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Adventures in Costa Rica Pt 3
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Sun4MySoul
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- Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 1:37 pm
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Adventures in Costa Rica Pt 3
Let’s see…where were we? I’d just arrived at some fabulous digs in Playa Ocotal. R is going diving for two days and I’m going to lay low and cause some trouble by the pool. The body needs to recover from the hiking week and I am in SERIOUS need of clean laundry. I’m not sure that I knew it was possible to sweat that much or get that dirty until I spent a week in the rainforest! 
We are the only guests at Villa Vista Mar during our stay, so I have the pool to myself everyday. Whoohoo! The blender passes all tests, but I keep checking – they run better the more you use them, right?
Playa Ocotal is one of the more popular beaches in the area and the guidebooks say one of the best for snorkeling, so I headed down there with my gear.. Its a black sand beach, which is pretty cool to check out. The waves were up, so I didn't put on my mask, just walked around the rocks to check out the scene. I unfortunately discovered in graphic form that this beach is an Octopus Hunting Ground. From out of the water climb some locals onto the rocks. They have various spears, hooks, etc attached to their backs and then one guy hands the other up a long spear that has more octopus than I can count hanging from it. It was too creepy to photograph. Apparently, these guys make cerviche from the octopus to sell to the tourists is town. Hmm...I think I'll skip it. Some more spear fisherman were heading out into the water and that REALLY convinced me that I didn't want to go snorkeling that day. But that was fine...there were tiger herons and parrots flying around in the trees for me to check out instead. Any day at the beach is always a good day.
Dinner that night was at the most popular beach shack around: Father Roosters. Turned out to be a little slice of America right there on the beach. I didn't welcome it, really. Prices were too high and the place was full of obnoxious people. With $8 Long Island Teas and Chicken Fingers on the menu, it was like I never left home. Made me wish we were still in the jungle. This was the one place we dined that I would never return to.
The next morning, I headed down to the beach early to get some snorkeling in before R took the Jeep for diving. I figured there might not be too many fishermen out at 6 am and I was right! The water was calm, so I was able to snorkel around the lava rocks. This is definitely NOT the snorkeling destination that St John is. Visibility is poor and the water is choppy. Not STJ on its worst day, but I saw a few cool things; the usual cast of fish characters and one sea turtle.
After an ice cream doughnut breakfast (did I mention that I love those things?), I lounged poolside and tried to finish my book. Another trip to the beach for snorkeling that afternoon and I saw Garden Eels (first for me) and a type of unknown sea urchin as well. Pic is below…perhaps someone can help me? When heading back to shore, I was in nearly 3.5 feet of water when I came upon a stingray with a wingspan bigger than mine. He surprised me for sure, with the poor visibility I did not see him until I was right one top of him.
But none the worse for wear, as he scooted along in the opposite direction as soon as he saw me. Those are definitely the only types of stingray that I like!
R reports the diving was ok in Ocotal. The visibility was not fabulous (blamed on the rainy season), but she did see Reef sharks and manta rays which made her happy. On the boat one day, she was joined by a family with two small children who were also diving….like around 7 or 8 yrs old. I think that’s called starting them EARLY. I can’t imagine gearing up like that at such a young age. Or being the parents that had to worry about them!
After two quick days in Ocotal, we make the long drive down fairly decent roads to the most popular tourist spot in all of Costa Rica- The beachside town of Manuel Antonio.... I am driving on this day as R is battling a stomach bug she acquired earlier in the week. I told that girl she needed to drink more. The alcohol would have killed whatever parasites were in her system. After two days of Blender drinks, I did not have to worry about any bugs surviving in my intestines!
So we're in our Central American version of a Jeep, heading south with a clueless GPS. Oh well. At least there were road signs on this trip and I’m not sure we had to stop for directions even once....What fun is that?
