Sunday, April 10, 2011

Home again, .home again

My most special friends and family,

The faces of my most precious Gobi and the Turk welcomed me with high volume kitty miaos as I disgorged the accumulated week's worth of laundry and Costa Rica treasures. Robert and I made our exceptionally early morning connections in San Jose with no problem, and we arrived in Seattle after uneventful flights, despite a small crisis at the airport in Denver when the airline mysteriously misplaced then found Robert's souvineer-stuffed luggage.

I'll treasure the days and adventures we had in Costa Rica -- the generous spirit of the hotel reception staffs, our philosophical taxi drivers, and the sound of the crashing waves and hooting monkeys. But best of all is arriving back home safe and sound, to my favorite pillow and the ordinary household chores that are now so preciously familiar. Thank you all for following our adventures and sharing the moments with us. Pura Vida!

I'll post pics when we get them downloaded :-)

Love T

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Our fondest adios!

Hola Everyone!

Today Robert and I rose early to say goodbye to La Fortuna and catch our transport back into San Jose. The bird that every morning pecked at our window (a misguided woodpecker, perhaps? We kinda wondered) pecked again to remind us to pack up all the assorted souvineers and touristy bits, along with the last little drips and drabs left of our sunscreen, toothpaste, and shampoo, plus worn out bikinis and flip flops. It's time to head home.

San Jose seemed chaotic and noisy compared to the racous calls of the toucan, the hooting monkeys, the roar of the ocean, and the buzzing of birds and insects flying about. But the Hotel Presidente has been treating us well, as there is an olympic sized bathtub tailor-made for us, ideally suited to remove the layers of dirt and sand accumulated by a week on the road.

Our flight departs at 6:30 am tomorrow, and I am already longing to return to this very special place. But I am so very excited to see familiar faces again, to kiss, kiss Gobi and the Turk, and to distribute the Costa Rican tourist goodies we have crammed into our suitcases.

Thank you, thank you to Nikole and to Murray for caring for my sweet, precious boys while their momma was away. It is a tremendous thing you do for me, and I truly appreciate it, more than I can say! I'll post when I'm home safe and sound (and when the boys let me on to the internet).

Love T

Friday, April 8, 2011

Plentitude!

Buenos Tardes, family and friends!

Breakfast this morning was interrupted by our driver (gotta love having a driver!) early arrival to take us to our ATVs for a tour of the Arenal waterfall. Bumpy roads, traffic (in the form of cars, SUVs, horses, cows, et al) is old hat for us, and we´re pros on the ATV. The jungle around the falls was green, green, and we saw our first toucans. And our guide took us to the Arenal river where he told us about the big volcano eruption in the late 60´s. We compared notes with the St Helens erruption in 1980, and had a really fun time.

But the big adventure of the day belonged to us as we tried the ziplines through the jungle canopy. Stapped in and safety lined, we zipped and zoomed from treetop to tree top between high platforms hundreds of feet off the ground. It simply moved too fast for us to be afraid of the heights or the speed-- but only just. A fun Flemish group, plus some Spaniards shared the experience with us. Halfway through the platforms, we paused for the optional Tarzan swing. All the women in the group raised their hands, among them, me!! Nearly all the guys volunteered to take pictures. I was fourth up. Strapped in, they opened the gate before me and I dropped a good 20 feet before I swung out wide and far, screaming bloody murder the whole entire way. Everyone was laughing at my screeching, including me, and the whole thing was caught on video. Priceless.

Our taxi driver to this evening´s internet cafe plus dinner (internet was down at the hotel, because internet goes down when it rains....) was a driver by trade but a philosopher at heart. He stopped the cab to give us advice-- don´t use bad words, be honest at all times, and seek out plentitude in all that you do. We thought it was a magnificent thought for our last night in Arenal :-)

Love T

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The day in La Fortuna

Hola family and friends!

This morning, Robert and I awoke to a cacophony --the sound of chirping insects, calling birds, hooting monkeys, and a low rumble which grew louder and louder! Vaguely uneasy, I grew positively alarmed at the approaching roar, until Robert identified the sound as a huge rain squall, watering the verdant grounds of our humble resort and filling the air with the sounds of a jungle storm.

Energized by the Costa Rican coffee and a buffet breakfast, we worked off our pineapples and yogurt hiking the grounds, some 150 or so acres of green. At the edge of a ravine, I ventured too close, fell through the soft moss and scraped my leg on a tree root. Sigh. Fortunately, Robert had his medical kit and we got me patched up with antiseptic to spare.

