5 Year Anniversary

Today was our anniversary...5 years of marriage, how time flies...

It was to be expected that we would like this day to be special, so we decided to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park.

Yesterday we found a small bakery across the street from the beach and we decided to pick up a few snacks and some water for our hike. 

The entrance to the park was $10 (per person) and for an additional $15 per person we could have had an english speaking guide with a scope and tripod, but it was our day and we really wanted to enjoy each others company even at the risk of not seeing all the wildlife we could have.

We had learned from all our previous hikes that if you want to see wildlife you not only need to take your time, but you have to know where to look. Some animals are easy to spot: like the lizards patrolling the entire park, eating at the fruits that fell out of the trees: others are harder to spot: like the slots sleeping high in the tree, the insects...and some are very hard to spot because of their perfect camouflage.

The road takes you through the jungle to this very beautiful lagoon with white sand, calm blue waters and a rocky island that looked like just a short swim away. 

It had to be around noon because the sun was very powerful and without the constant breeze that was present on the public beach the temperature was starting to feel unbearable....a quick dip in the cool water fixed that....We found a shady spot and we enjoyed our sweet snacks we brought with us just to be surprised by a Jesus lizard that was very happy to pose for me...cute thing did not leave until I put my camera away, it must have been very used to tourists doing this sort of thing. 

Before we left the beach I almost stepped on a hermit crab...so needless to say I spent some time taking some shots of him trying to climb out of a sand hole.

On our way back from the beach we noticed a larger group of tourists looking up in the trees, it was a band of white faced monkeys, and just like the lizard earlier as soon as we started taking photos of them they got closer and closer and cuter. 

Some of the other tourist had guides with them that were telling them interesting facts about them, reminding people that as cute as they may look they were wild animals and they were omnivores. The large lizards patrolling the park ended up being their lunch sometimes and some of the monkeys had the scars to prove it.

There was a spoiled little boy that caught my attention, maybe because one of the guides kept on telling him not to show his teeth which may seem crazy to some readers as it did to the mother of that spoiled child that was making all kinds of weird crazy faces to the monkeys in the trees really aggravating one the alpha male.

After trying to warn both the child and the parents and only be met with a "what's the harm in it, his just being a child" the guide gave up and looked apologetic to me...there was something in her eyes that made me step further from that child and follow the alpha male more closely. 

Angry alpha male

I used to spend hour as a child looking at the monkeys, observing them and the way they interacted so to see this in their own habitat was wonderful...but there was something that I have only noticed ones....the group of monkeys started to be more agitated and the alpha male was almost growling, showing his teeth from a branch just above the kids head. He was so proud that the monkey was imitating him...and I suddenly just realized why the guide looked so guilty...the alpha male just urinated on the kids head and before anyone could have any reaction to what just happened the monkey through some fecal mater at the child. It did the trick as far as the monkeys were concerned, the spoiled child making the threatening faces (showing your teeth to any primate as well as many other animals means you want to challenge them) as well as his parents were hurrying to the exit angry and complaining.

As soon as they departed the monkeys seemed to have relaxed and continued the cute display of acrobatics. One of them decided to get closer to the group of tourist and when the guides suggested that no one should make sudden moves his suggestion was taken to heart by all (we just witnessed what happens to those that did not). The monkey was happy to run between a child's legs and back up a tree without ever touching anyone.

After the National Park we returned to the public beach for lunch and some more photos of those fascinating crabs.

In the evening we returned to the hotel and we enjoyed our last night in Manuel Antonio.

We were having our tea on the patio in front of our room when my husband noticed the small lizards above us in the light fixtures...what a nice end to our evening. 

There is something so magical about being surrounded by wildlife anywhere you go in this wonderful country.

Good Night

And Happy Travels

Manuel Antonio

Best sleep since San Jose...

