Saturday, Feb.23 – Day 68

I did laundry by hand this morning in an outdoor sink off the back of the kitchen. It’s good that I can practice this in a controlled environment, because I think I’ll be doing in on a rock beside a stream in the Andes in a couple of weeks when I go down to Torres del Paine in the Patagonia.

Walked down to the beach to do some surfing at about 1:00. The private lesson has paid off handsomely. I was able to determine a decent position in the water, then pick out the good waves and get into position to pick them up. Got in a lot of repetitions, and was probably able to make a decent run out of the waves I picked 8 out of 10 times.

In honor of my success, I rewarded myself with a little quality time at Beer Praia, where I met a couple of girls from Montana. That certainly doesn’t happen a lot.

They are leaving tomorrow, but we’re going to meet up again at the nightly beach party. Every night, the city sets up drink tents, and some local musicians hang out and play some music. The usual entrepreneurial drink and food vendors also show up, and the party typically lasts until sunrise.