Friday, Jan. 27 (Day 5) Playa Tamarindo, CR

After pancakes with Aunt Jemima, we went to check out Playa Tamarindo which is about a 25 minute drive from the beach house. We stopped at a fruit stand run by the friendly owner who had us try different fruits. He claimed that this small yellow tomato-like fruit inside a husk had 7 different flavors as you chew (uchuva). It was a mix between a tomato & an orange.

After some research, this little guy originates from Peru & has many names: golden berry (South Africa, UK), cape gooseberry (US), poha (Hawaii), uvilla (Ecuador), uchuva (Colombia).

 

He next had us try pipa juice which are from water coconuts. They are thinly lined with hard coconut and contain mostly juice, more than expected! The granadilla fruit was not a favorite as it looked like slimy fish eggs, though mildly sweet. We got the little tomatoes, a papaya, star fruit and the bananas were 10 cents a piece so we loaded up!

Next, he sliced a granadilla for us to try. It was not a favorite as it looked like slimy fish eggs, though mildly sweet. We did not buy any of these. We got the little yellow tomatoes, a papaya, star fruit and since the bananas were 10 cents a piece, we loaded up!

granadilla web pic

star fruit web pic



papaya web pic

Tamarindo beach is a wide fine gray sand beach with shallow water for a ways out. It's a main destination for locals and tourists so crowded in town and busy on the beach with many walking vendors selling wooden bird whistles (souvenirs for Avery, Kyra & Cannon), necklaces, pipas, water & of course beer. We rented 2 surfboards for $10 each and everyone tried riding the waves, without much success staying up for long. Cannon was actually able to stay up the longest (4-5 seconds) because of the size ratio. We'll have Sydney & Carley take surf lessons next week to learn the basics.

The papaya, which is a common fruit in Hawaii, is something that we've tried before as a tasty fruit juice but it turned out to be a big bust. I peeled & cut it into small chunks, removed the slimy seeds & even chilled it in the freezer but no one liked it. I'll be having the rest for breakfast.