Costa Rica (2009)

Prolog

While traveling in Peru (May 2008) we bumped into 2 Israelis on the Island of Taquileños. They took a year off to travel the American Continent. One of them told us that the place he had enjoyed the most thus far was Costa Rica.

We listened with enthusiasm to his “adventures in Paradise”, as he described his stay there, and promised ourselves that we must visit this country. As soon as we returned from Peru, I started to research and by the time I finished we had an itinerary, which covers the most exciting places and activities in Costa Rica. I started to get some information on prices and settled to use G.A.P as their prices and reputation seemed to be quite impressive. A couple of months later we visited Las Vegas and met two nice ladies, while having dinner in Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. One of them, Sherry Chais, introduced herself as a Travel Agent based in Florida working for Travel Now. I told Sherry about our plans and that I already have some good prices for the tour. Sherry asked for a chance to beat the prices and I agreed. I emailed her our itinerary and sure enough she came up with the same plan, which included upgrades on all of our hotels and all for the same price.

Sherry used Festival Tours to arrange our trip. We agreed to the terms. One of our stops should have been the Waterfalls at La Paz. Around the middle of January 2009 Sherry called me and asked if I heard about the earthquake in Costa Rica. I did not. As it turned out, a big earthquake (6.1 on the Richter scale) hit Costa Rica on January 8th. It was the biggest to hit the country in the last 150 years. The earthquake took at least 34 lives, including at least three children, and left about 64 people missing. The epicenter was at La Paz where most of the casualties had found their death. Sherry suggested touring the large park, Turu Ba Ri, instead and I agreed.

Day 1: Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

We left home around 8:00 PM and headed to Woodland Hills. Later, Gary took us to the airport and drove back our car back to his house. While standing in line to check-in, Tova met a friend (Christie) whom she has not seen for few years. She too was on her way to Costa Rica to attend a wedding. Both girls were very excited to see each other and the other passengers in the queue put smiles on their faces as they were expressing their happiness quite loud. The flight was pleasant as we both fell asleep for most it.

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Day 2: Thursday, February 19th, 2009

We landed in San Jose, the Capital of Costa Rica, at 9:30 am and after going thru immigration we met with a representative from Festival Tours, holding a sign with our names on it. Though it was only morning, the temperatures have reached 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity was up there in the 80’s. A short time later we were at the lobby of the B.W. Irazu hotel. Since we arrived early we were promised to have a room available within the hour. We decided not to

waste anytime, changed our “winter” traveling cloths to shorts and T-Shirts and walked around looking for an ATM, which we found a short block from the hotel. We then sat in a local “Soda”, a small diner specializing in typical local food, to have breakfast. The diner’s measures were about 9 by 9 feet, a small kiosk, which had everything from meals to drinks to ice cream. We had a delicious coffee (Café con leche), a couple of empanadas and some great tasting pastries.

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We returned to the hotel around 11:00 and received a nice room overlooking the mountains surrounding the city. At 1:00 PM we were picked up in the lobby, for our first excursion in Costa Rica. It was the “City Tour”. We were welcomed by the guide, who said “Pura Vida” to us and then explained that everywhere in Costa Rica people use this phrase to welcome, say goodbye, or just expressing that everything is okay or “take it easy”. The all knowing wikipedia has the following translation: “Pura Vida (POO-rah VEE-dah), used by Costa Ricans since 1956, literally translated means “Pure Life.” Contextually, it means “Full of Life” “Purified life”, “This is living!”, “Going great!” It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction…. Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large” .

Right off the bat the tour guide told us that San Jose is not a safe city for tourists: “San Jose gives a bad name for the rest of the country, though it serves as the cultural epicenter of the country” he said. He recommended that we should not walk at night in the city as tourists are a marked target for thieves and hoodlums. San Jose’s population is about 1.5 millions. One out of every three Costa Ricans lives in the San Jose Province.

Our first stop was at the Parc Nacional, surrounded by many important buildings, the National Park was pleasant and shady. The park features two statues of note: the first is in the center of the park portraying the Central American nations driving out William Walker, an American filibuster and adventurer who attempted to conquer several Latin American countries in the mid-19th century. The second statue is of national hero Juan Santamaría, officially recognized as the national hero of the Republic, found in the southwest corner of the park.

We walked down the streets towards the downtown area. The guide pointed out that there are not many street signs in the city. The main streets (avenues) have signs though, only the small streets don’t. It is a known problem in most of Costa Rica. “When someone wants to mail a letter”, he said, “they write on the envelope something like: Oscar Rodriguez, 3 streets east of Central Avenue, Yellow House on the corner, San Jose, Costa Rica. Somehow, the letters arrive to the addressee”.

We passed through the Central Market, a bustling, crowded market, which offers a variety of fresh produce and goods such as leatherwork for sale. The guide seemed a bit nervous and asked us not to stop at any vendor and to keep on walking. We reached the 20 blocks promenade on Central Avenue, a pedestrian-friendly epicenter of shops and restaurants crowded with many locals and tourists, and arrived to the Central Bank Museums - an underground cultural center, which offers several attractions for the visitors in one place.

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum is one of the few of its kind. It had a superb collection of objects in gold of Costa Rican Pre-Columbian people. The exhibition consisted of 1,000 original pieces that date from 300 to 1,500 AD.

We also visited the other museums in the compound, including the Numismatic Museum, and the Temporary Exhibition Galleries, where we found a wealth of information about Costa Rica past through the art. We saw gold and ceramic pieces created by indigenous people, as well as coins and currency that were in circulation from colonial times to now. As we exited the museum, rain had started.

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We waited for a few minutes in the tunnel, in front of the museum, and continued our tour when the rain seemed to had taken a break. Our next stop was the Cathedral Metropolitana, the biggest church in the capital, which was set up in 1871.

We spent few minutes inside the church and headed to today’s highlight: The National Theatre. (The Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica) Construction began on the theatre in 1891, and it opened to the public on October 21, 1897 with a performance of Faust. The front of the theatre features statues of the famous poet, Calderón de la Barca and the most celebrated composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. The inside of the theatre features the paintings on the ceiling by Alerado Villa, which is also featured on the five colon bills. The International Ballet Company was scheduled to perform that night. We were able to peek at their rehearsal and also met with a couple of the dancers.

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We exited the theater and found our awaiting van, which took us through the city streets to a jewelry shop, passing the magnificent President home on the way. As we travel a lot, we found out that in most cities, it is mandatory (by the local tour guides standards) to visit a jewelry shop. We know that this is pure business and that they are taking us to their selected store so that in the event that we purchase something they will get their cut. They know that we know and still they insist that it is a must visit, as their companies direct them to take us there. Just a waste of time... We spent about 15 minutes in the store, which had many expensive items and then asked our tour guide to take us to his favorite restaurant. He suggested Café Mundo.

A short while later we arrived at this charming place. We found wood tables and iron chairs, which were spread spaciously around several rooms in this former colonial mansion. Additional tables were available on the open-air veranda and in the small gardens both front and back. Joining us to the restaurant were Paul & Julie from New Jersey and a nice girl from Chicago (I forgot her name), who we met during the tour. The dishes were large and tasty and the price was just right. After dinner we walked down the street along with Julie & Paul and stopped a taxi, which took us back to our hotel. We used the Internet services in the hotel and finally surrendered to our beds at 9:00 PM.

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Day 3: Friday, February 20th, 2009

We woke up at 6:30 AM and headed to the hotel’s dining area, which was actually the Denny’s restaurant next door. Our breakfast consisted of eggs, rice, beans and tortilla – A typical Costa Rican breakfast. It was actually very tasty and filling.

Benny, our driver arrived around 7:15 and we headed to an adventure day at Park Turu Ba Ri, (means “Bright Moon River") Located on the Central Valley, about 90 minutes from San Jose.

The site is the largest private park in America and offers nature and adventure tours in a beautiful transition zone from tropical dry to rain forests. It surrounds 650 acres. The entrance of the park is located at the highest point, offering a spectacular view of the property.

