i keep a diary

November 04, 2011

Surf Nicarugua Two

Back in November of 2010, Meredith and I went to surf camp in Nicaragua! A little less than a year later, my cousins Chris and Steve (who are both really good surfers), invited me to head back to Nicaragua to a house they'd bought there back in the early 2000s for a week of surfing!

Saturday, November 5th

I finished packing at 3:30am! Camera bag and a backpack!
backpack ˆ packing
Late night taxi to to Newark!
driving ˆ taxi
me
6:30 flight from Newark...
flying ˆ me
...to Miami!
flying
Early flight means I didn't bother going to sleep at all. Breakfast sandwich helped open my tiny eyes.
airplane ˆ food
I met up with Chris, Steve and their friend Gove in Miami and we headed...
airplane
...on to Managua.
flying ˆ wing
Getting close!
flying ˆ wing
Momotumbo volcano from the air!
flying ˆ volcano ˆ wing
Outskirts of Managua.
flying ˆ wing
chris b, steve b
After clearning customs...
airport ˆ chris b ˆ steve b
...we picked up our rental truck and headed out to Hacienda Iguana near Rivas.
driving
Three hours later, we'd arrived and drove straight to NSR to...
shopping
...rent boards for the week!
surf
Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the beach and saw that the waves at Playa Colorado were working! We decided to unpack later and grabbed our boards and headed into the water. The break is about 50 yards offshore in very shallow water and after watching the sets for a few minutes, I paddled right out with Chris, Steve and Gove. I managed to paddle to the outside in-between sets, but as soon as the first set of waves came in underneath me, the blood drained from my face and I remember turning and saying: I'VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE! Hahaha.

A few weeks prior to the trip, Chris had called me and very diplomatically mentioned that he didn't want to question my surfing abilities (I had only been surfing like 20 times so I wasn't offended), but the breaks at Playa Colorado were challenging so I might want to work on my fitness level before the trip. So I'd spend the last 4 weeks starting a fitness routine: jogging, BURPEEs, sprints at the track. But the minute that first wave went under me and folded closed at 30mph, I realized NOTHING could've prepared me to surf this wave. As someone who prides himself on being relatively athletic and not-afraid of much sports-wise, I was in literal awe as my cousins paddled into wave after wave with absolutely no fear. After 25 minutes of paddling around behind the break and watching, I decided it was time for me to head to the shore before I got myself killed.

Despite being only about 50 yards away from the shore, I had to ask advice "HOW DO I GET BACK TO THE BEACH?" Answer: "Time it well, and paddle like your life depends on it, because if you get caught on the inside in 3 feet of water, it's gonna hurt!" Faaaaaaaack!
beach
Luckily, I made it back to dry land without getting pummeled. I made friends with this handsome beach hound and watched my cousins and Gove rip it up for the next hour. HUMBLED!
beach ˆ puppy
After getting settled into the house, later that night we went to Don Eloy's...
monkey ˆ statue ˆ surf
...for some pizza...
pizza
chris b, gove, steve b
...and beers!
bar ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ steve b

Sunday, November 6th

gove, steve b
On Sunday, the guys woke up early to go surfing Colorado again. I took a pass and slept in. After they got back, we had a big breakfast...
beach house ˆ gove ˆ steve b
...and then headed north up the beach to do some exploring!
beach
At the north end of the beach, there's a river that's pouring into the Pacific. It was still high tide so we had to take off our shoes and wade waist-deep through it!
beach ˆ river
Other side of the river!
ocean
chris b, gove, steve b
We made our way over the rocks...
ocean ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ steve b
steve b
...and climbed up the hillside to check out the view! If you look to the right of the picture you can see the red roofs of the condo and the river mouth to the left.
ocean ˆ scenic overlook ˆ steve b
chris b, gove, steve b
On the way back from our hike, we met a friendly Australian and chatted a bit in the shade while we waited for the tide to go down...
beach ˆ ocean ˆ strangers ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ steve b
...so we could cross the estuary without getting swept away!
river

