Samara

We were supposed to spend a week in Montezuma, however the condo we were going to rent didn't really work out. We only stayed one night in Montezuma, which was really cool. The town area looked like what I imagine the Swiss family Robinson would have built if they built a town. It was small and compact with lots of vegetation. It sits at the bottom of a steep cliff and is right on the ocean. The condo we wanted to rent wound up being at the top of the cliff and wasn't going to be a good place if we didn't want the cost of the rental car for the week. We wouldn't have even been able to take a taxi from the place, it was in an area that definately would require 4 wheel drive. After our day stay in Montezuma, we then decided to head up to Samara to try to find a place there for a week.
Success. We rented a 2 bedroom for a week from an international massage school. The school was on summer break, and the owner decided to rent the "dorm rooms" out to tourists. The were definately the nicest dorm rooms I've ever seen. They were basically condos and there was a swimming pool as well. Samara was a small little town with an killer beach. The beach was lined with palm trees for shade, the water was great for swimming and beginner surfers, and there were many restaurants right on the beach. It was heaven. We turned the car in and again, just walked everywhere. I took about a 2 hours surf lesson one day and actually got up on the board. Everyday after I attempted to surf, though not as successful as with the instructior there. It's waaaaaay harder than it looks. I'd get really frustrated (and exhausted) fighting the waves to get out. We arrived in Samara at the end of a school break for kids. Kind of like our spring break. The first 2 days in two it was super busy, but on the third day everyone was gone and it seemed like a ghost town from the days before. Many of the restaurants actually closed after that (I guess with it being low season maybe?), so places to eat were quite limited. Our time in Samara was pretty much spent going to the beach and pool, just very relaxed. The town had a good vibe and friendly people.
Three random stories:
1) The place we stayed at had about 6 dogs that lived on the property. One, my absolute favorite, didn't show up until 3 days in. He was some sort of hound mix and was a dark grey color. He followed us everywhere. When we went to the beach, he went to the beach, laid in the shade till we were ready to leave, and followed us home. When we went to dinner, he went with us and laid down next to my chair. Most of the restuarants were open air and we sat outside - dogs are always at restuarnts here and all over the country for that fact, but don't usually beg for food. This dog had originally belonged to a Costa Rican family, and would wonder from his house to the school every few days. The dog had been hit by a car a year before and had a large scar on his right side. Then, 4 months ago, he was hit again, this time by a motorcycle that messed up his back right leg. Apparently he was in a lot of pain and could barely walk. The Costa Rican family basically told the owner of the school that he was always there anyway, and they just couldn't afford to care for him at that point, so they could have him. The school took donations and raised money to have the dog sent to San Jose for an operation to fix his leg. He's all better now, and still wandering the streets.
2) One day after surfing, I was having a drink at a restuarant on the beach and saw a parade. It was a parade of oxen and eleaborately painted ox carts.
3) There were horses here that just kind of roamed the town area. At night they would be on the beach, sometimes in the soccerfield, or just in the middle of the street. They weren't wild horses or anything either.