Day 11 - February 13th
We had planned to leave for the airport around 10am. We were about an hour away and figured dropping off the car around 11am would get us to the airport at 11:30am, two hours before our flight.
After eating breakfast and packing we were ready about 20 minutes early so we decided to head out anyway which was good because a bunch of things went wrong!
The drive to the car rental place went fine until about 200 feet away. We had planned to get gas at the gas station literally right next to the car rental office but that gas station was closed. We looked on the GPS and there was one about a third of a mile around the corner but in front of us there was a wreck involving a cement truck and a car so the road was blocked. We sat in traffic a good 10 minutes or so until we could turn then we had to inch by the cement truck which was really precarious because there was a HUGE DITCH on the side of the road that I guess is a sewer or something? Anyway regardless of what purpose it serves it is the perfect size for a tire to get stuck in which is what almost happened.
After getting gas we had to sit in that mess on the way back to the car rental place again.
Dropping off the car was really quick but then we just kind of waited around for the shuttle for a long time. When it finally came we all hopped in and were driving off but then the driver got a call on the radio and we had to turn around and wait for a bunch of other people to drop off their cars too. I think we were all super annoyed and next time we rent a car I will try to make sure we get a rental office closer to the airport.
We get to the airport finally and go into the Southwest line but are turned away because have to pay the departure tax. At this point I think the tax is included in most airline tickets but we bought ours soon after Southwest started selling them and I guess that wasn't in place yet. I was pretty annoyed at this too since I had spent almost all of my cash and had to put it on my debit card and pay yet another foreign transaction fee. My credit card doesn't have foreign transaction fees but the sign at the desk said credit cards transactions would be processed as "cash advances" and I wasn't too clear on what that meant.
After that we finally got in line at Southwest and despite diligently checking in the MINUTE we could yesterday neither our check in nor our friends had worked so we ended up at like C 25 or something horrible like that and none of us could sit together. I was seriously annoyed AGAIN since I think this was an issue with the Southwest app. It's always worked for me before but I've never tried to check in internationally with them so maybe that's the issue? I have no idea why it wouldn't work for me or my friend.
Then we had to wait in line in security forever- it seemed like at least an hour!
Once we were finally through security we got some seriously overpriced airport food, spent our last colones at a store where I bought a few bottles of water for the flight and went to the gate. We were promptly told that you can't take ANY liquids onto the plane- not even a sealed bottle of water so I drank what I could and threw it out. They even have people searching every single person's bag! It was a little silly.
Once were on the flight everything was fine. I paid for the wifi which is how I found out Justice Scalia died and I wanted to talk to everyone around me on the plane about it but I didn't. I just went and found my friends and told them.
We landed Saturday night at BWI and the windchill was about 10 degrees and we were all very underdressed but happily stopped at Taco Bell on the way home where we knew our tacos wouldn't come with french fries and mayonnaise on top.
I think I'll do one more post about Costa Rica and kind of a lessons learned wrap up! There's no pics in this post since I was grumpy most of the way to and in the airport so I didn't take an pics.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Costa Rica Part 4 - Grecia
Day 9
For our last 2 nights we stayed about an hour from the airport in Grecia. We drove there through the same mountains and cloud forest that we did to get to Arenal but luckily it was a little less foggy than on the drive there.
Once you cross over the mountains the change in weather is dramatic. It was warm and sunny! It was only a few hour drive from Arenal but for some reason the air conditioner decided it didn't want to work so the car was stuffy and I was worried if the insurance covers the AC but luckily the next time we got in the car it magically worked again.
Our hotel, which was really just a bunch of small cabins, overlooked a valley with coffee bushes in it. The view was absolutely beautiful and seeing all the clouds and rain over the mountains was a friendly reminder of where we came from. A rainbow formed over the mountains every day around 5pm. The afternoon we got there we spent a few hours by the pool then got dinner at a small restaurant that had a pretty impressive karaoke set up. Somehow I only took pictures of the view and didn't take any of the cabins but you can check out the hotel's website if you're interested.
Day 10
This was really our only day in the area to do anything since we had to leave for the airport the next day. We were hoping to go to see the Poas Volcano especially since we couldn't see Arenal but the owner told us it was too cloudy and the volcano would be closed. We decided to go on a tour of the Doka Coffee Estate. The GPS took us a strange back way but we eventually ended up in the right place. The tour was interesting but I guess it was the end of harvesting season so there wasn't anyone doing anything. I would have liked to see the different machines at work but I guess it was interesting hear the guide talk about what everything did.
The landscaping at Doka was especially beautiful so that was nice.
On the way back from Doka the GPS led us astray (the one time!) and we were going down a dirt road with a steep drop off that just dead ended with no notice. Eventually we made it out the correct way. We tried to find a market the hotel owner told us about but the directions were super vague ("turn left at the soccer field after the church" - I think those are the two most common landmarks in Costa Rica!) so we never found it. We spent a few hours by the pool, saw a beautiful sunset and then went to get what we thought would be burritos. Our burritos turned out the be chimichangas covered in french fries with ketchup and mustard. They were.... interesting and certainly an unintentionally adventurous last dinner!
