Why we have so little surf footage...

We would have so much more surf footage if we would take turns filming. The problem is, Brad and I really like surfing together and that leaves only Morty to man the camera. It's the whole opposable thumb thing that really prevents him from filming... I wonder if we could train a monkey to do it?

Here's a little footage of Brad along with my only decent wave on film to date. Enjoy and thanks for all of the love and support!

Brad's the second surfer getting a little storm swell action.

I like this little clip because Brad looks like a tiny little thing in the face of this wave.

Tenets Usurp Landlord

Renter's Rights Land This Slum Lord In The Dog House

For expatriate investor, Morty Raphael, the conflict came about when the registered tenant, Bruiser, moved in his half brother and sister. The ensuing smell was unanticipated. The tenants have stopped paying rent.
Under Costa Rican law squatters have extensive rights to entitlement. Moving the tenants out could prove to be a challenge.
When questioned, Morty Raphael told reporters, "I had no idea this could happen. Jana has repossessed the motel because I can't make payments since my tenants have stopped paying."
It appears that Morty is just another over borrowed American losing it to the dogs in this volatile lending market. Out of a job and nearly $100 USD in debt, Morty had this to say regarding the worst offense,
"It just smells like 'doggy.' I'll never get that smell out. Now renting to other animals is just totally out of the question."

Brad finds small wave while in Mexico

This should have been posted along time ago, thanks for waiting. Lord knows I did, the waves were huge while we were in Mexico back in April. Fortunately I found this head high beauty while dodging the big gnarly waves I wasn't quite ready for. Now days it's a different story, but of course, you'll have to wait for those as well. Thanks sports fans. We will do our best to keep you up to speed.

Chaci El Chanco

Rama and Katharine came up with the idea of putting a pig on the property to feed compost to and fatten up for a pig roast come November. Our mechanic, Helberth, lined up the piglet for us out in the country. Brad and I picked it up in high style with a dog kennel strapped to our roof rack. Brad got to pick the pig out and run it up a hill in a bag.

Apparently we were quite the site because groups of people were laughing and pointing as we drove through San Isidro. We went through a trafic check point and the officer, checking our papers, jumped a foot in the air as Chanci squealed at top decibel directly above him. The confused Trafico pointed up and said, as if revealling something quite important,
"There's a pig on top of your car."
I don't know what that meant but he didn't even finish looking at our papers he just waved us off.

The pig has a lot to accomplish before it's timely Thanksgiving death. Talks are currently underway to take the pig surfing and around Uvita on rope for a bar hop. This is going to have to happen soon because he's getting really big.

Panama, at last...

Ninety days in Costa Rica have been completed in Costa Rica. After ninety days in Costa Rica, tourist visas expire. Most expats are here on tourist visas and regularly leave the country to renew. With our first ninety days closing in we headed south to Panama in effect, completing the stated goal of Surfari Collin of traveling by truck from California to ... Panama.

I've heard it so many times and heeding the warning has kept me out of trouble in other countries, but in the joy of it all, this tiny bit of information fell off the back burner and out of mind; humans have visas, vehicles have visas, and the two are not one and the same.

I was ready to tackle the border by myself. No guide, just me and my gramatically challenged Spanish. Brad and I had gone through the order of stamps and had it down;
humans exit Costa Rica, dog exits Costa Rica, truck exits Costa Rica, humans enter Panama, dog enters Panama, truck enters Panama. 72 hours later repeat the same process in reverse.

Step one went fine. Humans exited Costa Rica. Then the truck exited Costa Rica. Then a crotchety official handed me the paperwork, tearing up my vehicle permit and said, "Ok, leave and do not bring the vehicle back for three months."

What? Three months! This of course would not have been a problem if we were planning on leaving Costa Rica for three months anyway. But we weren't. Brad's mom, Jan, and her husband, Pierre, were flying in to Palmar Sur, Costa Rica to visit us in just 5 days.

