[Change Is In the Air]
6 years ago
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 5 in Costa Rica: Beach Day!
Day 5 in Costa Rica was our first "beach day" of the trip!
We awoke and ate breakfast at our hotel, which was AMAZING. I know I said the breakfast at our first hotel was amazing, and it was, but the food at La Mansion was on a completely different level! Each morning we enjoyed the best coffee, fruit, and food from their large breakfast menu. This particular morning I had french toast (the best I've ever had), and Jason had an omelet.
At noon we caught the free shuttle from our hotel to the public beach outside Manuel Antonio. It was fairly busy, but we had no trouble finding a spot on the sand. Right away we went into the water! We had a lot of fun wading around and playing in the huge waves. For the next few hours we alternated reading, people-watching, and relaxing on the beach, and running into the ocean to cool off.
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this beach, because we took a disposable camera and haven't developed the film yet. I will be sure to post some once we have them. But it was beautiful, and very relaxing!
Later that afternoon we enjoyed tropical drinks back at our hotel, and more scenic views from the patio.
For dinner Wednesday night we went to a nearby outdoor restaurant called Salsipuedes, which serves tapas (small dishes to share). The restaurant overlooks the ocean, and we saw a lovely sunset.
We were very entertained by the cat and dog who roamed the patio, and the live band playing covers of 80s songs. It was quite the place, and a great way to wrap up another wonderful day in paradise!
We awoke and ate breakfast at our hotel, which was AMAZING. I know I said the breakfast at our first hotel was amazing, and it was, but the food at La Mansion was on a completely different level! Each morning we enjoyed the best coffee, fruit, and food from their large breakfast menu. This particular morning I had french toast (the best I've ever had), and Jason had an omelet.
At noon we caught the free shuttle from our hotel to the public beach outside Manuel Antonio. It was fairly busy, but we had no trouble finding a spot on the sand. Right away we went into the water! We had a lot of fun wading around and playing in the huge waves. For the next few hours we alternated reading, people-watching, and relaxing on the beach, and running into the ocean to cool off.
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this beach, because we took a disposable camera and haven't developed the film yet. I will be sure to post some once we have them. But it was beautiful, and very relaxing!
Later that afternoon we enjoyed tropical drinks back at our hotel, and more scenic views from the patio.
For dinner Wednesday night we went to a nearby outdoor restaurant called Salsipuedes, which serves tapas (small dishes to share). The restaurant overlooks the ocean, and we saw a lovely sunset.
Salsipuedes before sunset
our hotel is the middle group of lights in this photo (click to enlarge)
We were very entertained by the cat and dog who roamed the patio, and the live band playing covers of 80s songs. It was quite the place, and a great way to wrap up another wonderful day in paradise!
Salsipuedes after dark
Costa Rica Day 4: Arenal to Manuel Antonio
On Tuesday morning we woke up early and prepared to leave one part of paradise for another! We enjoyed one last breakfast at Arenal, and took one more picture in front of the volcano. At 7:00 our Interbus shuttle arrived and we were on our way!
The ride from the Arenal area to Manuel Antonio was scenic and a fun experience. We enjoyed seeing more of Costa Rica as we drove south to the Pacific coast. We bought plantain chips and Chiky cookies at a rest stop—yum!
As we drove into Quepos, the town next to Manuel Antonio National Park, we became more and more excited for the second part of our trip! We noticed endless fields of palm trees along both side of the road. Quepos is a port city on the Pacific coast, and was once a large exporter of bananas, then chocolate. Now, the city's main product is palm oil from all those trees.
We arrived at our (gorgeous!) hotel around lunchtime and ate outside, next to the pool. We went American with bacon cheeseburgers, and enjoyed a leisurely meal as we marveled at the great views and beautiful surroundings.
