So far the roads in Costa Rica are much better than I was expecting. As long as you don't get stuck behind a bus, don't want to turn around and can keep your vehicle on the road at all times. The travel times on Waze and Google are much slower than the distance would seem to indicate so I was expecting rough roads and even dirt roads. Turns out the roads we've been on so far have been well paved but they are narrow with no shoulder and most of the bridges are one way so you really have to pay attention.
The main roads run along the coast and we started by heading north from our condo. We found more cows and lots of smaller local markets before we attempted to turn around. This is where the narrow roads with no shoulder come into play. It was not easy finding a spot to turn around so we did a bit more exploring then planned. When we did get turned around our destination was Tamarindo to the south of us. We knew in advance that it was more of a tourist town and I will admit is probably the most tourist centric town I have ever been to. Gift shops everywhere and street vendors selling necklaces and bird whistles. This was exactly what Carter was looking for. I think we hit every gift shop in a KM and he worked with Kerry to bargain with a street vendor for a few bird whistles. We think he got a good deal.
We spent a bit of time walking on the beach and found a nice open air food court for lunch and dessert at a chain called Pops that had been recommended to us. Both were great!
On our way back we stopped at another beach called Playa Grande. Each beach we've been to has been quite unique. This one was big, flat and windy which made for a good place for what I am fairly certain were mostly beginner surfers. The waves broke really close to shore and I don't think I saw anyone get up on their board in front of us, though there was a group farther down to the left us that looked like they were having better luck. It was mostly open to the sun with the exception of a small area of palm trees. A perfect area to read a book.
We have several views from our condo. The pool is on one side and we can see the ocean from the other once you look past a local gathering spot. Every night we've been here people show up just after dark, turn on a single bright LED light and play soccer. The picture here shows them wetting down the dirt to keep the dust down. It's a very controlled game of mostly passing since I don't think they like having to chase the ball into the adjacent lots. It's clear why soccer is a universal sport. A ball and a flat space is all you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment