Wide Tamarindo Beach, and a comment about the weather

September and October is the rainy season in northwest Costa Rica.  I like the beach even when the weather is overcast.

Costa Rica needs the rain.  There has been a lack of rain this year.  Rain is critical in Costa Rica for the many family farms and agricultural enterprises.

Rain is also critical for electricity.  Costa Rica generates nearly all of its electricity from hydro power.  Reliance on this clean, renewable energy source is part of Costa Rica's plan to become the world's first carbon-neutral nation.

This week we have photos of daily life in Ethiopia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Windmills in Nicaragua

Flying north from Costa Rica provides this view down to Nicaragua where there are windmills for generating electricity along the shores of Lake Nicaragua.  I suspect that this is a good location for wind because it is a place where the land remains close to sea level between the Pacific and the Caribbean.

In Costa Rica, there is a spine of tall mountains running the length of the country but Lake Nicaragua is just a half hour from the Pacific, but it drains into the Caribbean.  It would therefore be a good funnel for differences in air pressure to funnel wind from across the narrow Central American isthmus.

By the way, the spine of tall mountains in Costa Rica protects those of us on the Pacific coast from the hurricanes that hit the Caribbean, although the hurricane belt is north of Costa Rica.  Hurricanes do not cross the mountains.

We have photos of our experience seeing the Opera in Paris posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Langosta Beach and a comment about the weather

People who are considering renting one of our two condos often ask what the weather is like during what locals refer to as the Green Season, which is April through October.

I usually visit during the Green Season because our condos are almost always rented during the High Season, so almost all the photos that you seen on my website were taken during the Green Season.

This is a typical morning view from our Langosta condo.  The days start out with blue skies and white puffy clouds on the horizon.  In the afternoon the clouds will move in and there might be a brief tropical shower, then the weather clears and the clouds highlight the sunsets.  There can be rainy days during September and October.  It is warmer in the December - April dry season, and locals call that summer, even though Costa Rica is in the northern hemisphere, of course, were summer is normally June - August.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Sea and sky

Here is another beach and sky photo from the same July morning walk along Langosta beach that I hae been showing during this past month.

This large cloud out to sea foreshadows that the sunny morning will probably see a brief shower in the afternoon, which is typical for the weather in May - August.  

Clouds like this do not occur during December - April, which is our hot, dry season.  Local people call it summer, even thought we are in the northern hemisphere, because it is warmer than the actual summer months due to the dryer weather.

We are showing photos of the jungle Khmer temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Storm at sea

Here is a photo of a storm at sea off the coast of Tamarindo. This is late afternoon, as the sun is backlighting the clouds that have rolled in over the Pacific.

We do not get hurricanes in Tamarindo. Hurricanes from the Caribbean do not cross the tall spine of mountains that run through the central part of Costa Rica. Even the Caribbean side of Costa Rica is south of the hurricane zone.

The weather in Tamarindo is sunny and clear, with virtually no rain, from November until April. I do not mind the occasional tropical downpour during the summer months, as they turn everything lush and green, and are usually brief. They also add drama to the sea and sky, as this photo shows.

This week we are showing some photos of the architectural details of London on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

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.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you and your family, from my wife and me. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than to take a sail off the coast of Costa Rica in the Pacific Ocean on a warm, sunny day between Christmas and New Year's. Yes, that is when this photo was taken.

For those people who live in cold climates, I am sorry to rub in the beautiful weather that we have at this time of year. Although Costa Rica is north of the equator, people refer to November through April as "summer" because it is our dry season and you can count on lots of sunshine, almost no rain, and temperature in the 80's (F) or 27-32 (C).

This photo was taken by a honeymooning couple from Los Angeles. We took their photo and they reciprocated. It turns out that we had walked by their wedding the evening before, as they got married on Langosta Beach

Julie's shirt says "Pura Vida" which is the national slogan of Costa Rica. It translates literally as "pure life," but in Costa Rica it is used in a way that is similar to the way "Aloha" is used in Hawaii. People use it to say hello, goodbye, they are fine, thank you, etc. With weather in December like what you see in this photo, it is indeed, a time for pura vida.

For a contrast to warm tropical sunshine, our photos this week on Viva la Voyage show winter in Vienna, Austria. We hope you find them of interest.

Playa Langosta, looking north

This is a view of the beach in front of our Langosta condo, looking north towards Tamarindo. You can see why we like to walk to the main part of town along the beach. Why walk on along the road when you can walk with your feet in the warm sand with the waves lapping at your ankles.

This photo illustrates something else about our area: the weather. I took this photo last Friday. The weather forecast for that day was chance of showers. During the dry season from November through April, almost every day is clear and sunny. During the "green season," the official weather forecast almost always is chance of showers. Despite the official forecast, much of the time the weather is clear like last Friday or perhaps with a light cloud cover.

One thing this photo does not show is the homes behind the row of trees and bushes along the beach. This photo makes the area look deserted, but tucked behind the trees are some million dollar-plus homes.

Tomorrow I will show you the beach in the other direction.

Tropical weather

Hey, folks up North! This pineapple and mango smoothie is for you!

Sorry to gloat about the weather, but I see on CNN that a major winter storm is hitting the U.S. Northeast, with snow extending all the way into Georgia. I hope you will not be offended if I point out to you that the weather forecast for today is a low of 69 and a high of 92 F. or 22 to 33 C. That is the official forecast for the International Airport in Liberia, but in Tamarindo it should be a few degrees cooler, as we have breezes off the ocean, whereas Liberia is inland.

November to May is the dry season, which means that it is sunny and warm. Some people even refer to those winter months as the "summer" in our part of Costa Rica, although Cost Rica is in the northern hemisphere. The rest of the year, which is called the "green season," is nice as well. Many days it will be clear in the morning, with some clouds and perhaps some rain in the afternoon, and then clear again. There will be some tropical showers, mostly during September and October.

It is so sunny and dry during the peak season for tourists that the trees in northwest Costa Rica drop their leaves to conserve water. That makes the wildlife viewing easier.

So, how do we cool off during our warm, sunny weather. Well, there is the beach and the ocean, the pool, a walk in the shade, or going out on a boat or up into the mountains, or taking a break inside where it is air conditioned, or sitting on the patio catching the ocean breezes (or under the ceiling fan) with a drink while listening to the waves, or walking in town and having an ice cream, gelato, or smoothie like my choice shown in this photo.

By the way, I should add that on the Pacific side of Costa Rica we are not in the Carribean hurricane zone, as the high mountains running down the spine of Costa Rica keep the Carribean weather on the Carribean side.