As can usually be expected, a "guide" popped over my left shoulder, very reminisent of the sneaky-sneaky butler in Mr. Deeds.
"What is the problem?" surprise guide asked the official. The official told him what he told me. Then surprise guide motioned us out side and broke down the situation.

So what were our options?
1. Bribe the official for another 3 month permit for the vehicle. (This official was "muy duro" and would not budge.) 1.a Tomorrow approach another official for this permit at a cost of $600 USD
2. Leave the vehicle in storage in Panama for 3 months.
3. Import the vehicle. Car Tico, problem solved at a cost of .... "let's go talk to the lawyers."
It is worth noting at this point that Paso Conoas is the chillest border town that we've encountered in Central America to date. It's also the first border where we had a clean cut guide that didn't appear to be on crack and pushing us through the border to get his cut and next high.
Our clean cut guide is named Eddie. Eddie has the system down. He's 19, studying Business at the University of Panama in David, a serious soccer player and a preacher's son. This is his job and it's all business. The kid's a natural. He also gave us his cell# in case any of our friends might need border guides... what an entrepreanuer, clintelling all on his own. His name really is Eddie so ask for him if your at that border and need help.
The import tax on our truck ran just above $1500 USD. Vehicles older than 2002 are taxed at 80% of estimated value. Vehicles between 2002 and 2004 are around 65% and 2004 and newer are taxed at 50% estimated values.
With service fees to our guide, lawyers, notary, officials, hotel room and food, and the import tax, the process took 2 days and $2000 USD.
We made it in time to pick up Jan and Pierre in Palmar Sur and other than a crater in our bank account, everything turned out just fine.
For more information on importing your vehicle to Costa Rica visit Hacienda.gob where you can obtain exact import fees. To estimate the cost of the vehicle our notaries went to carfax, car tica and kelly blue book then compiled an average price for the truck's make and model. In addition to importation at the border there is a vehicle inspection called Riteve at the R.T.V. office. The cost for this starts at $20. We definitely reccomend having a trustworthy mechanic travel with you to the RiTeVe field inspection office if you have never done it before.
Also note that a lawyer must submit your paper work in order to obtain Costa Rican Plates. We paid about $150 USD for this. Generally speaking, attorneys that do not speak English cost less and know the system just as well.
You must also pay "marchama" at the INS office which is a tax for the right to circulate Costa Rica in your vehicle. I am told that this cost depends on the vehicle. We paid $50. So here we are in Costa Rica with a Costa Rican truck and we still have not made it to Panama. With that still on the agenda we just may need to extend this trip...

High Five

Wow, another month has come and gone and we haven´t posted anything. So sorry, surfing twice a day everyday is starting to take its toll. Eat, surf, sleep, eat, surf , sleep.
We are organizing footage this week for your viewing pleasure, and including the latest and greatest of our travels here in Costa Rica.

Stay tuned for Surfing, sunsets, friends, camping, importing the truck, the purchase of a pig, more friends, a fight, Morty, my receeding hairline, surf wounds, and more.

Thanks again for your patience, and a big high five to all of you still following our journey

Pura Vida!

Its about time for a new blog!

It´s hard to believe it has been a month since our last post. We owe you all an apology, but we have been having to much fun and must have lost track of time or something like that. In three days we will have been on the farm for 3 months, our house sitting/dog sitting gig will be up.
It is time to renew our visas, which will include a 3 day trip of camping and surfing in beautiful Panama. We are excited to say the least, our big road trip will be back on and going strong.

I have some pics for your viewing pleasure, and lots more to post in the next couple of weeks.

These are two of our fiends, Karen and Kimberly, both are very good friends of ours. We have spent a lot of time with these two girls and it has been a long time since I have spent a lot of time with teenagers. Kind of a wake up call if you catch my drift.
They love to ride this motorcycle.


I had the opportunity to go with some friends to a special education school a couple of months ago and we learned a lot and made some new friends. I helped with a few class projects, but my favorite was planting this mango tree with the help of the class looking on.



