Saturday we took the day to just relax and enjoy the treehouse property. We eventually made our way to Dominical which is only a mile or so down the road. We walked around town noticing the changes that have been made since we were last here about six or seven years ago. Many of the roads are now built with pavers, making the town look much more modern than before. There are several new resorts with manicured landscaping. Restaurants that we remember have been replaced with newer versions of the same. Backpacker hostels that face the ocean are still around where you can rent a hammock for $7 a night.
We stopped into a local restaurant offering platos tipico, which is the typical Costa Rican meal of your choice of meat, black beans, white rice, a salad and a sweet fried plaintain for about $6. We usually order either the plato tipico or a fried rice dish for the same cost. Beers here are $1.50.
Later we hooked up with a friend of a friend. Several years ago we met a young guy named Chris. He was an American teenager and lived here with his family. He was homeschooled and led worship at a church here. He gave our kids a few pointers on surfboards and we then stayed in touch through the years. He has since moved back to the States, got married and travels the world. He put Sean in touch with his friend Jordy, who could give us a surf lesson and show us around some more. We met up with him on Saturday night and made plans to meet at 7am Sunday.
The sun rises around 5 o’clock here, so getting up early is not a problem for us. Each morning I have been making coffee and breakfast in the treehouse. There is a microwave that I boil water in and I use a french press to brew our coffee, one cup at a time. Costa Rica is all about slowing down and enjoying the process.
We met Jordy in front of a surf shop (that is made out of a sea container) early on Sunday morning. We walked out to the beach with him, checking the surf conditions. There is a really strong under current here, so I opted to relax, sun bathing instead of beating myself up in the surf. I was happy to allow Sean to enjoy a private surf lesson.
We later learned more about our new friend, who is far more mature than his years. He is nineteen and has his own surf instruction company. He’s been teaching surf since he was fifteen. When he was younger and realized that higher education was not his thing, he made it a point to learn and speak English fluently and teach surf lessons as much as possible. He now makes a good living here, owns property, a few rental apartments, and has been able to travel through the States every year during his off season. There is no one I could give a higher reccomendation for if you are looking for surf instruction in the South Pacific coast. He is patient, and kind and loves what he does. He will be visiting the States next month. We’re hoping he’ll come visit us on Tybee while he’s there.
After a couple hours at the beach, we went to a local restaurant here, Tortilla Flats. We just wanted a snack and some hot coffee. But I ended up eating a second breakfast that was incredible. Egg sandwich with sliced avocado on it. We just sat and talked and got to know our new friend a little better. Jordy wanted to take us to a new place that he had just heard about. It is a hot spring that a landowner had just discovered on his property. We are always up for the adventure so Jordy grabbed a towel and we three hopped in our little Suzuki 4×4.
We pulled into the main coastal highway and travelled 4 kilometers north of here then turned off the main road onto an old metal bridge that clanked loudly as we rode across it. We then turned on to a dry red dirt road filled with rocks and boulders. To get to the best adventures in Costa Rica, dirt roads are usually required. Within 15-20 minutes of bouncing an jostling around, we started seeing signs for Aguas Termales. We followed a few turns at each clearly marked sign into what appears to be someone’s front yard. A man greeted us from his front porch and directed us to drive to a grass field parking area behind his house. We paid him 2,500 colones ($5) per person. He led us to a short trail in the woods. Only a hundred feet or so into the trail, we could see the aqua colored pools. There were four pools on different levels. A few guests were already there lounging and enjoying their families.
He showed us a little further down the trail to the pristine river and swimming hole below and suggested we start there and then work out way up to the thermal pools.
It was not a hard walk at all to get through the trees and down to the rock platform to enter the water. The air temperature was about 83 degrees and perspiration was beginning to bead on our foreheads, so a dip into the cool springs was welcoming and refreshing.
Jordy went up a little higher and successfully slid down a natural waterslide. Now that I’m over forty I am fearful of getting hurt, so I just safely swam and relaxed in the spring. Sean took a last dive in from the rock platform. We soon gathered our things and moved up to the warmer springs. The owner and Jordy talked for a while (in Spanish) as he told the story of how he found them. Jordy translated the story to us. They had just purchased the property two years ago and were digging on it when they discovered the hot springs. They knew immediately they had a business opportunity in front of them so they built the pools made of concrete and stone. They opened for business only four short months ago. We felt so privileged to be amongst the first people to enjoy them. He now has plans to build a little restaurant and bar on his property for guest’s enjoyment. We joked (though seriously) about how you could never do something like this in the States, without years and years of bureaucratic red tape getting in the way. Just one more reason this country is so appealing to us. If you ever find yourself down this way, make sure you plan to visit Aguas Termales near Hatillo, you won’t regret it.
The three of us were all relaxed and ready for a nap, but we were also getting quite hungry again too, so we came back to Dominical and ate a huge meal at Tortilla Flats. This has definitely been the largest and most generous portions of food since we’ve been here. I ordered the arroz con camerones (rice with shrimp) it is served with french fries and a fresh salad. After I ate all that I could, I still had enough to bring back to the treehouse to add to our breakfast for the next morning.
We ended the night listening to the ocean below us and the animals around us. Sean enjoyed an imperial cerveza and I tried a delicious canned mojito over ice called BamBoo.