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There are two options on how to access the park trails: by using the Turu Ba Ri Sky Ride, which is an aerial tramway or by a Canopy Tour ride, flying from one tree to the other. One of Turu Ba Ri’s biggest draws is its one-kilometer “sensational cable” where visitors fly Superman-style some 300 feet above the ground in a speed that reaches 60 mph. I have to admit that I wasn’t thrilled with the idea. There was something slightly unsettling about being wrapped up like a burrito, a sort of human torpedo flying through the sky above a river full of crocodiles. I was relieved when Tova said there was no way we were going to do it. We opted to try the Canopy Tour and after registering we met our guides, Edgar & Alejandra, who gave us some basic instructions on how to use the zip-lines. We were equipped with the necessary accessories (a harness, helmet and gloves) and then climbed a tall tower for the first cable.

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Along with us was a Jewish family from Ohio who we met earlier. Dr. Pedro Weisleder is an Associate Professor and Residency Program Director at the Children's Hospital in the Ohio State University. Along with him were his wife, their two sons and Pedro’s parents. His father (Moshe) used to live in Costa Rica and arrived here when his parents escaped Europe in the late 1930’s. He told us a little about Jewish life in Costa Rica and we found out from him that the Vice President of Costa Rica is a Jewish woman.

We were informed that the Canopy Adventure consists of 12 platforms and seven cables, the last of which stretches 650 meters (2,000 feet). The ride was awesome. Tova, who was scared at the first couple of lines, got the hang of it and actually enjoyed the rides. We were flying from tree to tree on the zip lines, sometimes reaching a high speed, which took our breath away.

The last line 650 meters long) had taken us to the park grounds where we met our new guide, Oscar, for touring the park privately.

Our first stop was the iguana farm, where love was in the air. A giant male iguana swayed his head wildly in an effort to woo the ladies, which apparently did the trick. We continued our walk along one of the park’s paths, witnessing along the way beautiful flowers, amazing trees and many different birds. We then visited the Butterfly Garden where we saw at least 20 different species of beautiful colored butterflies. The most beautiful one was the Blue Morpho.

We kept on walking and at one point we saw a toucan with a beautiful large beak. He was actually very friendly, as he was raised by the park’s employees as their pet, after they had found him injured in the park. Visitors to the park get familiar with him and he actually likes to interact with humans.

It was time to grab a bite to eat and Oscar led us to a huge dining room, right there in the heart of the park. The buffet-style “Tipico” lunch was one of the best I have ever eaten. It included seven types of beans, a variety of potatoes (some I have never tasted before), four different kind of meats, exotic vegetables (both fresh or cooked in exotic spices), fresh fruits, vegetables-soup, three different kind of fresh fruit juices and of course delicious deserts accompanied by café con leche.

We continued our tour as Oscar led us through the tropical forest to a crocodile’s pond and then to the tram station, where we took the ride back up to the entrance of the park. The views from the cable car were magnificent, as we rode high above the park.

We found our driver playing cards with some of his colleagues. As we approached San Jose, we were in the middle of rush hour as hundreds of vehicles made their way to the city on Friday night. As soon as we arrived to the city we went shopping in a local “Mega Market” for water bottles and snacks. We discovered that all the local produces in the store were priced very low for our (American) standards. For example a loaf of bread was 45 cents and one fresh mango was priced for 90 cents. Pineapples, which are the country 2nd best export item (after Technology) were priced for about a dollar each. We returned to our hotel and after using the internet we went to bed. The time was 10:00 pm.

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Day 4: Saturday, February 21st, 2009

We woke early today (5:30 AM) as we had an early start. Once again we had our Costa Rican typical breakfast at Denny’s and at 6:15 we were picked up by “Rio Tropicales” heading towards Rio Pacuare for a day of fun and adventures. Our guide gave us a brief description of what to expect while participating in “White Water Rafting” in the river. He told us about the danger and about the excitement. After hearing his description, Tova looked at me (very pale, I must add) and said that there is no way she is going to participate in this. I told her that this is her own decision and that whatever she decides it is okay with me. Our guide gave us the schedule of the day, using the phrase “Tico Time” for every schedule. He explained that Costa Rican call themselves affectionately “Ticos”, because of their linguistic tendency to add the small “tico” to the end of each word. This suffix may refer to smallness, but also implies fondness or affection. For example, “chiquito” (small) becomes “chiquitico” (tiny) and momento (minute) becomes momentotico (short minute). He continued to explain that “Tico Time”, or “la hora tica” means approximately time, as time seems to move more slowly in Costa Rica. Traditionally, arriving late, even to business meetings, was acceptable and even national television stations experience regular difficulties with keeping to their schedule, but it is widely accepted by the locals (Ticos).

We arrived at their headquarters, located at the crossroads of Reventazón, Pacuare, Sarapiquí and Tortuguero. We toured the facilities and found out that they have a lodge with comfortable rooms, spacious changing rooms with private showers, a fully equipped bar and restaurant with seating for 250. There was also a souvenir shop, which sells among other items, gear and clothing. For the second time today we found ourselves eating a delicious breakfast!!

At one of their bulletin boards we saw an older couple in a raft with huge smiles on their faces. Upon seeing this picture, Tova changed her mind and said: “If they can do it, so can I”. I was so delighted to hear this! We headed to the river in the van. There were 12 of us. A truck loaded with the 2 rafts and gear came along. Upon arriving, the guide once again gave us the final instructions. He repeated the commands that we would hear during the wild ride: “Right Back, Left Forward”, for example, means: “Those on the right of the raft should propel backward and those on the left should propel forward”. We put our gear on and stepped aboard the raft. In a few minutes we would experience an adventure of a lifetime as Costa Rica offers some of the world's finest whitewater rafting and kayaking rivers.

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As it turned out, there are 6 classes of difficulties for White River Rafting. It so happened that ours was class 4, described in their manuals as “Long, difficult rapids, with constricted passages that often require precise maneuvering in very turbulent waters”. The class was actually for advance participants and for us… well it was our first time…. and too late to make a change...

The river was wild, to say the least. In every given second we could have turned upside down as huge waves “attacked” our raft. There were 2 rafts (6 persons per raft plus a “captain”) and at one point a woman from the second raft was thrown out into the wild water but was picked up immediately by the raft’s “captain”. We were soaking wet and the adrenaline in our bodies was extremely high.

We traveled for 6 miles deep in the heart of densely vegetated gorges, past gushing waterfalls and beautiful sceneries. The adventure lasted about 2 hours. At half way we took a break from the action and went swimming close to one of the river’s banks.

We were back at the facilities at around 12:00 and after taking a shower we changed our wet swim-wears and joined the others for a delicious lunch, consisted of lots of vegetables, meats, rice & beans, and deserts. While we were struggling to stay afloat in the river, a photographer was taking our pictures with his special, water resistant camera. So while we were consuming our lunch, we watched our pictures displayed in the dining room on a wide screen TV. The pictures were for sale on a CD, for a reasonable price of $10 pp. We purchased the CD. We returned to our hotel in San Jose at around 3:00 pm and upon arriving, Tova found a beauty salon right next to the hotel where she spent the next hour, while I was sitting in the local kiosk sipping a delicious Latte and smoking a cigar.

Later on Tova made reservation for a massage at the hotel and came back to the room raving about how good it was. Note: I was looking at our upcoming trip tomorrow and discovered that I screwed up planning this trip today, as we could have stayed at the Rio Tropicales lodge, instead of driving back to San Jose. Tomorrow’s ride to Tortuguero will pass very close to the lodge and hence we could have saved four hours (2 hours each way) and enjoy more the wilderness surrounding the area. We were so tired that at 7:00 o’clock we turned off the lights and slept for the next 10½ hours.

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Day 5: Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

We woke up once again at 5:30 AM and after our “ritual” breakfast at Denny’s we checked out of our San Jose hotel as we were picked up by a private van and started our journey to the “Caribbean’s side”. On our way we passed a cloudy mountain and a forest, where according to our guide, they filmed the movie Jurassic Park and passed a bridge overlooking a wonderful sight. On our left, the Río Sucio (literally "Dirty River") joins the Río Hondura which comes in from the right. The difference between these two streams was striking -- the Hondura is a clear mountain stream, while the Sucio is reddish-orange due to its origins on the ash-covered upper slopes of Irazú Volcano.