In fact since I planted the tree, each time we drive to the beach, we get to see the rapid progress the tree has made. It´s a happy tree and all of the students enjoyed the time we spent together.



Stay tuned as there is more to come, thanks for staying in touch.

The wild west - Peninsula de Osa rocks our world

Good luck found us in Dominical just as our friend Rama was getting ready for a trip to the remote surf break, Cabo Matapalo on the wild Osa Peninsula. With the finca under control we decided that we were good and ready for a surf trip.



If you can rough it, and you like wild life I urge you to do the following; go to the Osa Peninsula immedietely.




Attempting to describe this savagely pristine environment would only make it slip further from my immediate memory. So in an effort to savor it's decadent taste in my mind I will break it down like so...

Monkeys. All four of Costa Rica's monos locos... Squirrel, Spider, Titi, Howlers. Throwing mangoes at humans and mating in trees.
Flocks and flocks of Scarlet Macaws. Streaks of red and blue, yellow and green.
Sand that literally walks with creatures.
Flowers with scents that will fold your senses into origami
The eyes of a stalking jaguar flashing fiercly in the firelight
Waves, pura rica linda olas
Gringos excersising immeninet domain and teenagers pissing in the face of their arrogant establishments.

Cultural Exchanges - Banana leaf seran wrap, and Death to chickens

My girlfriends of the family Salazares took an instant liking
to Moreno and Ashley. With the hurricane's damage done it was time to get onto a much anticipated hike up to the ridge for a view of the ocean and everyone was invited.
First we would need to pack lunch... not a problem. All we'd have to do is kill a couple of chickens, pull banana leaves, pick plantains and cook it all up with beans and rice.




Brad had been in a state of serious anticipation ever since he learned that he was going to get to kill the chickens. Let's just say that next time he's going to sharpen his knife.






I was pretty stoked on the use of banana leaves to wrap up my food. So all y'all in Southern Cali listen up, you don't even need seran wrap! Slice down banana leaves, hold them over a flame to soften them, wipe them down. Cut them in half and stack two leaves layered one of the other and place your lunch in the center...



Ticos like to use rice, beans, a meat, plantains and a little spaghetti. Fold up the leaf, wrap it in a handkerchief, grab your board and head out for a day at the beach.





If that doesn't say "Pura Vida" I don't know what does.






With our lunches wrapped up we set out for an epic hike through the country side that culminated in an amazing view of the coastline at Uvita. I still can't believe that we are so close to the beach yet so damn far away!

Karma Patrol- find a traveller in need and lend a hand.

As hurricane Alma began to make her way towards Costa Rica's Pacific Coast we decided that we needed one more trip to the beach to rest our landlocked souls. Passing through San Isidro we saw a VW bus being worked on by what appeared to be Gringos with British Colombia plates.


Enter Moreno and Ashley. These two are on their way from BC through South America and had not stopped to rest for the majority of their trip. With the weather coming and their van in questionable condition we decided that it would be best to offer our drive way at the finca as a resting spot for them. Under one condition, feed the animals.





Two days later the two showed up drenched to the bone but with a running van. Apparently they had not recieved the news that a tropical storm was in full affect. Assuming that this sort of torrential downpour was normal, Moreno worked on the van lying in a river of run off while the city closed down and 28 houses fell into the river.





With cultural immersion on the agenda, Ashley and Moreno made it to the finca just in time for some serious finca fun.

Horseback rides and finding Yoda in the jungle by Brad

Today was a day that I think is safe to say we were both waiting for, for along time. Fortunatley we were able to share this experience with our friend DJ from Los Angeles.



Like any horse trip, there is always one horse that cannot keep up with the others. Unfortunatley DJ had that horse.

Jana and I were taking turns leading the pack of four. Who would have known that Jana was such a natural on horseback. I assumed she was a wrangler in a past life. I on the other hand had my horse in a hot gallop uphill, not knowing that it would come back to haunt me towards the end of the journey. I was throwing my trustworthy "sv eeeah, sv eeeeah" that I picked up from the old western flicks I used to watch with my dad.



