The Rich Beach (aka Costa Rica)
Christopher Columbus is responsible for the name, and was ahead of his time when naming the country Costa Rica (the rich coast). We tend to agree – unlike the beaches of California, Florida, and others – the beaches here are immensely tropical and surrounded by inlets and coves of dense foliage, trees, and vegetation.
Beaches of Tamarindo
Beaches of Tamarindo
Beaches of Tamarindo
Beaches of Tamarindo
What to Eat?
My good friend Jon Schwieters and I have always chosen one mentality when it comes to traveling and food…local flavor. I think it qualifies as sage advice for even non-travelers, if it’s publicly traded – stay away. Believe it or not, even Subway has made its way to Tamarindo, Costa Rica. For us, eating out is certainly something to do on our trip, but to do so every day would get impractical (and expensive, even in Costa Rica). Instead we decided to try our luck at the nearest supermercado (grocery store).
Be grateful, fellow readers and Americans, is what came to mind after our tour of not one, but BOTH grocery stores Tamarindo has to offer. The stores combined definitely didn’t have as much variety or inventory of food as most of our local gas station convenience stores. Certainly not more than a local Quik Trip. So what do we eat? Think local… come on Kitchen Black Ops … think local.
After finding some chorizo criollo, arroz (rice), friojes negras y riojas (red & black beans), tortillas and queso – we were set. Some chorizo tacos & rice sounded like a plan – paired exclusively with Brian’s Top Shelf Margaritas. An interesting fact – most Tico (Costa Rican) households earn an average of $6,400 a year. The food is NOT significantly cheaper than anywhere else (except locally grown or sourced tems such as limes, pineapples, bananas, rice and beans). This puts things into perspective, especially for us gringos – doesn’t it?
El Supermercado – Tamarindo – Picture 1
El Supermercado – Tamarindo – Picture 2
We’ll keep our post short today – but stay tuned! Tonight we hit the Crazy Monkey bar in Tamarindo to see what the ticos y ticas (guys and girls) offer for a ‘night out on the town’! Stay tuned….
We’ll leave you with some phenomenal pictures from Brian Racer – enjoy!
Hermit Crab – Playa Tamarindo
Playa Tamarindo – Picture 1
Playa Tamarindo – Picture 2
Geeks In The Jungle 