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After a couple of hours of ride we arrived at a restaurant where breakfast was served to our table (2nd breakfast of the day!). The restaurant, we found out, was a gathering place or a “hub” for all trips in the area. Few other vans appeared later and took passengers to their destinations. However, we kept our original van and continued our journey, entering deeper to the region of Limon and after passing through the major town Guapiles, our guide told us jokingly that now starts the “massage treatment” of our journey, as the asphalt street became a dirt road and we where “up and down” driving at a speed of about 40 mph.

On our way we saw a huge banana plantation and at one point we had to stop for a few minutes as a herd of cows passed the road. At the end of the road there was the Tortuguero River and a boat, sent by our hotel, was waiting for us. There were 9 of us boarding the boat, including a charming couple from England, two French and three young doctors from California.

The boat ride to Tortuguero was magnificent. We saw many birds, a crocodile, turtles, frogs, iguana’s, and monkeys hollering on top of the trees. We passed through the village of Tortuguero and arrived at our hotel resort, Manatus Hotel. As soon as the boat docked at the hotel, we felt like VIP guests. The hotel manager showed up at the dock and we were treated to a delicious fresh fruit punch. “Lunch will be served at 12:00” he announced as we were led to our cabins.

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We discovered a beautiful “villa” with all the accommodations we could dream of. Around us was the forest with noises in the background of wild animals mixed with the singing of a variety of birds. I started to understand the meaning of the word “Paradise”. I even told Tova that I think that when God created the universe, he actually had in mind this region, when he created Paradise.

We showered and changed our traveling cloths into comfortable summer clothing as the temperatures were up there in the 90’s. We then entered the beautiful dining room, overlooking the river and equipped with beautiful furniture. We were seated at a table with our back to the forest and our faces towards the river.

Lunch was served ala “cruise style” with choices of appetizers, main courses and of course deserts and delicious juices. There were three waiters in the dining room, serving the nine of us to perfection.

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After lunch we sat down on the rocking chairs at the dock, waiting for out boat.

At 2:00 PM we sailed down the river to the village. The boat’s guide Ray, who is exclusively employed by the hotel, told us a bit about the village and region. The small village of Tortuguero (translated as "Region of Turtles") lies on the northeastern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The village is comprised of a variety of cultures: Hispanic, Miskito Indian (Nicaragua), and Afro-Caribbean. Both Spanish and Creole English are spoken here.

Tortuguero beach is the most important nesting site of the endangered green turtle in the Western Hemisphere. The green turtle population is believed to have come very close to extinction in the 1960s when nearly every female turtle arriving to nest in Tortuguero was taken for the export market for turtle soup. An organization called CCC (Caribbean Conservation Corporation) was established specifically to study and protect Caribbean green turtles. Working closely with the Costa Rican government, CCC helped establish Tortuguero National Park in 1970, a move that offered protection to the turtles and strictly limited the number of turtles that could be taken. The park now includes over 46,000 acres and protects 22 miles of nesting beach.

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We arrived at the bank on the other side of the river and entered the Turtle Museum where a video about the green turtles was on display. We learned that the “baby turtles” emerge from their eggs, laid on the beach by their mothers, between June and September each and every year and that the same baby turtles, those that survive, are traveling the Caribbean’s sea for thousands of miles and return to the same spots where they were born to lay their own eggs. For over 100 years scientists are trying to solve the puzzle of how those turtles know their way back to the beach but until today we have only theories and assumptions. It is still a mystery.

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We crossed a narrow forest (about 30 yards) and there was the Caribbean’s Sea. We strolled on the green color sand and arrived to the tiny village (population 550), which we toured for about 30 minutes, bought some souvenirs, had a couple of cold Imperial beers and returned to our boat.

Once we arrived back to the hotel, the manager rushed towards us and asked us to hurry as there was a family of hollering monkeys at the compounds. We rushed towards the forest and were able to see the family, eating fruits above us on top of the trees. One of the monkeys was upset at us, appearing (without any invitations) while he was having his dinner, that he threw at us (and almost hit) his leftover fruits.

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After yet another shower (our third for the day) we joined the group at the dining room and had a delicious dinner.

We returned to our cabin and I took my camera and strolled along the bank of the river, spotting a huge toad next to a cocoanut tree. I sat at the river’s bank, looking at the lights flickering in the water, listening to the voices of the forest, while sipping a cold beer and smoking a cigar. What a life!!!

Back at the cabin I watched CNN news. The main story was about the winners and losers of tonight’s Oscar Awards Show.

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Day 6: Monday, February 23rd, 2009

We woke up at 7:00 to the sounds of the hollering monkeys and headed to the dining room where a gourmet breakfast was served to us by our three loyal waiters.

At 8:30 Ray showed up and all nine of us boarded a roofless motor boat and headed to a day at the river and the Tortuguero National Park. We stopped at the Park’s Ranger boot and paid the $10 pp entrance fees.

This is one of the few national parks in the world, where walking isn't necessarily to see things. The tour was entirely based on seeing the wild life from the boat. We saw migratory bird flocks, colorful toucans, Jesus Christ lizards (who could actually “walk on water”), butterflies in all colors and sizes, beautiful orchids, crocs look alike caimans, river turtles, ospreys, egrets, iguanas, and two different kinds of monkeys in this paradise.

We entered small canals with very thick jungle on both sides, the engine was turned off and we slowly entered the dense forest. The boat had a tiny battery-operated "thrust" electric motor enabling us to travel very slowly, and more important silently. Our guide and driver’s eyes where looking for any movements on the water and in the jungle.

Nobody spoke in our boat, except for Ray who would point his finger to the direction, where he found something and then declared the name of the animal and some of its characteristics.

We were scheduled to climb Tortuguero Hill but Ray told us that the trails were closed, due to work done to improve them.

At around 12:00 we returned to the lodge for food and rest. The tour continued at 2:30 where at this time we headed to the other side of the river. We discovered that the scenery changed a bit. We continue to “hunt” with our eyes more wild life and returned to our lodge at around 5:00.

We took a nap for an hour and then had a delicious dinner at 7:00. We were all loud and friendly now, siting around the bar and reminding each other of what we had seen in the park.

Roberto, the resort’s owner arrived that day and I had a chance to talk to him and to thank him for his hospitality. He told me in details how he used to be an Industrial Engineer, working for a food company and 10 years ago decided to buy the 100 or so acres, where the resort stands today, “for few dollars”. About five years ago he decided to start the new career and built this wonderful compound, which can accommodate only 30 guests, enabling the staff to pay a lot of attention to each and every one of the guests. The hotel was opened to the public in 2006. We returned to our cabin and packed our luggage as tomorrow we will be picked up to start a new adventure. We promised ourselves to return to “paradise” soon. Day 7: Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

We woke up to the sounds of heavy rain and hollering monkeys. The rain lasted for only a few minutes and blue skies replaced the dark clouds. After breakfast we were picked up by Ray. We boarded the boat and once again traveled the Tortuguero River only that this time we said goodbye to this beautiful park. A van was waiting for us at the other side of the river, which took us to the same restaurant we had visited three days ago. On the way we stopped at a Mega Market to buy some local marmalades and snacks.

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After lunch at the restaurant a new van came to pick us up. We were heading to the Arenal Volcano area and to the town of La Fortuna. Tony, our new driver, told us about the immigration problems they have in this country. For every 4 Costa Rican there is one illegal immigrant. Most of them are Nicaraguans, who cross the borders and come looking for work. The Costa Rican actually need them as they are willing to do the “dirty work” for a buck and a half per hour and are considered to be good farmers. He told us that a Costa Rican woman will never marry one of them as they are looking to have a better life when they get married. Costa Rican men, however, will have no problem marrying a Nicaraguan woman as they (the Nicaraguan women) are used to work hard and are known to make men happy… The scenery was beautiful and breathtaking. We drove through mountains and valleys passing by sleeping towns and farms.

