So, Thursday morning it was up and at em at 6 am for our pick up by Rios Tropicales for the whitewater rafting trip. This is the same trip that Alan and I did in 1993 (?) and we were psyched to do it again with the girls.
After a 1-1/2 hour bus ride, lunch at the Rios facility and another bus ride and tractor ride, we were at the river. Our guide was Henry, a Costa Rican native who has never traveled out of the country. Luis was guiding the provision boat that had our clothes and the other supplies for the trip. Rafting with us were 2 girls about Amy's age who had just graduated from college and were completing an internship with Rios.
We had a great first day rafting the class II and III rapids. Henry was great about doing extra stuff like letting us jump off an 8-foot tall rock into the river and paddling back to eddys so we could surf the wave and swamp the boat. I kept looking over at Claire to see how she was doing and she had this huge adrenaline-junkie smile on her face the entire time.
We got to the Rios compound at about 3 pm. Unloaded the boat, went up to our room and changed into drier clothes--nothing in the rain forest is ever truly dry. We then went down to the central area and relaxed in hammocks and read magazines and books.
The rain started about 4 and it was a steady downpour as you can see here--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0DG5Gqa734.
We had a great dinner that night of rice and black beans (of course), corn and wonderful grilled chicken. Claire ate more than anyone else and had lots of beans and rice and 3 pieces of chicken. The growing girl needs her food.
We went to sleep that night in the pitch black of the rain forest with the birds chirping and the rain coming down. Here's the video. I am panning around and you can see a few flashes of light but it just show how dark it is in the rainforest. This was shot at 8pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Cr64ECUTM
We got up the next day and had a great breakfast of fresh fruit--we had wonderful fresh watermelon and pineapple at every meal--rice and beans, eggs and ham. After that, it was off to the zip line at the camp. We had given up on doing a zip line because we couldn't work it into our schedule at Jaco
so this was a wonderful surprise.
We did a small, four platform zip line around the campsite. At one of the platforms, Amy said to Al, "I can't see the ground. All I can see is the forest." To me, that's how a zip line is supposed to be. We had a great time, Of course, Claire came in too fast to each of the platforms and the guide had to catch her but that's just her adrenaline-junkie personality at work.
We took off around 1 to finish our rafting trip and, of course, Henry had some surprises lined up for us. One of the things he liked to do was let someone, usually Claire, ride Superman style through the rapids. This involved her putting her hips up on the bow of the raft, holding on to the ropes, bowing her head down and letting the white water splash over her.
We paddled back into a bunch of eddys, rafted over rocks and swamped the boat a few times. We hiked up to a pool and waterfall and crawled behind the waterfall to watch the water come down in front of us. Henry pulled a rock out of the water and rubbed it into a paste and then decorated Claire's face the way the natives do in the rainforest.
The rapids the second day were much better with several Class III and Class IV rapids. They were a lot of fun. Any time Henry had something kinda crazy for us to do, he would introduce it with "OK, what we can do here is..." paddle back and surf that eddy, swamp the boat, do 360s through this rapid...but his best trick, he saved for last.
Toward the end of the day, he started with his "what we can do here is" and he proposed that we all stand on the upper edge of the boat, hold hands and stand up as we raft through the Class II rapids that were ahead. The others in the boat always looked to Alan and I to make the decision since we were the supposed adults in the boat. We looked at each other and said, "Sure!"
So, we all climbed up onto the sides of the boat, held hands and started surfing through the rapids. About 1/2 way through, Alan who was across from me, fell forward and neglected to let go of my hand as he fell. This pushed be backward at which point, he remembered to let go of my hand and I fell backward into the water. I was ashamed that I was the only one to have fallen into the water, but, like Humpty Dumpty, I was pushed.
I rode through the rest of the rapids in the "nose and toes" swimmer's position, was picked up by the safety kayak and taken back to the boat. Even with the swim, it was a great way to end the day.
We went back to the Rios operations center, had some lunch and boarded the bus back to San Jose. We got packed up that night, had a meat-filled meal at the Fogo Brasil steakhouse and left for the airport the following morning.
