We traveled with John & Bruce to Costa Rica in March of 2007 Bruce's Reflection on Costa Rica - August 25, 2007
Day 1
Michael & Jerry and John and I arrive in San Jose. John and I think we are rich after converting our US dollars into 400,000 colones! We stay at a very nice B&B called the Canyon House, and receive impeccable service from the cute staff who like to shower in front of us outside ;-) We have an amazing dinner delivered and served to us of roasted chicken, yucca, rice and beans and spend the rest of the evening lounging in the pool and hot tub and enjoying the warm, breezy weather.
Day 2
We fly on a 6-seater Cessna to Carate on the Osa Peninsula. The view is breathtaking as we fly over the mountains and then along the Pacific coastline. Michael shoots an amazing video of our plane landing on the small airstrip at Carate. We walk 1 mile up the beach to the Corcovado Tent Camp, the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific to our left, and lush, pristine jungle to our right, while our luggage is carted up via a horse-drawn cart. When we arrive at the tent camp, our host hands us a flyer explaining how to protect ourselves from a mountain lion attack (comforting), as one had been spotted in the camp a few days earlier. We are also warned to not stray off the trails, as there are 130 species of highly poisonous snakes in the area (once again, comforting). The food is surprisingly good for such a remote location and power only by generator. We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming in the ocean, which is incredibly warm and we enjoy getting pounded by the surf. It is very hot and humid, but hey, what do you expect at 8 degrees latitude? We walk up a trail and spot a poison dart frog nestled in a tree and see many scarlet macaws flying overhead and frolicking in the trees. As the sun sets, we have cocktails on the deck lounge as bats fly closely overhead and freak John out.
Day 3
We take a 4 hour tour of Corcovado National Park with a very friendly, knowledgeable (not to mention handsome) tour guide. Among the many critters we see: tons of crabs, scarlet macaws, a bat sleeping beneath a banana leaf, orb spiders, squirrel, white-faced and howler monkeys, lizards, and coatimundis. Michael and Jerry take a dip in the Madrigal River to cool off, and then we visit an old gold miners’ grave site. We speculate on how they died – malaria, dengue fever, snake bite? All of us get attacked by tiny ticks except for me – what, do I smell that bad?? We spend the rest of the afternoon in the ocean and watch an extraordinary sunset. All of us agree that the place is truly magical and unlike any place we have ever been.
Day 4
Michael, Jerry and I watch as a large iguana eats a hummingbird, and Jerry almost gets attacked by a strange, croaking bird. Regretting that we did not arrange to stay longer at the tent camp, we depart for San Jose, where we are picked up by a van for the drive to Arenal. The journey is not that long, but the van has no shocks, and we are amazed that no one gets car sick. We arrive at the Hotel Paraiso, which has a spectacular view of the Arenal volcano, and explore all of the hot spring-fed pools, all of varying temperatures. We spend a lot of time at the poolside bar, sitting on stools in the warm, weird green-colored water. I think Jerry might have some amphibian blood in him, as his fingers don’t prune up like the rest of us! As night falls, we can see lava flowing from the volcano, and we can occasionally hear the eruptions. We all watch the Academy Awards that evening, but I am the only one who stays up until the bitter, albeit boring, end!
Day 5
John and I get an amazing massage and volcanic mud facial at the spa and emerge glowing and rejuvenated. We love how the cleaning staff makes animals out of towels, leaves and flowers: John and I get an armadillo, while Michael and Jerry get an elephant. Michael and Jerry take a volcano tour for a closer look at the lava flows and giant boulders tumbling down.
Day 6
We are picked up by a van, which is much more comfortable than the last one and we are thankful that this one actually has shocks! It is a long drive to Manuel Antonio, but very scenic and at one point we stop over a bridge to view a river full of large and very menacing looking crocodiles. Our van crosses over a very rickety wooden plank bridge going into Quepos. We arrive at Big Ruby’s La Plantacion, and we have some of the best rooms in the place – at the top of the stairs overlooking the lush tropical gardens. The rooms are very cozy and the beds plush, comfortable and surrounded by mosquito netting. Michael and Jerry try to determine the source of a strange cauliflower smell in their room….hmmm.
