La Playa Tamarindo!

Today, the 14th, I took a bus to Playa Tamarindo. It's on the Nicoya Peninsula and is supposed to have great surfing. The bus is by far better than my hotel room, as it was air conditioned and was taking me out of shitty San Jose. I met a couple people on the bus, and am staying in a dorm-style Hostel with five girls! What fun.

I went out last night (it is now the 15th) with some people I met at the hostel. We played Kings and went out to a bar with a live Latin band afterwards. It was a pretty good time, until one of the dudes tried to fight the dealer he was getting his cocaine from. Me and another guy left out the back, and had another beer back at the hostel. The guy who tried to get in the fight did not come home that night, and we feared the worst. That all changed in the morning, though, when I found him outside the "Wok and Roll" Sushi place, passed the fuck out. I was so hungover and disoriented on account of the heat and humidity that I woke up at 7 am thinking it was 1 pm or so. I've been hungover all day, but still managed to hike about 5 miles down the beach.

This made me feel better about myself, and was a good experience. I felt like I was at home, only a way more tropical home with a much longer beach. There was a mountain right off the beach in the distance, which became my goal. I set off down the beach, only to find a 50-yard wide river that I would have to swim across. I swam it, which wasn't really a big deal but made me realize that I hadn't swam in a long time. Upon crossing, I walked about three miles down the beach trying to get to the mountain. I did not make it, because I didn't bring any water with me, and turned back about half a mile from the mountain. Upon reaching the river that I would have to swim back across, a boat pulled up to let someone off. The driver asked me if I would like a ride, but I refused since I had no money on me. He then told me that he'd take me across for free, on the account of the Crocodiles. He then asked me how I got across in the first place, to which I replied "I swam," and he looked at me like I was crazy. It's quite a feeling to know that you inadvertently risked life, limb, or both, and it's safe to say that I won't be swimming that river again.



I got back to the hostel, told my story to the people I had met, and then took a nap. I'm going to go surfing tomorrow, providing I'm not hungover, and will write a new blog when I'm done!

Buenos Noches,

Seamus