Last night we heard some howler monkeys nearby, so we decided to wake up with them (their howl is incredibly loud…we’ve coined them as the roosters of Costa Rica) this morning and try to locate them in the trees. Their pretty sedentary, as they only rely on leaves and tree fruit for nutrients, but their distinctive howl gives them away. We learned that their howl is more for territorial warning, informing other monkeys not to come to their tree…after all, that’s their meal for the day.
Next week we’re going on a pretty serious 8-hour snorkeling trip to Isla del Caño when we’re further south down the Pacific coast, so we decided to head out early morning to get used to our relatively new snorkel gear. Playa Hermosa is beautiful sand beach with calm waters, so we really didn’t expect to see much, but we ended up seeing a little puffer fish and what we thought was a baby fluke! We even heard dolphins underwater in the distance!!
We’ve been staying at Hotel Bosque del Mar, which has been great, but breakfast isn’t included in this hotel stay…so we went to a local grocery store to buy some fresh fruits. We bought light snacks, OJ, and a whole pineapple. When we got back to our hotel, we asked the chef por una cuchilla (for a knife), but instead he insisted on cutting it up for us!
After our breakfast, we decided to drive to the nearby town of Playa del Coco. This is a more popular beach town where you can find abundant options for lunch and day tours. To our surprise, there are a LOT of pizza places in Costa Rica. We don’t get it…but we’re not mad about it! We stopped at Zi’s for some local beer and pizza.
After a delicious pizza pie, we made our way back to our hotel for a much needed break. The sun has really got us slowing down during this trip…which is fine with us! The theme of this trip is to move like the local sloths…haha!
Before coming to Costa Rica, we heard about a restaurant in Playa del Coco through a Netflix show called “Restaurants on the Edge.” The Lookout was featured on this show, so of course we had to try it and support local business owners! We were so glad we did because the views were incredible, and the food and drinks were even better!
It’s a small restaurant, and because of the show they definitely have become more popular…so reservations are highly encouraged.
The show also featured some local artists in Tamarindo, which is where we are heading tomorrow, so hope to stop by to see these artists and learn more about their work and mission…stay tuned!