Playas del Coco and Playa Hermosa from the air

I have shown a few aerial photos of the approach to the international airport in Liberia during the last few days. Here is a photo as the airliner crosses the Costa Rican coast.

Below in the foreground is Playas del Coco and the cove and beach just to the north is Playa Hermosa. North of Playa Hermosa is Playa Panama, which is barely visible in this photo.

I will start a series tomorrow to show photos of Playa Hermosa. I showed a series of photos of Playas del Coco several months ago. This photo shows how condos have been built up in the hills around these Costa Rican beach towns to take advantage of the views of the ocean.

This week we are showing photos of Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, near the southern tip of Chile, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Unfinished condo driveway

Several days ago I showed a photo of the elaborate entrance to a housing development. The reason the developers spend such large amounts on the entrance is to create the impression that they have enough money that they will not abandon a condo project leaving driveways looking like this.

This is the driveway that leads up to the condo buildings that I showed yesterday. This is obviously much too steep a road to leave unpaved. The developer evidently thought it was a good idea to build a road this steep to get to a spot where he could build condos with a magnificent view. I am sure that today he wishes that he had not done so.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing one of our favorite places -- the town of Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. It is much more beautiful than the Las Vegas casino that it inspired.

Unfinished condos

I took yesterday's photo from this spot. The condo buildings I showed yesterday had been completed and occupied. Further up the hill, however, were these condo buildings. They are empty shells, with sidewalks built, but the driveways were not paved.

There was no sign of work being done on these buildings recently. It looked like the developer ran out of money, and it will take a real change in the market for someone to come in a finish the project.

During the boom years for Costa Rican vacation properties before the U.S. recession, it was common for developers to sell many of their units pre-construction, with one-third down, one-third when the roof was built, and one-third at closing. I do not know if and what the terms were for these condos, but I fear that there are purchasers who have their money tied up in a project that will not be finished anytime soon. Developers are not the only ones hurt.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing one of our favorite places -- the town of Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. It is much more beautiful than the Las Vegas casino that it inspired.

Hillside condo development

With so many Americans and Canadians falling in love with the idea of a vacation or retirement home or condo in Costa Rica, a lot of people bought raw land cheaply, preferably with a view of the ocean, and then built condos to sell.

Here is a condo development outside of Playas del Coco. It does not have a view of the ocean, but it does have a nice view of the hills. Unfortunately, the market for condos softened when the U.S. economy went into a recession, and in the next few days I will show you sad scenes of what happens when a condo developer does not have the money to finish a project.

We are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest, Hungary, one of Europe's magnificent capitol cities, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Housing development entrance

This photo is the entrance gate to the housing development that I showed yesterday. As you can see, it is very elaborate.

This housing development begins with a street made of brick pavers, a fancy gate, and a wall with statuary on each side, leading to the little circle drive around a fountain that I showed in yesterday's photo.

I presume that a purpose of such fancy and expensive entrances, in addition to being enjoyed by the residents, is to give the impression that the developer has a lot of money and will be able to complete the housing project and build the rest of the amenities.

An important factor for foreigners buying houses and condos in Costa Rica is to be sure that the development will be finished, particularly in current market conditions. I will discuss this further and show the statues on each side of this gate in the days ahead.

We are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest, Hungary, one of Europe's magnificent capitol cities, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Housing development on a hill

This is a photo from the entrance of a housing development looking up to the houses in the hills near Playas del Coco. People like houses in the hills to give them a view of the ocean.

I took this photo from the gate at the front entrance. I could not drive up closer to the houses because this development is gated. Tomorrow I will show the gated entranceway.

We are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest, Hungary, one of Europe's magnificent capitol cities, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Supermarket shopping center and condos

This photo shows more of the shopping area in Playas del Coco that I showed yesterday.

Up on the hill are the Pacifico condos, which have a view across the town to the ocean.

This photo shows the AutoMercado supermarket, although the sign is covered in part by the palm trees. We have an AutoMercado in Tamarindo as well. It carries foods from the USA as well as Costa Rica, with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and a large wine selection.

