It's siesta time at Playa Guiones on the Nicoya Peninsula. The cool of early morning has made way for a baking midday sun and everyone but the hardiest surfers has shrunk into the cool provided by the sea almond trees which border the beach. In the past two weeks we have seen both Costa Rican Pacific peninsulas; firstly the Osa on the southern coast, close to the border with Panamá, and then the Nicoya, a long strip of land which stretches north from central Costa Rica, encompassing Guanacaste Province, and on to the Nicaragua border. Both are wonderful places, brimming with wildlife, cool people and amazing scenery, but starkly contrasting. Osa is wet, green and verdant with tropical evergreen forest and an abundance of birds, insects, amphibians and mammals. Nicoya is hot and dusty with stunning
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