Hong Kong Wong » Travel

Samara Costa Rica

HKW — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:55:24 +0000

We are now in Samara, Costa Rica. Here for a few more days before we start heading back to the US. We got here from Santa Teresa but thought it was a little too touristy. We stayed at the Jungle House, a place owned by 2 ex pro surfer for Quicksilver. But the few days in Santa Teresa compared to Samara felt like a waste of time (and money) just because the waves were way too big unless you get up at 6am for low tide. While there is Playa Carmen nearby, Samara is just a much more gentle break for beginner surfers.

The highlight in Santa Teresa was going to Vista Del Olas – also known as ‘view of the waves’. This is a place above Santa Teresa near Playa Carmen where we got great views of the entire city below while bathing in an infinity pool and cooked our own meat. Had one of the best rib eye steaks here.

We met a very nice Israelian couple at Vista Del Olas, Royi and Riki. They are on their honeymoon from Israel and Royi is a Colonel for the Israeli military. They drove us all the way here from Santa Teresa in their 4×4, and Royi’s offroad skills helped us navigate through 5 rivers and the dirt roads with pot holes. Thankfully, we trusted the right strangers and all our organs are still intact :) They are also actually cool people, and we’ve been hanging out with them here at the beach surfing, dining, and off diving/snorkelling in the next couple of days.

One of the things I love the most about traveling is meeting people. We also met Victor and Vanessa, a lovely couple from Spain who we will be visiting when we get there this summer.

The plan for now is to stay in Samara for a few days. We are staying at a pretty nice comfy place with internet so I can get some work done. Then the plan is to get to the volcanoes before heading back to San Jose.

Pura Vida!

My first 5-6 ft wave

HKW — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:34:59 +0000

One of my biggest achievements in the past week was conquering my first 5-6 ft
wave.

I have Greg Gordon, owner of CRSurf, to thank for recommending the itinerary to get ourselves out here before exploring the rest of Costa Rica.

If you are a surfer and want the best surf forecast and research site, make sure you visit Greg’s website.

Dominicalito is a beach break known for surfing, because of the high tide waves that make it a great place for actual wave surfing without breaks being as brutal as far out in Dominical.

But there are still rip tides and as rocks cover the bottom, you can technically wipe out on them. But hey, might as well get right to it right :)

We went out there with our new friend and surf coach, Bob Clark. Bob is an ex pro surfer, but a very old skool kind of guy. You probably won’t find him in Google as he likes to keep his anonymity, but he’s toured for 25 years, and was a national surf long board champion. His son is also a US national champion 3 times in the past and a national champ in Costa Rica. Bob’s a pretty hardcore instructor, but let’s just put it this way. Before Bob, I was hit and miss with pop ups in whitewater. After Bob, I rode my first 5-6 ft wave to shore. I think the results speak for itself.

We got pretty lucky with finding Bob, because he does not run a surf business. We actually met Bob entirely by chance.

But as soon as he started teaching us and giving us some tips, we knew we had to get lessons with him. What I found interesting is that a few of the local instructors smirk at the mention of Bob’s name. We don’t really know why, Ask any of the local surf instructors about Bob and they will have this smirk on their face…

But you can’t go wrong with a lesson with Bob. If you are ever in the area, just get in touch with me, and I’ll hook you up to his personal private number and you can arrange something privately with him.

Now to bigger waves…

March 30, 2010 — Leaving Dominical, Costa Rica

Leaving Dominical, Costa Rica

HKW — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:27:23 +0000

I can’t believe we are leaving Dominical tomorrow. I also can’t believe we’ve been here for 10 days.

It’s interesting how when you travel, it’s easy to set yourself into a comfort zone. While you know what you really need is to keep moving, it’s easy to just settle into what feels easier and more familiar. Owners at restaurants we eat in every day are now our friends. The doctor says eat an apple a day to keep the doc away. Screw that. We eat a pine-apple a day, and boy does it beat an apple.

But it’s time to go. I don’t like to move too quick when I travel, but I also don’t like to move too slow. I’m glad we spent the last 10 days here, but it’s time to move.

But speaking of pineapples. Oh. My. God. I’ve never had such delicious, sweet, succulent pineapples in my life. If you ever come to Costa Rica, eat a pineapple. Just one. Then try to stop. It will make your entire stay worth it. I am sure it depends where you get it from, but we’ve had it from 2-3 different locations now and it’s truly mouth watering savouring worth the $2-$3 you pay for one.

I thought I’d share our daily routine here. Every day, we have lunch at Soda Nanyoa. We love this place, not only for the food, but the value for money. Each meal costs us approximately $8 pp including your choice of a shake. It’s the best value for money place in town, and many locals frequent here. A couple of the ‘waiters’ always look angry that we try to avoid, but the food seriously makes up for it.

