Costa Rica Day 10: Life’s a beach

My tropical beauty

Well it took ten days, but we finally spent some time like most people do on their honeymoon.  On our first “free day” with no events scheduled, we took a transport van to the beach for some relaxation by the Pacific Ocean.  I can tell we are going to need to be more aware here then at our other sites.  It seems everyone is looking to gain a buck from the tourists.  Locals were trying to sell us drinks, snacks, ceramics, whistles as well as any number of other things.  One guy must have been convinced that I could not live without cigars.  He kept coming back to see if my mind had changed in the five minutes since he last asked J Overall, we took it in good humor and EJ’s knowledge of Spanish was good at helping to deter them.  In the end though, the best way to get some peace was to take a nap (I guess they know that a abruptly awoken tourist typically will not buy stuff or be happy).   Ironically, my friends, this is just what I wanted to do.  After a morning lounging on the beach, with occasional breaks to swim and plenty of time to read or nap, we decided to get active. 

Hiking through the tidepools

EJ wanted to explore the local national park.  Excited to get a chance to see the Squirrel monkey (the last monkey in CR that we have not seen), I was ready to go.  I must tell you, alas, we did not see a Squirrel monkey.  However, we did see some more howler monkeys, a white faced monkey, some raccoons, several iguanas, and tons of hermit crabs.  We were having a great time hiking through the woods, beach, and exploring the tide pools when a ranger whistled us to come talk to him.  Well my friends, he told us we had to leave the park.  Were we doing anything wrong? Had we trespassed into a restricted area?  Were they closed? No, to all of these questions.  Apparently, the Pacific coast of CR was on tsunami warning and we were being advised to leave the area post haste.  As I am sure most of you know (but we just learned), Japan was rocked with two massive earthquakes and a tsunami.  Hawaii and California had also been hit by a tsunami and we were not sure if we were next.   So we exited the park and headed for high ground (admittedly we did take some wildlife videos on the way out).   Luckily, no part of the storm hit us but it was probably good that we returned to the inn as the sun did bake us a little bit. 

 

So we headed out for dinner and live music at Raphael’s Terazzas.  We were able to eat while watching the sunset over the Pacific.  We enjoyed 2 for 1 Mojitos and Pina Coladas, fresh seafood, chocolate cake and coffee.  When it became dark, we marveled at the numerous gecko lizards that hunted bugs near the lights.  Overall, we had a wonderful tropical day.

Good evening from Manuel Antonio

See ya tomorrow

Z

Costa Rica day 9: On the road again…

The papaya

Today was our last morning in Arenal and boy will we miss this place.  We started the day out with a cave-tour spelunking adventure.  As we were about to head down to the caves, two of our friends from the white water rafting trip drove up.  They currently live in Austin texas, but are on their third honeymoon (they go someplace fun every 2 years of their marriage).  Unfortunately, their guide bailed on them so they came along with us.  The more the merrier of course!  The cave hike was fun if a little claustrophobic.  We saw cave crickets, scorpion spiders, and bats.  We also crawled through small tunnels, climbed through waterfalls, saw fossilized shells, took lots of pictures.  Some of the cave taverns were 40-50 feet to the ceiling. Other areas were no more than 3 ft tall…, which meant we had to crawl through tiny tunnels on our bellies.  Thankfully, we had helmets to protect our heads from the stalactites. Of course, water ran through all the tunnels and caverns, meaning that we waded up to our waists in the deepest portions, including though the small tunnels. Without our flashlights, it would have been pitch black. Good thing we had a knowledgeable guide right?

Not as scary in real life as in Harry Potter (scorpion spider)

Escape ladder should it start to rain

If she had to crouch the much you can imagine ... yup I had to belly crawl in the cave water!

Safe and fairly dry...

After the morning tour we took a five and a half hour ride to Manuel Antonio, a town by the Pacific Ocean.  Along the way, we stopped at the crocodile bridge-- a hot spot for these giant reptiles.  There was a group of Darwinian mistakes swimming near them for jollies…. luckily we did not see any blood loss today. 

