03/14/20: Let the real adventures begin!

We woke up in the morning to the birds chirping!  We realized the windows in the place were wide open and the screens were not shut. Ha... guess that how those bugs kept getting in!  ;)

I woke up and jumped in the shower...  the COLD shower!  Then Connie and decided to jump in the pool.  I was already wet, so why not?!  The pool was cold though... however, not quite as cold as the shower!  

After our quick and cool dip in the pool, we got up and ready to start the adventures of the day.  

We hoped in the car for our hour trek to Volcano Tenorio for a hike. The car is not sounding very healthy.  Not only the breaks sound like nails on a chalkboard, but then the breaks weren’t being used, a belt or something else was screeching.  Also, they have a lot of speed bumps here, some quite large. We basically had to almost stop and roll over them for fear the car would fall apart if we took one any faster that a slow roll.  Pray for us, that we will survive. We are starting to talk about going back to request a new vehicle. Not how we want to spend any time of our vacation, but we figure survival is key! 

 

One thing we have come to realize... GPS a little sketchy in CR.  I do remember this from last time I was here.  You can’t just put an address in and expect to get there... the first time anyway.  

As we get closer to the National Park, we drive by some more commercialized areas as we continue to follow our GPS to our destination.  Soon, we found ourselves on a dirt road. The dirt roads here are a little rough so of course, there is a little concern with our car but figure if we take it slow, we will be good.  And then we come to a bridge. But this isn’t any bridge... it looks handmade. Sketchy is a word we used to describe it!

So, we pull over to assess the situation and to ensure we are in the right area.  It appears we are, yet we are also a bit nervous to cross this thing. We felt like we were having a flashback to Iceland when we first encountered a river and sat waiting to watch someone else go through it.  Within a couple minutes, another car came. Same make/model car that we had so we were feeling better that we aren’t the only ones being so adventurous.  As the car passed us to go over the bridge, the girl in the passenger seat looked over with an “oh shit” face. Which completely validated our feelings. But her partner driving the car boldly took the bridge... which gave us the courage to do the same. 

Quickly we came to a second bridge that was similar but maybe even a touch more sketchy. 

The other car stopped right after they crossed the bridge and the driver got out.  We patiently watched to see what was happening.  Ok, maybe we weren’t so patient as we got out and took a peak. We were at a dead end. There was a man that must of lived there that they talked to and told us we were on the wrong road (clearly) and which way to go.  

They were trying to maneuver and we were trying to turn around as well.  We both got stuck... them in the mud and is on a big ass rock.  We went to help push them out and then they came to help us get our car off the big rock. We we’re beyond thankful that this couple was also lost on the same path... both because we were there to help each other and oddly, it made us feel relieved that we weren’t the only ones on the wrong path. 

So, remember the commercialized place I mentioned?  

Yep, that’s where we were supposed to be!! 

Damn GPS and small signs that weren’t obvious.  

But, we made it and with a story to tell so all is good!  

We hiked about 3 hours on a crazy trail of rocks and tree roots and some built in steps....  

There were 5 key stops on the hike...

Before arriving at the first stop... this is what we encounter. Doesn’t look so bad, right?  On the way down!   But we also must come up this. 

The first stop: Cararata De Rio Celeste (waterfall). 

The water was an amazing blue!  

We stopped occasionally for a photo op:

Second stop: Mirador Valley.  It’s beautiful, but not much to say about a valley. 

Connie’s favorite part of the hike... going up!  Ask her!  Haha! 

Third stop: Laguna Azule (blue lagoon).  It was a beautiful water well with more amazing blue water. 

Forth Stop: Borbollones.  The water was boiling.

Although there were signs to not enter/no swimming, Connie still crossed over the fence to feel for herself how hot it was. Definitely warm!  

Stop 5: Tenidero which is where 2 (not colored) rivers merge together.  The Ph change created the super blue water and the sediment line. So cool.  This was our favorite stop!!

