Fifteenth Blog - The day of last days

The positive side of being in a tourist town is that you get to meet new people with all kinds of life stories that you would normally never get the chance to hear. The negative side is of course that these people are just passing through. Today is the day for leavings. Tony, who has been here for almost 2 weeks, is returning to New York. Even though he paddled out in 6 ft waves and to his horror realised there was no way to get back except to try and surf them (which resulted in a battle that the waves ultimately won..) he has fallen in love with surfing and since then won a fair few fights out there. I think he will probably be back... Bobo, a 50+ true Texan who has been coming here for 25 years is also going home today. As an old friend of Alvaro's, we have had the pleasure of his company in the water over the past 10 days and despite him forcing us to get up at dawn even though the tide is low and him stealing my waves I will greatly miss him. Fortunately he will be back in a few months and is bringing his 25-year old, 6'4'' handsome son along so I look forward to that... Finally, Corinne is heading back to Holland tomorrow. I have really enjoyed getting to know her over the past 3 weeks and hope she will be a friend for years to come. Corinne had a bit of an incident her second day surfing when her board hit her quite hard in the head, and she has been struggling with the fear caused by the accident ever since. Yesterday she decided to give it another go and she was catching wave after wave with a big smile on her face until a freak wave dragged her under and it all came back to her. When she popped up on the surface her eyes were like a deer's in headlights and both me and Alvaro knew it was over for her for now. I hope she finds her way back to surfing.



As for me, I just keep falling deeper and deeper in love with surfing and the life that comes with it. As soon as I hit the water everything else becomes irrelevant. I love sitting on my board bantering with the local surfers who have started to accept me as "one of their own" while waiting for a wave. I love the moment the wistling starts, which is the local way of telling the other surfers a great wave is coming their way, and I love the adrenaline and excitement that kicks in when Alvaro goes "Turn around - This could be the wave of your life".



Me, Tony and Corinne were sitting on my veranda yesterday evening after a delicious BBQ when Corinne looked at me and said "I don't know how you are ever going to be able to leave this place. You clearly belong here". I don't now either...

Fourteenth Blog - Borta bra men hemma bast

There is this saying in Swedish which translates into something like "away is good but home is the best." I can now at least say that I have seen a bit of Costa Rica and not only my surfboard...

The Nicoya Peninsula, which is the "hook" sticking out from the north of the mainland, is about 3 1/2 hours away from here, and involves a boat ride and a long stretch of very questionable "road". I pretty much wept of joy when I saw tarmac again. We started out in Malpais, a beautiful stretch of sandy white beach. As it is low-season (and recession) the place was pretty quiet. Me and Corinne watched an amazing sunset followed by a lovely meal cooked by a women who was French... and from the same area as Corinne... and from the same town... and the same school. As they kept narrowing it down I was worried it was going to be reveled this woman was in fact the sister Corinne never new about...


On we went to Montezuma, a well known "hippie" town. We could both feel the love and peace envelope us as we sat down to have a vegan burger at "Organico". I knew this wasn't the place for Corinne when she noticed the sign "we are a smoking free community" in the street. "Well, I am a French individual" she resorted while lighting up her cigarette... As our stomachs struggled to digest the spiritulina enhanced tofu burgers, we both decided that Montezuma was best left to its hippies and to get out of there as early as possible in the morning. The plan of a long night of sound sleep was abruptly interrupted when we both flew out of bed as the lightning hit less than 100 meters away. Me and Corinne curled up like 2 characters from Scooby-doo as the vicious thunderstorm descended on us.

The thunderstorms here are like nothing I have ever experienced. I have always loved watching the lightning, counting the seconds until the rumbling of thunder arrives to figure out how far away it is. One of my early, fond memories is doing just that at my mother's father's summer house. This is something all together different... sort of like a Swedish summer storm on acid. 10ths of zigzag lights are illuminating the sky and there is NO time to count to see how far away they are... the bungalow is shaking and your eardrums are threatening to burst as the thunder descends on you. Poor Frida actually pied herself the other night and I wasn't far off doing the same.

The return to Hermosa was a joyous moment. Not only was I delighted to see the swell again (no waves in Montezuma) but Wendy and Alvaro introduced me to Juan for the first time. Talk about love at first sight! Made by hand just for me under Alvaro's watchful eye and I can't wait to feel the thrill of him dropping in to the wave under me. He has to stay dry for a couple of more weeks though while the moulding settles and in the meantime, hard-core training is what is on the menu for me. It is actually kind of a miracle that I am even able to type this blog given I can't feel my arms.....

