Our friends had told us about Playa Mina and Playa Conchal which weren’t too far and were close to each other, so off we went.
The last 5km or so was pretty rutted getting to Playa Mina, but it was filled with lots of folks! It is difficult to see, but that entire row of trees had cars parked under them and actually went about twice that length!
Some people bring their hammocks, along with coolers and grills while even others brings their tents.
There weren’t very many people in the water compared to hanging out in the shady areas so walking on the beach was great!
It is a nice long, crescent-shaped beach and there were a few snorkelers out enjoying the warm water. We got in and cooled off before walking some more! When it was time to leave, we encountered a small tree behind the car. Can you spot the impact area? Lucky for us, the rental car company didn’t see any damage either!! Thank goodness for that big tire on the back of the car!!!!
After hanging out at Playa Mina a while, we decided to check out Playa Conchal. Not a far drive, but as we approached the water again, the road got sandier and sandier. I made Tobey turn around before we were stuck and needed a tow truck. We opted to go back to the main road and try Playa Brasilito. There was parking right in town next to the beach and we walked a back toward the Westin Hotel. We found there is a 4x4 road that goes up a hill along the beach which is probably the same one we “might” have come out on. It was interesting to watch several cars attempting the hill. Most of the little sedeans would try, then roll back down the hill, turn around and give up. The bigger, badder 4x4s kept going, but tires were a spinning!
We got ice cream and water then decided to retrieve our suitcases and get on to Liberia. Living in Fort Collins, we are certainly used to seeing micro-breweries, but I think this is the first one we spotted in Costa Rica. This is for our beer-drinking family and friends since we can’t bring any home. You can check your local liquor stores to see if it might be available.
Leaving town we also got a chuckle out of this sign – especially since I just finished my 2-year term on the Nominating Committee!
Another small town we went through was having a sort of political rally. There was a stream of cars coming toward us sporting flags and honking their horns. There were probably 20 cars!
Many of the sugar can fields were being cut and Harvested and we passed one truck taking his load to be processed.
We had dinner at a VERY LOCAL restaurant where no one spoke English about 15km outside of Liberia. I had some unique tacos – 4 of them, rolled and fried, then covered with cabbage, mayonaise and catsup. Tobey had chicken fajitas with onions and red peppers. There were no tortillas, but were served with french fries. They served us a local vegatable beef soup beforehand, also. Everything was good – but the portions were so large, we left more than we consumed.
These are a few of the typical “tico” houses found in Costa Rica. Most are constructed from concrete or wood and have sheet metal roofs. Concrete block construction is NOT used because it is too porous and can mold too easily. There are some that are definitely much poorer and have sheet metal walls, in addition to the roofs. Most of them are quite colorful!
Well, that’s it for today. We have a 4:30 am wake-up call. I have a small write-up on some of the roads and travel times and may get a chance to post at the airport. In the meantime, “Pura Vida!”
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