Days 773-779! We’re coming closer and closer to the end of this 2 years of traveling! I think it’ll be just shy of 800 days. This week there isn’t a crazy amount to write about… except on night with an outside guest trying to fight me at the bar (don’t worry, I’m okay). I had plenty of surfing and plenty of relaxing. I’m just trying to enjoy every second of my time back in this little slice of paradise!

I didn’t get much sleep after a long night behind the bar. Even with wearing a sleeping mask now, which I found (and cleaned) at Hostel Clandestino, my internal clock wanted me up well before I wanted to be. I sluggishly rolled out of bed and went to have breakfast.

Eating made me feel better but not by much. I ended up plopping down in a hammock and trying to nap. I was unsuccessful and decided to read and watch the waves. Jorgen, my fellow bartender volunteer, asked me if I wanted to surf. Initially I felt like I was too tired to attempt paddling out into the big waves. But I also thought it might wake me up and make me feel better.

So, I said yes.

I took out a 6’ 36 liter surfboard and Jorgen and I proceeded to paddle into another very large surf day. I caught a couple massive close out waves, one of which I was shocked I was able to maintain balance on the board as I dropped a handful of feet down the wave. I also had my fair share of nose dives and got hit by the lip of the massive waves as I tried duck diving under near them. It was quite the beating today.

I was able to catch a couple nicer smaller waves as well. In the end, I think the adrenaline did wake me up and make me feel better, but not long after I got out, I mentally crashed. The remainder of the morning was spent relaxing in a hammock, only getting up to say “see you later” to Marlena and Nicholas, friends from my last hostel, who were leaving today.

I got El Ancla for lunch and they again were happy to see me. It’s a very nice feeling to get such a warm welcome walking into a restaurant. After I ate, I made my way up to the yoga deck where there’s one hammock secluded from the rest. I ended up working on the last week’s blog post for the early afternoon. Once I finished that I went into reading more of the 6th Harry Potter book! I’m halfway through!

A couple hours before sunset, Jorgen asked me if I was going out to surf. I said no and then he asked me if I could cover for him for a little bit so he could go and surf. I said yes and ended up working behind the bar for an hour or so. I was pretty dang tired still, but it was still a nice time.

There was a sizable group of the hostel that took a shuttle up to Leon to do the volcano boarding, so the hostel was very quiet and mello today which was nice after a long night. It made the hostel feel like the low season vibes! We watched the sunset and I chatted with the other volunteers and guests that were hanging around.

We had dinner and then I went to the local store with a handful of other people from the hostel. Tomorrow I was going on my first surf break by boat! Me, along with 5 or 6 other guys were heading to Puerto Sandino to try out a point break that allegedly would be really nice conditions with big waves still. I wanted to buy snacks for the morning since I’d be leaving early in the morning and missing breakfast.

After that snack run, I showered and then went to bed! It was time to catch up on sleep.

Friday, February 13th started off bright and early! The 7 of us heading to Puerto Sandino met up and got our boards ready before heading out to the beach. The boat and crew were waiting for us, we loaded up our boards, helped push the boat into the water, boarded, and headed out into the ocean.

The captain did a nice job getting us out of the break without any incidents. It was shaping up to be another large wave day so it could’ve been messy. The boat ride to the surf break was very scenic and I got to see a lot of the coast that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It’s really cool seeing untouched sections of land overlooking the ocean.

It took us about 30 minutes to get to Puerto Sandino, which is allegedly a world class wave (and said by some, one of the best in the world). When we arrived there was one other boat of surfers already in the water and the waves were BIG. This was about to be the biggest surf day of my life.

I dropped my surfboard into the water and hopped out of the boat then swam to the surf lineup. Dan, a friend of the hostel and a board repair guy in town, was actually at the surf spot as well and I immediately saw him get barreled (going inside the curling section of the wave). The rest of our group joined me in the lineup and we were all nervous and excited with how the waves were looking.

After building up my confidence, I took my first wave, which closed out immediately. But I stood up on an overhead wave! Now unfortunately, the whitewash of the wave shoved me into the impact zone of the wave which had a huge rip towards the beach. This made for a 15 minute slog of a paddle back to the lineup, which we quickly started referring to as the gulag as more and more of us had to struggle to get back to the lineup. Even the better surfers got stuck in it every now and then, just the price you had to pay for messing up on a wave or taking it in too far.

At first I was questioning why I joined the boat trip, which was just under $30 per person. But my next wave quickly changed my mindset. I paddled into another well over overhead wave and this time it didn’t close out. As my surfboard started moving with the wave, I popped up and sped down the line of the wave. I made a couple turns on the wave and was probably moving faster than I had ever been on a wave. This time though, I saw the wave starting to close out and rode over the top of it, thus avoiding the gulag, this time.

