I tapped this out on Christmas Day with, as you'll read, some bad luck still fresh in my mind. Needless to say I'm still thinking about it.
Mal Pais means 'bad country' in Spanish.
For surfers, tackling a surf spot with a name like that sounds cool. I first visited Mal Pais on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninula 11 years ago this month.
I set out there with a hand drawn sketch of where the beach breaks were and places to stay from a mate of mine in Sydney.
I eventually ended up staying in a tin shed split into two rooms out the back of Frank's Place. Frank's son slept in one room and I had the other. Frank's was one of the few places to eat and had literally the only telephone in town. Arroz con Pollo – rice with chicken - was basically my staple diet for a month.
In between surfing and Frank's, I hung out with other surfers who were camping down at the beach.
Life in a hammock beachside was idyllic. The local farmer asked for a few colones every now and then for being on his land and no one bothered us at all. It was no worries to leave your stuff unattended anywhere.
Saturday nights were fun. We'd wander down to Santa Teresa past the church to the local dance hall where surfers would gather at the bar and local Tico girls would come up and ask for a dance.
11 years on and Mal Pais and Santa Teresa have changed radically.
Bridges have replaced shallow creek fords – the whole area is much more accessible. Loads of people get around on ATV's – all terrain quad bikes. There're two banks (!), shops (small malls perhaps a better description), beauty salons and spa treatment, and holy smoke, even couple of sushi restaurants. Sure, Frank's is still there at the crossroads, but rebuilt and now includes a two storey office block. The good ol' Mal Pais Surf Camp-Resort also still there but now there're are hotels, cabinas and resorts galore catering to all tastes all the way along the main road.
My partner and I opted for a small bungalow overlooking the beach half way between Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. You just walk out your door and down to beach to go surfing or swimming. Perfect. Yes. But it has come at a cost.
On Tuesday morning while I was out surfing, a little after sunrise, a young bloke came into our bungalow while my partner was dozing and stole her beloved Marimekko bag and my new Canon G-10 - full of photos of our trip.
Mrs Fieldreports gave chase (gutsy!) but backed off just in case this guy was armed or had an accomplice who might have stolen more things. Besides, she was running around in her undies and without her contact lenses.
Luckily for us all our other valuables were in the safe but the whole episode is not want you want on a holiday. The bungalow caretakers were fantastic and hugely supportive, but we've decided to move to hotel up in the hills.
Any attractive beach town anywhere in the world will attract petty criminals and an influx of wealthy foreign tourists also presents a socio-economic clash with locals. However I think Mal Pais-Santa Teresa is edging nearer to a crossroad.
I would say Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast has definitely lost its innocence. It's a party town but there is a tension in the air. I didn't feel at ease. A local internet cafe owner explained that despite it being high season, tourist numbers had slumped because of a recent storm. Fewer foreign tourists means fewer people asking for drugs and that results in petty crime going up. Almost everyone we spoke to had a tale of someone getting mugged near beaches or on the way home from local bars.
Judging from all the for sale signs around, property development and tourism is booming in Mal Pais. The question is what's the vision for the future of the area? Do local Ticos and expats have a plan for local economic and tourism development that won't see it going down the path of other coastal towns like Jaco or Puerto Viejo?
Talking to several local hotel and restaurant owners it's pleasing to hear of tough local urban planning regulations that aim to stop the Mal Pais-Santa Teresa beachfront from being overdeveloped. Basically, you'll still be able to look back at the beach from the water and see trees not resorts and high rise buildings. That's great, but if the area is to prosper, and to be sustainable, then tourists have got to feel safe.
As one local whose house had been robbed a couple of times put it to me, 'The things don't matter. They stole my peace - that's what matters.'
@swampfire
Sorry to hear about your truck. It's such a shame as the whole peninsula is amazing.
Our bad luck turned into some good fortune. The owner of the beach cabina offered to reimburse us for our booking. We then stayed at a new hotel up the hill.
But, even up at Playa Hermosa north of Santa Teresa we had a brush with a local petty thief. We would leave nothing in our 4WD and had to leave flipflops, towels and boards with other beach goers if we ever wanted to go for a walk on the beach.
Posted by: Guy | July 07, 2009 at 22:17
My truck was robbed and vandalized in Manzanillio last week while I walked on the beautiful beach. Crime is horrible in this area, everyone is being robbed. Nothing is safe. Machetes and guns are being used in armed robberies. The local ticos blame it on the nicos. Don't bring anything you dont want to have stolen. I live nearby, many of my friends avoid this area because of the high crime. There is no law enforcement, don't bother calling the cops.
Posted by: swampfire | July 07, 2009 at 21:28
Sad to hear such news mate!
Just think that some of us have been surfing here at -2 ºc and enjoy those warm waves better!!
Speak soon!
K
Posted by: Zuru | January 05, 2009 at 17:29