Costa Rica has an amazing bus network that allows you to travel the country coast to coast for under $30. The bus system here is privately owned and each particular transit point is usually a seperate company. 

Despite the private ownership, they generally coordinate their schedules so if you arrive Libreria at 2pm from SJO, there ususally is a bus that will be ready to leave within the hour to your final destination. I will post an online bus schedule with the next few weeks so everyone will have an updated list.

While the the bus network is amazing, it is still used by the general population.  Usually each route has its daily passengers who are familiar with the driver and the other passengers as they travel to and from their destinations. Most of the people are friendly and generally leave you alone or will help you if you ask them questions. But there are passengers who use the bus to prey on tourists and other new passengers who are not familiar with the route. more…

Professional surfer Bobby Martinez, 26, has his feet grounded in reality. Bobby, a Mexican-American, grew up and still lives in Santa Barbara, California, while it is not as brutal as Watts, CA the streets still keep you “real.” During his freshman year on the tour he was donned the “gangsta surfer” because of his tatoos and his choice of music. But Bobby is no gangster, he is a blue collar type who believes in hard work, honesty and humility.

While his friends were working or getting into trouble, Bobby hit the beaches to surf and this was his way off of the streets and into the international spotlight of pro surfers. Being one of the best in the world take hard work, practice and sacrifice. Which is why he takes exception to the likes of Kelly Slater since he does not believe in celebrity. He surfs because it is in his blood, just like it is for most surfers. Surfing is not a way out of the ghetto. “I think that where I come from definitely helps keep me humble,” Martinez says.

To further explain how grounded he is here is an excerpt from an interview in July 2007 Surfer Mag “We’re not famous, man,” he says. “This little world of ours, the surf world, it’s so tiny that it doesn’t really matter. No surfer is a “real celebrity.” more…

The latest news out of San Jose, Costa Rica says “Central American leaders” are calling for a joint credit fund and single currency throughout the region. Who these purported leaders are has yet to revealed. These “leaders” claim this idea has been a product of the world financial crash with the aim of maintaining some kind of fiscal stability in Central America.

There are fears that the current crisis will prevent foreign investment in Costa Rican and other Central American economies which will further worsen the problem. In an effort to combat this problem, a 41 point economic blueprint has been put together and signed by leaders and representatives in all Central American countries. What is not clear is how a single currency could increase foreign investment during a global credit crunch. But these are shrewd “leaders” who know how to manipulate foreign governments for grants, donations, loans so they might have a trick up their sleeves. more…

Wealthy nations should pay dozens of the world’s poorest countries up to $33 billion a year to preserve their rainforests, according to a report commissioned by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The cash would fund a scheme where tropical countries would be rewarded for preserving the stock of carbon in their remaining forests. Proceeds would go to local communities.

“We are living on borrowed time,” said the report’s author, Johan Eliasch, a Swedish multimillionaire businessman and deforestation campaigner who was appointed as Brown’s special representative on deforestation and clean energy last year. “Deforestation will continue as long as cutting down trees is more economic than preserving them.”

Rainforest destruction is thought to be a key contributor to global warming, accounting for one fifth of carbon emissions.

Eliasch, who owns a 400,000-acre tract of the Brazilian Amazon and is a former deputy treasurer of the British Conservative Party, said that the scheme would be monitored using satellite imagery.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4944675.ece

If you are a beginner and you are using a long board then Jaco and Playa Hermosa will offer you many waves depending on swell conditions. Even for those who choose long boards Playa Hermosa and Playa Jaco will satisfy you.

Another location which is becoming more popular these days is Boca Barranca where there is a very long left out by the river mouth. Reported that waves can be 3-10 feet when there is a southern swell. It is about an hour drive north from Jaco about 3 miles before Puntarenas when driving. If you plan on driving from Jaco be sure to ask for directions how to get there from Jaco because the route would be different if you are coming from San Jose or Guanacaste.

Also located a few kilometers south of Boca Barranca is Puerto Caldera, also said to have a very good, well shaped left. The surfing gets better when the tide is coming in.

If you choose to stay in this area instead of coming back to Jaco, there are plenty of option in Barranca to stay for the night. But you should be able to make it back since the best waves are around 5 AM, so maybe you would want to come the night before and check out the tide.

For a more complete report of Costa Rican Surf Spots for long boards, check back next week for my chat with Diego Naranjo who is the Costa Rican Long Board Champion and holder of many other titles.

If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will be sure to answer.

Pura Vida