Tourist bus on a country road

I was a little surprised to see a large tour bus rumbling down a dirt country road.  I suspect that the bus was filled with tourists who are staying at the J.W. Marriott Guanacaste Resort, which can be reached farther down this road.

At some point they will probably pave the road.  I doubt that there are many luxury J.W. Marriott Resorts in the world that can be reached only on an unpaved road.

Like tourist vans, the bus has a sign "tourismo" on the bumper that identifies it as a bus for tourists, not Ticos.  I do not know why they mark tourist buses and vans that way, except perhaps to inform Ticos about how many tourists are being driven around the country, spending money to support the local economy.  I will show you an example of one of the benefits of tourism in the days ahead.

This week we are showing photos of some of the temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, including Angkor Wat, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Close up of hanging Montezuma Oropendola bird nest

This photo is a closer of the Montezuma Oropendola hanging bird nest that I showed yesterday.  Birds are amazing architects and builders.  I  think most humans would have difficulty constructing a nest out of twigs and straw.

I can understand the part of the nest that hangs down where the birds live.  The purpose of the trail of straw leading towards the nest is harder to understand.  Maybe it is like a fancy front walk or driveway.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of some of the temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, including Angkor Wat.

Hanging bird nest on Montezuma Oropendola

On  rural roads in Costa Rica at times you can see bird nests such as this hanging from wires.  These are the nests of the Montezuma Oropendola, a black bird with brown wings and a yellow tail.

I have seen these nests only hanging from wires, but in the forests they are typically in colonies of about 30 nests hanging near to each other.

These birds are common in Central America.   One of these days I will try to have my camera ready and stake out one of these nests to catch a photo of the bird.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Car passing bicyclists

After the boys rode their bicycle past me, a car drove past, and carefully moved towards the center of the road to give room to the boys on the bicycle.  The driver of the car presumably is considerate for bicyclists, as the car was carrying a bicycle as well.

I have never ridden a bicycle in Costa Rica, but I am very cautious when riding a bicycle near our home in Scottsdale, Arizona, as people driving cars at times do not notice bicyclists.  At least on country roads in Costa Rica the bicyclists are more visible because there is less traffic.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Children enjoying their bike ride

The two boys in yesterday's photo broke out into a big smile as they rode their bicycle past me.  I took another photo.  I apologize for the substandard quality of this photo, but I loved their expression of the joy of youth so much I posted this photo anyway.

I take all of my photos setting the camera's exposure manually, except for when I am taking quick photos of animals.  When these boys rode their bike past me, I did not have time to change the camera's setting and I overexposed the photo.  I salvaged it in iPhoto, but adjusting the exposure on the computer degraded the quality of the image.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Kids riding a biclycle

I mentioned yesterday that I do not drive fast in Costa Rica.  This photo shows why.  There are children playing or riding bicycles, dogs, and pedestrians using the country roads.

Small size SUVs are popular vehicles because of their higher clearance than sedans for use on unpaved roads.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Country road

After the car that I showed in yesterday's photo passed by, the dust settled and the road quickly returned to normal, with the bicyclist a little further down the road on the right, and more pedestrians coming into view.

Because there are so many people walking or bicycling on country roads in Costa Rica, I make it a point never to drive fast when I am there there.  It helps that when I am at one of our condos in Tamarindo, I am much more relaxed and not in a hurry like we often are back in Arizona.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Dusty road

Bicycles are common for Ticos traveling from their villages to the nearest town.  This photo shows a section of the dirt road just outside of Villareal.  It connects Villareal with the main town in the area, which is Santa Cruz.  Villareal is the nearest local town to Tamarindo, as Tamarindo is an international resort community.

You can see that cars kick up a fair amount of dust on the unpaved back roads of Costa Rica.  In some towns they spread on dirt roads a sealer made from a molasses-type of by-product of sugar cane mills.  It keeps down the dust.  They do that sometimes on unpaved roads in Tamarindo.  I like it, as it smells sweet when you walk around.

We have photos of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Horses evading road grader

After I passed the horses that I showed yesterday, a road grader came rolling up.  The driver is supposed to be smoothing out the shoulder of the road, but as you can see in this photo he detoured to the center of the road to avoid getting too close to the horses.

