Typical Tamarindo

So, this long-awaited post won't have all that much to it. You see, this was the final of our three planned excursions that I went on with my program. We headed out to the Nicoya Peninsula along the Pacific coast to a beach called Tamarindo. This beach is quite different from many of the other spots that we have wandered to because this place relies on tourism, and more specifically, Americans. This trip was supposed to be our first and nicest, but with the large earthquake that had happened nearby, we had postponed it to our fourth weekend in the country.

To get out to Tamarindo, it took a 6 hour bus ride, which had become pretty accustomed to us. After the long trek out, the bus pulled up to the nice 4-star hotel/resort that we were going to be staying at this weekend (La Diria). It came equipped with something like 3 pools, a full spa, lawn full of lounge chairs, and its own private beach access. Like any good college students, we immediately headed towards the beach to try to enjoy it as much as possible. After getting in some quality beach time, there was a dinner planned for us at the restaurant with typical food along with traditional dance from Guanacaste (the region we were in, and what many tourists associate as Tico culture). After that we headed out for a nice night on the town.

The next morning we woke up for some breakfast then headed onto a van that took us out to our canopy tour; this was a separate tour that we could sign up for. We got there and immediately headed out on a truck into the forest were we saw plenty of animals inculing howler monkeys. We ziplined and rappelled for quite some time and then headed in as it poured on all of us sitting down in the back of the truck. You can see the storm approaching in the video below that I have prepared to show you my adventure.

When we got back to the beach it was totally dry and the beach was yearning for some company. Obviously I headed down for some good ole' body surfing, because that is just what I've gotten used to doing I guess. After spending all afternoon in the water, I headed out with Kyle for an all you can eat sushi dinner (that was only $25 each). We got to just hang out for a while and chat as we watched people walking around town looking for a place to head while we enjoyed sushi. That night everyone just hung out in rooms becuase we had such long days.

The next day we slept in and headed back home to Heredia. It was a nice relaxed and much needed weekend for everyone.