Shopping and swimming

San Juan del Sur is mostly on the map because of the surfing (which I don't do), but it's a pleasant enough place to while away a few days before heading to the more expensive countries of Costa Rica and Panama. For sure, it's one of the more gringo-tastic places I've been to in Central America. On the one hand, that's bad because prices tend to be more inflated than they should be (a room advertised online for $6/night was actually $15); on the other hand, communication tends to be a little easier because more of the locals speak English. Give and take, right?

I've done a little bit of souvenir shopping over the past couple of days and have been reminded, as I was when I was doing the same thing in SE Asia, that sizes are a little bit different here than in the States. I bought a shirt for myself that fits perfectly...as long as it doesn't shrink in the wash...it's an XL. At home, all of my shirts are either small or medium. And no, I didn't accidentally buy a child-size shirt because I asked if it was for women! :-) It's a good thing I don't have any hangups about the letters on the tag, huh?

I wanted to go to one of the local beaches either today or tomorrow (or both). The beach in SJDS proper is just a couple of blocks away, but it's not the nicest for swimming or hanging out so most people go to Playa Hermosa or Playa Maderas, both about 30-40 minutes away. The most common way to get to the beach is by colectivo or shuttle (which also typically has a requirement for minimum number of people). So, I again find myself in the situation where it's quite expensive to be a solo traveler. I ended up deciding to go back to Pelican Eyes Resort (where all of today's posts' pictures were taken) instead, because it's such a chill spot. The resort is built on a hill and there are three different levels, all with infinity pools overlooking the Pacific. I went last night and had a pretty decent sunset (nothing like in Ometepe!), but tonight's was overcast and cloudy and looks like more of the same for tomorrow (I guess I'm glad I didn't go to the beach after all). Actually, as a matter of fact, torrential downpours have just started as I'm writing this...

My current plan is to get some errands and other shopping done tomorrow, and then head to Costa Rica on Sunday. What are your plans for the weekend?