In the future I will post some photos I took of a grocery store that caters to locals, with prices lower than the AutoMercado that is popular with foreign residents.

We are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest, Hungary, one of Europe's magnificent capitol cities, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Shopping Center in Playas del Coco

From the photo of the main street in Playas del Coco that I posted about a week ago, you probably did not imagine that this is what a shopping center would look like in a small Costa Rican beach town.

This photo is the shopping center where the Robb & Stucky store that I showed during the past two days is located.

I will show more of this area tomorrow.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of Budapest, Hungary, one of Europe's great capitol cities.

Furniture store

Here is the bedroom section of the home furnishing store that I showed yesterday. I have been in some Costa Rican houses of "Ticos," as local are called. I have never seen furnishings or a bed like this in a Tico house. This store clearly caters to the foreign market.

Tomorrow I will show you the name of the store. I think you may be surprised. Or, maybe not, if you are an experienced shopper.

We are showing photos of the Roman ruins in Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Furniture store

Does this look like the type of home furnishing store located in the Costa Rican beach town that I showed in yesterday's photo? It is.

Most of the furniture is of a tropical motif, which is popular in the homes and condos of foreigners who have vacation or retirement homes and condos in Costa Rica.

But what about furnishing the bedroom? Answer, as you guessed, tomorrow.

We are showing photos of the Roman ruins in Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Main street, Playas del Coco

This is another view of the main street of Playas del Coco. It has the look of a traditional Costa Rican beach town.

Here is a question for you. Suppose you own one of those houses or condos overlooking the ocean. Where do you think you could buy furniture for your place in a small beach town such as this?

For the answer, you will have to come back tomorrow.

We are showing photos of the Roman ruins in Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Beach front school at Playas del Coco

I mentioned a couple of days ago that the beach front at Playas del Coco did not have a strip of shops, restaurants or condos. This school yard is located right where the main street reaches the beach. My back is to the beach as I took this photo.

This is a charming location for a school yard. As an American, is strikes me as odd, and as a sign that the town was laid out before there was a tourist industry in Costa Rica. After all, would you expect to see a school yard at the main intersection of Miami Beach, Atlantic City, Waikiki, Huntington Beach, or other beach locations? Of course not.

If it were not for building restrictions on beach front land on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, I would think that it would be only a matter of time before some developer approaches the school and says, "Have I got a deal for you. How would you like a new school a few blocks away as a trade for your beach front land that looks like God created to be the perfect spot for a hotel, condos, etc."

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of the Roman ruins in Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville.

Playas del Coco boats in the harbor

This photo shows a closer view of the boats in the harbor at Playas del Coco. The boat in the foreground is used for parasailing. My wife and I love to parasail. It is quiet, and you float over the sea and have a birds eye view of the coast.

The ship in the distance is strange. It looks like it is left over from one of Columbus's voyages, except Columbus landed on Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast, of course, not the Pacific. I think the ship is used for tourist excursions.

This week we are showing photos of the the Roman ruins of Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Condos in the hills over Playas del Coco

This photo shows condos climbing the hills above Playas del Coco. These condos are set back about 1 km (.6 mile) from the ocean, so the view of the ocean and bay is from a distance.

In a few days I will further explore the subject of hillside condos.

Hillside homes are in the news because of the tragic mudslides in the central valley near San Jose, which have buried some houses and killed at least 20 people within the past few days. That area is 4 1/2 hours from our area along the Pacific Coast.Right by the beach in Tamarindo, we do not have the rivers and big drainage areas that could cause mudslides, as our area has gentle hills and the rainfall flows into the ocean or estuaries.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of the Roman ruins in Merida, Spain, and some photos of Seville.

Ocean view homes at Playas del Coco.

There are not homes and condos for tourists right by the beach in Playas del Coco, unlike Tamarindo. In the Playas del Coco area, people have built houses in the hills to take advantage of the views of the ocean, as you can see in this photo.

Sadly, I must report that sometimes building houses in the hills can have tragic consequences, although I certainly do not think that would happen with the the hillside houses overlooking the beach at Playas del Coco.

