Last night we picked up a few breakfast items to feast on from the comforts of our room before venturing out in the heat. The cereal here seems to be overly sugary and mixing it down with a bag of plain old rolled oats was perfect. Add to that a banana with a side of instant coffee and we were ready to start the day.
We figured out Samara will be our next stop. A couple more hours down the coast, but it will require either one $100USD cab ride or 3 buses for much less. Tomorrow we will do the buses. There is a time and place for taxis or shuttles, and shaving an hour off our travel time in exchange for an extra $90 it really doesn’t make sense. Buses will also add to our adventure after a few less adventurous days.
With accommodation sorted and travel identified, we set off on a trek to Playa Langosta. Right next to Tamarindo, there is a beach that spills out from a small community built up there. Google maps shows a few amenities as well, so we might as well wander over that way and see what the neighbor town is offering. We departed and headed into the center of Tamarindo. Last night we stumbled upon a poorly lit shortcut from the beach to our end of town, so we opted for this rough road. We found a little tipico restaurant to pop in for lunch, but it was only 10…so maybe later. As we exited the restaurant, the musician from the last couple nights happened to be walking down the same road. Sure this is a small town, but we havent run into anyone this many times without walking by their restaurant. We said our hi and headed to the beach.
The tide was low and we wandered along. Splashing in the sandy pools left behind by the retreating tide. Sea critters would scamper behind barnacle covered rocks and tiny fish hide in the shadows. Melanie also hiding under her umbrella to shield herself from the blazing sun was also enjoying the stroll, but was wondering where exactly I was taking her. I didn’t know much, but after half an hour in this direct sun, the trees at the far end of the beach looked pretty good for a bit of shelter.
We had made it to Playa Langosta. Sandy, but lots of rocky outcroppings. This would not be a good swimming beach, even with the tide all the way in. Beautiful for wandering aimlessly in the afternoon though, or a run on the beach. We made our way for the trees and up a little path into the community of Langosta. Packed dirt roads were all we had to go on. A little traffic to contend with many of those vehicles being buses. It seems that all the Tamarindo buses also make the circuit through Langosta as well for pick ups at the end of the line. We kept on. Houses getting fancier. Packed road was leading to paved…and sidewalks. Suddenly this was looking less shacky and more like a suburban community north of Mexico. This must be where the expats hide out from winter.
We grabbed a smoothie to reduce core temperatures and followed a short path down to a secluded beach. We didnt have any swim gear with us, and this wasn’t really a relaxing beach spot, so we just grabbed a couple pics of the white sands and dark rocks, then started making our way back to find a bottle of water. One of us forgot, so it was up to me to grab another bottle. This wouldn’t normally be worthy of commenting on, but as we are making our way up to the store a lady was taking her dog out for a walk. This lady though was only wearing a bikini, and not much of one. As she walked along, the few workers and truck drivers would just stop and rubberneck. It really was quite the site and I should have stopped to take a picture…but imagination is better here.
We made our way back to town down the dusty roads. We agreed that more clothes are probably better in all parts of the world, and to not leave without a bottle of water. We stopped at a local Soda and had the tipico Casado for lunch. Not the place we found earlier, but sufficient for our dining needs. Melanie’s chicken was tasty, but rubbery. Mine she figured tasted bloody…to me it was falling off the bone perfect. An expensive sunscreen purchase and we made it back to the room for a nap.
Sunset was not so spectacular due to clouds on the horizon. We found a table outside just off the beach and enjoyed a happy hour beer along with the really tasty ceviche we had the other night. After that, a stroll back through town to eat at the BBQ place from last night where we shared a 3 meat platter. One of those large crickets bounced off Melanie’s back and into the restaurant as we were about to pay the bill, but not near the same amount of excitement as last night.
Considering we are heading out earlier tomorrow, we came back to the room. As we passed The Black Sheep hostel, that same musician guy walked by. Strange that we keep running into him, but apparently his act starts at this place at 8PM. We just happened to cross paths again about 30 minutes before his start time. He must play every joint in town. Now we are in for the night and packing up our stuff again.
Tomorrow, bus adventures await us.