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We arrived at Arenal Paraiso lodge and resort at around 5:00 PM and found it to be situated about 4 miles west of the city of La Fortuna, northeast of the Arenal Volcano enabling its guests with one of the best possible views to observe this active volcano. The scenic beauty of the area perfectly blends in with the exuberant gardens and the “villas” that are sprinkled over their generous property. The property has hot springs, naturally heated, a huge restaurant, a large spa and other accommodations. Our villa was in the front line where there was nothing between us and the volcano.

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We changed our clothing to swim-wears and went to the hot springs area. We discovered that the higher we climbed the mountain, the hotter the water was. We found one spring that seems to be the most comfortable and enjoyed an hour of leisure.

We returned to our room, showered, changed to fresh cloths and went to the dining room

enjoying a typical Costa Rican dinner consisting of rice and beans, meat, fried plantains, carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage salad all mixed together. The name of the plate is Casado. Along with cold beer this meal was perfect!!

When we returned to our cabin we saw some fire coming from the clouds covered volcano. We sat on our balcony with wows sounds coming out from our mouths as the color of the fire mixed with the darkness of the night made quite an expression on us. We went to sleep at around midnight! Day 8: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

After a delicious breakfast at the elegant dining room we started to walk the 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to the town of La Fortuna. About half way, I started to feel pains in my left heel. The pain got stronger as we continued to walk but I made up my mind to finish, with the hope that the pain will go away.

We passed farms, ranches, fields of corn and pineapples, saw cows and wild horses, greeted and talked to some locals, and were just having a great time. The entire trip lasted two hours.

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We arrived at the town and stopped for a delicious cappuccino at the Venice Café along with a tasty cake. We then toured the main street, crowded with shops, restaurants and people, both locals and tourists. The main street is the true definition of “Tourists Trap”, with prices quoted in dollars, vendors, who are solicitating in English outside of their shops and prices of goods way up there. It was time to go back to our lodge as a trip was scheduled for us at 3:00. We entered the local grocery store, bought salami, cheese, butter, and beer.

We then walked to the nearby bakery and bought a fresh loaf of bread and cakes filled with fruits. A taxi we hailed on the main street took us back to the lodge where we prepared and ate a couple of huge sandwiched, sitting on the balcony and enjoying the beautiful views. We were picked up by Sunset Tours and met our new guide Uriel. With us was a couple from Spain: Fernando and Maria.

The van took us to a panoramic spot overlooking at the Arenal Volcano.

Uriel drew some pictures on a piece of paper and told us about the major eruption of the volcano some 40 years ago: The Arenal Volcano remained silent for more than 400 years and was considered extinct. Sure, it trembled often and in some places felt hot under foot, but the local population referred to it as a mountain: Cerro Arenal. It was home to farmers and ranchers who worked land along its base and even a short distance up its slopes.

On Monday July 29, 1968, at 7:30 in the morning the Arenal volcano suddenly and violently erupted, blowing a huge hole out of the mountainside. Its eruptions continued for several days and completely buried over 15 square kilometers with rocks, lava, and ash. By the end, it had killed 87 people and buried 3 small villages: Tabacón, Pueblo Nuevo and San Luís. The eruptions affected a total of more than 200 square kilometers by damaging the land’s crops, property, livestock, and forests.

The farmers received a signal on the upcoming eruption as their stock stopped drinking from the river, since the water got a lot warmer, but they chose to ignore the signs, assuming it was a false alarm. At the height of this ferocious activity, the volcano threw massive amounts of lava and ash. It tossed giant rocks, weighting several tons, some 600 meters per second and more than a kilometer away. The explosions formed three new active craters. The volcano has been moderately active since then, producing tumbling hot rocks, smoke, ash, and lava almost every day. The local population now lives a safe distance from it and the eruptions occur without further loss of life.

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From what Arenal took away in the lives of many, it has given back to the community by becoming one of Costa Rica's most visited natural attractions. While agriculture is still very important, tourism has become the main source of income for the region. The original name of another village in the sorrounding was Burio, which was not hit by the eruption. The village changed its name to La Fortuna (“The Fortunate”) right after the eruption.

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We entered Arenal National Park and crossed a river, then spent about 2 hours exploring the park. We saw 2 different kinds of hawks (white and brown), a tarantula, 2 different kinds of toucans, wild turkeys, leaf cutting ants, monkeys, some other beautiful birds and butterflies.

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Rain started to fall as we exited the park and we hustled to get to a covered patio where our van was waiting for us. We then drove to the top of a hill overlooking the volcano. We were supposed to see the lava erupting out of Arenal but were disappointed when low clouds covered the entire mountain. We were not able to see anything and decided to continue. The van arrived at Baldi Hot Springs. The entrance was prepaid and we were led to the lockers area, where we were asked to pay five bucks (!) for just renting the key to the locker. The outrageous price was the main conversation by all tourists around. The locals, by the way, bring their own lock from home and avoid the ridiculous expense.

We changed our cloths to swimwear and the four of us started the tour of this magnificent place. The facilities included over 30 (!) hot and cold pools of different temperatures, 3 swim-up bars, 2 waterslides, restaurant, and a Spa, along with the changing rooms’ area. We spent the next 90 minutes in many different pools, enjoying the very hot waterfall, and the Jacuzzi style pool with water temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

We then showered and entered the dining room for a buffet style dinner. The food wasn’t as good as we were used to but we were so hungry that we did not make any complaint about it. We sat outside waiting for the van, which showed up right on time. As we arrived to our lodge, Tova realized that she forgot her bag on the bench at Baldi, while we were waiting for the van. I asked the driver to return to Baldi but he acted as he does not understand my request. I then added that I will tip him handsomely if we find the bag. The driver agreed (of course) and we returned to the Hot Springs.

I went to the reception area and a young lady said that she did not receive any bags this evening. I was going to give up on it when the driver talked to another receptionist, who pulled out the bag from underneath the first lady’s counter and asked if that was our bag. We thanked her and returned to the lodge. I tipped the driver $10 and he was the happiest man in Arenal! We used the internet for awhile and then surrendered to bed at 11:00 PM. My heel continued to hurt badly for the entire day and even the Jacuzzi did not do the trick.

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Day 9: Thursday, February 26th, 2009

We woke up at 6:30 and headed to the dining room. After breakfast we were picked up by a van, which took us to a stable, where we joined a group of seven visitors for a horseback adventure.

On our way to the stables we realized that we are missing Tova's camera, which was inside the bag that we had lost (and then recovered) yesterday. I then understood why the first young lady told me last night that she never received the bag…

Our guide was Alex, who was truly a natural gaucho (cowboy). I was given a beautiful horse by the name of Tejona and Tova’s horse was Tejona’s son with the name of Tejon. We rode towards the volcano along the pastureland and forest. The ride was mostly on dirt roads and from time to time Alex led us to the slope of the hill. We crossed a river, visited two natural lakes, climbed some rolling hills, entered a tropical jungle and even had to chase away some cows and bulls, which were blocking our path.

We arrived at an observation lookout, very close to the volcano (500 meters away), but once again the weather won over us, as low clouds covered the mountain and heavy rain was coming down on the open fields.

The ride lasted about 4 hours and was with much fun. We really enjoyed Alex and his guidance. I will always remember his “Hee Haw” sounds (like a true cowboy) for the entire ride, as he led our horses.

We arrived to our cabin in the lodge and wrapped our leftover lunch from yesterday as our next ride was already waiting for us. Our next adventure for the day was the Hanging Bridges of Arenal (Puentes Colgantes del Arenal).

We arrived to the top of a mountain with beautiful panoramic views of the area. We were able to get a great view of Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake. Tova prepared the sandwiches and after lunch, we were led on a private and a magnificent trip. We entered a forest and walked for a distance of about 2 miles into the dense forest. The bridges were built on top of deep valleys and the sensation of crossing them was magnificent. The Hanging Bridges project consists of eight fixed bridges, ranging in length between 8 and 22 meters, and six hanging bridges, between 48 and 98 meters long.

