Hi! My name is Cassie and the lovely ladies at Chicabrava gave me the opportunity to guest blog this week since I personally have a blog, Almost Getting it Together.
The week started out bright and early on Saturday morning for most of us. After traveling from everywhere from Canada to Australia to both coasts of the US, Chicabrava driver extraordinaire, Norman, picked us up in the Toyota Land Cruiser that were originally used by the crew of Survivor: Nicaragua! We spent the 2.5 hour trip from the airport in Managua to San Juan Del Sur chatting about ourselves and of course, surfing. As soon as we arrived at Cloud Farm, Chicabrava manager Noelani and instructor Lauren greeted us with guava-mint-rum drinks!
There were eleven lovely ladies who shacked up at Cloud Farm for a week of sun, sand and literal surf. We came from careers and stages in life across the board: three teachers from Calgary, a risk management director and a nurse practitioner, both from the Bay area, an airline pilot from Australia, a lawyer from LA with her teenage daughter, a banker from Switzerland, a lawyer from the US, and then me – a blogger and social media marketer from landlocked Pittsburgh, PA.
We surfed three different beaches during the week and even had the chance one morning to start our surf day by boat! Our instructors went with us from the port at San Juan Del Sur along the coast, where we surfed to shore. We had girls of all levels on this trip and by the end of the week, everyone was catching waves pretty consistently!
To stretch out our tired surfing muscles, a teacher from the local yoga studio, Zen Yoga, would come to Cloud Farm for a little yoga by the pool. On Friday, while watching the sunset over San Juan Del Sur in butterfly pose, we heard a yell from Amanda, the airline pilot from Australia – we looked over to see a howler monkey on her head!
Besides surfing and yoga, we had the opportunity to have “town time” where we could browse the offerings of San Juan Del Sur. Noelani also organized a trip on a Catamaran that took us to our own private beach! We all spent the final night dancing away to some local music in town.
Meals were prepared each day by the amazing house staff: rice and beans with eggs, toast and fruit for breakfast, wraps/huge salads/fish tacos for lunch and dinner consisted of fish/chicken/lobster and veggies. Lydia, the main chef, was even so nice as to make me oatmeal that I brought from home every morning since I eat gluten-free.
One of the best parts of the trip were the amazing instructors of Chicabrava. If anyone had any issues, Noelani, Lauren, Elsie and Candace were there ready and more than willing to help. After a particularly frustrating day, Candace and Noelani both sat down beside me to tell me it was okay – and that boost of confidence was exactly what I needed to get back on my board. The camaraderie of the entire group was amazing – we all cheered and yelled when someone caught an epic wave and were all quick to give each other encouragement if needed.
If you’re thinking about going to Chicabrava – do it. Don’t hesitate. Not only will you spend a week learning an amazing and humbling sport, Chicabrava, you will make memories that will last a lifetime.
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Check out the Canadian’s highlights of the week and why they are Chica Brava, along with some fun waves and fun times!!!
