Tag: guiones

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Less is More 💙

Less is more 💙

Everyday I learn more about the value of simplicity, the lessons of humility, and the  importance of love ❤️

One of the very best things we can do in life is be honest with ourselves.

Sometimes our imperfections rear their ugly heads and our behavior is less than attractive.

Nobody is perfect, certainly not myself🙄

With that being said, the next best thing we can do in life is love ourself, and bathe ourself with compassion. We are these magical divine beings, but we are also human.

So we let go, move on,hold our head high and try to be better today than we were yesterday.
Life is good:)

Nothing in nature blooms all year and we are not any different, so on the bad days, be gentle, and smile, and maybe even cry, but remember as Kahlil Gibran says “you are far greater than you know and all Is well.”

So Last week I went on  a sweet little solo surf mission in Nicaragua:) I did have a wonderful friend accompany me on the bus trip up to San Juan del sur and back to Nosara- but I traveled about  Nica enjoying my own company. First stop was  Maderas, a funky little beach town. And by town I mean , a hostel, a restaurant and a surf shop tucked into a cove- like beach that appears at the end of adirt road. It’s about 25 minutes out side of San Juan del Surf and is way isolated.

Beautiful but time for something different, so After a night and morning in maderas surfing mini  waves I decide to move on…

Next stop Popoyo  🌊😍💙

( in hindsight patting myself on the back for this one👏🏽🙌🏽👍🏽)  to arrive at magical perfect  world class point break wave the day before a swell hits was good call. I was scared, but to surf a new wave on fun swell is a pretty exciting moment 🙂

so I take a $3 taxi/buss/truck thing back to San Juan

This lovely lady was selling typical Nicaraguan food 🙂 chicharrón y yucca slaw like salad wrapped up in a banana leaf. Needless to say I passed on the fried pig parts and enjoyed my platain chips

find an ATM, cause quite the contrary to costa, and an important tip for travelers- cash is mostly accepted here and cards not so much- and then I find my way to the “2 hour” bus ride to popoyo. Hahahahaha. And by 2 hours they meant 3.5-

more lessons in patience. And in reality- what’s the hurry? Wherever I’m going will be there when I arrive- annoying non the less.

The bus made a stop in Rivas this wildly beautiful- closterphocic -cluster fucky- Latin American town. and I love- so vibrant and full of life. We are even lucky enough to witness a little skit about fire safety while parked In the bus terminal. And by fire safety I mean the people built a cardboard hut- set it on fire and then “rescued” a boy from it who was covered in blood- I was so relieved, because when I 1st say this boy covered in blood handling money outside a conspicuous cardboard hut -smoking a cigarette -I could swear chicken fighting or some kind of horrific bloodletting thing was happening Inside- but nope:) just a silly little skit… anywho- after Rivas the buss ride packed w the most humans i have ever seen on a bus resumes and I FINALLY arrive in popoyo-

and get dropped off In the middle of the dirt road. Haha, I’m told to walk 1km, thankfully ive met a friend on the bus who I can walk w/… Haha about a 30 minute walk, up a hill, down a path and across a beach to Guasacate (which we all think is popoyo) we find a hostel, some food, a surfboard and I get to surf. I am grateful for  this slight detour because the view i was able to witness as a result was gorgeous

Fishing 🎣

When I wake up in popoyo on Wednesday the swell has arrived 🙂 💙🌊 Popoyo is a prefect point break. The force and shape of the wave are magic and BIG. Haha i mean big is relative, but I got pounded a bit- with that being said- caught some rad waves and got a tiny confidence boost in the mean time.

On my way to the buss adventure to San Juan del Sur I met a nice local who took me on a little senic tour drive right to the buss so I didn’t have to walk anywhere:)👍🏽

I arrive in San Juan, enjoy a Nicaraguan style meechalada and then meet a good friends mom who happens to have been living there for the past 9 years. San Juan gets a bad rap as a party city, which I could clearly see it was, but it is also a quait, beautiful colonial style town with both locals and ex-pats and a thriving local culture, which I’m so grateful i got to experience.

The journey back to costa went flawless and considering we were boarder crossing and using buss transit that is a big statement. Anywho- loved nica, but happy to back to Guiones, my friends, my job and the fun fat mushy wave that it is.

This past month or so leading up to my Nica adventure has been pretty low key and full of all kinds of smiles and happiness and waves.

I found my way to Ostional the beach north of here once to watch turtles next- which was pure magic, they come back the the same beach they hatched at during same same time period in the moon cycle and lay their eggs…And once to surf. Ostional is a great wave, powerful, punchy and a nice change of pace from the fun- yet mushy wave of quiones. I Have enjoyed some rainy afternoon loving, and some absurdly drunk chili guaro shenanigans. I have been working abunch and Feeling quite satisfied with the mellow pace of life. It’s amazing what you can learn by observing the patterns of nature.