We moved our belongings into our room and then were off to explore a bit of Quepos. Our first stop was a grocery store to buy water and snacks. We almost went to one grocery store, but the taxi driver suggested that another store was much cheaper. We were, of course, grateful for the suggestion and took his advice! He also mentioned a nearby restaurant, so we headed there for dinner afterward. It was a local soda called Quepoa. Jason enjoyed arroz con camarones (seafood and rice) and I had a quesadilla. We both had fresh watermelon juice, which was so refreshing!
That evening we were tired from the long day of traveling, so we relaxed in our room, enjoying the TV and air conditioning (we had neither at the first hotel)!
last photo at the Arenal volcano!
The ride from the Arenal area to Manuel Antonio was scenic and a fun experience. We enjoyed seeing more of Costa Rica as we drove south to the Pacific coast. We bought plantain chips and Chiky cookies at a rest stop—yum!
As we drove into Quepos, the town next to Manuel Antonio National Park, we became more and more excited for the second part of our trip! We noticed endless fields of palm trees along both side of the road. Quepos is a port city on the Pacific coast, and was once a large exporter of bananas, then chocolate. Now, the city's main product is palm oil from all those trees.
We arrived at our (gorgeous!) hotel around lunchtime and ate outside, next to the pool. We went American with bacon cheeseburgers, and enjoyed a leisurely meal as we marveled at the great views and beautiful surroundings.
Our room at this hotel (La Mansion Inn, if you're interested) was absolutely amazing! It was very spacious, with a view of the ocean. The hotel staff was very accommodating and helpful during our stay—chatting with us and helping us arrange tours.lunch on the patio
the view of our lawn and the ocean
That evening we were tired from the long day of traveling, so we relaxed in our room, enjoying the TV and air conditioning (we had neither at the first hotel)!
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Costa Rica Trip: Day 3
Day 3 in Costa Rica was our last day at the Arenal volcano, and the most adventurous day of the trip yet!
We started the day with another fantastic breakfast. The pineapple was the freshest and best we'd ever had.
At 9 am we took a horseback ride around the grounds of the lodge. The group was very small—just us, the guide, and a family of three from Brazil. The ride took us over almost the entire property, including across a river a few times, which involved forcing our horses to step down a very steep and muddy path and through the water. Quite exciting! We also rode across pastures and through rain forest. After our ride we had lunch, then took a nap (fully embracing Costa Rican culture).
Well, we embraced the culture a little too much, and almost missed our bus for our afternoon activity! We awoke to someone pounding at our door, and a guy speaking Spanish very rapidly. We finally understood what was happening, and rushed up to the front desk to catch our ride. Thankfully, no one was too upset about having to wait for us.
It's a very good thing we caught our ride, because our afternoon activity was ziplining across the longest, fastest, and highest lines in the country! It was such an adrenaline rush! We rode 8 ziplines, the longest being 2500 feet (and zipping us along at speeds up to 50 mph). The ziplines were so long that we actually had to assume a goofy position while riding, to maintain our speed. We had to cross our legs at the ankles and put our knees in the air. Then at the end of the line we had to spread our legs apart so they wouldn't swing up and hit the cable! We looked totally goofy, but it was worth it. I have to admit that on the first line I was focused only on my "form" and not falling off! But after that I was able to appreciate the beautiful landscape we were zipping over and through, and the volcano and lake in the background. It was awesome!
I wish we had some great pictures of ziplining, but we weren't able to take our camera. However, I was able to work something out....
We started the day with another fantastic breakfast. The pineapple was the freshest and best we'd ever had.
the hanging bridge we walked across to get from our room to the restaurant
At 9 am we took a horseback ride around the grounds of the lodge. The group was very small—just us, the guide, and a family of three from Brazil. The ride took us over almost the entire property, including across a river a few times, which involved forcing our horses to step down a very steep and muddy path and through the water. Quite exciting! We also rode across pastures and through rain forest. After our ride we had lunch, then took a nap (fully embracing Costa Rican culture).
Well, we embraced the culture a little too much, and almost missed our bus for our afternoon activity! We awoke to someone pounding at our door, and a guy speaking Spanish very rapidly. We finally understood what was happening, and rushed up to the front desk to catch our ride. Thankfully, no one was too upset about having to wait for us.