And then we made it to the end... so we stopped to get the photo proving we survived.

On the way back to our Airbnb for the night, we took the recommendation of our hosts to have dinner at Brisas.  I got a Thai Chicken and rice meal and Connie got a regular chicken and rice. It was a great recommendation.  

Oh... and we had Ceviche for the second time. I had never had it, but Connie introduced me and I think I am a fan! 

Back at our place, we went to the common area in hopes to run into Bev, the host. We were looking for help to call the rental car company as we are worried about the car making it the rest of the trip. While waiting I had a blueberry beer that was delicious.  They have an on your honor system.  $2.50 per beer.  Fun perk to where we were staying. 

When we were hoping to meet with Bev, we instead met Jordan, her nephew. He shared with us some of his travels and also told us what the noise we were hearing was.  I thought it was some exotic animal or monkey... although it sounded almost like a cow.  

This is what we found out it was:

A big ass frog!!  Ha!  So much for my exotic animal!

Then it was back to our room to plan for next day!

03/13/20: Escaping the Corona craze

The alarm went off about 57 minutes after the alarm was set. Surprisingly felt pretty good after the little nap.  

Woke up Spencer & Anna, Ric and mom showed up and off we went!

First stop was Terminal 2, at 3:30am, to drop the kids off for their adventure to Arizona to visit and explore with Anna’s grandparents.   Next stop, just before 4am, at Terminal 1 to drop me off to start my adventures.  Being to the airport 3 hours early is never anything I would do, but I will say, it was a breeze getting through the lines! Connie arrived around 5 and experienced much longer lines. She said it felt like Christmas! The worst part about being to the airport that early with so much time... I couldn’t get a drink to pass my time... bars are closed... they don’t serve until 6am. :(

Connie’s and I can tend to book our trips with short notice. We booked our airfare in the middle of February when we found a decent price. The only problem was all seats on the plane were full except for 2 middle seats not near each other or, seats with added fees.  We could have paid an additional $50 for exit row, or $70 for Comfort +.  Comfort + won both of our votes. We both decided we are a big fan... they were pushing the free “premium” snacks on us, and we also got free adult beverages.  

That, plus extra leg room...  we were happy. To top of off... there were a lot of open seats. Due to the Corona/COVID-19 virus, many chose to not take their vacations. We figure there was 40-50 open seats on the plane. It benefited us in the way that between the 2 of us, we had the row to ourselves. We had two awesome men as flight  staff that took good care of us and helped make our flight enjoyable!

We also saw an active volcano from the plane as we were flying over Nicaragua.  So cool!!

After getting off the plane, we are in search of our rental car company. Another approached us, trying to get us to take one of their vehicles.  We kept politely declining and they were persistent to the point it became a little frustrating.  We stuck with the one Connie booked.... Payless Car Rental.

We quickly learned that the name Payless has a lot of meaning....  Payless for less - no hubcaps, no gas, noisy brakes, maybe a bad belt.  Thinking twice about not taking Mr Persistent up on his offer!

About an hour and a half drive, a crazy route we decided wasn't in our best interest. After a little delivery with google maps, we found a more reasonable road to take to our Oasis.

The view as we are driving up:

The Air BNB is beautiful.  Here is our view from right outside our room!  I could get used to this!

It’s a beautiful property!  The owners moved from California and built this. 

It was a small room with a bathroom, but we didn’t need anything more. 






We were awfully tired fairly early after the long travel day.  A quick dinner, discussions on the next days adventures and I think we were out by 8:30.  

03/12/20: Preparing for takeoff... one more sleep

I’ve never been one to start packing early! 

At least the sun was still up when I started!

There was just too much other stuff to do, like have a quick beer with Heather as she so kindly let me borrow a few things for the trip. And then the trip to the Ruperts as they are so graciously watching Ollie for the week.  A trip to the ATM, and to Target for those last minute essentials... well except hand sanitizer or Clorox wipes as the Corona pandemic has set on and the world is hoarding all things antibacterial and paper products. I still don’t get the chaos with needing so much toilet paper!?  What am I missing!? 

