Playas del Coco, Pacific Coast

Hola!  Get ready for an email that does not contain contractions because I can not figure out how to access the apostrophe sign on this keyboard.  I had to finally ask for help to learn the @ symbol just to log-in, apparently the Spanish version is pressing Alt and then 64.  Goodbye ergonomics, this keyboard is at chest level.  Good times.

I arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica at noon Wed 3-30.  My first thought stepping off the plane into the sun was, I am going to need more sunblock.  Luckily I will not need to buy any for a couple weeks though - it costs $20 for a tube.  My couchsurfing host, Linda T, picked me up and drove me to her house.  The CS program is neat.  You create profiles online and find local people to host you.  It is NOT a hotel though - something is always exchanged in the deal, whether it is cooking, companionship, or something else, it is a program that connects people not a free ride.  This retired lady, originally from Kentucky, likes the company.  I tend to be pretty independent so I am good for an hour or two verbal recap at night then off to bed early so I can get up and outside early the next morning.

This town, Playa del Cocos, has many retired Americans living in condos.  It is not gorgeous like you may think from looking online, although there is the ocean, which meets my first need here.  Thurs 3-31 I borrowed Linda,s (guess i will use commas instead) bike and strolled around town and the side roads all day.  I found a Ciclo to put air in the tires so I could ride the rocky dirt paths off the main road.  When asked what they charge I apparently just need to smile in return - and sometimes take off my sunglasses to show my blue eyes.  Funny to be traveling with only a handful of outfits and short cropped hair, not thinking about my appearance at all, and it still all boils down to flirting down here.  Somehow I will manage :)

I spent several hours sitting in the shade by myself on the beach, ate a traditional Costa Rican casado (rice, beans, meat, veggies) and biked to a more isolated beach spot.  Throughout the day I visited with locals that approached me and we had a good time practicing between our languages.  I finally went swimming around 3pm and played with a guy in the ocean who wanted to race me.  He was pretty surprised when I smoked him - thank you waterpolo team in college!  So just hanging out and playing down here. 

Tonight I take the bus into Liberia and meet a gal who will travel with me to a small town called Bagaces to stay with her family.  I am hoping to become more immersed in the family life style and do some cooking with them.

A special thank you to my dear cousin Becky Jean for the chapstick and advice - I used your advice twice now...and ignored it once :)

Traveling notes:
Travelers checks do not work here.  I spent an hour on the phone cancelling them and then mailing them back to the US. 
Carrying hard boiled eggs in a hard camping container is perfect for easy protein, especially when you are not sure when and where your next meal will occur.
Vegetable and corn oil are it here, sorry olive oil...and my stomach.
The water from the tap here is drinkable - hooray for that and being able to eat the fruit!