All in all, it was an incredible trip filled with fun family time and incredible adventures. My only regret is that we didn't get to visit more areas--Arenal volcano (Al and I visited there on our first trip), Monteverde Cloud Forest, or even have time to see the historical sites in San Jose like the National Cathedral. Guess we'll have to save that for another trip. But, I wouldn't have traded those for our time relaxing on the beach or rafting through the rainforest.
Now, time to start planning the next big trip. Hmmmmm, where to go......................
Monday, August 02, 2010
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Costa Rica--Part 1
Just got back from our vacation in Costa Rica and it was sooooooo much fun. Now, bear in mind that my most recent vacation is always my favorite vacation, but this one is up there in the list of best vacations ever. Maybe it was because there was so much stuff going on at work, or because we hadn't had a chance for all four of us to hang out as a family in quite a while. As always, there was so much laughter and fun just being together. We all had a great time.
You can check out the complete photographic evidence here.
Made the 2-hour drive from San Jose to Jaco with no problems but thank God for GPS. Got to the house, met Pierre the local manager, got settled in. The house was beautiful, lots of architectural and decorative features, great pool and fountain, a nearby stream and beautiful gardens. We saw Jesus lizards and hummingbirds every morning and discovered a really big Halloween Crab living under the mango tree in the garden.
That afternoon we went for a swim in the pool and a cut throat game of "Toothpaste" between Amy and Claire. What Claire lacked in swimming speed, she made up for it by choosing obscure words for the categories--like "reservoir" for the category "body of water". Even after she told Amy it started and ended with an "r", Amy couldn't get it. We then took a walk on the beach and then had dinner at the local Soda down the street from the house. Had the best yucca and the fish casado. Al had a whole snapper and Amy had the chicken casado. Yummy! We finished the night playing "Pass the Pigs" on the patio while listening to the rain and drinking Imperial, La Cerveza de Costa Rica. BTW, they have an awesome logo.
The surfing on our first full day at the beach was great. We got to Jaco Surf School just as they were heading out to an easier break for lessons. Turned out, the location was at the end of the street where our house was. Gustavo handed me a rash guard and board and told me to head out while the girls had their lessons.
I paddled out to get beyond the break. Waves were about head high and breaking pretty hard. It was exhausting to get out and I got caught in the washing machine twice, really worried about how strong an ocean swimmer I was after all these years. I caught my breath, waited for a wave, started paddling into a promising one only to pull back because the drop was too steep. Mistake! The next wave caught me and pulled me back into the washing machine. Bruised and tired, I decided to take my place in the white water of the shore break. After not surfing for 20 years, I figured I needed to ease my way back in.
About this time, the girls were out in the water and already standing up. It was a great sight to see. I had fun and the balance and board movement came right back so I was able to walk the board to stay in the wave, turn and ride out of the wave. We saw the guys waving us in at the end and, completely by accident, Amy, Claire and I rode the same wave in. What a great time.
After, we were going to go to the ATM, get some more colones, pay Gustavo and go get the best fish tacos in Jaco according to Gustavo and Lauri, the owner of the house we rented, at Bubba's. This begins the only inconvenient part of the trip. We tried about 4 different ATMs and couldn't get money from any of them. We went back to the house and I called our bank. Now, we had told both the bank and our credit card company that we were traveling to Costa Rica so they would not put a hold on the international transactions. However, because we took money out on Saturday and it was Monday, the Saturday withdrawal was posting and we had reached our limit on ATM withdrawals. So, we went to the bank to get a cash advance.
Al dropped Amy and I off at the bank--me to get the money, Amy to translate. We stood in line for about 35-40 minutes only to find out that I needed my passport, even though the sign said local ID was ok. Sooooo, we drive 10 minutes back to the house to get my passport and go back to the bank. We get in line again and wait, this time only about 25 minutes. A manager for the bank comes out, pulls us out of line and takes us to a back room.
The whole trip, we've been making up scenarios from the show Locked Up Abroad and Amy and I looked at each other with a "this is the moment look." As we sat in the office, we were both trying to suppress giggles as we thought about the situation. We got the money, left the bank and headed over for lunch and to pay Gustavo. The fish tacos did not disappoint and neither did the beef one that Claire had. She said it was the best taco she'd ever had.
We went back to the house, had a swim, drank some wine, played "Pass the Pigs" again and relaxed.
