Playas del Coco, Costa Rica Oct 24-Dec 7, 2021

We flew into Liberia airport from Houston. Pleasant and uneventful flight. We did check our bags. We have come to the conclusion that a 22 lb carryon and a backpack (maybe 15lbs) is a bit much to lug on and off a plane. Once we get back to the states in June, we will sell our 21″ carryons and get a bit larger size bag to check. That way we can lower the weight of our backpacks as well.

We are in a comfortable condo complex about 1/2 mile from the main street in town. Marina loft has about 60 units, only about a third occupied. The units are small, maybe 400 sq ft, but with a table under a gazebo outside our door and a pool, it is more than sufficient for us. There’s a pizza place next door that opens at 5 pm and a Peruvian ceviche place on the other side. We also have a small mini mart across the street, but it is pricey. We tend to grocery shop ar Super Compro and New China, about .5 miles toward town. For larger stock ups we walk to Auto Mercado or Mega Supermercado (1. 5 miles), but then take a taxi home for $2 or 1,500 Colones. We are only .3 miles from the beach and on non shopping days, we walk the beach into town.

We have met a lot of people in the complex, a few Canadians, and US citizens who come here for months at a time. Many people use WhatsApp for calling and texting, so we are now users as well. It is great to hear feedback about where to go to eat, shop and about tours and other tips. My spanish is improving tremendously and I have received several compliments. I took 4 years in high school, but that was almost 50 years ago so I practice on Duolingo daily.

Ocotal Beach

About 2 miles away there is another lovely beach. Our new friend, Fernando, picked us up in his golf cart and gave us a tour.

Palo Verde National Park Tour

We were picked up in a van outside our complex, Marina Loft at 7:30am. We drove about 20 minutes before our driver got a call to turn around and pick up another couple in Playa Hermosa. Rick and Laura were a friendly couple from Colorado Springs. Our driver, Ricardo, was a talkative fellow who like me, uses Duolingo to practice his English, while I practice my Spanish. Total time was about 2 1/2 hours to get there due to our detour. The boat tour was awesome as we were the only 4 people along with Ricardo and the boat captain. They slowly went up the river pointing out crocodiles, birds, bats and monkeys.

Random adventures in Coco

Tamarindo reunion with Jay

Guanacaste Tour

Our tours have been phenomenal! Not cheap, but well worth the money. They picked us up in a passenger van at our complex at 8:30am. Driver spoke English and was very informative. Only one other passenger, an engaging man from Idaho named Jerry. We first drove to Llanos de Cortes waterfall. Gorgeous waterfall was just a short hike from the parking lot. Afterwards, we drove to Bijagua Ranas, a wildlife preserve, where we saw an amazing close up array of flora and fauna. Our guide, Stefani, was quite entertaining and full of information. Then a delicious lunch while discussing our adventures.

Thanksgiving Day Horseback Ride at the Monkey Farm

The Monkey Farm is a non profit about 2 miles from our condo. We caught a cab on Thanksgiving morning and arrived at 8am for our jungle and beach ride. Our guide, Emanuel, was very accommodating and informative. All the volunteers are in recovery or homeless and the founder, Vicki, is a kind soul who is changing lives. We rode through the jungle first, then down to Ocotal Beach. A beautiful, comfortable day as we shared a lot of joy.

Liberia, the capital of Guanacaste

Fun day in a rental car cruising around. We visited a museum, art galleries and souvenir shops, topped with an excellent lunch.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park

The national park is named after the volcano, which due to cloud cover was not visible when we were there. We did a DIY tour as we had rented a car for two days. Patricia joined us and we hiked the Pailas trail loop, about 2.5 miles. It was not a difficult hike, yet tiresome with all the steps up and down. There were many beautiful, varied ecosystems as you pass through the Park.

Next stop… La Fortuna, Costa Rica