January 8, 2024
We arrived in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica on Monday Jan 8 after a 2 day journey to get here. Our flight from DCA was delayed 5 hours due to a maintenance issue so American Airlines put us up in a Sheraton in CLT to catch that same 11:30 flight to Liberia, CR on Monday. Our shuttle adjusted things accordingly and with a stop for groceries along the hour plus drive, we arrived at our Airbnb condo around 6pm.
It took several days to acclimate to the sun and heat here in Costa Rica where the midday temperatures are 90+ degrees. We’re in Playa Flamingo, on the “Gold Coast” in the northwest part of the country, sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua. Our condo is nice and has a great view that would be better except for the big tree!! There’s a terrific pool that’s actually swimmable and all the neighbors gather there on most afternoons. We have terrific next door neighbors who have been very helpful with information and taking us to the store or Tamarindo when they make the trip,
There’s a good grocery about a mile from here that isn’t a bad walk if you don’t have much to carry back. On our 2nd day here, we tried it and bought too much stuff to carry back in the heat that we weren’t used to yet. With some help from the staff we got a cab that turned out to be very expensive. It’s a 1.25 mile trip that takes about 5 minutes and we were charged $18. Gringo pricing is my guess! There’s a small satellite version that is mostly useful just at the bottom of the hill we’re on. We go by it frequently as the 10-minute walk to the beach goes by it and the other shops and restaurants in this little village. It’s very much an expat community with English widely understood and generally spoken and the American $ seems to be the currency of choice tho the conversion is always noted on the card receipt.
January 9, 2024
It’s expensive here; as reported. I was happy to see passion fruit for $.94 which is better than the US but not nearly as good as St Lucia. there was Hagan Daaz (vanilla caramel) on sale for about $2 which is amazing. I’m sure I’m going to like it! However, the general cost for most ground Costa rican coffee is about $6 for approx 12 oz. You can pay more, but this is good.. Dairy, cheese, yogurt is also expensive. You can get wine for as little as $10 or so, but it’s usually more. It’s surprising the CR rum costs more than we pay in the US for 1L of rum, give or take: $24. You can buy 1.75L in the US for only a bit more. We’ve yet to check out restaurants, which may turn out to be a good alternative to eating in. That is after we eat up what we’ve bought!!!
When we stopped at the first grocery store we encountered here I tried to find yogurt and ended up with a sort of Greek version, but the entire label was in Spanish. When I remembered that google translate can translate an image, I learned that the 2 brands I purchased had either pectin or gelatin in them, as well as other undesirable ingredients. I like my yogurt to be only made of milk and active cultures, which here, I’ve learned, are called probiotics.
On my next trip to the store I found a basic plain, unflavored Yoplait that met my criteria. I was determined to make yogurt for the rest of our time here! Fortunately, the flat came with a tall, lidded container that holds nearly 2 quarts. Also, having learned from past trips, we brought our insta-read thermometer and an oven thermometer! The recipe for yogurt is – heat milk to 180deg, cool to 110deg, add a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt, mix thoroughly, and keep warm for 8-10 hours. I heated the over to about 130 deg, turned it off, turned the light on, wrapped the container in a thick towel and tied it up with a string that Thom had hanging off his backpack. After about 8 hours I strain it to get a thicker, Greek like consistency! Paper towel in a strainer sort of works, but a bandana in the strainer works really well. Problem solved!!!
I was prepared for this trip with a small pouch of yeast so to make bread. It took a trip to Tamarindo to find a health food store that stocked whole wheat flour, gluten, and oat bran. The first two batches I made were completely white, but still tasted pretty good. I learned, thank you google, that a no knead bread can be successfully cooked in a frying pan, if you have no other options. Thankfully of the many frying pans provided, one of them wasn’t a non-stick, Teflon version. At the high heat to bake the bread, I wouldn’t want that Teflon stuff in contact with the bread. The whole wheat and oat loaf turned out to be really good – If we don’t need any more for our use, I’d like to make a loaf for our neighbors.
Thom is a daily kefir drinker and, as we did last year, we brought some kefir grains with us. It’s so easy to make every day!!! Kefir grains and milk; strain in the morning, add milk, repeat!!! They pack easily in a small container with a tight screw on lid and travel in the checked bag.