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We also visited a wonderful waterfall where above we spotted Pilon Tree Bridge, the longest hanging bridge of the park at 92 meters.

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One of the signs in the park got my attention for its poor English. I took a picture of it (and added my remarks).

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We returned to the lodge in the afternoon and entered the spa where a two hours massage, we had booked earlier, was in store for us. I showered and then was treated, for the first time in my life, to a pedicure and a manicure. It was awesome. I then was led to a room for a delightful massage. Tova too had a great time. We had a delicious seafood dinner, and went to sleep at around 10:00 PM. My left foot’s heel is hurting a lot.

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Day 10: Friday, February 27th, 2009

We woke up at 6:15 and after breakfast were picked up for a combination tour of horseback riding and hiking. . With us were Nancy from New Hampshire, her husband Chris, their son Ben, and their two daughters Sarah and Olivia.

My horse’s name was Titano and Tova’s horse was named Jaco. We rode for about 40 minutes (like pros, if I may add..) and arrived to the trail at San Carlos Forest. We left the horses and started to walk down a hill, in natural trails. We crossed few hanging bridges and were mesmerized by the views that surround the forest and the wonderful valley. We continued our hike and arrived to a river.

All we needed to do is cross the river and arrive at the base of the Pino Blanco Waterfall. The task was not as simple as it sounded: crossing the river was a complicated mission as the water in the river rushed at a tremendous high speed. I gave my camera to Johnny, our guide, and walked carefully to the other side of the river. It was quite a task as I felt the “muscles” of the river, trying to drag me away and take me down the hill. Johnny, however, had no problems crossing the river with my camera. We climbed few steps and discovered a beautiful waterfall along with a pretty sized pool at its base.

We then crossed the river again. This time Johnny, who already returned to the other side with my camera, came for the rescue as he was holding my arms to make it easier crossing the river.

As we climbed up the trails, we arrived at a deck with panoramic views of the valley. I was trying to take a picture and my lens’s cover just flew out of my hands, rolled down the hill and l

anded at the base of the forest. When Johnny arrived I told him about my loss and he was able to spot the lenses cover about 7-8 meters underneath us, half buried in the leaves. He told me that there was no way we could pick it up. Another guide came by and claimed that he could rescue the loss. I could not believe my eyes as he tied a rope to a tree and just like a monkey he used the rope to get to the forest grounds, picked up my lens’s cover and returned it to me. I will always remember the huge smile on his face when he came up the rope, as if to say that nothing is impossible.

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We found our horses and rode back to the stables. When the van showed up we asked our driver to stop at La Fortuna Bakery, the one we found a couple of days ago, where we purchased bread, butter, cheese and a couples of pies. Once we were back at our cabin, we prepared lunch and took a much needed nap. Our next adventure started at 2:30 PM. A van took us to a farm by the name of La Orquidea. The sky was dark and rain was coming down heavily at time. Since it was a private excursion, we were offered 2 choices to arrive at our next destination: horses or big-wheels tractor. We selected the tractor as our butts were in pain for riding the horses in the morning plus as I mentioned the rain was really a factor as it came down heavily.

The 30 minutes ride on the tractor was an experience by itself as we sat on the sides of it, and as the road was bumpy so were we. Ivan, our driver, was funny as he made all kind of voices every time the tractor hit a hole on the road or going over some rocks. We crossed a river and rode through fields with cows, horses and other animals and birds. We finally arrived to our destination: The Arenal Canopy, where we met our new guide, waiting just for us. His name was Pablo. We also found out, to our delight, that Ivan will be one of our guides as well.

This canopy was actually very advanced, much faster and much longer than the one we experienced few days ago at Turu Ba Ri.

The Arenal canopy is located at the foot of the same mountain range with the Arenal Volcano. The view of the volcano from forest was spectacular.

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We climbed up for about 15 minutes and started our adventure with heavy rain falling down on us. We zipped through ten lines. The shortest cable was 195 ft. and the longest was 1200 ft (!). "Thanks" to the rain, the speed was about twice as fast as on a dry day and as we zipped down the lines, water mixed with dark oil covered our faces and cloths.

At the end of each zip line was a platform and each time we got there, Pablo pointed out some monkeys, toucans, and other birds. Ivan was singing for the entire time. He was quite a character as I mentioned earlier.

Since there were only the four of us (including Ivan and Pablo), the entire ride took only an hour and the adrenalin was very high as there was almost no breaks between lines. Pablo had volunteered, at the beginning of the canopy tour, to carry my camera. He took many nice pictures of Tova and me, “flying” through the forest.

We rode the tractor back to the farm and asked our driver to stop at a pizza parlor in La Fortune. We picked up the pizza, which we consumed entirely at the balcony in our cabin.

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I asked Tova: “So, how do you like the vacation so far?” and she replied: “Vacation? This is boot camp... In a matter of fact I am waiting for you to tell me when this vacation starts”. We were both on the floor laughing!

As my heel started to act again, we decided to try the hot springs again. Maybe it could help! We enjoyed the hot water in the pools, but unfortunately this did not help my heel.

We returned to our cabin and packed our luggage as tomorrow we will continue our adventures in another part of this magnificent country.

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Day 11: Saturday, February 28th, 2009

After breakfast we checked out from our hotel and were picked up by a van to start our journey towards Monteverde. We arrived to the majestic Lake Arenal, after a short ride.

The lake is surrounded by rolling hills of pastured and forested land. Following the 1968 eruption, the lake was enlarged to 3 times its original size, an area of 85 km. Now its basin forms a hydroelectric project that produces 9 percent of Costa Rica's electricity.

The trip from La Fortuna to Monteverde is a famous one and we were about to discover why. It is known as Taxi-Boat-Taxi trip and is designated to shorten the drive between the two cities. We could have chosen to take the Taxi Only ride, which would have been twice longer (9 hours!) and much tougher.
The boat ride was very enjoyable as the volcano was looming behind us. We arrived at Rio Chiquito half hour later where we boarded a van and started our last leg of today's trip.

The road from Rio Chiquito to Monteverde was a unique one. It was a bumpy ride on a dirt path, and lasted about 2 hours and a half. On the way we passed some villages and farms. At one point the van in front of us could not make it up a hill. The passengers in the van got out and literally pushed the van up the hill. Our driver was choked with laughter and told us that this could have been a nice commercial for Toyota (Which was what we were riding), comparing it to Hyundai, which was the van in front of us. Once the van in front of us made it safely, our van just zoomed by the hill as we continued our drive to Monteverde.

We arrived at restaurant, about an hour later and enjoyed a delicious lunch along with hot and tasty cappuccinos. The restaurant also had a souvenirs shop and we tempted to buy some but decided to wait till we get to the city. (We found out later on that we should have bought the souvenirs at this shop as the prices there were about 40% cheaper than in the city).

We arrived to Santa Elena-Monteverde an hour later. The entire trip (from La Fortuna to Santa Elena lasted about five hours, including the lunch stop). Our van took us to our hotel and as soon as we arrived, we realized that Hotel Montana was a special place. It is situated in an area called Cerro Plano which is located between the small towns of Santa Elena and Monteverde. The views from the hotel were amazing as the Pacific Ocean could be seen in the horizon at one side and the Cloud Forest at the other.

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We found our cabin and discovered that our balcony was offering unbelievable views of the ocean and the mountains surrounding it. The room was spacious and the bathroom was huge. The hotel manager, who welcomed us as we checked in, told us that they also have a private Jacuzzi and in order to use it we need to reserve it. We “jumped” on the offer and booked it for three different times: one for each evening. We unpacked and decided to walk to the main street to have a bite to eat and also to explore the small city. Tova wanted her hair done and the Hotel Manager provided us with the address of the local beauty salon.

We started our walk down the mountain and to our surprise found an Israeli restaurant by the name of “Moon Sheva”. We talked to the Israeli cook, Bat-Sheva, and told her that we will be back for an early dinner, after touring the city.

