Our unexpected tropical beach day

7/27/13

I really didn't think a tropical beach was in the plans for this trip, but we heard about Monterrico Beach at our language school so I started checking it out. Everyone we asked seemed to have slightly different information about how far away it is...1 hour?...2?...2 1/2? The language school offers a shuttle for $30 per person ($90 for a bus ride?!) so we checked with some of the other tour companies but they were even more expensive. Shawn thought renting another scooter was a viable plan (ummm...no.) And Baylie was all for renting a car. The tour salesman in the park of course gave us dire warnings about trying to drive there ourselves. They painted a frightening picture of terrible roads and assured us we would get lost. So...we rented a a car for $47, pulled up a GPS map and drove there in 2 hours.

The beach was HUGE and almost completely empty. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, a pleasant mist from the powerful crashing waves, and black sand so hot it was like walking on coals! We found some shade right in front of a vacant house for sale and had a few great hours just soaking up the tropical vibe. The water was very warm, but the waves would suck you under and thrash you against the volcanic sand, so maybe not quite "perfect" - but pretty close!

IMG_6707

IMG_6703

Yesterday we hung out at the Mercado de Artesanias. Shawn bought a mask to add to the small collection we have. I had to pull him away with just one. Baylie is in search of a cool bag to use for school this year, no ordinary backpack for her, so we will be going back I'm sure.