I was worried that the sound of the cars and busses will keep us up (the hotel is meters from the main road), but once it got dark the cars became fewer and fewer and the noise of the occasional car was almost completely covered by the sounds of the jungle above us. We left the fan off; some silly childhood fear that it will take off, especially since it was very close to the bed (probably my only complaint with the room). 

The sun was up and filling our room with light. We spend some time enjoying the nice breeze coming in and the sound of the birds....how peaceful and relaxing.

After breakfast we decided to take the public bus to Manuel Antonio and explore the beach. 

The bus had the fare price noted in the front window and unlike our busses the driver was not only accepting the payments, but was prepared to provide change is you did not have the exact fare. The bus was very clean. 

We got off at the very last stop which is right by the Manuel Antonio public beach and minutes away from the National Park entrance.

The beach was as clean as any resort beach we have seen. The waives were perfect for surfers, but a bit rough for inexperience swimmers (the entire Pacific coast is like that). We found a nice spot and put our towels down, needless to say I was bored out of my mind after 10 minutes so we went exploring. I was never able to spend more then 5 minutes in the sun doing nothing.

Across the road from the beach were all kinds of shops and restaurants. We had a nice slice of authentic Italian pizza and a cold Imperial beer....for dessert, a cone of gelato.

My husband decided to go for a run on the beach and came across a place full of crabs of all sizes, he returned and showed me the spot.

 There were some that were so small you could barely see, and plenty of big ones climbing all over the rock. I decided to climb up to get some better shots, but that meant taking off my sandals for a better grip. 

As much fun as I had taking the photos I could not stop worrying about were I stepped. Between the the uneven hot stone and the risk of being pinched by a crab it was betting harder and harder to concentrate on the shots...so I decided to get off and be content with the shots I had so far.

We spent a few more hours enjoying the area before taking a bus back to the hotel. We had decided before leaving that we would return before the afternoon rain.

When we got back to the hotel it didn't look like rain we decided to take a dip in the pool, and since the pool was all ours and it was more then 1,5m deep it felt perfect for laps, as long as you kept in mind where the stairs were. Funny enough the rain decided to start just as I found my rhythm.

The nice thing about the hotel is that you can get from the rooms to the restaurant without having to step into the rain and on an evening like this that was a great commodity. The restaurant had more tables occupied and just as we placed our order the light went out. Well in a matter of seconds the candles from the table were lit and we enjoyed a nice romantic candlelight dinner.  

The rain was still coming down hard so we asked the waitress for two cups of teas to take up to our room and she came back with the cups and some candles that we could use for the night.

We had our tea on the porch in front of our room listening to the rain.

Good night....

and

Happy Travels

Hotel Plinio

We arrived at Hotel Plinio in the afternoon. Hungry, tired, and hot we could not wait to see our room...but what room should we get?

Choosing between the standard A/C rooms and upgrade was easier said then done. The photos of the upgraded rooms looked amazing, but the idea of being in a room with no windows (just screens) and no A/C when I was boiling in the office was not exactly appealing. The owner suggested we inspect the upgraded room.

There are 2 rooms in this category that are next to each other and share covered patio area with bar stools.


On the ground level of the room there were 2 couches and a coffee table in a living area and the bathroom with a huge shower that could fit a very large number of people.




The stairs, while very steep and only wide enough for one person were very sturdy.





Upstairs, a huge king(?) size bed took-up most of the room and across from it there were two wicker chairs and a coffee table.


The windows were covered by white sheers for privacy and the breeze coming in was very pleasant, not hot at all...that was it, we decided to stay in that room.

After checking in and taking a nice cold shower our bodies decided to remind us that a bag of chips and some chocolate was not an actual meal....so we headed out to the restaurant.

The award winning restaurant was offering an interesting mix of german, japanese and costa rican dishes. I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed the traditional Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) in the first few days after having it with every meal I just wanted something that did not have it as a side dish....so mashed potatoes with frankfurters and sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) was what I ordered. And accept the fact that for some reason the sauerkraut was heated up (I still think my mashed potatoes were microwaved) the food was not bad. We had ice cream for desert and finished with a nice cup of costa rican coffee.

