Costa Rica: Day 3

I was up early again on our 3rd day. I had some quiet time at the jacuzzi and enjoyed this view before Steve and I had breakfast.

We checked out at around 10am and started our drive to the Arenal Volcano! We knew this would be a longer drive and at times the roads would be questionable. Our route was very steep and curvy so, we took our time. There are some crazy drivers in Costa Rica. It took lots of energy to safely navigate through the mountains and avoid the traffic that sometimes veered into our lane. People don't really adhere to the traffic laws down there. Passing a car, going up a hill and around a corner is pretty standard. We learned to look out for that. Here are a few pics of the Costa Rican countryside.

This was a one lane bridge over a river. You decide when to cross.

Pit stop in The Cloud Forest:

We had a clear view of the Arenal Volcano which we were told is rare. Apparently, it's too foggy to see 9 or 10 months of the year.

Strange, ramen noodle type of rainforest plant that we saw in the hot springs:

Me, taking the picture above:

Steven doesn't swim-not even in the hot springs at the base a volcano. Boo. But, I finally did. There was a storm brewing just as we arrived to the hot springs. I waited to get in-hoping it would pass-but, it didn't. I put my dress and shoes on the ground by our chair and hopped in for a quick dip. The water was delightfully soft and warm. When I got out and slipped my wet feet into my shoes, I quickly realized they had been consumed by ants. I was being BITTEN!!! I jumped back into the hot springs and took my shoes with me. I rinsed everything off and left the hot springs in my towel. I carried my dress home in a bag.

Hotel visitor:

After our long drive through the mountains and our visit to the hot springs, we were beat. We ordered some room service. We thought we ordered fish but, we got Indian food? It wasn't great. Steve was asleep by 8:15pm. I finished watching some TV show about boats and then I closed my eyes. We were off to the volcano in the morning!

Yard Sales!

yard sale purchase: $2.

preparatory reading:

Costa Rica: Day 2

I woke up at 5:40am on Saturday morning. I ventured out into the living room and noticed our door was slightly ajar. We had closed and locked it the night before. We're sure. We also used the safety latch...just in case. Oddly, that latch was the only thing keeping our door from being wide open. I checked to be sure we weren't missing any of our personal belongings, shut the door and went back to enjoying the amazing morning view. That was the only moment when we thought-(maybe) we could have been victim to petty theft but, who knows.

Once Steve woke up an hour later, we walked down the street to find a good spot to have breakfast. We ended up at a hotel called Si Como No. They offered this view!

We had a buffet style breakfast which was pretty good.

We had visited the beach the day prior but, the sun wasn't out. Since our drive from Manual Antonio to Jaco would be short, we decided to enjoy some time at the beach and walk down the main street before checking out of our hotel.

Ahh...

It was hot! Really hot. I think Steve thought he might want to sit in the sun but, I'm pretty sure he would have turned into ash in less than a minute if he did. We found a spot in the shade. I heated up and decided to hop in the ocean. The water was warm but, cloudy. Costa Rica isn't known for having clear water but, I didn't care. If felt great.

Yep, it was a pretty nice morning.

After our visit to the beach we drove back up the hill to our hotel to check out. I couldn't leave without taking a dip in our pool. I took a quick, outdoor shower to get the sand out of my suit and then I hopped in!
We were packed up and checked out before noon. Our drive to Jaco took just under 2 hours. We had seen the same sites the day before but, this time we weren't looking through a wall of rain. We stopped a couple of times along the way to see the coastline. So pretty! Finally, we arrived at Villa Caletas. This was the entrance to the hotel. I was giddy. We had selected another hotel located on the very tippy top of a ridge, literally. There was a dramatic drop on either side of this driveway and practically no room for a second car to pass going in the opposite direction. A little scary but, AWESOME at the same time. We arrived and received cold towels and ice tea. Fun! Our room wasn't ready yet so we checked out the rest of the hotel in the meantime.

This was the hotel parking area! Not so spacious.

Mmmhmm.

About 20 minutes later, our room was ready! Our porch was pretty nice but, it was too hot and humid too be out there in the sun for long.

Room 28. Party of 3:

We checked out our hotel's beach that was located 1,500 feet down from the hotel. Four wheel drive vehicles only down this narrow, dirt road...and no swimming allowed at the beach. It's a reef.

