sunset – Costa Rica 2008

Puntarenas

Jan 03 Tagged with: beach, hotel, Sarah, sunset

Jan 032009

The Doubletree is a resort-type hotel right on the beach. After checking in around 4pm we went for a walk along the beach – enjoying the beautiful weather and watching some of the locals net fishing. We followed that with a drink on the pier while watching the sun set.

Puntarenas has a gorgeous beach.

And I have a gorgeous wife.

Net fisherman.

Beach, pier, and a very bright sun.

Sunset and a cocktail.

After dinner we relaxed for a bit, then Eric and I went for a walk back out the pier. Once at the beach we saw that there was an algae bloom happening of phosphorescent algae that I’ve seen in Southern California before. When the algae get churned up they glow blue. We first saw breaking waves lighting up as if they were being hit with a spot light, then we realized what was happening. We continued out to the end of the pier, where the pilings would cause the water to light up every time a wave came by. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we started noticing bursts of blue underwater, presumably made by darting fish. Then we noticed splashes near the surface where fish would rise to eat smaller fish, then a blue streak would shoot back down deep – they looked like meteors under water. This submerged fireworks display was dazzling, and we enjoyed it for about half an hour before heading back in, sad that for the first time on the whole trip neither one of us had a camera with us.

Lazy Sunday

Jan 04 Tagged with: beach, hotel, sunset

Jan 042009

Back at the hotel it was laze in the sun time. We nabbed some lounge chairs and hammocks, sunglasses, suntan lotion and read (or slept) our way into the afternoon.

Reading “Death by Black Hole” by Neil deGrasse Tyson on the beach. A great collection of articles by a brilliant scientist/author. This chapter is called ‘Footprints in the Sands of Science’ – appropriate, yes?

Sarah and I took a couple of classes – the first was a “coffee class”, which was not quite what we expected. Rather than learning about the history of coffee, or how to brew the perfect cup, or a tasting of different blends, roasts or varieties, the class was really about how to make coffee-based cocktails, complete with bartender and lots of samples. We had a great time!

The hotel also offered a towel folding class which we thought would be fun – we’ve enjoyed the elephants and swans that have shown up on our beds at various hotels. They’re surprisingly simple to create.

Another sunset at the end of the pier – this one a little less dramatic because of the clear skies, but nonetheless very relaxing and beautiful.

After dinner Eric and I took Kevin and Sarah back out to the end of the pier to see the phosphorescent algae, but the bloom was a fraction of what it was the night before so it was difficult to see. I went out much later and tried to get some time exposure shots, which were only moderately successful. (Pictures to come…)