Weather continues to be amazing and consistent here the last couple days. Offshore breeze in the morning with clear skies leading to an onshore breeze by mid-day with bright sunshine followed by light winds for a beautiful sunset with minimal clouds. Daily surf sessions have also been great. We can definitely notice our improved physical condition compared to our trip in 2011. Paddling out a few times in heavy surf really wiped us out last time, but now we have been able to do 3-5 hour sessions each day with no problem.
After dinner on Saturday night we walked down to the beach around 9pm and decided to start a campfire and lay back checking out the stars. Came across another fire which was partially extinguished and brought it back to life with a few piles of sticks. Pulled up a large log for a headrest and laid back listening to some music on my phone, taking in the sights of a partial moon and various constellations of stars. We both looked out to our left and noticed something flying across the sky to our right. Best guess would be a meteor of some sort since it had a trail, looked to be really close compared to the stars and appeared to burn out towards the horizon over land. A first meteor viewing for both of us!
An immense amount of wood is available on the beach from rainy reason when the flooding washes out the nearby river. Highest tides make a nice line of readily available firewood, normally dried from the daily sunshine and dry conditions. Most people think of Costa Rica as a rainforest, but this particular area is very dry this time of year. So dry in fact, that most people who ride motorbikes or atv’s wear face masks to keep from breathing in the dust from the gravel roads. Most everything near the roads is covered in dust, so some places water down the road each day or pay to have molasses sprayed on the road near their house or business. Walking on a fresh coating of molasses sure smells good, but leads to a stickiness on sandals with a coating of gravel underneath.
Been using up the Mahi we bought each day for lunch and/or dinner. Made some really tasty sandwiches on Sunday for lunch. Just sautéed Mahi served on toasted bread with home made salsa and lettuce and bit of cream cheese. Went down really easy with a glass of Imperial after our surf session.
Checked out a few local bars yesterday during the nfl playoff games. First stop was kaya sol, which is right near our place. Had a couple beers and tried their tostones with black beans and cheese. While enjoying our food and beer, we both noticed the table sway slowly and Cindy mentioned the ground appeared to be moving. No one else in the bar seemed to notice, so we didn’t immediately head for shelter. Another first for us, an earthquake! Afterwards we talked about it, then mentioned to Cindy that earlier in the day during my siesta I noticed the bed swaying a couple times too. Thought maybe I was losing it when I first felt it, since she didn’t say anything. After talking to some folks, guess they have been experiencing tremors on a regular basis ever since the larger earthquake occurred back in September.
Continued on to Marlin Bill’s to catch the second game, where we met some folks from NY area. Guess they are staying near us in a house and have a 31′ offshore fishing boat over on garza. Hopefully see them again and possibly get out on the water for a fishing trip. Finished the night back over at Pacifico Azul for their weekly BBQ and live music. Decided to try their BBQ, which we split along with a ceviche appetizer.
Just over a week for us here so far and loving every day!
Chris, Cindy, Charlie and Cecily’s Adventure Blog 