Tuesday, April 24, 2012
How hard should it be, really? Last year when we were in Tamarindo we found a shop that had terrific shirts, so we had high hopes for our prospects here in Quepos/Manuel Antonio. After all, the two areas are similar in that they are beach towns on the western coast of Costa Rica, catering to the young surf/beach crowd and highly touristy. And the Quepos/MA main drag is a lot longer than that in Tamarindo. But I am sad to report that the shopping here is dismal.
But we did find some cool things, like:
* a smoothie place that heat-seals a plastic film on top of your cup, and gives you a pointed straw to pierce it. Voilá! A lid that can’t crack, fly off, or spill.
* a shop with local art had bowls & plates made of coconut and cinnamon that smell wonderful.
* some amazing restaurants, like Emilio’s Cafe (which makes a frozen lemonade with fresh mint) and Sancho’s (great fish tacos).
This morning we went on a tour in the Manuel Antonio Parque Nacional. We had gorgeous weather and our guide Mauricio (Mau for short) had a keen eye for animals for us to observe. Two different kinds of tree frogs, both two and three toed sloths, toucans, Africanized “killer” bees, a baby green iquana, a boat-billed heron, white-faced capuchin monkeys, black iguanas, and more. All the guides had telescopes that they would set up focused right on whatever animal they spotted, and each person could just look and see it. Mau also was expert at holding cameras up to the telescope and getting great pictures.
This was our full day here on the west coast. Tomorrow we get to have a leisurely morning, then drive to San José for the last part of our trip. I really like this part of Costa Rica, so I’m sorry to say good-bye to it. But San José will be fun, too.
Adios for now!