How to Prepare Your Board For Travel

Posted by Reception on April 22, 2010

from surfing.about.com

Materials Needed

Board bag (preferred but not essential)

Bedding (i.e. blankets, pillows, sleeping bag, Etc.)

Duct Tape (If you are a surfer without duct tape, take my advice and get some)

Traveling clothes (You know the kind that don’t need to be ironed)

Pre-activity:

If you have removable fins, take them out. This will avoid one of the most common onboard surfboard disasters.

Step One

Using your trusty duct-tape, adhere your towels, pillows, and even your thicker clothing like sweaters and jeans to key “bump zones” on your board. These zones include your rails, tail, and nose. Of course, if your fins cannot be removed, tape tour pillows around them for extra padding.

For Extra Padding

For ultra-extra-super padding, go to your local shaper and ask for foam scraps left over after the blanks have been carved out. Then you have perfectly fitting strips protecting the rails, tail, etc.

Taking a Quiver?

A “quiver” is a group of several surfboards. If you are taking more than one board, be sure to stack them deck to bottom with cushioning between each one to keep them from damage and even from rubbing wax on the bottom of the top board.

Step Two

If you don’t have a board bag, then lay out your bedding (blankets, sleeping bag) and then set your padded board safely onto the bedding and nestle her gently. Now twist that baby up like a hand-rolled cigarette or a dry, cushiony burrito and apply duct tape liberally.

Obviously, if you have a board bag, simply place the pillowy mass into the bag and zip it up.

Other Tips

Be sure to pack your fins with your board in case your boards and luggage get separated. You can always get a new pair of baggies, but you want your boards ready to go when you arrive at your destination.

Carry along some soft racks or some rope to be sure that you can strap your boards on to any vehicle possible. Since trucks and jeeps are always more expensive to rent, an economy car might your only choice, but they don’t fit the girth of an unwieldy mass of pillows, blankets, surfboards, and clothes. Just strap them on top.

I hope this helps you on your next trip. Take it from me. I have lugged a surfboard or four to everywhere I traveled for over ten years, and this is the cheapest and easiest way to keep your most precious possession safe and sound.

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7 Tips for Sleeping through Hostel Snoring

Posted by admin on March 31, 2010

Posted by: Corbin   from www.ibackpackcanada.com

You’ve just spent all day doing everything that was on your itinerary. Your legs are tired, you’re exhausted, but overall, you’re satisfied with the day. The hostel you chose was not only cheap, but relatively nice compared to some of the heaps you’ve stayed in. You crawl into your $150 sleeping bag. (perhaps feeling a bit guilty that you’re using it indoors, despite its -20 degree capabilities) You zip yourself in. Your whole body is thanking you for getting off your feet. You think “Ah, I rock“. As your eyelids slowly close you hear it. Snoring! Son.Of.A.Bitch. hostel-snoring-300x225

Immediately the calm and collective you is in a fit of rage. “Not again!” You think. Immediately you try the pillow ear wrap, no dice. This guy is loud! You grab your sweater from your bag, making extra noise hoping that it will disturb his “precious” sleep. Maybe a sweater-a-la-turban can muffle the noise a bit. You know how ridiculous you look, but all you want is sleep. You don’t care how much you look like a giant slug trying to pull off an impression of Al Qaida. 5 minutes goes by. Then 10. You let out an angry sigh. 20 minutes go by and immediately you start looking for things to throw at this jerk. Shoes. Bag. That souvenir that means nothing to you now that you can’t sleep. 30 Minutes. You switch to that mode where you start wishing him into cardiac arrest. Perhaps an aneurism. Cancer, no, far too slow of a death for this guy. Spontaneous Combustion. “Yes…perfect.”

You wake up in the morning, groggy due to the few hours, and the constant wake-up reminders that you’re sleeping in a room with a lawn mower. As you crawl out of bed, and shed your slug costume, “He” walks in. Smiling. And to make matters worse, he says good morning. “Combust….” you think. He doesn’t.