Monday, November 7th

Enjoyed a nice breakfast with a ridiculous balcony view on Monday...
beach house
...headed down for a dip in the pool...
ocean ˆ pool
...and then walked south down the beach back to watch the guys surf Colorado again!
beach ˆ ocean ˆ surf
I brought my camera and not my board. Haha. Here's a photo to give you an idea of how close the break is to the beach.
ocean ˆ surf
steve b
And here's Steve surfing a wave that hopefully explains why I nearly soiled my boardshorts when I found myself on the other side of it. Surfing East Coast waves that are 5 or 6 feet is no big deal. This, however, was a whole different animal.
best ˆ ocean ˆ playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
Even the smaller waves were so fast...
playa colorado ˆ surf
...that you have to know the right time to eject, lest you find yourself getting pummeled by that wave in about a foot and a half of water.
playa colorado ˆ surf
Barreled.
playa colorado ˆ surf
People who are good enough to surf this wave make it look SO EASY.
playa colorado ˆ surf
steve b
Steve about to get barreled.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
Adorable beach-dog break!
beach ˆ dogs
The wave closes out really quickly. Check out the height of the white water on the right.
playa colorado ˆ surf
I watched for a little more than an hour (and they'd already been in there an hour before I got there!).
playa colorado ˆ surf
steve b
A little before noon...
surf ˆ steve b
chris b
...they called it quits...
surf ˆ chris b
...and we headed back to the condo...
beach
chris b
...to find that we'd locked ourselves out. Chris quickly demonstrated that if you're fit enough to surf that waves, you're also fit enough to easily break into the condo!
climb ˆ chris b
chris b, gove, steve b
Nice long reading session after lunch.
beach ˆ reading ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ steve b
Not a bad view.
beach ˆ ocean
chris b, steve b
Later that afternoon, Chris and Steve decided to go for a second session...
beach ˆ surf ˆ chris b ˆ steve b
steve b
...this time at Panga Drops: a deep water break about 500 yards off shore. Here's a photo of Steve getting close to the wave after about five solid minutes of paddling.
panga drops ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
I couldn't even comprehend paddling that far out into waves this big. Look what you have to go through - and if you get pummeled, you can't go anywhere because land is VERY far away.
panga drops ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
The waves isn't as consistent or well-formed as Colorado...
panga drops ˆ surf ˆ steve b
...but when it was, it was BIG.
panga drops ˆ surf
steve b
Also, because you're so far off shore, when you catch a wave, you can ride it a looooong time.
panga drops ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
Superman ejection! I got sweaty palms just watching them.
best ˆ flying ˆ panga drops ˆ surf ˆ steve b

Monday, November 7th

On Monday morning, we got up early and crossed the river to do some fishing.
fishing
The tide was out and there were a lot more rocks to climb over.
beach
You can't fish out here too long, because when the tide comes in...
best ˆ ocean
...there's no where to go!
best ˆ ocean
After we came down off the rocks, I went off exploring while the guys fished in the shallows.
beach ˆ fishing ˆ ocean
Later that afternoon, Steve and I crossed the river again to hike up to the highest point around.
hiking
Awesome view of Playa Colorado! See that part of the water that looks like a giant sandbar? That's sand from Panga Drop's undertow!
hiking ˆ scenic overlook
I catastrophically broke my sunglasses during lunch. Not a big deal except that I am basically blind in any kind of bright light without them. Wah-wah.
broken ˆ sunglasses
Later that night we had an awesome...
cooking
chris b, steve b
...family style dinner courtesy of Chris' cooking skills!
food ˆ chris b ˆ steve b
And then back to Don Eloy's, the hottest nightlife around, for some beers!
bar
On the way back I managed to (barely) capture a photo of a huge possum whose big eyes were lit up by our headlights.
possum

