Oso wasn’t doing the greatest last night. He’s dealing with some stomach issues and had me out twice in the middle of the night walking aimlessly while he ate grass and tried to clear his gullet. The guard was shining his light in my eyes wondering what the hell I was doing out there at 3:30 in the morning. I managed to catch some minimal Z’s then we were up at six and heading down to Playa Maderos to try to beat the surf lesson vans.

PJ and Oso took the long hike down the jungle trail and I met them at the beach with the car and all of our stuff. PJ took first dog shift while I struck out to try my luck after not surfing since March with shoulder pain and then surgery. I caught a handful of tiny rollers and was able to ride them okay. A little pain on the back part of the stroke but hopefully that will work itself out with time. I sat with an older cat named Bill and we traded waves until the surf schools showed up at around 8:00.

My turn to hang with the canine while PJ went out for some boogie boarding fun. She dropped in on a million waves and had a great time in the crystal clear 85 degree water. Oso and I had some bonding time sitting on the rocks and watching the days activity. An absolutely beautiful morning with light offshore winds and bright blue skies.

We headed back up the same way we came, me driving the gear and PJ trying to burn some puppy energy out of Oso on the climb up the grade. We were home in time to take advantage of the free breakfast and worked Jorge on information about San Juan del Sur. We rinsed ourselves off and headed into town.

San Juan del Sur is a fun town to visit. Lots going on and positive energy all around. Kind of Nicaraguan Key West. Lots of colorful characters, a beach lined with restaurants and bars and a few crusty locals holding down street corners. Expat gringos claimed bar stools in the mid morning hours and were engaged in excited conversation.

We walked the length of the beach to let Oso run free. A pretty, protected three quarter moon bay filled with pangas and boats bobbing at anchor just a handful of meters from the shore. The north end of the beach features the giant Jesus statue overlooking the bay from the promontory above. We dodged a few other dog owners and walked to the rocks at the end.

We walked about half way back before exiting the beach to walk along the sidewalk and check out the shops. PJ was poking around some of the souvenir joints while the dog and I stationed ourselves curbside. A few t-shirts and a little hand bag. We went on a quest for a memory card for the camera. A restaurant tout pointed us up a side street going inland and we went wandering into the heart of town.

We hit the ATM for Cordobas then had a look at the Christmas decorations in the central park by the church. We struck out a few times looking for the memory card but finally got lucky at a little hole in the wall computer store. Also loaded a new Claro SIM card onto my phone for data to help with Waze and WhatsApp. So now I have phone numbers in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

We wandered the blocks. PJ did more shopping and Oso decided he and I should sit outside the local cafe and share a plate of chicken while PJ scouted for bargains. Lots of cool things to see just sitting on a street corner in San Juan del Sur. I could have loafed away the day but we decided to head home for an afternoon nap.

We got in a little down time then worked on downloading pictures and wearing out Oso some more hiking up and down the hill. A few more guests have arrived and the place seems a bit more lively. Another golden sunset from the lower deck. Diakachimba!