Day 7
The 4 of us take a sunset cruise along with many other friends of Dorothy. We get several rounds of Happy Juice, a potent tropical rum concoction and of course, the ever-present Imperial Cerveza. We snorkel in the clear, warm waters and get to see lots of colorful fish. I see plenty of fish, thanks to Michael who throws food in the water right where I am snorkeling! After a delicious fried mahi-mahi dinner, we are treated to a very pretty, pink sunset that seems to disappear into the ocean itself. While lounging in our hammock afterwards, John wrenches his neck trying to avoid a frog which is dangling precariously on the wall directly above him! A couple of nights later, Michael gets crapped on by a giant gecko while lounging in his hammock – obviously some bad mojo going on with the hammocks.
Day 8
Michael and Jerry take us to La Playita, the local gay nude beach. During the long, scorching hot walk we are lucky to see a sloth climbing in the branches above us. After crossing some treacherous rocks, we reach the beautiful beach lined with palm trees. The water is incredibly warm and a bit clearer than the beach at Corcovado. We enjoy swimming for hours and getting pounded by the strong surf. We admire a very cute young Tico boy, who Michael later finds out is a rent boy. (Damn, we still had plenty of colones to spare!) We drink plenty of beers bought from a Guatemalan dude who does not speak a single word of English, and eat a great mahi-mahi lunch cooked by a local woman in a tent right on the beach. I manage to get sunburned despite plenty of sunblock and staying in the shade most of the time. Meanwhile, Jerry gets darker and darker and darker….
Day 9
John and I are awakened very early by the sounds of monkeys jumping on the roof. We spend a very leisurely day of shopping, hanging out in the pool and having plenty o’ drinks served by Shane, the cute Irish bartender. While walking down to the pool, I spot a very strange looking creature that looks like a giant rat, sans tail, which I think is a rodent called a capybara. When Michael inquires about the animal, he is told they just call it a big “bunny.” Bunny, my ass!
Day 10
Our last day in Manuel Antonio : ( We spend the day back at La Playita and again enjoy plenty of beer and fresh food prepared by the locals. Although this time 2 large iguanas want to partake of our lunch and we have to chase them away several times. We do some shopping and buy colorful sarongs, and Jerry buys some very pretty jewelry. I buy 12 bags of coffee to take home for my greedy, caffeine addict coworkers.
Day 11
John and I leave for home, envious that Michael and Jerry are staying 5 nights longer! Despite some ridiculous snafus on the long journey home, we arrive home safely at 2:00 a.m. the next day. We go to bed exhausted, but reflecting on a truly amazing vacation.
Michael & Jerry and John and I arrive in San Jose. John and I think we are rich after converting our US dollars into 400,000 colones! We stay at a very nice B&B called the Canyon House, and receive impeccable service from the cute staff who like to shower in front of us outside ;-) We have an amazing dinner delivered and served to us of roasted chicken, yucca, rice and beans and spend the rest of the evening lounging in the pool and hot tub and enjoying the warm, breezy weather.
Day 2
We fly on a 6-seater Cessna to Carate on the Osa Peninsula. The view is breathtaking as we fly over the mountains and then along the Pacific coastline. Michael shoots an amazing video of our plane landing on the small airstrip at Carate. We walk 1 mile up the beach to the Corcovado Tent Camp, the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific to our left, and lush, pristine jungle to our right, while our luggage is carted up via a horse-drawn cart. When we arrive at the tent camp, our host hands us a flyer explaining how to protect ourselves from a mountain lion attack (comforting), as one had been spotted in the camp a few days earlier. We are also warned to not stray off the trails, as there are 130 species of highly poisonous snakes in the area (once again, comforting). The food is surprisingly good for such a remote location and power only by generator. We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming in the ocean, which is incredibly warm and we enjoy getting pounded by the surf. It is very hot and humid, but hey, what do you expect at 8 degrees latitude? We walk up a trail and spot a poison dart frog nestled in a tree and see many scarlet macaws flying overhead and frolicking in the trees. As the sun sets, we have cocktails on the deck lounge as bats fly closely overhead and freak John out.
Day 3
We take a 4 hour tour of Corcovado National Park with a very friendly, knowledgeable (not to mention handsome) tour guide. Among the many critters we see: tons of crabs, scarlet macaws, a bat sleeping beneath a banana leaf, orb spiders, squirrel, white-faced and howler monkeys, lizards, and coatimundis. Michael and Jerry take a dip in the Madrigal River to cool off, and then we visit an old gold miners’ grave site. We speculate on how they died – malaria, dengue fever, snake bite? All of us get attacked by tiny ticks except for me – what, do I smell that bad?? We spend the rest of the afternoon in the ocean and watch an extraordinary sunset. All of us agree that the place is truly magical and unlike any place we have ever been.
