epic session

We spent three hours in the waves this morning and would still be there but for the fact that we have to rest a little so we can go back out in an hour.  The waves were small, about 2-3 feet, but perfect for me and, in classic Pavones style, very long.  

We got lots of great rides thanks to our surf sensei, Dean.  He's taken us out the past few days and been an amazing guide and teacher.  

He and his wife Ingrid moved here from Hawaii after driving from California and traveling across Costa Rica and Panama looking for the right spot to set up their surf camp.  The Web site is focused on women's surf groups but Dean shared that he's reworking the site and their focus will be on small groups (2-8 people) of all genders, ages and abilities.  

What I found great about Dean - besides the fact that he's probably one of the nicest people on the planet - is that he helped both my husband and me improve our surfing exponentially even though we're surfing at very different levels.  It would literally have taken me two years of NSB surfing to make the improvements I've made here in just four days.  

Still no pictures of us surfing - maybe this afternoon one of us will get out of the water to take pictures while the waves are still breaking.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  But here (and above) some snaps of the cove in which we've been putting in. 

dawn patrol

skies are clear - the stars last night were amazing.  

monkeys are howling.  

surf is up.  and we're heading out for an early morning session.  yay!

my poverty prejudice

I've debated posting this as my own thoughts aren't fully formed yet.  However, it is coloring my experience and the journey so it's only fair to post.

As we drove from Golfito to Pavones, we saw some of areas of absolute extreme poverty.  While that wasn't unexpected, I kept thinking "How could these possibly be the happiest people in the world?"  

My husband saw a guy sitting in a ditch for no apparent reason and made a passing comment.  My retort was "Well, apparently he's happier than we are."  It's really hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that someone living with so little could be happier than those of us who have so much. 

I think we're brought up to believe that if only poor people were more industrious, more ambitious, more willing to put in some hard work, their wealth would increase and, thus, they would be happier.  Right? The current cover article in the Atlantic reinforces the fact that those of first and second generation wealth tend to feel that they have earned it purely by hard work, effort and intelligence. 

I'm not suggesting that the Happy Planet Index is the only measure of contentment.  But Costa Rica measures really well on a range of indexes related to perceptions of happiness as noted in this New York Times column. 

More interesting to me than the happiness of the Ticos was my own reaction to it relative to their lack of wealth.  I think we perceive poverty to be an individual failure that could be corrected if the individual would only buck up and get with the program. But I do know better. 


Programs like Grameen Bank have illustrated that, if you're willing to see people instead of poverty, there are ways to turn the paradigm upside down.  At the point we consider wealth and fortune to be solely driven by individual effort, rather than first based in the sheer luck of birth and opportunity of circumstance, we give ourselves permission to dismiss those who do not share in that same luck and opportunity.  We also then may tend to equate happiness with that material wealth and fortune - something that this population appears not to do.

Even knowing all this, it took the convergence of a happiness ranking, a drive through a poor country and a guy sitting in a ditch to make me really think about my own poverty prejudice. 

part of a surf excursion is ... not surfing

It's been raining steadily since last night and the surf is completely blown out.  So we're sitting instead of surfing.  That's fine. Per Rob Machado, "high expectations make poor travel companions."  On the other hand, Vanity Fair, my Kindle and the laptop are all pretty good travel companions.  Oh yeah, my husband too.  And there are far worse things than sitting in a tree house in the rainforest while it rains.

[update of photos 01/25/11)

But the best sign of all ...

... has got to be this one.  I mean, how long do you think it takes a momma sloth to cross the road anyway?!

Signs of Pavones

Almost every sign in Pavones - notable exception being the Imperial beer signs - is handmade.  There are varying degrees of artistry and professionalism.  Overall, it translates to a kind of kooky beach town vibe that is really cool.

We met the Guaymi Indians!

Today the Guaymi Indians arrived at the Pavones Farmer's Market!

Of course we stopped to purchase some of their crafts.  We got two bags for the girls (although I'm planning on having them share with me).










We didn't have enough colones with us but everyone also trades in dollars.  The exchange rate proved a little challenging but we finally got there!  Check out the woman sitting in the chair - she obviously thinks we're a little nuts.