Costa Rica - La Playa Grande

 I woke up this morning to the unmistakable sound of howler monkeys.  I went outside and continued to hear them but could never put an eye on them. After my shower, Megan spotted them playing just outside our house next to the observation tower. She ran to get Emily who finally got to see monkeys in the wild. The problem - she woke up so quick and went right back to bed that she wasn't even sure if it was true or real.

This morning the iguana did not show up until the afternoon so today I had someone different to eat breakfast by the pool with. Her name is Pentarra and she belongs to the caretaker of this house who lives the the house next door. She was waiting for the girls but I guess I would do - in a pinch.

After leisurely waking up, we headed to La Playa Grande. It was another beach that we had heard about. We assumed it would be similar to what we saw yesterday but perhaps a little less commercial. We were surprised to find the way there looked like this

This was a path marked beach access in a very little sign with no other traffic anywhere nearby

What awaited at the end of the short path was an exclusive beach. We saw less than 10 people during our time on the beach.

Megan and Addison went to look for a place to eat. We had seen a place within walking distance on our way in

We met Megan and Addison at a little cafe. We were the only ones there and we had a great time playing Uno and Trivial Pursuit and had the best meal that we had yet had in Costa Rica

By the time we started to head home the afternoon rain had set in. During a break in the showers (and partly in the showers) we hung out in and around the pool for a while.

 The howler monkeys howled well into the night and we tried, unsuccessfully, to catch a glimpse of them with our flashlights. There is nothing to see on this video but turn it up and you can hear the howl