Tamarindo

As I keep saying, I am living in a sleepy little coastal suburb (of what I do not know) called Playa Hermosa. It is just a bedroom community and it has nothing but the ocean and big beautiful houses on the hills surrounding the bay. What I am discovering, however, is that about one hour away in all directions there is really neat stuff.

Last week my school played a basketball game at a school at Brasilito beach and the area looked great so I reconnoitered yesterday to have a better look. Tamarindo is the main beach around there so that is where I started. I bought a bathing suit, finally (since my one bathing suit is basically falling apart) and went out to the waves. The beach is white, I think and the surf, according to the guidebooks, is apparently good. There were a gaggle of surfers, some fancy hotels and big waves, although not really that big I didn’t think. I was taking pictures and one tough looking guy came up to me and asked me or more like told me to let him take my picture. The way he looked I was actually afraid he was going to run away with the camera but I let him take the picture anyone. I didn’t feel I had much choice. After he took the picture and made the contact, he said: So, do you want some shit?” It reminded me of Montezuma when I saw a guy with a long beard ask Josh if he wanted some drugs. When I said no he was pleasant enough and even gave me my camera back which I felt was a bonus.

After I got the bathing suit and took the requisite pictures I went to what is purportedly the best beach in Costa Rica, according to the Lonely Planet…Playa Conchal because it has white sand. Big deal. I think I will stay put on my beach and look at the fish, swim, and just relax in the water. There are even more people here these days. I guess I arrived at the lowest of the low in terms of tourists and now more and more people are coming from 'el norte.' Yesterday morning, I even walked down to one end of the beach where I never go because there are rocks and just peered into the water and saw fish swim around the rocks. Wow, I might even buy goggles today and do it more seriously.

They seem to be enforcing a maritime law here which basically states the beach has to be clear of any man made structures by a certain number of feet. A few weeks ago, the hotel across the street where I enter the beach had to destroy a decorative boat because it was too close to the beach. (It was miles away, it seemed). This was really too bad because I used to leave my shoes there and a towel, when I used to think I needed a towel before I realized I am “instant dried” and it was a handy landmark to find my stuff. Now the boat is no longer there and yesterday morning I noticed that the two restaurants that were there disappeared. (I really did not notice, but someone told me and then I noticed!)They were unostentatious little family run operations that probably barely made a living. What are these guys doing now I wonder? There is no employment down here and hotels are laying off workers by the dozens. The other day I picked up a hitchhiker at my beach going back to town. He was a painter, he told me, and he needed money. I offered him all the change in the well of the car, but he seemed to be offended and told me he needed a job. He apparently came to the beach as a worker or maybe camped out all night waiting in line, I imagine, for a job at one of the few places that is hiring. His number did not come up unfortunately.

From a selfish point of view, least I understood him and he was speaking Spanish.