Nicoya

(Playa Tamarindo, CR - Montezuma, CR)

From ¨Pura Vida¨ Hostel in Tamarindo, it was a short drive down to Playa Samara which we visited on the recommendation of a few guys we met during dinner prep the night before. Grace put together a fantastic stir fry dish of bean noodles and vegetables which was our first experience ¨eating in¨ since we started the trip. It turned out to be slightly more expensive than going to one of the cheap eateries in town, but from a health and taste perspective, well worth the price. (Seriously, I think that meal may end up saving my life).

In our opinion, both Playa Samara and Tamarindo were nothing to rave about. Hot, dusty and expensive with a majority white population. We did find a great spot to stay in Samara though, just a short ride outside of town, named Villa Kunterbunt. It´s run by a German artist and his lady friend who have been living in Costa Rica for 16 years. (Apparantly all of which time they spent painting the house, which has become a rainbow inspired spectacle!) We met a friendly couple from Australia and enjoyed a lively conversation over dinner where I was explained in detail the silly rules of the game of Cricket, and where we all racked our brains for various ways in which we can improve the world. Imperial is a delicious Costa Rican beverage, by the way.

The road down the Peninsula to Montezuma was a fantastic ride on mostly dirt roads and sandy beaches. We crossed two small rivers with ease, neither of which we felt worthy of a photograph. Sorry Tudor.
We arrived at Montezuma in the afternoon and found a great little town set between two sandy coves just around the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. We booked a room at a fantastic hotel on the water named ¨Hotel Lucy¨ and decided to stay an extra day.

Today we hiked up to a series of waterfalls just outside of town and spent the day splashing around and doing a little cliff jumping. We had lunch at a restaurant perched on stilts above the water, and followed that up with a little reading on the beach as the waves crashed against rocks just beyond our feet. You could argue that it was superior to spending a standard winter day in Seattle I suppose.

Photos
1) Our first taste of Costa Rican relaxin in Tamarindo
2) Villa Kunterbunt in Playa Samara
3) Quite the perch...
4) ...to make friends...
5) ...and watch the sun drop
6) Before landing on the tile floor, it landed on Grace´s face. It was funny... for me.
7) It was having the hardest time swallowing the whole squirrel. Did anyone else think that these things ate bugs???
8) A little beach time just north of Montezuma
9) Pete gets so happy out there
10) Hotel Lucy in Montezuma
11) At the upper pool at ¨Las Cascades de Montezuma¨...
12) ...Grace found a comfy spot...
13) ...with a nice view.
14) It...
15) ...was...
16) ...high.