I ordered a pina colada and Steve and I planned the route for the next day. There were waves crashing and crabs scampering...it was pretty nice.

Even my straw was sweating in the heat!

On the way back up, there might have been some screaming when I saw this crazy bird fly over the road in front of us. We managed to get a quick shot.
And again with the view! It just wouldn't quit. It was so beautiful from every spot at this hotel. We had planned to go into Jaco for the afternoon but, since the sun sets so early, (5:30pm) we decided to stay put and just enjoy a walk around the hotel and it's property.

After we got back from our walk, the sun was sinking. We watched.

You might not be able to tell from this photo but, just past the pool and 1,500 feet down is the ocean. You can see a sliver of it in this photos. It was an amazing site to see.

...and then, we had a really tasty dinner! Our napkins were delivered to us as small tablets. I have video of what happened next but, I have a slow connection right now. Come back later if you're curious.

Costa Rica: Day 1

We woke up early on our first day in Costa Rica. My body clock never fully adjusted to the 2 hour time change. Below is a picture of our first glimpse of the mountains! We were on our way to breakfast when Steve realized he had left his camera in the room. I shot this pic while I waited for him to go and grab it.

One of the many doorways at the Marriott Hotel in San Jose:

Open air everything! This wasn't your everyday Marriott.

After some fresh fruit and arguably the best coffee we had throughout the entire trip, we checked out and started the drive out of San Jose en route to the Buena Vista Bungalows in Manual Antonio. A road trip in Costa Rica is very different than a road trip in the US. We learned quickly that the directions we had printed out were not going to get us very far. There were no street signs in Costa Rica. Not one. Each location is measured by it's proximity to other landmarks. Crazy. Steve whipped out his plastic compass and we managed to get out of San Jose pretty easily. On our drive we passed a sign for a waterfall, "5KM up." The morning had been relaxed and we had the whole afternoon to make the trip to our second hotel so, we decided to venture up the mountain to see this waterfall. After we parked, we were quickly greeted by an english speaking woman in a long dress who owned, operated and maintained this, "park." She welcomed us to paradise and explained how she danced and practiced yoga in the rainforest and how the waterfall we were going to see would be magical!

We paid the park attendant who was stationed in this small hut.

Then, we picked up our map and were on our way.

Super-size leaves!

It was a long hike and at times an unsettling one. Even in the middle of the day, the rainforest can be a very unwelcoming place. It's hot, humid and alive with creatures.

At one point, we stopped in our tracks when we heard a rustling in the trees. There was a creature hidden behind the leaves and it didn't want us to come ANY closer. We were warned with a hiss. We stood there for a moment and then after I asked Steve what it was, (he didn't know) I ran. Not the smartest move as I could have put Steve's life in danger but, I couldn't just STAND there. Steve followed. Yes, we were running through the rainforest away from a creature that we had threatened. We never saw the waterfall. We knew there would be other waterfalls to see that didn't require such intimate exchanges with jungle creatures. As soon as we got back to the parking area we hopped in the air conditioned SUV and drank lots of water. A storm was rolling in and we had gotten out of the rainforest just in time.

The view from the parking lot:

The rain kept up for a hour or two during our drive. It was kind of fun to see it rain so hard! We were in Costa Rica during their wet season. We expected some rain but, the thought of this kind of rain lasting for the duration of our trip was setting in. Thankfully, the rain slowed down and finally stopped by the time we reached Manual Antonio. We finally arrived at our sleepy little hotel on a hill. It was cloudy and quiet. No one was at the pool or out taking walks.
This little bungalow was nestled into the side of a mountain. The wrap around view was outstanding!

We headed down to see our hotel's beach. Not a soul in sight that afternoon. But, we did see countless crabs!!

Steve spent some time wrestling with a coconut. Finally, he cracked it!

Me, on the beach:

The view from the bungalow:

Flowers and more flowers!

We had dinner that night at El Avion. Their bar is made up of an old C-129 plane that crash landed in Panama years ago. Neat! The air was toasty warm that night.

Even though the sun had set and I couldn't see much more than the heat lightning in the distance, I still had the sensation that the restaurant was perched way up high! After dinner, my eyelids felt heavy. Bedtime always came early for me on this trip. In Costa Rica, the tree frogs don't sleep in.