Sunday, June 30, 2013
Day 8 - The Fun Boat
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Day 6 - Surf's Up
The rest of the day was spent enjoying the board rentals, but best of all was the arrival of grandma, Uncle Craig and Aunt Renee!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Day 5 - Just Another Day
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Day 4 - On Top of the World
Our adventure today was an ATV tour to the "top of the world". It was amazing! It was absolutely beautiful - so lush and green and pretty - and a thrill at the same time! Kate said it was "like a dream" because she was really excited to do it, and butterflies flew around us! Chris got a kick out of his ATV's warning label: no drivers under 16, don't drive on public roads, and don't have passengers. We broke all 3 rules! The guys were a tad disappointed that they didn't get to take off on the beach (like we did in Mexico) because the beaches are protected here. We rode all the way up to overlook the coast for miles, and then returned by way of 5 beaches. Playa Danta was the best. It had "toys" to play on - rope swing, regular swing, a tightrope and hammocks.
Halfway through the ride we stopped to see some monkeys in a large cage (similar to a cage at the Folsom Zoo). They were so cute! This one came down to the bottom of the cage and stuck its arm out a small hole. It wanted food - grass. It held our finger; its fingers were so soft and its grip was delicate - kinda like holding a newborn's hand.
After the ride, Greg and I laughed as we watched our right thumbs...either from tired gas trigger fingers or old age, or both, they were twitching on their own accord!
Just as soon as we got back, Greg's statement, "I'm disappointed it hasn't rained yet" was just as effective as a rain dance. It rained for about 30 minutes and then called it quits for the day.
I have beautiful pix of today on my camera but unfortunately can only attach the bad pix my phone took through the waterproof case.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Day 3 - a "Less Developed" Country
Today we had to tell the kids to take a "vacation" from fighting. We will see how long that lasts.
I am trying to figure out a way to describe Costa Rica (at least what I've seen so far from my sun chair on the beach - the real sampling starts when our tour begins). Maybe a cross between Hawaii and Mexico, with a dose of butterflies and wild life. Hawaii prices, Mexico friendliness, super laid back. Hotter than Hawaii (perfect at 100 humid degrees - I only catch a chill when I am wet). Obviously rainy (they invest more money in the drainage than the streets). Beautiful sunsets. Warm ocean. What is unique is the town/street, and even though I saw a video before I came, it still wasn't what I imagined. The town has the 3rd world "less developed" feel - in a desirable way . It has one main, narrow, paved street with a regular flow of vehicles. The rest of the few roads are not paved and appear to go nowhere. No sidewalks; you either risk walking on the road or you walk in the dirt, gutter, bushes, etc. (After I saw the snake, the middle of the road was most comforting.) Everything is hard to find - with no street signs or addresses - just a description of where- abouts. No such thing as dogs on leashes (I am beginning to think the US invented leashes, and how odd they must appear to foreigners). Many restaurants don't lock because they don't have walls. The grocery store is hotter than the outside, so chocolate bars are for sipping, not chewing.
Our highlight today was all swimming and body surfing together in the ocean during sunset. It's a big deal because even though dad was a swimmer, no one else inherited it, and I practically detest it. But tonight, it was heaven!
For dinner we had our first taste of typical Costa Rican food: stewed meat, rice, beans, fried egg, plantain, and some sort of sweet vegetables. Thumbs up!
Today was definitely ... vacation!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Day 2 - Hotel Diria, Tamarindo
And the sound of the sea lions? Yup - monkeys. Next we have to figure out what sounds like a goat because we're pretty sure the resort doesn't have a farm! So the irony is that this morning, as soon as the sun came up, I went running down the beach and through the trees looking for wild life. It wasn't until I got back to our resort that we actually saw it all!
Some simple facts about Costa Rica:
- They accept the US dollar. Super convenient.
- They are on central time except during daylight savings - now they are on mountain time.
- They speak Spanish. It's a good thing we have Jeremy to translate for us (headed into Spanish 3) just in case we can't read the English translation right next to the Spanish sign.
Other than laying around at the beach/pool, our day's adventure was a very long walk on the beach. We were headed to a beautiful beach named Playa Avellanas. The tide was so low I thought we would have success but by the time everyone was ready, our timing was wrong. The tide came in with a vengeance so we couldn't get across the estuary. Maybe another day.
Our evening ended with meanie dad sending our condo resident to cockroach heaven. He claims he "accidently" chopped his head off. Hoping there's not a cockroach rebellion!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Arriving in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Getting Ready to Go!
We are jumping on the Hecox bandwagon and heading to Costa Rica for our summer vacation! Our 1st week will be spent on the beach in Tamarindo (Pacific Coast). The 2nd week we, together with mom, Craig and Reene, and Glenn’s family, are traveling with mom's favorite, prestigious Tauck touring company across the northern part of the country: Pacific Coast - Arenal volcano - Caribbean Coast.
Preparing for the trip has been one of the easiest vacations yet...I guess that is what happens when you go with a tour company plus relax on a beach. We had to renew the dang kids' passports, only good for 5 years - which we originally got unnecessarily (U.S. postponed implementing the new law) for a cruise (the last Hecox adventure) but have managed to use a few times since then. This time we waited until Jeremy turned 16 so at least his could be good for 10 years!
Not having been to Costa Rica, I am likening it to Hawaii - except with lots of critters (crocodiles, snakes, bugs) and lots of rain (it's the very rainy season)! Jeremy thinks it is pretty "cool" we are going, "just because". Chris thinks it's cool too - either because that is the only <clean> word teenager know, or he heard Jeremy; he is excited about the activities we get to do while we are there. Kate, our adventurer who loves to be with us and do everything, is “really really excited!” I am interested to see how this all plays out!
We are leaving in just a few days on Friday June 21. Yay it is almost here! I will spend my free time obsessing about what to bring (because I hate bringing anything yet I hate having nothing), quarantining clean clothes from my kids, the obligatory process of being present during Greg's (my idea of "last minute") packing process, and a few other unimportant tidbits.
I am getting very ready to experience "pura vida"!