The Seekretspot gelateria in Nosara, (one location in pelada, and one location in north Guiones) is by far the Best gelato in town and although I don’t normally eat meat, nor do I enjoy paying $14 for a hamburger- if the body has a craving I’d like to recommend Burgers and Beer for the meat and craff beer conesour.

A new spot in town I’ve been loving quite a bit is Olo Alaia…A rad craft beer selection and coffee bar set inside of a San Diego style surf shop. Such a good vibe.

I also webt on a fun paddle board tour with coconut adventures, moved into an amazingly beautiful condo, acquired ANOTHER job working at the best pizza spot in town Il Basilio, and I bought a quad!

Woot woot. Nothing solidifies the choice of selling your car, quitting your job and moving to the jungle, like purchase of a lovley little yellow quad. I named her girasolita 🌻 (sunflower) in Spanish.
I love Guiones the place I am currently calling home, but so beyond happy, to adventure about, occupy space with different energy and different people and be reminded of the importance of stepping outside your comfort and finding solace in ones own comapny. It’s so easy to get caught up in yourself and what’s “going on” and forget about the divinity of love and nature.

I truly hope that whatever it is that inspiring, what stirs your soul and brings you joy is something you actively embrace everyday. Life is too short not to love hard and do what makes you happy 🙂

My wish for you today and everyday this this… it’s a Sanskrit saying that resonated with my being the first time i heard it and rings more true every day
“lokaha samastaha suhkino bhavantu”

“May all beings everywhere be happy, free, and at peace”

I want nothing more than this.

Lots of love and light.
Your salty and sunkissed mermaid
-Katie 🙂

and some pics of the flawless nature here that fuels my happiness, makes me smile and fills me with joy

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The Blind 🏄🏽 Surfer

It has been a week of epic proportions.

Actually, it’s only been 5 days since I landed in the land of Pura Vida but so much radness has already happened…(And my heart feels so full and happy)

I know I titled this The blind surfer… yep, you read right- The blind surfer.

I was fortunate enough to experience something pretty profound that will stay with me for a long time…

but I’ll get to that later… saving the best for last today—

So 2 days ago we woke up to a full moon. Yes. Woke up. To the full moon🌕🌟💫(dawn patrol.. wooot woot)

There is something particularly magical about walking barefoot-down a dirt road-to a jungle path- surfboard in hand- to the waves- to be the first and only people out in the water, all while the magnificent moon, who pulls the tides, and makes the waves, shines down on your with her radiant illuminating glow…
As she was setting in the west the suns warm vibrant fire was slowly beginning to creep into the opposite side of the sky.

Uh huh 😍😍
and this all happened before 5 am 💕🌊🌈☀️

So we caught some waves, were out of the water by 7am, and enjoyed some particularly special and extra delicious coffee made by Don Henry Gutierrez.

While sipping coffee we engaged in meaningful conversation, listened to music, and hung out on the front porch of the cabina, surrounded by all things green and lush and peaceful. Sharing moments like these are priceless and something I wouldn’t trade for all the riches in the world.

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Let me now tell you about the man who
Makes this delicious coffee. He lives in the hillside of Terrazu, Costa Rica. He is making a grass roots movement to take back the hills from American and multi-national corporations. These corporations have ripped up all the native coffee plants, planted foreign species, and as a result have completely killed the soil and land that for SO many years has produced rich, delicious coffee…
This amazing man, via Corazón de los Pargos, is teaming up with Surfrider foundation to sell ” Surfrider coffee” -coffee for clean oceans- for profit that will be used in the efforts to keep the oceans clean and better protect the earth that so graciously houses us. 🙏🏽🌎Keep an eye out for this coffee-☕️☕️☕️

As for the music we listened to. A bit deep and profound to describe with my simple words. This musician, a Somali refugee sing/raps powerful messages and funky melodic beats- telling stories  about struggle and pain, love and life, but ultimately, about staying positive and rising above. This musical, lyrical genius is K’naan. Look him up 🎤🎧🎼:)

Ha. And that was all before 8am. Some
pretty rad energy vibrations happening…

But let’s rewind a little bit.
I landed in San Jose, Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Wednesday am. Rented and car and drove 5 hours in the pouring rain- like can hardly see 20 feet infront of the car, Dont think it’s rained that much in San Diego the whole year rain-down a mountain side and across muddy pothole infected dirt roads to the Guanacaste province in the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

And so the adventure began.

But when you feel like you are “going home” it’s all worth it:) Not to mention all the roads and country side are lush, green, jungle love ❤️🌱🌴🌿💕 so the scenery certainly doesn’t hurt..It’s nothing like driving 5 hours in traffic amongst concrete buildings, concrete roads, and metal vehicles everywhere.