Our trip to the airport was kind of a fiasco so I'll make a totally separate entry for that soon.
For our last 2 nights we stayed about an hour from the airport in Grecia. We drove there through the same mountains and cloud forest that we did to get to Arenal but luckily it was a little less foggy than on the drive there.
Once you cross over the mountains the change in weather is dramatic. It was warm and sunny! It was only a few hour drive from Arenal but for some reason the air conditioner decided it didn't want to work so the car was stuffy and I was worried if the insurance covers the AC but luckily the next time we got in the car it magically worked again.
Our hotel, which was really just a bunch of small cabins, overlooked a valley with coffee bushes in it. The view was absolutely beautiful and seeing all the clouds and rain over the mountains was a friendly reminder of where we came from. A rainbow formed over the mountains every day around 5pm. The afternoon we got there we spent a few hours by the pool then got dinner at a small restaurant that had a pretty impressive karaoke set up. Somehow I only took pictures of the view and didn't take any of the cabins but you can check out the hotel's website if you're interested.
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| The pool at Mango Valley |
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| View with a rainbow! |
Day 10
This was really our only day in the area to do anything since we had to leave for the airport the next day. We were hoping to go to see the Poas Volcano especially since we couldn't see Arenal but the owner told us it was too cloudy and the volcano would be closed. We decided to go on a tour of the Doka Coffee Estate. The GPS took us a strange back way but we eventually ended up in the right place. The tour was interesting but I guess it was the end of harvesting season so there wasn't anyone doing anything. I would have liked to see the different machines at work but I guess it was interesting hear the guide talk about what everything did.
The landscaping at Doka was especially beautiful so that was nice.
On the way back from Doka the GPS led us astray (the one time!) and we were going down a dirt road with a steep drop off that just dead ended with no notice. Eventually we made it out the correct way. We tried to find a market the hotel owner told us about but the directions were super vague ("turn left at the soccer field after the church" - I think those are the two most common landmarks in Costa Rica!) so we never found it. We spent a few hours by the pool, saw a beautiful sunset and then went to get what we thought would be burritos. Our burritos turned out the be chimichangas covered in french fries with ketchup and mustard. They were.... interesting and certainly an unintentionally adventurous last dinner!
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| Our last sunset in Costa Rica! |
Our trip to the airport was kind of a fiasco so I'll make a totally separate entry for that soon.
Costa Rica Part 3 - Drive to and Arrival at Arenal
Day 6
We got up and ate breakfast at our house then hit the road to Arenal. We were expecting a 5 hour drive but it turned out to be about 6 hours. We crossed over some mountains in a cloud forest and visibility was terrible and the road was really curvy so that added a lot of time.
I was a little worried about getting lost. Did I mention there are no addresses in Costa Rica? We had the GPS coordinates of our AirBnB in Arenal but the owner said the route the GPS gives takes you on a very bad dirt road so he sent turn by turn directions. It was challenging comparing that to the way the GPS was taking us but we made it without any hitches. The road up to the AirBnB was what I would deem a very bad dirt road so I'm really curious what the "very bad" dirt road we didn't drive on was like!
On the way we stopped a vegan cafe to get coffee and take a break from driving. We didn't eat since I thought the AirBnB owner was going to have food ready for us but there was a miscommunication at he was making dinner for us later that night so we were all pretty hungry when we got there!
The AirBnB in Arenal was definitely our favorite place in Costa Rica. The house was built recently and everything was new, modern and really well done. Of course once we got there I put on my bathing suit and got ready to jump in the pool but then it started POURING and didn't stop for the next 3 days! Unfortunately it was cloudy most of the time so we couldn't see the volcano.
Day 7-8
Despite the rain we had a wonderful time in Arenal. We went whitewater rafting the second day and the third day we went to the hanging bridges and Volcano Arenal National Park with a guide. She was wonderful and definitely pointed out lots of animals we wouldn't have seen and told us a lot about the area's history.
We didn't go to the hot springs in the area. After being in the rain all day we didn't really want to hang out in more water but there's so much to do in the area I would definitely go back and hopefully we can see the volcano this time!
Our favorite part of our stay was the delicious food that the owner, Paul, made. We ate breakfast and dinner there all three nights we were there. The food was amazing and much higher quality than we had anywhere else in Costa Rica. CiCi the cat was also a lovely perk. At breakfast, Paul would put fruit in the bird feeders and I loved seeing all the different birds. I think we saw more there in his yard than we did in the parks/hanging bridges with a guide!
I don't have any pictures of whitewater rafting since I didn't take a camera with me but we had a great time. The rafting was relatively short and most of the harder rapids came first but it was still a lot of fun in the rain. After rafting the tour company took us to a farm where we had a great lunch of beans, rice and yuca. The grew coffee there was that also very good and we bought a pound. They grew sugar cane and gave us a shot of sugar can liquor which I warily took a shot of an was not surprised at how strong and intense it was!
We got up and ate breakfast at our house then hit the road to Arenal. We were expecting a 5 hour drive but it turned out to be about 6 hours. We crossed over some mountains in a cloud forest and visibility was terrible and the road was really curvy so that added a lot of time.