Well, the sun is no longer up and the chaos in the photo above is now snuggly packed in a suitcase.

-photo-

Connie and I finally said goodnight after checking off our last minute checklists with one another.  Furthermore... it is no longer 3/12/20. The clock is not slowing down to allow for some decent rest.  We can rest in the sunshine in another 12 or so hours... For now,  it’s time for a little nap...  alarm will go off in 90 minutes. It’s an EARLY one tomorrow, I mean today...

8/11/16: Gliding through the ocean air

It was another HOT night sleeping!  But good news... Spencer didn't fall out of bed! He did, however, move around A LOT!  At one point, I said to him he would stay cooler if he stayed still.  He didn't hear me in his odd way of "sleeping".

We were up early and showered.  Good bye Flutterby House!  We had fun but off to do some sight seeing on our way to Manuel Antonio. Before leaving the area we had to stop to take a picture of this tree that Spencer spotted.  

He enhanced it a bit in a photo app and look how cool it is.

Onward... 

Our first stop was Dominicalito. It was a small, somewhat hidden beach that was recommended to us by Justin and Jessica.  And what a great suggestion it was! 

There were a few places we pulled off until we found "the" Dominicalito beach. 

Spencer loved it here... He could hike out and feel like he was in the middle of the ocean. 

Spencer hiked around and called it "narly". He is starting to talk like a surfer.  We wished we would have had more time, but we needed to continue on to Manuel Antonio as we had a reservation to fly!  We did make a couple more quick detours though as we were slightly ahead of schedule.  We also stopped at Playa Dominical which was right down the road from Dominicalita.  The other detour was just that... They had these beautiful palm tree forests.  It reminded us of pine forests in Northern Minnesota where you can see them all lined up.   We noticed there were some roads in the forest so we decided to take one on hopes it would lead us to the beach.  It did not... However, the drive was fun and beautiful. 

We still had the GPS on as it was leading us to Manuel Antonio.  We found it very interesting that these random narrow dirt roads were actually on the GPS.  It could find our hotel in Fortuna, but these roads are on it? 

Instead of going straight out the way we came in, we decided to head toward the direction we needed to go.  Kind of like a short cut.  Smart move, right?  Then we come up on a small river.  I stopped and contemplated for a moment.  My mind brought me back to all the rivers we drove through in Iceland. We can do this!  As a precaution, I did ask Spencer if he would get out and walk it.  It only was up a little past his ankles.  Now I know I've got it.  Spencer waited on the other side and I just gunned it and picked him up on the other side! (And I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it!) It ended up being a part of our adventure.  

Now we were boarder line running late.  I emailed Melanie to let her know.  She was so sweet she had someone meet us at El Avion, a restaurant at the top of the hill to meet us and lead us to her and safe parking.  

Our activity that Melanie was setting us up for... Para-sailing!  We got there right at 11 and she had hoped we'd be there slightly earlier.  We weren't really in a time schedule the rest of the day so she asked if we minded waiting about 45 minutes and offered Spencer a boogie board while we wait.  

Super nice of her to give him one and not make us rent it.  She was so sweet.  She moved to Costa Rica from Virginia as she met a man from there that she married.  Now she spends her days on the beach helping people fly. 

We also had someone approach us and ask if we wanted a drink.  We decided it was the perfect time for pina coladas.  

Melanie then warned me about the beach vendors but did tell us the one that we ordered from is one of the most honest. I felt relieved.  Until he came back and charged me $20 for one with alcohol and one virgin. For real??  He claims that's what the bar charges and he wasn't taking a cut, but not sure I trust that.  I told him to not bother coming back.

