Hola

Back in November I thought I'd be ready to leave winter by April 10.  I'd done at least one race (make that 'JUST one race')*, skied everyday and was sure the snow would be long gone.  Instead of the snow being long gone, the skiing was the best of the season (not to mention we'd just gotten running water in the kitchen and season 4 of Mad Men).  Suddenly I couldn't remember why I had decided to go to a Spanish and surfing school in Costa Rica for 5 weeks.  I've always wanted to learn another language so I remember that being a big reason for my decision...and  just to see what it was like, I wanted to go somewhere that I could surf everyday.  Realizing the snow was going to be around for awhile, I looked into shortening my trip or not going all together but it was too complicated so my reason for going became not the I wanted to learn Spanish and surf everyday but that it was too difficult not to go. 

A breakfast of my favorite food at the DC airport

Security at the Tambor airport

The trip started with a 4 AM hotel wake-up call that never came.  Luckily my bladder was unbearably full at 4:15 AM.  A breakfast of my favorite food in the DC airport at 7:15 AM set me up for the rest of the day.  The big flight to San Jose was good and I managed to hyperventilate my way though the white-out in the 12 seater to Tambor before the 45 minute taxi ride to my destination in Montezuma.

hotel/school lobby

At the desk of the funky open air hotel lobby (which is also the school) I learned that there wasn't a room for me.  At least I thought that was what I was being told.  All I could pick out of what sounded like one long Spanish word from the person behind the desk was Chica and manana over and over.  I don't know what I was thinking when I registered for a double room and a roommate.....I stood for a moment contemplating the scenarios a roommate could add to my trip and requested a single room.  The desk person seemed satisfied and put me in a room all to myself.

 

This is a whole bike.  2' x 2' x 8"  Fooled you airline people.

After struggling 3 and a half hours in bad light, 100 degrees, 4:15 AM brain and trying to make no noise in a room where the wall didn't go all the way to the ceiling, I decided that I would dismantle what I had managed to put together on my bike, (I had never seen so many cables) put it back in it's case, and forget about it while I rented a 50 pounder at $15 a day for the time I was there.  Then, along came Jose' with his blond waist length dreadlocks and 30 seconds later I had a working machine.   The universal language of bike fanatics and derailleur cables....

I was a little uncomfortable about keeping my computer in a room that has a just-for-show lock but found a fool-proof hiding place so I could relax.  I asked the stranger that was url-surfing (not to be confused with ocean-surfing) in the hammock next to me where he kept his computer.  I must look trustworthy because he told me he hid it in his room under his backpack.......which is the same fool-proof place I was hiding mine.  I don't know, but if I was going to steal a computer from a hotel room, I know where I'd look first.

Mile 5 of my twice daily ride.  Notice my fully assembled working bike.  If you want, you can look closely and see the couplings holding the frame together.  They're the reason it fits into that little case.

The inside of mile 5.

The riding here is mostly HILLY!!! and it's just too hot to enjoy HILLY!!!.  But.  There's a spectacular 7 mile flat road along the ocean with a local bakery at mile 5 and a National Park at mile 6 and a half that I can put up with.

Our Spanish classroom.

The school is a safe environment for a solo female traveler.  Learners of all ages (I'm still the oldest but not my that much) from all over the world make a pretty good group.  I thought that I looked the same age as everyone else here until one German college co-ed said that she hoped to be doing things like this when she was my age.  I did have to ask a few classmates (that I see several times a day) to respect the 'no smoking sign' (wow, did that news travel fast).  I assumed they would snub me and smoke anyway so I'd have to drop out or something but it seems to be OK enough and the smoking stopped.  It's not that I don't think anyone should smoke here if they want to (however if I was king there would be no smoking :) ) and it's good for me to put myself in a situation where I have to lighten-up to survive...it's just that it was 3 folks right outside my no-option open window.

I can deal with monkeys waking me at 5 am since I get to drift asleep to slapping Pacific waves.   I'm still not sure I'll ever speak Spanish.  The other night I was secretly congratulating myself about my Spanish progress until the waiter asked me how my meal was and I proudly said 'bonita' which means pretty.  That being said, the radio was playing in the supermarket and I understood a few words which was a few words more than I'd ever understood before.  So now I know that, even though I'm not sure what, there is something going on in Montezuma at 8:30 tonight.

You don't have to bump your lip very hard with a surfboard to split it (the lip) which is my only injury.

 See lip.

Yesterday Jim, Greg, Brandon and I went to a new-for-us local beach in a noisy, dusty, rattletrap of a van.  Afterwards, tired with salty board shorts and hair, a few new abrasions, listening to salsa music sneaking through the static on the radio and bouncing along on a dusty dirt road...ever seen the movie 'Endless Summer?'  I'm still no Laird Hamilton on the surfboard but after a week of surfing, I'm still sitting here still basically uninjured (maybe I shouldn't have said that?).  I wonder if Laird has salt water running out of his nose when he bends over for hours after being in the ocean ?

The air is thick with the smell of mangos.

Now,  if I can just lift myself out of this hammock.

*Race note:  When the pre-race wax-of-the-day chatter consisted of wax numbers instead of the wax colors I was used to, I knew I was probably in trouble.  The gun went off and soon I found myself surrounded by shoulder height 10 year old boys that I'm sure they were really fast.

I'm writing like I don't miss Vin and Max BUT I DO.