On our next day in Tamarindo, we walked the beach and shopped the local markets. Surfers were out riding the waves. The warm, rolling waves splashed over our feet. The beaches have white sand and long skinny shells, but it is forbidden to take them. There were a variety of shops lining the main area. You can also get some deals from the locals on the beach selling bird whistles and jewelry. However, we spent most of our time at the pool. We were enjoying the ocean view in the hotel beach yard when the local iguana wanted to make friends. It was fairly big, but kept its distance. The iguana climbed up the tree and then came down for a closer look. Soon it was time to take our catamaran/snorkel cruise so we lost track of iggy. We took a small boat from the beach to a catamaran about 5 minutes away. The catamaran held about 100 people. There wasn't much shade unless you sat down by the bar. It was much too stuffy for me in that area, so I enjoyed the sun. The water was a little choppy but the scenery was nice. We went out about 45 minutes and then began to snorkel. I saw several small fish, but was a little disappointed in the size and number of fish I saw. We were out for about an hour and could go to the beach if we wanted. When we got back on the boat, we had chips, salsa, and a few other snacks. As we sailed back, we saw the rich oranges of the sunset. That night we went to a local restaurant and heard a local singer. The food was marginal, but the singer was great. We passed a lot of people and restaurants on our way to dinner. We also noticed a casino across from our restaurant. We didn’t see anyone dancing, but I’m sure you could have found a dance spot. We went to bed early because we knew we had to get up early the next day to take the bus to Monteverde.