This afternoon, we ventured into La Fortuna town for lunch at a local soda, which grew popular with the tourist crowd by the passing minute (we attributed it all to our presence), then I wandered off by myself to visit the local versions of grocery stores and Quicky-Mart (one of my favorite activities) to acquire local versions of cookies, chocolates, and -- best of all -- bottled salsa!

I foolishly hiked all the way back through town to the property of our hotel -- probably no further than 2 miles or so, but in the hot and humid, I was a wilted flower upon arrival, finding the relaxed and suntanned Robert snoozing by the pool. Some vacation, eh??

Tomorrow´s our adventure day: we´re booked at odark early for an ATV tour of the jungle and waterfall (includes lunch), followed by the long awaited ziplines.

We saw the monkeys!!

Love T

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Does it really take 4 mini-vans to get to Arenal?

Hola Family and Friends!!

I´m at an internet cafe immediately across the main road in La Fortuna from a wonderful laundramat, which is right now tumbling our pitifully dirty tees and shorts a wonderful clean. This morning, Robert and I were up with the sun, discovering an exceptionally large insect the shape of a leaf closely guarding our front door, and keeping the lizards at bay. Skirting the bug (Robert, with much more dignity than I), we hauled our luggage out for our 6:30 departure to the Arenal Volcano.

Our taxi took us down the steep dusty road to the waiting mini-van, which took us over potholes and dirt roads to the next waiting mini-van, more rough roads and dust, then to the Puntarenas ferry. After the hour and a half ferry crossing we picked up our third mini-van, but then changed just half an hour later to the final van which took us the last 3 hours stretch into the mountains. Our driver entertained himself on this final stretch, maintaining a constant soliloquy of loud, fluent Spanish. Not sure who was listening, but we sure were greatful when he stopped the van at an unnammed soda (cafe) along the way and let us out to use the bathroom and grab something to eat.

Finally, finally, by 2pm we were greatfully checked into a charming hotel Robert found online, with individual cabins and a spectacular view of the volcano. It looms over the town of La Fortuna and promises adventures for the days to come! But most importantly, next time I post, I´ll be wearing clean clothes :-)

I am thinking of you and sending you all my love!

Love T

PS I miss the ocean terribly!
PPS We will try to find a place to burn photos and post. The only two places we´ve found so far, their equipment was not working :-(

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The matchess Mal Pais

Good afternoon everyone!

This morning Robert and I admired the iguanas in the trees off our deck as they leaped from limb to limb catching whatever bugs they could for breakfast. We were meanwhile enjoying our own repast -- Costa Rican coffee (absolutely delicious), toast and fruit. Thus fortified, we were off like a herd of turtles (everyone moves a little slowly here) aboard our ATV to visit the matchess town of Mal Pais.

This is one of the most famous surf areas in Costa Rica, and Robert and I were instantly charmed. The downtown area of town (as it were) consisted of a few huts where fishermen were bringing in their local catch. They piled the guts and other undesirable bits into large buckets they poured onto the rocks for the wheeling birds of exotic lineage and enormous wingspan. The surf itself was breathtaking, though the surfers were few -- mostly just some kids playing around on boogie boards -- so we wandered the beach by ourselves, and snapped cheezy pics. We dipped our toes in the tidepools, and admired the wildlife around us.

We lunched at a local soda (cafe) and spent siesta time snoozing in the wonderful heat and refreshing ocean breezes. I explored a bit more on the ATV this afternoon, going north along the coast until the dusty dirt road finally gave out and there was nothing left but ocean expanse in front of me. A moment to always remember :-)

Tomorrow we are off at an unreasonably early hour for our transport (van-ferry-van) to the Arenal Volcano area. We are really excited to see the monkeys!

Love T

Monday, April 4, 2011

Hot, hot,hot!

Good evening family!

This morning, at the resort tent, Robert and I were accompanied by the world's most charming restaurant cat. Probably just 12 months old or so, this kitty Marty stole the hearts of all the Ylang Ylang guests, including Robert's and mine. We also befriended a pair of small green lizards we named Walter and Mondale. Then this morning Marty ate Mondale (or one of his cousins). It happens :-)

Now Robert and I call the Chill House our home. The air is filled with the sound of cicadas and exotic bird calls we can't identify. We rented a four wheeler ATV for the next few days. It is so much fun to navigate these dusty roads aboard!

Love T

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Adventures at sea!

Hola Friends and Family!

