So we spent the first 3 weeks of our adventure in the Guanacaste region, soaking up the sun's rays and adjusting to home schooling on the road. The kids took surfing lessons and caught on right away. The waves here are perfect for beginners and old farts like Mike and I - big enough to offer a thrill and yet small enough so that if you wipe out, you don't usually sustain major injuries. Below are photos of our surfer kids, and their mother playing it safer by boogie boarding.
We also hired a local fisherman to take us out on his boat and see if we could catch some fish. It was slow going at first and the fish didn't seem to be anywhere near our boat. So he took us on a scenic tour of the area, including the beautiful beach and surrounding hillside dotted with various buildings owned by Mel Gibson. As we were heading back toward Sámara, Mike got a catch on his line - a nice size mackerel. Then Nico got a nibble, but the fish got away. Deanna managed to bring in a beautiful white tuna, and Kiana enthusiastically reeled in another nice mackerel. So we ate like royalty for the next few days. Below are some "fishy" photos.
We also visited a local animal refuge/zoo. It is run by an Italian couple, all financed by donations. They have rescued several exotic animals, and have adopted several other animals more commonly found throughout the country.
We also enjoyed many native animals on our motel grounds. It is difficult to capture the myriad birds in photos with our camera, but the music they provided every day was enchanting! Lots of iguanas of various sizes and lengths running around, as well as 2 rather large ones living on our roof. We were treated to the nightly sounds of howler monkeys playing and howling in the trees. Occasionally, a few would stray down to the palm trees near the beach. They move so quickly though, so our photos of them are a bit blurry. There are 100's of insects of course, and most are here simply to drive Nico crazy!
This is a picture of a howler monkey in a tree right outside our room.
This is one of our local friendly iguanas.
And this iguana found himself trapped inside our room, and the night watchman had to catch him so we could go to sleep - although I wasn't very tired after that fiasco! The guy grabbed the iguana by the tail, and the tail fell off - that is a natural method of escaping predators for iguanas. The tails eventually grow back.
Look closely to realize that there is an insect on the palm leaf.
There are some natural tidal pools on Carrillo Beach, next to Sámara. We enjoyed a nice hike for a soothing soak.
Along with enjoying the sun, beach and ocean activities every day, we also loved the delicious tasty treats delivered to our door every day. In the mornings, the grandson of the owner of our motel would present us with an array of freshly baked pastries - cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, quiche, fruit and ham & cheese croissants, chocolate drizzled crepes, etc. Then, about mid-morning, a local woman actually from Colombia (she loved the fact that our kids are Colombian!) would pass by selling cups of ceviche and crackers. In the afternoons, Julio the gardener, would climb up a palm tree and knock down a coconut for us. He would chop it open with a machete, a process with which Nico was enthralled(!), pour the cocnut milk into a glass and serve us the sweet coconut meat in small pieces. If the fishermen had a good day on the ocean, they would stop by the motel with their bags of fresh seabass and/or lobsters. Quite the spoiled life in paradise!
Here is Nico ready to consume some of his favorite daily pastries!
This is our favorite Colombian lady serving up a glass of ceviche for Kiana.
Here is Julio snagging a coconut for us.
There was also a female masseuse who came by the motel one day, and said that her regular clients here were out of town, so she was offering a special deal for massages. We were able to negotiate a family special, and all 4 of us received an amazing massage, each one specifically directed to our individual hurting parts. The photos below are proof of our indulgence!
Kiana watched this woman very closely, and learned about massage techniques. She is a natural, and since has been practicing on her family, all very willing participants!
This photo shows her practicing on her favorite client.
Obviously, we have really enjoyed our family time at the beach. And yes, it was difficult to enforce study time for their schoolwork. But we have tried to reach a happy medium, and it is impressive how much work we can compress into 3-4 hours, as opposed to an entire school day. It doesn't hurt to offer them an hour of boogie boarding in the ocean as incentive to finishing their studies!
Life near the ocean has been very therapeutic for all of us!
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