Tamarindo and Zapotal beaches, Costa Rica
After clearing customs in Coco beach, we headed towards our days destiny: Tamarindo beach, a surfers and windsurfers dream—with waves reaching up to 7 feet high at certain times of the year. Tamarindo is a long narrow strip along an estuary and two beaches, with fingers of development into the low coastal hills. Early this morning some of us, who were a little less eager than others to do some body surfing, took our Zodiacs into the protected waters of the mangroves of the Tamarindo National Wildlife Refuge (also known as Las Baulas National Marine Park). This refuge’s beaches attract one of the largest leatherback turtle populations in the world. Though not lucky enough—or in the right time of the year, for that matter—to spot one of these reptiles, we did spot another incredible reptile, a couple of American crocodiles. A good birdwatching area too, we saw spotted sandpipers, Wilson’s plovers, mangrove hawks, plumbeous kites, flycatchers, and mangrove swallows.
Back onto the surfing-swimming beach, all of us finally had the well-deserved, deeply-wanted shopping prospect! Sarongs, T-shirts, jewelry, woodwork, hammocks, or the simple opportunity to go roaming in a town (surfers, beach lovers town) made us remember there is a world out there, away from our floating home away from home. Are we sure we want to go back?
We went back to the ship for lunch and a nap, and were ready to go out again onto our own “private” little beach, well, we did have to share it with some dogs and local livestock… Anyway, an ultimate Frisbee session, one more time on the “Torpedo Blaster”, and some more kayaking and snorkeling, set the preview to an amazing sunset on the sundeck with ceviche and cocktails.
