playa naranjo

So here is my post all about the beach! It all began when we got up at 7 and had our driver take us to Liberia. We did our bi-monthly grocery shopping and then went to rent a vehicle for the drive to the beach. 4-wheel drive is an absolute must for getting to the ocean in Santa Rosa... and we had to try 5 different rental car places before we found one with an SUV available. I guess it was busy because it was Friday and all the tourists were arriving. We ended up getting a little SUV... the kind a soccer mom drives.

We made it back to Santa Rosa by noon and had a quick lunch. then me, the other field assistant, the PHD student, the british spider monkey chick, and the scottish ant biologist all piled into the SUV and prepared for the drive. The trip from our dorm to the beach was 13km, and it took us 1.5 hours to get there. The road was so rocky and hilly - i would have been terrified to try driving it. Thankfully the PHD student has driven that road many times. He got us there with no problems at all.

When we got to the beach, it was about 2:30pm. We had planned to arrive at that time so we could skip the hottest part of the day, but the sand was still so hot it would burn our feet if it splashed over our flip-flops. We all made a run for the ocean and played in the waves. I don't know what it is about the beach, but everybody was just so happy when we got there. We laughed and swam and took photos and had a really great time. The waves also kicked my ass a little bit and took my favorite blue glass earrings for my ears. I should have taken them out before swimming. Oh well.

The naranjo beach is beautiful. The forest comes right up to the edge of the sand..and there's a campground for people who want to spend the night. apparently, its also a great spot for surfing, but there wasn't another soul for as far as we could see. The beach is also gigantic - probably at least 2km long. After our swim, we walked all the way up the coast and back, taking photos and finding all kinds of cool critters on the beach. We watched the sun set, and then headed back to the SUV. The drive back up to the park was faster - only about an hour this time. When we got home, the PHD student made dinner. Then everybody went to sleep. It was a fantastic day. I hope I get to go there again before I leave and wish i had camping gear so i could stay overnight. oh well.

Anyway, here is a slideshow of some of the photos I took. Hope they add some sun to your cold February.

*warm hugs from Costa Rica*
<3 <3 Dayna