Playa Samara - Bike Adventure

On my first full day at Samara I decided to rent a bike and explore the area. I knew there was another smaller beach not far from there so I thought it would be fun to go for a ride. I found out last year that a bike is a great way to explore in Costa Rica. I enjoy the sense of freedom that I feel as I'm exploring by bike. I think it also reminds me of when I was a kid riding around the neighborhood. I also enjoy the exercise and pushing myself up those hills and then being rewarded with the wind in your face as you coast down the hill. Its even better when there's a nice beach and the Pacific Ocean there to cool you off.

The other beach, Playa Carrillo, was 7 kilometers down a winding road with a few hills. This beach was very nice because it was isolated from everything. Other than the road, it was surrounded by nature.

The bike

I spent some time relaxing on the beach. Not one person came within about 100 yards of me the whole time I was there. And I was pretty much in the middle of the crescent shaped beach. Eventually the clouds rolled in from the ocean so I threw on my rain jacket and hopped on my bike again. I rode on the beach in the rain and it was so much fun. You know things are going pretty well when you genuinely enjoy the rain.

The guys who rented me the bike told me that I could ride back on the beach when it was low tide. Apparently they didn't mean all the way on the beach, only the Samara Beach portion. I think the language barrier caused a little confusion. Since both beaches are crescent shaped, in between there is a point that juts out. I assumed that I just had to get around the point and on the other side would be the other beach. As I got close to the point the water got closer and the sand gave way to more rocks and a reef. I got off the bike and started walking with it. Soon after that I heard sound of air coming out of my front tire. It hit a sharp pointed piece of coral reef. The pointed piece of reef was still stuck in the tire keeping some air in but I knew it wouldn't last long enough for me to ride back. A few minutes later the tire was completely flat.

I was still curious about seeing what was on the other side of the point. But the terrain was a lot more rocky and there was no way I could take the bike any further. So I left it where I was so I could hike around on foot just to check it out. I got around the point only to find that there was another crescent shaped rocky area that led out to another point. This is when I realized that it would not be possible to get back via the beach. But my curiosity about what was on the other side of the point was satisfied so I turned around, picked up the bike and walked back to Playa Carrillo and got to the road that I came in on.

The walk back wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I knew that I really didn't need to be anywhere at anytime so that made it easier to deal with. I saw some cows just walking on the road. This is a common sight in Costa Rica. I also saw some horses walking down the street quite a few times in the town.

I eventually got back to the bike place and they gave me a replacement bike to use. I took a little ride up and down Samara Beach just before sunset and watched some people playing soccer on the beach. After that I was pretty tired from my little adventure so I went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Playa Samara - Part 1

I took my first trip outside San Jose this week to a little beach town called Samara. I went during the week from Tuesday through Friday morning. Because it was mid-week and its also the off season here, there weren't many people in town and some of the restaurants and hotels weren't even open. But I felt like it was time to get out of San Jose for a few days for a change and it was a nice peaceful place to go.



First I should say that most of the beaches in Costa Rica are vastly different than most of the beach destinations in the U.S. With a few exceptions, there are no high rise buildings or chain restaurants or boardwalks. They are pretty much like little villages with one main street and a bunch of little hotels scattered around a few side streets. The hotels usually double as restaurants and they are run by families who also live there. Here's a picture of the main street in Samara.

Just about every time when I went to a restaurant for some food I was the only person there. It was strange, I wasn't sure if the places were open because I didn't see anyone at the tables. But I can imagine this town gets pretty crowded during the high season, and from what I've heard, it does.

I enjoyed the tranquility of the place and the feeling that I almost had the whole place to myself. I'm going to do a separate post about some of my adventures in Samara.

JB