OUR COSTA RICAN ADVENTURE

29 January

Today was a beach exploration day. We had learned of the preferred beach by locals and decided to check it our for ourselves. A short, bumpy taxi ride and a nice walk down a hill and we arrived. We're shade seekers, and there didn't seem to be very much at that hour. So after a bit of figuring, we ended up hitching a ride with some kids that we're operating a "water taxi". They dropped us off on the private beach of one of the more exclusive resorts (the beach itself is not private property). And alas, there was a lot of shade.

The kids are now quite tuned into the rhythym of the waves and the flux of the tides. This helps eliminate the getting-tumbled-over-in-the-sandy-surf factor. Brice is convinced that he can body surf. He lays himself down prone in the shallow water and waits for the next wave to come in to lift him up and drive him into the beach.

The water taxi arrive a few hours later to ferry us over to a marina near our home. The waves made getting on the boat a bit unnerving. The chaos of the moment had left Tate without any shoes by the time we arrived at the marina.

All that meant was a family trip to the Zapateria (shoe store), which put a big smile on Tate's face.

30 January

The word is that Tuesday is the best day to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, as the park comes back into some equilibrium after being closed on Monday. We hit it early and managed to see some creatures that we hadn't seen on a previous visit. We were treated to the site of an anteater resting up in the treetop, waving her arm as if to say hello. A bit beyond on the trail, we spotted a three-toed sloth moving ever so slowly as a sloth is supposed to do. This was in fact a mama sloth carrying a baby sloth on her belly. While watching the sloth we were also treated to some monkey action in the trees above us where a couple of white-faced monkeys were swinging around.

After our wild animal wonder-fest we hit the beach to wrap up our adventure. Brice did a nice faceplant in the sand and gave himself a little goatee of sand.

1 February

After a day of rest and no much of anything besides swimming in the pool, we headed off for a multi-day excursion to Volcan Arenal. We had a comfortable mini-bus to ourselves for the 4 hour journey to the town of Fortuna. We got the opportunity once again to visit the big cocodrilos under a bridge along the highway. We counted over 20 of the big creatures underneath us.

The air was cooler as we headed up into the mountains; and we arrived in Fortuna to a blanket of clouds. The hotelito that we stay at had lovely gardens and provided great opportunity for our littlest photojournalist to document the landscape.

Fortuna is one of the most heavily touristed towns in Costa Rica. And the abundance of "adventure centers" reflects that. We found one with a kayaking frog out in front of it. The adventures range from hot springs soaking, zip line "canopy tours", horseback tours, ATV's, waterfalls... we found most everything is neatly packaged as a tour leaving very little for self-adventuring types like ourselves.

After a tipico tico dinner (beans, rice, chicken - total bill for 4=$10) and the requisite ice cream cones we spent some time in the plaza de armas or central park before calling it a day.

2 February

After scoping everything out we opted to sign ourselves up for a horseback ride to a waterfall. So after a quick transaction, a bus came and picked us up to whisk us away to our trailhead where we met our horses and guides. There was nobody else on the tour besides our family and our two guides and when we mounted the horses we didn't really have a clear idea as to where we were going or how long we'd be gone. This lack of control over the plan seemed to enhance the sense of adventure.

The kids were giddy.

After an hour or so of some fun, bumpy, muddy riding we arrived within view of the waterfalls. Snack, potty, and then we were ready for a really steep walk down to the base of the falls. Brice was getting pretty tired so I ended up carrying him down much of the way. I thought this was a pretty good deal as this meant the Geoff would be the one to carry him back up. The waterfall was impressive, and if the kids had not been so tired we might've stayed longer and taken a swim.

Tate hiked herself back up the steep trail in impressive fashion. She was behind our guide who seemed to be looking for an excuse to take a break, but hesitated with Tate right on his heels. The whole while on the hike, Brice was very concerned for the horses well-being. He wondered if they missed us, if they were eating, if they were sleeping, if they'd still be there when we got back... It amused the guides.

Back on the horses, and after about 15 minutes Brice fell asleep (while riding the horse) with face on Dad's free hand. He woke when we made a stop at the village reserve of the Maleku people. The Malekus are indiginous to northern Costa Rica. It felt as if we were special guests in their home. They helped to teach us about their culture and about the native animals that serve as their spiritual guardians. They were enchanted by Tate and Brice and were kind enough to allow us to photograph them and their village.

After we delivered the hungry horses back to their home, we checked out a butterfly garden and nursery where we witnessed cacoons of every shape and size.

