Day 51: Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Today we decided to try stand up paddle boarding. Figured it might be easier to learn to balance once we were beyond the waves. We rented two large soft boards from Patricia's and with only a few minutes of instruction we walked the boards to the easier left side of the bay, and pushed our boards through the surf.

These are quite a bit longer and wider then a regular surfboard and it is a struggle getting them out past the waves, if the board is not exactly perpendicular to the wave it easily snaps sideways and flips over onto you. But out past the waves it is stable and easy to jump onto and sit or kneel. Standing up is another thing altogether. But the water is warm so falling off is not a problem.

Gradually we learned to stay standing, and once we got going it was fun. There was a boat anchored in the bay beyond the waves, and we made it our mission to go around the boat before we called it quits for the day and headed back to shore. Getting in past the waves is tricky as the board is harder to control than a regular surfboard, and even kneeling I wiped out. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos as I did't want to leave my camera on the beach, but Joanna from the boat trip yesterday spotted us and snapped this photo of us at the end of our paddle.

Dinner with the two families we met on the boat trip

Yesterday we arranged to meet the two families we met on the boat trip yesterday in the main square at 4 o'clock. Luz showed up in their car, and we went to get some chicken from the ladies on the street while Janet walked up the hill with the rest of them.

Joe and Joanne are from Ontario with their three girls, and Chris and Luz are from Guadalajara with their two girls.