Naturally the horses scampered from the road up to the grass to keep a safe distance.  I guess the driver will smooth over that section of the road on his return trip, perhaps when the horses have moved.

Today is Earth Day, and we should take note of the importance of man living in sustainable harmony with plants, animals, and our natural resources of water and air.   Costa Rica and Bhutan compete for being rated as the happiest places on earth, and they are the two countries closest to being carbon neutral.  Is that a coincidence, or is living in harmony with nature an essential component of human happiness?

Today is Sunday so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from our trip last month to Bhutan in the Himalayas.   We have wanted to go there for years, and it was well worth traveling such a long way.

Horses grazing by a billboard

I have shown a lot of photos of the beach lately, so let's take a change of pace and go inland for a few posts.  This photo shows a contrast between life at the beach and the rural, farming and ranching lifestyle in the countryside.

This is a photo of a billboard advertising "Life at Hacienda Pinilla," a 5,000 acre master planned, gated resort community immediately south of Playa Langosta and Tamarindo.  To reach there, one must drive on country roads, such as this scene of a group of horses grazing on the side of the road.

I have shown some photos in the past of the J. W. Marriott Guanacaste Resort, which is located at Hacienda Pinilla.  There has been some news recently that at Ritz-Carleton Hotel is also planned for this development.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Wave crashing

Here is one more photo of the waves on Langosta Beach.  The seas were a lot higher this day than on the day of the photo yesterday and the day before.  Although this looks like rough seas, even on a day such as this it is possible to walk down the beach.

After all, a day without a walk on the beach, just would not be a good day.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Receding wave at high tide on Langosta Beach

The timeless and endless advance and recession of waves on the beach is for some reason relaxing, almost mesmerizing.  The appeal of the ocean is universal.

When I visit with my wife's grandmother, who is in her 90's and living in a care home, she talks about her time visiting the beach as a young person.  She reminisces when I show her photos of Costa Rica as I load up my Daily Photo posts in advance while sitting with her, often during the commercials while watching a baseball game with her, which she likes to do.

Today's photo is the same scene as I showed yesterday, after a wave momentarily covered the sand before receding and allowing us to walk down the beach back to our condo.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Langosta Beach at high tide

We love to walk along Langosta Beach, which was a strong draw for us when we bought our condo here.  This is a typical view at high tide.  It is possible to walk along the beach, even when the waves come up at high tide, if you are willing to dash up to the bushes when needed to avoid a wave.

Of course, you can always just let your feet get wet and allow the waves to some up over your ankles.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other temples of Camodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Coconut on the beach

In contrast to yesterday's photo of new coconuts hanging from a tree, today I am showing a photo of an old coconut that had washed up on the beach.  I don't know how this broke open.  It looks like someone may have cut it open.  It provides a good cross section of the anatomy of a coconut.  A little crab is enjoying the fibers.

It won't happen to this coconut, but some coconuts that wash up on the beach can sprout a stalk from the coconut that can take root and turn into a tree.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other nearby temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Coconuts on the tree

Today's photo looks up from the flowers of my photos posted during the last few days, and shows a cluster of coconuts hanging from one of the many palm trees in the area.

I try to avoid walking under coconut palms that are loaded with coconuts, as they will fall to the ground.  There is a debate on the internet about whether coconuts are dangerous.  Apparently some scientists when discussing some other remote threat have at times made comments that people are more likely to get injured by a falling coconut than whatever else they are talking about.  

Some of the internet attention to this subject was prompted by a visit by President Obama to the Ghandi Museum in Mumbai in 2010, when the Indian officials cut all the coconuts off the trees before the President arrived to make sure that none would fall on him.

The consensus of the articles on the internet that I found was that reports of deaths from coconuts falling are an exaggerated myth, not supported by research or other evidence.  Nevertheless, why take a chance, as a falling coconut would hurt, even if it is an exceedingly remote hazard.

