Beach day

Our only plan for Saturday was to visit beaches.  Mark and I read multiple posts/articles about the best beaches near us and the different type of beaches (I had no idea there were so many types of beaches).  We settled on Playa Flamingo and Playa  Conchal. Two well known beaches fairly close to each other. 

Playa Flamingo: This beach was listed to be really family friendly and it was.  In the high season it is known to be super crowded but there were very few people there.  Especially since we got there by 9:00 on a Saturday morning. One extra great thing about this beach was the you could park on the road right next to it.  You parked and literally walked onto the beach.  As we were setting up our stuff we saw a group of about 25 "locals," (mostly expats with their families) walking along the beach picking up trash. They get together and do it most Saturdays . It was heartwarming to see a community come together and take care of the beach. I was happy to see that we did find the beautiful blue water I had hoped to play in.  It looked way better than the water the day before. We walked along the water, body surfed, built in the sand and collected shells.  I did a little bit of reading but spent more time in the water and walking along the beach and it was very nice.  The weather was perfect that time of the day and the water was chilly when you stepped in but not awful and you got used to it really quickly.  We stayed there for a good three hours which may not seem long but was just right for me. 

 Jared built quite the large complex. 

It was really neat to see the different gradients of blue.  And the sky was so pretty. 

We drove down the road to Playa Conchal and found a little place to eat lunch and buy souvenirs.  Lydia, Jared and I changed into regular clothes which was great for lunch but proved to be a bad idea later.  To get to Playa Conchal, a famous, very popular beach we had to walk across Playa Brasilito.  It was only about 10 minute but it was around 1:00 and it was so hot and felt so long. For whatever reason this beach is not a very attractive beach.  The water is not the pretty blue and it just seemed like a sad beach.  After walking across the beach you go up a slight dirt incline, pass people offering chairs, umbrellas and water sport equipment to rent, coconut water and snacks to buy, and are treated to a beautiful beach and view.  Playa Conchal is special because the "sand" is actually made up of little shells.  It is not sand.  It has such a different texture.  Its all little crushed up shells and a few bigger pieces.  It was so neat.  The water was the most amazing color.  It is not a large beach and I could see how it could get really crowded during the high season.  November was such a great time to be there and we were just so lucky with the weather.

Sadly the three of us had stayed in our "street clothes."  We all wished we had changed back into swimsuits.  By the time we left Playa Flamingo we were all pretty done playing at the beach but oh we were sad we couldn't jump in that beautiful water to cool off after our walk.  We of course went in the water but it was not quite the same.  If I had realized how pretty it was going to be or how gross and tired I was going to feel I would have put my wet, sandy swimming suit back on.  I am glad we went but we didn't end up staying too long.  We were kind of grumpy about not having swimming suits and beach toys.  Really we should have spent less time at the other beach and eaten lunch after going to Playa Conchal. It was also frustrating to not have easy access to the beach.  A big hotel blocks easy access.  Everything online said the only way to get there was to walk across Playa Brasilito. I am glad we went but wish we would have gone there first and then Playa Flamingo.

This were the colors I was hoping to see.

Playa Flamingo and Playa Hermosa are like most beaches and when the waves crashed the water picked up sand and made it cloudy. At Playa Conchal with shells as the "sand" it didn't make the water cloudy at all and it was amazing.  It was so clear and blue.  Its interesting the factors that make a beach the way it is.  Because Costa Rica has a lot of volcanoes it has more black not white sand beaches. It was great to come this beach and see how different and beautiful it was. 

