Day 7 - Costa Rica

The bus ride to Samara Beach was long, winding, and tiring. We stopped for lunch at another touristy roadside restaurant that specialized in Monteverde's famous ice cream. Dairy farming is huge in Monteverde, and we had enjoyed some of the delicious cheeses the night before, but the kids were looking forward to the ice cream so Alonzo made sure they had some. We ate, sipped shakes and licked cones, and glanced at the very Floridian tourist trinkets before getting back on the bus for more travel.

When we finally reached our hotel destination we were all cranky and tired. Dusk was settling in and the proprietor wasn't really prepared for our arrival. Apparently the hotel had been closed for awhile and had opened just for our group, but cleaning had been minimal, bugs had settled in most of the rooms, and air conditioning in most rooms was missing or not functioning. We left it all and went into town to drown our despair in sangria full of fresh fruit and spanish food. Later we showered with several ants, wiped a couple off our beds and slept in a hot and sticky room. Waking up early we all sleepily headed outside toward the pool and outdoor eating area. Only then did we realize we were in paradise.

 The hotel sat directly on the Pacific beach. Tables and tiki huts had views of the water and the palm trees and the iguanas that strolled freely on the sand. All around the hotel were mango trees ripe with fruit that we could pull off and eat and flowering plants and bushes in full colorful bloom.

The proprietor had called in local help and the rooms were opened, cleaned, fumigated, and most of us were upgraded into larger rooms with views of the ocean and with working air conditioning. Our new room had a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean and where we could keep an eye on patrons at the bar.

The kids and several parents boarded the bus after breakfast to head into town to visit with children at community center. Those of us who stayed behind sat beachside and enjoyed the cool breeze and a fruity drink provided by the hotel. As we sat seaside locals would come by with coolers full of homemade food that they were selling. We bought jamaican chicken Pockets and seafood ceviche. Alonzo provided us with a sangria recipe and the men went into town to se the ingredients. Town was just a walk down the beach and a turn to the right. When they returned the bartender whipped up the sangria, chopped the fruit, and left the pitchers behind the bar for us to help ourselves.

By the time the bus and group returned we were relaxed and happy. Everyone changed into bathing suits and headed down the beach to a place on the beach that taught surfing.

The kids were given surf shirts, long boards, instructions on surfing...

...and promises that everyone would get up on their boards to ride a wave.

 And they did!