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We continued our walk down the steep mountain and arrived to the main street of Santa Elena, where we found a typical touristy street with many souvenir shops, hotels, restaurants, and bars.

We found the “beauty salon”, which was actually a room inside the local clothing store. The sales lady in the clothing store told us (in broken English) that the “beauty salon” is closed for the weekend and that we should try again on Monday. We shopped for some souvenirs, and entered the local Mega Market to buy bottled water and then climbed back up the mountain towards the Israeli restaurant, we had found earlier. The climb was tough as I felt I am actually walking at a 45 degrees angle plus my heel was still acting badly. We finally made it to the restaurant and ordered some Israeli salads and a steak, which was described in the menu as “Fillet Mingon” but was actually roast beef.

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We returned to our hotel and received the key to the private Jacuzzi. The spa was surrounded by glass walls and the view was spectacular. The temperature of the water was way too comfortable and the water jets were great. We also entered the sauna and an hour later returned to our cabin for a great night sleep.

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We woke up at 5:45 and entered the huge dining room of the hotel for a delicious breakfast, including all kind of fruits, eggs, rice, beans, pancakes, juices and a delicious coffee. We asked the waiter for the brand name of the coffee and he told me that they are using only the local Don Juan Coffee Beans. He also mentioned that they have tours in their location and that I should book a tour at the front desk, which we did. Our ride arrived at 7:00 and we were on our way to the Cloud Forest, a short ride from our hotel, where we met our guide. There were 6 of us in the group and he gave us “an introduction” about this forest, which is the number one visited forest in Costa Rica:

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By definition a cloud forest (often called Fog Forest) is a special kind of a rain forest characterized by nearly 100% humidity throughout the year. Here in the Reserve Santa Elena of Monteverde, warm winds, filled with moisture, blow in over the Atlantic. As the winds sweep up to the Continental Divide, they cool and condense to form clouds, bathing the forest in a constant soft mist. The cloud forest here receives an incredible four meters (!) of rain every year- that is almost twelve feet.

The forest has over 400 different kinds of birds, many different species of butterflies, over 500 different orchid species, 100 or more reptilian and amphibian species, thousands of insects. all kind of animals (including mountain lions and monkeys) and thousands different kind of plants.

The guide then took us on a trek where he stopped every time he would discover a special bird or other animals in the forest. He also told us that tourists are coming from all over the world to do “birds watching” in this forest. The prize for each bird watcher is the Costa Rican Resplendent Quetzal. At one point on the trail he asked us to be quiet and with his telescope we saw both the female and the male, who had a spectacular tail.

We ended our tour at a Humming Birds Sanctuary, where a dozen or so different kind of humming birds, with all kind of beautiful colors, were competing to drink the sweet juice offered to them in the special bottles, hanging on the trees. There was also an animal, looking like a raccoon, which was able to hang on a rope upside down and yank the juice as well, “stealing” the food from the bird.

We returned to the hotel and strolled down the mountain, where we found a bakery and had a huge burrito, along with coffee for lunch. Tova took a nap and I went outside to take some pictures of the wonderful view. As I stepped outside the cabin I heard a bird calling from the top of the tree. I approached the tree to take a picture of the bird when I noticed that there was a hole in the trunk of the tree and a beautiful chick was sticking his head out to be fed by the bird. I took a great snapshot of the chick. (A few days later I showed the snapshot to one of our guides, who told me that I was lucky to take this picture as the bird was a special one) In the afternoon we were picked up by a van and driven to the Don Juan Coffee Plantation. As the guide introduced himself, an older man passed by and greeted us.

We found out that was actually Don Juan, the owner of the plantation. His picture is all over the city and we recognized him right away. The guide pointed out the most important aspects of coffee, its harvest, and processing. He took us through the history of coffee from its beginning in the Arabic countries and Ethiopia. We walked through the fields, and stopped at various locations where the guide demonstrated to us the processing of the coffee. At one point we discovered how the locals make sugar cane juice.

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The tour lasted around two hours and as a "grand finale" we arrived to the traditional house, where we enjoyed the delicious taste and the seductive aroma of one of the best coffees in the world, along with chocolate candies and a delicious rice pudding.

We entered the souvenirs store (attached “conveniently” to the traditional house) and purchased fresh roasted and packaged coffee, and some souvenirs. With our bodied loaded with caffeine we returned to our hotel and received the special keys to the hotel’s Jacuzzi, which once again we enjoyed tremendously. We then showered and entered the hotel’s dining room to enjoy a huge and delicious dinner along with an Argentinean Merlot bottle, which we managed to finish and then zigzagged to our cabin and went to bed at around 10:00 pm. We woke up at around 4:00 AM to the sounds of very strong winds and rain. A rain storm with high winds had reached our area.

After breakfast we were picked up and headed once again to the Cloud Forest, only that this time to its northern entrance. The wind and rain had not stopped and at time seemed to get stronger. The van passed through Santa Elena, and started to climb the steep mountain. We finally arrived to Sky Trek, which is a system of trails, suspension bridges, and zip lines. We were provided with the appropriate gear and a rain coats. The winds sounded like a strong whistle, notifying us that they are here to stay and as we looked through the windows of the building we saw the tree tops “dancing” and swaying from side to side with much power. Our guide asked me to leave my camera in the building as he could not guarantee the safety of it and I reluctantly left it there.

After a brief introduction (We felt that we already veterans to whatever is about zip line) we zipped through the first line, adjacent to their main building, and then climbed the Sky Tram, which took us to the top of the mountain.

During the 20 minutes ride the tram swayed from side to side surrendering to the strong wind as heavy rain washed us all. We finally arrived to the observatory platform at the top of the mountain. We started our Canopy Ride. The main difference between this ride and the other two, we had taken, was that since we were above the clouds we could not see anything, while zipping through the forest. We could not even see the end of the line. The other main difference was the speed of the lines that “thanks’ to the rain was very fast, which added to the suspense and our adrenaline was way up there.

Since the visibility was close to zero we could not see our guide at the platform and he used his whistle to let us know every time we were supposed to slow down (We used both of our gloved hands to put pressure on the line). At one point, Tova did not hear the whistle and came to a complete stop, coming in at 40 MPH. She bumped her head but thanks to her helmet did not feel any pain. The adventure lasted about 2 hours in this famous canopy tour, and consisted of 9 zip line cables with a combined length of 3 kilometers and range in lines length from 40 meters to an amazing line of 770 meters.
We arrived back to the main building and after a short break, which we spent at the cafeteria, we met with our new guide for our next private journey: The Skywalk. Our guide told us that when we were up there, at the top of the Cloud Forest, the wind was measured at 100 kilometers per hour.

By the time we started our Skywalk tour, the sky cleared and the wind was not a factor anymore. The tour included 2.5 kilometers of trails and 5 suspended bridges across deep canyons at the level of the treetops. The longest bridge was 243 meters (800 feet) in length (The longest one we had walked on during our entire trip). It took 2 hours to complete the entire trek and our guide pointed out all the different plants, trees and wildlife along the way. We saw some hollering monkeys, some other animals, beautiful butterflies, birds, and reptiles.

Along the trails we found Epiphytes: plants which live on trees in order to reach the sunlight, adding to the water-gathering ability of the trees, and our guide pointed out that the epiphytes are not parasites; they feed off water, dust and nutrients which accumulate around their roots. He added that the Epiphytes, treetops and vines create a canopy that preserves the moisture within the forest, and also provides a home for many small animals and insects that live their whole lives in the canopy, never touching the ground. "Costa Rica has roughly 1,500 species of orchids; almost all of them are Epiphytes and the country provides much of the world's supply of orchids", he said.

