Sunday, November 6, 2022
Took an Uber to the airport.
Easy flight that left early and arrived early. Bobbi read from her Kindle. Tim listened to Elizabeth I on Audible and then worked on a New York Times crossword puzzle, number 125 out of 500, "Isn't It Romantic".
We got through customs without a hitch. We met our OAT driver and headed to the hotel. It was raining. Armed guards were milling about the airport.
We stayed at the hotel and ate in the restaurant. We watched a muted "Return of the King" battle sequence and destruction of the ring. We each had a delicious fish dinner, one salmon and one sea bass. All for $36.90. We started watching Playlist on Netflix, about the creator of Spotify. Good show.
Larry and Randi arrived around 8:30. They came to our room for a visit. They stayed for an hour. We told stories and laughed about the movie, Airplane. We wondered if Mel Brooks is still alive. Yes, he is.
Monday, November 7, 2022
Breakfast with Larry and Randi. Tried a new fruit, Rambutan. It has spikes. Like a lychee, but sweeter. A tropical storm is nearby, so lots of rain today. We drove to San Antonio Church in Escazú. Our local guide was Maria. A mural depicted oxen being used by famous farmers.
We drove up the mountain a little to see s mascara maker. Funny guy. One of us danced with one and got a small mascara as a prize. Lunch at a small restaurant, part of CODECE, an association for responsible development. Most had chicken, we had extra vegetables. A drink of sour guava was not so sour.
City tour after lunch to the National Theater. Very nice. Dinner at the hotel with L & R. Tim had ceviche of sea bass. Bobbi had vegan sandwiches of cooked vegetables.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Early day, we left on the bus at 8 AM. We drove through Alajuela (past the airport) and stopped at the Catholic cathedral and square. Those were the two requirements to create a city under Spanish rule. The square had mango trees that were at least 100 feet high. Twice as tall as our mango trees.
We drove to a coffee plantation. On the way, Randi's water bottle fell out of the overhead and landed on a woman's head. She made a big deal about it and wanted to file an incident report about it with OAT. The trip leader has decided to put all the luggage in the rear two seats, so we had no room for bags at our seats. We barley had seats for all the people.
The coffee plantation was informative. We picked beans, took off the outer shells, dried them, peeled another layer, roasted them, which took off another layer. Five layers in all. We brewed them and drank them two ways. French press was better. The owners frowned upon anyone drinking coffee other than black. They feel if you have to add something, then it isn't good coffee.
Lunch at the plantation. Most had a meat based soup. We had a non-meat base. We bought a dish towel embroidered with Pura Vida. We sat with a couple from New York. She was very talkative and shared a lot of information. He was a little reticent, but loosened up when we talked about RVs.
We drove more and stopped at a roadside stand for fruit, wine and cheese. We bought some coconut cookies and lemon plantains. Further along, we stopped at a two-stage waterfall.
At the lodge, we walked the grounds by some ponds and buildings. We played jenga with the couple from lunch, Jennifer and Tom. Good game, we got to level 31. Buffet dinner. They made some tilapia for us, since all the other choices were meat. Checked internet in al fresco lobby and headed to bed. Randi introduced Tim to Duo Lingo for learning Spanish. Tim downloaded it in the lobby.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
We met at 8:45 in the morning for an excursion. Tim went rafting while Bobbi took a hike. Tim's guide was Alberto, but they called him Malo. Marylin fell on the rocks on the way to the rafts. Larry and Tim were the from paddlers in our raft. Five commands: forward, backward, stop, lean in, get in. It was fun going through the rapids and seeing rocks under the water. We all got wet. No one fell in, but Tim was airborne a few times.
Bobbi saw some wildlife and had a yoga therapeutic session with her guide.
Lunch on the veranda. Bobbi bought a shore sleeve T-shirt with monkeys on the front.
Rain started after lunch. We rested at the lodge and then went on a tour of a pineapple plantation, in the rain. Very good tour that showed the difference between organic and conventional farming. Our guide gave a very funny explanation of how to pick a ripe pineapple at the store: yellow/green, firm, no smell, little leaves strong. We ate fresh pineapple from the field. Delicious. Bobbi bought a shirt with the logo of the plantation. We drank pińa coladas on the porch. The rain stopped as the tour ended.
Tim helped Bonita and Christina download the raft photos to their phone.
