Day 7: Way down here in Costa Rica, Left my troubles there by the sea

Saturday Sunrise

Well it's travel day.  But before we start our 15-hour travel day back home, like most other days I rose up with the sun.  Caleb and Bridget were still asleep.  Rather than sleep in or go for a run, I head for a few quiet oceanic moments.

So it's about 5:30 AM. There are only a few people out and about this early.  A few surfers catching waves.  A runner here and there.  A couple of ladies walking their dogs.  A local asleep in a hammock by the Pacific.  Just a smattering of a few folks.




I found a peaceful spot on the rocks, exposed by the low tide, to dip my toes into the water and just listen to the waves for some moments of zen.  It doesn't get much more relaxing. These are the same rocks that created mini-pools, during low tide, receiving "new water" that Caleb loved playing in. 

Waves washing up on the rocks

Rock Formations by the Beach

I head back to the condo and find Bridget and Caleb relaxing on the hammock.  We had gone to Waffle Monkey the previous 2 mornings, so we had to go back to Breakfast Grinds for our final breakfast in Tamarindo.  We all got our Breakfast Grinds favorites.  Bridget, the egg sandwich.  Caleb, yogurt with fruit and mango smoothie.  I had burrito with red chiles (I actually learned from the waitress this morning that I was previously mistaken, these were hotter than the green!) and mango smoothie.

The Last Breakfast

We all then head to the beach to say our final goodbyes to the ocean.  We spend a few minutes walking parallel to the shoreline watching the oceans and surfers.  We did not have any proper pictures of the 3 of us so Bridget recruited someone to take a family picture.  From there, like so many times in the past week, we rinsed off our feet, walked through the resort, crossed the street via the crosswalk, with the help of a cross-guard, and walked back to our condo.  Except this time we did not take a dip into the pool.  We cleaned up and did our final packing. 

Caleb playing "The Drums"

The only Picture of all 3 of us.  A tad dark.

We were happy to see that Junior, our most excellent tourguide from the Palo Verde adventure, would be chauffeuring us back to the airport.  We  had fun learning more about Costa Rica, his upbringing and his future travel plans.  The folks at the Liberia airport were extremely friendly and helpful; such a contrast to the typical interactions at other airports.  It's evident they make a conscientious effort to send off the tourists wanting to come back and visit.

We had a couple of hours before we board.  As a bonus to me, the NC State-Louisville football game just so happened to be on the TV at the sports bar in the airport; certainly a pleasant surprise.  I don't seek out American sports when I'm traveling internationally but yes I'll watch the Wolfpack for sure while waiting to board a flight.  So I caught 1 minute of actual football time; but hey the Pack scored a TD before halftime.  It was about 12:30.  Bridget, Caleb and I shared an appetizer, which unbeknownst to us would be our last meal until the next day.  Bridget and I ordered Bloody Marys.

Caleb watching us take flight in Liberia

The 5-hour flight from Liberia to Costa Rica was not fun by any stretch of the imagination.  Caleb was extremely restless on the flight.  We compromised our no screen time policy and ordered a TV plan hoping to keep him entertained with the hopes that we keep our sanity and that the other passengers were not too bothered by our toddler.  Turns out we only had 10 or so TV channels and the 2 animated movies were way too violent (there was a baby on fire) and full of action.  Not an enjoyable flight for the 3 of us and certainly not for the gentleman sitting in front of us with Caleb kicking the seat periodically.  But what can you expect for a 2 year old on a 5 hour flight.  We offered the row of passengers in front of us a cocktail on our behalf but they politely declined. 

Our flight landed 45 minutes early to Chicago O'Hare and we needed every one of those minutes.  Based on various difficulties, we got to the gate just as they it was boarding.  I had the gate agent move my seat closer to Bridget and Caleb for backup reinforcements.  Caleb told the person sitting in the window seat of their row that he was in Caleb's seat.  I missed this but Bridget said it was hilarious. 

All and all this was a fantastic vacation!  I very much needed something like this.  Work had consumed way way way too much of my life the past several months and I'm grateful to Bridget for planning this getaway.  I completely disconnected.   Not worried about the news.  Not worried about my wallet.  Not worried about my work.  Not worried about my cold/sinus infection because it went away the first day down.

