Costa Rica - Day 5

Even after four nights we've not been able to get our sleep patterns right. We do either too much or too little during the day, work in a nap then wake up at 3am. Usually we manage to get back to sleep for awhile. We got up for good at 6am to pack up. Today is our transfer back from Aljuela Provence to Guanacaste Provence and the driver was due at 10am.

We managed to pack, eat breakfast and call a taxi by 7:30. Arrived at the Estacia Ecologic Catarata del Rio Fortuna as they opened at 8am. Hiked down to the base for some pictures and a quick swim in the pool. You can't swim near la catarata because the undertow is deadly but the next pool over is sandy, deep and cool. We were back at the top by 9:15 for the cab back to grab our luggage and meet our driver (Hal).

The drive takes us most of the way around Lake Arenal which takes almost two hours alone, two more hours up the North American Highway gets us back to Liberia and the airport and then another hour on smaller roads will get us to the Pacific Coast.

Much later.....

We stopped for lunch and a very pretty German Cafe along the way. We had good beer, roast pork, homemade noodles and german sausage with mustard. Then slept for a few hours.

We perked up by the time we passed Liberia giving us a chance to see some more of the local towns. Many of the school children were practicing marching while playing drums and other instruments in preparation for our 20th wedding anniversary. The whole country has been busy decorating and planning parades in our honor.

The hotel here is mostly one large sprawling building around a central pool with a swim up bar. There is a second pool for volleyball and a second building for the restaurant and second floor bar (overlooking the Pacific). Technically the beach is across the road but is little more than a dirt track. The beach sand is very fine, white when dry and tan when wet. The surf is spectacular with the waves breaking in very close and a significant undertow. We may not spend much time in the water there but I could lay in the shade of the trees and lsten to the water for hours.

Tonight I plan to watch the sunset from the beach with my camera.

Last night we had a very relaxed dinner in the bar watching the sunset, the last match of the US Open and the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Costa Rica made the final ten before we left to watch Monday night football in the room.