On Day 9, we said farewell to the Royal Corin Spa, where they treated us like royalty. We filled out a survey, and we did not rate everything 100%. The food, in particular, was hit-or-miss. To our surprise, they wanted to ask us in person what was not perfectly to our satisfaction. A first, and I was impressed. We rated everything else very highly.

We hired a car and driver to get to Tamarindo—far cheaper than renting a car alone here. Misa spoke very good English. We saw a couple of coatis near the road, begging, but otherwise, the wildlife kept pretty much out of sight. The scenery gradually changed from lush cloud forest to dry chaparral as we came down out of the mountains and got closer to the coast.

We discussed the party atmosphere of Tamarindo. Misa said it was crazy this time of year, and it is. He also called it “TamaGringo,” which is accurate.

The Tamarindo Bay Boutique Hotel is a nice place, but it cannot compete with the luxury of the Royal Corin. Our room is large, with a huge dressing room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. Very clean and comfortable.

Tamarindo is HOT, which my lizard husband loves. Me, not so much, and there is a howling, burning wind to boot. An American who is staying here said that going to the beach is an excellent exfoliant.

I am hurting rather badly, not from any expected source, like my bone-on-bone knee. I seem to have torn my rotary cuff, and it is not getting better. I may have to see a doctor as the pain is intense.

I saw a squirrel here within the first few minutes of arrival. I didn’t photograph it because he was too qui k for me, it there’s what he looked like.

We managed to eat at a restaurant that was only blasting rock music, and didn’t feature fire eaters or live bands, Green Papaya. They serve only tacos. I had shrimp tacos, and they were lovely and fresh.

On Day 10, we ran around taking care of laundry, buying food for lunches, etc. We discovered that in Costa Rica, pharmacists can administer cortisone shots. Filled with hope, we went to the local pharmacy, but they didn’t have the right kind of cortisone, so I will have to see a doctor.

I am sorry to say I spent the rest of the day in bed. We had dinner at a restaurant called the Falafel Bar. We weren’t especially in the mood for Middle Eastern food, but it came highly recommended. It was truly excellent food. We chatted with the couple next to us—Americans, of course. Turns out the husband, John, has had just about all of his major joints replaced—truly the bionic man. He seems fit and active, so there is hope! (This is what old people talk about all the time. I now understand the fascination.)

Early to bed, No photos. Sorry.

Day 11 started with getting a doctor’s appointment for 11 am. I have rarely been more thrilled with getting a doctor’s appointment. The owner or manager here is Marie, and she has been very helpful.

It is still very hot and very windy.

Doctor Piloto was a nice man maybe a few years younger than us. He said he could not do a shoulder injection because he wasn’t an orthopedic doctor. The nearest orthopedist is in Liberia, a city some 46 km from here. But he did offer me some anti-inflammatories and steroid pills, yay. There was a pharmacist right door, so that was easily taken care of.

While we were waiting for a taxi, we chatted with another American couple who were waiting for the doctor. They plan to move here next year. He can work remotely and she is retired. They are looking to get away from the stress, politics, and racism of the US. They mentioned seeing a very large snake in the road that acted quite aggressively. I found a photo of the very scary terciopelo (fer-de-lance), which is one of the deadliest and most aggressive snakes in the world. They agreed it was the snake they saw. I am hoping not to see one.

We waited for about an hour for the taxi back to the hotel. The medic who manned the front desk of Dr. Piloto’s tiny office invited us to stay inside in the air conditioning, and called the taxi company several times. So very kind.

We returned to Tamarindo Bay Boutique Hotel and ate some things we had picked up at the local supermercado (but not until I eagerly downed Dr. Piloto’s prescriptions). Then for the second day in a row, I flopped down and had a siesta. I am not a napper, but I do not do well with either heat or pain, so I guess my body was trying to tell me something.

In the evening, we went to a nearby restaurant called La Oveja Surf House, which means “the sheep surf house,” which makes no sense at all. The food was delicious, and we took our leftovers back to the hotel for lunch the next day.

Sorry this post wasn’t more exciting. ☹️