I live in Playa Hermosa, just north of Santa Teresa, on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. Though called a "camp", Shaka isn't necessarily for children. Most of the people who come to visit are adults-- beginner to intermediate level surfers who are looking to improve their skills at one of the most beautiful beach breaks in the world.
It's not a big place-- just four cabinas and a rancho.
This is my room-- an office just off the main area.
Yep, this is where the magic happens.... (By "magic" I mean, "I sleep alone every night in a twin bed with one blanket and a tricycle in the corner"...)
PS Neither of those surfboards are mine.
But this one is:
It's a 7'6" Epoxy board, shaped just up the road in Mal Pais by a guy named Andy Seidensticker. On the bottom, it says, in pencil, "1/2/06, 7'6" For: Sarah". I bought it for $125 in town ($180 with a rashguard and leash). I call it "El Platano del Mar." That means "The Banana of the Sea". It's a great board.
The rancho is where I spend most of my time.
40 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter, it was constructed by a 6-man crew from Nicaragua who made the entire thing by hand. It took 8 days.
These mushrooms grow in the lawn; however, they aren't edible. The mushrooms of the magic variety grow on piles of cow dung, immediately after the rains. I've never eaten them-- but I've been told they work.
I call this picture "A Dog, a Red Stool, and a Surfboard."
Which dog, you ask? Why it's Pequeña Una! (Not to be confused with her smaller black sister, Pequeña Dos...)
This is another dog, Teo, doing what he does best.
And me, doing the same!
Sushi is great....
Especially when it's made by your friends!
The family that rolls sushi together--stays together.
This is Christa Mo'e-- she's one of the owners of the camp. This picture was taken by her daughter, Ki'ili-- age 4.
So was this one.
This is Atua and Ki'ili.
This is me and Monica. Monica lives up the street.
And me and Melania. She is Monica's roommate (and also my friend).
This is Monica and her friend Nadine. Nadine and her family came to visit from the OTHER Playa Hermosa-- the one near Jaco.
Kids: cute and sweet by day...
But never-- EVER-- feed them after midnight....
