Today I explored Tamarindo!

Today I explored Tamarindo! We've slowly gotten used to resort life here in Costa Rica. Being at an all-inclusive resort is pretty cool, but it also gets a little tiring. Today Adam and I decided to travel to a nearby town called Tamarindo while Michael stayed at the resort to rest and relax. We took a shuttle bus to Tamarindo around 10 am. It was a small little surfing town located on the next bay over from our hotel. The main street by the waterfront is lined with shops and restaurants.

We started off by doing a little shopping. I also went to the pharmacy to grab some aloe for my sunburns. We stopped off at a juice/smoothie to grab something to drink. I had the best pina colada I've ever had. It was super rich and sweet which is probably why...

hats!

The beach!

After shopping we stopped by a restaurant on the beach to grab a bite to eat.

After that we hopped back on the shuttle and headed back to the resort. Adam and I spent the rest of the day by the pool.

We met up with Michael again and then had dinner at the resort's Asian restaurant. Before we went in however I went to the beach to grab a picture of the sunset.

Tomorrow I plan to try to take more pictures of the wildlife around here. There are so many animals around, that we've gotten used to it. Now seeing a giant iguana chilling by the pool, or birds flying around the buffet isn't surprising. Hopefully I can grab some good pictures before we all head back to Washington.

Daily Step Count: 12,328

Total Step Count: 58,782

Today I think I got sun burnt...and Michael fell into the pool

Today I think I got sun burnt...and Michael fell into the pool. Today we pretty much did our own things. Michael woke up early and walked around the resort while Adam and I slept in. Then Adam went for a run while I took a shower and got ready. We met up and had breakfast at the buffet. The buffet was pretty good! Despite the netting around the openings of the building, there were tons of birds that were flying around the buffet.

Bloody Mary Station!! I may not like bloddy marys but I do like screwdrivers!

After that Adam and I went to the beach while Michael went to get a massage. After a bit Adam left the beach, but I stayed and laid in the sun some more. I tried putting more sunscreen on, but I must not have done a great job.. I think I got a little sunburnt. Oh well...
 

Yay or Nay to the hat?? We said nay

After that Michael and I ordered room service for lunch and Adam got pizza and laid out by the pool. We all met up again a the pool but then Michael fell in walking to get a towel. Sadly his wallet and phone got wet. We asked room service for some rice and his phone is sitting it in now. If you are worried that he hasn't been posting anything that is the reason why.

We just lounged all afternoon and then ate dinner at the French restaurant here at the resort.

Tomorrow Adam and I may head to another small town nearby while Michael goes on an eco-tour of the area. Nothing is set in stone however, and we just want to get the most out of our time here.

Daily Step Count: 9,317

Total Step Count: 46,454

Today I went to an all-inclusive resort!

Today I went to an all-inclusive resort! We left our airbnb this morning and headed down towards Liberia to return our rental car and head to the all-inclusive resort. Before we left I took some pictures of our airbnb so we would always remember our time here.

Kitchen

Main room

Bedroom 1

Bathroom 1

Two shower heads!

Bedroom 2 with an identical bathroom (but with only 1 shower head)

We cleaned up, took one last picture by the pool, and headed out.

 After stopping at Tilaran we headed out to find a place to eat. However because Costa Rica is a very religious country nothing is open on Sunday. We searched two smaller towns before heading back to Liberia to find food. Luckily we found a restaurant that was open and we grabbed a bite to eat.

Yum!

We returned our rental car and headed to the airport to take a shuttle to the resort. Our driver, Angel, picked us up, and drove us to the resort.

S omeone was upset with the weather...

It was about an 1.5 hour drive to the resort but we finally made it to the Westin Golf and Spa all-inclusive resort! We checked in and were driven to our room. Everything is very spread out here with rooms in separate bungalows and restaurant and shops in a central area near the beach. It is very hot here, and it doesn't help that much of our surrounding area is on fire. You can smell once you step out onto our patio. I honestly thought I would have a harder time with the temperature here, but it actually doesn't seem that bad to me. Maybe I've acclimated to the climate quickly or going to Hawaii right before I came here helped.


Also surprisingly there is a lot of wildlife here. Within a few minutes of us arriving we had already seen more wildlife than we saw at Volcan Arenal and Monteverde combined.

There many birds that are around the resort, as well as coatimundis, iguanas, smaller lizards, and howler monkeys. They seem completely unfazed by human contact and honestly are probably just waiting to be fed (despite all the signs that say not to...).  This afternoon Michael and Adam explored the resort and beach while I took a nap in the room. I was sleeping on the couch the past few days, and it was nice to sleep in a bed, and to be able to stretch out completely.

We grabbed dinner at one of the resorts many restaurants. Because it is all-inclusive, all of our food and drinks are included, including alcohol! We ate at a Costa Rican style restaurant where the waitstaff carry meat around on spits like at Rodizios or a Brazilian BBQ place. The food was really good and we can't wait to try some of the other restaurants here.

Tomorrow I think we will explore the resort and see everything that it has to offer!

Daily Step Count: 6,132

Total Step Count: 37,137

Today I explored Tilaran!

Today I explored Tilaran! We had nothing major planned for today unlike the past few days. We wanted to take it easy and relax on our last full day here by Lake Arenal. Every morning since we've arrived I've woken up to a rainbow over Lake Arenal. Usually I'm a little slow to take a picture before it disappears, but I got a picture of it today!

It was very windy and rainy last night, and that carried into the morning. It didn't seem like it would be very fun to go out, but we were hungry. So we decided to grab breakfast at Rock River Lodge, a restaurant and hotel across the street from Cafe & Macadamia, the restaurant we had breakfast at yesterday. The food was great! As we walked into the restaurant we were greeted by Buster, a dog that was just chilling there. He and Michael became fast friends.

That orange juice was so fresh and good!

Buster! Michael's new friend!

Heading down to Cafe & Macadamia to grab a few things

After breakfast we walked back to Cafe & Macadamia to do a little shopping before heading back to the airbnb. Once we got back we decided to see if the weather would improve so we just napped and relaxed. I've mentioned this before in past posts, but Netflix is different in each country. Costa Rica Netflix is the best! They have all kinds of movies! All the Star Wars movies, Lord of the Rings, all of the Ocean's movies, Star Trek, Thor, etc...I watched the last part of the Hobbit before the weather cleared up enough for us to go out. We decided to go explore Tilaran a nearby town. It was a small town and we stopped first at a cafe before working around the town.

I take portraits now!

Adam's face...

My camera accidentaly got swtiched to "effects" mode and it resulted in this

 

After we walked around Tilaran we headed back to the airbnb. Most of the afternoon was spent napping and lounging by the pool.

We went to a restaurant next door to the first restaurant we went to for dinner. It was good!

Adam's nachos!

Tomorrow we head back to Liberia to return our car and head to the all-inclusive resort! I definitely think that this part of the trip was worth it and I'd definitely return! My only wish is that the skies were more clear so I could have taken more night pictures. I tried again tonight, but the clouds got in the way. It created this kind of wispyness in the photo due to the long exposure time. It looks yellow because the camera is picking up the artificial lighting from the houses and street lights. It's kind of a cool shot though...

Daily Step Count: 5,606

Total Step Count: 31,005