Both these beaches were about an hour away from our air bnb.  Playa Flamingo had two routes you could take to get there.  One was the nice, paved main road and the other was the local, back way called "The Monkey Road."  Mark talked to a few of the ground keepers at the air bnb to see if they thought we could take the back way and they assured him we would be fine so we went for it!  There are some crazy switchbacks and 2 spots where you had to ford a river but we made it.  Our rental car was a Toyota Rav 4 and we were happy to have some extra clearance.  When we came up to the river and Jared and Lydia realized we were going to drive across it they were super excited and shocked.  The water was maybe a foot and a half deep.  If there had been a good rain the previous days Mark would not have done it but we made it. It was fun to have a little off-roading experience. All I could think of was "never drive across standing water"  the warning you always hear about flooding.  Mark opted to take the main road back.  It was a long hot day but it was beautiful. And really if you go to Costa Rica you should absolutely visit beaches. Even if you are afraid of them and don't like sand.

Diamante Adventure Park

Friday, our first full day in Costa Rica was spent at Diamante Adventure Park.  It is in a beautiful location. We bought the adventure pass for Mark, Jared and myself and the animal sanctuary pass for Lydia.  With the pass we could do the zip lines including the "Superman", a cultural experience (Coffee or Chocolate), swim at the beach (paddle board, kayak, hammocks), eat lunch and visit the animal sanctuary.  Lydia was not old enough to do the zip lines so she and I explored the animal sanctuary while Mark and Jared did the course.  After they finished I went and did the course myself.  I really enjoyed the animals.  There was a great variety all of which have been rescued and rehabilitated.  Lydia loved the big cats, the butterflies and the sloth. I loved the toucans.  They were so beautiful and colorful.   

Lydia so wanted a butterfly to land on her and she had her wish fulfilled. 

Next to the animal sanctuary there was also a fun obstacle course that Lydia and Jared enjoyed. 

Ready to go! There were photographers taking pictures as you did the courses and we went ahead and bought the ones for Mark and Jared.  They are pretty cool and we got a good deal with it being shoulder season.  So while there are no really good pictures of me I did the course too and we all thought it was awesome.  Jared especially loved the Superman.  This Course has you lie on your stomach facing the ocean.  You get up to almost 60 mph.  It was something else.  I did not feel scared but could not believe how fast we went.  I was partnered up with a lady from Savannah who was nervous and she did great.  She was really nice and said she was so glad she had someone to go with.  It was really cool. 

The course goes right over the animal sanctuary and Lydia and I happened to be in the right spot to see them go above us.  This is Jared with Mark on the platform. 

The guides were super helpful.  I always felt safe. When I came later they realized I was with Mark and Jared and talked to me about how well Jared did.  I knew he would.  He was so looking forward to these courses.  Lydia did not mind not being able to do them at all.  She did some on Monday at a different place. 

Here are some of the professional photos which are nice to have. 

"Superman": Its almost a mile long!

Notice how they both had too have weights added onto their backs?

They added 30 pounds to Jared.  The minimum weight is 60 pounds or 30 kg and he was 31 kg.  It was sort of windy when they went so they added extra to be safe.  

A few more of the other courses

After a delicious lunch we got on our swimming suits and headed to the beach.  This beach was a sort of a bay and it did not have the prettiest water. I was disappointed because I hoped the water would be that beautiful blue color and it was not.  At least not at that beach.  Jared and Lydia had fun building in the sand and playing in the water.  The water was quite warm and did not have many waves.  Mark and I both tried paddle boarding for the first time and enjoyed it. I was doing really well and then Jared swam out to me and somehow I lost my balance and went under.  Mark got as far as kneeling but decided not to risk standing. Jared tried it for a little bit while Mark did some kayaking.  I spent most of my time laying in a hammock reading in the shade which is the very best way to spend time at a beach. 

On our way out we stopped to check out a few more animals.  I really wanted to see the toucans again. I can't explain why I loved them so much, they were just so exotic to me. 

This hanging bridge above Lydia has you walk over the crocodile pond.  It was cool. 

One of the crocodiles is next to to the log on the right. 

We all had a great (if rather expensive) day.  It was nice to go to one spot and get to check so many things off our list.  This trip was one of our less planned trips.  So each night Mark and I spent some time figuring out what we wanted to do and we ended up getting a really great variety. 

Taking in the view with one last glass of fresh juice.

