Central and South America 2014: Goodbye, Costa Rica. Hello Nicaragua!

Crazy couple of weeks since my last post. I had one of the best birthday celebrations of my life, stayed 4 days on a beautiful volcano island and caught some great waves at Playa Gigante in Nicaragua.

On my birthday, my friend Dennis organized a full day trip with horseback riding, rappelling, zip-lining, white water rafting, volcanic mud baths and hot springs. It was a really fun day that began with bloody marys at 7 am, and finished with drinking games back at Dreamsea. I am greatful to have met so many good people through the surf camp. It made me sad to leave Tamarindo, but I will definately be back!

On the way up to Nicaragua, we met my friend Dave in Liberia, Costa Rica - the same city I began my trip in. From there we traveled the rest of the day to San Juan Del Sur. I didn't care for San Juan Del Sur as much because i thought it was kind of seedy. None the less, we had a fun night and woke up early the next morning to catch a bus, taxi and ferry to Isla Ometepe.

Isla Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua. The name comes from the Nahuatl words Ome (two) and tepetl (mountain). The island has an economy based on livestock, agriculture and tourism. We spent our time here swimming in the lake, hiking the volcanoes, and hanging out at and drinking $2 liter beers at our farmhouse hostel. It was great to go to a rural area for a few days and chill out.

After taking a ferry off the island and an hour taxi ride, we arrived in Playa Gigante. Playa Gigante is a small surf down that hasn't seen development like the rest of the surf towns i've seen so far. It has a laid back vibe and you don't have people trying to sell you things at every corner. We will stay here til Monday, and then we will start moving back down south so we can reach San Jose, Costa Rica by Thursday. From there, we will catch a bus to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. I'm excited for the adventures to come!

Tamarindo, Costa Rica