Day 9 – Heading to the River

After the troops woke up this morning we all readied ourselves for a walk to the river . The closet rio (river) is Rio Lajas and it is located about 1.5 miles from the casa (house). In the rainy season, the locals say the river can rise fast and it would easily take you away. Luckily it has not rained the last two days, so the water level was rather low.

We crossed the river bridge and went along a path leading to the beach.  Figured we would get salty first and then fresh later. Fifty meters down the path and we were on the beach. The view as usual was breathtaking. We were the only ones on the beach and no one was in sight in either direction. A couple of minutes on the beach and we were greeted by two perros (dogs). They would accompany us for several hours. We all looked for shells and rocks as we strolled towards Montezuma. I looked on the ground to the distance and saw something that looked to be a skull. At first I thought I was mistaken, but as I got closer, it truly was a skull. Ended up that it was a skull of a Howler Monkey. We were all amazed and thought it to be a great beach find.

Walked about another kilometer when we ran into a local, Andy, who teaches yoga, does massages, and teaches surfing to the locals. He came over from Mal Pais to do some surfing this morning with two of his buddies. We chatted a bit and off we went again. We explored for about another kilometer before we headed back towards the road. Tide was coming in so it was much easier to walk back to the river via the road.  

Thirty minutes later and we were back at Rio Lajas. Everyone was ready for a swim to knock the sweat off. The floor of the river is nothing more than time worn smooth rock. Throw in some sand here and there along with a few stones and pebbles, you get the idea. The rolling miniature waterfalls on the large rock formations created pools at the river bottom. The water temperature was great. It was a well needed cooling off to the beach walk.

Thomas met a little local guy named Houston, 13, who was there with his family enjoying the day. Olivia, Anna and I lounged in the pools as Thomas played with Houston. We splashed there for at least 1 ½ to 2 hours. It was about 2:00pm and we all decided to head up to the bakery and grab some lunch. Figured it would take us a half hour to walk there. Hoped they would still be serving lunch.

Hot tomales!! They were still open. You got love the sodas here. Always opened and ready to serve. Because this is the off season (rainy season), we typically have the run of the place. Having said that, it does not mean you are getting the fastest service because you are the only one there. Quite to the contrary. We ordered and the husband ended up having to drive to the store to get some provisions to make our meal. Thank goodness the store was only about 300 yards down the road. No doubt this meal would be delicious.

Prior to getting our meal Thomas and Olivia both ordered some fruity drinks. Olivia got a freshly squeezed lemonade. Thomas got an unbelievable Pinas, Naranja Y Limon (Pineapple, Orange and Lemon) Smoothie. Hands down one of the best smoothies I have ever had. You could literally taste the freshness. I think Thomas was hoping this smoothie glass was bottomless. I will definitely have one of these myself tomorrow.

Anna and I both got fish platters. Hers was fried and mine was grilled and then topped with a Salsa. We both shared the dishes that both came with a ensalad (salad) and papas (potatoes). The salsa dish was voted the favorite of the two. Thomas and Olivia each had a soup. Olivia ordered vegetable and Thomas got the pollo (chicken) soup.

One of the neighbors, Tim, came up and introduced himself to us after we finished our dinner. He and his wife, Valerie, just recently purchased a shack 50 meters down the road about 9 months ago. He is a 6^th grade teacher from Santa Barbara and is down for the summer with his wife and two daughters.

I’m sure we will be seeing them quite regularly as this is such small place and the bakery is almost like a meeting hall. Case in point, we saw Corolla, a caretaker at one of the other hotels, as we were leaving. She was getting fresh bread for breakfast for her patrons.