The roads through the towns were chaos and insanity. Not sure if I've mentioned before, but its legal to drive ATVs on the road here and most locals do not own cars. So they are walking, riding mopeds, bicycles, whatever. Most roads are two lane, that everyone turns into three lanes- even when I think its impossible. And I have hands down NEVER imagined that you could put so many people on one damn bicycle all at the same time. I swear, it’s a circus trick that the Costa Ricans have perfected. It never ceased to give me a good laugh to see mom or dad peddling their four kids down the middle of the road...confident that no one will run over them.
Anyway, I find it difficult driving on the main roads surrounded by bikes, pedestrians, mopeds, etc. I was sure that since zip lines, rappelling and white water tubing hadn't killed me that this driving day just might. Imagine the traffic on I-95 condensed down to two lanes with ATVs whizzing by you on the left, while you are trying to pass pedestrians on your right, and dodging the very deep pothole in the middle of the road that has been marked by a giant cardboard box with a rock in it. No shit- NEVER run over the cardboard boxes in Costa Rica!
Anyway, it turns into six hours of road rage and near death experiences, but we finally arrive. I loved our hotel in Manuel Antonio. Its not fancy, but has everything we needed with a lot of character. http://www.verdemar.com/ Its on the beach, has a pool, and a there was a SLOTH in our BACKYARD! We seek nourishment immediately and are drawn to this place
Nachos and Corona magically wash away the Road Rage and all is right with the world. Head for a walk down the beach that ends at the National Park and there are Capuchin monkeys to greet us. I’m convinced this will be a great final city for our whirlwind tour.
The next day, R is back on the dive boat and I'm heading to Manuel Antonio National Park with my binoculars. This is the most visited National Park in Costa Rica, so I expect amazing things. I'm immediately greeted with Howler Monkeys and Sloths, but they are sticking high in the treetops. No photo ops here. I hike to the beaches, which are the most beautiful that I've seen in Costa Rica and ALMOST remind me of St John. Made me miss my second home, a bit, I have to say.
I actually score a tiny beach all to myself around midday and spread out my gear. I get comfy and wait to see what critters show up to greet me if I am quiet. After about an hour, I've had no sightings. Bummer. I decide to eat my lunch and move on to another beach. Get out my sandwich and start chowing down. Three bites in, I look up to see a 3 ft iguana in "charge mode" heading straight for me. Now these lizards aren't fooling around when they want to get somewhere. They are quick. And this guy is on a mission. For my sandwich? I'm not sure. I leap to my feet to defend my territory. Iggy stops in his tracks, but does not retreat. He stalks me slowly. Inching towards me. At this point, he's about six feet from my compound. I throw a shoe in his direction. He is undeterred. Hmmm... I get a big stick and wave it around. Still...he waits. I approach him cautiously and FINALLY when I can almost touch him, he retreats. Yeah! The opposable thumbs have won! I settle back to my sandwich.
Moments later, Iggy returns. Assumes his position about six feet away. I'm yelling at him in Spanish to VAMOOSE, but he must be of French decent and doesn't understand me. I finally let him sit there and stare at me while I eat. Clearly, there isn't much point in throwing the other shoe. Humph!
Almost finished with the sammy when out of the woods come two raccoons. They also appear to be on a mission. Nose facing my sandwich, they could care less about the human hand attached to it. And wait...what the hell are raccoons doing out in the middle of the day? So imagine if you will, a hungry chick....guarding her sandwich with a stick in one hand and a shoe in the other: Ready to pound whichever animal gets too close first. Thankfully, unlike Iggy, the raccoons did retreat when I ran at them screaming, stick waving, etc. I scarf down lunch before another varmint can come for a visit and Iggy runs away when all the food is gone.
Snorkeling is a bust here due to wave action and I decide to move on to a different beach. Coatamundi, Agouti, and other previously seen animals appear in my path. I even saw Woody the Woodpecker and this brother. Seriously, I have never seen heads so red on an animal. It was a brilliant color of Wolfpack blood. They were cool to watch for a bit and too quick for a good photo op.