For those of you who can relate. There are ways around this. Below is a list of solutions to this problem.

1) Ear plugs – You can get a disposable pack of 10 for under $10 dollars. They aren’t the comfiest things to keep in your ears but they sure do help when faced with a situation like this.

2) Sedatives – Although probably not the safest things to dabble in, sometimes a shot or three of Nyquil is all it takes – You can usually find night-time cold medicine for under $10 dollars.

3) Whistling – I’ve seen this work a few times. While backpacking in New Zealand, I was travelling with a German friend who snored like mad. He said he had read somewhere that whistling during snoring sometimes wakes them up, it’s just gentle enough to stop them from snoring. It eventually became part of a routine. The other guy we were travelling with would join in too. We’d hear snoring, soon after we’d start whistling. Sometimes in song. Sometimes like birds. Problem with this one is it sometimes wakes others in the room. But I’m sure they’ll be grateful if it works. Plus its hilarious.

4) Click your tongue – I’m not quite sure how to describe this, try to flick your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It apparently works in the same way as whistling. A gentle wake up that is unobtrusive, but enough to tell them to S.T.F.U (ie. be quiet)

5) Clap your hands – Same idea as the previous two. An audible “nudge” telling them to shut up. Although this can be seen as slightly more rude.

6) Roll Them – If you are comfortable enough touching people you don’t know in their sleep, or perhaps you know the “chainsaw” keeping everyone awake, try rolling them on their side. Apparently snoring is more likely to happen when sleeping on your back.

7) Alcohol – Alcohol apparently causes people to snore. Which is slightly ironic because it also allows one to sleep through it. So if you can prevent a known snorer from drinking, you’re more likely to sleep through the night. If that’s easier said than done, you’ll simply have to get that much more intoxicated. Keep in mind however, waking up to someone puking off the side of their bed (especially when you’re on the bottom bunk) can often be worse than dealing with snorers.

I have always tried to be lenient and understanding with snoring, and advise you to forgive those who suffer from this, it’s not a conscious thing. But if you are a known snorer, I advise you to forgive the rude looks, thrown shoes, and wishes of combustion people will cast upon you. They too aren’t always aware they are doing it. Travelling is tough, but without those sleepless nights caused by snorers, pukers, bangers, and that guy sleeping in those silver metallic rescue blankets that rustle like tin foil, we would have that many fewer stories to tell.

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Mate Drinking Customs

Posted by admin on March 21, 2010

Taken from:  http://www.noborders.net/mate/rules.html

Topics: Travel, Local Customs, Health and Leisure, Food

Don’t ask for sugar

Many people are accustomed to drinking sugar in their coffee and tea, and it is perfectly fine to ask for it. Many people also drink sugar in their Mate. But when you are asked to join a Mate fellowship, you could make the worst sacrilege ever imagined by asking for sugar.

Don’t say that Mate is unhygienic

You may feel that it is unhygienic to put your mouth where everybody puts theirs. Of course it is, but that is expressly why sharing a Mate is such an intimate experience. The offer to share something so intimate is the highest honor of all. If you don’t want to be that close to someone, don’t share a Mate with them. Otherwise, don’t say anything about the hygiene of the experience.

Don’t say the Mate is too hot

If everyone else is happy with the temperature it would be considered rude to ask them to cool it down, or to wait until it cools naturally.

Don’t leave the Mate half-way

Despite the great similarity between Mate and the peace pipe, there are some basic differences. While everyone just takes one puff in the calumet and passes it on, don’t ever do that with Mate. You must sip all the water until hearing the noise signaling the gourd is empty. See the next rule.

Don’t feel ashamed of the noise at the end

If, after sipping, you hear the gourd “snoring,” don’t feel ashamed. It is all right, no one will look upon you as being rude. It’s what you are suppose to do.

