Primera Semana en Costa Rica!

Tuesday - Off to San Jose, Costa Rica for a month long stay...we landed and were picked up promptly by the hotel shuttle driver.  Checked in, we contacted the rental car company to make sure all was in order for us to pick up our car in the morning and had an early supper at Rosti Pollo before turning in for the night.

Wednesday -We were up and at the car rental agency at 8 am...only to find that they had a real junker for us with no gas....Dale told him what he thought of the vehicle (#@*^)  and that we would not be taking it.  Sooooo, they soon had another car for us with a full tank of gas!  Our first stop was at a WalMart for groceries....we were shocked to find a gate guard, the parking lot empty and the store immaculate with no customers..it was really strange! With our directions in hand and a Costa Rica map loaded on our GPS off we went across the country to the Pacific coast, taking the Autopista for part of it which is a toll road.  All went great, no problems and after a lunch stop we drove into Dominical and located our rental property.  We had one giant problem, the gate guard couldn't find the key to our villa #30.  We drove up the mountain to see if had been left unlocked, but no such luck!  Back down the mountain we went and after several phone calls, lots of paper shuffling, suddenly the keys appeared....thank goodness! We unloaded the car, unpacked, grabbed a sandwich, showered and CRASHED!

Thursday - We were lucky to discover a sloth hanging out in the trees on the road above our house, such unusual creatures. Toucans also had a nest across the road and we watched them come and go, only stopping long enough to feed their offspring.  Off to the local fish market, were we purchased about 2 Kilos of Mahi Mahi for 12,000 colones and enjoyed some of it that evening......yummo!

Friday - A quick trip down the road to Uvita for some groceries items and a stop to get Dale some fried chicken. Later we went over to Dave and Deb's house to fill water bags for the race, think we did at least a 1,000 of them.  We met some other folks visiting CR from all over. The day ended with a dip in our plunge pool and dinner on the patio.

Saturday- Off to Uvita early for the farmer's market where I purchased....strawberries, cauliflower, lettuce, avocados, and brussel sprouts from the vendors. Later a hike up to the Posi Azul waterfalls near our place...some tricky steep stairs lead down to a beautiful spot and a small falls with a deep pool.  Dale decided to take photos while I went for a swim in the chilly spring fed pool water. Later several locals joined us, we enjoyed watching the kids swing on the ropes and do flips into the water.

Sunday- We were up at 5 am to help with a 2K/5K/10K race on the beach.  Dale helped put up the start and finish line banner, cut up fruit and hand out water to the runners.  I took photos and helped cut up fruit.....mostly watermelon.  It was great to see the kids, and all runners received a medal.
After the race we went to La Fogata for a pizza, then a stop at the store, and finally up to see Donna and Daryl at SFTS where we stayed two years ago.  Back at our place I was sitting on the patio, when I heard something moving in the trees....two Howler monkeys were busy eating and completely ignored us.

Monday - Made a trip to Dominical to the bank ATM to get colones, no luck the machine was out of money....come back later!  Then we stopped at Playa Hermosa, a breathtaking beach that seems to be endless.  Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica truly lives up to its name. Playa Hermosa Costa Rica is an incredibly scenic tropical beach, bordered by a spectacular forested cliff on the north, and Marino Ballena National Park to the south. Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica is also backed by a palm-lined beach and rainforest covered mountains. And this means you get 360° of beauty. Playa Hermosa Costa Rica is about half the size of the beach at Playa Dominical Costa Rica, with crystal clear water and very good wave form. ("Playa Hermosa" means beautiful beach in Spanish).Lunch today was spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread on the patio.  Another trip to Dominical and this time success.....colones!  We grabbed a chocolate ice cream, stopped a 7 Eleven like store in Dominical that was on steroids, and made it back to our place. Naps, a dip in the pool, followed by a hike up the jungle trail were we spotted two Howler monkeys playing up in the trees.