I have the next beach in my sites and a bag of trail mix in my hand when a pack of Capuchin Monkeys catch my eye. There are a dozen of them running around at less than 10 feet off the ground. Good score for some up-close photos. A park guide has stopped his group to watch the monkeys and they have one sitting on a branch about head high to me posing for photos. I head in that direction, anxious to finally get a good shot myself. I'm fumbling to get my new camera out of its zoom mode with one hand and trying to close up the trail mix with the other. There is a flurry of white in my camera screen. I don't really realize what's going on.... The guide yells something VERY LOUD in Spanish to scare the monkey that is apparently heading straight for me and my trail mix. Nice save, Mr. Park Guide. And thanks for making us all nearly crap our pants with your yelling. I learn the Capuchins are the most aggressive in the monkey family, will eat anything, and have been trained to head towards the sound of rattling plastic bags in hopes of food.
Its official, these park animals are too aggressive for me. I like to keep the 10 ft personal space rule in effect and clearly, these guys have no sense of that. I've seen enough. On my way out , I do get close to the elusive Jesus Lizard. They are very cool. Apparently, they can walk on water while standing up on their hind legs. I didn't see this in person, but the guides swear it’s possible. Also, I saw a hive of African Killer Bees. Thankfully, they stayed many feet away and left me to my personal space...yikes!
The next day was meant to be another day in the National Park, but I needed a break from the aggressive animals. So on the way home, I stop on the beach and schedule my 8am surfing lesson for the following day.
Dinner that night (and every night in Manuel Antonio) was at a location recommended by a girl that we met at El Wagon. She gave us enough recommendations to keep us well fed the entire weekend. And though I could tell that we were definitely in a tourist town, the restaurants were not overpriced and didn’t feel like they were SCREAMING TO THE AMERICANS to eat there. We would have had a sunset view for dinner every night, but the clouds were consistently arriving around that time. We never had to wait for a table or worry about crowds, but I’m not sure I would want to visit the town in High Season.
Up early the next day for surfing. This is something I've been thinking about doing at home for while. So why not pay some hot Spanish guy to push me around on a board for a few hours? If he teaches me to stand up in the process, then I really got my money's worth!
My instructor's name is Jonathon. He officially knows Four words in English: Ready, for when I should lay down on the board. Paddle, for well, when I should paddle. Up, for when I should leap into mid-air and magically land with my two feet on the board facing the right direction and standing upright. And DOWN! for when he's going to bury my head into the board and try to save us both from getting completely toppled by the incoming wave crashing upon us. He used DOWN! alot. My nose is one thing I did not expect to be bruised during my surfing lesson. Oh well. In my hour's lesson, I became very good at Ready. Not so good at Up. And I never graduated to paddling. Alas.
From the shore, a couple of the other instructors took pity on the fat chick that didn't do so well during her lesson. I guess at 8am, they don't have much else to do. So Surf Instructor Miguel, who actually speaks English, took me under his wing and told me to sit in on his next lesson. I learned a lot more right away (the magic of proper communication) and was quite impressed to see Miguel's first pupil stand up and surf on his first attempt. Hmm...I must give this another chance. Miguel gives me another hour of lessons for free. And now I'm very good at Ready, pretty good at UP and an EXPERT at my own new command: Falling Down in Adventurous Ways. My saving grace on this day was that R was again on the dive boat, so there were no witnesses to my mayhem. And no pics to prove that it happened!
After four hours in the water, my eyes were bloodshot, my face was sunburned, I'd sucked in enough salt water to lower the tide level, and I had fiberglass rashes in places that we can't talk about. I'm not sure what it feels like to crack ribs, but it hurt when I laughed or bent over, so I tried to be gentle. I spent the rest of the day with a six pack of Heineken under a palm tree nursing my wounds and checking out the Baby Sloth that had moved into the back yard. Life did not suck on this day. . Surfing was a blast, and I can't wait to take another lesson in the near future! Again..no witnesses please!
