In Costa Rica, students have their longest school break from the end of November until February. The rainy season ends by December, inspiring many Tico families to join the foreign tourists taking vacations at the beach. Ava, HL and I followed them there.
We spent much of the day on the road. Our stalwart driver, Dario, collected us late in the morning. We descended from Monteverde to the Pacific coast through a lengthy series of turns more appropriate to a carnival ride than a heavily used road.
The mountainsides were vibrantly green. Every curve revealed another lush vista, but there were few places where one could park and enjoy the view. Dario knew exactly where those few sites could be found. For example, he brought us to the roadside property of someone displaying wooden carvings for sale. There was a small wooden platform at the edge of the lot. It had been constructed for photographers and anyone who wished to admire the verdant landscape. Beside the railing was a wooden box like a birdhouse with a slot in its roof, which the enterprising carver had labeled Propinas (gratuities).
The woodcarver had decorated the roadside viewing platform with one of his carvings.
The highway became straighter and busier as we approached the ocean. The weather became hotter and more humid as the afternoon advanced. Near the town of Jaco, vendors were hacking open coconuts to sell the juice. I purchased one from a fellow who did not seem to be doing any business. My coconut was not a small young one with sweet juice. It was unwieldy and heavy, and whatever liquid it contained had an unpleasant taste. Even worse, it was leaking, so I had to discard it in short order. I decided to try drinking fresh coconut juice when I came across another vendor, preferably one with other customers.
It is difficult to see a sloth in its rainforest habitat, so I took this picture of the facsimile clinging to the C in the sign for the beachfront town of Jaco.
The coco frío vendor with his unsatisfactory wares
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