We listened to a discussion of the effect of pineapple plantations. Good for most, bad for locals. Tom sat with us a dinner. He noted that the woodwork is amazing. People are starting to open up.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Another early morning. We left the hotel at 8. Buffet breakfast first, then ordered lunch for later. We drove to the suspension bridge that we went under on the rafts. It is the longest suspension bridge in Costa Rica. We visited Tirimbina Biological Reserve, a tropical rain forest with primary growth. The path was covered for the most part with pavers. We crossed several bridges. One was very high. The top of a tall, slender palm was at a level with the bridge. We saw a walking palm and a tree that was 600 years old. We saw the little frogs that are poisonous. They create the poison by eating ants, which contain formic acid. Young termites eat the poop of other termites to get the enzymes that allow them to digest wood. Termites only eat dead wood. Cacao was the fruit of the gods. If a worker spilled any, the worker was decapitated.
After we left the park, we visited a local who was part of an indigenous tribe. She told us of her tribe and customs. Her father was the shaman. She learned all the ways of the shaman, but a woman could not be chosen as shaman. We ate a leaf that numbers the tip of our tongues. They use it for toothaches. We ate a sour lemon then chewed a nut. When we ate the lemon again, the bitterness was gone. They take this to make bad medicine taste better. We shopped for art that she created. We liked a totem, but it would be too hard to get home. We bought a small necklace for Randi. They bought a small bracelet for Bobbi.
We drove a short way and stopped at a market. A sloth was in a tree in the parking lot. Vinny set up his 15x scope. The image was good, better than the camera. Others had zoom cameras that with to 30x, but only digital zoom.
We were stuck behind a milk truck and were a little late to the hotel. Sprinkled as we walked to our rooms. Downpour after we had our luggage. Dinner at the lodge.
Friday, November 11, 2022
Late morning, started at 9:30. Breakfast was American or Traditional. Traditional had beans and taco with eggs. American had toast and potatoes. Breakfast discussion about order of adjectives in English, then about adjective order in Spanish. We wondered if viejo amigo viejo made any sense.
We drove to a market to buy supplies for lunch. Picked up our local guide, Rosio, at the market. She helped develop community and built roads. She lives on alimony and volunteers all her time to the community.
We learned about the local school. Five grades from 7 to 11. 80 students. Most go on to university. Students either work in the fields or get HS education. The students gave us a dance presentation with traditional attire: boys in shirt and pants, girls with twirling skirts. The school has a green house.
We ate lunch at a tilapia farm. They use spring water and a water wheel to aerate the water. We helped prepare the lunch of salad, rice, beans, squash and fried tilapia.
We returned to the hotel and went to the warm pools. Before going to the pools, we walked through the forested grounds and saw howler monkeys in the tree tops. We saw a sloth and a large rodent-like creature, an agouti or paca.
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Bobbi's Birthday. She got a pair of earrings from Sanibel filled with Sanibel sand.
9:30 start to drive to La Fortuna. Luggage out at 8. In La Fontana, we dropped off our laundry, then drove to the national park. The volcano had a few clouds that changed every 10 minutes. We took a hike to a tower and lake. Saw a Quatomodi and some howler monkeys and some birds that made a funny gobble. The lake was built where some villages were destroyed when the volcano erupted.
Lunch in La Fortuna at the Rainforest Cafe. Larry and Randi treated. Delicious trout and sea bass. The waiter was friendly and we spoke in Spanglish. The sun was out and we had a good view of the mountain from the central plaza.
The laundry was ready after lunch. Bonita was left behind. She had no laundry and went next door to shop. Vinny only looked to see that everyone had their laundry. He did not count heads. He realized it before we got to the lodge as he was passing out keys. Vinny was angry and so was Bonita.
Zip lining was next. Friendly and goofy guides, going upside down. Twelve lines and one Tarzan swing. The first step is the hardest. Larry, Holly and Bonita also did the swing. Dinner at the lodge. Tilapia for us. The lodge buildings were near a creek and very musty. Two sliding doors separated two rooms, with a mattress stuffed between the doors for sound proofing.
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Early morning ride to Los Chiles and the Frío River. Boat ride in a pontoon boat. We saw lizards, monkeys, anhinga, kingfisher, caiman and lots of floating sticks. We saw the howler and capuchin monkeys. We saw a vulture and black hawks. We saw geckos.
Lunch at a bus area. Chicken and rice for most, vegetables and rice for us.