We ate dinner in an airplane that got stranded in the area from WWII. Its since been converted into a bar/restaurant overlooking the ocean. Weird, but cool. They made a mean pineapple/strawberry colada and this blue thing that I can’t identify, but I drank it anyway!
R reports the diving in Manuel Antonio was worse than Ocotal and definitely not worth the trouble/time investment.
We are now up to our last full day of this fabulous vacation. Aren’t you guys glad it’s almost over? (if anyone is still reading!) We have white water rafting scheduled for the afternoon. But first we head back to the National Park for some more hiking, as R has yet to visit the monkeys there. My tired bones are not up for the hiking, I have to say. Surfing has kicked my ass more than anything on this trip, and I wasn't expecting that! But I must power through. It is the last day after all, and I have to make it count! (Sorry Boston Mike, if Nicole is reading this and you are screwed. You are going to have to hike on STJ!)
Aside from the regular suspects in the wildlife family that have been following us, we also spot a Caiman Crocodile in the shallows of the marsh. He's literally only about 3 feet from me. They are small crocs, so I tried not to worry. But damn if they aren't menacing-looking all the same. We also spot a tri-colored crab. No animal attacks today. But I left my sandwich at the hotel this time. We did see some idiots hand-feeding a raccoon. Really, who in the hell actually thinks it’s a good idea to feed the WILDlife?????
I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of my favorite sign in the Park that read: Don't Flash the Animals. Ok, I'll try to make sure R keeps her top on. Meanwhile, I'll turn off my camera flash, in case that's what you mean.
We get picked up for rafting and we're paired up with a couple from LA. They are grad school students bumming around for the summer, living the good life. None of us have any rafting experience, so we're all in the same boat. Our guide's name is Nacho. Yes, I said Nacho. And he's great. His English is fabulous and we're all set in no time. While Nacho is preparing the gear, we get taken on a tour of a nearby Vanilla Farm. They have many cool trees on this farm and I learn that Channel No 5 perfume is made from a flower that grows on a tree in Costa Rica (and smells amazing), and the leaves from Teak Trees make your hands appear bloody if you squish the leaf between your fingers and rub it around. Costa Ricans call this precious tree the Bloody Tree, for that reason. I also discover the Leechee Fruit for the first time, which I wished I had been eating for the last two weeks. Bummer. I'm thinking I won't find those in the States. Anyone know?
So, we're off down the river. Fat folks paddle from the front of the boat and block the water from hitting everyone else. Isn't that nice of us? It’s been raining all week, so the water is muddy. But the river is high and fast and the trip is too short for me. I hear the girls grunting with each paddle stroke in the back of the boat, so I think they were ok to be done when we were. We probably spent 90 minutes in the water...it was pretty action packed. Lots of rapids, rocks etc. Our guide was great and no one fell out of the boat, which Nacho said was pretty amazing. Definitely worth our money and a trip we'd do again (if I can't find one that lasts longer.)
One last amazing and cheap dinner and we’re back to San Jose the following day for our flight home. Already making plans for a return trip. It was certainly too much fun. Thanks for traveling with me!
We are the only guests at Villa Vista Mar during our stay, so I have the pool to myself everyday. Whoohoo! The blender passes all tests, but I keep checking – they run better the more you use them, right?
Playa Ocotal is one of the more popular beaches in the area and the guidebooks say one of the best for snorkeling, so I headed down there with my gear.. Its a black sand beach, which is pretty cool to check out. The waves were up, so I didn't put on my mask, just walked around the rocks to check out the scene. I unfortunately discovered in graphic form that this beach is an Octopus Hunting Ground. From out of the water climb some locals onto the rocks. They have various spears, hooks, etc attached to their backs and then one guy hands the other up a long spear that has more octopus than I can count hanging from it. It was too creepy to photograph. Apparently, these guys make cerviche from the octopus to sell to the tourists is town. Hmm...I think I'll skip it. Some more spear fisherman were heading out into the water and that REALLY convinced me that I didn't want to go snorkeling that day. But that was fine...there were tiger herons and parrots flying around in the trees for me to check out instead. Any day at the beach is always a good day.
