Since we went to bed around 7:30 last night it wasn't much of a
challenge getting up. That said, I woke up at 6, realized nobody else
was up and about and went back to bed for an hour until Emily and Aunt
Dawn returned from their walk on the beach.
We kicked off the day with a pot of Costa Rican coffee that put the ol Keurig at work to shame and assembled a random little mother's day breakfast with the eggs, toast and fruit the previous guests had left in the kitchen- as our expedition to the supermercado did not actually result in the purchase of any food.
After breakfast and quiet reading time were over, we headed for Playas del Coco- 2 blocks away. I'd never been on a black sand beach before and it was an interesting contrast of looking filthy but being clean. The water was super clear & you could see your feet but it looked like you were standing in mud and the sand actually had sort of a clay like feeling to it higher up on the beach where it was damp from the waves. April is the end of the high season so there was hardly anyone else around- it was kind if like having our own private beach. We did see a leathery looking dude, whistling by in a green mankini but judging by his "tan mom" hue, I'd guess he's a local.
Much to the delight of my mother who has been spoiled by owning a pool and thus refused to go in further than shin deep, we retreated to the condo to take refuge from the blazing noon sun. We lounged by the pool until hunger forced Emily and I to venture back to the supermercado- with a list. And not a moment too soon, as I had already reached my granola bar quota for the trip and it was only day 2.
We parked on the strip to steal some wifi and double check that all was right with our mothers day surprise. And since nothing is ever simple, I opened my email to find that since the woman had sent us an invoice but we didn't have the Internet to know & pay it (despite having already given her our credit card info), they assumed we didn't want to go & would not be sending anyone to meet us at the beach. Since that email had been sent just 5 minutes before we checked- I frantically emailed her back explaining that it was sort of a special occasion & was it possible to still go. Long story short, emails were exchanges, invoices were paid and crises were averted.
After a quick jaunt through the grocery store (props to costa rica for selling booze in the supermercado though apparently the sale of Reisling is not allowed) we hurried back to the house to get ready.
Lest anyone guess our surprise or think we might be doing something enjoyable we told the moms, among other things, that we were going on an 8 mile hike through a bat cave and that we were going to drop them off somewhere and see who could find their way back first. My mom in particular just loves all of those things so when we drove them down to the beach I think she was relieved. That lasted about 5 minutes until the tiny rubber boat that takes you out to the sailboat pulled up & I was pretty sure when she and Aunt Darlene sailed off in it- because we couldn't all fit at once- she was probably asking him to drop her back off at our condo.
Once we were all safely aboard the Seabird, we settled in for a private 3.5 hour sunset cruise with an open bar and snacks- how's about that for good daughters??
The crew was phenomenal, bringing us drinks, keeping us from falling overboard, even letting us take control of the iPod. Since the quality of my Spanish is directly correlated with my consumption of alcohol, by my second sangria I was chattering away with them in Español, learning about which famous people have houses on which beaches & what time Ladies night starts at the lizard lounge. I will have much to report in my weight training and celebrity gossip class with Trudog next Wednesday.
The sail was very relaxing, with the exception of one minor incident when someone's mother fell down on the boat trying to switch sides to see the sunset (the identity of the uninjured party shall remain nameless to protect what is left of their dignity).
Despite the consumption of sangria and "surprise me" drinks, everyone managed to disembark in one piece and a happy mother's day was had by all.
After the sail we headed into town for dinner. Emily had seen a sign yesterday above a restaurant boasting that it was voted 2011's Best Pizza in Costa Rica by Lonely Planet and being the marketer's dream that she is, hadn't stopped talking about how we should go there. We ignored her. as we are apt to do, walked up the street browsing restaurants, saw a guy on his bike get hit by a car (though from the chaos on the main street I can't believe it took as long as it did to see someone get taken out), walked back down the street and ended up at Lonely Planet's Best Pizza in Costa Rica 2011. I do have to give it to them, it was damn good- I'm just a little confused as to why the only Spanish food I have had so far was guacamole- that we made ourselves.