Nope! I'd rather not die on vacation really!

By the time we got to our new hotel it was dark and we were exhausted, but it is another fun looking place.  We haven’t been able to see the view yet, but they have a fun seafood oriented restaurant, balcony with supposed sea view,  and much to EJ’s joy lots of geckos crawling around the outside and hallway ceilings.  Alas, much to her dismay they are very fast, up high and seem too smart for easy catching (not that she hasn’t tried). 

After a delicious seafood dinner in the hotel restaurant, we are both pretty tired.  Looks like tonight will be an early night… but we are planning to enjoy the beach tomorrow and possibly hike in the M.A. national park.  There is still one more monkey for us to see my friends (squirrel monkey) … so we may have a mission.

Until next time

Z  

Costa Rica day 8: Pura Vida is Aqua Vida

Hmmm should I have drank so many coffees before this raft
ride?

So today was the day that my expensive underwater digital camera was to be put to the test.  Not just a test really more of a trial by fire.  We were picked up by our guides at the late hour of 8:05, and taken to the "Clean River" for some class 3-4 white water rafting.  Good news is that my camera lived through it.  While my pictures were not professional looking, a "paparazzi" kayaker did get some great shots.  In case any of you are worried about how we fared, you should know that there were quite a few medical personnel in the raft.  There were two animal doctors (us of course), a British human ER doctor, and even a plant doctor from Denmark all in our little raft with our guide.  No one got hurt, but if we did we were covered.  The rapids were fun although we did spend a lot of time bouncing off or catching on to the rocks.  About a quarter of the way through the trip, the guide asked EJ if she wanted to "ride the bull."  Of course, she said yes.... supposedly it was quite fun :).  So she ended up sitting at the very front of the raft, with her feet hanging off the front while holding onto the rope for dear life as the raft went over big rapids.  Yeeee----hawww!

I always knew where the camera was.

Next came a little snack of fresh pineapples and watermelon before more rapid riding.  I am happy to say that I did not fall out at all (nor did EJ).  After the trip another filling lunch of beans and rice before heading back La Fortuna.

Now that Elsa is back to full strength, there was no chance of doing only one activity in a day.  So we headed out to the Fortuna Waterfalls (Catarata de la Fortuna).  The hike down was fine if not hard on the knees.  The water was so clean and greenish blue.  Apparently, our guidebook said that tourists have been known to drown while trying to swim under the falls.  So naturally we did not do that.  After wading in the cool water, we trekked up to our taxi ... sure it was tough but I had some pride in passing the huffing and puffing teenage tourists and their overweight parents... pain likes company ;-) There were over 250 steps and all very steep. 

No not burger king ....

After the waterfalls, we went to dinner at a restaurant called Choza de Laurel.  We had been told that their pina coladas came with a surprise so of course we had to try them ... and what a surprise.  Of course we had to have fun with them, as you can see.  We had pork ribs with potatoes and veggies for dinner followed by a banana split in a pineapple... delicioso.  After dinner, we got our Frisby fix when a mini Frizzer (actually a chihuahua mix ... so rare here!) came over to say hi.  When he realized all we had left for him were carrots though he hightailed it over to a different table.

Pina Coladas in cold pineapples!

The pooch wants meat not carrots!

Then we decided to visit the Tabacon hot springs..... these were awesome, my friends.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the other place but I loved this one.  Their hot water came from a river, not underground, and the pools were created to look more natural.  We spent a good hour and a half exploring the different pools and waterfalls.  Eventually we found a waterslide.  I think the only person at the resort who used it more than me was EJ.  While I was walking down a path, I even saw what I think was an ocelot.  It was a big cat but not too big (about the size of a medium dog).  When it saw me, it hightailed it away before I could do more then exclaim holy shoot.   EJ doesn't really believe me (she was still in the water)... but I will defend my claim forever.  In any case, we got to sit behind a waterfall, wade through hot rivers and luxuriate in the mineral pools.  Not so bad ehhh...