I packed a bag full of peanut butter and guava jam with a full loaf of bread plus as many other unkown goodies from the snack rack at the local store.



The day was beautiful and so much fun, unfortunatley the clouds never parted to give us that amazing ocean view that our guide had in mind. But I'm convinced we will have to do it again in order to enjoy that view.



note to self: Learn how to ride a horse down hill with out hurting your jewels.

New Lessons by Brad

We didn't know what to expect before we arrived at the finca.



Yet when we arrived we were surprised to find that the 40 foot semi truck trailer which we thought had been converted into a nice and comfy home, was no where near in living condition. Did I mention that the truck had been severly burnt in a fire in the past.



The next 4 days would consist of 12-16 hour days of building a new home. We started with the deck, then we framed the walls inside, then we cut the door to the deck, than a window. We prepped all the electricity, we applied the drywall. Slowly but surely the trailer was beginning to look liveable.

We quickly ran out of time as Bernardo and Lorianna had buses and planes to catch back to the states. I was faced with the challenge of finishing the work we started and of course hadn't started.



My first project was finishing the walls inside, then the plumbing, indoor and out, then the rain gutters, then the erosion control to make sure the trailer didn't wash away into the jungle.


Needless to say these were all projects that I have never done before and I surprised myself after I had carried each one out.



Every day is a busy day when you don't have a toilet and you wash yourself and your dishes with a hose that sticks out of a 30 gallon tank that is on a tower that stands taller than the house. Fortunately we have neighbors that are kind and allow us to fill our tank with the water from their spicket.

The life we are living now is much different than the life I have lived for the last 28 years. I thank god everday for the things I have taken for granted my entire life. Thank you mom and dad as well.

What a lesson in life this trip has become.


Chow

Driving through El Salvador and Honduras

We crossed into El Salvador on the Central America Carraterra 2. This border was relatively mellow but the El Salvadorian border town immediately following is definitely a little sketch.

I had a 14 year old kid in rags handle our crossing paperwork and by the time we finished crossing night had already fallen.

We stuck to our guidelines and decided that there would be no driving at night in El Salvador. There really isn´t anything at the border and the road from the border is deserted for miles.

This left only one option, my little border boy.... I´m going to let Brad take it from here...


... Hey folks, this is where it gets a little weird, so try and stick it out with me.
Like Jana said driving in El Salvador at night is not an option; the gangs control the streets, not the cops.
It was dark by the time we finished up at the border and we asked our border boy if he knew of a place close by that was safe. He literally walked us another 50 feet past the border and got us a room with gated parking for the truck.
Well this hotel wasn't really a hotel, I think it is safe to say that one day this was a working hotel. However, nowadays it is more of an orphanage for kids who don't have a place to call home, or for kids from out of town that are working the border.
This place did not even have keys for the rooms. The toilets did not work, and the shower just barely trickled water. I would have avoided the shower all together, but I was as ripe as a banana ready for cooking. There was blood on one wall and fairy tales written on all the walls in Spanish.I think they were there to keep us safe.
Neither of us slept well, but come dawn the next morning we were off again with Honduras on the mind.
El Salvador was beautiful and rich with coast line. I wish we had time to stay and surf, but we had a time frame to stick to so we just kept on trucking.
Now for Honduras, this will be short and sweet as we both would be happy if we never had to drive through or spend any time in Honduras again.
I have never seen a country that is so corrupt. This country has many problems right now and poverty is a very big issue along with hunger and of course theft. With that said, the govt officials are the ones to watch out for. I am thankful I brought some nudie magazines along strictly to pay off the corrupt officials. I had 2 policia threaten to cut up my drivers license if I did not give them $20. After I explained that we spent all of our money to get into the country, I was able to pass them a few mags and get back on the road.
Sorry there are no photos from this leg of the trip, all of our electronic equipment was hidden in deep in the truck, with hopes that we would have it when we left the country.
If you ever find yourself in this country at bight and don't know where to stay, let me know and I will set you up, but for now I don't want to think about this day.