We’ve been to 2 restaurants, one an upscale Italian called Angelina’s. The other a taco shop called Amigos. They offer margaritas out of a slushy machine! and you can add a shot more of tequila for $2 and make it really strong. The food is terrific. We’re so happy to be eating food that we can’t’ easily make at home. Such as the 30-day salt dry-aged Argentinian prime ribeye that was probably the best steak I’ve had.
January 11, 2024
We were watching TV in the evening when there was a loud thud like crash. I found a phone app called Earthquake and apparently, the epicenter of a 4.3 earthquake was 7 miles from here. Not surprised but didn’t expect one!!! That was the second one I’ve experienced… the first was the 5.8 magnitude quake in August 2011 that really shook up the DC/Virginia area.
January 17, 2024
Took a walk up the hill (and down and up and down ….) and found great views and a small nearly hidden beach.
January 22, 2024
Today we went on a sunset cruise, starting at 2pm that included swimming, dinner, open bar, and lots of fun. I learned of a new “sport”, known locally as flinking. Floating and drinking at the same time…. swim noodles, beer, and the beer ring, provided by the crew of the terrific 46′ Fountaine Pajot Bahia catamaran, Zafira. I learned canned beer floats!!! When you want another the crew throws it to you. One person asked for a soda and wasn’t able to catch it….. cans of soda don’t float!
https://www.zafiracostarica.com/
January 23, 2024
Next-door neighbor Wendy drove us about 45 minutes (15miles) to Tamarindo. This is a very touristy, crowded town, geared to surfing!!! We walked about, found great stuff at the health food store, had a terrific lunch on the beach at Namu, and saw the surfing section up the beach to our right. We are glad to be staying and enjoying the peace in Playa Flamingo!
January 25, 2024
Today was another walk on the beach (1.2 miles long) and a nice swim/bob in the water. On the way past the wave break I saw 2 rather small, very light-colored critters with wings – either skates or rays, as I can’t find anything online that shows something about 3 feet across and very light in color. They slowly “flew” in front of me at about knee height. Neighbors reported that young manta rays are visiting this year and last year, though haven’t been here before that.
When we got back, while I was showering, Thom saw monkeys from the balcony that were down the slope in the trees. No pictures to show, but fun to report!!!
January 29, 2024
We decided it was time to try the restaurant at the end of the beach, Coco Loco. It’s known for great food and drink and a perfect spot to watch the sunset. Of course, when we got there at about 4:20 in advance of the 5:45 sunset it was hard to find a place to sit. Reservations can be made for parties of 6 or more, so it seemed every spot was unavailable. There was a 2-some table adjacent to a couple looking like they were getting ready to leave. They invited us to sit which meant we could proceed as planned. We started talking and spent a good hour or so, chatting and having a drink with them. They were from Calgary, Alberta and mentioned how they’d been getting around using Uber. I had checked on uber before our arrival and learned it wasn’t available in Costa Rica. Apparently, it’s illegal, but it’s widely used anyway. If only we knew!!!
We enjoyed a beautiful sunset together!! I ordered the lava stone steak, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the steak at Angelina’s. It comes slightly seared with an extremely hot piece of lava stone so you can cook it to your desired doneness. Turns out it arrived nearly overdone for me, so I didn’t cook it anymore. Thom had seared tuna, rare, and it was better than my steak. We enjoyed the location and the company, but the food didn’t measure quite up to what we enjoyed at Angelina’s. We still get to go there one more time before we leave.
January 30, 2024
Today was the all-day tour that included transportation, a guide and a visit/hike in the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park, a visit to Oropendola Waterfall for swim in the blue lagoon, a typical Costa Rican lunch, and then some time at the Rio Negro hot springs and the optional volcanic mud bath.
https://www.nativeswaycostarica.com/tour-item/rincon-de-la-vieja-national-park/
It was a very early (for me) 630 start with the pickup at our condo. On the way to the first van change spot, where we had breakfast, the driver pulled over to see howler monkeys. They were very had to see in the very leafy trees, but after a few minutes of our gawking at them they sounded off. They have a weird voice! They sound like a very large growling dog!! https://www.zapsplat.com/music/howler-monkeys-howling-costa-rica/
After our breakfast we changed to large blue coach and headed off for another while to the National Park. It was unbelievably windy when we got out…. Felt like I might blow over and had to brace against it to remain stable. We got loaded up with water and at the ready camera gear and start up the trail. It was more like a stepped sidewalk for a while. There was a viewing platform in the trees that we stopped at and after a few minutes spotted a wild turkey (just like the ones at home!) and then some spider monkeys. They were very busy and moving fast so difficult to photograph, but they were big…. Reported to be the biggest monkeys in Costa Rica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_monkey
We continued on to a spot where there were fumaroles and a mud pot pond that wasn’t too active. The trail became much more cobbly and rugged at this point.