As soon as we arrived back to the main building, we were provided with a trip back to Santa Elena. We found the clothing store (with the beauty salon) and Tova was a happy camper when she finally met with the hair stylist. I used the 30 minutes to walk in the main street and did some shopping. We walked to our hotel, climbing the steep mountain, admiring a perfect rainbow over the Cloud Forest, and when arrived to our cabin, we showered and then took a (much needed) 2 hours nap. We woke up, used the internet and then entered “our” Jacuzzi for about an hour of relaxation, looking at the horizons where a spectacular sunset was over the Pacific Ocean. After dinner we returned to our room to pack our bags as tomorrow had in store a new leg of the trip.

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Day 14: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

Our ride showed up right after breakfast and we started our trip to Manuel Antonio. Our driver, Tony, was one of the best we had. He actually took it upon himself to make our drive enjoyable, stopping in many panoramic view spots along the way. At one point he chose to take the country roads instead of the highway. It was great to drive through sleeping towns with farms and ranches.

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We passed the following towns and cities: Guasimal, Sandinal, Miramar, Baranca, Esparza, San Mateo, Orotina and then arrived to Rio Tarcoles, a few kilometers from Carraca National Park.

We stopped in front of the river’s bridge and crossed the bridge on foot. At the end of the bridge we found a colony of crocodiles, bathing in the sun. A herd of cows passed by and I anticipated an attack by the crocs but there was no action – as if they had a peace pact between them. Tony told us that Carraca actually means crocodiles in the language of the Indians native in this region.

We then continued our ride and arrived at Jaco. The sky was perfect blue, temperatures were up there in the mid 90’s and the humidity was very high as well. What a contrast to yesterday’s weather.

The signs in the city were all in English and many of them advertise Real Estate purchases. Tony told us that you could buy a 3 bedrooms condominium apartment, with ocean view, for under $100k and that there are many gated communities here, tailored made for foreigners who retired and chose Costa Rica as their retiring place. Who could blame them? According to him, if you earn $2000 a month, it is enough to make a nice living here. If you could make $4,000 a month you are considered to be very wealthy and could live a very comfortable and enjoyable life here.

We drove through this town, looking at the many tourists strolling in the main street. Tony stopped just outside the town at Playa Hermosa where a spectacular view of Jaco and the ocean was on display. At one point Tony used a side road and arrived to the beach front where we witnessed how the rich and famous live here. There was a selection of mansions and large villas with their own private beaches. Tony told us that the residents here are mostly rich Americans who call Costa Rica their second home.

We continued our journey and stopped in the town of Pareta, where we stopped to buy a loaf of bread (baguette) in the local bakery and then some meats, bottle of wine, and a couple of Imperial beers in the local grocery store.

We then stood in line to cross the one lane bridge, which is actually a temporary bridge. Right next to it, they have been building a permanent bridge for the last 25 years (!). Tony said that this bridge is nicknamed "Oh Shit Bridge!". When we crossed it we undestood also why. We passed through banana plantations, pineapple fields, and palm orchards, where they make oil out of the palms’ fruits. Our last stop before Manuel Antonio was Quepos, known primarily as a gateway for trips to the scenic Manuel Antonio. The town gets its name from the Quepo Indian tribe, who inhabited the area.

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A few minutes from Quepos, we found Manuel Antonio and headed straight to our hotel, Si Como No (translates to “Yes, Why Not?”, a Tico’s phrase, expressing that everything is good).

The hotel is surrounded by the Manuel Antonio National Forest and most of its 58 rooms are facing the ocean. We upgraded our room to a luxurious one and it was worth every penny. Our room was spacious with a small kitchen, living room, bedroom, and an unbelievable sized bathroom. There was a huge glassed wall, with panoramic views of the ocean and its

rocks and a large balcony as well. Right underneath our balcony there were the grounds of the forest. We saw many species of birds on the top of the trees and frogs, iguanas and other reptiles on the grounds. We toured the hotel grounds to find two large restaurants (one was a steakhouse and the other seafood), two pools (adults and children), Jacuzzi, Movie Theater, few bars (one of them located in a middle of a pool) and more. The lobby was one of the best I have ever seen with view point to the ocean, along with a mounted telescope and many beautiful flower arrangements.

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This luxury resort goes to great lengths to be eco-friendly, and has earned a level-four Certificate of Sustainable Tourism (level five is the highest). There is no TV in the room and when we asked for the reason why, the answer was referring to the fact that they did not want to disturb the jungle with loud music and or other “unnatural” sounds. In the refrigerator we found many drinks. We substituted the warm beer bottles, which we had purchased earlier, with the ice-cold we found in the refrigerator and then prepared a couple of delicious sandwiches, which we consumed along with the ice cold beer while sitting on the balcony.

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Across the street from the hotel we found the private wildlife refuge, Fincas Naturales. The wildlife refuge hosts the most uniquely designed Butterfly Botanical Gardens in Costa Rica, its multi-level walk-ways enabled us to view a variety of local butterfly species and their hostplants located along the perimeter of the atrium garden.

We spent an hour in the sanctuary and then returned to the hotel, where we napped for a couple of hours and then walked the main road until we found a small restaurant. We met the owner, Susan, an American who decided to move here about 10 years ago from San Francisco and made her home here. She told us a bit about her life there and seemed to be very happy. The food was great as well. We ordered a “Seafood Burrito” large enough for two people, salads and a couple of delicious cocktails.

When we returned to our hotel we found out that tonight’s movie was “Sex and The City”. Tova stayed at the theater and I returned to the room, opened the bottle of the red wine, and sat for a long hour in the balcony, sipping the delicious wine, listening to the sounds of the forest and watching small lizards hunting moth flying insects on the balcony. What a wonderful life!!

Breakfast was served at the poolside, overlooking the beautiful and calm ocean. The selection of food was awesome: tropical fruits, all kinds of meats, different kinds of bread, eggs made per your request, rice, bean, different kinds of potatoes, coffee cakes, juices and of course the delicious the Costa Rican coffee along with sweet cakes. We consumed a huge breakfast. I think that sitting outside with the amazing views and breathing in the fresh air did the trick as our appetite was huge.

Iguana Tour’s van was waiting for us at 7:10 and we met our guide for the next couple of days – Yanan. Our first tour of the day was Kusingo Tropical Rain Forest. We walked through one of the forest’s trails and saw many types of trees, beautiful butterflies, flowers and all kinds of insects and reptiles.

We saw a river running through the forest and Yanan pointed out that its solid white color is a result of the amount of calcium in it. At one point we had a close encounter with a family of spider monkeys, who were just above us on the top of a tree.

The van was waiting for us at the end of the trail. As we drove through Quepos, we saw a vendor selling mangoes in the street. Tova asked Yanan if we could stop to purchase a couple of them and what happened next was amazing: The van stopped, blocking the whole traffic behind us as Yanan stepped down and negotiated with the vendor for a couple of minute, as to the price of the two mangoes. He then paid him about two dollars and returned to the van with the red and juicy mangoes, as many angry drivers were using their horns to express their feelings.

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We arrived to Merlin Restaurant and were treated to a light and refreshing lunch. The restaurant is located on the beachfront, at the gates of the popular Manuel Antonio National Park.

Yanan asked us if we have plans for the afternoon and when we said that we actually wanted to return to the hotel for some rest, he suggested that we should take a dinner cruise on the Pacific Ocean for $75 a person. We actually negotiated the price with him and he “agreed” to sell us the tickets for only $65 a person, telling us that with this price he gave up his commission. He made us swear not to tell his company about his moonlighting job, as they would fire him for doing that. I told him that if during the cruise, I will find out that I could get the price for the cruise any cheaper; I would report him to his company. He was very nervous until he saw our smiles and understood I was only kidding…

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We hiked the main trail, which was short and very easy to walk and saw few monkeys, two toed sloth, and also a three toed sloth, a snake, lizards, iguanas, many kinds of butterflies, and beautiful colorful birds, including the tourists’ favorite toucans. The forest is dominated by massive ficus and gumbo-limbo trees. At one point we saw a huge bamboo “tree”.

The park is popular by both locals and tourists, and one of the main reasons is its beautiful white-sand beach with coral reefs, and rocky coves. The name of the beach is Playa Espadilla Sur. It's the least crowded beach in the area because the water can be rough for swimming and there is a fee to use the beach, as it is an integral part of the park.

