The Barrio Planta Project was started in 2008 by Dyani Makous and offers after-school classes to students from the ages of 7-17 that go to regular school in San Juan del Sur. Students have the opportunity to take part in free English classes, arts and crafts, and sports. This project has done so many things to help the underprivileged children of San Juan del Sur and continues to create encouragement and change to these kids lives. If you would like more information on the Barrio Planta Project or would like to donate, please visit www.barrioplantaproject.org

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Check out the stunning shots and the article in the SER article here and below! To read the article text translated to English click here SER article in English..

Nicaragua Surf Camp January 2012  Reflections

Zayla and I traveled to San Juan del Sur for a mother and daughter surf experience at the all women’s surf camp, ChicaBrava.  When we arrived from Alaska, we were struck by the warm winds and lush lands.

Tomás (Thomas in Spanish) was waiting with a sign, “ChicaBrava” outside the airport and drove us the two and one half hours to San Juan del Sur. I attempted a bit of Spanish as he spoke little English. He smiled at my attempts while he drove as fast as possible passing everyone in front of him. Had he been competing in a foot race he had the right strategy: see the competition ahead of you, catch up and overcome. We passed people carrying lumber on bicycles, herding cattle on the road and  transporting fruits, grains and propane in wagons with rubber tires pulled by a horse. We also passed many dogs and chickens foraging around small shacks with people lying in hammocks outside under some shade.

San Juan del Sur is a picturesque town of 12,000 with a harbor where fishing and sailing boats are moored, straw roofed restaurants are located at the edge of the beach,  a market with fresh fruits  is centrally located and many small shops line the streets. The center of town has a church with a park next to it that is full of children playing and laughing once cool darkness comes. ChicaBrava is close to the beach and the center of town. The bedrooms were clean and simple with ceiling fans and A/C. There was a central room where we shared breakfast and socialized. It is  a lovely setting with a gracious staff.

The surf camp consisted of 8 women who were brought together by the unifying desire to surf. We came from different areas and professions. Janet, her sister Denise, and Augustina came from Buenos Aires. Janet and Augustina had just finished college with degrees in business and were great friends who often traveled together. Dennis was just beginning law school. Cookie and Brandie had been friends since high school and were both stylists in Houston. Clare was a fire fighter from Chicago who had only surfed once but loved it and knew she wanted more surfing.  Zayla was the youngest and I the oldest. Everyone worked well together, were extremely considerate and enjoyed getting to know one another. Most nights we ate dinner as a group. Several of us had a dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant with a wild-eyed chef/owner who was quite talkative and a bit odd. This restaurant was not on the “ approved list”.  We also had a lovely meal at el Colibrí, a Mediterranean restaurant, as well as at the resort, Pelican eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed the altitude and formality of Pelican Eyes but didn’t need to spend any more time there. I liked being closer to the people of San Juan. We had a lovely street night when some of us bought food at the taco stand, some at the yellow place and others from the chicken lady.  We were quick to identify places with simple adjectives that we all understood. The nica food was tasty and inexpensive. Dining choices were a bit more difficult for Cookie since she doesn’t eat meat. There was also a lovely morning café with great coffee and healthy food called Gato Negro where many tourists ate and socialized. A constant flow of locals came through to sell pottery, sunglasses, jewelry, and figurines made from shells.  During dinner I enjoyed getting to know people better. During the day the focus was surfing.

We surfed as much as possible. The beaches were several miles from San Juan and required driving on dirt roads. Even though I was anxious to surf, I loved the drive as we would pass families walking, women carrying items on their heads, the herds of cattle on the roads, simply made shelters, and the milk cart pulled by a horse. The milkman would scoop milk out of a metal container and place it in a plastic bag for people to carry home. Once we got to the dirt roads the pace would lessen. On the way to Playa Hermosa we would cross the river 13 times beneath a lovely canopy of trees. I saw one monkey high in the trees and many cows, chickens and horses walking and drinking in the river. The trees are big and diverse. We passed men with guns who were protecting the tourists from bandits. The bank also had guards armed with rifles. I was not allowed to wear my hat in the bank. We also passed a well-attended funeral of an 80-year-old man. A cast iron fence with a substantial gate protected the cemetery. Most of the attendees were dressed in white. Death there is a frequent part of life so why not wear white.