Dinner that night was at the most popular beach shack around: Father Roosters. Turned out to be a little slice of America right there on the beach. I didn't welcome it, really. Prices were too high and the place was full of obnoxious people. With $8 Long Island Teas and Chicken Fingers on the menu, it was like I never left home. Made me wish we were still in the jungle. This was the one place we dined that I would never return to.
The next morning, I headed down to the beach early to get some snorkeling in before R took the Jeep for diving. I figured there might not be too many fishermen out at 6 am and I was right! The water was calm, so I was able to snorkel around the lava rocks. This is definitely NOT the snorkeling destination that St John is. Visibility is poor and the water is choppy. Not STJ on its worst day, but I saw a few cool things; the usual cast of fish characters and one sea turtle.
After an ice cream doughnut breakfast (did I mention that I love those things?), I lounged poolside and tried to finish my book. Another trip to the beach for snorkeling that afternoon and I saw Garden Eels (first for me) and a type of unknown sea urchin as well. Pic is below…perhaps someone can help me? When heading back to shore, I was in nearly 3.5 feet of water when I came upon a stingray with a wingspan bigger than mine. He surprised me for sure, with the poor visibility I did not see him until I was right one top of him.
But none the worse for wear, as he scooted along in the opposite direction as soon as he saw me. Those are definitely the only types of stingray that I like! R reports the diving was ok in Ocotal. The visibility was not fabulous (blamed on the rainy season), but she did see Reef sharks and manta rays which made her happy. On the boat one day, she was joined by a family with two small children who were also diving….like around 7 or 8 yrs old. I think that’s called starting them EARLY. I can’t imagine gearing up like that at such a young age. Or being the parents that had to worry about them!
After two quick days in Ocotal, we make the long drive down fairly decent roads to the most popular tourist spot in all of Costa Rica- The beachside town of Manuel Antonio.... I am driving on this day as R is battling a stomach bug she acquired earlier in the week. I told that girl she needed to drink more. The alcohol would have killed whatever parasites were in her system. After two days of Blender drinks, I did not have to worry about any bugs surviving in my intestines!
So we're in our Central American version of a Jeep, heading south with a clueless GPS. Oh well. At least there were road signs on this trip and I’m not sure we had to stop for directions even once....What fun is that?
The roads through the towns were chaos and insanity. Not sure if I've mentioned before, but its legal to drive ATVs on the road here and most locals do not own cars. So they are walking, riding mopeds, bicycles, whatever. Most roads are two lane, that everyone turns into three lanes- even when I think its impossible. And I have hands down NEVER imagined that you could put so many people on one damn bicycle all at the same time. I swear, it’s a circus trick that the Costa Ricans have perfected. It never ceased to give me a good laugh to see mom or dad peddling their four kids down the middle of the road...confident that no one will run over them.
Anyway, I find it difficult driving on the main roads surrounded by bikes, pedestrians, mopeds, etc. I was sure that since zip lines, rappelling and white water tubing hadn't killed me that this driving day just might. Imagine the traffic on I-95 condensed down to two lanes with ATVs whizzing by you on the left, while you are trying to pass pedestrians on your right, and dodging the very deep pothole in the middle of the road that has been marked by a giant cardboard box with a rock in it. No shit- NEVER run over the cardboard boxes in Costa Rica!