Back at the house we played a couple hair raising rounds of Yahtzee and called it a night, a full 2.5 hours later than our previous nights bedtime.
We kicked off the day with a pot of Costa Rican coffee that put the ol Keurig at work to shame and assembled a random little mother's day breakfast with the eggs, toast and fruit the previous guests had left in the kitchen- as our expedition to the supermercado did not actually result in the purchase of any food.
After breakfast and quiet reading time were over, we headed for Playas del Coco- 2 blocks away. I'd never been on a black sand beach before and it was an interesting contrast of looking filthy but being clean. The water was super clear & you could see your feet but it looked like you were standing in mud and the sand actually had sort of a clay like feeling to it higher up on the beach where it was damp from the waves. April is the end of the high season so there was hardly anyone else around- it was kind if like having our own private beach. We did see a leathery looking dude, whistling by in a green mankini but judging by his "tan mom" hue, I'd guess he's a local.
Much to the delight of my mother who has been spoiled by owning a pool and thus refused to go in further than shin deep, we retreated to the condo to take refuge from the blazing noon sun. We lounged by the pool until hunger forced Emily and I to venture back to the supermercado- with a list. And not a moment too soon, as I had already reached my granola bar quota for the trip and it was only day 2.
We parked on the strip to steal some wifi and double check that all was right with our mothers day surprise. And since nothing is ever simple, I opened my email to find that since the woman had sent us an invoice but we didn't have the Internet to know & pay it (despite having already given her our credit card info), they assumed we didn't want to go & would not be sending anyone to meet us at the beach. Since that email had been sent just 5 minutes before we checked- I frantically emailed her back explaining that it was sort of a special occasion & was it possible to still go. Long story short, emails were exchanges, invoices were paid and crises were averted.
After a quick jaunt through the grocery store (props to costa rica for selling booze in the supermercado though apparently the sale of Reisling is not allowed) we hurried back to the house to get ready.
Lest anyone guess our surprise or think we might be doing something enjoyable we told the moms, among other things, that we were going on an 8 mile hike through a bat cave and that we were going to drop them off somewhere and see who could find their way back first. My mom in particular just loves all of those things so when we drove them down to the beach I think she was relieved. That lasted about 5 minutes until the tiny rubber boat that takes you out to the sailboat pulled up & I was pretty sure when she and Aunt Darlene sailed off in it- because we couldn't all fit at once- she was probably asking him to drop her back off at our condo.
Once we were all safely aboard the Seabird, we settled in for a private 3.5 hour sunset cruise with an open bar and snacks- how's about that for good daughters??
The crew was phenomenal, bringing us drinks, keeping us from falling overboard, even letting us take control of the iPod. Since the quality of my Spanish is directly correlated with my consumption of alcohol, by my second sangria I was chattering away with them in Español, learning about which famous people have houses on which beaches & what time Ladies night starts at the lizard lounge. I will have much to report in my weight training and celebrity gossip class with Trudog next Wednesday.
The sail was very relaxing, with the exception of one minor incident when someone's mother fell down on the boat trying to switch sides to see the sunset (the identity of the uninjured party shall remain nameless to protect what is left of their dignity).
Despite the consumption of sangria and "surprise me" drinks, everyone managed to disembark in one piece and a happy mother's day was had by all.
After the sail we headed into town for dinner. Emily had seen a sign yesterday above a restaurant boasting that it was voted 2011's Best Pizza in Costa Rica by Lonely Planet and being the marketer's dream that she is, hadn't stopped talking about how we should go there. We ignored her. as we are apt to do, walked up the street browsing restaurants, saw a guy on his bike get hit by a car (though from the chaos on the main street I can't believe it took as long as it did to see someone get taken out), walked back down the street and ended up at Lonely Planet's Best Pizza in Costa Rica 2011. I do have to give it to them, it was damn good- I'm just a little confused as to why the only Spanish food I have had so far was guacamole- that we made ourselves.
Back at the house we played a couple hair raising rounds of Yahtzee and called it a night, a full 2.5 hours later than our previous nights bedtime.
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