Playa Flamingo beach

Here is another photo to orient you to the bay at Playa Flamingo. This is a view up the coast to the north from the spot where the photos were taken that I posted on the last three days.

This beach is sheltered by the peninsula that creates the bay where you saw some of the resorts in the photos that I recently posted. There are other beaches in the area where the ocean waves crash on the shore. This beach is well suited for children, as there are almost no waves.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel site we are showing photos of the great Mayan pyramids and ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Playa Flamingo bay

Here are some of the boats moored in the bay at Playa Flamingo. You can see some of the islands that dot the coast in this area. The islands provide sheltering waters for marine life and are popular spots for snorkel and scuba diving trips from Tamarindo.

Yesterday I talked about plans to develop expanded marina facilities at Playa Flamingo, including a cruise ship pier, which is on hold. An upgraded marina might enable people to dock their boats in a slip at a pier, rather than moored in the bay for access from a small shuttle boat.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted 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.

Playa Flamingo

This is a closer view of the main part of the bay at Playa Flamingo. The peninsula that you see here provides shelter for boats. The main part of the beach extends to the left from the other side of this peninsula.

There was a proposal to build a cruise ship pier at Playa Flamingo, and a large hotel complex. The winning bid was a $90 million proposal by a group with financing from the USA. As sometimes happens with government contracts, the losing parties filed bid protests, and the delay caused by that challenge and a court ruling that said that they have to re-bid the project. In the meantime, the world-wide downturn in the economy has reduced the market and demand for such large scale development projects, and seem to have caused this project to stall indefinitely.

A cruise ship pier for Playa Flamingo was a rather controversial project. As you can see in this photo, Playa Flamingo is not a large place. There would not be a lot for cruise ship visitors to do right in Playa Flamindo, although they could go out and make the beach very crowded, depending on the size of the cruise ship.

It is more likely that cruise ships would generate lots of business for people who run excursions, as the cruise ship tourists would probably buy shore excursion packages for zip lines, wildlife river trips, etc. Tamarindo would be the nearest town with shopping and other resources that cruise ship visitors frequent. I am sure that the business would be welcomed by many, although my impression of towns that are flooded with cruise ship visitors is that they often have lots of shops selling t-shirts and trinkets, and do not necessarily bring more desirable amenities.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, we are showing photos of Peru, including photos from an area that is very remote.

Playa Flamingo

Playa Flamingo is a little farther up the beach from Brasilito, about 20 minutes from Tamairndo. Flamingo is more developed than Brasilito, but a lot less developed than Tamarindo.

Flamingo has a nice, protected bay, as you can see in this photo. There are lots of fishing boats moored there. There was even a proposal to build a pier to accommodate cruise ships.

Tomorrow, I will show you more of FLamingo and tell you what happened to the cruise ship terminal development.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, we are showing photos of Peru, including photos from an area that is very remote.

Brasilto

Although I think that Tamarindo beach is near-perfect, there are lots of other beaches in the area. I will give you a tour of a couple of them during the next couple of weeks.

This is the beach at Brasilito, which is only about 15 minutes north of Tamarindo. Brasilito is a very small town with a few guest houses or small lodges, restaurants and shops. It is not developed like Tamarindo and still has the feel of a Costa Rican beach town, rather than a resort town with hotels and condos that cater primarily to foreigners.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, we are showing photos of Peru, including photos from an area that is very remote.

The sun drops into Tamarindo Bay

This is the same sunset that I showed yesterday, a little later as the sun started its drop into the ocean. Even though there was a marine layer of clouds, the sun penetrated the soft layer of clouds to bathe the beach with a golden glow and to paint the sky.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, we are showing photos of Peru, including photos from an area that is very remote.

Tamarindo bay sunset

Yesterday I showed a rather muted sunsel, whose primary interest was in the shape and outline of the clouds. This is a more classic sunset photo, showing the fishing boats in Tamarindo Bay. This is same sunset that I showed yesterday, but is just earlier in the sunset's descent into the ocean.

This week we are showing photos of Peru, including some rather remote areas, on our www.VivalaVoyage.com. You may click on the icon a the left to reach that website.

Sunset

Usually the sunsets that I show have fiery red colors. Here is a sunset from the balcony of our Langosta beach condo on a very cloudy day, with muted colors. Even on cloudy days, there is the potential for sunsets that have certain character and flair, courtesy of the clouds.

Please take a look at the photos of Peru that we are posting this week on ww.wVivalaVoyagecom. A link is at the left.

Ginger flower

This is a ginger flower in bloom, similar to yesterday's pink ginger bud.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our travel photo site, VivalaVoyage.com. This week we are posting some photos of Peru. Coe take a look by clicking on the link at the left.

Ginger flower bud

We have lots of tropical flowers in Costa Rica Here is a pink ginger bud getting ready to bloom.

Check out our photos of Tanzania at the link on the left to VivalaVoyage.com

Chiropractor

If you hurt your back while surfing, there is a chiropractor in Tamarindo. Here is her office. I think I would feel better just walking through her front gate and relaxing amidst this lush tropical vegetation.

Her back yard is even better than the front yard. Right behind this home/office is the beach.