Now after a full day of water adventure, we are preparing for our last day in Arenal.  Tomorrow we will go spelunking then travel to Manuel Antonio for some fun on the beach.

Adios all

Zach

Costa Rica Day 7: Challenging the river beasts

Hello again guys,
   So I'm sad to say that EJ was feeling a little under the weather today.  Her stomach and intestines have started to rebel against our busy lifestyles the past few days and she was considering taking a day off.  This would require skipping our riverboat tour.. which she almost did.  However, when she saw my sad face she decided to soldier on.

This boy is basking near the restaurant before a busy day
of chasing the ladies!

Our tour guides took us to Rio Frio which is just outside Canyo Negro, a wildlife preserve, right near the Nicaragua border.  We brought our passports with us just in case, but did not have a problem with border control.  It was pretty cool though because the place where we started our tour was the same transport dock to and from, so we saw lots of locals basically waiting for the bus.  However, I am getting ahead of myself a little bit... before we got to the dock the tour guide stopped at the Iguana Restaurant for breakfast.  The owner of this restaurant started feeding the iguanas years ago ostensibly to provide a safe place for the iguanas to stay.  Of course, I'm sure the tourist attraction component didn't hurt his decision making either right?  In any case, there were at least 30-40 iguanas in the trees, around the restaurant and overhanging the bridge.  It must be mating season here because the boys were all dressed in their formal orange (Sunday attire for male iguanas) in order to show the females they are ready to go!  EJ had a ginger ale and I just enjoyed the atmosphere and wildlife.  After a relaxing break, we set off for the boat ride.

Emerald basilisk

For those of you that have been reading the blog regularly, it is clear by now that wildlife sitings are common but still exciting for us.  Well today was no exception.  We saw several water birds including egrets, kingfishes, snakebirds, and baby piper like fish (I'm blanking on the name at the moment but they sure were cute).

We also saw several caimen and the guide even asked me if I wanted to swim with them.  (In a very manly way, I politely declined). There were several sightings of emerald basilisk lizards which are a gaudy cousin of the Jesus Christ lizard.  Just so you know, they run on water in much the same way.  In fact, while our boat was moving one dropped out of a tree onto the beach.  Why?  Not because it was clumsy, sick, or drunk.  Rather it had spotted a white faced monkey, one of its predators.  While the rest of the group was focused on the monkeys, I was able to catch this on our small camera (sorry about the fuzziness its the best my little camera can do).  I've always wanted to see these guys in action so I was super excited.

We have been very lucky to see so many mammals on this trip as they are far from common compared to the birds, insects and reptiles.  Today was no exception.  The white faced monkeys were EJ's favorite.  They were so impish and intelligent that it was not hard to see why.  We saw one monkey throw down a beehive then pick up the remnants to eat (EJ has it all on longer video).  These little guys can sure be trouble makers.  Our guide warned us that at our next stop the monkeys have been known to ambush tourists for bags.  This is how they do it.  First they have 3-4 monkeys pose for tourists to take pictures.  Then when the tourists naturally put their bag down to do this 10-12 of them will sneak up behind and steal the bag, food, and basically anything shiny.  Monkey see --- monkey do right.  They noted local thieves and now implement the same tactics.

That is my honeycomb!

In addition, we saw (and heard) more howler monkeys, juvenile and adults alike.  There were several groups along the river.  The alpha male of each group let out a loud howl (which sounded like a wildcat) whenever the engine of our boat came into range.  Elsa was quick to point out that this was the sound used for the sand people in Star Wars.  I love my wife so much, especially when she knows dorky movie trivia!  Of the three types of monkeys we have seen (spider, howler, white faced), these guys are the territorial ones and they have been known to throw stuff if challenged.  No throwing today although I did see one Alpha breaking off branches to prepare as projectiles!  We also saw a three toed sloth in the wild, and several insect bats.  These guys sleep in a vertical line and have diamonds on their back (well diamond shaped markings), when challenged the bats will shift slightly in order to look like a snake, basically mimicing a venomous snake for protection.  Lastly, we saw the great vaca and white domestic pig!

