Cancun Digs

We are staying at a bed and breakfast in Cancun in the hotela zone that is called Isla Dorada.  We are a five minute walk to the main drag and the large La Isla Mall.  Our house is is in a gated community, and there are many canals that run through the backyards of a lot of these homes.  You can see huge boats parked outside homes, and occasionally they take off for a ride. It's a quiet neighbourhood, and we have access to a gym, tennis courts, two swimming pools, and lots of security.

Adios Costa Rica

Wednesday we said goodbye to Costa Rica and a friendly hello to Mexico.  Once again we had an eventful flight where one segment of our journey was very rough and when we hit an air pocket we had a good fall.  It was enough of a fall that a passenger actually screamed!!  And, when we landed a couple of the passengers bolted for the door while we were still taxiing and had to be told to sit back down.

We enjoyed our stay in Costa Rica but found that for a country that boasts being eco-friendly it is hardly that.  Yes, it is full of wonderful birds and all sorts of land and ocean creatures, but their garbage is a huge problem as it is in all the Latin American countries that we have journeyed to in the past.  The local fisherman down our way sees no problem in throwing his expired batteries on to the beach, or burning his plastic next to his beached boat.  Our crocodile tour on the Tarcoles showed evidence of discarded tires cast aside on the banks of the river.  Half the beaches are littered with garbage, and it is an uphill fight for those who live there and are trying to make a difference.  San Jose dumps their garbage into rivers and it makes its way to the ocean and then washes up on near beaches.  It's sad but true!  Occasionally, you will see recycle bins, but all the recycling goes into the garbage because they do not have a recycling program.  It is only there to appease tourists.

Costa Rica has also been hit the the turmoil of the economy in North America.  Many  condo developments are half done and deserted, leaving a ghostly shell of a building to mold and rot away.

Prices in Costa Rica were another concern of ours.  Food in restaurants and grocery stores are as pricey and even somewhat more than back home.  A 13% tax and 10% service charge is also added on to all your meals, bringing a 23% added cost to the food you eat.  I really don't mind spending money on a decent meal that is tasty, but when you order a simple hamburger and the bun crumbles when you bite into it because it is so dry, it makes me mad to pay that kind of price.

Now don't be put off by these written words.  If you have been dreaming of a Costa Rican holiday, by all means go!!  But don't be fooled by all their eco jargon.  Hopefully, if enough people keep complaining about some of these problems (especially their garbage) maybe they will get it and really do something to clean it up instead of talking about it.  It is truly a wonderful country with lots to offer.

Correction

Road closures are only on Sundays, not Mondays.

Highway Closure

Hoss and Norm took off to San Jose today to pick up Lyle and Wanda Gulash.  They left at 11:00AM and the trip took about 1 1/2 hours which included a small delay because of a wrong turn.  The Gulashs' flight was on time and they got out of the city with no delay.  But, shortly into their journey back to Tarcoles they discovered that the highway was closed.  As it turns out, the highway is closed every Sunday and Monday from 1:00PM to 6:00PM to allow people coming from the Jaco and Guanacaste areas to get back to San Jose.  They found a great little bar to plunk down in and waited it out for four hours.  They finally arrived back at the house at 7:30PM.  Exhausted, hot, and hungry, everyone finally got to have a bite to eat, enjoy a drink or two, and get in a good visit before turning in for the night.  Tomorrow will be another hot, sunny, day that nobody wants to miss!!

A Mini, Mini, Mini Bike Rally in Jaco

This past weekend, Jaco hosted a bike rally.  Quite a few bikes zoomed past us, on our walk, Saturday heading for Jaco.  So being enthusiast bikers we decided to check out the rally.  There were a few interesting sites but the rally pales in comparison to the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota.  Most of the bikes were smaller, quieter., and there were only a few Harleys.  We also caught a glimpse of a couple of choppers.  The riders were all leathered up.  I don't know how they could handle the heat!!

Crazy For Macaws

Hoss was able to sneak up on the macaws early one morning and got some great pictures.  So here are a few!!

Nosara

After all the dust, and terrible road conditions we finally made it to our destination... Nosara.  It is once again a small surfing town.  We found a beach that was near by but not the beach for Nosara.   Actually, we lost our way around trying to find this place and get back home.  The roads were confusing and started to all look alike!

We found a great little restaurant in Nosara that had an interesting bird that kept close watch on this place.  I think it loves to steal food from unsuspecting restaurant goers.

 The Beach Dog Restaurant in Nosara.

 White-throated Magpie-Jay.  There were two of them flying in and about the restaurant.

 Hoss walking the beach by Nosara.

 Tide pools and looking for shells.  A beach hobby of mine.

 A glorious white sandy beach.

Surfing dudes relaxing and waiting for the next round of great waves.