Brief note: for some reason, probably user error, I could not get the format to realign to center so some of these are left aligned.
During our second day in Guanacaste, we went searching for a few of the beaches Clark's work mates had mentioned. This worked perfectly since all of them were north of Tamarindo. We beach hopped up the coast, first to Conchal, then to Playa del Coco but with a couple other unexpected beaches sandwiched between.
First, we drove back through Matapalo. The quaintness of this town reminded me of Lamar.
The town square is centered around the futbol pitch, public park, school, and community building.
I can't remember where we saw this guy.
The first beach we came to was supposed to be Conchal, but after we arrived we discovered it was Puerto Viejo and Conchal was the next beach up, about a 30-minute drive. We read that Conchal had broken shells for sand that made the beach sparkle. But after spending a some time at Puerto Viejo, Clark and the kids opted to skip Conchal and head up to Coco. The water is pretty!
Boats anchored at Playa Puerto Viejo. There are many snorkeling tours that go out into the Gulf of Papagayo to find hidden beaches with the clear calm water most desired for snorkeling.
While they swam, I went for a walk to see if Conchal was close enough to walk to. It was pretty far. I didn't make it, but I found these cool rock formations on the beach.
Once we arrived to the town of Playa del Coco, we checked into our Airbnb (which had a beautiful pool) and went to find Playa Ocotal. This was a beach we had heard about from a few people. Of all the beaches we've seen so far, this one is the stand out. The sand was jet metallic black. I thought the sand we saw at Caldera was black. NO. This sand was black, like coal, well, lava rock. Thats probably why. From the hardened lava rock turned into fine sand.
Playa Ocotal: Our Favorite Beach in Costa Rica (so far)
Not only was the beach small and quiet, the sand gorgeous and unique but Clark said the water was crystal clear and full of sea life, which is why this one was a huge hit for him and the kids.
If you zoom in, you might be able to get the effect of the sand. That isn't a shadow from my camera. That is the actual color of the sand. This was a smaller beach, very quaint and peaceful, and situated between two bluffs.
We decided to head toward the north bluff. We thought the snorkeling would be better by the rocks and the north was closest to the beach entrance. The light is reflecting off the sand making it hard to see the true color.
At the rocks, we found this small tidal pool perfect for small children to splash in. Some moms were sitting in the water while their babies played.
This is a blow hole near the same place. The water would recede completely out then rush back in to explode up. Super neat!
While the others stayed back to snorkel around the north bluff, I decided to walk to the south end and around the bluff. Here are pictures depicting what I found.
A mini beach!
Beautiful clear water.
Shell "sand"
This guy was relaxing in the shade of the trees as I made my way back to the north. I wasn't the first to spot him, rather a golden retriever down at the shore was "pointing" and it brought my attention too. There were some people sitting close by and they had no clue the lizard was moving towards them so I directed their attention as well. It was a little distance from the shore, but the dog knew it was there. Animals and their senses are amazing.
A cool half of a seed pod I found. Except it was lined with its hair-like seeds and when I accidentally brushed my finger there the seeds stuck into my fingertips like cactus spines! I spent about 30 minutes sitting on the beach picking them out because they felt like splinters. Then I used a stick to clear all the seed hair out so I can turn this into a Christmas ornament for my tree.
I also admired my scars from sliding down the steep trail on our way to turtle watching the previous night.
Hunting and Gathering:
We found some of the best souvenirs in Guanacaste. Finally, some more authentic items not just things that looked mass produced from China but actually hand-crafted, artisanal items. Andrea told me about how Ticos use paper mâché to make art, there is a kind of pottery they make, and also wood masks with dot painting similar to the Aboriginals.
I took this picture to remind myself about this new type of Bokitas (like Ritz) with chocolate. These are my favorite with or without chocolate, but I really want to try the chocolate ones!
At the Auto Mercado in Playa del Coco they sell Dr. P by the can instead of the case! Auto Mercado is the most USA type grocer here in Costa Rica.
We went back to the apartment and were tempted (successfully) into a swim in the beautiful pool. Next, we showered up before heading out for dinner. We all settled on Indian food which I neglected to take pictures of. It was pretty tasty but not as good as the Naans and Curry restaurant we went to for Valentine's Day.
Afterwards, we needed to grab some items for breakfast since it was a Sunday. I was in a silly mood from my Indian dinner had me feeling bubbly (some of my favorite cuisine) and we ended up with this ice cream and fried sweet flat bread Clark had been wanting to try for weeks. We frequently see it for sale at the roadside stands. Surprise! We discovered Hormel pre-cooked frozen breakfast sausages in the Auto Mercado!! The first USA type breakfast sausage we had seen here, and we were SO excited because we had looked EVERYWHERE and pretty much given up!
No comments:
Post a Comment