Thirteenth Blog - Nappy rash

This marks the end of my second week in Costa Rica, and although I still feel like I have landed in paradise, I have reached the end of the "honeymoon period" and started noticing a few quirks about this place that is starting to irritate me...

1) For the first time in about 34 years (my parents will be able to narrow the exact timing down) I have a "nappy rash". It turns out sitting on a board in damp cloths is remarkably like wearing a diaper. It was a somewhat embarrassing conversation at the pharmacy, but I am now loaded up on Johnson's baby powder and Chlorphenoxamine hydrochloride...

2) To call what is leading up to my bungalow a "road" is like claiming Blackpool is England's answer to the French riviera.. it is just not true.

3) There isn't a levelled playing field between humans and biting insects here. I am hoping that somehow I will be recognised as a "local tica" among the mosquito community and get exempt from the assault that tends to happen as soon as night falls...

Given these are my only complaints so far, I think Costa Rica is a keeper though... Tomorrow I am off on a bit of a road trip with Corinne, so the blog will be back on Monday (and so will I..)

Twelfth Blog - The French mistress

My French friends Corinne and Tony were telling me about "the French woman" a few days ago at dinner. She has the ability to make her lovers feel like the most wonderful of men, she lavishes them with attention and passion that makes the man hunger for more, just to take it all away from him for no apparent reason at all. The man is left wondering what he did to deserve her cold shoulder and goes on a quest to give her anything she wants in the hope of getting back in her good books. Eventually she lets him back and the game continues back and forth, back and forth...... The ocean is my French mistress. She has the ability to make me feel like no other, lavishing me with wave after wave of perfect lefts and easing up on me when I need a break in the swell to paddle out. Other days when I get there she is unpredictable, throwing one break after another at me, just making it impossible to enjoy her company. I have been in the dog house for two long days now, but just like the Frenchman, I keep going back every day in the hope that I will be back in her good books....


Today it wasn't even worth getting in the ocean so Juanita and me were relegated to still- paddling in the swimming pool. It is one of my least favorite things but the thing I need the most. I still struggle to catch the bigger waves on my own and if I am ever going to give Juan a go when he arrives (the baby brother of Juanita, remember?!) I better strengthen up!

Eleventh Blog - Anna Calaveras

No-one has really asked what the heading of this blog means!? Well, I'll tell you anyway... It means the "skull surfer". This is because Juanita has these beautiful skulls painted around her boarder, and a cheeky one on the back that my friend sprayed on. Now she also has a skull on each fen! So Wendy and Alvaro started calling me Anna Calaveras and it sort of stuck. I like having a "stage name" :-)

The waves yesterday where tough to say the least! Choppy, fast and inconsistent. Everything you don't want when you are trying to paddle through the break. Titi, who is Wendy's 12 year old son and an accomplished surfer, took one look at it and decided to stay on the beach. I was very tempted to do the same but Alvaro encouraged me to have a go. I am so lucky to have him as my trainer. He pushes me to challenge myself and he has faith in my abilities when I sometimes waver.

The trick to get out is to never stop, and to never get off your board. Now that might sound easy enough in theory, but when a fast moving, breaking wave is heading your way your first instinct is to stop and jump off your board to dive under, not to paddle straight at it! The first 50 ft are always the hardest, but once you get further out there are less waves breaking (although the ones that do are bigger) and you can get lucky and get a clear passage in between sets.

Something that use to terrify me but I have lately come to enjoy is when a "freak wave" comes my way. To catch a wave, you sit at the point just before most waves are breaking, but because no one wave is the same, every now and again a freak one will start building that is bigger than the rest and therefore will break further out (and over you if you don't get moving). That is when pure fear becomes your friend as you throw yourself down on the board and paddle for life to try and get over it before it breaks. In these cases you really need to know if you are about to win or loose the fight... There is a moment when the wave is just breaking and you are half way up it but you realise you are not going to make it over, when you can jump off your board and literally dive right through the wave. You can feel the power of the break above and behind you but where you are it is calm and quiet. So awesome!

Today the rain is hammerig down and surfing is not on the cards, but a new day beckons tomorrow and hopefully me, Bob and Juanita will go to the beach again, just like on the photo!

Tenth Blog - Pura Vida

I am starting to get to know the locals and expats here in Hermosa. I really enjoy being part of a smaller community where you always bump in to someone you know. I also really love the casual way people socialise here. No "lets have a drink Wednesday 2 weeks from now" or "I don't have a Saturday free for the next 3 months". Here people just drop by your house when they feel like it. People have time, there is no rush and the only urgency that exists is that of having to paddle for all that you are worth when a freak wave comes your way while surfing. The Costa Rican's call it "Pura Vida"; the pure life.

