Beach, Mountains and Vegetation...Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste

I was up early today and had breakfast at 8am before heading to the beach. I thought I would try and arrive before most of the people. I do not think the beach is usually this busy, but because it is Easter....one of the biggest vacation times in Costa Rica....everyone is enjoy some down time at the beach. This time I decided to take the first entrance to the beach. There are two entrances to Playa Hermosa and this one is only about a 10 minutes walk from my villa. The road to the beach has more development than the second entrance. There are lots of beautiful homes...all gated in...as well are many resorts, hotels and a couple restaurants. There is also some construction going on...sign of what is to come. After taking some photos of the beautiful flowers and plants along the way, I finally arrived at the beach around 9am...and yes there were lots of people there already!!! There is so much traffic, they even have people directing cars for parking. Ticos tend to sit in the shade when they are at the beach...unlike us Canadians!!!! They sit under the trees that line the beach and put blankets or tarps in the branches to create more shade. When I arrived at the beach I decided to find a secluded spot at the very tip of the beach. The second entrance to the beach appears to be much more crowded with locals, so this end suited me fine. After I got settled, I went for walking along the 1 km stretch of sand...about 20 minute walk. Along the way I saw a group of people having a Good Friday church service on the beach. They were carrying a cross and were using a megaphone so everyone could here. There were also lots of memorials set up as you walked along the beach, with flowers, candles and crosses. The beach here is just like any other beach in Canada...lots of people swimming, sea-dooing, wet banana for the tourists, people building sandcastles or burying themselves in the sand. When I got back from my walk, I went for a swim....SO nice and refreshing...I really like this beach!!! Today the tide is out and the water is very clear...I could see all kinds of tropical fish swimming around...COOL!!! I love how there is only sand under your feet...no seaweed, rocks or shells...although I did come across one beer can! I decided to leave the beach around noon in search of the internet. I have WiFi at my villa, but not a computer, so it no good to me. Internet seems to be very rare and very expensive here. So far I have found one spot for $6/hour and another for $4/hour....this is 3 to 4 times more expensive than anywhere else I have used the internet! After catching up on a bit of emailing and taking some more photos, I arrived back at my villa around 2pm...there is so much to take in. I cooked some lunch...fresh watermelon and pineapple, rice with fried egg, fried tortilla with melted cheese and iced tea....YUMMMY!!! I think I want a rice maker now...they are great! I also found out how Ticos spice their food here...Lizana Salsa...the sauce I was given in Playa Santa Teresa. This sauce is really good and I completely understand why everyone uses it on all their food. I went for an afternoon swim at my resort to cool off and then decided around 4pm I would check out the mountain. Today there are clouds in the sky which makes it much nicer to walk around and a perfect time for a hike. The walk up the mountain was VERY steep...my legs are going to hurt tomorrow!! The homes along the way are incredible, with the most amazing views...they also have beautiful iron bars on the windows and on the gates....stunning to look at. Hermosa Heights where I am staying consists of 42 acres...this includes 10 villas for rent and a variety of private homes and condos all the way up the mountain. I could not stop taking pictures...everything is so beautiful...unfortunately sometimes the sun does not cooperate and washes out the true colours. I bet it is even nicer in the rainy season when everything is much more green. Along my hike up the mountain a couple guys from Hermosa Height drove by on a backhoe and asked me if I wanted a lift...I am thinking now maybe I should have taken it after all!!! When I was almost to the top of the mountain, I came across a "garden". Being the curious type, I decided to check it out....and guess what I found???? A Medicinal Garden!!!! Now I could not resist taking some pictures...maybe against my better judgement. Some very interesting names for the plants...Pura Vida Costa Rica!!!! Once I got my photos I decided to head out...lord knows whose "garden" this belongs to. I headed back down the mountain at around 5pm and spent the next hour soaking my muscles in the jacuzzi...I must be getting old!!!! I spent the rest of the evening relaxing with a good book on my deck, making another delicious meal and enjoying another night in my villa with some refreshing tropical drinks....with ice cubes!!!! Until tomorrow......