Till next time.

Guatemala to El Salvador

Debra, Gary, and choosing caravan partners ---

Due to the chaos surrounding the vehicle exit requirements, and the ensuing wild goose chase through Tapachula, we quickly found ourselves in this border town at dusk (which I have coined the "witching hour") and ducked into a legitimate, incognito hotel with secure parking before the vampires came out to suck gringo blood.


The next morning we pulled up to the Banjercito office (see previous blog) behind a black 2004 Mustang with Nevada plates. What a couple of tools, right?

Enter Debra and Gary, whose names and vehicle descriptions have been changed to protect their conspicuously fugitive identites.

Gary: Hey there! Where you headed to? Costa Rica? Let me guess, English teachers, right?

Brad: Uh, no, just travelling.

Gary: Yeah, I'm headed down to teach English with my wife, we're totally sick of the states. Yeah, she just couldn't live without her Mustang.

Debra: She's my high maintenance girlfriend. The roads have been a real bitch on her though... They're going to get better in Costa Rica, though.

At this point I'm thinking, what planet is this woman from, has she never seen the Volkswagon bug size potholes seeping throughout the Costa Rican roadways? And a Mustang? Please. We've designed our vehicle and packing job to be as low profile as possible which makes what is about to happen next all the more asinine.

Gary: So, you want to caravan down?

Brad: Uh, yeah, that'd be great.

I agreed as well and in hindsight I think I did so just to see what would happen next.

We later learned that the Mustang was recently purchased, that Gary was making payments on it and it didn't even have plates yet. Debra just had that Nevada plate on hand and threw it on so the federalis wouldn't think it was so bizarre that she's driving a $40,000 car without plates in southern Mexico... because that's totally normal, right? I mean I've got plates in the back of our truck from 5 states and 2 South American countries...


This sort of behavior appeared to be totally normal to Debra and Gary. In fact, Gary heartily informed us that he wasn't planning on actually paying for the car anyway. These sort of bizarre comments arose virtually every time we stopped the vehicles.

At one point, Gary asked if we wanted to share a hotel room with him because he was just too cheap to pair for one on their own. Then he did the unthinkable and actually stopped a ¨police officer¨for directions.



When we got to the El Salvador border at dusk. I was pissed. If I hadn´t been on the fence about sticking with these two, we would have been in a hotel by now safely watching telenovelas. When he said he didn´t want to pay for a border guide to get him into Nicaragua, we split, we were through the border as night fell and onto our next problem of finding a safe place to stay pronto. For all I know, Debra and Gary could still be at the Nicaraguan border.



The lesson here is to choose your caravan partners wisely. Just because someone speaks the same native language as you and is also driving south does not mean that you will be safer driving with them. Safety in numbers only applies to intelligent people.



The upside of Debra and Gary is that I might actually get to call someone in on America´s Most Wanted one day.

Barra de la cruz to the Guatemalan Border

From Barra de la Cruz we continued south towards Guatemala, spending a night in Tanola, Chiapas and unother unfortunate night in Tapachula at the Mexican-Guatamlan border.

Remember that vehicle permit sticker that we told you about back at the U.S.-Mexico border? It's the sticker you must have if you travel more than 22 miles into Mexico in every state other than Baja California... well, if you don't have this sticker removed by a Mexican offical and recieve vehicle exit paperwork, you run the risk of finding yourself in a world of hurt the next time you travel through Mexico with or without said vehicle.

One would think that this vehicle exit process could be handled at the border. It can't. So all of you travellers driving vehicles thorugh the Tapachula, Guatemalan border, I urge you to make the following mental notes.