I have thought a lot about fear over the past few days. God knows I have been forced to face it many times lately. There is something amazing about the feeling of pure fear. This is the kind of fear that calls on all your natural instincts to kick in, that fills your body with adrenaline and that makes you act and achieve things you did not think yourself capable of. The pure fear is the fear of dying and it is one to treasure. As cliche as it sounds though, most peoples biggest fear is the fear of living. That is the kind of "abstract" fear that prevents you from acting. The fear of being inadequate, fear of uncertainty, the fear of fear itself. Fear that turns in to stress because the body doesn't know what to do with the adrenaline it creates. Fear is one of the most basic, natural feelings we have. It is an emotion indispensable for survival. I don't want the abstract fear to prevent me from living, I want the pure fear to keep me alive as I live life to the full!!

Now this amateur philosopher is off to live a little... waves promising plenty of fear today :-)

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Ninth Blog: Favorite things - Part 2

Sunsets. Such amazing sunsets. I am not a religious person, but walking along the beach as the sun sets here you can't help thinking you are as close to what ever god is as you can be. I almost feel like I am in some surreal non-reality. Like I am in the Trueman show where someone created this beach-bubble and dropped me in it. I can hear the control room going "queue the sunset people" as the sky starts turning into an amazing display of colours. It all happens very quickly and it is a bit of an eerie feeling with the mist rising from the ocean as dark moves in. Surfers are trying to catch that last wave before the darkness envelopes them and when the last rays of daylight just about disappear over the horizon they come out of the water like crabs heading for their nighttime shelter in the sand. Words nor pictures really do it justice, you just have to come and see it for yourself!

After a day of rest from paddling I thought today was going to be a breeze. Not so much... the waves where only a couple of seconds apart and I had to use every single ounce of energy and will power to get through the break. The turtle was certainly put to the test today! Once through the impact point however there was some beauties to be had and I was on form! Alvaro now thinks I need a smaller board and we are planning the making of Juanita's brother, Juan. As he is the younger one he will be shorter, and will have a pointier nose, and will be about a zillion times harder to paddle..... good news given I barely made it out today on Juanita...

As I am writing this another sunset is starting to take shape over the ocean and I feel the beach and a cold Imperial Light (my preferred beer here) calling my name....

Eight Blog: Road trip!!!

Yea Baby..Roadtrip!!! At 5.30 am we loaded up Bob with as many surfboards as he could take, filled our coffee mugs and set out to surf "the secret spot". Along on the trip apart from Alvaro and Wendy was Gilbert, the current reigning national champion of Costa Rica, and of course Leo, who is not even a meter tall and still keeps up with both Alvaro and Gilbert. Getting to the secret spot involves a 1 hour drive (if I drive that is, 40 minutes if Alvaro drives..) and a boat trip out to a cove in the middle of nowhere where the break is the most beautiful left you've ever seen (Alvaro is surfing it on the photo). I had no intention what-so-ever of surfing these giants however, but hung out with Wendy in the boat. Now you may be picturing me on the deck of a yatch leisurely sipping champagne while enjoying the view of the surfers... think again... Instead, I was holding on for life in the little wooden dingy while the crew ran rescue missions into the breaks to pickup surfers who had been bashed around. Holy *&^$%#@ crap was I scared! At one point we had just picked up a surfer and where about to turn the boat around when Alvaro, who was in the water ahead of us, started shouting like mad, pointing out towards the ocean. I remember thinking "this can't be good" as I turned my eyes to gaze in to a 10 ft breaking wave heading straight for us.. This is when you need a very powerful engine and nerves of steel, and luckily our captain had both. I could feel the mist of the break in my face as the boat just about cleared the wave and dropped down on the other side. The noice as it hammered down behind me was like thunder and my heart was threatening to jump out of my chest! I was pretty relieved when we hauled the last surfer up on deck and headed back to shore... Although terrifying, I did get to see the guys catch some amazing waves and my camera doesn't quite do them justice but pictures are posted on facebook.

After this mornings adventure I felt the urge to do something "normal" and "low-risk", so I cleaned the bathroom and did laundery, all while smiling to myself, remembering that I had been part of something spectacular today....

