Yolanda Oreamuno
Yolanda Oreamuno’s work is collected in A lo largo del corto camino and La ruta de su evasión. Her story “El espíritu de mi terra,” which appears in Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion as “The Spirit of My Land,” was originally published in the influential literary journal Repertorio americano, in which Oreamuno began publishing […]
Postcard From Nosara
Fungus and flowers spotted during a walk through the forest near Lagarta Lodge. A series of moments captured by New York data scientist and friend of the Harmony Hotel, Burton DeWilde, during a week spent in Nosara with his boyfriend Nick.
Postcard From Nosara
Hanging out for an afternoon nap at the Harmony. A series of moments captured by New York data scientist and friend of the Harmony Hotel, Burton DeWilde, during a week spent in Nosara with his boyfriend Nick.
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
High speed backhand top-turn aka “slash”. The arc of spray “out the back” of the wave testifies to both the Surfer’s agility and the forces at play. He has re-set his edge, ready to turn off the bottom again and traverse the next section of unfolding wave. photo provided by Surfing Nosara
Feliz Navidad
Costa Ricans have been celebrating Christmas traditions since 1601, when the governor Don Vasquez de Coronado organized festivities and declared it a national holiday. With the rainy season ending, Costa Ricans enjoy cool temperatures and sunny days during this time of year, and the whole month of December is filled with celebrations and decorations, as […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
The Empty Wave as Icon, Totem, Object of Desire. A Force to both Thrill and Fear. Could You? Would You? Where are the Others? Sleeping In? Sitting Outside? Each person, with a singular approach… Worthy through effort, regardless of outcome. photo provided by Surfing Nosara
“When New Flowers Bloomed”
Carmen Naranjo‘s stories both open and close Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. The final story in the collection, “When New Flowers Bloomed,” was originally published in When New Flowers Bloomed: Short Stories by Women Writers from Costa Rica and Panama (1991). With Naranjo’s beautiful nature imagery and powerful storytelling, it is not surprising that […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
We surfers are often so focused on waves, that seeing a bigger picture can elude us. But once cured of our myopia, we embrace the larger context, often celebrating the overall spectacle and beauty of where land meets sea. Here, ghosting rain tails along the low tide beach, transforming the seemingly mundane surf zone into […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
Reduce wave riding to its essence ! Minimalist, Purist, Luddite- call him what you will, but less is more sometimes. The Body, without the tech, for sheer Joy and Thrill… photo provided by Surfing Nosara
Carmen Naranjo
Like Pastor in Carmen Lyra’s “Pastor’s Ten Little Old Men,” don Fulminante, also known as the Fulminating Fib, is a storyteller. Carmen Naranjo’s tale about this character, “Believe it or Not,” is the opening story in Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Don Fulminante, who tells his stories in La Fortuna, begins each tale with, […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
The simple beauty of fundamentals. A long, sturdy craft to guide on a clear trajectory in the morning light, through a shifting wave face, doing its best to look like molten fractured glass. Amen. photo provided by Surfing Nosara
Carmen Lyra
Carmen Lyra’s “Pastor’s Ten Little Old Men” is a story about the power of storytelling. When Soledad meets Pastor, he is talking to the “old men,” his ten toes. He tells Soledad the stories of these old men, from their days turtle fishing at Tortuguero to their days pearl diving in the Gulf of Papagayo […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
As incongruous as it might initially seem, anyone lucky enough to have enjoyed the thrill of downhill skiing cannot deny the remarkable similarity of this surfer’s scathing cutback on a foamy face to a skier tightly clearing a gate on some well marked course. In both, the forward leg is leading and lifting the edge. […]
Max Jiménez
In his story “The Palmitero,” Max Jiménez personifies the palmetto, the fan palms that stand “with slender trunks, their feathery green tops waving like plumes,” those trees that are cut down by the palmitero to retrieve the delicious hearts of palm: You have to hear the screams as each palm splinters to earth, as it […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
Hope you stretched and are in good paddling shape ! The beauty belies the physical work to get out there. Three lines of white water, the inside about to unload, and the feathering, marching outside wave…as final destination. Rarely does a photograph at paddler’s level depict the arduous journey of the surfer’s trip from shore […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
The long months of rainy season transform the Pelada headland from dusty brown to verdant green, no doubt invoking the mindset of those ship-bound Westerners who first laid eyes upon the already Indigenously peopled coast: Costa Rica ! What else could have come to mind? Soon, the rain and mostly onshore wind will yield to […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
We’re not always trying to catch only waves in the surf zone, the ordered chaos of tumbling rollers rushing toward shore. It is a cauldron of energy, boiling with nutrients and marine life. Here, the work of throwing the cast net becomes Art. For the net to elegantly “spread” when thrown, it must first be […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
Drawing clean lines, the back leg is the crucial pivot point when going “off the lip”. Here, we also see the value of the paddle blade as secondary fulcrum when SUP-ing… Same physics, different tool ! photo provided by Surfing Nosara
The Halloween Crab
A not so scary story: The first time I walked down the sandy path through the trees leading from the Harmony Hotel to the beach, it was fast approaching sunset. We were visiting during green season, and the first small stretch of the trail was quite dim as we walked under a rich canopy of […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
There’s nothing quite like having paddled into a “maybe” wave, only to have it pitch on the inside for a curtain call. Nice reward for keeping the faith! This inside zipper qualifies as “the worth it wave” of the session… photo provided by Surfing Nosara
The Two-Toed Sloth
Sporting a longer snout than the three-toed sloth, as well as a larger stature and one less intimidatingly large curved claw on its front foot, the two-toed sloth spends most of its life in the trees and is most active at night. Active is a relative term here, as the sloth moves in relation to […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
Launching just to break free from gravity has its merits. But, as with most things in Life, Function is Beauty. Feet, Body and Board all focused on re-engaging with the momentum of a continuing wave peeling to the inside… Functional Air at its best. photo provided by Surfing Nosara
Dormilona
Closing up shop when the sun goes down, the Dormilona has the interesting ability to fold up its leaves when night falls. Loosely translated to “sleepy-head”, this plant will also quickly tuck itself in when touched or shaken, providing a rather entertaining distraction for kids and adults alike. Native to Central and South America, the […]
Guiones Surf Photo of the Week
The visual was so striking… please pardon the pun : HairSpray ! Talk about being”In Synch”… photo provided by Surfing Nosara
