Exploring around Uvita and Marino Ballena

January 30: 86 degrees

As we left our hammock bed from the night before, the owner told us of a beautiful beach that is amazing during low tide.  If we hurried, we could get there in time to see it.  We were now heading for Playa Ventanas.  When we arrived, we had to pay a couple of dollars to park but it bought us someone to watch the car while we head to the beach.  That peace of mind is important since all of our stuff is in the trunk.  After we parked, we walked through a beautiful garden to get to the beach.  Once we set foot on sand, we were blown away by the beauty of this place.

The caves at Playa Ventanas ("windows" in Espanol)

There was barely anyone on the beach yet, so it felt very private.  We headed directly toward the caves so that we could walk through them before the tide rose and filled them with water.  We enter the caves slowly not knowing what to expect.  We can see the ocean on the other side as more and more water begins to splash in.  The cave is dark and long and, for some reason, we are acting like we are in a haunted house and just waiting for something to jump out at us.  We walk closer and closer to the end wondering if we can make it to the other side.  As more and more waves come crashing in, we stop just short of the other side.  I know...chickens.

The view at Playa Ventanas from the water. 

As the tide begins to rise, we go explore the rest of the beach.  Looking around us, we are surrounded by palm trees that are being hugged by the jungle.  Ahead of us is a couple of islands poking their heads out of the ocean and a string of pelicans grazing the tops of the rolling waves.  It is as peaceful as it is beautiful.  We lay down a blanket to take it all in and relax before we check into our room.

The balcony and yoga area at our hostel.  A private room and private bathroom for $32/night? Yes please! 

We are heading to a new place to stay today, and it is a bit up in the mountains.  It is at a hostel called Cascada Verde (small, green waterfall).  This hostel just "feels good" when we walk in.  Most of it is open to the elements that surround it and it is tucked into the jungle.  The owners are playing some soft and soothing music and the people we interact with are extremely friendly.  We no sooner find out that Cascada Verde was formally a yoga retreat.  "That explains it!"

We settled in and saw signs for a nearby waterfall.  "Let's go check it out!"  Less than a quarter mile up the mountain side, we find a trail to the waterfall.  There is a pleasant mix of both tourists and local Ticos there.  We finally make it to the base of the waterfall.  Mandy wants to jump off a rock into the tide pool.  It's not that far, but it's still a bit of a jump.  It is brisk yet refreshing! We sit upon a couple of rocks in the water and watch four Tico boys dive and flip into the water.  They even climb to the top of the falls (maybe 25-30 feet up) and slide down it like a large water slide.  Soon, some of the tourists join.  At this moment, I turn to Mandy and say, "Don't even think about doing it! I am not carrying you around after you get hurt." With a sad but understanding look on her face, she agrees.

Sorry, no risking our camera during the waterfall swim.  This is from downstream.