While it is extremely presumptuous of me to title this post after a movie about a young champion surfer who won competitions even after her left arm was chomped off by a shark, whereas I have now surfed exactly twice in my life and just spent the morning mostly tumbling, snorting salt water, falling, and nearly wiping out on some rocks (if not for the gracious help of a girl who zoomed up on her board, pushed my board toward the sand, and grabbed my hand as we both fell into a rather treacherous zone), I'm sticking with the title because as much as I claim to not be a "beach person," and for as many times as my friend Chris has given me grief for going to awesome beach towns and literally never getting into the ocean, I LOVE being on a surfboard. I'm not remotely good at surfing (yet?), but there is something glorious about just sitting on a surfboard off a sunny beach, watching the waves, soaking in the rays, feeling the earth move under you, and acknowledging that you are a very lucky person.
So here's the deal - this was not Waikiki. This was San Jose del Cabo, and these waves were not the gentle 2-3 footers from my first experience. These waves were much bigger, much faster, and much harder to ride. Alex, from the Costa Azul Surf Shop was my teacher and he sent me back out into the fray over and over until I finally rode one (sort of) in to the shore (most of the way). I got up a few more time but never with the ease or dare I say grace I had in Hawaii. But I kept at it until my legs were so tired they were shaking.
On the way back to my lovely abode for this week, which is just outside Cabo San Lucas, I asked Alex where I could get some great tacos, which is all I ever want to eat when I'm in Mexico. He dropped me off at a road-side taco stand where I bought four tacos for less than $10 and walked back to the house. It's definitely time for a siesta.