Once we fill up our tummies, we would cross the road to practice our spanish with Diego, while his older colleague Hugo picks a pineapple and mango for us to cut out back. We usually are sweating by this time in the Costa Rican sun, but the big smiles on their faces and the informal spanish lessons we get make this worth it. A few minutes later, Hugo would come out with the pineapples all perfectly cut up while speaking to us in very rapid spanish. We would try our best to pretend we know what he is talking about. We don’t.

We would then head back to the fantastic Hotel Domilocos, run by couples Vivien and Michiel. The place is literally 100 meters from a quiet strip of beach away from the crowds. I will stay here again, and have Michiel to thank for making the place feel like a 2nd home. He gave us complimentary drinks on our first night, sorted out any issues swiftly and professionally, and even gave us a free alcohol flame lit ice cream (found out afterwards it was actually absinthe, to be specific) as our 2nd dessert finale one night. Absolutely stay here for at least one night if you are ever in Dominical. Mention me and Michiel or Vivien may sort you out with a better deal too.

Dominical is also in the middle of the rainforest. It’s also south west of San Jose, which means transport here makes you somewhat isolated from the other more ‘touristy’ parts of Costa Rica. So you have to make sure you arrange everything in advance. For example, Semana Santa (Easter) starts tomorrow, so everywhere in Costa Rica is going to be very busy. 4×4 rentals and most hotels will be booked up. Our whole trip to Santa Teresa is not only going to cost us $250, but will involve multiple shuttles and ferries over the course of the next 2 days. No limos involved.

But you know what? I’m looking forward to Santa Teresa already. It was actually the first place we wanted to go to, and the beach breaks there are supposed to be amazing. We’re staying with 2 professional surfers who are affiliated with Quicksilver, so hopefully will get some tips. There is also a private beach just off the backyard so should make my early wake up calls that much easier…

March 30, 2010 — My first 5-6 ft wave

Casa 69 Review: Best place to stay in San Jose, Costa Rica

HKW — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:13:08 +0000

This is a review of a great place to stay in Costa Rica called Casa 69.

When we got to Costa Rica, my girlfriend and I were going to stay at a place called Costa Rica Guesthouse. At $45 a night, that seemed like a great deal. However the whole thing turned out to be an ordeal. You can read more about that in our separate Costa Rica Guesthouse review.

We stumbled upon Casa 69 by chance through some great tripadvisor reviews. This B&B belonged previously to one of San Jose’s most distinguished families in 1938. It is within walking distance to all museums and places of interest. It was also only 10 minutes walk to the town center, and the area is considered safer than San Jose downtown.

Compared to Costa Rica Guesthouse, Casa 69 costs a little more at $55-$65 a night. It is not a place for budget backpackers, but it was absolutely worth the stay.

Booking the place was as smooth as ice. I emailed Kurt, the owner, and he arranged for a private transport that took us from SJO airport at a reasonable rate. One of his staff greeted us at the door. We felt like we were in a 5 star family resort.

Do note: Casa69 is less of a backpacker hostel, but a slightly more upscale place on a budget. The staff there were fantastic and immediately helped us carry our bags to our room.

The first night, we stayed across the street at the newer section. The place was immaculate, the shower was great. The only issue was the slow public wifi signal because the new area did not have access to the wifi in the main buildings.

The owner, Kurt, gave us some great info on where to eat nearby and changed some currency for us at a very good rate.

Returning to Casa69

We checked out the next day to go to Costa Rica Guest House. But due to various issues with them, we no longer decided to stay there.

At this point we had no where else to stay. It was in the middle of the day. So we decided to call up Kurt at Casa69.

We explained the situation to him. He said if we wanted, we could go back and stay there. He even offered a small discount as we were staying for a week.

We moved into our new room, which was on the side of the old building, and absolutely loved it. The room was even better, and the internet was working.

Over the next week, Kurt’s business partner Jens also helped us with various things including serviced laundry on site.

Conclusion

Kurt and Jens @ Casa 69 illustrate the difference of great customer service. Everything from start to finish at Casa 69 was well attended to, and we truly enjoyed our stay.

A business ran like Kurt’s & Jens’ at Casa 69 is how things should be ran.

Day 3 in Tibet: Potala Palace / Summer Palace

HKW — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:04:06 +0000

Today, we visited the Potala Palace and Summer Palace.

Our guide Sang Bo met us in the morning, and we took a cab to Potala. The trip costed 10 yuan ($1).

My first impression?