Seventh Blog: Big swell is coming

A surfer lives for the wave of a lifetime. Checking weather charts, sitting on the beach for hours watching the ocean. When the waves are bad they still sit there, like they are hoping they can will the waves to grow bigger. So you can only imagine the anticipation and energy that surrounds this surfer town when the swell of this century is predicted to show up tomorrow or Sunday. Alvaro is like a child the night before Christmas. Leo is a blend of nerves and excitement. I am looking forward to a bit of a rest after 7 days of surfing (no way I am getting in the water with 10-15 ft waves..)-but what a day to end on!!! PERFECT waves; beautiful, 4-5 feet, slowly breaking, amazing, magical frickin' waves! There is no drug in the world that could replace the high you get from a day like this (not that I would know, mum..).

Today marks the end of my first week here in Costa Rica. I haven't done any of the things I planned to; sewing, playing guitar, studying Spanish etc. I took the sewing machine out this morning, looked at it and promptly proceeded to the pool with my book... For some funny reason my normally restless soul wants nothing but to rest!

Sixth Blog: Favorite things part 1

The beach where I live has this amazing black sand that illuminates when the sun shines down on it. The contrast with the white water makes it look amazing, sort of like real life HD TV.

My early morning strolls are one of my favorite things here. It is still some cool left in the air and the lulling sound of the waves is so peaceful you have no choice but to just let it take over. It is like this bubble of nothingness where you can turn everything off in your head and just be for a while. It is the perfect way to re-set at the beginning of a new day!

Yesterday was a "double shift" (surfing in the morning, paddle and strength training in the afternoon) and I thought I'd wake up all achy and tired, but I feel fantastic. After running up and down stairs, sit-ups, push-ups, squats and the 30 minutes of still-paddling that Alvaro has me do I could not feel my arms (still-paddling is on a board that is tied to the edge of the pool and going nowhere...it is much harder because you have no momentum pushing you forward). I tried to cheat but he has spies that are watching me and when I tried to convince them 30 minutes had gone and not 20 they where having none of it (these spies I talk about are Alvaro's children and Leo). Training at Alvaro's is a family thing. The kids join in, Wendy comes and hangs out and there is a lot of laughter and playfulness. I am so lucky that they have invited me to participate!

Surfing was amazing today, I did not want it to stop but after 2 hours my arms just would not hold my weight anymore.... I'd love to be able to explain the feeling, but since I am no poet I decided to use someone else's, more elegant words: "I will always remember my first wave that morning. The smells of paraffin wax and brine and peppy scrub. The way the swell rose beneath me like a body drawing air. How the wave drew me forward and I sprang to my feet, skating with the wind of momentum in my ears. I lent across the wall of upstanding water and the board came with me as though it was part of my body and mind. The blur of spray. The billion shards of light. I was intoxicated and though I've lived to be an old man with my own share of happiness I still judge every joyous moment, every victory and revelation against those few seconds of living."

Fifth Blog: Starting to feel like home

You know that feeling when you wake up somewhere new and you have to take a second or two to figure out where you are? That has been the case every morning for me until now. Guess it means I am starting to feel at home?! I have also found a companion for my morning strolls. Every day like clockwork Frida comes to my house. Frida (that is probably not her real name) is a chocolate colored Labrador who has sort of adopted me. Not sure who her owners are but the bungalow community I live in has 4-5 dogs that everyone sort of takes care of. I named her Frida because I think there should always be someone with that name here!

The surf was small today but I had a great time playing around in the water and got to practise my turns a lot. I also made a new friend, Corinne (a real person this time, not a dog or a car...) who I hung out with this evening so all in all, a good, relaxing day!!! Just the way it should be when you are home :-)

Fourth Blog: All is right with the world

I know my parents reads this blog, but there is no other way of saying this... I fucking kicked ass today!! Gone is the fear, my arms are stronger and I turtled the hell out of the waves (turtle is when you flip you and your board upsidedown to let the wave wash over). After a wobbly first wave the perfect left was building up behind me (left is by far my better side) and Alvaro gave me a knowing look and just shouted "paddle hard". The thrill, adrenaline, stomach joilt as Juanita went off the edge and dropped perfectly in to the wave. It made me cry out in pure joy!

So now that all is right in the world again.... Ladies and gentlemen - let me introduce Bob! He is the son of a man called Chevrolet and was born in 1997. He is white and has a few quirks but is very charming. The check engine light is still on, but he seams to work fine so I am not going to worry too much....

I'll leave you with a little mystery of mine; Saltwater starts coming out your nose like three hours after surfing is done. Where the hell does it go for three hours???!!?

Third Blog: A surfers funk

It isn't a recognised term, but I have hit a surfers funk! It is what I have chosen to call the unreasonable fear that has engulfed me and that I can't seam to shake... I got stomach ache just looking at the waves this morning and almost gave up after 30 minutes of trying to get passed the breaking waves. Just as I was ready to pack it in there was a break in the swell and I put my head down and just kept repeating to myself "you will make it" in rhythm to my strokes. Eventually I heard Alvaro shooting from behind that unless I stopped paddling I would reach Hawaii... It just got worse from there and I finally gave up having caught only 1 wave. Now granted, it was a day of hard surf and most people in the water where struggling to get out, but I am better than this - I know that!!

