I have been wanting to visit Costa Rica for some time. Recently I got the opportunity to go there and catch up with my old buddy and the band’s former tour manager during the 70’s, Russell Sidelsky, who invited me to join him and his party in a little vacation. The country is in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama and promotes itself as the eco tourism center of the Americas. Can’t argue with that. There were recycling bins all around, as well as power failures and dirt roads with giant pot holes, and yes, lots of serious jungle! The coffee is great. The other thing, is the surf. Costa Rica is a major surfing destination with some of the scariest waves I’ve ever encountered. I first glimpsed these, as I flew in by light aircraft, with two other folks. We landed on an unpaved jungle airstrip near Nosara, on the Pacific Coast. Wild!
Yes, I did try surfing and yes, I did manage to stand up during my first lesson on an 8’4” board. After that, things went somewhat downhill. It’s difficult. Just carrying the board to the beach tired me out and actually, the party that I was with, included some super fit 17 and 18 year olds. They made me gasp at their prowess in these monster waves. It was like something from one of those Xtreme sports videos.
There are sharks and giant turtles also enjoying the waves! The locals are very friendly and are called Ticans (as opposed to Toucans) and the universal saying you see stamped on everything, is Pura Vida which means Pure Life. Again – I can’t argue with that!
Anyway, I got to hang out with an actual feathered Toucan (in a cage outside my room) and the howler monkeys in the trees, woke me each morning with their eerie cries. They reminded me of small dark men up there in the forest canopy and you had to watch out for whatever rained down on you from their 'activities' up there!
Before I knew it, it was time to fly to France for the Blues En Bourgogne festival, traveling via New York and London. Checked out the new terminal 5 at Heathrow. It’s fab – like being in an extremely large 4 or 5 star hotel lobby. I think by now they have ironed out the baggage fiascoes.
Then it was on to Paris and a great trip on the TGV down to le Creusot where I met the chaps. These trains are something else. Wish we had ‘em in the USA. You travel in total comfort and they’re very quiet, with loads of leg room and they almost fly on the wide tracks, at speeds up to 300 Km /hr.
The gig was GREAT. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love being in this band. We headlined over Ten Years After this time and the crowd were very supportive, rocking even. The setting was amazing. It was in an old chateau, which Marie Antoinette herself had used and which had been, at one point, converted into a crystal glass manufacturing operation. There was the main stage and then behind the chateau there was a secondary stage featuring blues performers and around the perimeter, there were all sorts of vendors. I bought a black shirt for stagewear, with strange shoulder panels made of some rubbery material - very strange and French. The weather was gorgeous. I even got Bob Skeat to break his pre – gig drink taboo and, together with French fanager – Christian Guyonnet, we consumed 2 bottles of vintage bubbly. Didn’t seem to have much negative affect but ‘twas a very nice ambience, a moment of respite, so to speak. The French have got this relaxing thing DOWN.
The guys in TYA were very amenable and I humbly appreciated their help with a few business issues. Guitarist Joe Gooch is a nice guy and it was good to hook up with Leo, Rick and Chick again. Leo’s moved to Nashville which is a far fling from his prior home in the Oxfordshire countryside.
Anyway, we all caught up with each other’s news and then we got to travel home again! Well worth it though. The pace for Wishbone calms down a little during the summer but it’s good to keep your musical hand in, so to speak. You know what they say; if you don’t use it, you lose it!
~ Andy P.