The Potala isn’t any particularly extraordinary building. But as we ascended the 1000+ steps (good thing we had a couple of days to acclimitize), the view of Lhasa was extraordinary.

The early morning sun heating the neatly aligned tiny houses and buildings across a peripheral landscape, interspersed between little lakes to a backdrop of mountains in the distance.

It was just phenomenal.

We went from room to room inside the palace. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside.

It was not much of a visual trip so to speak, as the actual palace itself was not particularly fancy, but it was still interesting to see some of the tombs and stories of various Dalai Lamas who lived and died there.

I was actually feeling a bit ill in the PM so skipped the Summer Palace (pic left), but heard it was cool as it was where the Dalai Lama was before he escaped. The clock on the wall was supposedly still at the time when he left.

I actually spent the PM in bed with some cipro. I did feel better after, and managed to munch down a yak pepper steak in the evening. It was delicious. I definitely will get another one of those if I am back.

I also did some final shopping and got hold of a bigger jacket for Mt Everest.

We spent the evening investigating further flights out. Looks I’ll be flying from Kathmandu to Calcutta (Kolkata) where flights back home work out cheaper.

I’m still a bit worried about the HDD, even though fingers crossed so far it’s been ok. I just have to minimize usage and since we’re off to 5k feet from tomorrow (Nam Tso Lake) then Everest BC. I doubt the equipment will hold up at that altitude.

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Photos coming soon…

October 27, 2009 — Tibet Day 2: Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Interesting Food, and Blind Massage
October 25, 2009 — Hello from Tibet

Tibet Day 2: Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Interesting Food, and Blind Massage

HKW — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:41:33 +0000

Today is ‘day 2′ in Tibet.

We woke up at around 8:30 am in order to meet Sang Bo, our recommended tour guide, to go to the Jok’hang Temple and Sera Monastery.

Even though I was up by around 8, I was pretty drowsy.

One thing about sleeping at high altitude is that it’s harder to sleep. But once I’m asleep, I’m zonked out. Our room was also freezing cold, but with the lack of a heater you wonder why. The staff at the Cool Yak did claim we have heating, and there were some issues last night including Carl and Vicky having all their laundry done ‘dry’, costing them 180 yuan for the lot (like $25!). Think it would cost less having it hand washed by an immigrant at the Mandarin Oriental.

The hotel staff also tried to change our price, and our room, but thankfully Sang Bo set them straight. We have a triple room with 3 beds, so Scott and I are using the middle bed for all our stuff.

Going back to the cold weather, my hands are freezing as I type this. Good thing I got a pair of gloves I bought off a street vendor in Chengdu for 12y ($1.50).They came in handy, especially in the mornings. We had the free breakfast in the hotel, which looked more like dinner: sauted vegetables, sausages, spam, etc. Hey, at least it wasn’t just yak and butter milk.

I also still can’t figure out how to get out of Kathmandu on the cheap. The cheapest option would be to take a train or bus to New Delhi and fly out from there, but for various reasons, that would be a last resort. However, most flights out of KTM just seem ridiculously expensive.

In fact, I also raised the question of: should I even go to Nepal, or turn back at the border and fly out of Lhasa? It would be a bit goofy to do that, but flying out of Lhasa would save me alot. Question is can I stand a 24 hour car ride back from the Nepalese Border, and would I miss anything fun there.

The other consideration I must make is having already paid my share of a 4×4, I am unlikely to get my money back even if I cut my trip short. The travel agency said they were happy to drop me off at the airport I would not get a refund. I figured since I already paid, I might as well make the most of it. Mount Everest B.C., Shigatse, and the monasteries along the way will probably make an interesting trip, and the trek out and going up to Lake Nam Tso in 2 days at 5k meters would truly be an epic adventure.

So I guess I just have to figure out (1) what do I need so I don’t freeze my ass off on the way up Mt Everest, and (2) what would be my route back to HKG?

Jok’hang Temple: I actually was fascinated by Jok’hang, and the religious aspects there. It was an intersting view when combined with the chinese military personnel. We also went to the Sera Monastery and saw monks doing their lessons and training new monks. The way they did it was interesting and got some very cool video footage.

After lunch we went to a local hangout where they served tea and local noodles. Scott found a fly in his soup but we probably shared the same broth. I am sure there was a fly leg or wing somewhere in mine. But to top up catalyzing the process to an eventful crouching toilet trip, we had butter tea for the first time on a roof top restaurant near our hotel, which tasted more like a strong soup of some kind. I also had some banana lassi, which I am sure contributed to further toilet contractions.

