My Triumphant Return to the Pacific Ocean

My first trip (hopefully of many) to the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica.

After packing up, we were off just after 4am! Though it was the same road as last weekend, it was like a completely different road – I have a whole new appreciation for shocks and loading a car with the recommended number of people! And I was very impressed with the way Jacky just went for it. She didn’t let the fact that she had never driven the road, with the crazy potholes, blind corners, inclines and declines, or anything deter her.

We arrived at Manuel Antonio a little after 7am, 3 hours after leaving (much better than the 5 hours it would have taken via paved roads). It was almost surreal digging my feet into the sand. The place was ridiculously gorgeous – beautiful sand, the waves crashing, rocky islands just a bit offshore, and dense vegetation right up against the beach. To top it off, not 10 minutes after getting there, we spotted some monkeys in the trees! Now I really feel like I’m in Costa Rica!

After going for a walk down one half of the beach with the girls, Katie and I jumped in the water and swam out past the waves. The water was so calm and the perfect temperature – not the frigid waters of San Diego nor was it the bathwater-warm I had felt in Nassau. And it was so salty that it was the most relaxing thing to just float there chatting with Katie and taking in the breathtaking scene around us. But when we came back in, we got pummeled by the waves. Upon exiting, I was removing clumps of sand from within my swimsuit. I’m sure I’ll be finding grains of Manuel Antonio for days.

When we came out, we were apparently muy valiente for swimming so far out. We did notice that we were literally the only people out past the break, though the water was filled with people a foot in. Apparently my little sisters are pretty privileged to be taking swimming lessons. It sounds like unless you live next to the beach, it’s rare to know how to swim here, which is somewhat opposite what I’m used to in the US where it is rare to meet someone who cannot swim. So apparently, it is more common to go to the beach and just splash around in the shallow area.

As I dried off, I just lay under the shade on the beach, reading my book for some time – very nice. Then Jake, Katie, and I walked to explore the other half of the beach. We got to a rocky division and climbed through to find the entrance into the National Park of Manuel Antonio. Upon inquiring, we found out that it was 1,200 colones (just over $2) for CR locals and $10 for us “rich” gringos. Quite a difference! I have heard that our PC IDs should get us local prices at a lot of places so we decided to take advantage of the hours of exploration upon returning another day with more time (which we all intend to do at some point).

We returned for some perros calientes that weren’t so caliente and some delicious sandia, which somehow always tastes better on the beach. Then Katie and I went to check out the touristy / shopping scene. There were some really great crafts and products that really reawakened the consumerism in us. I quenched the thirst by splurging 2,000 colones (about $4) on a wrap that can double as a skirt, shirt, and dress in a few different styles – a must-have for Costa Rica.

We came back for some more swimming. But this time we were yelled out of the water prematurely by the lifeguards due to the apparent rip currents. So the rest of the beach day I spent lounging and reading my book, which was fine by me. It was so nice to just be a tourist and be on vacation, where the most difficult and pressing matter I had all day was to decide if I should go for a walk, swim in the ocean, take a nap on the beach, or read my book. I definitely want to go back to Manuel Antonio on a longer vacation. There were definitely a lot of people there and it was touristy, but there is a reason everyone goes there. I plan on returning. Perhaps with visitors? Hint, hint.

The next day we went to Playa Bandera. This was yet another gorgeous beach. It had seemingly endless with waves, beach, and forest, but it lacked the overpopulated attendance that Manuel Antonio had. It was really nice to be at such an empty beach. There was even a rio feeding into the ocean that allowed the Ticos that had a bit less swimming ability to enjoy the little pools it created.

Katie and I made our first business to walk down the beach, find some shade under some palm trees on the grass, plop ourselves down on our towels, and read / nap. Que rico. We headed back in time for a lunch of the yummy arroz con pollo and another round of sandia at the beach. Then Katie, Jake, and I took a long walk down the beach. Though we walked about 2 miles, we still saw no end to the beach – it seemed to go on forever. It was also home to a myriad of caracoles, all scurrying into their hole in the sand as we approached, beautiful shells, sand dollars, rocks, and coral, which made me wonder what was just off the coast under the water.

After the 1.5 hours of walking, we cooled off by finally jumping in the ocean. It was a weird feeling to have to walk for so long before the water level increased at all since it was such a flat beach. Though we didn’t go past the break, the water was perfect and the waves weren’t too menacing. We did feel the strong current the beach was known for, but it was pulling us more ashore and to the side, not out to the ocean so it was fine.

Then all too soon it was time to go. It was such a ridiculously awesome weekend and the perfect vacation.