Anyway, it turns into six hours of road rage and near death experiences, but we finally arrive. I loved our hotel in Manuel Antonio. Its not fancy, but has everything we needed with a lot of character. http://www.verdemar.com/ Its on the beach, has a pool, and a there was a SLOTH in our BACKYARD! We seek nourishment immediately and are drawn to this place
Nachos and Corona magically wash away the Road Rage and all is right with the world. Head for a walk down the beach that ends at the National Park and there are Capuchin monkeys to greet us. I’m convinced this will be a great final city for our whirlwind tour.
The next day, R is back on the dive boat and I'm heading to Manuel Antonio National Park with my binoculars. This is the most visited National Park in Costa Rica, so I expect amazing things. I'm immediately greeted with Howler Monkeys and Sloths, but they are sticking high in the treetops. No photo ops here. I hike to the beaches, which are the most beautiful that I've seen in Costa Rica and ALMOST remind me of St John. Made me miss my second home, a bit, I have to say.
I actually score a tiny beach all to myself around midday and spread out my gear. I get comfy and wait to see what critters show up to greet me if I am quiet. After about an hour, I've had no sightings. Bummer. I decide to eat my lunch and move on to another beach. Get out my sandwich and start chowing down. Three bites in, I look up to see a 3 ft iguana in "charge mode" heading straight for me. Now these lizards aren't fooling around when they want to get somewhere. They are quick. And this guy is on a mission. For my sandwich? I'm not sure. I leap to my feet to defend my territory. Iggy stops in his tracks, but does not retreat. He stalks me slowly. Inching towards me. At this point, he's about six feet from my compound. I throw a shoe in his direction. He is undeterred. Hmmm... I get a big stick and wave it around. Still...he waits. I approach him cautiously and FINALLY when I can almost touch him, he retreats. Yeah! The opposable thumbs have won! I settle back to my sandwich.
Moments later, Iggy returns. Assumes his position about six feet away. I'm yelling at him in Spanish to VAMOOSE, but he must be of French decent and doesn't understand me. I finally let him sit there and stare at me while I eat. Clearly, there isn't much point in throwing the other shoe. Humph!
Almost finished with the sammy when out of the woods come two raccoons.
They also appear to be on a mission. Nose facing my sandwich, they could care less about the human hand attached to it. And wait...what the hell are raccoons doing out in the middle of the day? So imagine if you will, a hungry chick....guarding her sandwich with a stick in one hand and a shoe in the other: Ready to pound whichever animal gets too close first. Thankfully, unlike Iggy, the raccoons did retreat when I ran at them screaming, stick waving, etc. I scarf down lunch before another varmint can come for a visit and Iggy runs away when all the food is gone. Snorkeling is a bust here due to wave action and I decide to move on to a different beach. Coatamundi, Agouti, and other previously seen animals appear in my path. I even saw Woody the Woodpecker and this brother. Seriously, I have never seen heads so red on an animal. It was a brilliant color of Wolfpack blood. They were cool to watch for a bit and too quick for a good photo op.
I have the next beach in my sites and a bag of trail mix in my hand when a pack of Capuchin Monkeys catch my eye. There are a dozen of them running around at less than 10 feet off the ground. Good score for some up-close photos. A park guide has stopped his group to watch the monkeys and they have one sitting on a branch about head high to me posing for photos. I head in that direction, anxious to finally get a good shot myself. I'm fumbling to get my new camera out of its zoom mode with one hand and trying to close up the trail mix with the other. There is a flurry of white in my camera screen. I don't really realize what's going on.... The guide yells something VERY LOUD in Spanish to scare the monkey that is apparently heading straight for me and my trail mix. Nice save, Mr. Park Guide. And thanks for making us all nearly crap our pants with your yelling. I learn the Capuchins are the most aggressive in the monkey family, will eat anything, and have been trained to head towards the sound of rattling plastic bags in hopes of food.
