Tamarindo estuary

Here is a photo of the Tamarindo estuary. Tamarindo, including Playa Langosta, stretches along the beach between two estuaries: the Tamarindo estuary on the north and the Langosta estuary on the south.

There is a street that runs along the each in Tamarindo and Langosta, but the estuaries are the reasons that there is not a road that leads right along the coast in each direction from Tamarindo.

I mentioned several days ago in my series about Playa Flamingo that there was a proposal to build a road along the ocean, but that it was not likely to happen due to environmental and budgetary reasons. It would be harmful to the estuaries to build a road across these wetlands. The Tamarindo estuary is part of the Las Baulas de Guanacaste National Marine Park, which also extends out into the ocean in Tamarindo Bay.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Spain on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Restaurant at Witch's ROck Surf Camp

Driving into Tamarindo, one of the first restaurants that on the main part of Tamarindo Beach is Witch's Rock Surf Camp. Here is a photo that shows the outdoor dining area, with the beach in the background.

In the distance is Cabo Velas, which stands at the northern end of Tamarindo Bay. North from Cabo Velas the coast stretches past Brasilito and then Playa Flamingo, which is the area that I have shown on the photos from the last couple of weeks. I hope you have enjoyed this little trip up the shore.

During this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing a sample of some of the architecture of Spain. Come take a look.

Howler monkeys on electrical lines

Here is a photo of howler monkeys on electrical lines along the road from Playa Flamingo back to Tamarindo. The adult monkey is taking arest while wait for the young monkey to catch up.

When driving around our area of Cost Rica, I am always careful to keep a look out on the road and the shoulder of the road to watch for people and animals, as there can be pedestrians, children, people riding bicycles, cows, dogs, or chickens along the roads.

But can be delightful to watch not just along the road, but to take an occasional glance up in the trees, as monkeys are common, and you can sometimes see sloths. Iguanas are so common that I would not bother to slow down to admire an iguana, but I will usually stop to watch and listen to howler monkeys. They always amaze and delight me. If you hoot at them they will sometimes hoot and howl back. They are always much louder.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing a series of photos that highlights the architecture of Spain.

Houses overlooking Flamingo Bay

This is the last in my series of photos from Playa Flamingo, including some of the homes in the area. I hope you have found it of interest.

Homes along the Pacific in Costa Rica are much more economical per square foot than condominiums. In many cases it is possible to buy a house on a hillside with a view of the ocean for about the same price as a condo along the beach. One of the reasons is that the homes and ncondos are marketed primarily to foreigners who will not be living there year round. It is a lot easier to take care of a condo than a house and yard while away from Costa Rica.

Tomorrow I will show you what we saw on the short drive back from Flamingo to Tamarindo.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we have posted photos that show the diversity of architecture in Spain, including Moorish architecture, a building fit for the royal family, and the tile work of a restaurant in Madrid.

Tip of peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay

This is the house on the tip of the peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay, which I have shown during the past few days.

Whoever lives in this house obviously likes a lot of privacy and solitude. Not only do they have all to themselves a rocky point of land surrounded by ocean, but it looks like they have built a wall across the peninsula so that no one can walk out on the tip of the peninsula.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo sie we are showing photos of the monuments of Washington, D.C. at sunrise.

Houses on peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay

This is a closer view of the peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay that I showed yesterday. This looks like quite a compound of ocean front homes. I will show more such scenes tomorrow.

Maybe next time I go site seeing in the Playa Flamingo area I will try to drive out onto this peninsula to take a closer look at what is out there.

Playa Flamingo is about 15 - 20 minutes north of Tamarindo. The road goes as far as Playa Portero near where these photos from the north side of the bay were taken. To reach beaches further north, one has to drive inland, take the main road north, and then head back west to the ocean. There was an idea floated a couple of years ago to build a road along the coast, called the Ruta del Sol, but that would be very expensive and would post environmental issues.

We are showing photos of the monuments of Washington D.C. at sunrise on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay

This photo of a little peninsula in Playa Flamingo bay shows how people have built houses to take advantage of the views of the ocean and bay. I will show a few more, closer views of homes in this area in the days ahead.

Like the area around Tamarindo, the area around Playa Flamingo saw a boom in housing development in the 10 years leading up to the current recession. Americans and Canadians were attracted to buy land with ocean views and build houses for vacation or retirement.

On our travel photo site, Viva la Voyage, we are showing photos this week of Washington, D.C. at sunrise.

Pocket beach in Playa Flamingo bay

This is a closer photo of the small beach that is visible on the left side of yesterday's photo of Playa Flamingo Bay. The terrain in this area offers both nice views and a chance to have small tropical beaches all to oneself.