I did end up catching one more good wave but also had three other times going through the vicious paddle out. Thankfully all those times were with other surfers that I knew and we struggled together. We surfed for a couple hours and slowly each of us made our way back to the boat as we got too tired to do the paddle out anymore.

My final straw was when the biggest set of the day came through that was EASILY double overhead. I barely made it through the first duck dive without getting smacked by the lip of the ginormous wave. I gave a whoop of adrenaline filled excitement and kept paddling as the next, even bigger wave came. This one however, I wasn’t as lucky with. The wave crashed just a foot in front of me and my duck dive was nowhere near successful.

I immediately was ripped off my board and sent flying with the wave. I wrapped my arms around my head and let the wave do what it was wanting as I tried to stay as calm and relaxed as possible. It was one of the longest hold downs by a wave I’ve ever had. I of course was now well into the intense paddle zone and by the time I got back out of it, I decided to head right to the boat.

Ben, one of my friends, got some amazing waves, so did my friend Fred. Overall, we were all very stoked to have survived the experience and also proud of ourselves for attempting the surf break!

We celebrated with a Toña on the ride back chatting excitedly about our morning. The ride back was much bumpier as the waves were growing large out in the ocean. As we got back to the main beach, our boat sped right to shore and we got a nice lurch as we hit the sand at top speed (as the boats tend to do here in Nicaragua). Back safe and sound, we helped push the boat back up the shore to where it’d sit the rest of the day.

I had a late breakfast and then went to relax by the pool. I had full intentions of relaxing and napping the rest of the morning and afternoon… but the hostel had other plans. Wilson, the manager came over and plopped the cash box and iPad down on the cushions. I was like uhhhh, I work the bar back shift tonight. And he said uhhhh no you’re the afternoon shift. Turns out, that since one of our volunteers just headed out the schedule wasn’t the usual. So instead of the usual day off into bar back shift it was day off into day shift, then night shift the next day… and then a rare two day off in a row. When I saw that I wasn’t going to complain anymore.

I was exhausted, but I worked on restocking on the bar. Unfortunately at one point I dropped a few beers and they popped open. But other than that I opened the bar without a hitch. I played some Catan with a few of the volunteers at the bar while finishing opening and then had a nice shift serving some guests and guests that weren’t staying at the hostel.

I played some chess against one of the other volunteers, Jorgen. It was a fun match that was even until closer to the end where I swept ahead.

The sun went down and my shift ended. Dinner was a delicious lentil dish with rice and tostones. The kitchen ladies, seeing how much I’ve been eating (and telling them their food was my favorite) ended up calling me over after dinner. They had a full bowl of the lentil dish for me and told me to eat it tomorrow. It was very very sweet of them.

Tonight was beer pong night and originally I had no intentions of participating. But, it was going to be a busy night so a couple of the bartenders (including me) offered to bar back. I’m glad I did because it ended up being a really fun night! Wilson and I teamed up and unfortunately lost in the first round due to a misunderstanding of the rules (by the other team) and having to redo a game winning shot. But that meant I was free to help out more and chat with guests.

An outside guest walked in and I had this gut feeling that I recognized him… I started chatting with him and told him this. He didn’t know where or remember me really… but I asked him the VERY simple question of “where have you been the past 2 years?” Like who wouldn’t remember every spot they’ve traveled to?

I asked him a few spots and then… something clicked. He was Australian and I asked him if he was surfing in Noosa, Australia around April/May of last year. He said yes and then I figured it out. Bayden (his name) and I met when I visited Noosa near the end of my trip IN THE SURF LINEUP! How crazy is that?! I’m not sure why I remembered his face so well but when I brought up the ultra marathon going on during that weekend he remembered me and that exact situation too! We only chatted for a couple hours in the lineup, but it was pretty unreal to meet again on the other side of the world.

It was another late night, but that’s what happens when bartending!

Happy Valentines Day! Love was in the air on Saturday, February 14th. To kick off the holiday, I slept in which was much needed after staying up late. I woke up, had breakfast, and then I FaceTimed my friend Anne-Sophie and we had a very nice and long call.

When we finished up, it was already time for a surf. So I threw on my swimsuit and rash guard and headed out. Today was the last day for bigger waves as the tide, wind, and wave energy were shifting. I caught some fun rides but I only had about an hour to surf since we had a team meeting today!

I paddled back in and we had around an hour meeting. Mainly just giving us an update on new drinks and how to make them, what events were going on for the week, and introduce the new volunteers.

But afterwards, I went right back in the water for more surfing. The waves weren’t nearly as good, but I had a fun time paddling around and catching what I could.

