That's a Wrap Folks!

The Rip Curl girls - Alana Blanchard, Sage Erickson and I @ Lobitos Lodge

It has been a crazy week. So busy. Like 5am until 11pm non stop kinda busy. How I've ended up a hotel manager in Peru is still beyond me...

I'm in the mountains of Ecuador now doing a visa run, but that's a whole other story.

We just had the Rip Curl women's surf team here for a contest. I'm too tired to write up details, so here is an excerpt of the story featuring in Peru's top action sports magazine - Peru Deportes. Feels good to be cracking the Latin American market! http://www.perudeportes.pe/

"I ripped half my big toenail off. A crate of pineapples was the culprit. Too busy to feel the pain, I just let it bleed out on my flipflops, running around the kitchen like a crazy lady. It still hurts to wear shoes. The women’s final was starting in 5 minutes and 12 people had just sat down for breakfast. Apparently magazine commitments and running a lodge don’t mix.

Last week my dusty little town of Lobitos was hosting a stop on the ASP Women’s Qualifying Seriers. A flurry of girls, wetsuits, boards and ASP officials, our little Lobitos Lodge was fully booked. We had bitten off more than we could chew. One of our guests Alana Blanchard had made the final and I was rushing to shoot her surfing for this article. My last minute breakfast arrivals were threatening to ruin the story. Ignoring my missing toenail I served up 12 rounds of coffee, eggs and fruit in under 10 minutes, then disappeared running down the beach with my camera."

And just like a tornado passing through it's over. All that's left is my photographs and a brand new  wetsuit that Alana left me. I'm a mix of sad that everyone is gone but so totally relieved too. I'm just stoked to not be freezing my ass off in the surf anymore!

More to come from the story soon.

Alana Blanchard and Nikki Van Dijk

Sage Erickson getting vertical.

Sage and Nage. Cuties! 

Sofia Mulanovich 

Alana signing posters at the Waves for Development house
http://www.wavesfordevelopment.org/

Que Tal?

Lobitos sunsets

For you non spanish speakers, that's like saying "what's up?" And what is up? This blog has been sitting empty and unloved since last month.

So what happened?

Hotel management. That's what happened. 

I have landed yet another random overseas job. This time it's as general manager of a lovely boutique lodge in the surf town of Lobtios, Northern Peru (http://www.lobitoslodge.com.pe). Wonderful you say! What could be wrong with that? Well there are two little things...

1). I have never managed a hotel

2). I don't speak Spanish

Minor details folks, minor details. The result has been a crazy 5 weeks of non stop work, all day every day. I have dubbed it "spanish business immersion". Just imagine the poor workers when I try to explain something. There have been a lot of confused looks and laughter because of my terrible Spanglish. We spend half our time crowded over google translate.

But the plus side? Surfing. Lefts. Twice a day. Every day. Work hours aren't scheduled and it rocks. Except when you're responsible for everything, you never really have a day off. 

It's a strange and dusty little town here. All I thought I knew about businesses has been flipped on its head, Peruvian styles. But when the waves look like this does it really matter? 

The waves a few weeks ago. 

Lobitos Lodge

Afternoon beauty.