June 25th 2006

Home again.

Well, I am back in sunny, hot Salt Lake City. I miss the Costa Rican ocean tremendiously. I miss a lot of things about that country during my 2 weeks. I'm having a difficult time adjusting back to the routine here in Salt Lake but the great memories of the trip are getting me through.

The last day in Costa Rica was wonderful. The day started out at 7am, sunny and then went slightly overcast. We got off a morning session with Raphael and Rodrigo with the swell still holding at 6-8' range with an occasional 10' set. The morning started out a little slower than the previous mornings due to the late night in Jaco the evening before. Jaco is nuts! If ever in Jaco, go to the monkey bar around 11:30pm, I am sure you'll find whatever you need to complete a night of partying. And with Thursday being the 13th day of straight shooting, the combination of the lack of sleep, the late night in Jaco and the grooling shooting schedule made it little difficult to focus. Knowing it would be my last full day in C.R., I just wanted to pack up my gear and take a walk, jump in the ocean or just log some hamock time-I ended up walking back to the hamock and crashing out until the guys arrived.Breakfast was enjoyed at the Las Olas restaurant overlooking the beach at Playa Hermosa. We waited for our meal while observing several tourist deciding it was a good idea to go play in the shore pound. Watching them get thrown onto the beach time and time again was quite enjoyable. After breakfast we retired to John O'Toole's beautiful villa not far from the beach. In the air conditioned house we caught up on some much needed rest. Lunch was served by John's caretaker Jose. He makes deliciously authentic Costa Rican cuisine. I miss those meals. The evening was spent hanging out with the guys at the villa. We took it easy, watched the world cup highlights, finished up several shoots around the house, Rodrigo's interview and packed for an early departure.

All in all, the trip to Costa Rica was a memorable one. The footage we obtained couldn't have been better. I will definately be back next year. To all my new friends I met along the 2 week trip, thank you for a great experience!

Pura Vida! (I truely know what this means now.)

Maxwell