Sun, Surf and Drug Lords.....Samara, Costa Rica

Thought I'd walked into Gringo Stonerville when I first stepped foot into the hostel. This is a town weird Americans come to escape whatever was overwhelming them. The number of times I walked down the street or beach and got stared at by a middle-to-old aged greying American with a 'what the hell are you doing here' look on their face were incredible. I'd stare back at them and wonder if they were just drooling geriatrics unknowingly participating in a social experiment. That said, there were some normal people there as well, in amongst the red-necks and bikies, all completely harmless mind you.

Once you turned a blind eye to this aspect of Samara, well Costa Rica in general, it is a great place to just hang out. The lazy, hot, humid, sun-drenched days just rolled by. I was fortunate enough t be allocated the worst bed in the hotel, which one employee discretely mentioned 'we shouldn't even be renting that one out'. Hmmm. The morning aches and pains weren't the result of forgotten events the night before but the bed boards crushing my body during the night. I think that has happened before?

I'll point out upfront that Samara is probably not the place you want to visit at this minute. The truck driving past the hostel emitting a fine mist signalled the number of dengue fever cases had reached an uncomfortable level. I almost bathed in 25% DEET from then onwards.

Samara is a bit of a surf destination, but certainly not for experienced surfers. An unfortunate event occurred in November last year. A major earthquake raised the outer reef by around one metre savaging the well that came into the beach. Waves now only exist at high tide and even then they are only just suitable for beginners (excluding first-timers). On a number of days they were non-existent. Rather limiting if you want to learn. Other beaches (30 min walk away) were ok but are less friendly to the beginner. Alternatively you can get shuttles to destinations an hour or so away. I only managed to get out on the one occasion, mainly due to a combination of tiredness, an ailment of unknown origins and other distractions. The beach had a lot of broken coral on it, presumably washed in post earthquake. The only positive is that the beach is now considerably wider, almost 20-30 metres wider! 

The sand is volcanic so has  slightly dark colour to it which makes the otherwise clear water seem tainted. There are hundreds of pelicans lining the fringe of the beach, plummeting optimistically into the water, feeding on the numerous fish skimming the surface. They weren't perturbed by humans, crashing into the water only metres from you. 

One of the brilliant things about staying at Las Mariposas Hostel was that everything seemed to come to you. You could plonk your arse in a hammock mid morning and someone selling empanadas, or pastries, or quiches, or pipas, or fruit, would drop by the hostel and hand it to you in the hammock. No need to get up. I liked this but I still forced myself to get up and go to the beach.....I know, heart-breaking.

When I think about it, Samara wasn't exactly a place I partook in many activities. I suppose I have done many of them before. One new activity I tried was getting beaten by a drug dealer at pool. I let him win of course. The resident drug lord offered a gracious welcome to his town and extended an invitation to call upon him if I needed anything....anything. I opted not to.

It was friggin hot in Samara. Overnight temps dropped to mid 20s (high humidity) and rose to mid 30s quickly. The midday sun was intense, suffocating and unbelievable. The concoction of sunscreen, humidity, repellent and salt air clung to everything. It was great. Free pool tables at Bar Olas, a free table tennis table at Rancho de la Playa were the scene of an Ashes series. Lost at pool, won at table tennis. Tika pool rules by the way are absurd. I wont even begin to explain some of the idiotic rules they have adopted.

Samara was really lacking some decent places to grab a snack. I ate at a very good Soda at least four times (behind the mini-mart in the centre of town), an extremely expensive but very tasty vegetarian place, a woeful pizza joint (Pizza Paraiso) and Bar Rancho. A guy close to the beach, on the main road, sells some quality meat sticks for $2 in the early evening, sometimes.

Playa Buena Vista

Yeah that's right....I crossed it

Felipe

Samara beach

The Poker Tournament.....Chris (in red)

Fire dancing at Bar Lo Q