We loved the change in weather from Washington to Arizona - warm, sunny, no clouds, rain, or snow. But it was time for some hot sunny beach weather. Adventure Costa Rica was finally here and everyone was excited and ready for the weather change. Our traveling companions were sisters Katey and Laura.

We flew into Liberia, a small international airport, set in the middle of small field, something akin to a cow field. We arrived ahead of the girls by several hours so we picked up the rental car and went into the small town to check it out. The community and surroundings were similar to Mexico with several major differences:

• there was very little garbage on the streets as they are very eco friendly

• the surroundings were full of beautiful, lush vegetation, with palm trees everywhere - it was so tropical it felt like Hawaii

• food and groceries were not cheap - prices were more like the US

Following a recommendation from the rental car rep, we ate at a local steak house and wow, the food was excellent.

Our first night stay was in a small hotel with two rooms and three beds. It wasn’t quite what we expected but the beds were ok and the air conditioning worked. It was just an overnight stop before heading to Playa Grande near Tamarindo. The girls arrived safely and we tucked in for the night as we were all anxious to get to the beach. After a good nights sleep, we headed south when Katey started giggling and chanting “we’re on vacation” - it became a daily ritual that we all enjoyed.