Hotel ManGaby Playa Hermosa

... front of our hotel this morning. It was our first time surfing out front. It was a solid 6-8 feet and definitely the most heavy wave I surfed. I wiped out on a huge set and was held under for more than 30 seconds. Surfing Costa Rica....no risk no reward. pics/vids coming soon

... it was getting dark so we decided to stop at Playa Hermosa which is just 5 kms past the Benidorm of Costa Rica - Jaco. All the area is full of surfers hostels, shops and restaurants. One immediately understands why when you look at the size of the waves coming into the beach. So, against our principles of avoiding "surfers" places as they are way too cool for us (all that talking of waves and boards and listening to Robert Marley is just way ...

... mauvais choix. On arrive juste trop tard pour la plongée, de toute façon c'était beaucoup trop chère. D'ailleurs tout était très cher, le resto où on a pris notre p'tit déj (en plus c'était dégueulasse), un tour de snorkel qu'un type a essayé de me vendre en promo au même prix qu'une double plongée. Apres une petite baignade dans une jolie baie, on va à l'arrêt de bus. « Bonjour Monsieur, à quelle heure est le prochain bus ? - Dans 1h je crois. » On ...

... Canyoning Waterfall Adventures. There were 3 other young couples with us who were all really fun to talk to and hang out with. We especially liked talking with a young couple from London and one of the young guides. We rappeled down 4 waterfalls deep in the jungle, the longest of which was 110 feet ...

... Faced Monkeys climbing and playing in the trees above us, but no toucans yet. After two weeks in Hermosa we felt we needed to see some more of the country, so we packed up our day packs, stored our big packs at Las Olas, and drove down to Quepos, a small town an hour south of Hermosa. Quepos we used as our base for our visit to Manuel Antonio National Park. While in Quepos we continued our search for a head cleaning tape for our video camera. We already looked everywhere in Jaco ...

... as possible (kids are really the same all over the world), and immediately fell asleep. I was about to doze off myself when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Andrea, Omar's sister, asking if I had a towel. What? Why? What happened? Why did she need a towel? Then she mimed her brother throwing up. I looked down the aisle, and sure enough, it was as I had feared. Now, I had brought Dramamine and had passed out puke bags in the event that someone felt the urge to spill the contents of ...

... place is absolutley amazing. Although there is some major development going on, this place still is small and has a pure feel (the roads are still dirt) and extremly laid back, which is crazy bc from what we had been told this is one of the MOST touristy places in the counrty...I can only imagine what other places will be like. I learned to surf, so mark that off the 'Things to do before I die" list. Mike was proud he was my teacher and I got up ...

... friends riding on the backs of the same waves. Big groups of fish going to school. Sharks making sure they get there on time. Spotted sting rays that look like they´re flying through the water with their wings. The sting rays are not my friends. They sting me. Then I have to leave my friend the ocean. I have to go see Mr. Pain. I don´t like Mr. Pain, he hurts me. But a bucket of boiling water burns away Mr. Pain. And my skin. I think I need some new friends. The End.

... taking to one of the owners of the hotel and she told me that they were disappointed with the direction that Tamarindo is headed. They have put Pasatiempo on the market and plan on opening a new hotel in the Playa Negra or Avellana area. After the beach we headed back to Pasatiempo for a dip in the pool and a late lunch. We played cards and talked to other people in the restaurant/bar ...

... the horizon. When you see them from a distance they look like a three-headed monster. This morning I went for a lengthy swim myself. I heard and felt a disconcerting splash behind me. I turned and this big bloody black dog was staring me right in the face. He scared the be-jeebers out of me. And yesterday while scuba diving I reported seeing a 10-foot white tip shark. The Divemaster said it was four foot, maybe five foot, tops. Everything looks bigger underwater. Sometimes on the shore too.