Guiones the town I will living in is pretty magical. I arrive at the Nosara beach hostel. The hostel is owned and managed by Ticos, it’s only 100 yards from the beach, and  rooms go for an amazing affordable price. It’s a traveling surfers gem. I am immediately met by familiar welcoming faces, the awesome guys who run Agua Tibia surf school. (The surf school is currently connected to the hostel and if you ever visit nosara/guiones they are 💯% my recommendation for board rentals and lessons- a really solid group of human beings 🏄🏽)
At this point in the day I’m feeling exhausted, but stoked to be here 🙂

The hostel this time of year is super mellow. Only me and one other guy:)
Sweet!!…Easing into a slower pace of this fantastically simple, delightful life

I Enjoy dinner and more amazing conversation, with Sergio, my friend who works nights at the hostel, and crash out early, eager for waves.

Yay!!
Soooo, super fun waves on Thursday 🌊🌈 and warm water!?!

Holy heaven. I proceed to spend the rest of the day napping, reading, hammocking, and enjoying life as it unfolds. It’s pretty powerful to be present in the moment. Zero anticipation, about where I’m going to go, or what I’m going to do, just throughly blissful about existing right here, right now….
and I’m not alone in this joy- I find a huge part of what draws me to Costa Rica and Guiones (or the beach towns here in general) is this mentality 🙂
Pura vida ☮️ Si. Life as it, with out adornment, is more than enough, in fact, it is complete…

Thursday night I found myself in a Tuk-Tuk, a normal occurrence in guiones, except my driver happens to be my friend and she has never actually driven one of these strange little vehicles before. The hysterics ensue, stalling out, stuck in first gear, catching air off potholes in the dark, haha- all while trying to hold on to beers, her cigarettes and her dog who chased us down the street as we left for the store.
Needless to say I was laughing so hard i cried…

Then Saturday arrives and I’m on the open road again… and that means this Cali girl gets to drive through 3 rivers and 1.5 hours on the most lovely, enchanted jungle dirt road up to playa negra…. daaaamn. No Rivers on the roads of north San Diego county that’s for sure. That means this adventure is equally scary and exciting. But i survived-Accompanied by some zeppelin, Tom petty, Trevor hall, pepper, katastro, passiflora, and many other rad road tripping jams!! A necessity for any road trip… I might say tho, blasting “over the hills and far away”, as a mob down a dirt road solo, and free, is a most exhilarating feeling. I highly suggest trying it at some point in your life if you have yet to do so.

So I make it to playa negra, more specifically, the soon to be community center/ bakery/cafe/coffee shop of Corazón de los Pargos, and I’m Stoked…
Such a rad project in the works, the guys here, who I’m beyond grateful and lucky to call my friends are incredible human beings. Their passion to work hard, to live a dream of creating a space where people gather, learn, eat, drink, create and commune in positive environment is humbling, inspiring and contagious.

And just wait.
The humbling inspiration continues…as the guys work, with focused effort of intentions to open Corazón de los pargos by November….

I get to surf 🌊🌊❤️❤️🙌🏽🙌🏽yeeewww

Playa negra is a pretty sweet wave. Being accustomed to paddling out in beach breaks like Oceanside Ca, and even more punishing Guiones, it was a delightful treat to paddle out and not even get my hair wet?!!! 😍😳 a girl could get spoiled surfing here…. anywho, here comes the good part

A blind man who surfs. While in the water, two friendly guys paddle up to me, and one man begins to explain that his friend in the red shirt is BLIND!! He wants to let all the people in the water know so when his friend is charging down the waves, be sure to get out of his way. It’s not like this guy is splashing around in knee high white wash- he is sitting in the line up, paddling into peaks, above a rocky reef, point break wave….
My mind is blown.
The interaction, between these two men, and the blind man and ocean, leave me speechless. Humbled. But, mostly inspired. The man lost sight midlife, but clearly refuses to live a life less satisfying. It’s beautiful, the communication between the man and his friends. Their words guide him into waves (decent size waves i may add) and his determination and dedication simply just to feel the waves, a spirit so full of a hunger for life, his refusal to quit, Is one of the most incredible things I have been fortunate enough to experience in my small time on this planet.

So ,next time you think you can’t.
Next time life feels overwhelming.
Next time you are rut and feeling low, discouraged, frustrated…

Remember this blind man who surfs…
And remind yourself you can:)
You are able:)
And that- sight, legs, food, all we have, are gifts. Allow a gratitude to manifest around all the blessing present in your life ✨

And as they like to say here in Costa Rica-
Gracias a Dios
Thank you god
(whoever God may be to you)
For this day and this breath and the love we get to experience.

Have a happy day sweet friends
Live with love, because love wins❤️
And so does life in a bikini 👙😘

Your salty and sunkissed gypsy mermaid
-Katie ☮️