Surf, surf and more surf in Mexico

After a week long of quality waves in Salina Cruz, Mexico, I found myself very happy and able to reassure you that you don't need to cross the entire globe and spend tons of money in order to find uncrowded great surf.
The town of Salina Cruz, located in the Oaxaca state of Mexico, has many world class right point breaks and it is only a few hours away from many major cities in the USA.

Salina is not the traditional tourist Mexican beach town, it is in fact not a tourist town at all. It is a industrial town being that it's oil refinery is what produces the most income for the city and it's inhabitants.

It is for sure a different surf trip, it is not a surf town and you won't be staying at the beach (not yet) but for sure it is a surf destination well worth discovering and as soon as possible. This Mexican area is getting a lot of media and I don't see it staying the way it is now for long time.

In any given week during the main south swell season you will only see a few small groups of toursit surfers and another small amount of still friendly locals. There are many different points holding different high quality right handers, most of them only reachable by 4x4 trucks which is what helps them to stay uncrowded.
Basically, in Salina Cruz you can surf all day long, the points are pretty protected from the wind and if you have the right guides you can hit them all at the right time, at the right tide and keep surfing amazing waves until your body can't take any more.

There are long and soft waves with some faster sections that you can ride for 300 yards, there are hollow and barreling waves and everything in between, you will be totally surfed out by the time to get back to the Huatulco airport (2.5 hours) on your last day.

If you are looking for first class quality waves, very few people in the water, warm water without slashing your bank account, then Salina Cruz is the place for your next surfing adventure. (April thru September). Don't hesitate in contacting me at (714)408-1845 or at rodrigo@escapebarefoot.com if you are considering a surf trip to Salina Cruz.

Yoga retreat in Costa Rica

I am on the mini bus that is taking me back to San Jose to catch my international flight back to California.
I came to Costa Rica to spend a few days with our group that was staying in this amazing resort nestled in 250 acres of pure jungle and only 4 miles away from Puerto Viejo and its pristine beaches.

The full length of the trip was seven nights, because of my busy schedule and responsabilities I was only able to stay there for three nights, but it was enough time to experience the place, to feel the vibe of the locals and the town and also to make sure that everybody in the retreat was having a good time.
The reality is that everything was very well managed by the resort staff and by our trip leader/yoga teacher RoxAnn Madera from Huntington Beach. Everybody was having the time of their lives and I got to treat myself with four long days full of yoga (three practices a day), healthy food, tasty local grown coffee, priceless views, walks on the beach ( I even got to surf one day), and great company.

The biggest value of this type of trip is that you get to improve your practice, but also you have the time to connect with yourself, something that is becoming harder and harder in our day to day lives. Here the only distraction are the views and the sounds of nature, and you are not forced to do anything; you can do as much or as less as you desire. I can assure you that after a retreat like this you get home feeling so much better and ready to make some good changes for yourself.

This Yoga retreat was an entire success for everyone involved in it, I am receiving amazing feedback and that is the reason that we are already working on the next one for November 20th to the 27th 2010.
You can see more pictures of our retreat in our facebook page

Why we travel?

There are many reasons, I believe, that make us decide to travel. It is funny to realize now, after years of being on the road, that one of the reasons that I started to travel was to "escape" the winter months. I was born and raised in Mar del Plata, Argentina, only a few blocks from the beach. We do have summers, but winters are long and cold. I remember myself riding a bike on the coast on a frigid winter day looking at the beach and thinking that in that same moment in another part of the world there was somebody else like me enjoying a beautiful day at the beach, no shoes, only trunks and enjoying the warm water. A few months after that day I was ready to start my "adventure" that lasted for about ten years. During those years I visited many places, met all kinds of people, learned different jobs, experienced how it is to live in different places, learned different languages, discovered new sports and realized that I am a traveler
and that I will always be.
Nowadays I have a beautiful family and we live in two places, Huntington Beach, California and Mar del Plata, Argentina, we have two summers a year and only a few winter days when we choose to have them.
This passion for traveling, together with my other passions such as surfing, scuba diving and yoga forced me into founding "Escape Barefoot Travel", a new school travel company with unique itineraries and with the philosophy of using your vacation for personal growth, not only resting, visiting, and discovering, but also to have the time do what you like to do or that activity that you've always dreamt of doing, combining this with being in touch with the culture that you are visiting and trying to make a positive impact on them.
We have a very personal touch and an honest commitment to do everything we can to make our clients vacation a unique one. We also orginze a few group trips a year, traveling with people that share your same interest can be extra fun and rewarding too.

I will use this blog to share experiences, new destinations, pictures, videos and everything related to travel, surfing, yoga and scuba diving.