A. Your vehicle permit must be removed at the Banjercito office located at the Mexican Immigration and Customs office on Mex Hwy 1. This office will be on the left hand side of the hwy as you enter Tapachula.

B. You must pay an exit tax before reaching the border. This can be done at almost any bank. The accepted banks are listed on the back of your aduanas form issued at point of entry. This fee can not be paid legally at the border. It can be paid illegally at the border through the use of a "guia."

We learned all of this over a 10 hour period after reaching the border, being turned around by a hoard of guias, and racing through Tapachula at 3 in the afternoon trying to get to a mystery office by 4pm. As anyone who had driven in Mexico or Central America already knows, there are next to no road signs or addresses. On top of that no one we spoke to, store owners, teachers, policia, etc. had ever heard of the office we were looking for.

And so our stay in Tapachula began...

Barra de la Who?

Mexico has a way of sinking its claws into you. We left Puerto Escondido on a Thursday and stopped driving only 2 hours later at a point break recently added to the list of "world class point breaks." In a perfect world, this is how our entire trip would have gone. Instead we powered through 4 countries in 4 days... but that's another blog.

Because this break is definitely no longer a secret on anybodys list, after much debate we'll let the cat out of the bag... It's Barra de la Cruz. It's a beautiful right point break that is heavily localized and rightfully so.


If you're into a little local action and you find yourself in this stretch of Mexico bring $2 US/per person to get through the beach gate, located approximately 1 km from the beach. If you're into staying the night and can dig a no frills atmosphere, we definitely recommend Pepe's Cabana's at only $6 US per night per person. The restaurant on the premises is equally economical and open for brekkie, lunch and dinner. The bonus of camping out at Pepe's is that your $6 fee includes your entrance to the beach.

Nicaragua - by Brad

Words can´t describe how good it felt to arrive in Nicaragua. The policia had smiles and one even said ¨Welcome to Nicaragua¨ as he handed back our paperwork and sent us on our way without even hinting at a bribe.

The volcanoes were amazing to watch on the horizons and our destination was closer than we anticipated. We topped off the gas tank (never let it get below a half tank, please!) and headed for the coast. Within an hour we reached the highly recommended Hotel Chancletas.

Not only was the water as warm as the average bath tub, but the waves were beautiful and plentiful. The locals working the hotel were friendly and always kept your beer cold and full. The food was delicious and we were excited to share this experience with new acquaintances and lounge in the many hammocks strewn across the property.

We met a couple from Los Angeles that was stoked to see our mad max surfari mobile. They have been building their own, from scratch, for the past two years. It pretty much puts ours to shame. If your interested in camper mobiles, you´ll definitely enjoy their blog The Super Camper.

So check out The Super Camper girl surfing! It's Holly Beck, cool, eh?

We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days and definitely could have stayed longer, but duty called and we had to head south to Bernardo and Lorianna´s finca.

Day 3: Gulf Coast to the Pacific Coast

After breakfast and emails we were back in the car for another long day of driving. It would prove to be another hot day in the 3 digit zone. It was nice to share the road with our new friend Glenn. If anything were to go wrong anytime, anywhere we would offer backup or have backup. That’s a good feeling in a foreign country that’s getting so much bad publicity lately. Don’t get me wrong they get 2 thumbs up from me… well, sort of.



Today we had a little directional melt down. We managed to miss our exit twice and added 2.5 hours to the day. Oh yeah, not to mention we had our first shakedown by 2 heavily tattooed Policias with machine guns. Both men demanded money from each vehicle in order to cross the road and drive in the right direction. They were clowns, but it was a little unnerving all the same. If this ever happens, just do your best to keep the price low, pay them, and get on with life.

We broke rule numero uno and drove into the night. There was nowhere to stay along the trans-isthmas highway, Mex 187, between Vera Cruz and about 30 minutes east of Salina Cruz. Glenn and I talked some employees at a grocery store into letting us stay in our trucks in the parking lot. This was in a town just short of Salina Cruz. A little shady without a doubt as prostitutes worked the local bus stops 50 feet from where we parked. I slept with the machete under the pillow to help Jana fall asleep faster.