We stopped at a supermarket for ingredients for a party, We bought some cacique, that Eli had told me about. Next we stopped at a place where they made padillo. The man created a machine to help him grind papaya root. Instead of 6 kilos a day, they can do 800 kilos a day.
Party in small building. Vinny made guacamole and tuna with yoghurt. He also made Miguelito with the cacique. Everyone had fun. Bobbi learned about Jackie and Norma. She likes them. Tim learned about Margaret and her travels.
Monday, November 14, 2022
Up early. Bags out at 6:30. Breakfast at 7. On the road at 8. Driving to another volcanic area, Rincon de la Vieja. The vieja was a witch in the mountains causing rumbles and eruptions. Stopped at a cacao farm on the way. We saw many other plants in the farm for food end medicines: coconut, insulin, asthma and then cacao. Tom and I got to crush some sugar cane that is used for moonshine. We peeled some cacao beans then watches a video of how they separate the peel and then roast it. We bought some chocolate at theris shop. Lunch at the cacao farm: pachillo from potatoes.
A long drive on bad pavement and then on bad dirt roads. The resort had volcanic mud, a natural steamroom and natural hot springs. The room was nice and big. Gigantic compared to the last one. Nice front porch with rocking chairs and a hammock. Dinner at the lodge. Some gifts, but limited hats. Bobbi bought a leather bag.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Horseback ride in the morning to a waterfall. Slow ride on dirt road. The bus followed us. Waterfall in Los Gamelos, since it has two stages. Lower falls reminded Tim of Bash Bish falls. A few went swimming. The water was cold, but nice once you got in. Another group of Americans were also in the pool We was them back at the lodge, later.
In the afternoon, we did the mud smear and hot springs. 10 minutes in natural sauna in a cave, apply mud and let dry, rinse in spring and shower, then to swimming pools fed with hot springs. One with a roof was hotter.
Bobbi went for a massage. We skipped the experience at the local cantina and sat on the porch. Tim practice Spanish on Duo Lingo.
Dinner at the lodge had meat, wheat and cheese. Bobbi asked for spaghetti with vegetables for Tim. We both were up a few times in the night, but slept well, overall.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Drove on dirt roads until we went over the divide. Stopped at a shopping center for bathroom, food, ice cream, ATM and a little shopping. Two more hours to lunch by the ocean on a pretty bay named Caldera. It looked like a caldera with the tide out. Bobbi and Tim shared a shrimp dish at the Restaurante y Marisquería Leda.
A big resort in a private park is our evening accommodations. Somehow the top of the blue water bottle was loose and it soaked the spare bed. A circuitous route to the dining area. Good buffet. They have screening to keep the monkeys out. The toilet is behind the bathroom door. It is impossible to use with the door open.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Breakfast and on the road by 8:30. Drove to local business for a canoe ride in the ocean. Big canoes. Eight to a canoe. We bought beach shirts. 40-minute paddle to beach. Swimming and picnic of sandwiches. Bobbi found some shells. Christina did some snorkeling, but visibility was three feet. 30-minute paddle back to beach at resort.
Hung out at the pool for the afternoon. Dinner at the lodge.
No hot water in the room. Can't have AC and hot water heater at the same time.
Friday, November 18, 2022
We skipped the walk to the butterfly garden, but ran into them anyway when we went for a walk. We saw a scarlet Macaw through Vinny's scope. We skipped the butterfly garden and went back to the room.
We thought we were going to be the first ones on the bus, but we were last. Everyone on the walk had already put there stuff on the bus. We had the wheel wells. Bobbi sat in the middle seat.
We went on the crocodile tour and saw the Magnificent Frigate Bird, Anhinga, Wood Stork, White Ibis, Mangrove Swallow, Brown Pelican, Yellow Crowned Might Heron, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Bare Throated Tiger Heron, Black Necked Stilt, Western Sandpiper, Common Black Hawk, Osprey, Black Vulture, Baltimore Oriole, Crocodile, Common Basilisk. We saw types of mangroves: red, white, black and elephant. These are trees, not small like ours.
Lunch by Vista Mar by the sea, on our own. We had tuna.
Stopped at a souvenir place and bought some chocolate and a shirt with a frog on it.
Drove back to San Jose and had our farewell dinner at an Argentinian restaurant. The empanada was good the juices were good. It was a small restaurant with very loud, live music.
Saturday, November 19, 2022
We stayed up late and slept in. Hurray. Breakfast with Larry and Randi.