The surfing was always fun. At times the waves had better shape and height. Surfing those smooth clear waves was a thrill.  Surfing requires all my focus. As I paddle for and ride that wave, I live in the present and nothing else exists. Between waves I loved gazing at the hills and watching the birds rise in the thermals. Brown pelicans stayed lower and would glide along the waves before they broke.  My favorite time to surf was in the early morning as there were fewer people and less sun.  We didn’t get to surf in the evening, as we had to be back in San Juan an hour before dark. Even though we always felt safe, precautions were taken especially once night came. Every dawn and dusk the birds would scream for about 30 minutes. I am not sure the species but they appeared to be related to crows. During the initial mornings I went for a run and loved the screeching bird sounds from the thick tree branches, the loud joyful music from the open shacks and the strong warm off shore on my face. I was surprised to see so many folks awake at such an early hour and beginning their day. Colorful  laundry was already hung in many yards.

I didn’t see anyone in San Juan who appeared hungry except for possibly one shirtless man who was quite gaunt. I wondered if he might have HIV. San Juan has a clinic but people avoid going there. Rivas, an hour away, has a hospital with a reputation to be quick to amputate and Managua has a hospital that is respected. I did not want to be in an accident. Sadly, Thomas killed a dog when he was driving the Buenos Aires ladies from the airport to San Juan. On our way back to the airport, we came upon a steer that had just been hit and killed by a car. Two thirds of the people were looking at the dead steer in the road and the other third at the damaged car. We flew safely back to Miami and settled for the night to rest before the long flight back to Alaska. The next morning, when we were being shuttled from the hotel to the Miami airport, I saw a man newly  dead in the 4-lane street. No one else in the shuttle seemed to notice. Oddly, people were standing a distance from the man and soon after we passed I heard the siren of the ambulance. I wanted to stop. Many years ago before I became a physician, I helplessly watched a man die in a California restaurant. Because of that experience, I decided to learn CPR. Death by car in this industrialized, populated world is everywhere and affects many.

I loved Nicaragua and the way the people live close to the land. We in Alaska do it by choice, they in Nicaragua by necessity. We both share the satisfaction that comes with that lifestyle. All of us find joy in what the earth gives us. During this trip we witnessed the free range animals living off rich land, people burning their trash including plastic by the road, simple living in open shacks, children’s smiles, beautiful waves with clean water and several deaths.  We also loved the surfing and being in the present as we paddled into the waves, stood on the board and felt the wave carry us. Nonetheless, I am glad to be back in Alaska where there are thousands of acres without automobiles. Yet as I look from this plane down 30,000 feet to those snow covered mountains, I am sure there are wolves, living in the moment, making a kill of a grouse or rabbit … maybe even a moose but they kill in order to survive. Nothing is wasted and their meat isn’t wrapped in plastic that requires resources to make and is difficult to destroy. I feel very fortunate to be alive and experience what life offers. - Julia Heinz MD

CB: When did you learn how to surf and how long have you been competing?

Lindsay: My dad taught me to surf when I was about 6 or 7 and i was hooked. I did my first Menehune (kids) contest at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA when I was 12.

CB: Since being bit by the surfing bug, where have you traveled to surf?

Lindsay: I have been surfing in obviously Mexico, because it’s so close…but my first real surf trip was Costa Rica, and from there I was hooked. I then travelled to surf in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and of course just recently France.

CB: What fears do you have in surfing and how have you overcome them?

Lindsay: As far as fears in surfing, I guess it would be when I find myself paddling out in big waves and being stuck with a 9 foot board when a big set comes through. It’s hard to get through big waves with a 9 foot floatation device! To overcome it, I just try to keep myself in good shape so I am more likely to make it through the set, and work on keeping myself calm. Not that I surf giant, gnarly waves, but it still happens.

CB: What inspires you to keep pushing the limits of women’s longboarding?

Lindsay: I would like to push women’s longboarding to new levels to create more buzz around the sport, thus creating more support, and more opportunities, which could include bigger sponsorships and contest winnings.

CB: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to progress down from a longboard to a shortboard?

Lindsay: Transiting from longboard to shortboard, it a whole different game, but one worth trying! You have to have a different mind set. For me, Its more of a get up and go, I am going to rip this wave a new one type of mind set. So I like surfing both long and short, that way depending on my mood, and the waves, I can surf accordingly.

CB: What advice can you offer to beginning women surfers?

Lindsay: My advice to beginning women surfers is to keep with it! I think the older you are when you learn to surf, the harder it is to get going, but it is so worth the hard work once you finally get it!!!

A thanks to Lindsay for taking the time to chat and a huge CONGRATS  for her win in France- and good luck in China. Lindsay is definitely missing the World class waves we have down here in Nicaragua, hopefully she can travel down and show us a thing or two in longboarding!!

~Candace Pattillo

Click here to see the full article!

You can also download the Nicaragua, the New Frontier pdf file by clicking on the link.

Click here to see the full story on the “Seven Ghosts”. If you have any troubles viewing the link, visit Rip Curl’s site directly by clicking here.