July 08,  2003
Nosara, Costa Rica
~5500 miles

la luna could quite possibly be the best restaurant in the world.  matt and joellen (jake) the couple that run it are amazingly friendly and mario's food is on par with the best stuff coming out of any restaurant in the states.  it sits just down the road from hotel playa nosara, nestled among a little stand of palm trees, overlooking a quite little cove on playa nosara.

sometimes when all the elements come together just right, the result becomes greater than the sum of its parts-- magical even. la luna is magical. in all my travels so far, europe, nepal, india, thailand, china, america, and the rest of mexico and central america, i've never eaten anywhere quite like it.

 seven round tables with comfy little wooden chairs line the front of a little ranch style place. matt swings by with a couple beers, one for me and one for him... "what's up, mate?" he asks in his brisbane accent...  we talk about everything and nothing in particular.

the evenings just drift by at la luna... beers, sunset, dinner, and more drinks inside ... sitting on stools around the generous bar. 4 or 5 dogs sprawled out on the cool cobblestone floor. we put on some dance music, smoke a big joint and the night goes on... good times, good people all under a
waxing moon with the sound of the surf and the tree frogs wafting in through the front door.