This week we have photos of Angkor Wat and other temples of Cambodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be fascinated by a quick visit to our website, or a visit in person to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Heliconia

I recently showed a butterfly on one of the flowers around our Langosta condo.  Here is a photo of another of the flowers.  We have lots of heliconia bushes.  Some varieties of heliconia have flowers that hang down.  Others, like this one, grow upwards, similar in shape and structure to a bird of paradise.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from Siem, Reap, Cambodia, home to Angkor Wat and many other temples from the Khmer civilization.  If you have not been there, it will be well worth a few moments to check out our photos.

Baby iguana

The bushes around our condo are a habitat for little critters, such as this baby iguana who is resting on a branch.  It is easy to miss them as you walk past, although having a camera with me helps cause me to be more observant.

This is not a gecko. We see geckos at night.  Often a gecko will perch himself upside down from the ceiling of our patio.  Geckos come out at night and have little round pads for their toes that can grip so well that they can hang upside down on a flat surface.

You can tell that this is a baby iguana rather than a gecko because he has pointed claws, and he is out during the day.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Butterfly

The flowering plants that I showed in yesterday's photo in front of our condo are magnets for butterflies.  When I walk out the door to the convenience store I sometimes get distracted by the many butterflies darting around from flower to flower.

Tomorrow I will show one of the other animals that can commonly be found in the bushes in front of our condo.  No, it is not another insect.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Langosta sidewalk

Today's photo is a change of scene from the photos that I have been showing of houses and beach at Playa Langosta.  This is the sidewalk in front of our Langosta condo.

Tamarindo does not have a lot of infrastructure.  Many of the streets are not paved, and some do not have sidewalks.   When new buildings were built, they often add infrastructure such as sidewalks and gutters.

That is the case with our condo.  The condo developer built this sidewalk.  The wall separates the sidewalk from the condo parking lot, and there is a nice row of flowering shrubs on each side of the sidewalk.   It is a pleasant walk and frontage for the condo.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Langosta beach

I have shown some photos of beach front mansions along Langosta Beach during the last couple of weeks, and here is a photo of the same part of the beach where the mansions are located.  From the beach, you do not see them when looking up and down the beach, as they are behind a row of vegetation on the beach.

This photo was taken at high tide at one of the little points where there is a bend in the beach.  We love to walk along the beach, for obvious reasons, even at high tide.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Langosta beach, framed by trees

The houses that I have been showing along Langosta Beach are set back behind a strip of vegetation that runs along the beach.  I like the vegetation lining the beach because as we look down the beach, the houses are out of view and there is nothing but sea, sand, sky and trees.

When walking under some of the trees to take photos of the houses, I noticed that the vegetation also provided a nice frame for a view back to the ocean.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Sun reflecting on Langosta beach

Today's photo takes a break from the photos of Langosta beach front houses, to show a photo of Langosta beach.  I like the way the sun was filtered by the clouds to penetrate through the clouds and to add a spot of reflection on the ocean that is shimmering on the sand.

This illustrates on reason why people like Langosta beach, and why people have spent the money to build and buy the houses that I have shown during the past week or so.

This week we have photos of Bangkok on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  If you have not been there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the dazzling color and detail.

Beach front back yards

This photo shows a view of the backyards facing the beach of the three houses that I have shown during the last three days.  At the top left is the Moroccan house, then the more conventional house, then the glass wall of the very modern house.

The landscaping, with palm trees and other trees with leaves only up high up from the ground provides views to the beach.  There are a few houses set back from the beach with thick vegetation for greater privacy, but it seems to me that if you live close to the beach, part of the benefit is to have a good view of the ocean.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from our trip last month to Asia.  We began in Bangkok, which we are showing this week.  In the future we will post photos from Cambodia and Bhutan.

Traditional beach house

This is the beachfront house in between the Moroccan house and the very modern house that I have been showing in this series during the past week.  The very dramatic houses on each side of this house make this house look like a somewhat traditional beach house in comparison.

All of the houses along the beach at Playa Langosta are very nice, in my opinion.  This house, however, does not seem to have been constructed to take as much advantage of the view towards the ocean.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Modern beach front mansion

This photo shows a closer view of the beach front house that I have shown during the past two days.  This photo shows the challenge of having so much glass facing west towards the beach and ocean.