There are pros and cons to the differences between beaches such as Tamarindo and Langosta or beaches such as this one. The solitude and privacy of being all alone on a beach is restful. It is harder to reach these beaches, however, and it is not possible to take walks along the beach. There are also no facilities for at the beach in this area.

My wife and I decided that we preferred to have a condo right on the beach in Tamarindo and Langosta so we could take long walks along the beach in the day, and short walks to dozens of restaurants in the evening.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing unusual photos of the monuments of Washington, D.C. in the glow of sunrise.

Playa Flamingo bay

This is a photo of the north end of the bay, looking south towards Playa Flamingo. As you can see, the coast line in this area is dotted with islands, peninsulas, and small pocket beaches.

This is about 15 - 20 minutes north of Tamarindo. The scenery is different, as Tamarindo has a long stretch of beach where people can walk for miles along he beach. In the area around Playa Flamingo, the scenery is dramatic, but you cannot walk very far along the smaller beaches. It is more common to see houses and condos up on the hills to take advantage of the views overlooking the ocean and coast, rather than houses and condos down next to the beach.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, we are showing colorful photos of the sunrise glow on the monuments of Washington, D.C.

Watch your step

This is the view straight down the cliff to the ocean at the spot where I took the photo yesterday.

Do you think that my wife was with me when I took this photo? How can you tell?

The answer is that I took this photo when I was doing some driving around with my two sons, without Julie. I never could have taken this photo with Julie around because she would have cautioned me not to get so close to the edge about five steps before I reached this spot where I could take a photo straight down.

This photo shows how clear and blue the Pacific Ocean is in our part of Costa Rica. This is the Pacific, not the Caribbean or Mediterranean. It is not this blue in California.

This week on our travel photo site, Viva la Voyage we are showing sunrise photos of Washington, D.C. Come click on the link to see an unusual photographic interpretation of familiar sights.

Playa Flamingo coastline

This is a view on the Playa Flamingo peninsula, with the camera pointed to the left of the scene that I showed yesterday. I think that building is a small hotel, although I have never been there. Tomorrow I will show shat this scene looks like taking a few steps forward, and then looking straight down.

I took this photo back in April, which is the end of the dry season. That is why some of the trees are brown. Like trees in the north in the winter, during Rica's northwest Pacific coast from November until April, trees will drop their leaves to conserve water. That also makes monkeys, sloths and iguanas easier to spot.

The hot, sunny dry season is also good for tourism. That is the season when Canadians and Americans especially like to come down to escape the cold weather up north. I like the weather in Costa Rica during the traditional summer months as well. We have only brief, occasional rain, and the forests turn very green.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing some unusual sunrise photos from Washington D.C. I love D.C. I was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital, went to college and graduate school there, and worked for several Members of Congress there from 1971 - 1982. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Vertical condos

I guess this building shows that developers will build condos even when they own a small plot of land and there is no where to build but up. This building appears to have only one condo per floor on each of about 7 floors., overlooking the bay at Playa Flamingo.

Under current building restrictions, I do not think it would be legal to build a condo this high so close to the ocean. Several years ago the then-President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, issued an executive order that for three years prohibited new construction within 200 meters of the ocean in our part of Costa Rica, and allowed only three story buildings from 200 to 800 meters. It also required that about half of each parcel of land must have vegetation, rather than buildings or pavement.

Not long after the building restrictions were imposed, the U.S. economy collapsed, and that reduced the demand for new condo and housing development in Costa Rica, as most of the purchasers are Americans and Canadians. The market took care of putting a moratorium on new building near the ocean.

If you have not done so already, I respectfully recommend that you check out the photos of Varenna, Italy that we have posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Varenna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, an Alpine lake north of Milan. I think Lake Como is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Playa Flamingo bay

Here is another view of a portion of the bay at Playa Flamingo, about 15 minutes north of Tamarindo. There are stretches of the shore that have sandy beaches and other parts that are rocky or that plunge steeply into the ocean. Some of the beaches face the ocean and have surf, and other portions are sheltered by islands and peninsulas.

If you have not done so already, I respectfully recommend that you check out the photos of Varenna, Italy that we have posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Varenna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, an Alpine lake north of Milan. I think Lake Como is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Driveway

I drove up the peninsula shown in yesterday's photo to try to take a look at the houses. The road did not go all the way to the houses, however. This is the driveway that extended up the hill to the houses near the top. I did not drive up it because I did not want to intrude on the privacy of the homes.

Of course in Costa Rica there will never be a problem having to drive up such a steep driveway in the snow or ice. There is a maintenance issue to make sure that there is no erosion on the uphill slope. I guess that is a small price to pay for the benefit of a view.

If you have not done so already, I respectfully recommend that you check out the photos of Varenna, Italy that we have posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Varenna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, an Alpine lake north of Milan. I think Lake Como is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Houses with a view

The houses on this ocean front hill have a great view of the beach. This is typical of the scenery north of Tamarindo about 15 minutes. Tamarindo is on a long stretch of beach. The coast north of Tamarindo is dotted with coves, small beaches, and rocky peninsulas.