Costa Rica

For awhile now Mark has wanted to travel to Costa Rica.  I have been less excited about this idea for many reasons such as: its hot and humid there all the time, it's known for beaches and I am scared of the ocean and don't like spending multiple days or long stretches at a time at the beach, and it's expensive. That being said we went for our Fall break and had a really nice trip. I was admittedly sad to leave VA during the most beautiful, perfect weather but I did my best to embrace Costa Rica and had a lot of fun. Our flights worked out great, (we flew into Liberia and stayed in that part of Costa Rica) we got on the flights we wanted and got seats together. We even got first class for the flight home which was a nice treat. Sadly, Mark's Mom's flights did not work out.  She was planning to meet us there and all of the flights out of SLC looked awful for standby.  This was such a bummer.  She ended up going to Arizona to visit Kristi so not at all Costa Rica but time away from home somewhere warm. Our Air bnb was awesome.  There was a ton of space, a beautiful yard with 2 pools and a playground.  It also had a really fun swing that Jared, Lydia and I all enjoyed.  It was in a really good location too.  It was a great place to stay.  Not a great deal like other places we have used but it was really nice.  I am not sure if this is the case year round in Costa Rica, it could be given its proximity to the equator but it is fully dark by 5:30 pm and fully light by 5:30 the next morning. The roads we traveled on were in good shape but Mark did not want to be out late driving.  Since we knew we would be waking early we tried to be in bed by 8:00 each night.  We could not sleep past 6:00. We had too much to do while the sun was out and it's just hard to sleep when it gets light so early.  We were always out the door by 7:30.

We were on the third floor on the right. 

We cooked dinner at the air bnb each night and had a larger meal for lunch each day.  I typically find simple foods that feel like home to make at the air bnb  (Lydia especially needs this on trips) and then we try to find local dishes for lunch. In Costa Rica that meant a lot of rice and beans which Mark and I love.  

A book, smoothie and macaroni and cheese. Lydia was happy as can be. She made good use of this balcony.  It was huge. I know we ate dinner out there one night and it was lovely.  While still plenty humid and hot, it was actually not as bad as I thought it would be which was a pleasant surprise. 

Pool #1

We went at night which was really fun and not something we do often. Our last day we hung out at the pool for 2 hours.  We were down there just after 7 am. 

Pool #2

The Swing!

It was attached to a branch so high up in the tree which made you able to swing really high. 

The condo manager recommended this place so we checked it out the first night we were there. Mark was happy to have an abundance of fresh juice.

 

 I asked everyone in our family what words came to mind when they thought of Costa Rica. 

Jared: Beaches

Lydia: Ocean

Mark: Eco-Adventures

April: Jungles

We were able to spend time doing all these activities and never be more than 2 hours from one spot or the other.  We were worried about the weather because November is technically still the rainy season but we only had rain the first day.  So super lucky.  We stayed in a little town called Playa Hermosa and our air bnb was a 5 minute walk away from the ocean.  We arrived around noon Thursday and our first stop was a local grocery store to stock up.  I always enjoy seeing what is stocked in grocery stores and figuring out what things are and what we will all like to eat. We ate a lot of cereal this trip, I brought it with us which worked out really well. One of the little tricks I have figured out since we started traveling.  Cereal is cheaper (and better tasting to us) in the US.  Since we ate such big lunches we didn't need big dinners. We got settled in and then took a walk to the beach.  We didn't stay long as shortly after we arrived it started raining but we were able to go back a few more times which was nice. 

Playa Hermosa

Sunset #1

Sunset #2: same beach just opposite end.  We walked down to the end of the beach so we could see the sun go down all the way. 

It was a really nice place to stay and a very different vacation for us.  Lydia said she is going to live in Costa Rica when she grows up.  This from the girl who says she loves winter?  We all did really enjoy our trip.  When Mark asked them about it Jared and Lydia both said it was their favorite trip that we have taken. I am still team Iceland but appreciate the beauty and diversity of Costa Rica and love the memories we made.