Playas y Cataratas

Last week we took another short trip to some beaches on Nicoya Peninsula and later to see some waterfalls.  We left Thursday morning and drove about 4 hours to get to our destination of the Playa Flamingo Resort.  It had some nice pools and was right by the beach.  We arrived late afternoon, so we went out to the beach right away.  It was a very nice beach.  The water was perfect, again, and the sand was a little heavier, so the water was more clear.  Every once in a while we would get a big wave and we got knocked around a bit, but nothing too scary.  Darla lost my sunglasses, but I guess that's what I get for letting her wear them in the ocean.  We enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset, then went in and rinsed ourselves off for dinner.  We decided to eat at a restaurant right next to our hotel that was a nice covered outdoor place.  There was a crab crawling around the floor that the kids really enjoyed watching, as well as a few lizards on the walls.

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  We slept soundly and enjoyed a yummy breakfast at our hotel.  Then we went swimming in the pools and played at the little playground.  We then went to another beach called Playa Conchal, where the sand was not really sand, but broken sea shells.  It was really cool looking, but a bit hard on bare feet.  The water was clear and there was an awesome reef which we  snorkeled at.  Scott was the only kid who was brave enough to try it.  He absolutely loved it!  He went out three different times.  We saw lots of different types of fish and even an eel.  We went back and ate lunch and played more in the pool.  We all got a little sunburn, but not too bad.  

The next morning the kids took a quick swim before we headed to a dormant volcano, Tenorio.  We stayed at a lodge that was not airconditioned, but since it was in the mountains, it wasn't too bad.  We hiked to a waterfall in Rio Celeste.  It is beautiful because it is a bright aqua color.  It was a hard hike, though.  About halfway down the steep, wet stairs to the waterfall, Lyndy and I waited while the others went all the way.  I was worn out and afraid of going any further with Lyndy.  We could see the falls from where we waited, and it was awesome!  After that we stopped at a Soda in the little town of Bijagua.  It was the cleanest and fastest (and probably most delicious) soda we have been to.  George and I both got a casada (traditional rice, beans, vegetables, meat) and the kids got hamburgers and taquitos.  

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The next day we headed home and stopped at another waterfall in La Fortuna by Arenal.  This one had a few more steps, but not a long hike, and not quite as steep or wet.  It was tough, but we made it and it was worth it!  The falls were long and beautiful!  George went swimming right where the falls fell, and Darla kind of went with him.  Then the kids and George went in the water a little downriver, which was cool, clear and full of fish.  It was so green and lush.  We took it slow and easy on the way back up, so it wasn't too bad.  I also found a new pair of sunglasses to buy at the giftstore there, so it was a nice ending to our trip!