The views of the ocean must be great, but the afternoon sun pouring through all that glass must be brutal on the furnishings and on the need for air conditioning.

You can see that in this photo the curtains are closed, which of course blocks the view of the ocean.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Modern breachfront mansion

In contrast to the intricate details of the Moroccan themed house that I showed this past week, here are the clean lines of the modern house two doors away.  This is the view from the beach of the same house that what behind the gate that I showed yesterday.

One of the first questions that people wonder about houses is, understandably, "How much does it cost?"  Three years ago this house was for sale and I posted a photo of it with a link to a real estate listing when the house was up for sale.  It was listed for $1.8 million, which impressed me as a very reasonable price for a beachfront mansion with 10,233 sq. ft (931 sq. m.).

The house has 3 guest quarters, 2 with kitchens, in addition to a main house with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.  The building at the lower level closest to the beach (where I was standing when I took this photo) is an exercise room, and there is an infinity edge swimming pool.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Modern gate

This photo shows a modern, imposing gate of a neighboring house to the Moroccan gate that I showed yesterday.  It is quite a contrast.  In fact, it is hard to imagine two more contrasting architectural styles -- the intricate details and patterns of Islamic art or the minimalist, clean lines of today's modern style.

We have decorated the interior of both of our Tamarindo condos in a modern style, which is very different than our Scottsdale home.  It is also different than the tropical or beach decor that is more common in Costa Rica.  We like the contrast. A modern style is also clean and has been well received by guests who rent our condos.

This house is quite dramatic, as I will show during the next few days.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Casa Marrakech Front Gate

This is a photo of the front gate of  Casa Marrakech, which I have shown during the past week or so.  Like houses in Morocco, behind the front gates there are often charming courtyards, although in Marrakech the courtyards are typically in the center of the houses, not  in the front of the houses.  In a mansion on the beach in Tamarindo, however, it would make no sense to orient a house towards an interior courtyard, as the house should take advantage of the beachfront location exposure, as this house does.

I received an email from a reader in the United Kingdom who said that she attended a wedding here.  The wedding party and guests rented both Casa Marrakech and another of the beachfront mansions.

She added, however, that they no longer allow wedding on the grounds of Casa Marrakech.  Maybe some people got a little careless during wedding reception parties.

I received a phone call yesterday from a Florida gentleman who attended a wedding years ago at one of the beachfront row of houses where Casa Marrakech is located.  He will be returning with his family for his children's first trip out of the USA and rented my Langosta condo for 2 weeks in July.  The children are now ages 9 and 11.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Ceramic tiles

This is photo of some of the ceramic tile alongside the swimming pool at Casa Marrakech.  I would think that it would be hard to find building materials for Islamic architecture in Costa Rica.  The design features of this house are done very well.

I saw a real estate listing for this house a while back.  It was offered for sale for a little less than $5 million.    I don't know how much the maintenance and upkeep are for this property.  I think it is one of those situations that if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

There is a row of beachfront mansions from this house down to our condo building.  Local real estate listings for properties along this part of Langosta Beach call it "Millionaires' Row."  Naturally, being near to very expensive homes helps the property values for condos such as ours, as it helps make Kangosta such a desirable location.

If people have enjoyed my series on this house, I may show some more photos of some of the beachfront houses, if you would like to meet more of the neighbors.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Theme Day: Cobblestones

Today's worldwide Daily Photo theme is "cobblestones."  We do not have cobblestones in Costa Rica.  In Tamarindo, we have only a few paved streets.  So I decided to use this photo of the pavers and a manhole cover at the Papagayo Peninsula.

From the entrance of Papagayo to the Four Seasons Hotel there are 7 km (4 miles) of pavers.  This is extraordinary infrastructure for Costa Rica, as Costa Rica is behind the times in paving rural roads.  The roads to Tamarindo are fine, but there are still unpaved streets in town and rural roads in the countryside are generally unpaved.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, a picturesque fishing village in Nova Scotia.

The normal City Daily Photo website that links to all the City Daily Photo bloggers participating in the first day of the month Theme Day is out of order because it was hacked.  A temporary blog has been created for this month's theme day posts, and here is a link to that website.