COSTA RICA Day 5 (12/31) . . . Today Austin and I drove south from Volcán Arenal to Jaco on the Pacific Ocean. The destination was the beach, which isn't all as rocky as it appears in this photo--

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK

The drive took about five hours. It wasn't far in miles, but the speed limit through the mountains was only 60 kilometers-per-hour, or 37 miles per hour.

Here's a view of the unpaved road as we were leaving Arenal Observatory Lodge--

We stopped at this arts-and-crafts place along the highway--

There was some nice stuff--

The traffic was heavy in San Ramon--

When we finally arrived in Jaco, there was an iguana in the street. The woman on the bike ran over its tail--

Some detail from the last photo--

A surf shop in Jaco--

And then, the beach (plus fireworks, as it was New Year's Eve)--