Dear Diary: After driving 12 hours today we have put over 2,000 miles on the truck in the last 36 hours. I need to stretch my neck and my back.B

Day Two: Gulf Coast

We had our work cut out for us for the day as we wanted to see the El Tarjin ancient ruins. We were only stopped at 1 of the 4 search points. I chatted up the Federali that searched the truck. He was surprised by the organization and the custom drawers under the bed. We gave the crew of 20 year old military kids with semi automatic guns in there grip, a bottle of water each and jumped back in the car to continue the drive south.

After a nice relaxing lunch we made a new friend sitting in a traffic stop due to construction on Mexico Highway 180. I heard a voice outside the car yell, “Hey bro, where you from in California?” Turns out the guy behind us was from San Diego and wanted to know where we were surfing. He was headed to the infamous Mexican Pipeline; Puerto Escondido. We decided to caravan the rest of the trip through Mexico until we went opposite ways.


The caravan travelled into the witching hour of dusk. Unfortunately we couldn’t find our planned destination so we ventured on south another 25km to a city called Guitierrez Zamora. So, we didn’t make it to El Tarjin after all but we did find a “nice” hotel in the middle of town with safe parking. It´s called The Palencia and is in town square. For $39 US you get air conditioning and super secure parking.

Buenos Noches.

Day One. Tex to Mex

We woke up early at Padre Island in Texas about 100 miles or so north of the Brownsville border in search of Mexico. After handling the visa and drivers permit we slipped into Mexico without getting searched by Customs. Needless to say there were quite a few unhappy travelers sitting in the humid heat waiting to continue with there journeys.


We drove through Matamoras which was just as confusing as Tijuana in terms of poorly marked and unmarked street signs. Jana was the navigator and I was responsible for watching out for the shady people and anybody else that may have been of concern to us. Just like in the movies. We made sure to follow the input from other travelers that have made the trip and made sure we learned from their mistakes.



Once we were outside the city vibes and atmosphere changed drastically. Our first destination was La Pesca, a port town 6 hours south of the border. We slept in the back of the truck at a pre planned campground/hotel on the water that was rich with jumping fish and thirsty mosquitoes. We kicked the soccer ball around until it was to dark and made some food before calling it a night.



Note to self: Fix the holes in the screen windows on the camper shell. The mosquitoes had us way out numbered.

Austin - In Texas, it’s weird.

In our efforts to avoid Baja California mayhem, we decided to detour our trip through Austin, Texas to visit our good friend Kathleen and finally see for ourselves what this iconic city is all about.


Austin is a delicious little secret. Even reading this, you will not believe me. Who would? Texas is after all home of Little Bush, big hair and big oil… you don’t mess with Texas, right?

The nature of Austin does nothing if not mess with the establishment of conservative Texas. Given all that Texas is in the collective mind of liberal Californians, Austin is truly an anomaly.

Austin is comprised of gangsters, gays, hip hop, blues, Christians and atheists; All of the polar opposites that make a city diverse.


Our two weeks in Austin ran the gamut of diversity. We stayed in the gentrifying hood of east Austin, where our neighbors wore grills like white girls wear bangles. We participated in the Dottie Jordan Park clean-up organized by our host, all star vollunteer,Kathleen McMullen.
And we went to a beautiful exhibit at the University of Texas at Austin, showcasing the works of the Beat Movement masters and equally inspirational yet infrequently mentioned poets of that infamous counterculture.


We ate barbeque. Oh, we ate barbeque. We listened to the sultry blues of Sarah Sharp and the rockin’ country of surfari collin: Shooter plays Antones'>Shooter Jennings. We witnessed the disgust and despair of locals protesting the development of open lands as bulldozers edged towards the Pecan Grove RV Park, immortalized in the ballads of country legends.
And how could I not mention the Mean Eyed Cat? The coolest Johnny Cash tribute bar this side of the Mississippi.