This photo was taken in the Playa Flamingo area. Tomorrow I will show you how the people who live in the houses up this hill reach their homes. Playa Flamingo is very scenic, although my wife and I decided to buy our two condos in Tamarindo because we like to take long walks along the beach and we wanted to be right on the beach.

If you have not done so already, I respectfully recommend that you check out the photos of Varenna, Italy that we have posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Varenna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, an Alpine lake north of Milan. I think Lake Como is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Wave, up close and personal

Are you ready for a face full of wave?

There are lots of activities around Tamarindo, as I have shown recently with photos of river rafting and wildlife viewing. The main attraction remains the beach and the Pacific Ocean.

Here is a close view of a wave, taken with my little waterproof camera.

Check out our travel photos of Varenna, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Howler Lounging in the Tree

Speaking of howler monkeys, as we glide down the Rio Corobici, we hear the alpha male howling at us and look up to see him spread out comfortably in the tree above our heads.

River rafting down the Rio Corobici is quite a nice experience and a good option while you are visiting Tamarindo.

After the river rafting, and the lunch, you get to see the preserve and rescue center for wild animals that are taken care of by a very committed family. The Las Pumas Refuge Center is a special place.

Check out our travel photos of Varenna, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Colorful Boat-Billed Heron on Rio Corobici

Here is a colorful boat-billed heron with a peculiar hair style and long, wide beak. They are most easily identified by their wide beak, which is unusual for aquatic birds. They can also be distinguished by their dark drown and rust colored neck and belly. They grow to 50 cm (20 in.).

While rafting down the Rio Corobici, you don't know whether to look up above you to find the birds overhead and in the trees, or to watch the shoreline for critters or to watch for crocodiles and caiman in the water.

We always love hearing the howler monkeys in the trees. That is a familiar and welcome sound to hear the alpha male howling at us with his lazy troupe watching us in the trees.

The boat-billed heron is know locally as pico-chuchara, which translates as spoon bill, or chocuaco. The scientific name is cochlearius cochlearius.

My wife and I returned one week ago from a trip to the Lake Como area of Italy, and have posted a few photos from Varenna on our travel photo site: Viva la Voyage!

BIrd on River Corobici

Here is an interesting bird we enjoyed while river rafting down the Rio Corobici.

You see many, many birds on this river rafting trip.

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the wild Animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Happy Faces on River Corobici

My wife, her brother and sister-in-law made it through the rapids just fine on Rio Corobici. The raft trip they took is a wildlife viewing trip, with small rapids, rather than a while water adventure raft trip with large rapids, which are also popular in Costa Rica.

As you can see in this photo, they are all enjoying their trip very much. I was not with them on this trip, as her brother and his wife visited Costa Rica with Julie during a time when I was at work in Phoenix.

Who took the photo? Their river guide. He obviously can compose and take a photo well even while paddling a raft.

Costa Rica pays attention to visitor safety, and they required life jackets on the raft trip.

This trip is well worth taking. The guides point out wildlife that would be missed by the untrained eye. During the trip, the guide got out a long knife and sliced fresh pineapple to eat while floating on the river.

After the trip, there is a stop for lunch before returning to Tamarindo. The lunch offered a choice between tilapia or chicken. We recommend the tilapia. It is very good.

Although in this photo my wife was in front of the camera, she is even more comfortable behind a camera, as her photos on her two websites illustrate. She operates www.ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com and www.VivalaVoyage.com.

Viva la Voyage.com is a travel photo site on which she posts a series of photos from some where in the world every Sunday. This week she is showing some spectacular wildlife photos that she took earlier this year on a photo safari in Tanzania, Africa. If you have not already checked out the photos, I encourage you to click on the link: Viva la Voyage!

River Rafting at Corobici

Here is a photo of the starting point of the river raft trip down the River Corobici.

My wife took this photo over the shoulder of her brother as they started approaching the first rapids in a raft on the river. There are crocodiles in the river, I might add, but they have an experienced and skillful guide manning the oars of the raft. Tomorrow's photo will show what occurs next.

It is fun to take the Corobici River raft excursion because it is so quiet and you can see animals before they slither into the water or into the underbrush, as long as you are quiet or talk softly.

On this trip, visitors can see river otters, crocodiles, caiman, howler monkeys, sloths, Jesus Christ Lizards that walk on water (actually, they run across the water), and many birds.

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the Wild Animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Sunset at San Francisco Point

If you look very closely, you perhaps will be able to see two people standing on San Francisco Point with the glow of the sunset washing over the scene.