I'm proud of Bridget and I for stepping a bit out of our comfort zone and taking Caleb on such an adventure.  We know now that there will be more fun family adventures like this for us.  I'm happy for the family memories that were made.  I'm happy for Caleb that he was able to venture out in the world and will have the photos and videos to relive his adventures as a kid. 

Looking back on this trip, here are some random ruminations, thoughts, musings, reflections and so on about about our experiences in this sleepy Costa Rican surf town:

• Surfing, Soccer, Spanish.  It's rare I covet what other people excel at but man being in Tamarindo, I wish I had these 3 skills.
• There were a ton of Toronto Blue Jays hats.  Tourists, locals, vendors on the beach.  It was quite uncanny.  
• Caleb sure loves kitty cats.  
• Tamarindo Sunsets are not to be missed.  The sky and its reflections onto the water made for pure magic.
• What kind of business enterprise are these beach vendors?  Do they work for folks?  Do they buy the inventory and try to resell?  Are they indebted to someone else?  Is it a "scheme" like those door-to-door magazine sellers back in the States?  
• What does Guanacaste look like when it is in dry season and the plants look yellow?  It's hard to even imagine with how green and lush the landscape was.  
• The song "The Way" by Fastball, a song I may not have heard since the 90s, was in my head for several days after seeing the duo at the beach bar perform it; I had to queue it up on Spotify.  In a serendipitous moment a few days after we got back home, I jammed with someone whom just happened to start playing this song.  I knew how to play along with the song because of the trip.
• How great it is to be somewhere so laid back.  Seemed like such a judgment free zone.  Within the first few minutes of walking around our condo I saw someone wearing a T-shirt of the band "The Motet".  I was so excited I had to share my story of seeing them when I was in college. After seeing this obscure T-Shirt, I figured this place had to be okay.  Shortly thereafter we saw someone wearing a "Dead" shirt. 
• Caleb liked acting like animals a lot on this trip.  He took it to the extreme a few times.
• The beach looked different everyday.  With the varying tides and the difference of colors in the sunset; it was almost as if we were treated to a different beach everyday.  
• Coca Cola is better in Latin America.  I'm pretty sure this is a fact.  
• A little Canadian girl at the pool told Bridget that her that "Trump was going to kill you".  Boy I hope she's wrong.  
• We really lucked out with the weather.  Prior to the trip, weather forecasts showed dark clouds with raindrops.  However weather cooperated every single day.  We saw a few dark clouds above us and even could see that rain falling down from clouds off at a distance.  But no rain for us.  I think I felt 2 or 3 raindrops one day but that was it. 
• Caleb had several mantras or rather phrases, things that he repeated a lot during the trip.  "Benji has a baby brother".  "Where'd my friend go?" (in reference the little boy staying next door) "No gracias".  Some sort of singing gibberish that he repeated; I think imitating the Spanish speakers.  "I play my drums; you play guitar".  "That happened."
• For the month leading up to the trip and even after the trip, anytime there is an airplane in the sky or talk of an airplane Caleb tells us that the "airplane is going to Costa Rica." 
• Besides the Fastball song, tunes from Bob Marley, Antibalas, and Derek Trucks Band Songlines were the soundtrack of our Tamarindo adventure.  However the song of the trip was Emmitt-Nershi Band's "Costa Rica".  I cannot think of a better way to encapsulate this trip than to share this song which resonated so much during the trip. 

Spotify link to "Costa Rica"

"Costa Rica" by the Emmitt-Nershi Band

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Way down here in Costa Rica

Let the water wash over me

Took a walk down on the shoreline

Left my troubles there by the sea

Left my troubles there by the sea

Pura vida, Costa Rica

The sun is shining on the sandy beach

Hammock swaying, music playing

Far away and out of reach

Far away and out of reach

Nighttime down in Costa Rica

Now the jungle is surrounding me

With my friends at the cantina

Nowhere else I'd rather be

Nowhere else I'd rather be

As the sun sets down on the ocean waves

And the nighttime sounds carry me away

Carry me away

(Won't you) carry me away

Carry me away

Way down here in Costa Rica

Let the water wash over me

Took a walk down on the shoreline

Left my troubles there by the sea

Left my troubles there by the sea

Left my troubles there by the sea