Since the bar was not at all busy, and the owner was behind the bar we ended up chatting up a storm with him. We learned about the observation area that the hotel has, were we can view some wildlife (if patient) and that the public bus can take us to the Manuel Antonio public beach or the National Park for about $1 (2 people). He also warned us that it rains every day for about 30min-1 hour at about 5p.m. after which the rain stops and the roads dry up in about 5min.


We decided to find the observation area and try our luck with the wildlife...unfortunately we must have made a wrong turn because we ended up above the roof of the owners residence (uphill from the hotel) and the only wildlife we found was a poison dart frog...and a beautiful view of a dock far below the property.

There was not too much to do at the end of the day so we decided to call it a day and go to sleep early....Good Night!

Until next time
happy travels

*Note: The hotel is currently under new ownership and is called +Hostel Plinio ...when we return to Costa Rica we will probably check it out.

From Arenal to Manuel Antonio

Today was our last day in Arenal and we were not yet sure how will we be getting to our next destination, Manuel Antonio.

When I initially planned the vacation out, I had Monte Verde as our next destination for 2 nights. When we decided to spend an extra night in Tortuguero we also decided to skip Monte Verde and stay an extra night in Manuel Antonio as well....but how to get there?

There was a nice option of Jeep/boat/horseback option, unfortunately that would only take us as far as Monte Verde. There are bus routes and tours...or a cab.

The cab was out of the question after our ordeal to get to this hotel, I had no interest in giving it another try anytime soon (not for long drives anyway)...so we asked the front desk if the driver we had yesterday had any interest in taking us to Manuel Antonio. I had a good idea of how much did a transfer costed from a bit of internet research and when the rate the driver asked was not much over we were happy to agree to it.

The driver had made a very good impression on us and  we felt a lot more comfortable with him then trying someone new that may or not be like the cab driver we had.

After checking out we hopped in his car and off we went. He let us know that the drive will be long 4 hours minimum and with some road construction in the area we were heading it could be more like 6 hours. So, when he asked us if we would be ok if his wife came along we were more then happy to accommodate (keep in mind he had to do the return drive at night alone if not...)

We picked up his wife and asked him to take us to a bank. While most hotels and motels accept credit cards, the canadian debit cards do not always work and most smaller restaurant or stores prefer cash (Costa Rican colones or USD).

We stopped at a bank and tried our debit cards...they got rejected...with a very puzzled look we tried again with the same result. As soon as our driver noticed our puzzled look suggested that we go in and talk to a teller, which I would have never thought about since this was not our bank, but a local one....

While from the outside this bank looked like any other building in the area and the room with the ATMs was very similar to the ones at the entrance of any Canadian or American bank, getting access to the main area of the bank where the tellers were was a completely different experience. There was a huge revolving cylinder with only one entrance to the middle of the cylinder. There was also a small normal door next to it, but was locked and guarded by a guard with a semi-automatic.

The revolving door was operated from the inside by one of the guards (not the one next to the desk). The revolving door turned with the opening to the side where we were and our driver stepped in the middle, the opening then turned very slowly around until it was on the other side and he could gain access to the bank. After what looked like a small conversation with the guard our driver came back out and signalled that we should go in (one at a time) with our bank card and passports. We did just that, wondering at the level of technology behind this door and not being able not to notice that the guards were caring pistols and semi-automatics....just the look of the guards should keep any robbers away...not to mention that ones in you have no easy way out....funny, but ones inside I felt extremely safe, more then I ever felt in any other bank.

There was a teller that was designated for tourists. She spoke a few different languages which were marked on her desk, this made things a lot easier. We explained that our cards got rejected at the ATM and she showed us something we never paid any attention to...the back of our cards, and the different logos on them. She explained that while her bank does not accept our card, there are other banks (5 others) in the area alone that do and we should just look that the ATM has the same logos on it like the back of our card. We thanked her and left.

