Simply… nicest morning to date on the rooftop terrace. The birds went into full song at about 5:15 AM and it was the most temperate morning we’ve had here, with a cooling light breeze out of the mountains due east. Almost refreshing! Avian visitors this morning included our demonstrative Great Tailed Grackle, another Scarlet Macaw fly by, and a newbie, the little Blue-Gray Tanager (the light blue in the sunrise stood out this morning – definitely our “Bird of the Day”). The beginning of our last full day in Costa Rica! Monica and I prepped a big breakfast this morning, with eggs, sausage, croissants and layers of fruit. Excellent start to the day.
Then I was off for beach walking, deciding to go north today to change the view and do the 4.5 km return stroll on nothing but sand. There is definitely more development in this section of Jaco Beach, and I’m guessing 8-10 larger resort/condo type accommodation in this area. Wasn’t busy though… Or at least not at 8:00 AM. As I see the other spaces at this destination, I’m more and more happy with the accommodation choice we made. All the while the girls enjoyed the surf, switching it up part way with some time in the pool! Great exercise!
No time to rest! Just a block away the Jaco Farmers Market opens at 10:00 AM on Fridays. We gathered ourselves for the short walk, and as soon as we moved away from the shoreline you began to feel the strength of the sun. The outdoor market seemed busy with lots of vehicles coming and going. Great selection of fruits and vegetables… We came back with plantains, some special garlic bread and several samples of cured meats. Prices seemed reasonable… Like home in some ways as there aren’t really “deals” at our farmers markets, but more a guarantee of freshness and produce for locavores! Fun… But too warm!
Of course, there are always times in the day when curiosity takes hold… Times when you “just have to ask”. The New Brunswick plates on a camper parked on the beach out front got the best of me. Young guy, mid forties, left NB in November and trading currency to make a living while travelling. I’m guessing he lived down near Port Elgin way after cobbling together parts of the discussion. We chatted for 1/2 hr… He was looking for life change and sold home/business, does summer work in the north. In the process of purchasing a couple properties in CR. I think there are lots of that “ilk” here… Folks tired of the grind and paying for a materialistic lifestyle that has beaten away quality of life. Young fella said something that caught my ear when referring to change… “First mile is the worst”! Food for thought!
By noon Janie had fixed up some sandwiches (a great lunch) and we were enjoying the veranda when the second “downpour” of our trip tumbled in. We watched it roll in over the water, followed by a huge wind shift, then all the thunder and lightning bells & whistles to boot! Great entertainment. Weather changes quick, and I thought silently that having our kayak trip yesterday was a very good plan! You could almost see the plants and grass turn greener from the veranda! Then… In 30 minutes all sunshine and surfing. Pura Vida!
Janie and I took a PM walk that actually landed us in a beachside bar, with a surfing competition out front and school kids everywhere… that had no electricity. Regardless our waitress helped us out with drinks (given on the honour system in the hope that power would return and she could make change). Pretty good people watching too, as we found ourselves sitting amidst the exchange of a new clothes washer from a patron to one of the waitresses. Lots of shocked and confused faces and we weren’t entirely sure how that was going to play out… But I digress! We enjoyed the rest and all the “beachyness”!
Sad times… As we all gathered on the rooftop to enjoy the last sunset of the trip 😔 ! Another very beautiful night… A perfect ending to an awesome stay at our accommodation. We’d read lots about Jaco, some of it quite unflattering. Sure it had a surfer vibe, of course it had crowds that came to the beach, and hey, music could be heard and people were rocking to party! So what… we coexisted easily with all walks here, and apart from the +30 degree temps, this could have been a tame Homecoming Weekend in Antigonish! It’s all what you make of it!
We hustled off several blocks along the beach to supper… This time to check out a nearby eatery, Soda Jaco Rustico. To define, a soda is what Costa Ricans call their local restaurant. A soda is normally a small open air restaurant that serves only traditional Costa Rican food, often in cafeteria style where you select from the foods in front of you! Many say they are the best places to experience eating out like a local. We had an excellent selection of menu items including rice, pork, fish, beef, chicken, beans, salads, plantains… The list went on! Our group of 4 was served in a friendly, efficient manner with traditional, hot meals in just several minutes, at an entire cost of $30 US! Nothing sacrificed in regards to taste either. Very cool experience.
My evening ended early, with a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace and thoughts turning to a Saturday of travel. Better to face that well rested (although I may sneak back to the roof through the night just to enjoy one last time 😉). We achieved, I think, a small glimpse of life here, about enough to know how much we don’t know… Learning there is so much more to this country and people beyond our 7 short days on one of its favorite beaches!