Apparently, I wasn’t paying attention as I spotted some unusual looking black fungus on a tree by the trail. I didn’t notice the large rock on the side, but in the trail, that was right next to me and the next thing I know I’m tumbling to the ground. BOOM
I landed on my face and my metal rimmed sunglasses. I got a bit upright and there was blood coming from my nose. My first nose bleed! How interesting. The guide came back to us and started tending. Thom gave me his bandana and I started trying to stop the bleeding. The guide handed me water and some wipes and encouraged me to flush everything with the water and check to see if any of the bloody spots were signs of damage or just blood splatters.
I felt a bit shaken but my nose didn’t hurt. It was tough to call – continue on or go back with Thom. The guide said it was at least another 1.5 hours and the trail would get tougher and involve climbing. I finally decided it best to head back to the lodge, probably a 20-30 minute walk that was easy.
On the monkey viewing platform we had stopped at before, we stopped again. It was just us and a person with a long-lensed camera. Maybe due to the small number of people present, the white faced capuchin monkeys appeared. It made the decision to turn back worthwhile! I saw these monkeys quite easily, but they were hard to photograph. They moved quickly or were somewhat obscured by the foliage. The camera wasn’t able to focus clearly on the monkeys due to the leaves moving. It was great though!! In one day we had witnessed/heard 3 types of monkeys.
The tour company was a bit worried about my injury and had called the EMTs to meet me at the park lodge. They arrived while I was in the bathroom cleaning up. That was good, because if they had seen me with all the blood spatters on my clothes and legs they might have been much more inclined to spend more time with me. Or worse yet, suggest I go to the hospital!
They carefully looked at my nose and moved it about and squeezed here and there and asked if it hurt. It didn’t so they didn’t think it was too bad. I guess a break is very painful at the outset. We had time to kill while waiting for the group to return from the volcano, so we walked, in the great gusts of wind, to a small eatery, called a Soda, where Thom got a coffee and some snacks. I was drinking water and putting ice on my nose!!!! The bleeding was pretty much over but the ice felt good. I also took some aleve!!!
Meanwhile, we continued with the tour and hiked to the waterfall/lagoon. We encountered our first “hanging bridge”. Thom went swimming and I wasn’t up for the steep ladder to get in and out. The report was it was very cold, so I made a good choice!!!
Next stop was a hotel/restaurant for lunch. There were many salad and fruit options as well as tilapia and a nice saucy chicken dish. I tried a bit of something that seemed to be stewed pineapple with cinnamon and cloves. It was delicious. The pineapple here is amazing.
Back in the bus, we headed to the hot springs. There were dressing rooms to change in and towels were provided. It was a 5+ minute or so walk to the pools where there were 10 pools of varying temperatures. I enjoyed the 98 degree one. Meanwhile Thom tried the mud bath experience. You are handed about a cup of mud in a small gourd like thing. You smear it everywhere and let it dry. Thom loved the experience and the effect on his skin and head. I passed, not wanting to put any on my now becoming sore face, or expend the effort to get it off.
The tour was a great adventure! We got back in the bus and drove off to the change spot where we got into the van we had ridden earlier in the day. We got home about 630pm, making a long day. It was fun in spite of my crash.
It wasn’t until the next day that I really felt the impacts of the fall. I was sore all over, especially where I had fallen on top of my camera…. Which amazingly survived just fine. And, as somewhat expected, my nose was very swollen and starting to show bruising, and I had a black eye. The impact was more on the left side than the right and I had too small cuts from where the frame hit the bridge and my cheek. I felt like a cartoon character that had been hit with a frying pan…..
The next day was a slow one but things did start improving by day 2. Of course, aleve is a great assist…..
February 2, 2024
The nearby hotel casino is a five-minute walk, slightly up the hill from us. I wanted to see what it was like so before our last dinner at Angelina’s we walked over to have a drink and try our luck. We each spent/lost $20. I tried 2 slot machines and got up to about $42 in the first few minutes but then I switched machines and promptly dove down to $0. Thom tried roulette but wished he had tried blackjack instead. We had fun and enjoyed a terrific passion fruit Margherita. Need to add this to my repertoire!
