Friday, February 15, 2019

Costa Rica - Feb 2019

Nosara (at Playa Guiones), Costa Rica
About 2.5hrs from the Liberia Airport, this bohemian yoga and surf town is about two blocks long, with only a handful of shops and restaurants. The only place in town with a TV was packed for SuperBowl Sunday. The route into town is through a gravelly, dusty, potholed, washed out road through an active river.  Our little casita is nestled off the main road. It’s a two bedroom house with our own kitchen and outdoor living room with two hammocks. It’s quiet and private, just perfect for how we like to vacation.  Monkeys climbing in the trees above, birds chirping, visits from neighbourhood cats and a menagerie of other assorted animal visitors. The beach is pristine, powdery white sand, free of garbage and pesky peddlers, not very crowded, and perfect ocean temperature to play in the waves for hours. The busiest time of day is sunset when everyone in town gathers on the beach with a beverage and watches the sun dip into the ocean. I spent most days in my swim suit, sarong and flip flops, with layers of sunscreen and beach sand all over.

Yoga
My yoga shala is right across the street from our casita. Thatched roof, open air circular building in a garden setting just steps from the beach. Salutations to the sun with background sounds of howler monkeys, toucans, geckos, chirping birds, and ocean waves. I also checked out the fancy yoga resort in the next town. Massive compound with multiple shalas, gorgeous views of the jungle and ocean, with a juice bar, infinity pool and vegetarian lunch buffet. The yoga practice was next level at that place. Some students doing a chin stand to transition between gumby contortion postures.

Surfing
With the help of our instructor, I was able to hang ten for a few waves. This area has a beach break, which means you can surf in chest deep water, easiest for beginners. It’s super fun to ride the waves, even just lying down or kneeling on the board is a rush.

Rosita & Ricardo
Our latino alter-egos have been resurrected on this trip.  The locals struggle to pronounce “Heather”, so it’s just easier to go by “Rosita” (my middle name is Rose).

Golf carts, ATVs and tuk tuks
The transportation of choice is this little hamlet is by golf cart or ATV rental, or tuk tuk taxi. On our very first evening in town we wandered down the beach at sunset and managed to find our way over a mountain trail (in flip flops no less) to the next little beach town. We bellied up to a little pizza joint and after realizing it was impossible (and ill advised) to find our way back in the pitch dark, we hired a tuk tuk taxi to bring us back home. One day we rented a golf cart to explore outside our tiny little section of town. A very jiggly ride on the gravelly, potholed roads, but manageable with the right support garments.


Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

6hrs shuttle bus ride on rough roads brought us south to Santa Teresa. Also a bohemian surf and yoga town, but this place has more to it compared to Nosara. It is long and narrow, extending about 3-4kms along the seaside between three consecutive beaches (Playa Carmen, Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Hermosa). We stayed in a boutique ‘eco chic’ hotel called Canaima Chill House. We had our own private deck with table and suspended napping bed.  Inside there is a queen bed, kitchenette and a cool bay window type glass shower jetting into the mountainside jungle. There is a common pool, hot tub and chill out zone with beanbag chairs and pool loungers. And a resident resort cat which we lured into our lair with cat treats. He slept on our deck every night of our stay.

Surfing
Rich said he doesn’t need any more lessons, he just needs to practice. So we rented a surf board for a few days and just played in the surf. I got my butt kicked by the waves just trying to get out far enough to catch a wave to ride. The ocean is POWERFUL!  Ricardo had a bit more success as I did.

Yoga
I found the mothership in this place. My yoga place is part of a fancy oceanside resort, with the thatched hut yoga shala and massage rooms RIGHT beside the ocean. I love watching the surfers and hearing the crashing ocean waves while in my tree pose.

Valentines Day
Our valentines treat to each other was an oceanside couples massage at the fancy resort, followed by wine and dinner at sunset. It’s the yoga resort’s valentines promo package and it totally speaks my language.