I got a late and delicious lunch from El Ancla, I’m very happy having this food back in my life.

I didn’t have much else to do after I ate, so I relaxed in a hammock and read more Harry Potter until it was my time for my shift. I was working the night shift (it was my actual shift this time) and training our newest volunteer.

It ended up being a very quiet shift for some reason. The hostel had a DJ, but after an hour or so, everyone left to go to another hostel to drink. But before everyone left, the new volunteer was able to make a handful of drinks, get to understand our bar tab system, and get an idea of how a night would go.

As annoying as it was for everyone to leave the hostel for another, it meant I could finish up my night early!! I closed the bar at 11pm and promptly went to bed afterwards taking full advantage of the opportunity for sleep.

I woke up feeling refreshed on Sunday, February 15th. I had a day off today and on top of that it was my friend Jorgen’s last day at the hostel.

I started my day by having breakfast and chatting with guests. I then read for a bit and played guitar out at the back of the hostel overlooking the ocean.

Around midday I went out for a couple hour surf. The waves were very fun today and it was the end of the big wave swell. I was sad to see the big waves go, but a smaller swell would mean time for more longboard practicing.

I had a fun session and then spent the rest of the afternoon reading Harry Potter in a hammock.

As the sun started setting, wedding music started to fill the air. I went down to the bar area and looked next door. There was a full on wedding happening during sunset! All the guests sat around watching as a Nicaraguan couple got married on the beach.

It was a quiet night at the bar, so a couple of us whipped up a game of Catan before dinner. Our concerns about finishing the game before dinner were for naught because Rosa, the guest, whomped Ben (surf instructor) and I. The game was over before we even knew it.

After family dinner, Fred and I had plans to head to the skate park. A handful of other guests, including one other who had a skateboard came along too. I continued to work on riding the half pipe and ended up finally figuring it out!

The other guy who had the skateboard left his with us as he went back to the hostel early. We all ended up trying the half pipe and messed around at the park, talking with the local kids, and watching Fred (and the kids) do some crazy tricks. I headed back to the hostel as well, showered, and hung out around the bar, helping out a bit since Jorgen was working on his last night. I called it an “early” night and went to bed. I had another day off the following day due to our new volunteer showing up and scheduling, so I was looking forward to that.

But when I woke up on Monday, February 16th, I found out the new volunteer had a family emergency and left in the middle of the night… It was unfortunate to hear and also meant no day off today for me!

The day started off with breakfast, then I actually participated in yoga! I’m not sure why, but I haven’t been super into doing yoga this time around. I do stretch before and after my surf sessions though. After yoga we had a jewelry making workshop. There’s a group of women in town who make hand woven macrame bracelets, necklaces, and other various jewelry. They came over with all their supplies and on a donation based setting helped us make our own designs.

My shorter necklace broke before leaving San Juan Del Sur, so I made myself a new one! It’s a very simple design but I’m really happy with how it came out!

But, when I went out for a surf after the class, I found it was a bit tight to wear while surfing. Hopefully it stretches out a little bit over time. But the surf session was a lot of fun and I caught a handful of nice waves where I could pump down the line of the wave and throw in a couple turns.

I came back in from surfing, showered, and then it was time to open the bar. I had the afternoon shift which was really quiet. And I convinced one of the other bartenders a few hours later to cover me for an hour so I could go out for another surf. This time around I joined Dinh, the director of the hostel, out in the surf and I rode a longboard. I learned by the end of this session I’m more into short boarding now, but I still had fun trying to cross step on the board and work my way to pulling off my first hang 5 or 10 someday.

I came back and finished up my shift watching a beautiful sunset.

My friends Paula and Savannah showed up today as well! You might remember them from my volunteering in Costa Rica (if you’ve been following along for all of Central America). It was great getting to see them again and catch up. They’re hanging around the hostel for a week or so as they wrap up their time in Central America.

After dinner, I went to the skatepark again. This time I went with my friend Alex.

Fred was out at dinner, so he let us take his board. Alex also informed me you could rent a board for 100 cordobas! So when Fred leaves I’ll still be able to skate if I want to! When we showed up to the park there were two guys practicing boxing, which was odd. The park managers were quick to say that they weren’t dangerous which was kind, but we weren’t worried about that. Butttt that might’ve been some foreshadowing for the night.

I worked more on my half pipe skills, which I’m even more comfortable with now, and then cruised around the park a bit practicing skating in different sections of it. I chatted with some locals kids again talking about our favorite foods, skating, etc. Eventually Fred joined us and I watched him pull off som crazy grinds.