Wednesday, November 9th

I'm not very good at surfing, but I am excellent at enjoying breakfast with an ocean breeze.
breakfast ˆ food ˆ ocean
Oh, and napping. Man, you should see just how hard I nap. This chaise lounge basically had no idea what hit it!
beach ˆ ocean
gove
Later that afternoon, Gove and I were out snoozing and reading and local fisherman came by to see if we were interesting in the lobsters he'd just caught.
lobster ˆ gove
After a brief inspection of the goods...
lobster
gove
...Gove went for it. Haha.
best ˆ gun show ˆ lobster ˆ gove
Another day of surfing for them, another day of me watching and shaking my head for me.
rental car
chris b, steve b
I did however manage a teeny tiny bit of ego recovery when I managed to hold my own in BEACH WASHERS, the poor man's version of horseshoes that we played every night at sunset...
beach ˆ horseshoes ˆ chris b ˆ steve b
...where you try to get your washers into a hole created by burying a sawed-in-half soda bottle in the sand. There is nothing better than hanging out with other people who love taking really stupid games DEADLY SERIOUSLY. (The fact that I'm related to two of them and we've been doing shit like this our whole lives made it even better)
beach ˆ horseshoes
THE GAME CONTINUES UNTIL THERE IS NO LIGHT LEFT. WINNER IS DECLARED BY DARKNESS!
sunset
More delicious tacos that night (to help get through the 28 pounds of beans we made one night...oooopsie!)
food ˆ mexican
And then later that evening, we headed back out to the beach...
beach
gove
...to drink some beers around an awesome driftwood fire.
fire ˆ gove
Nothing like building a fire so well that you can't sit around it! Haha.
beach ˆ best ˆ fire ˆ ocean
This is about as close as we could get without spontaneous eyebrow combustion.
beach ˆ fire
Ah, that's better.
beach ˆ fire

Thursday, November 10th

chris b
The next morning we had to hose down the charcoal from our bonfire.
beach ˆ fire ˆ chris b
The guys went surfing, I made a specialty of mine for lunch...
cooking ˆ food
...and then headed across the river to hike around on my own.
beach ˆ hiking
Found a feather.
feathers
Crossed slime creek.
river
Hiked up a big hill.
hiking ˆ scenic overlook
Enjoyed the view.
scenic overlook
me
Pretty nice little Thursday.
beach ˆ me
chris b, gove
Later that night the COMPETITION resumed!
beach ˆ horseshoes ˆ chris b ˆ gove
Another gorgeous sunset.
ocean ˆ sunset
Oh, and another night at Don Eloy's! Yay! On the way back we found this guy in front of our door.
hand ˆ toad
Party toad.
beer ˆ best ˆ toad

Thursday, November 10th

chris b, steve b
Chris woke us up bright and early to go fishing. (Gove: IS THIS FOR FISHING?) Breakfast of champions. Steve and Chris representing for the "beefcake" side of the Battjer clan.
breakfast ˆ food ˆ chris b ˆ steve b
We managed to feed ourselves and be on the road before 7am.
driving
About an hour and a half later...
driving
...we'd managed to meet up with Lance from Surfari Charters...
driving ˆ fishing
...who drove us right out onto the beach...
fishing
...in order to load up our panga with beer & gear.
boat ˆ fishing
Headed out!
boat
gove, steve b
Captain Lance at the helm.
gove ˆ steve b
We spotted a bunch of turtles on our way out.
boat ˆ ocean ˆ turtle
chris b, gove, me, steve b
Class portrait courtesy of Cap'n Lance.
boat ˆ fishing ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ me ˆ steve b
gove
Gove hooked first.
fishing ˆ gove
Tiny mackerel. Throw it back!
fish ˆ fishing
After posing for a photo, I think this guy went back too.
fish ˆ fishing
Frigate bird keeping an eye on us.
bird ˆ clouds ˆ fishing
chris b
We weren't having much luck at the first spot. Chris hooked first in the second spot.
fishing ˆ chris b
chris b
Looks like something decent...
fishing ˆ chris b
...yep!
fish ˆ fishing
chris b
Ta-da! First keeper!
best ˆ fish ˆ fishing ˆ chris b
gove
About fifteen minutes later, Gove caught some action.
fishing ˆ gove
Another mackerel (I think?).
fish ˆ fishing
gove, steve b
Haha. I love this photo.
best ˆ fish ˆ fishing ˆ gove ˆ steve b
steve b
In five hours of fishing, we only managed to catch a few fish, but we did manage to drink many beers.
steve b
steve b
Backflip.
flip ˆ steve b
me
Before heading back - we stopped off for a quick swim to cool down.
flip ˆ me
chris b, gove, me, steve b
Good times.
ocean ˆ swim ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ me ˆ steve b
Back on land.
fishing
chris b
Chris shows off what happens when you bring a vegetarian along on a fishing trip. Sorry!
fishing ˆ chris b
gove, steve b
Cap'n Lance packing up.
fishing ˆ gove ˆ steve b
Neato, super-tall cacti.
cactus
Driving back to...
driving ˆ fishing
...the Surfari Charters camp.
fishing
Great logo.
fishing ˆ surf
chris b
The noodie mural on the wall transported us all back to pop-pop's basement where we'd all spent our childhoods mesmerized by naked ladies.
mural ˆ naked ˆ chris b
On the drive back home, we saw a pandemonium of wild green parrots flying over a corn field!
gove
The only thing better than that, was Gove passing out so hard...
passed out ˆ gove
...that his head was repeatedly smacking HARD against the window on the bumpy dirt road. Highlight comes at the 0:30 second mark when Chris brake-checks him like a crash test dummy. Hahaha. "Someone check his pulse!" STOP PUTHYFOOSING AROUND!
passed out ˆ video ˆ gove
After enjoying another sunset with beers and beach washers...
beach ˆ sunset
...we headed inside to complete the daily schedule with dinner and Seinfeld!
tv
Later that night I went for a moonlit run on the beach.
beach ˆ moon
The moon was so bright it wasn't even dark out.
beach ˆ night

