Surfing Playa Grande

Pretty creative and original video from Jack Johnson’s new album To The Sea.  I am sure his new album is going to go off this summer.  Release date is June 1st.  Can’t wait to see how the album turns out.  Perfect fit for Playa Grande.

Tajalines crab, they are everywhere!

Playa Grande saw its first rain storm about a week ago and it hasn’t let up since then. It is that time of year where the land crabs better known as “ Tajalines” appear in the thousands around the beach and streets from their underground homes. We started seeing these just before it started raining which is a good indication that rain was on its way. Get ready to use that mosquito repellant as this is the perfect time of year for the mosquitos, bugs and crazy insects to show their presence.

Onshore winds have dampened the surfer’s spirits as surf the past week has been in poor conditions. As I remember, the onshore winds have arrived at an earlier time of day than it has in the past few years. Thus, leaving us a smaller window of opportunity to surf some clean and glassy waves. Hopefully we will start to see some better weather so we can get some Playa Grande waves that we are all used to surfing. I think everyone is getting really anxious to put in a great session. It has been very frustrating for everyone in town and we haven’t seen such poor conditions like this in a long time. Hopefully the sand bars will change shape with this new huge swell we have this weekend so we can get some better shaped sand bars for some better waves.

The bright side that we are all looking forward to is all the vegetation is going to become full of life and color. As you can see the difference in the photos below how much of a impact the two seasons (wet season vs. dry season) can have on everything.

Playa Grande - Rainy Season

Playa Grande - Dry Season

The new shirts from this site just got printed.  Ask Johnny for one while they are still free.  The next round will have slogans and you’ll be able to purchase them around town.  Submit a great slogan idea to get a free shirt!

Happy New Year’s to all.  This year’s new year’s party was hosted by Kike and Yanira at Kike’s Restaurant.  As always, this place was electric and the people that attended rung in the new year with a great party.  Below you can see some action photos of the night.  May 2010 be a new year of change and may you all receive great health, abundant love and happiness.

Compared to last year, people from around the area definitely stepped it up for this year’s Halloween.  Thanks to Rip Jack Inn for hosting the Halloween party which had a first place prize of $300.  There was some tough competition this year as everyone came up with some great ideas and costumes.  But overall it was a good excuse for everyone to meet up and have a great time.  The after party was at Kike’s restaurant.  Below are some photos of that night.  Can’t wait for next Halloween already, I have to start thinking of what I am going to be so I can win that first place prize!

We all have heard those horror stories of when someone’s passport is either lost or stolen. I have had first hand experience of this situation happen to my cousin when he was here for a visit in July. My cousin had his backpack stolen when he left it in the car, which of course had his passport in it. As the number one rule while visiting Costa Rica, never leave anything behind in a vehicle. Our car was broken into and his backpack was stolen from the trunk. Here are a few steps you need to take if this happens or you loose your passport. The first thing to do is get a hold of the authorities. With our case the Tourism Police were the ones we had to contact. If you don’t know who to call or don’t have a number go to a restaurant, hotel or store where someone can help you . You will need to file a report with the police. You also need to contact the U.S. Embassy immediately as well. Unfortunately no matter what anyone tells you, a trip to San Jose is required. This can change your travel plans as a trip to the U.S. Embassy can take a day or two. As we made our trip to San Jose finding the Embassy can be frustrating. Here are directions on how you can get to the embassy in San Jose with easy landmarks to identify.

Directions

Head toward Liberia and take a right turn at the busy intersection with the stop lights, here you will see Burger King and McDonald’s. Once you take a right you are now traveling on the Panamerica Highway ( Highway 1) this will take you all the way to San Jose. Once you arrive into San Jose you want to continue on Highway 1 past the airport (right hand side), drive about 15 minutes and you will pass a Best Western (on left hand side), shortly after you will see a sign for a street named Sabana Norte. This is the first stop light you will see. Take a right here. A huge recreational park will be on the left hand side, this is also were they are building the new soccer stadium. You will soon approach another stop light; this is at a “Y” intersection. You want to take a left here, there is a big Scotia Bank located at this intersection. After your left you want to take a right at the next stop light. Even though street names are hard to find, the name of the street is called Rohmoser. Follow this street for about a mile or two and the U.S. Embassy is located on the right hand side. You can’t miss it as it takes up one entire block and there are tons of U.S. Flags. Be aware that you have to park across the street and head in towards the front of the building, there will be guards there to direct you on where to go.