Very athletic howler monkey!

Sleeping insect bats (zoom thanks to the videocam)

How about that for flexibility?

All in all a very lucky and fun tour.  We were given a filling lunch of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) then taken back to the hotel.  As EJ was feeling a little off, we did not venture into town for the afternoon, but rather rested on the patio before dinner.  As you can imagine, I really needed my arm twisted to relax.  No dancing tonight, just a quiet night in with a movie (the front desk provided free dvds).  Our hopes are that she feels ok to white water raft tomorrow.

Miss ya
Z

A present from our maid (its a sloth)

p.s. we have tons of long videos, if you want to see them you will just have to visit when we get back.  This blogger won't let me upload them even if I leave it all day, sorry.

Few more movie posts

Alas, I can't upload any clips more than 30 seconds long. So you will have to wait for the longer clips of monkeys, coati's and ziplining.  Still here are some good ones:

Elsa before the Tarzan swing

Elsa climbing into Ficus tree

Zach holding a baby stickbug

Just one of the many hummingbird clips

Coati crossing path

Costa Rica day 6: I don't know where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blows!

What should we do today?

So after yesterday's post you may be asking,  What did Elsa and Zach do when they woke up this morning?  Did they:

a) Sleep in then spend a lazy morning drinking C.R. coffee and enjoying the view from their deck.

b) Spend the day lounging at the heated pool with swim up bar.

c) Spend the day in the hot tub.

d) Receive couples massage, get pampered at the spa then have a personal romantic lunch for two

e) Hike up a volcano

Not a C.R. native bird but here
to make us happy.  His name is Lee
and he is a baby (1.5 yrs).

My outdoor lady ready to go!

For those tourists not dissuaded by
hot lava, toxic fumes or potential
landslides there is a sign.

You guessed it ... e)!  Why?  Well as EJ said earlier today, "Cuz it was there."  Now before the parentals reading this get too nervous be aware that we did not get anywhere near the top. Nope, no liquid hot magma for us... they are strict about keeping tourists away from the peak.  We did however walk up the path created by an eruption in 1968 that caused lava to spill out for 5 straight years.  It was interesting for many reasons.  Not the least of which was the weather.  In Monte Verde it was refreshingly cool (50-60s) most days, in the rainforest it was hot but moist and shaded.  At Arenal's base it was like hiking in Arizona.  The area was hot, sunny, and there was barely any vegetation where the ash had laid down.  Definitely sucked down my share of water during today's hike. The volcanic rocks were treacherous to walk on but 'Eagle-Eye' Elsa still was able to spot several male and female blue tailed lizards (similar to the blue tailed skink in the Midwestern U.S.), to point out a red winged blackbird look-a-like, to locate group of crested guans (big turkey like flying birds) and to catch a small anole.  How is that for the budding naturalist?  The view form the peak was amazing and after catching our breath and snapping some pics we sped back down to the waiting taxi.

On our way to the mountain earlier that morning, our cab driver brought us to a natural hot river!  This river is at least 85-90 degrees and it is used as the source for the hot spring resort Tabacon.  So strange that we could access it for free... as long as you know its there.

mmmm...warm...

After our warm water dip and desert hike, we did spend some time by the resort pool.  EJ swam a little and read.  I read as well (ok ok napped really).  Then we got cleaned up in order to go on guided tour of the Arenal canopy and hanging bridges.

