We skipped the hotel for breakfast. We knew what to expect, and it wasn’t great. What we found was Cha Café, a little up the road from our hotel, towards the ocean. It’s a gringo place, easy to tell from the menu and from the clientele. It was not only delicious, but easily the best coffee I’ve had so far.
We looked at stores, we went down roads we hadn’t previous explored. We talked to some of the locals. And, of course, we ended up at one of the beachside hotels for drinks and something to eat – as one does when on vacation.
I should also note: I shouldn’t be drinking at all. The doctor has me on a hard “no drinking” (alcohol, that is) regimen right now, as my liver tests came back very off. But … dammit, I’m on vacation. I’m not planning to spend the entire time drunk on a beach, but hell, I want to have at least one beer. And maybe a cocktail or three.
And lo and behold, my friend with the bowl reappeared! And she still had my now prized possession. We did talk price, and I reminded her of her $40 offer the day before, but I literally couldn’t do that – she and her family and friends have come a long way to earn money. I have money. I’m not gonna be a dick about it. At $60, it’s still a steal. And she threw in a wooden mortar and pestle to make guacamole.
We officially hit the beach after lunch (at the hotel, which was crap). Kate and I swam, then Alex and Kate swam. We stayed until the sun went down and we were in the midst of a glowing sunset. We returned to the room to wash the sea from our skin, and then head out for dinner. Well, Alex and I did … Choo Choo wasn’t too keen on eating.
Alex had arepas on the mind, as she’d seen a sign for it, somewhere. And that was to be found in a covered market of sorts that featured all kinds of different tastes, including a bar fashioned from an actual sailboat. The arepas were courtesy of a family from Argentina who didn’t really seem to want to be there.
We found our way to a gelato stand to get some cold treats. Ahead of us was an American family. How did we know? Loud, English-only, Jersey accent, and about a million of them. Paid in USD. The servers were surprised to hear white people speak (somewhat) serviceable Spanish and make genuine attempts to be nice. We paid in Colones. As one should.