12/18/11: Sunny Sunday at the Playa

Synopsis: Final day at Playa Guiones

Yehudah:  I was awakened by an insistent chattering outside our window.  We're on the second floor so it had to be a bird or what?  I managed to catch several glimpses of an olingo moving from tree to tree.  He seemed to be scolding the guy cleaning the pool in the early morning sun.  When I tried to get on the veranda to photograph him I made too much noise and he disappeared, though the Harbor Reef cat was out there to greet me.  We had seen several Howler Monkeys in the same trees the morning after we arrived. Check it out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bushy_tailed_olingo.jpg
                             

Then, while having breakfast, a pair of white-throated magpie-jays perched on a nearby branch. True to their kind, they were looking for a handout. Check them out:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calocitta_collieiPCCA20.051227-1964B.jpg

The rest of the morning was spent under a cabana  that somesurfers had no doubt put together. It was the perfect spot with just enough shade until about noon when it got too hot and the wind died down. Under our little thatched roof we read about Nicaraguan history and culture, the tricks of getting over the border from public buses, studied a bit of Spanish, dipped into the surf, watched and photographed Joanie's nephew surfing
 

 I guess you could say we just hung out, quite an unusual activity for us. Our normal operandi would be to hike a mile or two or three

We got our tickets for our ride back to San Jose with a $10 fee added on by the taxi driver. (It would have cost $30 to have him drive us so I guess we got a bargain in a location where bargains are few and far between)

 Joanie here: Went to the organic food store to buy avocado and sardines; made sandwiches with the wonderful dark rye we had purchased earlier.  finished lunch with a passionfruit & ginger smoothie made with water plus Yo bought a chocolate cookie.  We checked out where the bus stop is - quite a walk at midday with our packs.  Maybe it won't be so hot tomorrow. 

Back to Harbor Reef we read in the wide, two-person hammock, then walked back to the beach for sunset photos.

 Richard was surfing, so we met up,Yo took a photo of the two of us and we all went back to get ready for dinner.

Walking in the dark we followed Richard to an excellent Italian restaurant.  We have had a fish dinner each evening we have been here.  This one was sea bass with mussels.  The stars were brilliant as we walked back to Harbor Reef and so we stopped by the beach to get a clear view of the night sky, the milky way and a million stars.  Yehudah found Orion and I was just dazzled by all the brilliance.  We spied several animals scurrying in our path - perhaps a skunk, maybe a bat, could have been an owl.  Back in our room a musician was continuing to play guitar and sing at the restaurant close to our room.

Things have quieted down.  We didn't go biking after all.  Tomorrow we have the morning to pack, go to the beach for a bit, eat breakfast and get to the bus.  Hope catching the bus goes smoothly.