Robert and I just got back from our sunny mini excurision to Tortula Island. Scorning activity of all kinds, we spent the entire day on the beach, soaking in the sunshine. When the sun got too hot, I walked about 25 feet to the waves and plunged myself into the surf. Robert was a little more sensible and stayed under a beach umbrella. Together, we relaxed the afternoon away! No worries, though -- plenty of sunscreen for us both :-)

Tonight we are moving in to new digs for a stay at a resort a few minutes' walk up the beach from Montezuma. We've reserved an ocean-facing tent for the night. Very exciting! Robert's got a mosquito net all ready to string up, should we require....

Our plans for tomorrow originally called for us to head inland at o'dark early to the Monteverde Cloud Forest.... But the sun and the water are so seductive, we've decided abandon our original plans and instead to linger in this area for just a short time longer. We just made a reservation at a small resort called the Canaima Chill House in the town of Santa Teresa / Mal Pais, which is just a few kilometers up the beach from Montezuma.

Maybe we'll finally have time to learn to surf :-)

Sending all my love!

Love T

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Adventures on land

Buenos Tardes, my friends and family!

I´m contentedly exhausted, typing here from the teeny internet cafe on the ´main street´, Montezuma. It´s easy to see how people wash up on these shores and never seem to leave. The air is so sticky and hot, anything faster than a sultry walk is too rapid, and any industry too far removed from the beach is simply ignored and forgotten.

But, being ambitious tourists, this morning Robert and I were up at o'dark early, beating the heat and the crowds, to hike to the waterfalls above town. Advertised as a 15 minute wander, we spent an hour scrambling over boulders, wading in the river, and picking our way over slippery moss and under hanging vines, before we finally made it to the falls. We saw plenty of wildlife: iguanas, lizards of all sorts, spiders and other creepy-crawlies, plus fish, birds, and weird looking squirrels. We snapped tons of pics.

In need of refreshment from our walk, we indulged in a repast of fresh coconut milk served roadside by a guy with a machetti: he choped off the top of the coconut, inserted a straw and handed it over -- surprisingly yummy! We chucked the coconut into the bushes when done (it´s compostable) and wandered into town to rent an SUV, hoping to make it to the famous Mal Pais beach on the other side of the penninsula, for a lunch on the beach and folick in the waves. Unfortunately, our goal was elusive as we kept getting delightfully lost along rutted dirt trails and pathways through the trees and hills. Finally unwinding our way back to Montezuma in defeat, we devoured a delicious lunch I can´t even remember and our hotel welcomed us back dusty, dirty, sweaty, windswept, bumped and bruised, and completely, completely spent. Wonderful.

For tomorrow´s industry, we are booked on a boat tour to the nearby Tortuga Island. Supposedly you can rent sea kayaks there for just $10, or go snorkling, fishing, all kinds of things. And you can even just sit in a hammock and let the gentle breeze rock it back and forth. It´s going to be tough deciding which :-)

Love T

Friday, April 1, 2011

From Montezuma, with love

Ola friends and family!

Robert and I are contentedly established in a lovely room on the beach with AC and a long veranda in the tiny surf town of Montezuma. We had a somewhat harrowing bus ride from San Jose yesterday (for just $2 it took the ´old highway`), arriving Jaco in the heat of the afternoon. I was pretty much wilted, but we had just enough energy (after ´dos cervesas, por favor´) to book tickets on this morning´s boat to Montezuma, across the bay.

Dinner in Jaco was a seafood affair, though we were both a bit on edge -- Jaco has a decidedly seedy atmosphere that pervades the town. Our hotel, Clarita´s Beach Bar, was not quite nice as it appeared on the internet.... plus, it kind of smelled. But the beach itself was exquisite, and I frolicked in the waves while Robert supervised from shore.

But this morning, we were happy enough to quit Jaco´s shores, and begin our trek to Montezuma. Luggage in tow, we waded out to the jet boat and climbed aboard. Its open deck seated around 15 tourists or so. Then with fanfare and splashing waves, and a Rastifarian at the helm, we were fast, fast screaming across the water. Spray splashed us constantly, and the wind roared in our ears, and the two of us were grinning like idiots. The commute slowed several times as we paused to admire schools of dolphins playing in the waves. We snapped plenty of pics :-)

Montezuma is just what the doctor ordered after the chaos of San Jose and the grimy Jaco. The whole town consists of a beach, and a T intersection with a few cute restaurants, surf shops, and places to rent mopeds and ATVs. And that´s it. In other words, it´s absolute heaven. We´re in Montezuma for the next few days, and there´s a hammock with my name on it, so I bid you adieu for tonight!

Love T