In addition (and maybe partly why my surfing has been off) I have a food problem. Actually, many women would probably call it a quality problem and many more not a problem at all, but I can't seam to get enough food down to even get close to the amount of calories I need. I am trying to remedy it as we speak however with a wholewheat pizza and so far so good...

Finally, I was hoping to introduce you to the latest family member, Bob. That is what I have named my new car that I bought today. Unfortunately by the time we got back it was too dark to take a photo so he will have to wait to make his debut until tomorrow. Alvaro and Wendy (Alvaro's girlfriend) kindly took me all the way to San Jose and helped me through the ins and outs of buying a car, and then drove it all the way back for me to Jaco. Half way through the "check engine" light came on..... not kidding!

Second Blog: Take my breath away

Today's surfing session really took my breath away... and not in the romantic Top Gun theme song kinda' way but in the brutal, falling off the 7 ft wave and landing on your stomach kinda' way. Turns out the water is like concrete when you hit it at speed and it is a real treat when 2 tons of water comes crashing over you as the icing on the cake.... As I was trying to find my way up to the surface I was asking myself "how do I hold my breath when I have lost it?" After I had crawled my way back on to the beach, Alvaro announces that I have to get in "surfer shape" (which is apparently like 10 levels above "great shape") to avoid this from happening again and that I should go home and rest because my next training session starts at 12.30. I am picturing running with stones under water in true "Blue Crush" fashion but without the hot male lead as I lie on my veranda unable to move my arms or take deep breaths. Here is the punchline though - it feels absolutely awesome. I am pushing myself to my physical limit, conquering fear and feeling alive!

Now I wish I could tell you how exciting the rest of my day turned out to be but here is what I did.... Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not because I didn't want to, but because I could not move. So instead I say goodbye to you with a picture of the sunset, as seen from my horizontal position on the veranda, which I have occupied for the past 4 hours...

The maiden blog: Arriving in Paradise

After immense pressure from my family and friends (I count at least 2 people strongly encouraging me to blog) I have decided to keep a record of my adventures as I "live the dream" in Costa Rica.

Firstly, let me introduce you to some characters who will frequently feature in my stories; Juanita is my beloved 8'2'' yellow surfboard and possibly the love of my life. Alvaro is my mentor and trainer, who is either a 6 or 7 time Costa Rican surf champion (he is modest so I have never managed to figure out the exact number of times he won..). Leo is my "training mate", 12 years old and a gromit champion (apparently what you call the league for under 14s)

And so the story begins... after family quality time in Sweden and fun times in New York, I touched down in San Jose late last night. It all got off to a great start when the cute rental car guy recognised me from last time. It quickly turned south however when he showed me where the spare tire was but told me never to stop and change it if I got a puncture..."don't ask anyone for help, just keep driving. Sometimes they will put a whole in the tire and follow you until you stop to fix it" was his exact words. Needless to say I was nervously checking my rear view mirror as I drove off into the dark.... My strategy was to follow the car in front of me closely to avoid being alone on the road. I wonder what the driver ahead was thinking as he looked in his rear view mirror praying his tires would stay intact so that the cazy person behind him wouldn't rob him...

After two hours of winding roads and several bottle of diet coke I finally arrived at my new home around midnight. As I pulled up to my bungalow I saw Jesus for the first time...... Jesus is the night guard and he only speaks Spanish so that is about as much as I know about him... I foresee him becoming a victim of my attempts to practise Spanish however and hope to learn a lot more about him over the next three months!

With anticipation keeping me awake for most of the night, I rose out of bed at 5.30 am, loaded up on caffeine and headed out to my first training session to become the oldest Billabong sponsored female surfer on the circuit.... Alvaro doesn't seam to be convinced but he did ask for a cut so that must mean he believes I have a shot - right? As I pulled out from the driveway the waves were crashing down on the beach, the sun was rising over the horizon and I stopped for a second in pure amazement. This place is really one of mother natures finest works! After my moment of reflection reality hit as I realised that the waves where rising 5-6 feet tall, and I had to surf the darn things....oh well. As I am sure there will be many descriptions of my surfing bravados over the next few months I'll just say that it was a joy to be reunited with Juanita again and after getting a rude reminder of how challenging it is to paddle out through the surf, catching that first wave was like falling in love again....