Don’t stir the gourd

The gourd may get clogged from time to time, due to itself, to the Yerba or to who prepared the Mate. If that happens, you have all the right to complain. But, please, don’t stir the gourd. Talk to who offered you the Mate or passed the gourd to you. But don’t stir the gourd, don’t stir the gourd and, above all, don’t stir the gourd.

Don’t change the rotation

A Mate round works like a clock. The gourd passes from hand to hand, always in the same order. If you are being served, hand it back to the server. If people are pouring their own water, which happens in some places, always pass it the next person without changing the order.

Don’t slow down the rhythm

Drinking Mate alone is an excellent way to meditate on the things in your life. You drink leisurely, thinking about whatever drifts your way. To have a Mate in a circle of people is quite different. The essence is not meditation but rather integration. In a Mate round, you talk, discuss, laugh, swear; you are part of a community; it is a fraternization. Don’t forget to sip; the other people are waiting.

Don’t condemn the server for being the first to drink

If you say the server is rude because he or she prepares the Mate and is the first to drink, well, you are the rude one. The strongest sip is the first one, and whoever takes it is seen as doing the group a favor.

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Artesanias Punta del Diablo

Posted by admin on March 16, 2010

BatikBrand new today! The walls of El Diablo Tranquilo Playa Suites have been decorated with an array of Batiks done by a local artist. Batik is a type of cloth portrait that is dyed using wax to resist the dye and create either patterns or pictures.  Our new batiks contain coastal scenes of Playa de Los Pescadores in brilliant blue and orange hues. The best part of these batiks? They are very afordable and there is a great variety available.

In addition to batiks, there is an assortment of other handicrafts available in town, made by both local artists and imported from across the world. The artesanias that I’ve seen here include jewelry, hand made furniture, instruments, clothes, and the ubiquitous key chains and ashtrays . The best place to find these is on the boardwalk on Playa de los Pescadores, where there are several stalls teeming with impressive ocean wares. Keep an eye open and you can definitely find  a quality souvenir to help you remember the sunny beaches of Punta del Diablo.

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Cervezas of Uruguay: 101

Posted by Holly Olp on March 13, 2010

DSCN1578After much deliberation and many deleted drafts, I decided to take a break from blog posting and new-tabbed my firefox directly to Facebook. There I found my inspiration. My news feed has been overtaken by updates from all of my friends prepping for St. Patrick’s Day in the States (a holiday driven to popularity as another excuse to binge drink and wear all shades of green) detailing their plans for green beer and lots of it.  Here in Uruguay, if the past week has been any indication of the week to follow, I am certain the beer will be flying out of the cases, and everyone will be celebrating their Irish Heritage whether they know it or not. In fact, that seems to be what the guests here have been doing all of March. So without further adieu, as a tribute to my St. Paddy’s Day plastered news feed, let me share with you an article introducing the beers of Uruguay. From there, I’ll let you decide which one we’ll down on the 17th as we cheers to the luck of the Irish.

An Expat Account of… Las Cervezas de Uruguay

Posted by Syd on 12/19/09 • Categorized as Culture, Expat Accounts, Issue #43, Living

Here are the results of a most important piece of research that I have been conducting for some time now. It was extensive and sometimes intense, but all in the name of hard journalism, and to bring this report to you.
Beer in Uruguay is not as popular as, say, wine or whiskey, however, there is a nice selection to be had for a beer-lover, such as myself. The two most common and heavily promoted lagers are Pilsen and Patricia. A third popular lager is Zillertal, in a distinctive green bottle. And finally there is Nortena. These are all very different beers, with distinctive flavors and varying levels of quality.
In my opinion, Pilsen is the poorest of the three most popular lagers. Their television advertising is definitely aimed at the young, party-oriented crowd who seem more interested in quantity than quality. I find it unrefined, like it was brewed in a hurry. And, at only 5.2% alcohol, it packs the least punch. Why bother with such a pedestrian beer?
Read more

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