ROADTRIP…

Well not much can be said apart from “go with the flow” for the last couple of weeks! (This blog may be a bit surf orientated…)

After stressing about getting to Las Flores everything fell nicely into place.  After meeting Alexa in the street, a Brit soon to be Aussi, and deciding we’d go to Las Flores together we missed the first offered lift, didn’t book the shuttle in time – but – met two great Puerto Rican boys: Jose and Manuel. They had hired a car and were heading our way, perfect. (More importantly these guys spoke Spanish!)

We decided to surf K59 early the next morning which turned out to be a session to forget with me almost dropping in on a local as Manuel called me into a wave and then almost landing on the same local when he got caught inside – this left the atmosphere in the already tumultuous messy waves somewhat tempestuous.

K59 local grafitti 

Cerviche was the answer and after a quick tour of La Libertad’s fish market/pier – where I had never seen such huge red snapper or massive stingray being gutted before – we were very glad of our new Spanish speaking comrades (comrades is definitely the word in this part of the world) and their ability to order us the most amazing cerviche, let the games begin I thought, but no it was amazing and fresh.

Onto Las Flores then, and after checking out the decidedly “stable looking” accommodation previously suggested we drove into a beach and met with Rancho Mama Cata, our best find.  Simple, family run, affordable, 10-20 paces from one of the best waves in the world.

Thanks to Manuel and Jose we discovered that the entire beach (minus the exclusive [v expensive] resort of Las Flores) of Las Flores, surf photogs, boats, accom, etc was one big happy community and shared all profits amongst themselves so as to not create competition or angst within the family and relatives. Holistic heaven.

Good sunset session in paradise was followed by plans to do a boat trip – yeah I know it’s meant to be a road trip but unfortunately our tyres were dubiously bald to the point that you could see the wire sticking out of one of them so no driving, even chancing, off road – my second boat trip and best yet. Again thanks to Our fluent Spanish speaking friends we arranged the perfect time for tide, size and more importantly no crowd.

Las Flores (Rancho Mama Cata is located immediately below me to the left).

Punta Mango was the destination, oh my, what a wave.  I got ‘worked’ straight away; hitting my arse on the rocks and ripping my brand new shorts – at least it wasn’t my face! The ensuing waves just got better and better and then the early morning boatloads of Brazilians went home and BINGO we had the place to us four and maybe four others. We surfed till we couldn’t lift our arms anymore then it was back for lunch and then a paddle out at our ‘home’ break and jeez, this break was awesome too and with our consequent timing we were almost alone*.

Alexa focusing on what lies after the shorter boat ride.

*It is difficult not to overstate this outrageous possibility of a wave of this calibre and surfing it almost alone. In the UK, if we had a wave like this, there would be something like 50 people trying and 50 people getting into a fight about who owned it/had the ‘right’ to surf it!  I recently overheard (in Putsborough, Devon) some idiot claim ‘I own the ocean so f**k off back to where you came from’. To quantify that Putsborough gets a 0.5 on the wave rating calculator and Las Flores a healthy 8.

Dead and hungry we ate, drank two beers and went to bed.

The boys helping push the boat back up the beach whilst I ‘document’ the occasion.

Day three we maxed out on amazing Las Flores and then decided to make a late dash for home as the swell 8-12ft was meant to be hitting Punta Rocca the next day and these Puerto Rican hellboys wanted in. Damn so was I.

But as the sun set on our car, whilst speeding past the second most dangerous city in the world, little did the volcanic scenery hint at our impending doom.

Pre blow out.

About 30 mins outside of San Salvador, the foremost dangerous city in the world, BANG, no more vibrations…our tyre had finally blown. Bugger.

We all swung into action and I have to say, at the time, I never really understood how dangerous this might be, I just thought “damn, time to change a tyre for the 3rd time in my life (all three have been on hire cars…)”.  Alexa however was careful to remind us where we were, gulp.

