We still had the quads until noon today, so we decided to head back north a half an hour or so to have a look at the quaint beach hamlet of San Juanillo. The back road out of Pelada allowed us to only be on paved highway for about a mile then we were back in the dirt for the dusty off road journey. We paused again at the point where the road meets the beach in Ostional to admire the rocks that line the point.

Not too much further down the track, we came into San Juanillo, a casual little village with very few gringos to be seen. But, this being Semana Santa, there were a gadzillion Ticos descending on the normally quiet beach. We sat at a soda and had breakfast as an unending stream of cars kept rolling down to the beach area.

After polishing off my burrito, we motored on down to the shore. All I can say is that I was glad we were on the quads. Any spot to park had already been taken and cars were caught trying to figure out how to turn around and get back out from the beach. Every style of Tico was represented at San Juanillo, from the most cosmopolitan ricachon from Chepe down to the most humble country family from the nearby hills. It was party on for Good Friday. Some people had elaborate camps set up and others just threw down a couple of air mattresses and lolled around in the shade. We people watched for a while then dodged the backed up vehicles to get back on the road.

It was a little hairy coming around some of the blind corners with all of the spring break traffic that included some crazy passing from impatient macho drivers. Clouds of dust obscured our view at times but we powered on. As we crossed the bridge just outside of Ostional, I glanced to the left and spied a couple of full sized crocodiles lounging on the banks of the river. I think it was the same river we were going to paddle the other day. Awesome creatures, we admired them for a few minutes then returned the quads to the shop.

Back in Guiones, we checked in the ATVs then looked around for a tuk tuk to take us to the AA meeting at Bodhi’s. We found one waiting by the pipa stand. As we were climbing aboard, the smiling coconut master chopped holes in the tops of a pair of cocos and we slaked our thirst on the rehydrating juice inside. The meeting was awesome, cool people and a jungle venue to help you relax. We got a ride home with a charming older couple who dropped us right at the door.

Some lounging was definitely on the day’s calendar. We napped and read until the late afternoon when it was time to hit the beach and see the sunset. The crowds were out in force and the beach was one big party. Spring break in Costa Rica isn’t just claimed by the young, it is for families, grandparents, couples, kids along with the typical teen and tweens.

We walked down to the beach in front of Olga’s where most of the action was. Some kids were playing soccer with a big crowd cheering them on. The waves were decent so a large crew of both locals and gringo surfers were performing for the crowd. The blowhole always gets some brave youngsters who want to get sprayed while kids and dogs tear up and down the sand.

It is a short hike over the point to get to Guiones on the other side. We walked over to see what was happening there. There was a good sized gathering on the beach. The swell was much larger on this side and surfers were charging the sets, paddling into the heavy offshore winds. We took it all in and as the sun was beginning to set, we decided to start back towards the house.

The high tide had us pinned up to the trees walking home. We paused a while near Olga’s to marvel at the colors of the dying day along with hundreds of others. A beautiful and festive day coming to a close. We continued on, making it home before it was too dark to find our way.