New photo round-up: Bahia Balena to Islas Tortugas, Costa Rica

The tropical paradise of Islas Tortugas, Costa Rica

                  We enjoyed several days in the flat, calm anchorage at Bahia Balena. We explored the fishing village of Tambor there with our friends from "Swift Current."

Typical home in Tambor, Costa Rica 

This wildflower by the side of the road greeted me with a big smile and open arms. :-) 

                          Have you ever seen a rooster in a tree? Well WE did, in Tambor!
                             Maybe he needed to fly the coop and go to his "man cave..."

           This little guy is called a Variegated Squirrel. He was quite friendly and came right
              up to me on the road. They are found only in Central America. VERY cool...


      
      Well, the rainy season is here in Central America.  Serious squalls blow through nearly every night (or day). So far we've counted three lightning strikes within a few hundred feet of us.

     There is a rumor in the sailing world that if you put all of your portable electronics (computer, camera, hand-held GPS, etc.) in the oven during a storm, this will protect them in the unfortunate event that the boat gets struck by lightning.

Lightning strikes are a big part of spending the rainy season in Central America

  Our friends Adam and Cindy aboard Bravo put their iPad in the oven during one lightning storm and then went to the v-berth for a fitful sleep. The next morning they heated up the oven for muffins and, well, I'm sure you can guess the sad end to this story.

 As Adam put it: "Apple introduces the newest model to their line-up: the Fry-pad!"

 Yep. They cooked it up with their breakfast.

  Chris and I had a long talk and came up with the following equation:

 "The odds of us getting hit by lightning are far less than us putting our electronics in the oven and forgetting they are there."         :-/  

   So, for several reasons, let us have the good fortune to not be struck by lightning this year!

 And on the bright side, we've captured TWENTY-FIVE GALLONS of fresh drinking water from our rain-catch system in the last 10 days! We're thrilled!    :-)


   Anyway, back to Tambor. We took a tranquil walk through the village and split an entree at the heavenly Tambor Tropical Resort.

The well kept grounds of the Tambor Tropical Resort

We also got free Wi-Fi while we shared our delicious entree

After eating, blogging and relaxing, we headed back up the road to the boat

Sleepy seaside scene in Tambor

Another roadside scene, bursting with life

      
                     The next morning we pulled anchor and headed to Islas Tortugas.

There's nothing like waking up with the sun
after the skies have been cleared by a good hard rain...

Motoring up to the anchorage at Islas Tortugas ("Now THIS is what I'm talking about...") 

Yes, it's as beautiful as it looks