Once upon a time in a land far away, two houses were situated high in the hills. With stunning ocean views, delightful forest smells and accompanied by a family of howler monkeys, paradise was found. These two villas, Casa Liliana and Casa Bella, housed thirteen women from afar. Our lovely Liliana ladies; Reagan, Kateri, Danielle, Allison, Laurie and Leslie. And our Bella beauties; Ally, Katie, Cara, Karen, Claire, Namamma and Steph. Hailing from America and Canada, this bunch of bubbly beach bums were ready for a stellar week, yet naive in knowing what truly awaited them at Chica Brava.
Sunday Funday began with yawns and yoga. Those yawns soon disappeared thanks to Liz from Zen Yoga, whose practice woke our sleeping beauties from their slumber and prepped them for a day at Playa Hermosa. Living up to its name, our ladies were treated to a beautiful day at Hermosa that exceeded expectations and ended in big smiles. Happiness stemmed from not just from wave riding, but also from being present in a beach paradise with wonderful camaraderie. Video review was always a hoot, watching wipeouts and great rides surrounded by amigas amidst laughter and giggles.
Monday’s madness included a Canopy Tour for some of our chicas, flying high through the forest on the zip line and enjoying the views on offer. At Playa Remanso, the friendly beach break had perfect waves as we pulled up in our magic pumpkins. Now theory had incorporated a surf etiquette lesson, of which our ladies received a wonderful lesson at Remanso of what not to do when surfing the waves, all helping to create an interesting learning experience!
Boat Trip Tuesday. Saying, ‘hey to the J’, the view from Christo was never to disappoint. From the perspective high above our town, the ladies snapped shots and became further in love with SJDS. Later in the day once we had all piled into our water carriages, provided by both Tom Eberly and Rana Tours, our ladies experienced a surfing boat trip to two of our surf breaks. Playa Yankee with an empty line up meant our ladies had free rein on the waves. Here was where our chicas became paddling machines, the heavy beach break stretching those paddle arms and ensuring that those muscles were well and truly utilized. Spending the rest of the afternoon at Remanso, we were treated to a stunning sunset as we paddled back to the boats and chugged off home after dusk.
Wild Wednesday was the perfect time to return to Remanso. Surfing down the line and angling were two goals that many of our women were delighted to achieve and the smiles said it all! Wednesday was no doubt a milestone and a day where fist pumps were not amiss. The surf stoke was high, the grins were wide and the dreams became bigger. Seven surfistas sailed across the sea on the Pelican Eyes Sailboat to Playa Blanca after a morning of surf and sun. Delicious drinks and ceviche topped off the affair, returning relaxed and without a care in the world.
Throwback Thursday took us back to Hermosa for round two and was a far cry from the first day. A complete change in conditions tested our women, yet they came out triumphant and ready to tackle whatever the waves threw at them. Bravas to the max both in and out of the water! Cultural night at El Timon had our dancing divas learning salsa steps and letting their hair down.
Footloose and fancy free, Friday came around the corner far too fast. The finale, an epic day with wonderful waves shared by surfing sisters. Looking back on a week full of learning experiences, knowledge gained and pride lost, surfing is pura vida. So with salt in their hair and smiles plastered on their faces, our ladies had made incredible leaps and bounds in their surfing progress. Each instructor so proud of our women, finding it hard to say goodbye yet knowing that it is simply see you later.
So this is where our fairytale ends, yet new ones lie out on the horizon for each and every one of you lovely ladies. Thank you for being a part of our story and we hope you will return to our warm waters soon for more memories, friendships and surfing stoke.
Angie Kernot
Surf Instructor Extraordinaire
Cloud Farm, November 14-21 2015