Paraguay

Where are we going?

Paraguay. Landlocked in South America. Capitol city of Asuncion was founded in 1537 by Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar. Of course it wasn't the capitol then because native tribes were already here and probably had no sense of a grand government and capitol nonsense. 

Population: 6.6 milion (U.S. has 318.9 milion)

Area: 157 square miles (U.S. is 3.8 milion sq. miles.)

Why are we going?

My awesome dad manages the insurance for a shoe company in San Luis Obispo who had a warehouse full of shoes that weren't going to be sold. The company wanted to avoid sending them to the landfill so my dad, Jeff, helped coordinate the large task of donating them to needy people in Paraguay. A colleague of his, Jim, has a daughter working with the Peace Corps in Maracana, Paraguay which helped spark the process. It was almost a year long process with many hurtles with customs and other legal issues, but it worked out. Not it was time to see the shoes get delivered to those who need them.

We took a shuttle van from Santa Maria airport to LAX. It was an early start, so of course Dad sleeps through much of it. Our driver thought he was driving the new Tesla. Dad probably had it better sleeping through this guys crazy driving. He also thought another kid on the bus was military and wouldn't let up. The kid kept quiet and let the driver keep rambling. The kid finally said he's a student and was never in the military, but crazy-driver-guy kept up the military bit. Driver also made announcements like he was the captain of a plane. Crazy guy.

First leg: Depart LAX at 1:45 am ➞ El Salvador. What the f* is this? I've never seen this before.

That's Jim. He's a colleague of Dad's at Rotary San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. His daughter, Kelsey, is working with the Peace Corps in a small town in Paraguay called Maracana and will be meeting us at the airport in Asuncion.

 Leg 2: El Salvador ➞ Lima, Peru. This was our view in El Salvador for eight hours.

I tried to sleep but couldn't. I did get a good portion of my book read: The Bourne Imperative (book # 12 in series.) Airports are full of alcohol for sale along with cigarettes and GoPros. Why is that? This is a surf destination. We saw a lot of board bags being unloaded, and if any of them forgot their GoPro the airport terminal had plenty to choose from.

Leg 3: Lima, Peru ➞ Asuncion, Paraguay arriving at 2:55 am.

Our contact in Asuncion, Frederico, was gracious enough to meet us at the airport with his wife, Lorena, to drive us to our host's house where we would stay for the next few days. Kelsey was there too to greet us. Since Dad, Jim, and I don't speak Spanish, Kelsey was extremely helpful in translating. She's become fluent in Spanish and even some Guarani.

We were all super hazy at this point after many hours of travel and were so stoke to be headed for a real bed. We had no idea what to expect. While Frederico was our main contact in Paraguay, another Rotarian named Jose would be hosting us at his house. We drove along some some normal roads, some really bad ones, past nice buildings and also some really run-down ones. Although I had no sense of direction, it felt like we were headed out of town when we pulled up a road that felt like it was paved with boulders and arrived at Jose's.

Jose's house turned out to be amazing. So far we've seen that Asuncion has a very poor population and also a wealthy population. Luckily, Jose is at the top end of the social structure and his place is actually a compound where he lives with his four brothers surrounded by a wall. Lorena waved to the guard at the entrance and we entered the gate where Maria and Jose greeted us. Kelsey helped translate pleasantries, but Jose speaks English pretty well which was great to know. It was a quick exchange of traditional Paraguayan greetings; handshakes for the men, and a hug plus two kisses for the women.

Our digs for the next few days. We felt like the 3 dwarves each getting his own little single bed. Hell ya! A bed! Sleepy time. 

Big Sur Surfing and Camping

The crew: Taylor, Wes, Max, Dan.

Classes had been very stressful this semester and I was feeling burned out just like every other semester. I needed to escape, and Taylor's invite to camp and surf in Big Sur was the perfect remedy. This trip would begin a five-week vacation from work and school. FINALLY!!

Asking for five weeks off from my internship at Hive Design was tough, but my boss, Shane, was very understanding. I told him I was feeling stressed and burned out after the last few months and said I could have the time off starting as soon as I wanted. While I decided to leave work for a while, Brandon and Will decided to jump in full time at Hive Design. Good for them, but I needed to reset.

I met Kayla at The Studio to climb and boulder for a bit before hitting the road. It had been a while since we hung out, and I had forgotten how nice it is to spend time with a friend like that. We don't get together often, but conversation flows and we discuss all sorts of things going on in our lives. Dating, school, the future after, and odd celibacy practices of friends due to drugs and raving. Good times, and good bagels after.

