Costa Rica Part 1 - Playa Matapalo

Of course I had the best of intentions of posting updates along the way on our trip but that didn't happen.  At our first stop we had terrible wifi which barely worked well enough to get email (and rarely that well) so I think I just never got in the habit of updating.  Anyway, here is a summary that I'll work on in a few parts over the next few days

Flight and Drive to Matapalo (February 3rd)
The flight from BWI to San Jose seemed very quick and short, it's only about 4.5 hours.  We landed around 1pm and got the shuttle to the Dollar Rental Car office.  We got a Nissan XTrail with a GPS.  I would highly recommend an SUV and GPS since both were necessary on almost every drive.  Most of the places we stayed we could easily look up in the GPS and those we couldn't we were able to get the GPS coordinates of and put them in.

Filling out all the paperwork and putting down the deposit at Dollar was easy enough then we just saw around and waited for about 30-45 minutes for our car.  They kept telling us the internet was really slow but everyone else seemed to be getting their cars without an issue.  Eventually our car came and we were on the road by 2:30pm if I remember correctly.

There are a few tolls leaving the airport out to the beach so you will need colones immediately (only about 2000 if I remember correctly).  We just went to an ATM in the airport.

The drive was about 3 hours and we got there just as the sun was setting.  I was pretty nervous about driving in the dark so we didn't stop for dinner.  Everything I had read about Costa Rica mentioned that you shouldn't leave valuables in the car so we just powered through- not wanting to leave our suitcases in the care while we ate somewhere.  I think driving in the dark is fine once you know an area and how to get back to where you're staying- our place would have been very difficult to find in the dark!

I found driving in Costa Rica pretty easy- sure some of the roads were muddy with tons of potholes and there are steep hills with blind turns but if you are careful it isn't particularly dangerous.  There are some streets in towns that have very deep ditches as gutters so make sure you're aware of not getting stuck in those while parking or turning!

Playa Matapalo: Wednesday through Monday (5 nights)

February 3rd - Day 1
We got settled in and asked Charlie the owner where to get dinner.  There isn't really much in the immediate area of Playa Matapalo other than small guesthouses and sodas (roadside stands that serve food) but he recommended a place about a 2 minute drive away that we ended up at repeatedly really for lack of any better option and they also had pretty good wifi.  We were all exhausted and barely made it through dinner!

We stayed at a very small guesthouse literally across a street (small dirt road really) from the beach.  The location was wonderful and the beach was pretty much deserted all day.  Since we were two couples I tried to find places to stay with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but a shared living area to hang out in.  We were basically staying in a portion of the owner's son's house and it was a little odd being able to hear them (and I'm sure they heard us) the whole time.  Once we stayed in other places in Costa Rica we realized everything that was lacking in our first place!  I think I'll decline to mention it by name since the owner was really very nice.

My main complaint about the place we stayed (other than wifi that barely worked) was that it was SO HOT AND HUMID (think 95 degrees) I could never get comfortable since the only air conditioner was in our bedroom and I think it was about 20 years old and barely worked.  There was no air conditioner in the living room and they asked you to keep the AC off during the day so really the only time I was cool and comfortable was when we were driving around in the car!

The house backed up to a field with cows.  It was quiet and peaceful.

February 4th - Day 2
We ate breakfast and immediately went to the beach.  I think we were out there for 3-4 hours which was way too long for me and my pale winter skin!  I felt tired and terrible afterwards and probably got a good start on my sunburn.

Playa Matapalo- not too crowded!

Another view of the beach.

We went into Quepos for lunch, ATM and groceries in the afternoon.  Quepos is a small town about 30 minutes to the north (we passed through on the way to the hotel but didn't stop).  We waited in an uber long line for the ATM.  Throughout our stay in Costa Rica all of our lodging owners said they preferred payment in cash in US dollars but we never actually found an ATM that would give dollars (despite being told they all do).  Had we known everyone wanted cash in dollars we could have brought a lot more down with us and not paid ATM fees.  We ended up paying most of the owners in colones.

For lunch we went to a Mexican place and while we ate there was an epic traffic jam.  A truck was trying to move mattresses and the way they parked to unload the busses (tourist and local transportation) couldn't turn so everything just came to a standstill for a good half hour.  It was impressive.

We stopped at a supermarket after lunch and got snacks and drinks for the house.  Food in Costa Rica is basically as expensive as the US which I didn't expect.  Or perhaps we were only stopping at restaurants/markets with tourist prices?

February 5th - Day 3
We went on a kayak tour this morning.  One of the other guesthouse owners on the beach ran the tour so he came by and picked us up in the morning.  I don't remember the name of the river unfortunately but we kayaked down the river towards the ocean.  When the tide switches the ocean starts to come up the river and the current reverses.  The tour ends going through mangroves.  I was worried it would be really hot and uncomfortable but there was a nice breeze on the water and it felt great!  We stopped to swim for a bit and the water was nice a cool (unlike the ocean which is lukewarm).  Of course I got a sunburn despite being very diligent with sunblock.

My favorite part was all the wildlife we saw on the river.  Below are some pictures.

After kayaking we went about 30 minutes south to Dominical.  It's a town with a big ex-pat hippie population so there's a small cluster of stores that sell things like artisnal soap and craft beer- things you would never find in a regular Cosa Rican town!  We went to a coffee shop on the side of a pungent river and I bought some aloe at a natural foods store.  Who knew you would be able to buy tempeh in a Costa Rican beach town?

As we were leaving we saw a flock of toucans.  Pics below!

Okay this entry seems long enough for now.  I'll have more soon!