We rented bikes today and had the best adventure. We were going to ride down the highway to Carillo beach which is about 7km from Samara. (see Gilligan's Island post earlier this month). We realized quickly that it was too hilly for the types of bikes we had and turned around. I was intent on getting in the water at that point and wanted to head down the beach on our bikes. We did. I jumped in the water (have bathing suit will travel) and we jumped on our bikes and rode to the ends of the earth. At earth's end there was a road that went off to the left and headlands to our right. We took the road. It was a pretty short bike on a dirt road that T-ed into a two lane paved road. There on the corner was a sign advertising La Selva Refugio and indicating it was only 2km away. I knew La Selva was at Carillo Beach, so magically, we were only a little over a mile away from where we were headed in the first place! We had ridden to Carillo Beach on our bikes down the beach! We stayed a bit and swam, played with the hermit crabs in the tide pool, avoided several horses hanging out on the highway, saw cows in the river and then headed back. I want to swerve here for a few lines to describe how wonderful it was to have Lyn and Athena visit us at that time. We were just starting to feel a bit homesick and loosing our enthusiasm when these two showed up with their incredible enthusiasm and vacation spirit. Suddenly we were showing them around "our" Samara with pride and a new sense of appreciation. It sort of re-awakened us to all the specialness of this place. The sweet people, the ocean, the local artists, our veranda, the Tico food, the birds, the iguanas. It was miraculous. We realized we had a new home-away-from-home. Samara had woven itself quietly and deeply into our hearts.
Back to our story: We headed back down the two-lane, dirt road and beach toward Samara. We wanted to take Lyn and Athena to Pablito's Bar that evening, and it was getting toward dusk. Pablitos, you may remember from an earlier post (Pablito's Bar - Here comes the Sun), is the place to really feel the local vibe of Samara. As we reached the familiar territory of Chaco's Surf School, we parked our bikes and took a dip in the ocean, then headed to Pablito's at the other end of town, past the usual horses, cows and chickens. We arrived just about dusk (6pm) and were about the only customers there. The nice man (the one that brought me the sun on a previous visit - see earlier post about Pablito's) was there and seated us in the smoking section inhabited only by the chirping geckos on the walls. The geckos were not smoking and neither were we. We had a Boca (a cup of stew that comes free with your beer) and a few beers/pepsis we ate some of their great french fries and chatted. By the way, for some reason the french fries here in Costa Rica are GREAT! Like they were pre-McDonalds when a french fry was a potato and not ... cardboard (?). Anyway, we're chatting/enjoying hanging out and then - Frog-on-table. There he was. A frog. Not a toad, noooo. We all gasped in delight and asked the obvious whys and where-came-froms. But we were left to only speculate. He was not talking. I know now, but did not know then that prince frog had a very specific mission. He was coming a-courting. He was seeking his princedom. He had his sites set on Athena (and what prince wouldn't!). Of course, being gurls, we had to touch the frog and coo "oh he's so cute". That was his cue. His moment! No guts, no glory! He flew straight into Athena's mouth. Smack! We're talkin frog mouth to Athena mouth. Bleck! Ick. and all. She said there was actual tongue contact (french froggie, I guess). Oh, Monsieur! Bleck! Ick! Then he ricocheted off her teeth onto her chest. This was one CHEEKY frenchy froggie. Then he was gone. Definitely a drive-by kissing. He sat under a chair for the rest of the evening. Humiliated and re-grouping, I'm sure, and later agreed to a few (hundred) photos. While we were there, we managed to see two of those famous yodeling toads that night, too. One smiled for the camera as we took another half-billion photos in the dark while the locals looked on. Another cute human critter we met that night was little boy about the size of a coke bottle with a beatle haircut who kept whizzing by our table with one of those toy cars that are almost big enough to ride on. He was adorable. We coo-ed. We did not, however, reach out and touch him in case he pulled a stunt like ricochet froggie. He seemed to belong to Pablito's and when we got up to leave, he cleared the beer bottles off our table, gave us a wave and said Ciao! We were charmed. Oh yeah, the frog may have gotten a kiss, but he never turned into a prince (unless there was some delayed reaction and there is now a prince hiding under a chair at Pablito's looking for Athena). I just don't think the whole kiss-a-frog-he-turns-into-a-prince works that way. His technique was all wrong. I believe the girl has to CHOOSE to kiss the frog. Choose. I know, we choose everything...blah, blah, blah, but I'm just really sure Athena was not being a random costa rican frog/prince magnet that night.
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