The tide is high because during low and medium tide you can walk along the shore around the point. At high tide, you can walk almost to the piont, and then take a trail the short distance over the point where the two people are in this photo.

San Francisco Point divides Tamarindo Beach, where this photo was taken, from Langosta Beach, which is around the point to the left. The Point and a reef and island that extend out from the Point shelter the southern end of Tamarindo Bay from the waves of the Pacific.

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the wild Animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Colors of Sunset

Tamarindo has the most gorgeous sunsets.

As you can see from this photo, the colors of the sky are like a painting with the boats evoking adventure.

Have you ever gone sailing on a boat in the ocean? What was your experience?

(I as a Sea Scout when I was in high school, but we no longer lived in Coronado, California or in Hawaii at that time. I learned a did my sailing in the Mississippi River after we moved to St. Louis. Sailing in a river, with large barges going by is tricky.)

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the wild Animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Couple Enjoying Tamarindo Bay

This couple looks relaxed as they enjoy the waves, the view, and the ambience as sunset approaches.

Such a peaceful scene on the ocean front grassy area of the Tamarindo Diria Resort in the middle of Tamarindo Beach.

Happy Monday!

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the wild Animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Surfers at Sunset

I hope this photo of surfers at sunset makes you smile.

This looks like the end of what had to be a very good day. These surfers are walking home along the beach at Tamarindo Bay after some rocking surfing in the warm waves of the Pacific Ocean.

They look to be good friends. What do you think they are saying? Probably something like, "Hey Dude, that was some awesome surfing. I can't wait for tomorrow. It's going to be knarly, man."

"You got that right, bro. Let's go shower, change and head out to find a spot to listen to some music, sip some suds, and find some girls to tell them how they really missed something if they were not watching us surf today."

You will not want to miss our spectacular travel photos of the wild animals of Tanzania, Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Grass and shade along Tamarindo Beach

Did we mention the grass to cool your feet while you enjoy the waves and watch the sunset? This is another view of the beach front area of the Tamarindo Diria Resort.

There is nothing better than a great beach with warm water and a beautiful red sunset.

A beach is the best therapy and escape for all of us to recharge.

You will not want to miss our travel photos of the pyramids of Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Pool or Beach Today?

Would you like to sit at the pool and soak up rays, or instead walk on the beach and feel the warm waves lapping at your feet?

Such decisions can be the most stressful part of the day when we stay at our condo at the Diria Resort, where this photo was taken. Hmmmm. I think I will have to ponder this choice some more.

You will not want to miss our travel photos of the pyramids of Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Entrance to Condo at Diria

Here is the entrance path to walk to our condo located at the Diria. At the end of this walkway there is a 10,000 square foot pool at the base of the condos.

The Diria Resort has a beautiful look and feel to the property, with tropical plants and trees. That enchanting atmosphere is one of the reasons we bought a condo in a building to be built here when we stayed here for a vacation in 2005.

You will not want to miss our travel photos of the pyramids of Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Costa Rica Produce Exports

Here is a photo of a cantaloupe exported from Costa Rica. My wife and I bought this cantaloupe in Phoenix, Arizona.

Costa Rica has lots of delicious produce that benefits the United States and other countries. With the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Costa Rican farmers, most of whom have small family farms, face competition from the giant agribusinesses of the USA, but the markets of the US are also open to them.

Europe, however, still imposes higher tariffs on Costa Rican bananas than it does on African bananas. And bananas are native to central America, but not to Africa. Costa Rica, because of its democratic traditions. submitted ratification of CAFTA to a vote of the people. Costa Rica is the only country on earth that has approved free trade by a vote of the people, which is remarkably broad minded because usually protectionist sentiments are stronger than free trade supporters.

Costa Rica was the original "banana republic." The United Fruit Company started there, with large tracts of land given to it in the late 1800's as the inducement to build a railroad to the Caribbean coast. That had a profound effect on the country. They imported workers from Jamaica, many of whose decendents remain on the Caribbean coast. Later, the company abandoned that area and moved the banana plantations to the Pacific side when labor union activity arose. Today, the banana plantations have returned to the Caribbean side.

You will not want to miss our travel photos this week of the pyramids of Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Daily Photo Theme: Funny Signs

Today's Daily Photo theme is funny signs. This is the most humorous sign in Tamarindo of which I am aware. As a surfing town, I think that Tamarindo attracts a rather fit group of tourists, but that did not stop the owners of the Witch's Rock Surf Camp from putting this sign up at the entrance to their restaurant. I posted a photo of this sign a long time ago, but thought it was appropriate to use again for today's first of the month Daily Photo theme of Funny Signs.

To see how other Daily Photo bloggers interpreted the theme of Funny Signs, Click here to view thumbnails for all participants/div>

On Viva la Voyage, our travel photo site, this week we are showing photos of Chichen Itza, the most famous of the Yucatan Mayan sites.