For the New Year and start of 2011, we headed to the beach. We stayed in a beach house borrowed from friends of my in-laws that was right on the beach. It has that rustic charm that all part-time use beach houses have. You know what I mean, right? The type of place where it is about the location, not the décor: very simply decorated, mismatched furniture, with lots of beds; mismatched dishes and silverware with random bits of cookware; piles of found treasures from the beach. We have all stayed in that beach house, no? Our location was the Playa de Esterilllo, just north of Dominical on the Pacific side. It was not a touristy type of place. It was a tico type of place. Life at the beach is always lazy. Walks on the beach. Lots of reading. Shell collecting. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. No pressure!
Beach Life Pictures:
Sunsets:
Feliz Año Nuevo:
It took R and I about two days to even remember where and what we were doing last year, which was the first signal that it was probably not some spectacular adventure. We finally concluded that we spent it in Dallas at home fixing a nice dinner and that after watching the ball drop in Times Square, and a really bad performance of Umbrella by Rhiannon two hours before our own Central time zone midnight. I think we were in bed before midnight! Kay, enough digression! I think my bragging rights are that I have celebrated a New Year’s in every time zone in the United States, and in Costa Rica. So, that is kinda cool, right?
We have spent several at the beach in Costa Rica, hmmm, I guess this is my third? And they have definitely been of the relaxed variety. This is to be expected since we tend to be staying in a fairly remote area in a beach house. We are not in some busy little tourist town with bars to party at. I remember on my first New Year’s visit that I was the only one to make it to midnight. Happy New Year’s to me, eh? The second time, some friends came with us, so we made it to midnight. However, we were at a small isolated hotel, so it was us and a family made up of a mix of Costa Ricans and Americans from Alabama. We celebrated by the pool and did the countdown in Spanish and toasted with Imperial beer. Fun, but not epic!
This year, I was the one dragging, although I made myself stay up to ring in 2011. I should mention that part of it is that you operate on beach time. Sunrise comes early and you don’t have shades to block the sunlight as that would cut down on the needed air circulation. Most of us are up by 7 am. We spend all day in the warm sun either exploring or lying around on the beach. Tough work, I know, but the heat along with the vacation mentality zaps your energy. Most nights we are sleepy and drifting off to bed starting around 10 pm.
What saved me and kept me distracted was the SkipBo game we found in the house. I have heard of this game but never played. It is a mindless and addictive card game, and we have played it pretty much every night.
We brought in the New Year with Cava and toasts with the sound of (come on, you can guess it) of fireworks in the background. After that, I was ready for bed. Happy New Year to me!
You always think you are prepared to make the climate change when you travel, but it is still somewhat unexpected. San Jose is at about 3000 feet. Since it is in the tropics zone, it is still quite warm. Actually, mild might be a better way to describe it. During the times of year I have been, I have also found it quite variable. Typically you can expect it to be comfortable to cool during the days, and I tend to find I need a wrap or light sweater in the evenings. Now that I think about it, it is kind of like the Flagstaff weather I experienced this summer and fall! This trip it seemed a little cooler and windier than I anticipated. I wish I had packed more socks as I hate having cold feet. I hate when I don’t get my packing quite right. Since the house is tiled, it is unavoidable, especially when the weather is cooler. However, since I mainly packed sandals, I only packed a couple of pairs of socks for wearing with my tennis shoes. So, I had to commandeer a pair of Robert’s socks once or twice as he packed plenty. Because of the tropical climate, there is always a bit of dampness no matter where you go. Once we moved to the beach, it was much warmer, and humid. Even though I grew up in a climate with a humid summer and have pretty much continued to be in humid climates, I have quickly adapted to the dryness of Arizona. As I have mentioned before, my hair does SO much better. Now I am back to frizziness and it always looks slightly oily and heavy with the product. Yay, thin curly hair… And I forgot what it feels like to feel sticky all the time, even after you get out of the shower. You can never get quite dry after showering. Despite readjusting the sensation of a humid climate, I have welcomed the warmth and sunshine. Finally!
Central American Night Time Symphony:
Since my first visit to Central America in college (El Salvador), I have associated the smaller country towns with a cacophony or symphony (you choose) of noises at night. I remember the first few nights were always the hardest, and I felt like I was kept up all night by the ongoing, changing sounds. Although we are at the beach, really we are still just in the country and the beach just happens to be the western boundary. Typically, it seems to be the dogs in the early evening. You always have a few yappers, and sometimes many, that just don’t seem to stop. Or maybe they are talking to each other? Redefining their boundaries at the end of each day? I am never really sure. It can go on for hours, and it usually seems to be one of the sounds I finally drift asleep to.
