I awoke fully congested, but I was determined not to let that keep me from any of the day’s activities. Luckily, this day was to be spent completely at the resort.

We went outside to get  an early look at the pool area before anyone else arrived there,  but we found that Dawn and David were already walking along the beach, and Gloria had been in the pool.

Nick signed up for a  guided walk near the hotel  with a naturalist at 9 A.M. No one else signed up, so he had a personalized guided tour. I made sure he was covered in sun block before he and his guide left. Meanwhile, Dawn, David and I went to the pool. The pool area was quite extensive, with lots of space around it to sit and enjoy the sunshine. I thought I was careful to cover myself with sun block as well, but somehow I missed my left shoulder.  Once in the pool, we could make our way under bridges to reach the infinity pool. The day was quite windy, and the Pacific was full of white caps.

Nick joined us after his nature walk, and we went back into the pool. So relaxing! We didn’t want to be in the sunshine in the heat of the day, so while Nick went back to our room for a nap, Dawn, David and I went to the room that was set aside for board games. Once inside, we saw that Phillip had a chess board ready, hoping for someone to arrive who would play with him. David agreed to play chess after the four  of us  played RummyKub. It was so enjoyable to be with Phillip and to hear him tell us about his experiences. Eventually Dawn left for the spa, I left for my hotel room, and David and Phillip stayed to play chess, which they did after a long interval of conversation.

I remembered my ninth grade Spanish teacher telling our class that someday we might visit Spanish-speaking countries, and if we were good students, we would be able to speak Spanish with the residents. Here I was, more than 50 years later, having a conversation with a maid in Costa Rica about my cold.

Me: “Tengo un resfrío.” [“I have a cold.”]

She: “¡Ah! !Durante sus vacances!” [“Oh! During your vacation!”]

I also asked a hotel employee in Spansh about the fruit on a nearby tree. He responded in rapid Spanish that it wasn’t fruit, it was a kind of gourd that, when dry, could be used as a musical instrument similar to maracas. Actually, he repeated this in English when it was clear that I hadn’t gotten it all.

Dinner was very pleasant. In addition to the typical choices, there was fresh pork at a carving station. And the crème brûlée was the best dessert of the trip.