Dinner was great! First class. Fresh salad with cucumber, carrot, tomato and avocado. Fish, tortillas, gallo pinto, and lime. Yummy.
This morning we were awakened by the sound of Howler Monkeys. There is a family of them that lives in the trees above the house. The sound they make is quite remarkable and a bit startling. It is somewhere between a dog barking and a donkey braying! It's loud too. It does have a monkey sound quality to it like the "oooo, oooo" we did as kids. I think it's purpose is to establish territorial boundaries or presence. Anyway, this area is known for its Howler Monkeys, so I imagine we'll be hearing it a lot. Later in the day we were able to actually see them in the trees above the house. We'll try to get a picture when the light is better. There was a mama carrying a wee baby monkey on her front and others, including at least one male.
After a cup of coffee at the house we took the rental car to the agency to return it. We needed to add a little gas, so since they said we had time, we drove up to the nearest gas station which is on the way to Nosara town. First we took an unintended detour up the wrong road, but we got some nice views in the process! Next to the rental agency is Rosie's Soda. A "Soda" is the Costa Rican term for a little restaurant or cafe. They serve simple, local food. We had breakfast there and it was delicious. I had huevos fritos con gallo pinto, or fried eggs with a bean and rice mixture. After breakfast we walked down past a clump of shops and real estate offices as well as a french bakery and a mini-super (mini market). There was a man selling fruits and vegetables out of the back of his truck and we stopped to get some. He was all set up with a couple of helpers, a scale, and upturned plastic crates that you climbed on to get into the truck to look for what you wanted. He even had a line! I bought a melon, a pineapple, some green beans, carrots, a cucumber, a head of lettuce and 2 mangos and the total came to a little over $8. Pretty good! The pineapple alone would have cost $3-5 in the states. We walked back to the house via some roads and paths making a loop of it. By the time we got back we were pretty hot and were glad to cool down inside with the fans and just chill out for a bit. Once we'd recovered from our oh so strenuous morning, we put on swimsuits, gathered some stuff and headed out for a little exploring. Down at the beach there was a little breeze and we walked along the beach to the north and walked on a path over the headland to the next beach. Playa Pelada is smaller than Playa Guiones and has some tide pools and fewer waves. The tide was pretty low so there was plenty of room on the beach to walk. We saw a whole bunch of school kids all together in the water. Later they were playing games on the beach. Must have been a pretty good school day to spend it on the beach! We walked down to the end and back before going into the ocean for a dip. It was lovely! The water was warm but still refreshing and the bottom was sandy. Around here you have to shuffle your feet when you go in the water so as not to surprise any sting rays. They aren't always there and will usually just swim away from you. But if you stepped on one by accident it might zap you with its tail. Apparently this is not deadly, but can be painful. Best just to shuffle the feet just in case. After lingering in the water for a while, we got out and walked back over the headland and along the beach to our area and the house.
We puttered about and then Michael got out his surfboard and went down to surf. I took a shower and then wandered down to the beach to meet him for sunset. As before, there were plenty of people strung out along the beach waiting for the main event. There were dogs playing and kids frolicking in the surf, surfers out in the water, and a generally convivial atmosphere. It was a spectacular sunset. The sky glowed orange and red for quite a while after the sun went down and the light reflected beautifully off the water. It was almost dark by the time we headed back to the house.
After our delicious fish dinner, we decided to go for a walk. We stopped in at the Gilded Iguana to see what sort of music was playing, but decided that a walk to the beach for stargazing would be better. The stars are amazing here. Far fewer lights than at home so more stars and we're close to the equator so a different sky. We did see Orion, the Pleiades, and some shooting stars, as well as many many more we don't know the names of. The waves glowed white in the dark and we lay on the sand for a bit listening to the sound of them and gazing up at the stars. A dreamy way to end a lovely day.
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