It exists! I saw it somewhere in Nicaragua
There is one thing that is consistent with traveling: there seem to be some kind of a pleasant surprise pretty much every day: a gift from another traveller, a huge electric storm, a great hostel with an eccentric owner, a glassy morning surf, a local prepared to show you a good time and doesn’t mind that you understand less than half of what he says. I love my Melbourne life, but things are more predictable when I am there.
I recently met a sports journalist from Montana, on my last Nicaraguan adventure. I felt extremely proud because he knew my blog already. Being new to this story-telling, movie-making and photography-taking world, I jumped on this occasion to ask for the magic recipes to a good story.
One of his valuable tips was to describe what I see, smell or feel. I explained how I found it hard to do so because obviously most places we surf at are pretty special, and I don’t want to be bragging about a different surf paradise on a weekly basis! People who read my stories wouldn’t really enjoy that.
The place where I met him made it even harder because I lived something where that I didn’t really think existed. Well, I knew it would have been around some years ago, when surfing was as soulful as you see it in the Endless Summer, but maybe not now, not since online forums, guides, or forecasts often contribute to making great waves as crowded as a chicken bus in Guatemala! It is a place that is not talked about, by natural choice from whoever finds it because they feel a sense of responsibility to keep it the magic, uncrowded barrel-fest that it is.
I felt good there, and never intimated by the few very good lads who would encourage me to pull into the best barrels I’ve had…the first ones really! The surroundings itself contributed to this sense of comfort: lush grass, horses, fresh water from the well, and coconuts in abundance.
Seeing the same few people every morning, and being happy to have a chat, waiting for the sets to roll in was also unique. I usually hope to be on my own when I get in the water at 5:30am. Not there. It was that good, that it would have been a shame not to share it… everywhere you look was barreling, most of them empty.
Many thanks to Ben Herrgott for sharing his experiences in Nicaragua. If you would like to hear more from Ben and his surf trip through the Americas, check out his website: http://theduckwhisperer.com/
If you’re looking for a great place to stay, check out our Hostels in South America!