ATV
Given the long narrow shape of this town, and that our place is 400m uphill on a rough mountain road, an ATV was the perfect vehicle for us to get around. It really is the rental vehicle of choice all around town, with many of them outfitted with surf board racks. It also allowed us to explore a bit farther out of town as well.

Cabuya Island
About 7km from town, accessible by foot from the mainland by a sandbar at low tide. We had to time our visit by the tide charts or risk being trapped out there.

Beachside restaurants
There are a lots of oceanfront restaurants in this place, and we tried quite a few of them. I’ll never tire of the waves, ocean breeze, watching the surfing, and sunset views.




Other musings:
- Molasses helps keeps the dust down on these gravel roads. Actual molasses. You can’t make this stuff up folks. Very sticky on the flip flops.
- Little mini piles of poo all around town are from the monkeys climbing in the trees above. Word to the wise: close your mouth when you look up.
- “Pura Vida” is a Costa Rican expression used to say hello/goodbye/thank you/be cool/hang ten/ see you later. Translation: pure life.
- Traveller vs. Tourist - both the places we chose on this trip are off the beaten path, and not that easy to get to. This keeps the tourists away, but not the travellers. There is a local saying “Bad roads bring good people”.  

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Bali, Indonesia - Dec 2018/Jan 2019

Ubud

Gajah Biru Bungalows
We stayed at a lovely boutique hotel just a bit away from the centre of the town. Walkable to everything, but far enough away for the quiet and privacy we crave. I had an afternoon nap on the couch of our private veranda every afternoon. Loved it.

Trekking
While walking through town trying to find the start of the popular “Campuchan Ridge Walk”, we got a bit lost and ended up on another trek at the suggestion of a local that was selling his guiding services. What we thought was going to be a short 2km walk with a restaurant and massage place at the end, ended up being a strenuous and at times dangerous 3.5hr trek through some beautiful fields and remote local villages. The guide kept telling us it was only 15min more. A little bit of grumpiness on this trek, but it was a spontaneous and unique experience. Boy did we need a massage after this day!

Temples, rice terraces and coffee tour
One day we hired a car and guide to take us to the famous Tegalalang Rice Terraces, local temples and other area attractions. While at the rice terraces, I did the “Bali swing”, which is a huge swing on the edge of a steep drop. I did a baby Bali swing, death was unlikely if I fell off. Very fun. We visited a couple of temples as well, including a sacred holy water temple. Locals and tourists alike submerge in the pool and are showered by fountains of cleansing holy water.  We also took a luwak coffee tour. This is the most expensive and unethical coffee in the world. Luwak coffee is made from partially digested coffee cherries, eaten and defecated by the “Luwak” aka Asian palm civet (similar to a cat). These animals are force fed the coffee beans in captivity, a very sad life for these poor creatures. Approx cost to buy $35/cup, $100/lb.



Island of Nusa Lembongan

The 30min fast ferry to Nusa Lembongan was an experience itself. Without a dock or pier at Sanur beach (island of Bali) or at Lembongan island, these fast boats load/unload passengers, luggage and cargo from the beach. Passengers wade into the water up to the thigh to access the boat. Our boat was small, approx 20 passengers with luggage strapped to the roof of the boat.  Water sprayed in the windows as the boat crashed through the ocean swells. Turquoise waters surround this remote island paradise, with surfers, stand-up paddle boarders (SUP), and snorkelers in the bay as we approached.

Tigerlillys Bungalows
Our accommodation is my favourite of any holiday so far. We had a private two story thatched roof bungalow with outdoor bathroom, veranda, living room and shared pool. My yoga place is directly beside our bungalow, you can hear the classes in progress from over the fence dividing us.

Mangrove forest
The north part of island is covered in mangrove forest, a very cool spot for SUP, kayaking, and guided boat tours. Our guide ‘poled’ our tiny boat through the mangroves for about 30min. Very unique experience.  We followed this with a fish lunch at a beachside warung (local joint).

