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Tamarindo.

What a name.

When I first heard it, I thought it was some kind of fruit. But it turned out to be a blast of a place to be.

Located in sunny Costa Rica, Tamarindo is a heaven for surfers and beach goers. The long stretch of dazzling white beach mesmerizes anybody to just put on their bikini and lie down on the white pearly sand for a lazy tan. The best thing is you get to choose two sides of beaches. An estuary just slices the beach into two and it looks like a split crescent, really! By the time you get your tan done, before you knew it, there are turtles crawling up towards you.

Yep, leather-back turtles. They mate and then come to Tamarindo's beach to lay their eggs at night. But to experience this, you must be there between November and April. Turtle watching is covered under eco-tourism in Costa Rica, and the authorities have taken good measure that these turtles are protected when the tourists come. You can take some pictures though. Believe me, it is a very touching experience for first timers. The turtles 'cry' when laying their eggs.

Did I mention that the 2 beach is also called Playa Tamarindo and Playa Grande? It's as if Tamarindo isn't weird enough that they have to add Playa to make it sound weirder. Surfers from all over the world come here to play with the waves, which can measure up to 12 feet. For the professional surfers, they prefer the waves near the estuary, which can be quite intimidating due to two incoming tides from different sides. Beginners can start their career at the numerous beach breaks along the Playa. Just be careful not to surf into any gravid turtle.

Diving enthusiasts will be delighted to explore more that 25 diving spots which boasts large ocean creatures ranging from full size whale sharks, full size flapping manta rays to enormous schools of barracuda feasting on dancing plankton between tropical coral reefs. A bit too much if you ask me, but for the scuba addicts, it's money well spent.

I won't go into details about the huge nightlife musical scene here but to give you a hint, some folks come here just for the nightlife. Yes, it's THAT big.

So come and visit the Playa this summer, player.

Learn more about this author, Khai Azwan.
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