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[ted]

I just got back from riding my HPD and bodyboard in Mizata, El Salvador. The surf was clean and waist to head high. Everyone there was curious to know what sort of weird craft I was riding - the consensus there was "caparazón de tortuga." Most of the guys had heard of alaia's, but none had seen a paipo before.

Here are some locals at Punta Roca with the HPD.

See more photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/tedhon/ElSalvador#. I'll post some HPD helmet video on youtube soon.

[rodndtube]

Looks like you had a good time in El Salvador, Ted. Hit many point breaks? Where was the Austin Paipo?

Food pics made me hungry. On Friday, I return to PR for almost two weeks... I'll be catching up with a lot of the local foods and be a happy man
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rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i

[ted]

Rod,

El Salvador is the land of right point breaks. We had two head high swells imposed on a background of waist high surf.

Austin paipo would have cost $175 each way for United and $125 each way for TACA. The HPD fit in my bodyboard bag and went for free. In the end, leaving the Austin behind was a good thing because it forced me to put the time in on the HPD. I did finally get the HPD forward trim figured out and became pretty good at late takeoffs. The duck diving was really helpful.

[rodndtube]

That is a real b*tch about the board fees. About 95 percent of the time I don't have board fees on my paipo board (Austin or similar), but baggage fees in the new world order of airline travel is a different story, but still no additional board fees. I also travel with only one board so that could be a factor (small foot print). I classify my paipo as a "boogie board" or "bodyboard" for air travel purposes since those are the terms used in the "baggage speak" guidelines.
_________________
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i