We Might Not Be Back: March 2013

Friday, March 22, 2013

Amazing Accomodations for Families Traveling in Costa Rica

So just in case anyone is interested here are the places we stayed and car rental company we used. Costa Rica is AMAZING!!!!

The First Stop:
Margarita Airport Hotel is in Alajuela about 15 minutes from the airport in La Garita. We felt super safe there. Margarita was an amazing hostess and everything was clean and comfortable. Last year we stayed at Hote la Rosa de America which was also lovely and in La Garita!

Car Rental:
Solid Rental Car was wonderful to us both last year and this year. Last year they came and got Dan and the girls when we had a small fender bender. This year we needed a new battery and they sent a man out to meet us at the restaurant where we were eating to fix it. They were also the cheapest of the prices I checked.

The Main Stay:
Casa Amarilla was FANTASTIC. Jo is wonderful to rent from and answered all my questions before, during and after our stay. She also wrote a book about her experience moving to Costa Rica, which I read before our trip last year. If you want to be surrounded by beautiful plants and animals instead of a bunch of US tourists (in fairness there were a lot of Canadians too) then this is the spot. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people who work and live on and near Finca Estrella. It requires a little driving but it is well worth it for a real Costa Rican experience!

The Chocolate Tour:
Finca Kobo was an amazing place. Our tour was fascinating. We learned about chocolate and the other fruits on the finca. Jutta and Alex were wonderful hosts and super sweet to our girls. The drive there had amazing views. It was a fabulous experience all around.

The Last Stop:
Holiday Inn Express near the airport for the purposes of unloading our car and getting to the airport bright and early was our choice for last nights stay. It was very clean. There was free breakfast and it was convenient to souvenir shops and of course the airport.

Friday, March 15, 2013

A Month in Costa Rica Comes to a Close

There is little I hate more than anticipating the end of a trip. Packing everything up is always a nightmare. Thinking about long drives or return flights makes me about nauseous and in this case we had both to look forward to. We spent our last day at the beach closest to our house. This was a relief to me because I was getting a little stressed by one of the gravel covered bridges on the way to the other beaches where I always seemed to slide a little :( Unfortunately we found yet another dead sea turtle on the beach. This one looked like it hadn’t been there quite as long. Otherwise it was a lovely day which of course ended with some beans and rice ;)
The next day in the interest of not having to clean more sand out of the girls bathing suits we made it a pool day. This was perfectly fine with the girls who had a lovely time leaping off of Dan’s shoulders. It is pretty crazy that in a month you can completely forget the climate that you came from.
That evening when we took the girls to say goodbye to Enrique, Grace and their son. We were invited to stay for a delicious dinner of ceviche and fried plantains. On the list of things that in other circumstances I’d be unlikely to eat both of these rank pretty high. On past trips down here I’ve choked down those revolting plantains that are normally served with breakfast. I believe they are pan fried and cooked with sugar and they stay sort of like mushy bananas. These super tasty fried plantains are more like a french fry and I could eat platefuls. Ceviche is simply fantastic and if I weren’t scared to make my own I would eat it everyday. The girls, being the polite children they are, both asked for seconds. We had to follow it up at home with leftover beans and rice which we didn’t want to go to waste.
Today was the last drive to San Jose. I can’t say I am sad to leave the roads here behind. Just over halfway into our drive we watched a motorcycle smash into a truck and the driver flipped over. Thankfully he only hurt his arm, but it was pretty terrifying. We all made it in one piece and in pretty good time. This naturally included a last obligatory stop at the crocodiles. Is it bad when the parking attendant knows who you are? I think this time we were at about 7 1/2 hrs for the 350 km journey. It is pretty crazy that this drive can be anywhere from 7-10 hours depending on the traffic and number of trucks or tractors you get stuck behind. After a pretty successful trip to the souvenir shop and a slightly less successful dinner I was delighted to turn in our rental car. Tomorrow we will be up early to head to the airport and return home. I am dying to hear what sticks out in the girls minds as the most notable stories from this trip. I have a feeling watching the motorcylist flip over the truck will rank pretty high up there unfortunately. Lottie might still stick with her cows on the beach story though.
This has been an amazing trip and I am incredibly grateful to be able to give my children opportunities like this. I think this year they really enjoyed themselves. I know at the very least they adored seeing the people who work on the Finca. I am hoping they enjoyed the animals and all the fresh fruit too.

