“Close out sale...”

Hate is a strong word, so I will just say that I dislike the waves in Playa Hermosa greatly. They rise up very quickly from nothing and break all at the same time, very steeply. It becomes very frustrating when every wave you catch closes out all around you so that you have no opportunity to ride anything. Combine this with the strong winds and even stronger currents, and you end up with a big choppy mess. Even paddling here seems different, almost futile amongst the strong rips and long shore currents. It sounds silly, but as your hands pass through the water it feels softer than usual, as though the water density were lower here for some reason. You can paddle all you want, but really the water is going to take you where it wants to, which is usually the wrong spot. Despite this, the wave appears to be popular, as many surfers jockey for a chance at the same 3 second rides. Taking pictures from the beach may give the appearance that the conditions are better than what I speak of, as I present a handful of the better waves amongst a multitude of thunderous beach-wide close out waves.

Although I’m not having much fun in the water, the rest of Playa Hermosa is quite fitting for its name, translated to “beautiful beach” in English. The caramel coloured sand is clean and garbage free, but strikingly hot in the midday sun. An abundance of birds populates the fringe of palm and mango trees along the beach, the most notable of which are the scarlet macaws. Balance is present everywhere in life, in the things we do, the places we see, and the experiences we have. Balance is the main theme behind all of ecology as well, as animals are forced into tradeoffs. To be good at one thing usually means that you can’t excel at another. The scarlet macaw pays for its remarkable beauty, the bright red, yellow, and blue feathers, with perhaps the most obnoxious vocal call that one could imagine. This is usually how they are spotted, one simply has to follow the ghastly screeches to see the birds, usually flying in pairs, but sometimes as in our first night here, in small flocks up to 13 birds.

The humidity was exceptionally high today with a strong lightning storm last night that brought along sheets of rain that left steaming puddles everywhere in the morning. I messed about in the water, catching a half dozen or so close out waves while large sting rays breached the water all around me. Denielle had a more enjoyable time at yoga, where she had the pleasure of two instructors to one student ratio, with her being the only student. She purchased 6 more lessons for the price of 2, so she should be quite busy downward and upward dogging for the rest of the week. We then went into Jaco and got a milkshake fix and some more groceries for the rest of the week. I’m looking forward to getting back to Mal Pais on the weekend, but perhaps I’ll be able to find some more suitable waves down the beach before the week is through. Meanwhile we’ll continue to watch the Canadians throw away opportunities at the Olympics, heavily filtered through the patriotic eyes of the American networks.

Tyler.