I headed back to the hostel, tonight was karaoke night and I wanted to participate… but this is when the night took a weird turn. When I showed up, my friend Cami (one of the other bartenders) was frustrated. Not only was the bar back not helping (a return volunteer) but there was a former volunteer at the bar drinking, who was kicked out as a volunteer for his behavior.

This guy was being really rude to Cami and then in turn to me after I told him he could leave if he wasn’t enjoying himself or going to be polite to us. He then escalated the conversation into “telling me to do something.” So, I went around the bar to get the security guard to kick him out.

When I came around the bar, the guy immediately jumped out of his seat and before I know it he had shoved me as hard as he could into a table. I was shocked that the situation went to this extreme and quickly got out of his reach and to the security guard. I asked for help and he had seen the situation and proceeded to do nothing to help me. The guy was still trying to fight me as his friends held him back and as I realized the security guard wasn’t going to help, I tried to get back into the hostel and away from the aggressive outside guest.

He got out of the grips of his “friends” and made for me again grabbing me and ready to swing. Thankfully before he could people were on him again holding him back. I stayed very calm during this all an was making no moves to fight back. I was just trying to protect myself and deescalate the situation. I’m not sure who got him to leave in the end but he did and that pretty much ruined the rest of the night and we shut the bar.

I texted the managers and director and they came rushing out but by then there was nothing to be done besides tell them what happened. The guy was going to be banned forever but it’s unfortunate that I had to be the one to take the brunt of the situation. I came out of it with just a cut toe and a sore back but it could’ve been much worse.

I went to bed a bit shaken up but hopeful I’d be able to sleep it off.

I woke up on Tuesday, February 17th with a sore lower back and a scabbed over toe. Otherwise, I was fine. I decided to take the day off from surfing though. I didn’t want my toe to get infected in the water or to hurt my back any more. So it ended up being a fairly lazy day.

I played guitar, read, relaxed, and watched as others enjoyed the small waves perfect for long boarding. I didn’t have to work till the night shift so I was free to lounge around for the day.

I started my shift before dinner and then after dinner continued on. Tonight we were having a bonfire, so I assumed the bar would be fairly chill as well. My friends Ben, Rosa, and I started up another Catan game as I worked, but I was a bit busier than expected so I suggested we take a photo and continue the following day.

It was one of the guests birthdays, so a big group of them came were hanging out at the bar all night. Since we are down a bartender, one of the managers, Clem, was my bar back. But my friend, and fellow volunteer, Cami, was helping as well which made for a fun night.

The bar died down around 12:30am which was later than I expected to a bonfire night, but also earlier than some other nights I’ve had.

I decided to take the day off from surfing again on Wednesday, February 18th. My lower back was still hurting and the last thing I wanted was to rush back into surfing and infect my toe or cut it open again. So, I was in for another day of relaxation.

It was another day off for me as well since I had worked the night shift the previous day. I started the day with breakfast and finished the Catan game with Ben and Rosa. And… I won! It ended up being a close battle between Ben and I, but I squeaked out the victory. Afterwards, I played some guitar before helping my friend Cami open the bar. I was ran out of pretty much everything the night before due to one of our other bartender volunteers not stocking it well. So I thought I’d lend a hand.

I had another fantastic lunch from El Ancla, read more Harry Potter, and envied everyone out surfing during the day.

One of the guests, Oliver, had been asked by one of the restaurants in town to paint a mural for them on one of their exterior walls. He had finished up today and asked if I wanted to come join them to take some pictures of it. It was a quick walk down the beach from the hostel and I had told him already that I wanted to come check it out once it was finished, so I happily tagged along.

I think it turned out pretty cool! It’s a very nice minimalistic take on the fisherman as they push their boat out of the water (which is something we see them doing every day). And of course Snoop, the hostel dog, wanted to be in the picture too.

Dinner tonight was pasta and the kitchen ladies know to make my meals without lactose. Tonight was a cheesy sauce with the noodles so they made me a marinara sauce instead… and they LOADED my plate with pasta. Probably about 2-3 times more than everyone else. I was happy but the other volunteers were a bit jealous. The kitchen staff has been watching how many plates I end up eating when I eat others leftovers.

There wasn’t much happening at the hostel tonight, so a group of us went to Ninos Del Mar, a bar & restaurant run by two friends of the hostel Niko and Damien. It was a nice time, but I was tired and headed out before everyone calling it an early night.

I know there’s not a TON to update you all on since arriving in El Transito, but I’m so happy to back in this little slice of paradise! As the weeks draw closer and closer to heading to the US for work, I’m trying to soak in every minute of this beautiful place. Just 10 days till my flight to the US and crazily enough, one of the other volunteers is on the same flight from Managua to my first layover, so I’ll have someone to split the taxi with!

See you next week!!

– Elie