Waiting for pre-beach snacks

Gabby's sand art

Her heart person

Dead turtle #2 :(

We love la piscina!

Are they being nice to each other?

I promise she wasn't tall enough to stand in here at the beginning of the trip

Our beautiful accomodations

Terrorizing this poor kid!!!

2nd helping of ceviche!

Right before our long drive

I seriously need to pack lighter :(

Farewell to Finca Estrella!

Bye Bye Crocodiles!!!

Enjoying Nature in Pavones: Frogs and Ants

So our day started fairly innocently with a trip to the tadpole beach. That is how Gabby refers to the river that is swimming with tadpoles and itty bitty frogs. It’s not one of my favorite spots because it creeps me out when I think little things are nibbling at my toes. The creepy tadpoles always seemed to be right near my feet and I promise I could feel them chewing on me. I also cannot stand the seaweed like substance on the bottom, but its hard to argue with a place that keeps your kids entertained for hours. I do feel a little bad for the poor tadpoles who got caught and then stuck in an empty coconut where they probably ended up half cooked. I’m sure their population isn’t hurting too much. Who knew later on I’d have another run in with the tadpoles?
After the beach we went on a hunt for the perfect machete for Dan to bring home as a souvenir with a matching leather case of course. While at the Super Comte it started pouring. Driving here is treacherous enough without weather complicating it. Luckily we took so long picking out a matching machete and case, some faux crocs for the girls, and of course an ice cream treat that we were able to wait out the rain. I am thinking that the guy spraying down the roads as part of the slightly inconvenient road work might have been sent home early that day?
I was slightly panicked when we got home and our water wasn’t on, but this was a quick fix. Once again hooray for the amazing people who work on this property!!! Dan took the girls to the pool while I started dinner. When I started filling the pot for pasta (sometimes you just need a break from beans and rice) I saw what I thought was a bug on the pot. I assumed it was just one I hadn’t used recently so perhaps an ant had crawled in, but I assumed wrong. I started to fill the pot again and a bunch of black things with tails were sputtering out of the faucet into my pasta pot. Apparently the tadpoles just couldn’t get enough of us. Perhaps bad karma for me not protecting their friends at the beach?I am pretty devastated that in my state of shock I didn’t take pictures. I am totally patting myself on the back for not flipping out. I washed the pot and refilled it as though nothing were wrong. That is pretty out of character for me.
Later that evening I think I deserved a gold star for composure. I got up to turn out lights when I was done reading before bed and I noticed some black stuff on the wall. Upon closer inspection I realized it was ants. As I walked I saw more and more of them. Apparently a little unseasonable rain drove these suckers out in hoards. I refrained from hysterical shrieking. I may have had a little panic in my voice when I called Dan to come look but otherwise kept calm. We sprayed and cleaned up ants and relocated the girls to our bed because apparently they are so sweet the ants liked their room the best. HAHAHAHA! What’s really crazy is that they completely disappeared as we started killing them off. They are pretty fascinating and super annoying little creatures. It was a good reminder of why I visit here, but don’t think I have what it takes to ever stay forever ;p

Gabby's first catch of the day

The coconut of death for tadpoles

Nighttime visitors

Relocated children. How is it possible they take up an entire king size bed?

Toucan sighting at the pool

More monkeys pointed out by Freddy!

Gabby being taken for a quick ride

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

More Costa Rican Roads and Beautiful Beaches

So Sunday was another long drive. The scenery coming from Finca Kobo is pretty amazing and we made ok time. Nothing too exciting to report aside from a failed attempt to get internet at the surf competition. Very disappointing :(
Yesterday we went back to our closest beach. Dan found a dead sea turtle on the beach. It was pretty sad to see such an amazing animal being picked apart by vultures. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful day. It was our last time to see the fruit man. We of course had more fresh fruits and veggies with beans and rice for dinner ;p
Since I've cheated everyone out of pictures for the last week here are a bunch to make up for it. These are in no order because the internet is still a little sketchy. I tried my best to label stuff but probably missed somethings.