Travelling to Costa Rica -- Day 3

26 de Marzo
Playa Grande, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

It was our first full day at a single place. I thankfully slept well last night and woke up refreshed and ready for a run. I embarked on a journey to the end of the beach, which ended up being a perfect 2.5 miles. I was excited to run, and see more of the beach than I would just walk. The tidepools at the cliff halting the sands of the beach were void of interesting creatures, but at least I saw a couple of tiny anemones. Before I left, I looked at the about 25 foot cliff looming above and noticed that at the top was a field of plumerias, and there was a massive plumeria holding onto the side of the cliff. The plumerias were massive. They had massive trunks and were massively tall. It must be so beautiful when they are all in bloom. From the run, I was also able to discover the location of the popular surf spot about which turned out to be a mile down the beach.

Immediately after I returned, Casey, my father, and I walked down to the market, where we perused the shelves in search of some dinner, and a pineapple. The tropical fruit here is good enough to ruin all mangoes and pineapple here in California for me. We did not go out to breakfast today, so I satisfied myself with some cereal. We tested out the pool, and eventually traveled to the nearby city of Tamarindo. We are separated by a river, called “El Estero De Playa Grande” or the estuary of Playa Grande, and the only way to cross it is by taxi boat. A ride down it costs either $3 or ₡1500 (Costa Rican Colones). Since tourism is the largest income in the country, they do not mind accepting US dollars, money is money. The estuary is lined with beautiful green mangrove trees, most of the other trees in the area and up the hills are brown due to the dry season. The boat ride lasted around fifteen minutes, and then we exited and walked into town.

Tamarindo is incredibly touristy, with people constantly trying to sell little, painted, wooden, whistling birds. The highlight of the city is the variety of restaurants and stores, and the very wide beach and paved roads. We mostly focused on eating, but we did walk through the single tree that comprises most of the town. The Costa Rican lifestyle just seems so perfect. The waiter at the “Wild Panda” once his shift ended, took off his work shirt, left it in the back of the restaurant, grabbed his surfboard, hopped on his bike and rode the short trip to the beach. What a wonderful way to live.

For the rest of the day, we relaxed. We lounged at the pool, and before the sunset, we walked to the beach. It was nice to make dinner at the house today because the timing was more predictable and the food was much faster. That means I get to go to bed early!