Hermosa Beach

Today we woke up and decided to catch a taxi for the seven mile ride to Hermosa Beach. Hermosa Beach is one of the most famous beaches for surfing in Costa Rica. It is known for the most consistent waves. We did not surf there. Hermosa is not an area to be surfed by beginners. The waves are large and there are many rip tides. The town of Hermosa is very small and yet undevloped. A couple of small restaurants and hotels/hostels, but mostly there is black beach and waves as far as you can see in either direction. We took a long walk on the beach and then decided to head back towards Jaco. We were going to check out a bigger store in Jaco and look for materials for me (Sam) to start making some necklaces and various gifts from shells and rocks we had found on the beach in Montezuma. On our walk back we saw a group of construction guys taking a break and I saw a cement mixer next to the small slab they had just poured. So dad i had to take a picture for you. it made me think of all the work we have done together...and how much i know you would have loved to have had a cement mixer in some of the countries you have built churches in = ) Hope you like the picture. We continued walking back on the road and were waiting to flag down a cab when a man with a pick-up truck stopped and asked if we were going to Jaco. We said yes, and he told two of us to get in the bed of the truck and one up front. We are told that it is to assertive if women sit up front, so sandy and i got in the back of the the truck with his load of rough cut planks of wood. the rails on the side of his truck (which we ended up having to hold onto very tight) were hand made and beautiful. we took off down the road, up the mountain, around the curves...at speeds that made russel a little nervous even while sitting inside the cab. = ) it was quite an adrenaline producing experience and one we will never forget. it was the very first time sandy has ever hitch-hiked. we made it to a gas station about a mile from where we stay and we got out. we tried to give him a few dollars for the ride, but he refused to take it. just a really nice guy!!! so we continued our journey towards jaco. we caught a cab for two dollars to the bigger store we wanted to check out. once there we discovered that it was a store that was (not so cleverly disguised) owned by WALMART...yes folks Walmart is taking over the world!!!! We did not find anything for me to make gifts with, but we did grab a few groceries and left. We decided to walk the mile back to where we stay. On the way back we passed a hotel that had been shut down, but on a wall enclosing an area of the hotel there were pieces of glass sticking out of the top so no one could climb over. as we walked back we could see the rain clouds coming over the mountains...even beauty is to be found in the rain. here are som pictures of the day. the picture of sandy and i on hermosa beach is funny. if you look at it closely it looks like we have been digitally placed in the picture...but it is just that beautiful. hope all is well back home. Love and miss you all!!!!
xoxoxxo