Once You Arrive

Before you go into the building, you need two photos of yourself. There is a Fuji Film store located across the street. Do this first as you will waste your time by waiting in line in the Embassy then once you get to the counter you will be turned back since you need your photo taken for the new passport. The process of getting another temporary passport is between 1-2 hours depending on the lines. Make sure you have a copy of the police report as they need this as proof of evidence. The cost for a temp passport is $100 as well.

U.S. Embassy Information in Costa Rica

Location: At the intersection of Avenida Central and Calle 120 in the Pavas Section of San José, Costa Rica.
Street Address: Calle 120 Avenida 0, Pavas, San José, Costa Rica
Local Mailing Address: 920-1200 San José, Costa Rica
U.S. Mailing Address: US Embassy San Jose, APO AA 34020

Telephone: [506] 2519-2000 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2000

After Hours/Emergencies: [506] 2519-2280 or [506] 2519-2279
From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2280 or 011-506-2519-2279

Embassy Fax: [506] 2519-2305 From the U.S.: 011-506-2519-2305

Consular Fax: [506] 2220-2455 From the U.S.

So there I was, in the ring with the bulls at the latest fiesta in Matapalo which is the next town to Playa Grande.  These fiestas are great culture experience for those who want to experience Costa Rica.  For us who live here we enjoy the fantastic food, bull riding, cervezas, dancing and mingling with the locals.  As I decided to take some action photos of the bull riding events I decided to take some video clips of the bulls while I was in the ring.  I was well aware of my distance from the bull at all times.  Unfortunately for this local, he got caught being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  The bull bucked off his rider then zoomed in on this man.  It looked like the guy had a chance as he started sprinting toward the fence, but as within seconds as we were watching the bull tracked down the guy and hit him right when he reached the fence.  The man was knocked out for a good 5 minutes as people came to his aid to make sure he recieved medical attention as the rodeo clowns distracted the bull.  The crowd grew silent and hoped that the guy was alright.  He got carried off on an ambulance but I was told the other day that he is okay and received some good cuts and scratches.  Pretty lucky if you ask me.  As for me, I am pretty sure I will never jump in the ring again based off of what I saw.  It is definetely worth the adrenalin rush but not worth the risk of getting gored or chased down by a bull.  If you forward the video clip to 2 minutes 45 seconds that is when the bull is released from the gate.

In their first attempt to play a live show, the Playa Grande Band ended up playing in front of a fun crowd last Sunday.  The band ended up playing for a record time 5 hours as they played through a heavy thunderstorm initially.  The storm stopped the band shortly as they had to re-locate their instruments due to leaks in the roof.  This didn’t stop them though.  Not to mention Mr. Kike himself.  He was everywhere, from being the announcer, to singing, to dancing to even making a special appearance on the drums.   Everyone in the restaurant was having a good time, in fact to the band’s surprise there were some people actually dancing.  I have attached some photos of the action on Sunday night.  As you can see, it was a good time.  Stay tuned as to announcments in the future on when and where the band will play next.  There is a rumor that the band will play again this Sunday (7/5/09) at Kike’s.

We are also trying to come up with a name for the band so if you have any ideas give us a shout.

Guitar - Mike Schwinn, Guzman, Fenando “The Manimal” Fernandez

Bass - The Manimal

Saxaphone, Harmonica - Timothy Bragg

Drums - Andy “Alabama” Pierce, Nova

I wanted to let you all know that there is a leak detection company that has started business here in Playa Grande.  With over 20 years of experience in this field, Leak Detection Without Destruction can find leaks in your walls, floors and pools.  No need to tear up the entire wall or floor just to find a leak.  This company can find the exact location of the leak thus minimizing destruction.  Please contact Michele Pistan and Todd Dickson at 8347.0882/2653.2551.