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Published: January 22nd 2013
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Hi everyone, hope all is well!
We're just finishing up our week in Santa Teresa which is just south of Samara on the same peninsula. Even though the two are close, we had quite the rugged trip here! Because of the rough terrain we had to travel inland first and then back down the coast. Our driver took us on a short cut and we felt like we were breaking trail along the narrow dirt road! We wondered where we would end up, however the scenery was beautiful. We also drove by the entrance to Mel Gibson's vacation home.
We arrived safe and sound to Santa Teresa. We were a little surprised to find the town spread along one rugged dirt road for 7 kms. Santa Teresa is definately a surfers' paradise with huge waves (not for beginners)! Young people converge here to partake in the sport. There are all kinds of interesting places along the road such as surf shops, bakeries, smoothie stores, souvenir shops, sodas, hotels, hostels, grocery stores, beach bars and the like. We had a Thai gourmet meal the other night that was amazing. Obviously there are enough people here to sustain the variety of
eating establishments.
Our "Hotel Raratonga" is really cute and comfortable. The rooms are built high up in the trees so it's kind of like being in a tree house. The hardwood deck and interior are beautifull. The owners are from Italy and are very friendly and helpful. And again we can hear the howler monkeys close by. Next door is a great soda. For $5 you can get a traditional casida. The plate is huge . . . choice of fish or meat, rice, salad, avocado, black beans, fries and fried onions. Can't beat it. Warren also had the seafood soup that was excellent.
Unfortunately, the one draw back for us in Santa Teresa is the dust and dirt created from the road. Many people rent bikes, quads and cars and zoom up and down the road leaving clouds of dust that leaves the walkers like us in the dust so to speak. In fact, many people wear face masks!! It's kind of a shame for us as walking for exercise and the sights is what we enjoy most about our holidays. As well, our hotel is at the far end of the road from the central commercial
area so getting around is important. However, we mostly walk on the beach so we beat the dust and work off a few calories trudging in the sand!
Speaking of the beach, it's massive (7 km long and very wide in spots.) The sand is soft and a light greyish color - very beautiful. Even though Santa Teresa is heavily populated with tourists the beach is not busy because of it's size. Besides surfers, we have seen local fisherman standing in the water fishing and spear fishing. One day we saw a fisherman proudly showed us his catch. . . a huge blue parrotfish and 6 lobster.
The waves are too dangerous to swim in however there are little pools along the coast that are protected by rocks that are great to swim and cool off in. The water is very clear and warm. As long as we don't go past the gigantic surf we can also play in the waves.
We have found a lovely beach bar/restaurant called Zul de Vida where we spend a few hours at each day about an hours leisurely walk away from our hotel. Besides having great food and smoothies you
can also use their pool and hammocks. Speaking of smoothies, I have discovered a new delicious one - orange juice, lime juice and fresh mint! Very refreshing. They also have seafood barbecues most nights.
That's it for now. As they say in Costa Rica "Pura Vida" (translated, pure life!)
Mallory and Warren
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