Its official, these park animals are too aggressive for me. I like to keep the 10 ft personal space rule in effect and clearly, these guys have no sense of that. I've seen enough. On my way out , I do get close to the elusive Jesus Lizard. They are very cool. Apparently, they can walk on water while standing up on their hind legs. I didn't see this in person, but the guides swear it’s possible. Also, I saw a hive of African Killer Bees. Thankfully, they stayed many feet away and left me to my personal space...yikes!
The next day was meant to be another day in the National Park, but I needed a break from the aggressive animals. So on the way home, I stop on the beach and schedule my 8am surfing lesson for the following day.
Dinner that night (and every night in Manuel Antonio) was at a location recommended by a girl that we met at El Wagon. She gave us enough recommendations to keep us well fed the entire weekend. And though I could tell that we were definitely in a tourist town, the restaurants were not overpriced and didn’t feel like they were SCREAMING TO THE AMERICANS to eat there. We would have had a sunset view for dinner every night, but the clouds were consistently arriving around that time. We never had to wait for a table or worry about crowds, but I’m not sure I would want to visit the town in High Season.
Up early the next day for surfing. This is something I've been thinking about doing at home for while. So why not pay some hot Spanish guy to push me around on a board for a few hours? If he teaches me to stand up in the process, then I really got my money's worth!
My instructor's name is Jonathon. He officially knows Four words in English: Ready, for when I should lay down on the board. Paddle, for well, when I should paddle. Up, for when I should leap into mid-air and magically land with my two feet on the board facing the right direction and standing upright. And DOWN! for when he's going to bury my head into the board and try to save us both from getting completely toppled by the incoming wave crashing upon us. He used DOWN! alot. My nose is one thing I did not expect to be bruised during my surfing lesson. Oh well. In my hour's lesson, I became very good at Ready. Not so good at Up. And I never graduated to paddling. Alas.
From the shore, a couple of the other instructors took pity on the fat chick that didn't do so well during her lesson. I guess at 8am, they don't have much else to do. So Surf Instructor Miguel, who actually speaks English, took me under his wing and told me to sit in on his next lesson. I learned a lot more right away (the magic of proper communication) and was quite impressed to see Miguel's first pupil stand up and surf on his first attempt. Hmm...I must give this another chance. Miguel gives me another hour of lessons for free. And now I'm very good at Ready, pretty good at UP and an EXPERT at my own new command: Falling Down in Adventurous Ways. My saving grace on this day was that R was again on the dive boat, so there were no witnesses to my mayhem. And no pics to prove that it happened!
After four hours in the water, my eyes were bloodshot, my face was sunburned, I'd sucked in enough salt water to lower the tide level, and I had fiberglass rashes in places that we can't talk about. I'm not sure what it feels like to crack ribs, but it hurt when I laughed or bent over, so I tried to be gentle. I spent the rest of the day with a six pack of Heineken under a palm tree nursing my wounds and checking out the Baby Sloth that had moved into the back yard. Life did not suck on this day. . Surfing was a blast, and I can't wait to take another lesson in the near future! Again..no witnesses please!
We ate dinner in an airplane that got stranded in the area from WWII. Its since been converted into a bar/restaurant overlooking the ocean. Weird, but cool. They made a mean pineapple/strawberry colada and this blue thing that I can’t identify, but I drank it anyway!
R reports the diving in Manuel Antonio was worse than Ocotal and definitely not worth the trouble/time investment.
We are now up to our last full day of this fabulous vacation. Aren’t you guys glad it’s almost over? (if anyone is still reading!) We have white water rafting scheduled for the afternoon. But first we head back to the National Park for some more hiking, as R has yet to visit the monkeys there. My tired bones are not up for the hiking, I have to say. Surfing has kicked my ass more than anything on this trip, and I wasn't expecting that! But I must power through. It is the last day after all, and I have to make it count! (Sorry Boston Mike, if Nicole is reading this and you are screwed. You are going to have to hike on STJ!)
