Friday June 7th

SAND GRAVITY has taken hold!

I again awoke at 0540 and made a pot of coffee. Wife got up about 0600 and we decided this vacation is just going to be R&R with no true plans other than no plans.

We decided to sit and converse over a bowl of cereal and milk that we bought at Leader Price. We grabbed our laptops, sat on the patio and used the wireless wi-fi. After checking for any emails of importance, most of the emails are nothing more than sales or scams, I open up my word program to type my daily trip report.

After completing my trip report we read some of our books and just decided to have another beach day. At 1:00 we left for Club O beach with the cooler and bag of beach towels etc. When we got there the parking lot was again pretty full. After finding a spot to park we walked to the beach and there were no first row chairs available so we settled on a second row set.

We saw a couple that we had met a few days earlier and walked over to ask them if they had arrived around the same time as us since they too were in second row even though they come every day. (These folks had been 20+ year veterans of Club Orient) They said they had arrived at 1130 but it appeared that a lot of the folks on the beach were leaving tomorrow and maybe they just were all trying to get one last day in the sun before headed out.

Perch Lite happy hour began at 1:30 but we opted to just have the snacks and drinks in the cooler. We wanted to go out for dinner and when we eat a big lunch like the last few days at the Perch Lite, we aren’t hungry in the evening. Not to mention as Americans we eat earlier than the Europeans, so our clocks are set different.

Enjoyed another beautiful day with the love of my life. We talked a little, took a walk down toward Papagayo’s then stepped into the water and bobbed back to our chairs. I got a little more sunburned on my shoulders, hafta learn to use that dang sunscreen. A couple of more dips in the water, a few chair adjustments to avoid the sun under the umbrella, a little more conversation and then we decided to leave because we thought we felt a light drizzle starting. As we stood up to gather our belongings, I noticed 4 or 5 fully uniformed and armed Gendarmes speaking to Cedrick up on a hill. It didn’t appear that there was anything more than friendly conversation and I wasn’t concerned at all. We walked back to the car and went back to the rental.

We took our obligatory post beach shower and decided that tonight we would try Le Piment. The restaurant is not too far from the rental but I didn’t know if the streets there were lighted and how safe it would be after dark, so we drove there.

We arrived just as they were opening. The staff sat us and explained the menu and took our drink order. I had a glass of Chardonnay and my wife had a Pinot Grigio. After explaining the specials, we looked the menu over but I just couldn’t get past the description of the ribeye steak. It was blackened with cracked peppercorn and cooked in maple syrup. That dish came with au gratin potatoes, cheese and mushrooms and greens. My wife decided on the spaghetti with meat sauce. We were warned by the staff that the portion size was generous but when the meals got to the table it wasn’t true. Rather than being generous, they were benevolent. My gosh we’ll have lunches for the next 2 days! After the meal and the best Tiramisu I have ever had, we were brought a shot of Ma DouDou banana vanilla rum (rhum) as a finishing touch. That was such a nice surprise and it was the first time I’d ever tasted it. Very good, I think I see a liter or 2 headed back to Florida very soon. This experience was nothing like we had experienced earlier in our trip at a different location. This establishment is the epitome of customer service. I only wish I had gotten this ladies' name because she was so great at her job. The entire staff was outstanding.

The meal was to die for, and we have found our new favorite restaurant. On Friday nights in the common area where the restaurants are located, they also have a few jewelry vendors and live music. We strolled around the mini market and my wife bought a couple pieces of handmade jewelry.

It was now time to head back to the rental, so we drove back and the streets were relatively well lit. It seemed a few residents and/or visitors were outside their units talking and drinking. Upon arrival at the rental we headed inside, and I was so stuffed from the meal that I had to get out of my cargo shorts and into my stretch gym shorts while my wife also changed into a coverup.

We had a night cap and watched Back to the Future on Netflix. Tomorrow will be another day and this sand gravity is taking its toll, haaa.