Getting out was quicker as there was no one in the room with the ATM machines and the guard punched in a code and opened the side door and we were out much faster then the revolving door.

Our driver was in the car and asked us if we got the money...when he heard no he explained that he will take us to a different one, we tried to tell him that we are ok and we can figure it out in Manuel Antonio (we already paid him and just wanted to pull more money out for the next few days), but he told us that we paid him to be our driver so he will drive us where we need since there are plenty of banks in the area...the next one we went to was the correct type and we had no problem in getting the cash.

After we left La Fortuna, we only stopped ones at a gas station were we used the bathroom and picked up some chips, chocolates and pop. Whenever we have to buy things from gas stations we always stick to international brands that are prepackaged and have an expiration date (Lays, Mars, Snickers, Pepsi)....they may not be the healthiest options but you do not have to fear food poisoning or other issues when on a long drive. The car we were in had air conditioner vents in the back that we were able to control, so the hear from outside did not affect us that much.

As mentioned, not far before Quepos we hit road construction. A road that had one lane going North and one going South, now had only one lane that had to be shared. There were workers directing traffic and when we past the actual construction area we were impressed to see workers actually working from the start of the closure until the end of it (keep in mind we are from Toronto). They were pouring asphalt at +35 C. Our driver took this opportunity to call the hotel we were going to to get the exact location and local directions, and also to let them know that we will be there later in the afternoon.

About an hour or so later we arrived at our destination Hotel Plinio.

Adventure Day - Private tour in Arenal

After a long day of emotional rollercoasters and almost no food it was nice to know that we had a private driver that will be waiting for us and taking us to all the places we wanted to see...and more importantly, he knew exactly where to bring us back to.

The private package we picked was is my opinion the perfect one to see the most of the area's attractions....but before we even drove a few meters from the resort entrance the driver slammed the breaks and the car came to a halt...I was about to ask what happened when he pointed up a tree and the guide sited next to him got out the car quickly and opened our door very quietly "Come out, and see the ...bird". He got his book out and started flipping pages until he found what he looked for " in English you call it ...Peregrine Falcon"...we started smiling and got out of the car to see a beautiful falcon very high up in a tree....we really needed to get used to this, it seemed that every guide and driver understood how important and interested we were to see the wildlife and they always stopped to point them out.




After a nice drive we arrived at the National Park where the guide took care of the entrance fees and started our tour.








It was around 11:00am by the time we arrived, so I had no great hopes for any wildlife photography....for that we should have been there at dawn or dusk when most birds leave/return to their nests, but the jungle is beautiful and the hanging bridges are a must see.

Our guide took us on the a snaking hike through the park while providing interesting facts about the flora and fauna of the region as well as information about the area and the Arenal Volcano. One of the first hanging bridges we crossed gave us a breathtaking view of the volcano and instantly made me regret that we could not stay an extra day to take a hike up part of it ( an other very interesting tour available).










While, as I expected, we did not see any birds (heard a few), we did however see some leaf cutter ants and some lizards. One of the lizards that captivated me was one that had the tail a different colour then the body.

The trail that we fallowed took us over a few bridges and closer and closer to a waterfall that looked very small from afar...but was surprisingly tall with huge boulders at the bottom of it.






I should mention that if you have the same love for heights as my husband has you should not look down when you cross the bridges and you way wanna wait until everyone else is off the bridge before crossing, as it does move a bit and if you have someone coming from the opposite direction it becomes quite snug when passing....the view from the middle of each bridge it is well worth getting over any fear of heights or bridges.    

                      

The trail ends in a nicely groomed garden with lots of flowers and shrubs that attract a huge number of different butterflies.

           

Our driver was waiting for us and at the guide's suggestion we agreed to change our lunch destination. We did not know the place that we were suppose to go to in the first place so going to the restaurant that was on the property where the guide was employed seemed like a good idea...and it turned out to be a great choice.