Just after midnight on Thursday there was a horrific mudslide/landslide in Escazu, a mountainside suburb of San Jose in the central valley area of Costa Rica. The newspaper yesterday reported that 20 people are dead and 10 are missing. The nation has declared its highest level state of emergency and is mobilizing is disaster relive resources.

Costa Rica has a National Emergency Commission. It and the police, firefighters and Red Cross have mobilized to search for people trapped in homes that have been buried in mud. Costa Rica does not have any military. In other countries, the army comes out with helicopters and other resources to assist, but Costa Rica does not have an army with helicopters to deliver relief supplies during catastrophes such as this. Neighboring countries and the USA sometimes help. Costa Rica has a national disaster relief fund to help in these situations.

The mudslides were caused by 161 mm (6.3 inches) of rain on Wednesday night from a tropical storm. Yesterday was scheduled to be the national Social Studies Exit Exams for all high school students in the country, but the Education Ministry suspended the exams for the entire country so that people can focus on this emergency.

Tomorrow, I will show an example of the type of condos that are popular in this area.

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

Playas del Coco town

This is a photo of the main street in "downtown" Playas del Coco. The town is a mixture of businesses that cater to tourists, such as the sport fishing shop you see on the right, and small shops and restaurants that cater to locals and visitors.

Another difference between Playas del Coco and Tamarindo is that in Tamairndo the main street runs along the beach, whereas in Playas del Coco the main street runs perpendicular to the beach, where it stops. There are very few businesses along the beach, in Playas del Coco. In fact, there is a school yard and some houses were local people live along the beach in Playas del Coco, whereas in Tamarindo there are condos ranging in price to more than a half million dollars (U.S.) near the beach, with virtually no Costa Ricans left. The condos in Playas del Coco are set up in the hills, overlooking the ocean.

This week we are showing photos of the fjords of Norway on our travel photo site, Viva la Voyage.

Beach at Playas del Coco

Here is a photo of the northern half of Playas del Coco beach. Similar to Tamarindo, it is is a broad, gently sloping beach. What is different is that Tamarindo Bay is much broader and longer and has waves perfect for surfing.

The area around Playas del Coco has more hills than the area around Tamarindo, so there is more area for homes and condos to be built with views of the ocean. I will explore that issue in the weeks ahead.

We are showing scenes of the Norwegian fjords on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Beach at Playas del Coco

Here is a photo of the southern half of the beach at Playas del Coco. I was there on an overcast morning, so there were not many people on the beach.

This photo shows how the bay at Playas del Coco, which makes a sheltered harbor for boats, also causes the waves to be very small.

We are showing photos this week of a very different coastal area, the Norwegian fjords, on Viva la Voyage, our travel photo site.

Boats in the bay at Playas del Coco

Yesterday Sharon and Glenda posted comments about the aerial photo of boats in the bay at Playas del Coco. Here is a photo of the boats in the bay from the beach. They are a mixture of fishing boats and boats intended for tourists.

I will show a few more photos of the boats and Playa del Coco in the week ahead, after the first of the month theme day photo.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we have posted photos of the fjords of Norway.

Aerial Photo of Playas del Coco

Here is another aerial photo of Playas del Coco, from a different angle and closer than yesterday's photo.

Several things are apparent in this photo. First, there is not a lot of development or buildings right on the beach. The main commercial street runs perpendicular to the beach.

Second, there are not many condo buildings. Unlike Tamarindo, there are no condos that are 7 or 8 stories high near the beach. Most of the buildings are small houses.

Playas del Coco is very different than Tamarindo for an additional reason. Most of the people who live in Playas del Coco are Costa Ricans. Most of the homes, shops and other buildings are for locals, although there are some tourist businesses as well. In Tamarindo, almost everyone is a foreigner.

Many of the condos and houses for foreigners have been built on the hills in this area to capture views of the ocean, which is very scenic, as you can tell in this and yesterday's photo.

I will show some ground and beach-level photos in the days ahead.

We are showing photos of the red rock scenery of Sedona, Arizona, this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.