So here we are sitting upstairs at Hotel Cabinas Conchal, the hotel run by Simon and Hilda, who we met when they came to check out the Kokoro and then again at La Fortuna waterfall. They said we really should come see them and have dinner in their hotel, so here we are!
This morning I hired a long board and spent a couple of hours surfing while Amber soaked up the sunshine. I had one or two moments of magic and caught a few large waves properly, which has put me in a great mood all day.
Amber is turning brown very quickly with all this sun. Me? I'm turning into a lobster. Hopefully the fierce red colour of my skin will calm down over the next few days!
We got our rental wheels this morning, a Daihatsu Terios. Not a car I would recommend to anyone, but we put the 4x4 through its paces trying to get to Playa Conchal. Originally the plan had been to have lunch at Simon and Hilda's place and then go to the beach, but when we arrived at the hotel it turned out that they don't do lunch, so we were directed to 'Outback Jack's Road Kill Grill' to get a bite to eat. As it turned out this was a great recommendation and we had a fab lunch.
To get from Paya Brasilito to Playa Conchal you have to basically drive across the sandy beach and over a little (but very steep and bumpy) hill. Having never driven a 4x4 before it was quite a test, but we made it in one piece and even managed to get the guard to let us park for half price!
Playa Conchal is exactly how tropical paradise should be. A pristine beach of broken up shells (from which it gets its name), the pieces of which get smaller as you reach the surf; brilliant turquoise water that starts shallow and then shelves off to about 9 feet and then deeper out to sea. There were a few families here and there enjoying the beach and there are a few enterprising Ticos who do snorkelling, jet ski and horse tours, but otherwise it's about the most idyllic beach you could imagine. The colour of the water is unbelievable.
We decided to go back to the RipJack after spending a few hours relaxing on Playa Conchal to get washed and dressed for tonight.
We've had a couple of minor fiascos: One in an attempt to find the petrol station, and one because the first ATM we came to was broken and I had to drive to Playa Flamingo to locate another one, but it wouldn't give me colones and it took me ages to work out how many dollars to get out. I may have a PhD but I so can't do exchange rates!
We've just been chatting to Hilda. Apparently Metallica were great in San Jose, although they played in the poorer of the two stadiums in a rougher part of the city, they only had three video screens and were in and out pretty quick, but Hilda said that the hordes of fans outside the stadium from about 1pm were really a sight to behold.
Hilda does all the cooking here and the smells wafting up from downstairs are really making my mouth water! Simon isn't here sadly as he got a flight to the UK today to visit family and friends, which he apparently does every 6 to 8 weeks.
Right, back to finishing off my Corona. This is the life!
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