We then had dinner at a ‘Japanese’ restaurant served by Tibetians. Except for the name there was absolutely nothing Japanese about it. There was no japanese food in the menu, the closest being yak momos (dumplings). But I will admit, it was some of the best food ever. After dinner, Carl, Vicky and I decided to go for a blind person massage, which costed 80 yuan ($10) + 20y tip / hour. I had a dude called Tsetong I believe. His English was great, and the massage itself was pretty good. My back was killing me still from the train ride here a couple of days back so it was good to get this, especially before our 4×4 trek for 8 days, starting the day after tomorrow.

We start at 8:50 am tomorrow, as we will be heading over to the Potala Palace. So yet another early night. I think my cold is getting better, but my immune system is definitely working to its max from different angles here.

October 28, 2009 — Day 3 in Tibet: Potala Palace / Summer Palace
October 25, 2009 — Hello from Tibet

Hello from Tibet

HKW — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:57:34 +0000

Hello from Tibet!

We’re now at 11,750 feet in Lhasa, Tibet. We just got off the 48 hour train ride from Chengdu. The train ride was ok because we took a soft sleeper. We also managed to get our whole group of 4 into the same cabin, even though after about 2 days you start feeling a bit cramped. I am not sure if we will manage 3 days. The train was ok, even though the electricity sockets did not work in the room, and it was far from being a ‘pressurised cabin’ as they advertised. In fact because of my mild cold from Chengdu (the air pollution does not help), every time we descended by 300+ feet, I would feel my eustasian tube block and I’d have to release it through diver tricks. Pretty painful!

Chengdu itself wasn’t that interesting IMO, so I am not sure if I will go again. I did try alot of sichuan spice, went to the Panda Zoo and climbed Le Shan and saw the giant buddha. It was not as impressive as I hoped it to be. The city is too expansive, too large, and personally I just found it hard to locate anything. We spent like 2 days hunting for Diamox and Dexamethasone for the Tibet trip as it was not in stock anywhere. After about 3-4 hospitals we found a place called Global Doctors that were run by an Asian-Australian venture, but they had a $30 USD charge for meds. Let’s just say I stocked up beyond Diamox and Dexamethasone…

We stayed at Sim’s Cozy Hostel, which I highly recommend. It’s actually voted one of the best hostels in Chengdu, and at 160y a night ($20 split between Scott and I), it was a pretty good deal as we had our own private room with our own private shower. There was also wifi in the room. The hostel was great especially for organising tours, including heading to Tibet and sorting our permits etc. Sim and Maki, a couple from Singapore and Japan, set it up like a Japanese place, and had an awesome garden too. I would stay there again, despite the hostel being super busy, they did a good job.

So with Tibet: The whole trip is working out to be pretty expensive. Cost around 4000y for just the tour guide, the permit, the 4×4…. actually that’s it. The soft sleeper ticket costed around 1k, and I spent around a further 1k for gear like the meds, warm clothing, food, sleeping bag, etc. This price is also for managing to arrange a group of 4 on a 4×4 tour. We will be travelling with Vicky, a Taiwanese ex-Siemens consultant, and Carl, an ex-yahoo marketing partner, and they are both very cool people, so the next 11 days here from Tibet through Nepal should be okay.

But my concern now is getting from Nepal back to Hong Kong. I really want to do Mt Everest base camp, and it won’t make sense to turn back to Lhasa from there as it’s just around the corner from Nepal. Kathmandu is supposed to be a really interesting place, but it’s looking ridiculously expensive as flights seem to be in the 5k yuan region (like $700-$800). Other options include going enroute New Delhi, or flying back to Chengdu first, but both add alot more toll to the existing trip.

Having been here now for about 6 hours though, all the gear actually came in use. I’ve started the diamox when we hit around 14,000 feet on the pass to Tibet on the train because I was feeling light headed. It was a good idea, as the next morning I felt fine, but Carl who we were travelling with had a bad headache and felt like he wanted to vomit. Having said that when we got to around 15,000 feet (!) I did feel a bit dizzy and nauseated. The descent, as Carl described, was like removing kryptonite from our systems.

It’s pretty cold here in Tibet, and it doesn’t help that I’m still in mid phase with a cold. Have had a running nose but I’m dressed up pretty warm, and just probably need more sleep. Tomorrow we hit the Potala Palace and a couple of other places, so I should hit the sack soon. We are staying at a place called the Cool Yak Hotel (because the Yak Hotel was not cool enough).

October 28, 2009 — Day 3 in Tibet: Potala Palace / Summer Palace
October 27, 2009 — Tibet Day 2: Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Interesting Food, and Blind Massage

Hong Kong Wong » Travel

Samara Costa Rica

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