I'm finding that I am running out of superlatives for our trip ... but this truly was one of the best tours yet.  Our guide Javier was happy to chat with EJ during the hike, and left me to marvel at the beauty and grandeur at little bit back.  He explained a lot about the local flora while we climbed through the canopies.  We were lucky enough to see a group of Spider monkeys and a group of howler monkeys.  We also saw a bridge that has been specially built for the show, "The Amazing Race."   It has been purposely built to look shoddy (its right next to a metal suspension bridge).  Apparently the contestants have to cross it, and then swim to an island in the lake near Arenal to find plane tickets to Puerto Rico.  Pretty cool huh?

Howler Monkey posing for a pic.  (How awesome is our zoom!
Thanks Laura and Andy!)

Spider Monkey bigger then we thought also likes to pose for camera.

Posing by a Dragon's blood tree!

Don't be fooled a perfectly safe bridge is right next door

After the canopy tour, we visited the hot springs at The Springs resort.  There were approximately 7 pools, 2 private filled with mineral water of different temperatures.  We lounged and swam for a good 2 hours.  While relaxing we met a group from Duke University that were on spring break.  One guy was learning to be a Redsox fan (yay!), but one girl was a diehard Yanks fan (boo!).  After we had been thoroughly soaked through we changed and went to dinner at the resort restaurant.  So after a full day of hiking and luxury, I'm off to bed.  We have another early start tomorrow.  See you soon

Z
Just one parting shot:

Javier: Do not touch this bug.  The bite will put you in the hospital for several days.
Zach:  Not a problem, I wouldn't touch it if it was completely harmless.

Costa Rica Day 5: Farewell Monte Verde ... hello Arenal

They rare Redsox Orchid 

Don't worry folks... this entry will be a whole lot more positive than the last.  Today was our last morning in Monte Verde before traveling to the volcano Arenal.  Not wanting to miss any nature time, but needing a little rest we slept in until 7:15!!!  Then after another filling breakfast we went to (now try not to be too excited ... I know this will be hard to handle ) the Monte Verde orchid garden ... wooo hooo!  No, seriously, EJ has wanted to see this all trip so how could I deny her on our last morning.  The tour guide was friendly and took time to show us all sort of orchids from the national flower to super tiny orchids that you need a magnifying glass to see.  Needless to say, it is hard to top this kind of excitement, but I was open to anything.

EJ checking for fleas on our
new buddy.  I'm not the only one who
can't stop working!

We still had some time before our transport, so we trekked up to the local cheese factory in order to try their local ice cream.  Along the way, we were joined by one of the local street dogs.  We have seen literally tons of these guys all over Monte Verde, all have fleas, most are chihuahua crosses, and some are even neutered.  They tend to be friendly to tourists (are we their meal ticket ... likely).  Well this ridgeback cross looking dog hiked with us for nearly half a mile wagging his tail the whole time.  Obviously, we both had to keep repeating to each other that it would not be prudent to take him home with us.  Well at least he got a free P.E. out of his hike.

Waiting for the ferry

After the ice cream and a brief lunch we took a ground and water transport to Arenal.  I think the pictures can speak for themselves.

A nice bit of land wouldn't you say?

See the volcanic ash?

Yes... the volcano...from our room!

We arrived at the hotel in the early evening and we were very well received.  If the first part of our trip was about adventure and getting back to nature, this part is at least partially about pampering.  As soon as we sat to check in we were handed fresh towels to refresh ourselves and fresh squeezed papaya juice.  We were informed that as guests, we had full access to free long distance to the states and internet.  We were invited to enjoy the wine bar, swim up pool restaurant and fancy resort dining area.  Then we were lead to our casita (small villa) and all I can say if WOW!  Our patio view looks out on the volcano. We can rest on a hammock or unwind in our private deck whirlpool.  In a word we are basking in elegance.

Considering that, we decided to spend a romantic evening in the resort.  Not much exciting to write about, but a much need vacation experience nonetheless.  After having some drinks at the wine bar, we ate a romantic candlelight dinner and strolled the grounds before settling down to rest.

See you tomorrow gang!
Z