Holy Hotness Batman!

Okay - so maybe I don't need the long pants and the jean jacket I threw in at the last minute... I hate packing for warm weather destinations from cold ones, b/c you always forget how hot hot can be!

I landed at the Liberia airport in northern Costa Rica, to temperatures of 39 degrees (105F) and hot tropical winds - the airport was a one room hangar with the world's largest ceiling fan and no walls! Must be in the tropics now... It was a bit of a hot dusty drive from Liberia down the Nicoya Peninsula to Nosara - the roads leave much to be desired - most of them are not paved and are mainly washboard rock and clay so the vehicles here take a major beating... all you Michiganders would be well prepared here with your big 4 wheel drives, that are so useful in the cornfields of mid-Michigan...

My friend lives in the most gorgeous spot imaginable - her house is way up in this amazing rainforest at the top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the entire rainforest canopy. There are monkeys in the trees, snakes threading their way through the jungle and we even killed a scorpion last night in the house (very exciting!) The view is really to die for though - last night we watched the sunset from her balcony, and it was this huge red fireball sinking into the water, following by brilliant pink, blue and orange skies..

This is a big mecca for surfers, as well - and although it is now low season so there aren't many people around, the surfers are a constant at various times during the day. The beach here, Playa Giuones, is massive - and deserted - it's a sort of black sand beach, not sandy and white, but very flat and hard, but reminds me of the west coast of Canada - sort of like Tofino, except a thousand times hotter... all I know is the 5 year old I'm staying with can probably surf better than I can, but hopefully I'll remedy this before I leave.

Anyway, the day is calling... so I must sign off... stay tuned for more...
Nancy