On our way to Costa Rica the Ecuadorian immigration agents were confused by our tickets to Liberia. They asked which specific West African city we were flying into. Liberia, Costa Rica apparently isn’t a very big airport. Upon landing, a prearranged shuttle took us to our accommodation in Nosara (specifically, Playa Guiones). It was during a torrential downpour where the mostly unpaved roads were more like rivers. Due to the start of the rainy season here, we scored a pretty great deal for a studio a few minutes from the beach. Though the rain is unpredictable and daily, it has only negatively affected our activities a couple of times and it’s worth it for the cooler temperatures, smaller crowds, and lush vegetation. Here’s the view from our front porch during a thunderstorm:
These super colorful crabs come out after rain and in the evenings. So many bright little things scurrying around:
There are howler monkeys in the area which we can hear ‘howling’ in the mornings and evenings but have only spotted once so far.
We decided to spend 3 weeks in Costa Rica, with only 2 agenda items: plan out the remainder of our travels and get better at surfing. We both took another surf lesson when we arrived. I’ve been stubborn enough to keep at it but Priscilla’s decided to opt for the yoga studio instead. Our days have fallen into a nice, relaxed routine: Eat breakfast, surf/exercise on the beach, eat lunch at a local Soda, and spend the rest of the day planning and relaxing until making dinner, and then finally go for a sunset walk on the beach. It’s actually been quite productive. Priscilla has put a massive amount of time into planning, and we’ve booked everything through early November!
The food that we eat for lunch basically every day:
Every few days someone comes around selling tamales, so we’ll get a few for snacks:
I’ve also gotten slightly better at surfing (not enough for pics), which is the most difficult sport I’ve ever tried to learn. I’ve recently taken a few day break from surfing due to straining a muscle in my ribs, in addition to other minor scrapes and bruises; but hope to get back out for our final few days here.
Evil looking spiky tree:
Highlights of Playa Guiones:
- One of the best surfing beginner/intermediate beach breaks in this area of the world. Unfortunately the lineup is also pretty crowded at the best times of day, which is intimidating for a novice
- Getting a ton of planning done, it feels great to have logistics planned out so much in advance!
- Doing a full body workout in the water for 2+ hrs a day, along with eating a lot of good food
- Eating lunch every. single. day. (except Sundays when they’re closed) at Rosi’s Soda Tica around the corner