The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
– Marcel Proust

When I returned to Puerto Escondido, I splurged and rented a private room just across the street from Zicatela. After being sick on the beach without even a proper bathroom for comfort, I thought I deserved a treat; furthermore, it was an incentive to surf the intimidating beach break. Every morning, I walked down to the cafe on the strip and had a cup of coffee and a bowl of fruit, watching the waves and gathering the courage to paddle out. The first few days, I was tentative, sometimes going an hour or more without catching anything.

Once I leave the US, I am not bound by the rules of my culture. And when I am a foreigner in another country, I am exempt from the local rules. This extraordinary situation means that there are no rules in my life. I am free to live by the standards and ideals and rules I create for myself.
–Rita Gelman, Tales of a Female Nomad

Puerto Escondido is the center of surfing in Mexico. Every year, people flock to its world class beach break, Zicatela, which is known for its mind blowing barrels and board breaking beatings. The ding repair shops are some of the best in the world – they get plenty of practice, putting snapped boards back together.