about 10 feet below.  I thought it was fun - Laura thinks differently.  After that a few fun waves were had and we headed back.  There were a couple rivers crossed and in a rental it is always fun.




LKN Comments -

Cabin Fever – the real thing...

I have definitely used the term 'cabin fever' several times in my life. Mostly because I'm stuck indoors due to the rain or cold or maybe I've been cooped up in a car for hours. However, this time, it was the real deal.

Last week I came down with something fast. It first started with sharp stomach pains, followed by muscle and joint pain and then a fever. Luckily my worst and probably highest temp ever reached happened during the night. That sleep didn't exist and I thought I was in hell but really, I wasn't. I had no idea what day two was going to bring me.

I wake up, feeling like I've been in a bar fight, pitched off a wave, maybe even thrown off a bus. I could barely move my neck, my back, any part of my body – I couldn't move at all. Energy level, at a zero. I attempted to eat some crackers and drink some gingerale (thank gosh they had Canada Dry) that my wonderful nurse Dan (sorry love) brought to me. I managed to get them down but that was the extent my energy was going to take me. A few hours pass and it's now close to 11am. What does this mean you ask...it means that our cabin is now reaching 38 to 39 degrees Celsius while I have a temperature of 38.6. I am spread out on the bed with the least amount of clothes possible not caring that I may have a peaker. No, not nurse Dan but an 8 year old boy who seems to have fancied me and likes to peak into our cabin windows. I'm in my own personal hell hole. The pillow is hot, my breath feels like fire and it really couldn't get worse. Oh wait, wait it can. I build up all the strength i can to open my eyes and take a sip of water when i catch myself in a staring competition with a foot long lizard. Oh, not a gecko, a lizard. In my nicest and most polite of ways, I ask nurse Dan to kindly remove of the lizard beside my bed, asap. He was successful – thank god.

It's now 7 pm and past my bed time. i haven't slept all day. The temperature in the room has finally dropped to a rather pleasant temp of 33 and I'm loaded up on Advil, Tylenol and pep-to. A trifecta of perfection. But wait, lucky me, it's the best of 70's, 80's and 90's at the adjoining bar beside us. The music blares for the next 3 hours. It's now past midnight. I've run out of nice comments to make. I'm not a happy camper but the drunks have stopped screaming, MC Hammer has finally left my head and the flashing disco ball has been turned off. Heaven. Finally a taste of heaven.

Why is 'I will long love you, ........” by Live in my dream. That's weird. No, no it's not weird because some ticos are blasting it in the cabin beside us at 3am.  Grrrr is all I will say.

Long story short. I am much better now but felt I had to confess that travelling is not always peaches and cream.

Mixed Bag in Nosara:

 

–        you can only take out 100,000 colones (approx. $200 CAN) from the bank machine. However, you can go back two more times within a 24 hour window and take out the same amount

–        when it rains, about a thousand or more little purple, orange and red crabs pop out of the ground and flood the roads

–        the surf – fine if you're a beginner or upper intermediate to advance rider but if you're in between, forget-about-it. It's like Cox Bay in Tofino on a day where the waves don't let up for a second, imagine that but worse

–        Lightening struck so close to Dan and I that our arm hairs stuck up and we could feel a slight surge of electricity through our bodies – yes, i was freaked out to say the least

–        who would have thought Mr. Noodles becomes a staple in ones meal rotation

-     not sure if you can tell in the photo but the brown paste Dan has slathered all over his pancakes is Dulce de Leche.  Oink Oink...the 'just-add-water' pancake mix made my week

–        there's a blow-hole just a short walk away which can give sea enigmas to the unexpected (we met someone who had quite the experience!)

–        Harmony Eco Hotel has the best Mojitos and the food is unbelievable

–        Michella – a salt rimmed beer glass that has a shot of fresh lime juice, accompanied with a cold beer – delish!

–        Iguanas can get over a meter in length here