Tuesday we went to Manuel Antonio Park for a 2-hour horseback ride.--one hour in the forest and one hour on the beach. We got to the very small Marlboro Stables and saw one particularly lively horse that turned out to be the one for Amy, who has the least amount of horseback riding experience of any of us. She said, "I don't have a good feeling about this" but Al and I both told her it would be fine and not to worry. I was crossing my fingers. ;) It was interesting to note that none of the horses had bits, only a rope halter/rein combo that wrapped around the horses nose.
The ride was great, wonderful views, cool wildlife including 3 sloths, a hawk and several iguanas. We finished the ride with no injuries--yeah!--and went to lunch at Costa Linda on the recommendation of the stable owner. Had a good lunch and then drove back to Jaco.
There was a lot of fresh fruit at the house so we decided to get some rum and make some fresh fruit rum punch. Blended up some pineapple, lime juice and mixed fruit juice and had a yummy punch. A storm came through and we lost power at the house so we decided to head into town and see if we could find a place that was open. We couldn't find DiMarios where I wanted to eat but ended up at Caliches Wishbone. As soon as we got in and ordered, another really bad thunderstorm came through and they lost power. But it was back on relatively quickly and dinner was good.
The stray dog that had wandered into Bubba's on Monday and hung out around our table also did the same thing at Caliche's. He was now known as "Old Friend."
Wednesday was beach time before we headed into San Jose for the rafting trip. Just enjoyed the sun, the surf and relaxed. We picked up some more tacos from Bubba's and then took off for San Jose. As we were driving along Rt 34, Alan got pulled over, or rather "waved over" by a cop. Turns out his lead foot works internationally as well and he was told by the cop to slow down or he would be facing a $400 speeding ticket.
We got into San Jose and Alan got us to the hotel through the crazy traffic and crowded, twisting, turning streets. At one point, we were trying to turn onto one street and a cab driver decided to be nice and let us in. Obviously, this is not an expected action among cab drivers in San Jose and he was rear-ended by the cab behind him. Eeek! We checked into the hotel, dropped off our bags and then drove the rental car to the airport. While its only about a 13 mile drive, it took about an hour in San Jose rush hour. Again, thank God for GPS. Not sure we could have made it without it.
The cab ride back to the hotel was a little quicker. We had dinner at a little restaurant near the hotel, La Criollita. It was recommended by the hotel clerk when I told him we wanted a place with good Tres Leches. Got back to the hotel and then to bed early so we would be up and ready to leave for our rafting trip the next morning at 6 AM.
That will be Part 2 which I hope to get up tomorrow.
You can check out the complete photographic evidence here.
Made the 2-hour drive from San Jose to Jaco with no problems but thank God for GPS. Got to the house, met Pierre the local manager, got settled in. The house was beautiful, lots of architectural and decorative features, great pool and fountain, a nearby stream and beautiful gardens. We saw Jesus lizards and hummingbirds every morning and discovered a really big Halloween Crab living under the mango tree in the garden.
That afternoon we went for a swim in the pool and a cut throat game of "Toothpaste" between Amy and Claire. What Claire lacked in swimming speed, she made up for it by choosing obscure words for the categories--like "reservoir" for the category "body of water". Even after she told Amy it started and ended with an "r", Amy couldn't get it. We then took a walk on the beach and then had dinner at the local Soda down the street from the house. Had the best yucca and the fish casado. Al had a whole snapper and Amy had the chicken casado. Yummy! We finished the night playing "Pass the Pigs" on the patio while listening to the rain and drinking Imperial, La Cerveza de Costa Rica. BTW, they have an awesome logo. The surfing on our first full day at the beach was great. We got to Jaco Surf School just as they were heading out to an easier break for lessons. Turned out, the location was at the end of the street where our house was. Gustavo handed me a rash guard and board and told me to head out while the girls had their lessons.
I paddled out to get beyond the break. Waves were about head high and breaking pretty hard. It was exhausting to get out and I got caught in the washing machine twice, really worried about how strong an ocean swimmer I was after all these years. I caught my breath, waited for a wave, started paddling into a promising one only to pull back because the drop was too steep. Mistake! The next wave caught me and pulled me back into the washing machine. Bruised and tired, I decided to take my place in the white water of the shore break. After not surfing for 20 years, I figured I needed to ease my way back in.
