The speed limit on the new highway is 80kmh but, when you turn off on to the smaller roads, the speed limit is 60kph. We'd gone about a half kilometer from the highway when we came over a hill and a Costa Rican police truck was sitting on the side of the road. There were a few officers standing by the truck and one of them waved us to the side of the road. He took my license and passport and walked back over to the truck. Apparently, the speed limit dropped from 60kph to 40kph at the top of the hill. The officer walked back over and asked where we were going and what country we were from. He asked Marcela if she spoke Spanish and they spoke for a while and then he explained that the ticket would be $400 USD. Apparently, the tickets can only be paid at the Central Bank in San Jose which would have meant we would have to drive back there adding about 3 hours on to the trip. Marcela and he spoke again for a while and she explained to me that he'd accept $50 USD in exchange for letting us go. I gave him the money, he gave me my passport, smiled and sent us on our way. If you're going to be driving through the country, be sure to carry some cash on you for this kind of thing. We drove for a couple of kilometers and then stopped at a soda for some snacks. We bought a couple of fresh coconuts with straws and some mangoes and then headed out again.
After having spent the past 5 days in the interior of the country, it was a rush when we came around a curve and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. There are plenty of places along the coast road where you can stop and take photos and we stopped to take a few. About an hour later, we pulled into Jaco. This is a surfer haven and the beaches at Playa Hermosa draw folks from around the world for the consistent surf breaks. There are a few high-rises along the beach and a shopping center where we stopped to do some grocery shopping. You know you're in a beach town when the grocery store sells board shorts and flip flops!
About another hour, you pass through Quepos and then turn up to go over the mountain in to Manuel Antonio. We were staying in a place called Makanda by the Sea. It's a group of 11 villas built into the jungle on the mountainside overlooking the ocean. We checked in and the guy at the front desk told us the room wouldn't be ready for a couple of hours and invited us to relax. We went to the pool which was incredible; there was an incredible view of the ocean and a small bar. The beach at Makanda is about a 10 minute walk down through the jungle. There are stones most of the way and it's an easy trip. If you don't want to walk, the staff will drive you down in a golf cart but you're on your own for the return trip.
The villas at Makanda are fantastic. Each one has a glass wall at the front with a view of the ocean. The walkways between the villas are all situated so that you can't see into any of the other villas which gives you plenty of privacy. Breakfast is delivered to your villa each morning. The staff is super helpful and you can organize any activity you're interested in at the front desk. Each villa has wired internet access and a television so bring a cable with you if you're planning on using your computer.
We swam for a while, unpacked our luggage and relaxed with a drink. For dinner, we drove up to the top of the hill and ate at El Avion. The restaurant is built around a C-123 that was one of two aircraft involved in the Iran Contra scandal in the 1980's. The sister plane was shot down in Nicaragua in 1986. This plane sat at the airport in San Jose until it was purchased for $3000 in 2007 and dismantled to be shipped to Manuel Antonio and reassembled to build the restaurant. The inside of the fuselage is a bar and the dining area has a fantastic view looking over the ocean.
Here's a slideshow of photos form Day 6.
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