Day 4
Michael, Jerry and I watch as a large iguana eats a hummingbird, and Jerry almost gets attacked by a strange, croaking bird. Regretting that we did not arrange to stay longer at the tent camp, we depart for San Jose, where we are picked up by a van for the drive to Arenal. The journey is not that long, but the van has no shocks, and we are amazed that no one gets car sick. We arrive at the Hotel Paraiso, which has a spectacular view of the Arenal volcano, and explore all of the hot spring-fed pools, all of varying temperatures. We spend a lot of time at the poolside bar, sitting on stools in the warm, weird green-colored water. I think Jerry might have some amphibian blood in him, as his fingers don’t prune up like the rest of us! As night falls, we can see lava flowing from the volcano, and we can occasionally hear the eruptions. We all watch the Academy Awards that evening, but I am the only one who stays up until the bitter, albeit boring, end!
Day 5
John and I get an amazing massage and volcanic mud facial at the spa and emerge glowing and rejuvenated. We love how the cleaning staff makes animals out of towels, leaves and flowers: John and I get an armadillo, while Michael and Jerry get an elephant. Michael and Jerry take a volcano tour for a closer look at the lava flows and giant boulders tumbling down.
Day 6
We are picked up by a van, which is much more comfortable than the last one and we are thankful that this one actually has shocks! It is a long drive to Manuel Antonio, but very scenic and at one point we stop over a bridge to view a river full of large and very menacing looking crocodiles. Our van crosses over a very rickety wooden plank bridge going into Quepos. We arrive at Big Ruby’s La Plantacion, and we have some of the best rooms in the place – at the top of the stairs overlooking the lush tropical gardens. The rooms are very cozy and the beds plush, comfortable and surrounded by mosquito netting. Michael and Jerry try to determine the source of a strange cauliflower smell in their room….hmmm.
Day 7
The 4 of us take a sunset cruise along with many other friends of Dorothy. We get several rounds of Happy Juice, a potent tropical rum concoction and of course, the ever-present Imperial Cerveza. We snorkel in the clear, warm waters and get to see lots of colorful fish. I see plenty of fish, thanks to Michael who throws food in the water right where I am snorkeling! After a delicious fried mahi-mahi dinner, we are treated to a very pretty, pink sunset that seems to disappear into the ocean itself. While lounging in our hammock afterwards, John wrenches his neck trying to avoid a frog which is dangling precariously on the wall directly above him! A couple of nights later, Michael gets crapped on by a giant gecko while lounging in his hammock – obviously some bad mojo going on with the hammocks.
Day 8
Michael and Jerry take us to La Playita, the local gay nude beach. During the long, scorching hot walk we are lucky to see a sloth climbing in the branches above us. After crossing some treacherous rocks, we reach the beautiful beach lined with palm trees. The water is incredibly warm and a bit clearer than the beach at Corcovado. We enjoy swimming for hours and getting pounded by the strong surf. We admire a very cute young Tico boy, who Michael later finds out is a rent boy. (Damn, we still had plenty of colones to spare!) We drink plenty of beers bought from a Guatemalan dude who does not speak a single word of English, and eat a great mahi-mahi lunch cooked by a local woman in a tent right on the beach. I manage to get sunburned despite plenty of sunblock and staying in the shade most of the time. Meanwhile, Jerry gets darker and darker and darker….
Day 9
John and I are awakened very early by the sounds of monkeys jumping on the roof. We spend a very leisurely day of shopping, hanging out in the pool and having plenty o’ drinks served by Shane, the cute Irish bartender. While walking down to the pool, I spot a very strange looking creature that looks like a giant rat, sans tail, which I think is a rodent called a capybara. When Michael inquires about the animal, he is told they just call it a big “bunny.” Bunny, my ass!
Day 10
Our last day in Manuel Antonio : ( We spend the day back at La Playita and again enjoy plenty of beer and fresh food prepared by the locals. Although this time 2 large iguanas want to partake of our lunch and we have to chase them away several times. We do some shopping and buy colorful sarongs, and Jerry buys some very pretty jewelry. I buy 12 bags of coffee to take home for my greedy, caffeine addict coworkers.
Day 11
John and I leave for home, envious that Michael and Jerry are staying 5 nights longer! Despite some ridiculous snafus on the long journey home, we arrive home safely at 2:00 a.m. the next day. We go to bed exhausted, but reflecting on a truly amazing vacation.
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