The sounds of wildlife awaken us shortly after sunrise. There's birds calling, dogs barking and maybe a howler monkey in the background.
We packed a small amount of coffee and a few tea bags, so we enjoy morning beverages on the patio followed by a closer assessment of the kitchen and a brief walk around Hermosa Palms to get a feel for it in the daylight. There are 60-80 large homes, a central pool, spa and bar/restaurant with a small mini-mart in the gated development. The community is along a soft black sand beach (Playa Hermosa) without much other development around. A wonderful place for our next nine days.
But we're hungry and need groceries, so it's time for a trip into the town of Jaco, 10 kilometers away. The guardhouse calls us a taxi and 20 minutes later one arrives. We tell the driver "Mas x Menos", the supermercado Yoyo suggested which is located in the middle of town. As William pays the driver $20 we ask him for a breakfast restaurant and he points us down the next road to Jaco Rustico. It is typical Costa Rican, with a cafeteria-style line. We point at the food we want from about 15 choices - starting with beans and rice and ending with fresh fruits - which the staff places on a plate and hands to us at the cash register. Dining is under-roof at simple tables, but the only walls are on the interior of the structure for the kitchen and bathrooms. The food is simple, but very fresh and good.
It's always fun to find what we want at grocery stores in other countries, but Mas x Menos comes through with most everything on our list. As we're buying for seven adults we end up with two grocery carts - one for beverages (bottled water, beer, wine) and one for the real food (including 60 eggs). The store security guard helps us hail a 7 passenger vehicle to haul it all back. We pay the driver 10,000 Costa Rican Colones (approximately $16.50), the meter of 7,700 plus a tip. He seems very happy.
But we're hungry and need groceries, so it's time for a trip into the town of Jaco, 10 kilometers away. The guardhouse calls us a taxi and 20 minutes later one arrives. We tell the driver "Mas x Menos", the supermercado Yoyo suggested which is located in the middle of town. As William pays the driver $20 we ask him for a breakfast restaurant and he points us down the next road to Jaco Rustico. It is typical Costa Rican, with a cafeteria-style line. We point at the food we want from about 15 choices - starting with beans and rice and ending with fresh fruits - which the staff places on a plate and hands to us at the cash register. Dining is under-roof at simple tables, but the only walls are on the interior of the structure for the kitchen and bathrooms. The food is simple, but very fresh and good.
It's always fun to find what we want at grocery stores in other countries, but Mas x Menos comes through with most everything on our list. As we're buying for seven adults we end up with two grocery carts - one for beverages (bottled water, beer, wine) and one for the real food (including 60 eggs). The store security guard helps us hail a 7 passenger vehicle to haul it all back. We pay the driver 10,000 Costa Rican Colones (approximately $16.50), the meter of 7,700 plus a tip. He seems very happy.
Freddy arrives shortly after sundown, bringing Paul and Kara from the airport. We hug and give them a chance to settle in a bit. A little later we sit down to a great dinner which Jim has prepared. We talk and laugh for a couple of hours before heading to bed.
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