Lazy days on the Caribbean

Exploring tortuguero village and its beaches today was the name of the game. 

We had a late start, languidly eating breakfast by the thundering ocean. Every place we’ve been to has served a mean pancake and the tastiest fresh fruit on the planet and the restaurant in the hotel was no exception. 

We hopped into our swimsuits, smartly lathered up in sunscreen, and wandered down the beach to explore. We ran into a few other humans and some doggies roaming in small packs. The ocean was nice and warm and much less angry than it was yesterday.  

The tide here is very strong – no swimming is allowed – and you can really feel the water pulling at you as the waves recede. Perfect for turtles and their babies!

  
While we didn’t see much beyond the dogs and some birds, Lauren encountered a treacherous plastic lid nibbling at her ankles and screamed a little. I pointed out that it was just a lid, but soon thereafter felt a pokey lid of my own nibbling at my ankles. It was a crab!

The crab washed back towards the ocean, looking deep into my soul and clipping his claws at me. I stared back and vowed to eat his people at dinner. 

 

We lounged on the small beach for an hour, safely out of the reach of crabby crab. The wind was nice, it was warm, and the clouds stayed with us for most of the time we were on the beach. Laziest day ever. 
  
We explored town in search of a snack for lunch. Tortuguero is a laid back town, many of the homes ramshackle houses with tin roofs. People are slow moving and friendly. There are many restaurants geared towards tourists, and half the shops were souvenir shops. Most places accept only cash, and there isn’t a single atm or bank on the island. 

There are also no cars or trucks. Some people have four wheelers, but most get around on foot or by bicycle. The only noises we hear are the sounds of the ocean constantly drumming against the beach, the wind, and birds. It’s truly remote and relaxing!

 

  

After a crepe and fruit snack at the Buddha cafe, we headed to the hotel for reading and relaxation before dinner at Wild Ginger, a restaurant owner by a Californian biologist and her tico husband. 

Little did we know, our sunburn would attack. We had used spf 50 on the beach and had applied it everywhere, but it wasn’t enough. Lauren had turned into a sick lobster and there wasn’t much we could do except wait it out. 
Oh, the burn. So many regrets. Yes, we would like some aloe for our burns please. This $12 bottle is really coming in handy. 

Still got tasty island shrimp and a pineapple smoothie from Wild Ginger for dinner. It was divine!