Upon arriving home from the climbing gym it was a mad scramble to gather my gear and jam it into Ashland, my trusty truck. I was about to leave home for about one month, so just about everything was going in; surfboards, Laura (mountain bike), camping gear, clothing, dirty laundry, some food. Ashland was filled to the gills, and I had snacks in the passenger seat to keep me happy while enduring the ubiquitous traffic. Keeping Bring Me The Horizon blasting helps too.

I met Wes and Dan at the Safeway in Carmel-By-The-Sea. I brought food as though I was backpacking, but these guys have done this trip before and know how to do it right with lots of food and bacon. I could tell I was going to be jealous of their meals.

We still had 60 miles (96.5 km) of two-lane highway to cover, but it's never a problem when those miles are along the Big Sur coast to Plaskett Creek. 

Just before sunset we arrive at Plaskett Creek Campground, find a campsite, and begin unloading. This is where me meet the first unique character of the trip. The group site area was empty but for one surfer guy, Philip, from San Diego. We unload a couple tent bags and Philip immediately walks up to Dan and Wes. With looks as a first impression, we assumed he was a fellow surfer who would be happy to have a few more guys to chill with. Nope. Philip spent hours looking for firewood and wasn't about to share it with us. 

Wes and Dan get a bad vibe from Philip who tells us to camp elsewhere. Your best bet is to just go along with it and avoid proximity to weirdos. We reload our bags and move up the hill. Tents go up with what little light remains. Dan brought a tent for 8 people and I wasn't about to help him set it up. My R.E.I. Quarter Dome T2+ goes up super fast, and I found a somewhat flat spot at the very top of the group area to call home.

Wes doesn't have a tent. He has a camper shell and set up a platform in the bed of his truck that has storage below for surf and dive gear. He may not be able to fully sit up, but it's a compact system that works well. After our sleeping situation was handled, we took a walk to check the surf in the moonlight. Well, there wasn't much moonlight because heavy clouds were still lingering. We could just see the waves from the cliff and could tell were were possibly in for a storm session in the morning.

Taylor and Max arrived a few hours after us. Taylor had no issues setting up his bed; it's just a rolled up pad that he lays in the bed of his truck. Not quite as fancy as Wes, but it works. That's Max with his morning coffee making sure Taylor doesn't sleep in 'til noon.

Baked beans and bacon. Dan is serious about camp cuisine. I don't buy bacon and eat it at home, but when it's around and someone offers I cannot refuse it.

Checking the surf at Sand Dollar Beach right across HWY 1 from our camp site. Watch out for poison oak. It's EVERYWHERE. It will hide in berry bushes and in the thick brush that lines the trail.

We're camping. Beer in the morning is allowed.

The surf wasn't looking promising, so we loaded up the truck and headed south to Willow Creek.

When you're a surfer sitting in the lineup, this is a bad sight; a truck of five dudes suiting up to steal your waves.

That's Willow Creek as shot from a GoPro strapped to a falcon. A few guys were already surfing right out front and it looked like some fun waves were rolling through. It was much better than San Dollar.

 To avoid the surfers already out, we rock-hopped our way around the point to our own peak that broke left toward the beach.

 The best way to relax after getting pounded. A few of us had pretty good slams, but we also had some really fun rides. I joined Taylor and Dan in the creek to warm back up. I'm not sure how effective the creek was at cleaning the saltwater out of our suits, but it's better than nothing.

Back at camp it was grub time. The squirrels are very friendly at Plaskett Creek Campground. One in particular keeps getting really close, and Taylor keeps messing with it. Wes tried to hit it with the slingshot a few times with no luck. Taylor and Max decided to hang out and relax, but Wes and Dan refused to let their suits dry. They had brought their spear fishing gear, and decided to see what the fishing is like across the street at the cove just south of San Dollar Beach.




We trekked back through the poison oak, then down a steep trail to the water .

 Wes climbed down in flip flops. Bad idea. It was funny to watch him slip his way down and keep his bag from tumbling down the hill. He ended up taking his flip flops off and hoofing it barefoot. Dan and I were almost ready to dive in by the time he got down.

 Ready to catch some fish! I've never been spear fishing before, and the only spare gear they had was a set of fins. That worked for me. I luckily had swim goggles in my truck so I was designated cinematographer. I swam around with my GoPro, but the weather turned gloomy transforming the clear calm water into a gloomy mess of turbulent sand and seaweed bits.

