Thursday Night Dinner

On Thursday evening Gail and I went downtown for a bite to eat. We heard they had a two-for-one special of fish and chips at Surf Dogs that sounded really good.

Surf Dogs

We got downtown a little early and decided to watch the sunset before eating dinner.  We turned down one of the side streets that headed to the beach.  At the end of the street was the Bohio Beach Bar where many young people gather on the top level to watch the sunset and have a drink.

Bohio

The sunset was unusual in that there were a lot of high clouds.

Sunset from Bohio

After the sun had set we headed back down to Surf Dogs.  Most of the tables at Surf Dogs are shaped like surf boards,

Surf Dogs Tables

there are painted surf boards on the ceilings,

Painted Surfboard

Surfboard Ceiling

and there menus are even shaped like surf boards.
There is a wall that is lined with dispensers for their frozen drinks.

Wall of Drinks

Our fish and chips were very good ($9 for the two meals) although Gail thought there was more breading than fish.  The fries were made from yuca instead of potatoes, but were still very good especially with lots of ketchup.

On the way home we decided to take some pictures to show what Jaco looks like at night.  

There is one main street with many small streets off the ocean side, each about a block long, that lead to the beach.  The streets on the other side of the main street head toward the mountains. There are only a couple of these and they go for about a mile and then hit the main north/south highway.

The main street, in fact the whole town, is for tourists. 

There are probably thirty to forty restaurants including everything from sushi, to Italian, to Costa Rican.  

Chinese

Japanese

Mexican

Some have their tables right on the sidewalk,

Sidewalk Restaurant

others cook their food right by the sidewalk,

Grilling on the Street

and some are inside with white tablecloths.

White Table Cloths

There is an ice cream shop,

Ice Cream Parlor

a couple cigar stores, drug stores, several banks, mom and pop grocery stores, along with the main grocery store called Mas X Menos, that is owned by WalMart.

And, dozens of souvenir and surf shops that all look pretty much the same.

Surf Shop

Souvenir Shop

There are several casinos and a multitude of bars--like this one dedicated to the Beatles.

The Beatles Bar

And, mixed in with all of this, are the ladies of the night. Prostitution is legal here and the girls roam the streets, bars, and hotels freely. They are required to get a monthly checkup to keep their licenses current.  We have not been downtown after ten o'clock at night but we have been told it turns into a totally different world. 

Ladies of the Night

There is a gentleman's club where much of this kind of activity reportedly takes place, but Gail wouldn't let me get close enough to take a picture.

I like the daytime better.