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As we returned to the trail we “met” a very friendly white-face monkeys’ family at the side of the road, looking at the people passing by and “begging” for food with their eyes.

We exited the park and headed back to Merlin’s, where we stored our bags. We were treated to a cold tropical drink and fresh fruits, while waiting for the mini bus to take us to Quepos port, for our afternoon cruise.

The mini van arrived and after a 25 minutes ride we arrived at the dock to see about a hundred people waiting in line to register for their “catamaran” cruise. None of them were turned away as the company provided an additional boat to accommodate the crowd. The prices, by the way, were between $65 and $100. It all depended on where you had purchased your tickets.

We met a group of Israelis and instantly became friendly with them during the cruise, which took us to a secluded beach where we snorkeled above a tropical coral reef. The experience was wonderful as I saw many colorful fish and corals. The cruise offered an “open bar” policy and most of the passengers (including myself) got drunk in the first 30 minutes of the cruise. At one point our captain spotted a whale not far from our boat. We were able to see the whale diving, a couple of time with half of his body outside the water.

Hot dinner was served later on and included shish kabob (BBQ on the boat!), rice, steam vegetables, pasta and salad.

The cruise lasted four hours and ended after we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen. We said our goodbyes to the new friends (Zvia, her husband, Sara, Israel, and Nathan) we had met during the cruise, returned to our hotel at around 7:00 PM and were sound asleep at 8:00!

We woke up early again and as I was taking a shower, I heard Tova yelling and screaming: “Aviram, come over here NOW, you must see that”. I rushed out of the bathroom and from the balcony I saw an amazing sight: a family of monkeys was on the roof of the adjacent building and they were all jumping to the tree right next to our room.

We were at the pool side’s dining room at 6:00 and once again sat down breathing the ocean air and enjoying a delicious breakfast, while admiring an unforgettable view.

Yanan showed up around 7:00 and we headed north towards Carara National Park, located about 15 miles from Jaco. On our way we stopped at another hotel and picked up Jack & Mary from Michigan. They are bird lovers, who came to Costa Rica for one reason only: birds watching.

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We arrived tat o the park two hours later and started our tour. The park contains more primary rain than Manuel Antonio National Park. As such, it is wetter and has denser tree growth and more mosquitoes and other insects.

The dense tree growth makes Carara a haven for many bird species, and the park is a popular bird watching destination (no wonder Jack & Mary chose this park). The trail was dry (March considered to be the "dry season" here) and easy to walk. We could see the water level in the raining season, which was above a foot higher. Yanan said that is almost impossible to tour the park during the rain season.

Yanan showed his expertise in identifying the birds. He would see a hummingbird, for example, and then will say: Page 110 figure 6. We found out that this dude memorized the whole book consisted of 200 pages. He was actually a walking index.. Later on we also found out that he knows the World Almanac by heart as well, and memorized figures and numbers from this book as well.

I kept writing down the names of the birds we had seen: hummingbirds, woodpeckers, motmots, jacamars, manikins, ant birds, black-throated trogon, and some others such as toucans and parrots. Yanan and the Michigan couple were really into it and each time a bird flew by they got so excited, one would think they won the lottery. A couple of hours later we reached a lake and there we watched several species of water birds including anhingas, several species of heron, several species of egret and kingfishers. A huge crocodile was swimming nearby just waiting for a chance to have lunch.

At the beginning of the day Yanan “promised” that we will have a chance to see the scarlet macaw, considered to be among the most beautiful birds in the world. However, during the entire day he could not find even one to fulfill his promise.

Since we already visited Rio Tarcoles, on our way to the region a couple of days earlier, we opted to visit a nearby Bijagual Waterfall instead. We stopped about 10 km away from it and were disappointed we could not get any closer. Still, we were able to see the flowing water from the top of the mountain and into the valley underneath.

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We arrived to Jaco around 1:00 and after a short walk on the main street, where we purchased several souvenirs, we were driven to a local Tico Food Restaurant. The place, located on a side street far away from the tourists section of the city was crowded with mostly locals. We stood in line and ordered the ever popular Casado plate, along with ice cold fresh Guava juice and fruits. It was delicious!!

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After lunch we drove back to Manuel Antonio and arrived around 4:00. We then went to the pool and enjoyed an afternoon of swimming and relaxing in the Jacuzzi.

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Day 17: Friday, March 6th, 2009

Once again we woke up early and after breakfast in the now familiar outside dining room we were picked up by Daylah, our horseback guide for the day.

With us were three other couples – two of them were on their honeymoon and both met each other on the Internet! We drove for about an hour and arrived at a ranch somewhere east of Quepos, where few horses were waiting for our group. Daylah told us that her father, Don Gilberto, raises and trains horses for a living and that the entire family is all involved in this business. She was a real cowgirl, properly dressed up as one and with right gear.

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Daylah's two dogs (Tum-Tum and Sophie) led the way as they were trained to do so. At one point, a raccoon crossed the road and they actually chased him away and did not relax until he was out of sight. My horse’s name this time was “Oso Negro” (Black Bear), who was the leader of the pack. This horse could not stand the fact that there is another horse in front of him and when this would happen he will pick up speed (with me on top of him, let's not forget...) until he was leading the pack. We rode through a tropical jungle and private ecological reserve and arrived to a lake.

Daylah found a green and poisonous frog, and without hesitations she picked it up (she obviously knew how to pick it up as his bite could be fatal) so we could take a closer look.

We changed our cloths and entered the chilling water of the pool, created by the waterfall. It was refreshing and enjoyable as the temperatures and humidity level were up there in the 90’s. We relaxed for about an hour and then rode back the horses to the ranch. This time the trail included riding through a river and into the jungle.

We arrived back at the ranch an hour later and were invited to a delicious lunch, served on the patio.

We returned to the hotel at around 2:00 exhausted. After a two hours nap we packed our luggage, sat on our balcony for awhile taking pictures of vulchers and then headed back to the hotel’s pool and Jacuzzi.

Today was our last day in Costa Rica. After breakfast we strolled down to the beach (about 30 minutes away), where we found a group of pelicans flying over us and over the Manuel Antonio Park and then dived, like airplanes attack during battle, to hunt the delicious fish in the Pacific Ocean.

We spent about an hour on the beach and then found the local bus, which took us back to our hotel where we met our Enrique, our driver for today, who came all the way from San Jose to pick us up. We asked him to wait for an hour, as we wanted to shower and rest before the long drive. We left the hotel at around 11:00.

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We instantly fell in love with Enrique, who was charming and humble. I told him that our only disappointment here was that we did not see the Scarlet Macaw. Enrique’s slowed down the car and from that point onward he was looking up in the trees trying to find the spectacular bird and thus make us happy. As we approached Jaco, Enrique came to a sudden stop on the side of the road as he was yelling: “Look, look, to your right, 1:00 o’clock, you see it?” We could not believe our fortune: we finally saw this beautiful bird. It flew across the road and landed on a tree not far from us. I grabbed my camera and crossed the road, looking and not believing at the size of it (about 4 feet, which more than half was his pointed tail) and the most beautiful colors combination of light blue, yellow, red, dark blue, all mixed with metallic gold.

Thirty minutes later we stopped at Enrique’s favorite restaurant along the road and had one of our best meals in Costa Rica. The fresh Casado was prepared with fish (instead of meat).

We were the only tourists in the place. At one point, a police car stopped and 3 cops entered the restaurant. The local clients embraced them as they were all so friendly and cool. The cops even greeted us as they sat down, ordering seafood plates. We continued our drive and stopped in another small town where Enrique entered the local market to buy some fruit and vegetable. He pointed out the avocado he had bought and said with a smile: “My wife told me not to come home without it”

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We arrived to San Jose Airport at around 4:00.

We thanked Enrique for the beautiful day and tipped him handsomely. A couple of hours later boarded our plane to LAX. Emly and Danny were at the airport, waiting for us.

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Costa Rica (2009)

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Costa Rica (2009)

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