Day 7: Sunday Driving

My day started with a sunrise walk on the beach, which was perfect because black sand beaches can get painfully hot under a full sun. After a delicious breakfast, I drove to the nearest branch for church which was nearly an hour away. Missing the building the first time, I nearly walked into an evangelical service by mistake (the neon cross behind the altar helped me figure it out quickly). It was Fast Sunday, and the branch president invited everyone to testify in the language they felt comfortable with, so I appreciated hearing the mix of Spanish and English from locals and visitors alike. It turned out a couple was also visiting from northern Virginia–small world!

View from the breakfast table

The meetinghouse (note the sign right by the car)

Grateful to gather

Church was near a famous national park that had sold out for the day by the time I looked, but I still drove up to the entrance of Manuel Antonio just to enjoy the scenery. My outing for the day was to a private park called Rainmaker, offering a short hike in the forest with the return via a series of waterfalls. The heat of getting there made the pools that much more refreshing, and it was nice to take my time and capture some photos along the way. It was at one of these moments that in my haste to take a photo while on a bridge, I let go of my hat and watched it fall on the rocks below. I was embarrassed and started looking for possible ways I could retrieve it without endangering myself, but it looked too risky. Just as I was about to give up, a group walked by, figured out what was going on, and one of the guys used a nearby log and a bit of rope he happened to bring with him to retrieve it. I was grateful, still a little embarrassed, and definitely clung to that hat the rest of the day.

Spotted this lizard on the trail--loved the color change!

View from the top of the hike

Part of the trail at Rainmaker

The first waterfall--the water was chilly, but so refreshing!

My hat's adventure

Cheated twice out of a sunset at the beach, I made sure to get there early and stake out my hammock to enjoy the show. The sand to and from the hammock was scalding, but the view didn’t disappoint. For dinner, I headed into the nearby town of Jaco for a place my shuttle driver had recommended for Costa Rican food. I wanted Pinto (beans and rice) like I ate all week at La Selva, but was missing a critical piece of information: Pinto is only served at breakfast. Doh! Instead I had a filling sandwich before calling it a night.

View from the hammock

A handy way to keep sand off their sidewalks

Art in downtown Jaco