That night we went to a "Mexican" restaurant, where the food only very slightly resembled anything that we would consider Mexican fare. In fact it was so off that when we ordered chips they of course served us French Fries. The kids seemed happy with their rice and beans, the fountain in the courtyard, and the Marimba player. The Marimba is a xylophone with pipes of bamboo beneath each bar creating a nice echo effect. Tate and Brice got to dancing in front of the Marimba guy who so kindly offered to allow each of them to play beside him. Brice is especially into anything that requires whacking something with a stick.

3 February

Geoff's shuttle bus came to pick him up at the hotel at breakfast ato take hime to the airport. It was sad to say good-bye, but we know how quickly the two weeks will pass before he returns to Costa Rica again. Shortly after breakfast, the kids and I were picked up by our shuttle bus to take us to Monteverde. The transportation options were either a 8 hour public bus ride or a 3 hour Jeep / Boat / Jeep option (however the kids are quick to note that it wasn't really a Jeep, but more of a small bus). We met the boat that took us across Lago Arenal. On this particular part of the journey, I was highly tuned into how much care was being taken of the kids and me. From the boat driver to all of the bus drivers, almost without words, every effort was being taken to make things as easy on us as possible. We had packed very lightly, the kids are such good travelers, we don't require much help - but it's their way here to go above and beyond to help little families like ours. The kids didn't quite realize how much care was being given to them, but I deeply appreciated the gesture.

In the photos, the kids are beside the lake and then on the bus after the boat ride.

Once in Santa Elena (next door to Monteverde), we were dropped right off at our Hostel, Casa Tranquilo. For $15 per night we had a double bed to share (which believe it or not is all we need), a shared bathroom, and a great breakfast included for us all. $15 is hard to beat. We also had a great shared kitchen and patio with a couple of cats to amuse us. The hosts, David and Elena, also had a one year old son, Josue, who was so endearing to Tate and Brice.

Once settled, we went in search of the "Sky Walk" adventure. Basically a walk in the forest along a series of suspension bridges high above the treetops. It was a bit sketchy at first as we had to ascend a steep spiral staircase in gusty winds. I was trying to play it off to the kids that I was perfectly OK with the entire moment, when in fact it was wildy stressful. All was well when we made it up to the trail itself. The six bridges were quite fun and the views were amazing.

We saw a tree fern whose fronds were still curled into little coils. The scale of the fronds was quite big as each arm was several feet in length.

After the "Sky Walk" we stopped for a snack at a hummingbird garden that had several hummingbird feeders also hanging. At almost the moment that we sat down, about 20 Coatis (in the same family as raccoons) emerged from the green hillside and proceeded to help themselves to the hummingbird feeders. It was a little bit intimidating as there were so many of them, but altogether pretty fun to see a new creature.

4 February

Monteverde was a community that was largely founded when Quakers from the US settled the area in the early 1950's. Our visit to Monteverde was a bit of a pilgrimage for me; an opportunity to return to some Quaker roots (I attended Quaker meeting while growing up in Grass Valley, CA). The kids and I attended Friends Meeting on Sunday morning, and were treated to a warm welcome from the members of the meeting. There is also a Quaker school at the same site as the meeting house so we enjoyed some fantastic playtime at their playground. Tate and Brice made a couple of new friends, Sequoia and Sierra who live in Monteverde. They all had ample time to play together as we scooted out of silent meeting early.

As it was the first Sunday of the month, there was a pot-luck after services and we were treated to an incredible spread. By far one of the best meals we've had since we've been here.

The climate in Monteverde is much cooler than most of Costa Rica. We actually had to don some layers to ward off the winds. It is also known as the "cloud forest" area and a canopy of lush rainforest surrounds the entire area.

The other treat at Quaker meeting was a Strangler Fig tree which is basically a tree that strangles another tree leaving a very cool hollow tree in it's place when the host tree dies and decays. A tree fort made by nature. Tate and Brice enjoyed the cozy space for a while and of course decorated the interior with flowers.

We visited la lecheria (the milk / cheese / and ice cream factory) on the way home for a milkshake. Yum.

5 February

Everyone woke up a bit sleepy and we began breakfast with a banana in bed.

We had the morning to spend in Monteverde before our scheduled bus ride home to Quepos. Tate and Brice were partial to spending the entire morning at the hostel, but mom overrode the decision and drug everyone off to the Bosque Eterno de Los Ninos. We enjoyed a quiet hike along the Sendero Bajo del Tigre (The Jaguar Canyon Trail).

After a lunch at a bakery we headed home to the hostel. There was a family from Denmark there with three girls ages 8, 5, and 6 months. The girls spoke only Dansk but the language differences didn't seem to factor in as all the kids took off together exploring eachother's rooms and playing dolls. The kids played until our bus arrived to take us home to Quepos.

It was a long and bumpy ride... too bumpy for the kids to drink from the water bottle, woops. Next time we'll bring the Camelbak.