I’ll spare you the boring description (picture four wealthy [comparatively to El Salvador] one with a nice looking head torch, thanks bro knew it would come in useful, changing a tyre with four surfboards and four nice looking hold-alls on the side of the road) we changed the tyre and were soon on our way with a spare tyre, 5″ bigger, only to then swerve and avoid an apparently dead body in the middle of the road. Shit did our conscious play on us until it was pointed out, thanks again bro, that this tactic could be disingenuous.

La Libertad couldn’t come sooner but after a quick – weird – late night stop at the supermarket we then had to go around a car in the middle of the road with its alarm going off and a guy clearly trying to hot wire it. NEVER DRIVE AT NIGHT IN EL SALVADOR.

Mananna – Punta Rocca was beginning to ‘fire’ but by Tuesday it was pumping.  Now although this photo isn’t of me I assure you I was very close by and panicking – well I was until I caught one of these beauties and had my heart in my mouth all along the long long ride until I kicked out turned around, smiled, smiled some more then kind of laughed! Surfing – that’s why we do it.

Then a solo sunset surf in maching (12ft +) Zunzal and I was ready to teach the group shithead (now forever to include a new rule involving literally hitting your head on the table table) and get drunk to give an appropriately British farewell to an amazing couple of guys.

Thanks to Alexa, Manuel and Jose for making a special impact on my already special trip!

Kinder

P.S. I even missed out the power cut that meant we had our table chairs and fish dinner carried to the beach with candles…in short if in el cuco eat in the red restaurant on the right, NOT the green one on the left.

LSC Surfy bit

I’ve said pretty much all you need to know above, however, I can’t stress how much more social and friendly the line up became with two Spanish speaking friends – definitely make an effort to learn the language.

For more details see each break below.

Punta Rocca

Rocky point break. Don’t try and surf the point the locals won’t let you. Best to surf when they aren’t I.e. 0500-0730 and 0900-1530.

Surf on a low incoming tide – forecast needs to be over 4ft to work.

Much safer now a family monopolises looking after your car (inc. key)/sandals and t shirt if you got the bus/providing coconuts/taking pictures and finally providing the most excellent service of board caddy while you are scrambling around trying to get out after a long session. They have sandpaper feet. TIP APPROPRIATELY.

If it’s big, getting in is kind of ok but scary, getting out however becomes difficult there is a freight train of a current running over the rocks – it is much simpler to catch a big one all the way to the beach and walk back round.

THAT day at Punta Rocca, trust me, paddle round when its this big.

Las Flores

The view of El Cuco and its beach from Mirra Flores (Las Flores is off to the right out of shot as my camera died) = potential.

Sand bottomed point break.

Surf on a low incoming tide and it has a steep pitching take off that barrels off the point but can get sectiony.

Surf on an incoming/dropping mid tide and the take off is more forgiving and the wall just runs forever.

For it really to work the forecast needs to be 4-5ft+ and bear in mind the swell actually normally hits a day later than the web forecasts, don’t ask why, ask the locals.

Stay in Rancho Mama Cata or with a bit of a search you can get a bargain on this place: Mirra Flores which is where Dino stayed.

Punta Mango

The view of the breaks surrounding Punta Mango which is in the far distance.

Barrelling point break over sharp rocks at take off and then a nice sandy beach for the rest. If by car enter from the beach, if by boat – jump.

Smallish day at Punto Mango (forecast was 3-4ft swell).

Best surf at low incoming tide but really can work on all tides, surf after 0900 at midday and late in the evening to avoid boats and crowds. Thanks to LSC member Dino and gang we scored it perfectly, just us four out there.  I had such a great time with you guys thanks; Dino, Gazza and Pedro.

A touch windy, but we surf much worse than this at home, besides 30mins after getting back in it cleaned up and it was only us four out there.

Again if you drive; appropriately tip the ‘guard’.

You can stay local to this break at Rancho Mango but bring food/money ($30/day).

[I’m back in three weeks so this never ending surf porn may stop soon – oh hang on, thats right, I’m off to Australia – so maybe more shots of crowded perfect surf to come]