Tuesday morning, all’s well on the Rich Coast! Early wake up with birds, coffee and sunrise on the rooftop terrace. Its a perfect morning and evening locale. Breakfast was a fun affair this morning with Monica and I looking after the duties. Just before we ate two Scarlet Macaws sailed through… Kind of made me feel better that the first sighting on Sunday wasn’t a fluke! We had eaten and the dishes were drying by 7:00 AM.
Jaco Beach is pretty darn impressive. Did another 3kms of shoreline walking this morning. Locals and touristas out for exercise, walking dogs, fishing, sunbathing, surfing, you name it! Something for everyone! It’s looked after nicely, to the point where seeing litter is very out of place. I’m guessing there must be at least 4kms of rolling surf and sandy beach just ready to play in. My plan is to get a walk in every morning of the trip! Gotta stay ahead of the menus we’ve been reading 😳…
So this morning Janie and Monica went surfing. Just a block down the beach is the Costa Rica Surf Camp. At about 10:00 AM they began to gather gear and put on surfer clothes for the event. Gotta look the part. Then some dry land chatting to get the basics and safety component in place. Not to be outdone, Eileen and I attended Pina Colada camp while watching… yummy! My job, thankfully, was to wade out and take pics! Done!
The Russian judges were tough, but in the end the girls did a bang up job getting on, and then staying on, the boards. The instructor was very accommodating, but I think she had good students. Both were pretty relaxed on the boards and within the first try were making their way from the break of the surf into the shore. And there’s video to prove it! Well done!
I got a 1/2 hr head start home and built a midday snack (cheese/ meats/ crackers/ fruit) for everyone. Eileen pitched in and cleaned up afterwards! At about 1:00 PM the girls took off to take care of several pieces of business. First, a little check in stop at the condo services space for waivers / Credit card hold. Easy peasy! Then to Adventure Tours Costa Rica to pay for two excursions… Carara NP and a Kayak/Snorkelling trip. Lastly… a quick stop for supplies (mostly water) followed by Janie grabbing a cab home ($2 US for anywhere in town). The lucky guy that I am was able to get a head start on a siesta! 😴
Drum roll please… today’s bird, perhaps only slightly less common than the noisy grackles that frequent our terrace every morning, is the Great Kiskadee. We’ve seen them everyday! This yellow bodied, white crowned visitor is a member of the flycatcher family. They make a racket… and as one may suspect, like our chickadee of the North, the “kisk-a-dee” got its name from it’s distinct call. Pretty little birds!
One of the daily highlights is the sunset… It’s happening around 5:45 and none has disappointed, and somehow each has been different. I’ve been on the rooftop snapping pics and enjoying the cooling that seems to occur as soon as the sun hits a critical angle. Just dropped a picture of tonight’s edition! Eileen and the girls enjoyed from the beach in the water.
And… After two big splurges Sunday and Monday for supper out we ate at home, enjoying some Costa Rican style vegetables, rice & beans and chicken in a wrap. Bit of an adventure, but all turned out pretty darn good. Maybe the wine, a sampling from Chile which seems like main producer for wines that we’ve seen, helped supper along. Finally finding our way around this kitchen a bit. It’s so nice to be able to take a few minutes and cook for ourselves on these trips. The all inclusives seem like just too much at times. We’re expecting an early night, with a 7:30 AM departure time for a guided hike at Carara National Park! Shouldn’t be hard to find a bird of the day tomorrow. Adios…
Hello Lumsdens. I had a coffee and chat with Mike and Kathy Hinchey , Kevin Grant and Mairi Parr this morning at the Tall and Small. Mike reminded me of your blog … so between you , I and the lamp post ,I must confess that I wasn’t sure how to navigate a blog. Major blush. Anyway , I’ve got it figured now … quite easy … so glad I’m able to check it out. Costa Rica looks amazing. Did you get any photos of the ladies on the surfboards? I could totally see Monica doing that , but I’m super impressed that the Mrs did it too. Please extend to her the “I’m not worthy bow” for me and have a piña colada for me as well !!! Love this blog and I’m going to be using it for future travels. Xx Cat
Good afternoon Catharine! So glad you chimed in and that you’re navigating successfully. That sounds like a pretty awesome travel group that you met up with👍. Costa Rica has been pretty astounding… We just had a perfect tour of one of the National Parks here, Carara. Carara is a tropical rainforest, but we are visiting in the dry season. So much wildlife (especially birds). I’m going to write it up in Costa Rica Day Five. Both girls surfed and did a great job. I’ll pass along your “hellos”. Take care and see you Monday Catharine! Cheers…