About this time, the girls were out in the water and already standing up. It was a great sight to see. I had fun and the balance and board movement came right back so I was able to walk the board to stay in the wave, turn and ride out of the wave. We saw the guys waving us in at the end and, completely by accident, Amy, Claire and I rode the same wave in. What a great time.
After, we were going to go to the ATM, get some more colones, pay Gustavo and go get the best fish tacos in Jaco according to Gustavo and Lauri, the owner of the house we rented, at Bubba's. This begins the only inconvenient part of the trip. We tried about 4 different ATMs and couldn't get money from any of them. We went back to the house and I called our bank. Now, we had told both the bank and our credit card company that we were traveling to Costa Rica so they would not put a hold on the international transactions. However, because we took money out on Saturday and it was Monday, the Saturday withdrawal was posting and we had reached our limit on ATM withdrawals. So, we went to the bank to get a cash advance.
Al dropped Amy and I off at the bank--me to get the money, Amy to translate. We stood in line for about 35-40 minutes only to find out that I needed my passport, even though the sign said local ID was ok. Sooooo, we drive 10 minutes back to the house to get my passport and go back to the bank. We get in line again and wait, this time only about 25 minutes. A manager for the bank comes out, pulls us out of line and takes us to a back room.
The whole trip, we've been making up scenarios from the show Locked Up Abroad and Amy and I looked at each other with a "this is the moment look." As we sat in the office, we were both trying to suppress giggles as we thought about the situation. We got the money, left the bank and headed over for lunch and to pay Gustavo. The fish tacos did not disappoint and neither did the beef one that Claire had. She said it was the best taco she'd ever had.
We went back to the house, had a swim, drank some wine, played "Pass the Pigs" again and relaxed.
Tuesday we went to Manuel Antonio Park for a 2-hour horseback ride.--one hour in the forest and one hour on the beach. We got to the very small Marlboro Stables and saw one particularly lively horse that turned out to be the one for Amy, who has the least amount of horseback riding experience of any of us. She said, "I don't have a good feeling about this" but Al and I both told her it would be fine and not to worry. I was crossing my fingers. ;) It was interesting to note that none of the horses had bits, only a rope halter/rein combo that wrapped around the horses nose.
The ride was great, wonderful views, cool wildlife including 3 sloths, a hawk and several iguanas. We finished the ride with no injuries--yeah!--and went to lunch at Costa Linda on the recommendation of the stable owner. Had a good lunch and then drove back to Jaco.
There was a lot of fresh fruit at the house so we decided to get some rum and make some fresh fruit rum punch. Blended up some pineapple, lime juice and mixed fruit juice and had a yummy punch. A storm came through and we lost power at the house so we decided to head into town and see if we could find a place that was open. We couldn't find DiMarios where I wanted to eat but ended up at Caliches Wishbone. As soon as we got in and ordered, another really bad thunderstorm came through and they lost power. But it was back on relatively quickly and dinner was good.
The stray dog that had wandered into Bubba's on Monday and hung out around our table also did the same thing at Caliche's. He was now known as "Old Friend."
Wednesday was beach time before we headed into San Jose for the rafting trip. Just enjoyed the sun, the surf and relaxed. We picked up some more tacos from Bubba's and then took off for San Jose. As we were driving along Rt 34, Alan got pulled over, or rather "waved over" by a cop. Turns out his lead foot works internationally as well and he was told by the cop to slow down or he would be facing a $400 speeding ticket.
We got into San Jose and Alan got us to the hotel through the crazy traffic and crowded, twisting, turning streets. At one point, we were trying to turn onto one street and a cab driver decided to be nice and let us in. Obviously, this is not an expected action among cab drivers in San Jose and he was rear-ended by the cab behind him. Eeek! We checked into the hotel, dropped off our bags and then drove the rental car to the airport. While its only about a 13 mile drive, it took about an hour in San Jose rush hour. Again, thank God for GPS. Not sure we could have made it without it.
The cab ride back to the hotel was a little quicker. We had dinner at a little restaurant near the hotel, La Criollita. It was recommended by the hotel clerk when I told him we wanted a place with good Tres Leches. Got back to the hotel and then to bed early so we would be up and ready to leave for our rafting trip the next morning at 6 AM.
That will be Part 2 which I hope to get up tomorrow.
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