"The fucking squirrel bit me!" Of course, Taylor. It's a wild animal with the instincts of a starving bear who lost its fear of young guys with rocks and slingshots. 

 Game time. I keep frisbees in my truck for just these occasions. I love frisbee golf camp-style. Hit the second tree, but hook around the left side of the first. Whoever wins the hole gets to plan the next. Just about anything goes: even hitting the vent pipe above the toilet hut.  Mine landed on the roof, but I climbed that shed like a mountain goat on the cliffs of Lake Mead.

Our spot was at the top end of the group site, and today a big Ford F-350 drove up and crashed Philip-From-San Diego's spot just down the hill. Three women of varying ages jumped out along with their male driver. We were all half-watching while we played frisbee golf, but Wes had eyes on them anticipating an awkward greeting. One dude and three girls? We joked that this guy had it made. Philip must have been stoked to have three ladies around, because he welcomed them with a smile. Then we noticed some odd behavior from the man we nicknamed "350."

Taylor, Max, Dan, and I questioned the relationship of 350 and the girls. He seemed more friendly to one of the girls so what was the deal with the other two? Oh, we sure found out soon enough.

Wes took a break from watching the 350 show and shooting squirrels with the slingshot, and  decided to get a closer look while joining us in Frisbee golf. We worked our way down the hill choosing targets closer to 350 and the girls. One second he's hugging and giving a kiss to the older girl, then he's groping the girl in green plaid. Green Plaid was the youngest of the three girls. What? Is this guy getting frisky with all three of these girls? We creeped along trying to watch without being too obvious, but I'm sure the could tell we were monitoring their every move. 

 Taylor has Frisbee skills, but I think I still won the game.

 Post game in our camp kitchen.

Each time I go camping I meet cool people. Meet Nate (at left edge), Aiden, and Katie from Park City, UT. Katie, in the hat, just graduated with a degree in graphic design from university in Park City so naturally we all got along well. Design nerds stick together. It also helped that she likes to run trails and is working her way past the novice stage in mountain biking. Aiden and her brother joined her for a long road trip to check out the California coast.

We filled them in on all the weirdness of 350 and the girls which made for a fun evening of making up our own drama to the silent movie going on in camp.

Dan jams on the guitar.

Taylor jams on the guitar.

Max jams on the stove cooking up a mean batch of potatoes and onions.

He also jams on the guitar. I picked it up and played the only licks I know. Beatles, Rancid, and Inspector Gadget. It's enough to fool people into know I know how to play, but if they ask for more I'm screwed.

After hanging around at camp and conversing with our new camp buddies from Utah, we headed up the road to check out the surf a few coves up. The waves weren't looking great, but the view was magnificent. It always is along Big Sur no matter what the weather is doing.

This is what makes life great. Watching the ocean with your buddies with no schedule to keep balances out all the late nights and stress of design school.

This is Dan's moment of zen.

We sat there for a long time just watching the ocean. We debated what to do in the morning: surf here or go back to Willow Creek. It's always the same in surfing. You look around for good waves and never know what you'll get. You can go to the reliable spot you've surfed before, or keep the adventure going and paddle out at a new spot even if it sucks. In the end, we decided to give this spot a try in the morning.

We didn't start dinner until the sun was setting and darkness approached. Darkness took over, the headlamps turned on, and the fire became the centerpiece to our luxury kitchen.

Chili dogs with grilled onions = camp gourmet.

Of course I had s'mores! Duh. It's camping. 

We charged it this morning, but were unlucky with the conditions. It was beautiful, but the seas were rough enough to make me feel a little bit seasick just sitting out there. Some of us got slammed, but Max scored a good ride. There were some rocks to avoid, and nasty close-outs. The paddle out was horrendous. Somehow we all had a good time battling the conditions. With good attitudes you can still have fun in shit surf. The sun came out after our session and warmed us up, and the session ended on a good note. It really was all smiles and sunshine.

The guys all headed north, and I kept heading south to continue my month off from Hive. The days of camping and surfing were super fun. Why I haven't done this before is a good question. Wes, Dan, and Taylor have done this trip a few times before so I was super stoked to join in. This trip really did start my trip off right. I'll be in SLO for a couple days, then continuing on to Newport Beach for a few days with the big brother Vincenzo Del Pino.