Costa Rica - Richest place on earth?

I, my wife Susann, my sister Doreen, and our friend Norma, travelled to Tamarindo, Costa Rica for 12 days this March. We stayed in Balcones del Pacifico, a condo resort 1 block from the beach.

Enjoying a home-cooked meal in our condo.

Suffers galore at Playa Tamarindo, 

and beautiful sunsets too. 

Lots of vendors and entertainers on the beach, and this man's fireshow was one of the more interesting displays. 

Tamarindo from the hill above our condo.

The beach north of Tamarindo.

Expensive, though, at least for Latin America. A beer on the beach here is about $4 Canadian, but in the nearby village of Brasalito, it is just over 1/2 of that. But I have immensely enjoyed the wildlife here, for which Costa Rica is famous. Monkeys and birds never cease their entertainment, right from our condo, in fact.

We can hear the howler monkeys from our condo. They sound like lions!

And, we have enjoyed sitting on the condo rooftop, from where we've seen colourful birds during the day, and fireworks on two evenings.

And, some beautiful flowers in Tamarindo.








We also rented a car for a week and toured around. We went zip-lining at nearby "Monkey Jungle." Lots of fun, with wonderful guides.

Doreen, who's scared of heights, enjoyed herself under the tutelage of Kevin, our amiable  guide.

Our favourite tour was to the Viejo Wetlands for a boat trip down El Rio Tempisque. We saw many birds, iguanas, other lizards, and crocodiles.






We also took a "turtle watching" tour  to the nearby Las Baulas National Marine Park. We weren't lucky enough to see turtles laying their eggs, but did see two come up onto shore, dig a few holes, and then, without laying their eggs, make their way back into the ocean.

Watching the sun set while we wait for turtles to arrive. 

The turtle's track making its way up onto shore. 

The turtle making its way back into the ocean after its aborted attempt at laying eggs.

We also drove on Sunday to nearby Playa Conchal, a beautiful shell beach. We enjoyed frolicking in the waves, along with the locals!

Nobody had any more fun than Susann!

Yesterday, we drove to Parque Nacional Barra Honda. A beautiful drive, and then a wonderful vista from the Mirador.

And, of course, more monkeys.

And, naturally, more beautiful flowers. 

Hauling sugar cane to the factory. 

A Costa Rican traffic jam.



Hasta luego!