We swam in limestone swimming holes the size of two Olympic pools at Barton Springs. We fell in love with Austin as if it were a long drink of water after a year long drought.


If you find yourself in Austin, falling in love, tread lightly and be aware of our nature as humans to inadvertently destroy all of the beauty we stumble upon through overdevelopment and pollution. Buy used and protest the development of new condos along the river… go ahead and help KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!


P.S. Thanks for letting us crash your pad Kathleen!

The Infamous Surfari Mobile is here!

Finally! The much anticipated Surfari mobile build out is here!






For those who don't know, I bought an 89 Toyota pickup that is already familiar with life below the border, in fact the truck was already modified for the rough roads in Mexico before I bought it. The suspension system on the truck allows me to make it hard or soft. Once we hit the dirty washboard roads all I have to do is hop out, twist a knob and we can drive the roads at 40-50 mph instead of 10-20 mph. The bottom line is a bumpy road is a comfy road. The price was right and the previous owner was happy to see his truck leave for another adventure.

The truck and I visited my brother Ross for a makeover a couple weeks ago, and boy does it look different. Ross was the mastermind behind the project and knew exactly what had to be done in order to get this truck ready for the long haul. I on the other hand was there to pay for everything and lend a helping hand when needed, but for the most part my job was to stay out of the way.
After Ross' birthday extravaganza, we shook off our hangovers and started the build out. Ross had already lined up a lumber rack for the truck. That was the first project. Little did I know he had a few ideas up his sleeve. We got the lumber rack on and headed out to a friends farm to weld the puppy on. Ross informed me that we would be adding a flat mesh grate on top of the lumber rack for better storage; which is also convenient as a second story sun roof and or surf lookout. Genius, Right? Ross is full of ideas like this.

We also lined up two spare 33'' tires which are an absolute necessity for the roads we will come into contact with. Again, Ross knew exactly where and how to mount these tires on the new lumber rack. He welded a place for the tires right above the cab of the truck and to top it off he set it up so the tires would be sitting flush with the frame and could easily be locked down. He basically customized a regular lumber rack into an open, second-story penthouse.

My main job while Ross welded everything together was to sand and primer down every scrape or blemish on the truck. As you know there is a lot of rain in central America, and once that rain got to us we would be one rusty truck. By the time I finished primering the truck it looked like a cheetah. Once we saw Jana's reaction to the cheetah primer though, we decided we needed to clean it up. We taped everything off and gave it a nice and organized "Mad Max" look.

To give it the real off road touch, Ross gave me 4 KC lights for the front and rear of the truck. Ross wired it all together adding 2 switches in the cab so I can turn them on while driving. The lights are so bright I will be able to light up an entire soccer field, and that will go over great with the locals down south.

The next move was to build out the interior truck bed, or should I say bedroom? We took all kinds of measurements and started cutting the plywood. Ross made the cuts and I painted the wood. We glued and drilled and crossed our fingers that the new bed would fit in the back of the truck. Luck was on our side, the cabinet box fit like a glove. Now that the bed was made it was time to make the drawers that slid into and underneath the bed. A few splinters and beers later we were good to go.

Now it was time to get the camper shell back on and make sure it was water proof. It took a few trips to the hardware store to get the right amount of weather tape, but in the end, we got it done.

I added a 4 foot high lift jack to the list and Ross locked that down on the roof with a shovel attached so that those who want it, can't get it. Ross showed me how the high lift jack and some rope could also be used as a winch in case of an emergency. Which was good to know; because I didn't know.

After three long days of drinking, oops, I mean working on the truck, we had finished. All that was left to be done was packing and organizing. Jana and I had some downsizing to do and I don't want to take anymore of your time. Thanks for reading, we'll be in touch.

Oh yea! Thanks again so much for your help Ross, this trip would not be as much fun if you didn't get involved. The Surfari Mobile is complete I couldn't be happier.