To the Beach!

The Pacific called, so we hopped in our rental Tieros (4 wheel drive) to answer the call.  We could put the GPS, the car and our instincts to the test.  The trip over the hills, across the bridges and through the forests was good because we were on the toll highway which is largely 4 lane, with surprise lane disappearances to cross bridges and narrow openings between hills.  There was the obligatory stop at Crocodile Bridge, named for the creatures lounging below.   

Some of the crocs sunning themselves. They must be well fed - they didnt move much

This one was smiling for me

The Carara National Park was next, but we wanted water - so we continued on to Playa Herradura.  We parked on the sand in an area that resembled a parking area and we were met by an older man who offered to watch our car.  Note that CR is very clear to tourists that they should leave nothing in their car, should not carry expensive items.  Our house has an alarm that is armed when we are away, and when we sleep. and we have a large metal gate at the front of our driveway.  So, it is not unusual to have someone offer to watch your vehicle.  He was wearing a special vest which we have started to see worn by older men who help businesses with their customers' parking.

Off we went to hike the beach.  It has a rustic walkway along the beach, covered with tree branches for shade.  The beach was huge and covered in brown sand and natural gravel. It was a hike just to get to the water.  The Turk hates water that is even slightly cool, and this water passed the turk test of being warm enough to swim in.  Shuttle boats were moving people to and from anchors boats used for fishing and diving trips. There is a Marriott resort off one side of this cover area.

Nice breeze kept things cooler - but it was 10am.

Hanging out

Facing the water are small restaurants/bars where one could be quite comfortable spending the day.

But we wanted to see more. So off to Jaco we went - just down the road a few minutes.  Jaco is the epicenter for surfers and tourists.  It reminded us of any popular tourist beach area full of bars, inexpensive places to eat and souvenir shops.  There is no denying that the beach is beautiful.  But I didnt see any trees and that is now one of my requirements.


It was starting to get quite warm, so we headed back for Atenas - home.  Along the way,  we stopped for fish soup and fish tacos.  The CR food is not known for being especially tasty or adventurous and these dishes stayed true to that understanding.

Feeling brave and wanting a bit more adventure (ok, it was me, not the turk who felt this way), we didnt take the toll road back.  We found another 'main' road on the map and decided to follow it to Atenas.  Road 707 was on our GPS, was a main road on our map, and was mostly 1 lane and dirt!  But hey, we have a 4WD, so we should be fine.

Where we started 707, we confirmed with a local that the road went to Atenas. Remember this is in spanish, not english.  So off we went and were immediately facing a partially washed-out road. But hey, we have a 4WD, so we are ok.  The road continued as dirt, some gravel, and even sometimes a short stretch of pavement.  We passed coffee farms, cattle ranches, Tico (local) neighborhoods, and then a walled area of high-end homes probably owned by americans and europeans.  These were all on this bumpy, dusty, windy, steep road.  After about 45 mins, we turned a sharp corner while hugging the side of a hill and I realized, we were facing our driveway!  Our house is on this 707 road!
How long is 707 to Atenas?  4 kilometers!
When i mentioned it was great that we had 4WD, the Turk said 'oh'.  Apparently, he had not used that function yet.  We now know where the 4WD button is and will use it next time.

main road 707 to our house

Scenery along the way

Home in Atenas!