Saturday, November 12th

Saturday was our last day in the beach house.
surf
Six foot wave in ankle-deep water.
playa colorado ˆ surf
steve b
Steve making it look deceptively easy.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
This way...
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
...or that way.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
Three second sequence: One...
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
...two...
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
steve b
...three!
ouch ˆ playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
gove
Gove came out to join the party a little late...
beach ˆ surf ˆ gove
gove
...but managed to prove his brain hadn't been damaged too badly the day before.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ gove
steve b
There wasn't anyone else in the line up.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
chris b
They caught wave after perfect wave.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ chris b
Steve even managed to catch the not-so-perfect ones.
steve b
The wave there is SO FAST. Here's another three-second sequence.
playa colorado ˆ surf ˆ steve b
gove
Ouch.
ouch ˆ surf ˆ gove
One last photo of the perfect green wall (that I never got to ride).
steve b
Back at the house, we packed up our stuff. Before showering and shaving, Steve and I compared the facial hair we'd both let grow out for the last 5 days. When two Battjers have a facial hair contest, it turns out that...
comedy facial hair ˆ moustache ˆ steve b
me
...there are only losers! None of can understand where Bruce's moustache comes from. It's a family anomaly!
comedy facial hair ˆ moustache ˆ me
chris b
All packed up and ready...
packing ˆ chris b
...to load up the rental car.
packing ˆ rental car
Ready to...
packing ˆ rental car
...hit the road! Our flight wasn't until 8am the next morning, but because of the condition of the roads, we wanted to drive during the day time.
driving
Volcano.
driving ˆ volcano
We checked ourselves into a hotel directly across the street from the airport...
hotel ˆ payphone
chris b, gove, steve b
...had ourselves a faaaacny dinner!
food ˆ pizza ˆ chris b ˆ gove ˆ steve b
And then our best to finish the last bottle of rum we'd bought.
booze
CLOVERFIELD!

Saturday, November 12th

On Saturday morning, we walked over to the airport at 5am to check-in...
airport
gove, steve b
And the took our time showering, and taking advantage of the kickass breakfast buffet!
breakfast ˆ gove ˆ steve b
Awww, yeah.
breakfast ˆ food
Checked out.
hotel
gove, me
And went back across the street to the airport. See you later, Nicaragua!
hang ten ˆ gove ˆ me
Our plane's shadow encapsulated in a double-rainbow sphere.
flying ˆ rainbow
Made it back to NYC just in time to catch the sunset. Thanks so much for inviting me, guys! I had a great time, despite having to find out that I am a huge pussy!
airport