LEGALITY

Once every three months, Nickele and I must leave the country or suffer the wrath of immigration when they discover we’ve overstayed our tourist visa. Nickele and I don't complain - I love any excuse to travel.

Granada, Nicaragua

November came, signally our first trip out of the country, so Nickele and I headed off to Nicaragua. Even though Nicaragua is only a few hours away from Monteverde, public buses make the traveling MUCH longer. Nicaragua is lovely – rolling green hills and volcanoes dot the landscape. It is cheap and the people are friendly. Not a bad place to vacation.

The one story worth sharing happened while we were at the Lago de Apoyo, a lake made by the nearby volcano. Nickele and I thought it would be brilliant to kayak across the lake. Of course we got warm about halfway there and jumped in the lake for a swim. It was at this time that we realized the plug on my kayak had come loose and my kayak quickly became swamped with water. The next half an hour was spent using the small cloth bag attached to the kayak to bail water. In spite of the difficulties, Nickele and managed to kayak across the entire lake although it did take more than three hours and our legs were sunburned in the process. So worth it!

2 scoops is a dollar - we may have had a lot of ice cream

We may have been having fun with the robe we found in our hotel....

tHe EsCaPe

Question #1 - Have you ever lived in a place where everyone knows each other?

Question #2 - Have you ever lived in a place where the only way out is a gravel road filled with potholes that takes an hour to get down?

Question #3 - Have you ever lived in a place where downtown is actually one triangle shaped block?

Question #4 - Have you ever lived so close to where you work that you only have to walk 30 seconds each way?

If you answered yes to all of these questions you can understand why Nickele and I were ready to escape Monteverde for a couple days. Nickele and I had been in Monteverde for a month and a half and had barely left the mountain. We needed a breakkkkkkk.

So one afternoon, Nickele and I packed our bags and headed to the beach via public bus. The public bus system here in Costa Rica is an adventure – only because there are no schedules posted so you never know when the bus is coming or going. You have to be willing to wait for as long as it takes. Nickele and I got good at waiting.

The beach was fabulous! We made two stops on our tour of the west coast of Costa Rica.

First stop, Playa Hermosa: Very chill, not many people, no town really. Nickele and I lazed around, watched pretty sunsets and snorkeled.

Second stop, Playa Tamarindo: Very touristy but not that many people since we went in low season. Lots of surfing bums, souvenir shops, fun restaurants, and quirky people on every corner. But really the best part of Tamarindo was the ability to cook our own food and to go see a movie in English.

Final Question – Are you in need of a relaxing vacation where the water is always warm and relaxation is your ultimate goal?

If you answered YES, I think Costa Rica will work for you.

The Movie Theater!

Big Fish

Beach!!!

Once again, a really big fish

Do you see it? The BEACH!!