After our adventures in Cahuita, we headed down to Le Costa de Pepito on Playa Cocles, near Puerto Viejo.

P.V. seemed like a fun town, but one I wish that I had been to before I had kids. We were able to eat out once, which was nice. Eating out with the kids is difficult for us.

I wish I had known more about the beaches before going to P.V. Playa Cocles was extremely rough. Good for surfing, but not for a family. I could barely swim myself, I I am a very strong swimmer. The next day we took a taxi down to Punta Uva, and that place was heaven on earth. If I had to do it all again, I would book a room near Punta Uva. The beach at Punta Uva was calm and we were in a sheltered sort of crescent beach. I walked down to the edge of the beach and put on my goggles. I saw beautiful yellow-striped fish darting around and a few crabs burrowing in the sand. The water was so clear – what a difference from all the beaches in New York.

Our original plan was to spend some time working at the farm at Punta Mona, but there was only so much time during this trip to Costa Rica. So we decided to put it off until one of our future trips to Costa Rica. I really want to learn more about sustainable agriculture from the experts.

Spending so much time in hammocks in Costa Rica, I’m determined to buy one when I get home. I’m wondering if I can get one to fit under our favorite maple tree. Of course, it’ll be a mighty cold hammock ride when we get back, and a long way off until Spring. Hopefully that will motivate us to make the move to Costa Rica.

One of the easiest and most useful activities we brought on the trip was a cheap set of water paints. J, especially, has been putting them to good use.