The restaurant was part of the Hotel Castillo del Arenal, and it has a beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano. When we arrived the restaurant was empty so we were able to get a table by the window and enjoy the majestic volcano while waiting for our lunch. The lunch that was part of our package included only juice as a drink, but when we saw Mirinda on the menu (a Pepsi product similar to Fanta and Cplus...only better) we had to order it....the last time we had it was when we left Europe. We ordered one of the fish options after consulting with our guide that assured us that it was the catch of the day.

We took our time and enjoyed our meal and the view. Most of the clouds forming around the volcano cleared by now and with the help of my camera's zoom we got a good look at the side of the mountain where the lava would be visible during the night...now it looked like sandy ash.

A small banana tree was growing on the edge of the hill next to the restaurant and on the other side across the road on one of the trees a turkey vulture was perched looking for pray in the valley bellow.



Our driver returned to pick us up shortly after we payed for our bill (the drinks). Because the tip is calculated  as a percentage of the bill we added a bit more to it because she served us more then just the drinks. I should mention that we always tip based on the service and I have no problem with walking out without tipping if service is that bad, on the other hand I tend to add more then the costumery percentage if the service is very good.


The next stop on our tour was the La Fortuna Waterfall (the fortune waterfall). The fall is fed by the Tenorio River and has a 200 feet drop into an emerald pool.

                         


The decent to the fall may be a short one (about 10 min) but it is not an easy one. Going down I had the mountain wall on my right and the jungle on my left...no railing to hold on to and the wall and stairs going down were wet from the humidity in the air. There was not much air movement and the mid day heat was getting to me...we stopped a young couple and found out that the hike back up will take us at least twice as much. It was the first time that I gave up on a hike, but I do not do well with heat and humidity and I was feeling my chest closing in after less then 5 minus so we headed back up.





At the top of the trail we found a nice observation deck with the best view of the falls and we spend a bit of time enjoying the view and the breese.

We return to find out driver waiting for us in the parking lot, we explained that I am the only one that swims so we decided not to get in the water (much simpler to explain...)






He took us to the Baldi Hot Spring Resort next where he talked to the desk and gave us our day pass bracelets and we booked our buffet dinner time-frame so he knew when to pick us up.






The Baldi Resort has a few different pools with water at different temperatures including a hot pool with a smaller cold one in the middle, one with 2 slides (do not use if you do not swim...is all I will say about them) and even a pool with boiling hot water surrounded by signs not to touch the water and benches.




The small shallow pool with extremely hot water is creating a open air sauna...this was the first time I was able to enjoy and understand why my husband enjoys saunas so much. While the air was humid and hot, similar to the one in the traditional sauna, here there was a different air circulation that did not gave me that sensation of suffocation that I usually get in extremely hot places.

     

The resort is big, the grounds are very well maintained, and the property is clean. They offer towels and lockers for the day pass holders and a nice selection of drinks at the bars.

The rain started, but only lasted about 20 minutes and was followed by a nice orange sky and a rainbow....we dried off, changed and went to have dinner.






This was our first so called all-inclusive resort buffet experience and I was not at all impressed. We were seated at a table for two and decided to take turns getting our food (by this time we had our small backpack and valuables with us). The buffet offered a nice variety from salads to desserts and fresh fruits...and every course in between.



The staff was friendly and attentive cleaning any finished dish immediately and refilling all the water glasses....our dislikes came from the other guests...or some of them...that seemed to have forgot there manners home. A few young ones decided that they looked too good to wait in line like everyone else and it made me laugh when the server just skipped them and served the person after them that they cut in front, he must have done this at least 5 times before an older lady pointed them out where the line starts. The other thing that made me cringe was the amount of food left in the plate....did they really thing they can eat that mountain of food in one sitting? What a waste.

After dinner we left the property and found our driver waiting for us to take us back to our resort.

Oh, bed sweet bed! it looked so much better when not starved.

Until next time
Happy Travels