Paul Saladino

Every night for three and a half months, I slept on the ground on a sleeping mat, but I was out in nature. It was one of the most joyous, simple times in my life. But I think that there's something about being in nature that's good for humans. And that changed me. And I feel like I'm closer to that when I'm in Costa Rica.

I'm just closer to nature and closer to that sort of memory of just being in the natural world. And it's just, it's meant everything for me over the last few years. I went down during COVID. So there was a lot of political stuff happening too. Oh yeah. Yeah.

I'm just closer to nature and closer to that sort of memory of just being in the natural world. And it's just, it's meant everything for me over the last few years. I went down during COVID. So there was a lot of political stuff happening too. Oh yeah. Yeah.

I'm just closer to nature and closer to that sort of memory of just being in the natural world. And it's just, it's meant everything for me over the last few years. I went down during COVID. So there was a lot of political stuff happening too. Oh yeah. Yeah.

You know, it was a little bit. Every time I went back to the States, I had to do a COVID test. And in a lot of the grocery stores, when I first got down there, you had to wear a mask. So they were enforcing some things. Costa Rica kind of just follows. They don't really question much. But it was much more free, I think, than the States was.

You know, it was a little bit. Every time I went back to the States, I had to do a COVID test. And in a lot of the grocery stores, when I first got down there, you had to wear a mask. So they were enforcing some things. Costa Rica kind of just follows. They don't really question much. But it was much more free, I think, than the States was.

You know, it was a little bit. Every time I went back to the States, I had to do a COVID test. And in a lot of the grocery stores, when I first got down there, you had to wear a mask. So they were enforcing some things. Costa Rica kind of just follows. They don't really question much. But it was much more free, I think, than the States was.

Because they did close the beaches, apparently, in Costa Rica. I was living in San Diego before I was in Austin, and that was when COVID first started, and they closed the beaches.

Because they did close the beaches, apparently, in Costa Rica. I was living in San Diego before I was in Austin, and that was when COVID first started, and they closed the beaches.

Because they did close the beaches, apparently, in Costa Rica. I was living in San Diego before I was in Austin, and that was when COVID first started, and they closed the beaches.

It was crazy. When I was living in San Diego, I was surfing, but I also had a foil board. Do you know what a foil board is? Is that the thing Laird made? That's what Laird made, right? So it's a board with a mast and then a wing below it. And I had an electric foil board. And I would go to this inlet, the Hedionda Reservoir in San Diego, and I would go on my foil board.

It was crazy. When I was living in San Diego, I was surfing, but I also had a foil board. Do you know what a foil board is? Is that the thing Laird made? That's what Laird made, right? So it's a board with a mast and then a wing below it. And I had an electric foil board. And I would go to this inlet, the Hedionda Reservoir in San Diego, and I would go on my foil board.

It was crazy. When I was living in San Diego, I was surfing, but I also had a foil board. Do you know what a foil board is? Is that the thing Laird made? That's what Laird made, right? So it's a board with a mast and then a wing below it. And I had an electric foil board. And I would go to this inlet, the Hedionda Reservoir in San Diego, and I would go on my foil board.

It's an electric foil board. You don't need anyone to pull you, and you can kind of essentially fly around. The board is out of the water. And during COVID, they closed it. You couldn't even go in the water. And I thought, forget this. I just went in by myself. And I'm foiling around the reservoir by myself. I'm thousands of feet from any human.

It's an electric foil board. You don't need anyone to pull you, and you can kind of essentially fly around. The board is out of the water. And during COVID, they closed it. You couldn't even go in the water. And I thought, forget this. I just went in by myself. And I'm foiling around the reservoir by myself. I'm thousands of feet from any human.

It's an electric foil board. You don't need anyone to pull you, and you can kind of essentially fly around. The board is out of the water. And during COVID, they closed it. You couldn't even go in the water. And I thought, forget this. I just went in by myself. And I'm foiling around the reservoir by myself. I'm thousands of feet from any human.

And a policeman saw it or someone called it in from the neighborhood. And I saw there were flashing lights at the entrance where I would get out. And I thought, oh, that guy's going to give me a ticket. And I think it was like a thousand dollar ticket for breaking the quarantine or breaking these rules and COVID. And so I just waited him out. I just stayed in it.

And a policeman saw it or someone called it in from the neighborhood. And I saw there were flashing lights at the entrance where I would get out. And I thought, oh, that guy's going to give me a ticket. And I think it was like a thousand dollar ticket for breaking the quarantine or breaking these rules and COVID. And so I just waited him out. I just stayed in it.

And a policeman saw it or someone called it in from the neighborhood. And I saw there were flashing lights at the entrance where I would get out. And I thought, oh, that guy's going to give me a ticket. And I think it was like a thousand dollar ticket for breaking the quarantine or breaking these rules and COVID. And so I just waited him out. I just stayed in it.

I didn't have anything else to do that afternoon, thankfully. I waited him out. I just sat on my foil board in the middle of the reservoir. It's like a brackish saltwater, freshwater reservoir. I just sat there. And then... He waited for four or five hours. Eventually, I went to this little inlet and kind of snuck around. And there was a house full of people.