Aside from the regular suspects in the wildlife family that have been following us, we also spot a Caiman Crocodile in the shallows of the marsh. He's literally only about 3 feet from me. They are small crocs, so I tried not to worry. But damn if they aren't menacing-looking all the same. We also spot a tri-colored crab. No animal attacks today. But I left my sandwich at the hotel this time. We did see some idiots hand-feeding a raccoon. Really, who in the hell actually thinks it’s a good idea to feed the WILDlife?????
I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of my favorite sign in the Park that read: Don't Flash the Animals. Ok, I'll try to make sure R keeps her top on. Meanwhile, I'll turn off my camera flash, in case that's what you mean.
We get picked up for rafting and we're paired up with a couple from LA. They are grad school students bumming around for the summer, living the good life. None of us have any rafting experience, so we're all in the same boat. Our guide's name is Nacho. Yes, I said Nacho. And he's great. His English is fabulous and we're all set in no time. While Nacho is preparing the gear, we get taken on a tour of a nearby Vanilla Farm. They have many cool trees on this farm and I learn that Channel No 5 perfume is made from a flower that grows on a tree in Costa Rica (and smells amazing), and the leaves from Teak Trees make your hands appear bloody if you squish the leaf between your fingers and rub it around. Costa Ricans call this precious tree the Bloody Tree, for that reason. I also discover the Leechee Fruit for the first time, which I wished I had been eating for the last two weeks. Bummer. I'm thinking I won't find those in the States. Anyone know?
So, we're off down the river. Fat folks paddle from the front of the boat and block the water from hitting everyone else. Isn't that nice of us? It’s been raining all week, so the water is muddy. But the river is high and fast and the trip is too short for me. I hear the girls grunting with each paddle stroke in the back of the boat, so I think they were ok to be done when we were. We probably spent 90 minutes in the water...it was pretty action packed. Lots of rapids, rocks etc. Our guide was great and no one fell out of the boat, which Nacho said was pretty amazing. Definitely worth our money and a trip we'd do again (if I can't find one that lasts longer.)
One last amazing and cheap dinner and we’re back to San Jose the following day for our flight home. Already making plans for a return trip. It was certainly too much fun. Thanks for traveling with me!
Wow----thanks, Sun, for posting your fun reports and great pictures. My daughter visited Costa Rica and went to a lot of the same spots that you did. She loved it and has tried to convince me to go, but I'm a bit too addicted to the Caribbean water as opposed to the Pacific. I should probably branch out 
Great reports.
Great reports.---Jim
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California Girl
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
ok i'm thinking... if your job now is not writing for the news paper or some sort of travel mag; you have totally missed your calling. your trip has me convinced that i will love C.R. (my husband has been bugging me forever to go). thank you for the pictures and the laughs i have had reading your report and just an fyi....i usually just scan reports and look at the pictures; however you keep me wanting to read more. AWESOME!
I will be looking you up when were ready for our trip.
I will be looking you up when were ready for our trip.
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Sun4MySoul
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 1:37 pm
- Location: NC
So much cool stuff you've seen and experienced... Thank you very much for sharing it with us. Friends of mine went to Cost Rica a few years ago (don't know which areas they visited). They loved it and said, "It was WILD". I've been curious about the place since then.
Okay, after all the adventures, you are already going back to St. John... in a few weeks! How can I not be envious?
Okay, after all the adventures, you are already going back to St. John... in a few weeks! How can I not be envious?
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bubblybrenda
- Posts: 549
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:57 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC
Yes, what a great trip report. Amazing photos. My absolute favourite was an underwater one of some spikey looking sea urchin thing with electric blue "things" that looked like a starfish.
I think Costa Rica is a bit too scary for me. I'd be screaming with every animal that I saw. That huge lizard on the beach definitely looked like he wanted a piece of you. I'd be having heart failure.
I think Costa Rica is a bit too scary for me. I'd be screaming with every animal that I saw. That huge lizard on the beach definitely looked like he wanted a piece of you. I'd be having heart failure.
~Brenda~