If you don't need a chiropractor but would like someone to massage your back, there are several day spas in Tamarindo where therapeutic massages are available for about half the price of what you would pay for a massage in the USA. In fact, there is one that I have seen advertised for sale on the Century 21 website, so if there is anyone out there experienced in the spa business who wants to live in a little beach resort town, there is an opportunity for you in Tamarindo.

This week we are showing photos of the children and animals of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Cala Luna lobby at night

This is the lobby of the Cala Luna Resort. This is typical of the open air lobbies of the hotels and restaurants in the area.

The Cala Luna is not right on the beach, but it is a short 1 or 2 minute walk on a path get to the beach. The accommodations at the resort are individual bungaloes, which are also available for purchase. It is in Langosta, a quiet, upscale residential area of Tamarindo, about 2 blocks from our Langosta condo.

This week we are showing photos of the children and animals of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Sushi at the Cala Luna

Sushi is not what I would have expected to eat in a Costa Rican beach town, but there are several restaurants in Tamarindo that serve sushi, including the Cala Luna Resort.

One of the things that is nice about Costa Rica is that Americans and Canadians can eat the food and drink the water, even the tap water, without problems.

There are very few countries that are considered the developing world where I would eat sushi. In Tamarindo, I eat the full range of food that I would eat back in the USA.

Probably the sickest that my wife has ever been was after she ate a shrimp and avacado salad at a roadside cafe in a remote area, with no town around several hours south of Lima, Peru. She fortunately she recovered just in time for our departure to go into a remote area of the Amazon, as we did not want to go into a remote area while she was very ill.

This week we are showing photos of the children and animals of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Cala Luna Resort for dinner

This is a view of approximately the same scene as yesterday. The Cala Luna Resort serves dinner at poolside.

The bright light by the bar area across the pool from the restaurant is a TV set. It was on because there was an important football (soccer) game at the time. The team from Liberia, which is the capital of the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica where Tamarindo is located, was playing in a crucial game in the capital of San Jose. We ate in the lounge over by the bar. Tomorrow I will show you what we had for dinner.

This week we are showing photos of the children and animals of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Cala Luna Resort pool

The pool provides an inviting backdrop for lunch at the Cala Luna Resort. Most of the tables are covered, but some are out by the pool. At the far end of the pool is the bar and lounge. At night, you can eat dinner either at the restaurant on the side of the pool shown here, or over at the bar.

This week we are showing photos of the children and animals of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Cala Luna Resort grounds

This is a walkway and driveway on the grounds of the Cala Luna Resort, which is about two blocks from our Langosta Beach condo. We walk down this lane to go to and from the resort for lunch or dinner. The driveways on each side of the lane lead to bungalows where guests stay.

We like having hotels and resorts nearby, as they provide very good dining choices and a variety of venues. The grounds of the Cala Luna are a lush tropical oasis, as you can see from this photo.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of children and animals in Tanzania.

Squirrel, up close

This is a close view of the squirrel that I showed yesterday. The reason I think this is a variegated squirrel rather than a red squirrel is that his reddish color is on his belly, and red squirrels most widely have red tails and backs, which is the opposite of his coloration.

This squirrel was in a small tree about two blocks from our Langosta condo when we were walking back from lunch at the nearby Cala Luna Resort.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos from a recent visit of mine to the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. Come take a look at the Victorian charm and ideal beach weather.

squirrel

There are two types of squirrels in Costa Rica, the red-tailed squirrel and the variegated squirrel, which means that they come in a variety of colors. In Spanish, they are known as ardilla.

That would be pronounced "ar-di-ya," of course, except in Argentina, where it would be pronounced "ar-di-zsha." (My older son lives in Buenos Aires, and when he visits me in Costa Rica people think he is Argentine rather than a Norte Americano, which makes me proud that his Spanish pronunciation must be very good if his Argentine accent is stronger than his American accent.)

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos from a recent visit of mine to the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. Come take a look at the Victorian charm and ideal beach weather.

Red flowers, up close

This is a closer view of the flowering bush that I showed yesterday. The Ixora flowers are only 4 cm (1.5 inches) long. They have four petals and are symmetrical.

I would like to share with you some news from Costa Rica. Last Saturday was the inauguration of the first woman President in the country's history, Laura Chinchilla. She won the election last year in a landslide. She was Vice President under the outgoing President Oscar Arias. Dr. Arias finished a second successful term as President, as he was also President in the 1980's, when he won the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering a peace in Nicaragua.

Presidenta Chincilla is devoted to public service, as she is the daughter of a high government minister. She is a centrist. She is not a crusader on what some people consider to be women's social issues. She emphasizes economic issues and measures to combat crime, even though crime is not a particular problem.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos from a recent visit of mine to the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. Come take a look at the Victorian charm and ideal beach weather.

Red flowers

This flowering shrub, ranging from one-half the 3 meters high (about 20 inches to 10 feet) is called a cruz de Malta, or flor de fuego, or jazmin rojo. Its scientific name is ixora coccinea.

We have these shrubs in the garden of our Langosta condo. This shrub is known to provide a good habitat for butterflies, and we do indeed have lots of butterflies around the garden.

There are two types of Ixora that are native to Costa Rica, but this type of plant is native to India, but widely cultivated from Mexico to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, the West Indies, Africa, South Asia and some Pacific Islands.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos from a recent visit of mine to the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. Come take a look at the Victorian charm and ideal beach weather.