Born to be wild
Exploring the island via scooter is really the best way to get around. The big yellow bridge (pedestrian & scooters only) connects the islands of Nusa Lembongan and the smaller Nusa Ceningan. We scootered our way around both islands stopping at interesting viewpoints and beach clubs. We took a pit stop to lounge in some beach chairs with some refreshments, partook in the water swing and ocean hammock.  We also came across a ceremonial cremation in the town plaza. Dead guy on the bonfire for all to see.

Catamaran sailing - BEST DAY EVER!
With nobody else signed up, we ended up with this 63ft luxury catamaran to ourselves for the day. A crew of four fed us, waited on us hand and foot, gave us guided snorkeling at nearby island of Nusa Penida, and even gave on-board massages on the deck after lunch.  They also included a 1hr massages at the fancy resort spa at the end of the cruise. I’m definitely spoiled for regular life after this day.








Canggu

Villa Sar’ja
Villa Sar’ja was our home for 4 nights in this laidback hippie surfing beach town on the main island of Bali. Very eclectic little bungalow with outdoor bathroom, veranda beds for shady naps, outdoor kitchen and infinity pool with sun loungers. It was nicely located nestled around rice terraces, a 5min walk to my yoga place, and an easy scooter ride into the main part of town.

Beach walking, pool flopping, book reading
We spent some time each day just sauntering down the beach, waves lapping at our toes, and watching the surfing. We spent quite a bit of time chilling at our villa, book reading and pool flopping. Ranch Relaxo. While scootering around one day, we stumbled on a cat shelter open to feline enthusiast visitors. We sat in a room full of meowy cats eager for a snuggly lap sit. We were in cat heaven! 



Yoga
For me, a big part of the draw to Bali is the yoga culture. I attended a yoga class everyday, and advanced my practice quite a bit on this trip. Yogis and shalas abound all over Bali. I found the practices to be more orthodox that my ‘urban’ studio back at home. One of the yoga instructors closed the practice one day with a guided laughing session. First belly laughs, then high pitched laughs, then everyone in freestyle laughter. Very cathartic.  One class I went to focused on the subtle minutia of the most basic yoga poses I’ve been practicing for years.  I also attended my first Ashtanga class. I can report that ashtanga is a militant, structured sequence of poses for advanced yogis with fast transitions between serious Gumby contortions and cirque de soleil acrobatics. I stayed with the first stage of most of the postures. One class I attended had us in headstands for 5min, which I’m proud to say I accomplished! The shalas I visited were amazing. Thatched roof buildings with open sides or floor to ceiling windows all around. Some with views, most in a garden setting. Fans to cool the 30’ heat, sounds of roosters, birds chirping, dogs barking, courtyard fountains, and neighbourhood stirrings  can be heard above the soothing yoga music. “Yoga Barn” in Ubud is a massive sprawling compound in a garden setting with multiple shalas each accommodating around 100 mats, a cafe, treatment rooms, yoga teacher training, workshops, gift shop, etc. 

Massage
I had a spa treatment almost everyday on this trip. It’s so cheap here, I decided to make it a mission to indulge. $8-$10 for 1hr massage - yes please! Massage, facials, body scrub, body wrap, reflexology, and more.

Traffic
As in many foreign places, traffic flows like water here. Vehicles just fill in the open spaces, with only a casual regard to the painted centre line of the road. Congestion was CRAZY in Ubud, the town has far outgrown it’s narrow little roads causing total log jams. 

Other random musings and observations.....
- young kids riding scooters around town (~8yrs)
- interesting cultural mix of Hindu and Muslim faiths
- small groups of kids parading the streets in dragon costumes playing music instruments, accepting ‘offerings’ as they passed
- Balinese homes and businesses devote a lot of resources to preparing and placing ‘offerings” in their spaces. “Offerings” appear to include a little banana leaf tray with flowers, a piece of food, and burning incense stick. Every home and business has a temple where amoung other spots, they place their offerings, some temples are more elaborate than others.