Tuesday, February 12
After awakening to the sounds of howler monkeys and birds, quickly showering, dressing, and eating breakfast, we set out for a long morning walk. Bob wanted to shoot some video of our morning walk to town, and I came prepared to shoot some stills. We decided to walk to town via the beach and return on the Las Palmas road.
Our first stop was on the beach, right where we entered it from the road. Bob set up his iPad mounted on a tripod and did a video pan of the whole beach. We also wanted to capture the early morning sounds at the beach, particularly the sounds of birds and of waves. This video was shot at about 7:00 am.
El Coco beach pan. (Video by Bob)
Further down the beach, towards town, we stopped to watch a couple of small boats loading passengers for a day of diving, snorkeling, or fishing. It was low tide, which is a challenging time to board people and launch from the beach. At high tide, boats can pull up to a loading dock. But at low tide, the boats have to carefully negotiate the waves and sand, in order to get as close to the shore as possible without getting their motors stuck in the sand. This video was shot around 7:30 am.
Boarding tourists for an ocean trip. Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. (Video by Bob)
Continuing our walk, we decided to stop in town, where the beach and the main road come together and do an early morning video. Bob wanted to capture the sounds of early morning birdsong. He also managed to capture a quiet few moments on a street that bustles with people and vehicles later in the morning. It was about 8:00 am when this video was shot. Most of the birdsong was produced by medium-sized black birds with a long tails. We do not know their name, but they remind us of the birds we know back home in the Boston area as grackles.
Early morning birdsong in El Coco, Costa Rica. (Video by Bob)
After this shoot, it was time to go for our morning coffee - a regular treat and guilty pleasure for us no matter where we are. This morning we headed for one of our favorite spots - the outdoor restaurant at Hotel Coco Palms. Delicious coffee and a strong wifi spot. The pancakes weren't bad either. Here we enjoy the beautifully landscaped grounds with pool and fountain. And today there were many Flycatchers around - beautiful and swift darting birds with yellow underbellies.
Bob enjoying his morning cup of Joe at Coco Palms, Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Pool and fountain at Hotel Coco Palms, Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
After our coffee break, we began the trip back to Las Palmas. This time, Bob set up his camera at the corner of Main and Las Palmas. He especially wanted to capture the variety of ways people get around, transportation-wise. What we didn't expect was a long engaging conversation with a surfer dude - fascinating and informative. This long video (about ten minutes) is posted in another blog titled Conversation on a Corner in El Coco. ( add link)
Surfer Amigo, Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
By then, it was approaching 10:00 am. The town was getting busy and the temperature had gone from warm to hot. We headed back for home, walking via the Las Palmas road. Along the way we stopped in front of a gated home to video the traffic on the road. Again, it was Bob's plan to document with video the variety of transportation options. In this video, you will see a variety of cars (often rentals) and trucks, but also taxis, shuttle vans, motorcycles, bicycles, golf carts, and ATVs.
Again, another serendipitous event. The caretaker of the gated villa we were standing in front of got very curious about what we were up to. He unlocked the gate, came out and joined us. He spoke no English, but he and Bob managed just fine in Spanish. He was very curious about Bob's iPad, which he insisted on calling a camera ( which it was, at that moment). This man had never seen an iPad before - had probably never seen a computer before. He and Bob had a long conversation about this.
Bob and villa caretaker, Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
(Video to come.)
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