We let everyone sleep in this morning after such a long travel day yesterday. Of course some birds or maybe a monkey were noisily chattering outside at about 6am, but we got back to sleep and got up about 8:30. Can’t beat the view…
First order of business– breakfast!
We went to the Danish Bakery called Valhalla just across the highway from our condo. Littlest girl about ate me before the food came (but really they were pretty fast at bringing it). Everything was delicious! And big portions for about $10/plate.
We walked along the strip mall to the grocery store and got a few things for breakfasts and lunches. Most prices seemed pretty equal to groceries at home. The biggest expense was a liter of shelf-stable milk for about $3.50. Here’s our trunk of groceries that cost about $72- more reasonable than we anticipated.
Our condo has access to Bejuco Beach — there are signs warning about strong riptides and we did see some of the telltale signs, but the waves were calm and shallow and after testing it out up to our waists we were confident that it was safe for the little kids. Of course we were always watching and cautious, but no one went deeper than waist deep and we had no issues. The water is the warmest we’ve ever felt– actually warm to the touch. Didn’t know the Pacific Ocean could be this warm! So nice to get in and out of.
We set up some hammocks and beach chairs in the shade and spent the afternoon alternating between relaxing, reading, playing in the water, and watching hermit crabs play in Spud and Littlest’s arena.
Suddenly loud screaming erupted from the treetops and we got to watch red macaws eating fruits right over our heads! At first there were two, then 4 more flew in for the feast! Incredible! We watched and photographed them for a long time, amazed at seeing these gorgeous birds in the wild!
We went and played in the pool for awhile while the sun went down. The Macaws flew over not once, but twice!!
We drove 20 minutes South to find Soda de Tucán – a local restaurant that had good reviews on Google. Our camarera spoke zero English, but Nixi Ray was able to use her Spanish to order her quesadilla and salad without sauces. She was nervous to try but we were proud of her. Everything else is pretty easily communicated with basic Spanish words and pointing at the menu.
To celebrate his birthday, Spud ordered una hamburguesa y papas and was very surprised to find a slice of ham on his hamburger — and the ham tasted like bologna. He wasn’t really a fan.
Everyone else enjoyed huge portions of yummy food– Littlest and I split some nachos and there was still a bunch left over. Superman’s Costa Rican cosado with steak was flavorful and delicious. The check totaled about $21000 Colones — $42 US. Not bad at all.
We headed back to the condo and got ready for bed early– tomorrow we have a 5am wake-up call so we can get to our Manuel Antonio National Park tour. We’re so excited!
