Nosara

Thanks to Alex, I'm getting to see parts of Costa Rica that I would have never gotten to on my own.  It is nice to have someone who vibes with you.

We took an extended weekend trip to Nosara, which is about 5hrs from San Jose.  Woke up early last Friday morning, drove to Nosara, and spent the afternoon on the beach. 

I'm grateful for Alex's friend Pilar, whose family had rented the home for the month and let us use a bedroom for the weekend.  Pilar is from Peru, so I also got to experience another culture.  I'm starting to learn that each Latin American country/region has its own flavor.  Pilar's family included her father, uncle, son, and daughter.

Alex and I visited four different beaches in four days.  Each one was distinctive with different sand, different crowds, different waves, and different rock formations.  I also better understand the surfing culture here in Costa Rica.  Some of these beaches are really good for surfing.  I don't know how to surf, but I love to body surf (which requires different waves).

While the beach life was relaxing, the highlight was a mountaintop restaurant that Alex sends her vacation clients to.  It is very remote and is the only reason to take the road to the top of the mountain.  And it has very limited seating.  But if you are fortunate enough to know about it and get a reservation, then you are in for an experience.  Open-air dining looking over the valley and ocean at sunset is something special.  The food was phenomenal as well.

This trip also brought me up close and personal with the Costa Rican dirt roads.  These roads would swallow up most USA cars, including my Ford Mustang convertible.  It takes at least twice as long to travel here as it does in the USA because your four-wheel drive simply cannot travel fast.  And once the sun goes down, everything is dark.  And cell coverage is spotty, so you cannot always rely on maps either.  Talk about adventurous!

We came back to San Jose Tuesday, driving 3hrs to have lunch and watch the sunset at another friend's beach home in Tivives, which is about 90min away from San Jose.  I fell in love with this home.  It was open-air, had a pool, and was right on the beach.  Talk about the lifestyle!  I'd live there in a heartbeat.  This community is special because it is grandfathered in.  Costa Rica changed the laws in the 1970's to outlaw development on the beach.   

Back in San Jose, it has been a quiet week dedicated solely to work.  I'm finding a nice rhythm between the "normal" city life and the occasional beach trip.  I cannot even grasp that KC is in the middle of winter with snow and ice and cold.