It's a very good thing we caught our ride, because our afternoon activity was ziplining across the longest, fastest, and highest lines in the country! It was such an adrenaline rush! We rode 8 ziplines, the longest being 2500 feet (and zipping us along at speeds up to 50 mph). The ziplines were so long that we actually had to assume a goofy position while riding, to maintain our speed. We had to cross our legs at the ankles and put our knees in the air. Then at the end of the line we had to spread our legs apart so they wouldn't swing up and hit the cable! We looked totally goofy, but it was worth it. I have to admit that on the first line I was focused only on my "form" and not falling off! But after that I was able to appreciate the beautiful landscape we were zipping over and through, and the volcano and lake in the background. It was awesome!
I wish we had some great pictures of ziplining, but we weren't able to take our camera. However, I was able to work something out....
OK, so these aren't our bodies... but these are the actual lines we rode!
with our zipline gear
After ziplining we were ready to relax and have dinner back at the lodge. We enjoyed a great view of the volcano from our restaurant, and more trés leches cake! The weather was perfect all day, with no rain whatsoever. A perfect final day at Arenal.
trés leches by candlelight
"seismograph"
Next up: the pacific coast and Manuel Antonio!Jason reacts to the idea of a catastrophic volcanic eruptionhappy in Costa Rica
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: A Few Garden Pics
a lovely stone from Heather and Julie (click to enlarge)
the stone we created at Faith's Lodge
I almost couldn't pull these "weeds"
Monday, August 02, 2010
Costa Rica trip: Arenal Volcano Day 2
Our second day in Costa Rica was very full and exciting! We awoke to the beautiful view from our room, and ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Their breakfast was excellent! We had the traditional meal of gallo pinto, fried plantains, fruit, and coffee.
After breakfast we took a guided nature hike around the hotel property. Our guide had a great eye for spotting animals, and we saw a howler monkey in a tree with her baby! We also saw 2 blue Morpho butterflies and many birds.
In the afternoon we went into La Fortuna for lunch. On the drive we asked our taxi driver for a recommendation, and he brought us to Soda La Parada. It seemed to be a popular place, and with good reason! It had really good food and was very reasonably priced. The restaurant overlooked La Fortuna's beautiful central park.
After lunch we went to the La Fortuna waterfall. It was raining—pouring, actually—but we didn't care, and made the steep hike down to the falls anyway. After 500 steps we reached the base of the waterfall. It is incredible! Definitely the largest waterfall I have seen in my life. The pictures don't do it justice, but perhaps you can make out Jason in the corner of the second one, for a size comparison! Even though we were soaked, we still had a great time!
In the evening we ate at the hotel, and had trés leches cake for dessert. It was sooo good (I seem to be writing a lot about food on this trip!). We fell asleep before 9 pm, we were so worn out from day 2 in paradise!
After breakfast we took a guided nature hike around the hotel property. Our guide had a great eye for spotting animals, and we saw a howler monkey in a tree with her baby! We also saw 2 blue Morpho butterflies and many birds.
crossing a hanging bridge during our hike
a beautiful waterfall on the hotel property
In the afternoon we went into La Fortuna for lunch. On the drive we asked our taxi driver for a recommendation, and he brought us to Soda La Parada. It seemed to be a popular place, and with good reason! It had really good food and was very reasonably priced. The restaurant overlooked La Fortuna's beautiful central park.
central park in La Fortuna
After lunch we went to the La Fortuna waterfall. It was raining—pouring, actually—but we didn't care, and made the steep hike down to the falls anyway. After 500 steps we reached the base of the waterfall. It is incredible! Definitely the largest waterfall I have seen in my life. The pictures don't do it justice, but perhaps you can make out Jason in the corner of the second one, for a size comparison! Even though we were soaked, we still had a great time!
soaking wet but happy
La Catarata—Jason is in the lower right corner (click to enlarge)
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