(Just scroll and look at the pictures...you'll get the gist of it...)
So here's the breakdown. I'll leave out all the details about the circumstances in which we left...I'm still feeling guilty about the vomiting baby and leaving her in the arms of my mother-in-law in the hall of the hospital so we could rush off and catch a plane...I continue to be overwhelmingly grateful for the people who take care of my family all the time!We met our friends Mike and Laurie at the airport. We lived near them in Virginia and they have become our traveling companions. We took a cruise with them two years ago and have been talking about this trip to Costa Rica since the day we got home from that. Laurie and I spent hours planning and re-planning this trip and it was truly a success! The hotels turned out fabulous and most of it played out without a hitch. We were totally prepared (not only with information but an entire medicine cabinet and an outfit for any occasion) which made the trip fantastic!! I owe most of that to Laurie who is the most organized and prepared person I know (I could go on about her organizational skills for a very very very long time...)
Anyway! We met them at the Houston airport where they had flown in from Norfolk, we grabbed a snack and we were off to leave the country!
We arrived late at night in San Jose, Costa Rica and spent two nights in the city eating and shopping in their outdoor markets and bakery/pulperias.
Driving was altogether a new experience though Clark was totally up to the task. With Mike as navigator (Mike served his mission in Costa Rica 14 years ago--he served as our guide and translator) and Clark at the helm we made our way through all of Costa Rica's unnamed roads unscathed (quite a feat...think NYC taxi cab drivers times 100 and then add a lack of law enforcement for things like red lights, stop signs and road lines...) We had a rental car for the week but Laurie and I were not surprised to read in our books that there is a tragic lack of signs in Costa Rica, most roads are not paved and even if there are road signs, chances are they are inaccurate. Somehow we always made it to our destination and the view of the drive was always incredible.
(This is Clark posing on a coral reef off the Caribbean coast where missionaries go to play "Moses"...I'm sure that the missionaries keep their shirts on though.)We did the souteast coast Caribbean side (just miles from the Panama border) where we stayed at a rustic, remote bungalow/cabana 100 yards from an isolated beach with water like glass that you could see your feet through. We got up for the sunrise nearly every morning and spent time on this side swimming at dawn in the calm water. It was incredible to swim in the ocean and look at the shore to see nothing...not a building or person anywhere!
Evenings here were spent at quaint little restaurants with one waiter/cook, maybe two. And somehow the atmosphere, as casual and laid back as it was lent itself to a lack of panic to see stray dogs wandering around the outdoor patio and tables...and in and out of the kitchen.
We had gallo pinto (beans and rice with cilantro) at every meal, including breakfast. There were hammocks on the front porch and one day I took a two hour nap...for those of you mothers out there that have forgotten what an adult nap is, you get to lay down and close your eyes without worrying that some little person in your charge is eating toothpaste or scaling kitchen cabinets...its delightful.
Next we drove to central Costa Rica passing through the most beautiful countryside to the largest of the active volcanoes in Arenal. This was my favorite. Rolling green hills, lush forests
and unbelievable views everywhere you look. The volcano is so active you can see spouting lava on clear evenings. Our hotel was on the opposite side of the mountain so we missed the night show but heard a small eruption the next day while hiking in the rain forest.
The view from this hotel/bungalow was absolutely surreal. We sat on this veranda and read our books until it got too dark. Then we ate a gourmet steak and tropical chicken dinner in the open restaurant followed by a dip in the huge hot tub (just to the left of where Clark is standing in the picture on the left.)The next day we went horseback riding in these mountains. It was fantastic. It wasn't a rigid trail ride. Our little friend Miguel let us run and play around for a couple of hours. We stopped frequently in awe of our surroundings so high up in the rolling hills with incredible views of the volcano and lake.
Before leaving the central highlands of Costa Rica we hiked through one of their many many rainforests populated with a plethora of these furry friends, the Kikajou. The forest trail is
scattered with hanging bridges, hundred of feet from the forest floor...not that fun to walk across with two immature men who think its funny to bounce and sway.Next we drove down to the port of Punteneras and caught a ferry to the south pacific coast and stayed in a nice resort where apparently they filmed the reality show Temptation Island (our stay there was strictly more moral and fun I assure you.) Our stop at the ferry station at night was a new experience for me where we were harassed by a scary man who wanted tips from the Americans...when our friend Mike called this "self-proclaimed ferry worker's" bluff (after he lied to us about several things) we watched him from a distance talking to a friend and using angry gestures towards us including the "slitting of the throat" gesture. This was not my favorite part of the trip.
The resorts on the Pacific side are what we liked to call "Disneyland Costa Rica". Very beautiful but very fabricated and done up. Lots of Americans and Europeans and hardly any locals at all. The views were still amazing and our accommodations were luxurious but we missed our
Caribbean beach of solitude and peace. We took advantage of pool side services and Laurie and I had very "thorough" massages by two very nice ladies from the Dominican Republic who have seen nearly every inch of my body...but relaxing nonetheless.We did some snorkeling at Tortuga Island (one of the top snorkeling locations in the world.) We saw sting rays, sea snakes, star fish and every kind of fish imaginable.
We slept every night on either coast to the sound of crashing waves. We spent evenings reading and playing cards and enjoying
our time with good friends. We took naps in hammocks and
walked on beaches. I've never drank so much coke light in all my life but no one got sick and the food was always good.I am grateful for the chance to see places and be with people I love.
I laughed, I cried, it was much better than Cats...I'd go again and again...Costa Rica gets four stars.
...if you read this entire post you deserve some kind of prize, go treat yourself to an ice cream...
And just in case there weren't enough pictures...