We then had our adventure in flying!  It was a doubly harness so we got to together. We were up in the air for about 15 minutes... Although it felt more like 5.  It was super peaceful...  Well... Until Spencer started razzing me about my fear of heights and that if you leaned back you would fall from the harness... He went on and on for a bit.  His too big to call a little stinker so I'll call it like it is... A little shit!  Our landing was a wet one.  On purpose.  They drop you right into the ocean. Then they pick you up on a jet ski to bring you to shore. A fun experience!  One of my goals was to do things Spencer hasn't done before.  This was the second of the trip. 

Another 45 minutes or so playing in the ocean and we decided we were getting hungry.  What better place to stop and eat than the place the guy had met us to lead us to Melanie so Lunch at El Avion - the airplane restaurant.  

Just moments after we sat down, it started pouring. Fantastic timing we had... Not that it mattered if we would have been in the ocean while raining. Nachos for an app along with a beer for me and ginger ale for Spencer. It was a beautiful view... Even in the rain.  

I have noticed the photos don't look as cool when it's overcast or raining which has happened every day... But it really is still beautiful.  

Drive back to Esterillos to Justin and Jessica's TEAK Boutique.  We drove in to this small town and felt welcomed. We walked into our favorite place we stayed and felt like we were coming home. Justin and Brent were heading to Beach Bar a couple miles away (the one that Spencer and I walked to only to find them closed for lunch on Monday.) They told us to come join... That there was a horseshoe competition going on. We contemplated, but were maybe going to spend some time at the beach and meet the Olson's. Ironically, when Angela and I touched base, she said the boys Rick, Ian and Brody were there already and she was heading there too. She also told us they had been robbed the night before.  We decided to head there and join them.

We chatted for a bit and Angela and Rick told us the story of being robbed.  Apparently the robbers came into their Airbnb and took all of their electronics and her purse and basically anything of value.... Along with the beer in the fridge.  

Angela had fallen asleep on the couch and woke up to the rain as a window was open.  She said she eventually tried calling her phone and someone answered. She said she started yelling at the woman who answered but the women told her she works at the hospital and had all of their stuff. Apparently the guys that stole the stuff got in an accident and were in the hospital.  The olsons essentially got back everything that was stolen.  Is that what we call Karma for the men who stole?

The boys all started playing horseshoes.  Spencer started with Rick and ended up playing with one of the local expats.  He'd been there for about 6 years.  He reminded me a lot of my dad and ironically his name was Dick.  Dick and Spencer ended up winning the last game. I couldn't help but have warm fuzzies like Spencer was playing with my dad.  I guess Dick would always say to Spencer when it was his turn "wing it, boss!"

Talked to Brent about surfing in the morning. Even though we can't spend the entire time with them... It would be nice to have a little fun before heading out. I felt we would have more time in the morning, forgetting we had an almost 2 hour drive to get back by the airport and then need to return the rental. The end of a fun vacation is always hard. 

Of course we had to have out last Costa Rican dinner at Los Almedros. This place is seriously worth eating at every day.  We even had desert tonight... Homemade brownie and ice cream. Pure Deliciousness!!

Before getting back to TEAK and our excitement for our last night of amazing sleep, we stopped and talked with Justin. He told us about the "excitement" that happened with the burglery with the Olsons.  Angela apparently honked her horn at 3 am driving through the town.  She left that part out of her story to me.  He said the locals were so mad at how she handled it that they wanted to throw eggs and mangos at her when driving through honking.  There are a lot of little kids and they were all woken up.  I totally get that it would have sucked... Being robbed and violated like that.  I don't envy that.  But to drive through a neighborhood in a foreign country honking at 3 am, doesn't seem like the answer. 

So... Back to the funny things in Esterillos... As we were talking with Justin, there were 2 Horses randomly walking through town.  But you could tell they were teasing each other.  Justin mentioned how the boy horse used to be friends with Justin until the female horse came along and now he doesn't give Justin the time of day.  It was so funny the way he talked about it.  Justin certainly is a funny and kind soul. 

Back to the house to pick up so we can hit some waves in the morning!  After our nightly card game of course.  I've been winning more lately so there's a chance!  

Buenos noches!