I was a little worried about getting lost. Did I mention there are no addresses in Costa Rica? We had the GPS coordinates of our AirBnB in Arenal but the owner said the route the GPS gives takes you on a very bad dirt road so he sent turn by turn directions. It was challenging comparing that to the way the GPS was taking us but we made it without any hitches. The road up to the AirBnB was what I would deem a very bad dirt road so I'm really curious what the "very bad" dirt road we didn't drive on was like!
On the way we stopped a vegan cafe to get coffee and take a break from driving. We didn't eat since I thought the AirBnB owner was going to have food ready for us but there was a miscommunication at he was making dinner for us later that night so we were all pretty hungry when we got there!
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| The horrible visibility on the way to Arenal. |
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| A cat at the vegan cafe on the way. |
The AirBnB in Arenal was definitely our favorite place in Costa Rica. The house was built recently and everything was new, modern and really well done. Of course once we got there I put on my bathing suit and got ready to jump in the pool but then it started POURING and didn't stop for the next 3 days! Unfortunately it was cloudy most of the time so we couldn't see the volcano.
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| Our AirBnB in Arenal |
Day 7-8
Despite the rain we had a wonderful time in Arenal. We went whitewater rafting the second day and the third day we went to the hanging bridges and Volcano Arenal National Park with a guide. She was wonderful and definitely pointed out lots of animals we wouldn't have seen and told us a lot about the area's history.
We didn't go to the hot springs in the area. After being in the rain all day we didn't really want to hang out in more water but there's so much to do in the area I would definitely go back and hopefully we can see the volcano this time!
Our favorite part of our stay was the delicious food that the owner, Paul, made. We ate breakfast and dinner there all three nights we were there. The food was amazing and much higher quality than we had anywhere else in Costa Rica. CiCi the cat was also a lovely perk. At breakfast, Paul would put fruit in the bird feeders and I loved seeing all the different birds. I think we saw more there in his yard than we did in the parks/hanging bridges with a guide!
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| Birds at breakfast! |
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| Dinner with CiCi. |
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| Skinny high five at the hanging bridges. |
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| An eyelash pit viper at the hanging bridges. |
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| At Arenal National Park... there's a volcano behind the clouds I think? |
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| My favorite bird in Costa Rica, the oropendola has a funny sounding call and bows when looking for a mate! We saw them at breakfast and in Arenal park. |
I don't have any pictures of whitewater rafting since I didn't take a camera with me but we had a great time. The rafting was relatively short and most of the harder rapids came first but it was still a lot of fun in the rain. After rafting the tour company took us to a farm where we had a great lunch of beans, rice and yuca. The grew coffee there was that also very good and we bought a pound. They grew sugar cane and gave us a shot of sugar can liquor which I warily took a shot of an was not surprised at how strong and intense it was!
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Costa Rica Part 2 - Playa Matapalo continued
Day 4
While we were in Dominical the previous day we stopped by a Tourist Information office and asked about tours of Manuel Antonio National Park. We booked with Tico Tours for the next day and had to be there at Manuel Antonio 7:45am on Saturday. Given that the park was 45 minutes from Matapalo we had to get up and leave very early! Apparently only a limited number of people can get in at a time so if you arrive late you have to wait in line until people leave. Also, it was super hot by the time we left!
Getting up this early had a perk though since we finally heard and saw all the capuchin monkeys running around the groups. There were a few babies too! I saw one grab a bunch of bananas from a tree, throw them to the ground and then climb down to get them and run off. I'm sure the locals see this stuff everyday but it was really cool.
We talked to the owner Charlie the night before about having breakfast ready for us around 6:40. I thought we communicated that we needed to LEAVE by 7am but apparently not since breakfast was ready right at 7am. Brandon managed to eat his really quickly but I just took mine to go in the car. All of the rush to leave resulted in Brandon forgetting his hiking boots but luckily the park was mostly a gravel path so he was fine in his Tevas.
We got close to the park and a nice helpful person told us to park on the side of the road and the park was "only a few blocks away" and that when we came back to get the car we would have to pay 3000 colones (about $6) for parking. I had never read about this scam before but luckily a park ranger down the street told us to move our car and there is "official" parking right by the park entrance, which was certainly not a few blocks away.
So we got to the official parking lot and found our tour office. We were a bit later than 7:45am but I guess this didn't really matter since our group was just us 4 and then another couple from Washington state. There are tons of other small groups that walk through at the same time so it's kind of a huge cluster of people but there was tons of wildlife to see. The guide carries a scope and you can look through and see really well. I never would have seen all the animals on my own so a guide is pretty necessary. We didn't know the tour ended at two beautiful beaches so we didn't bring our suits but you should if you go! I guess the beaches are a hot spot for locals so lots of people walk through the park just to go to the beach.
Driving up to the park there are tons of restaurants and hotels. One was in/near a huge plane stuck in the forest? How does a huge plane get up the mountain? Anyway were tried to go there but it was 11:30 and I guess that's too early for lunch in Costa Rica so it was closed. We ended up at the aptly named Black Cat across the street which was nothing like the Black Cat in DC.
Since we drove through Quepos on the way home we tried to go to the ATM again to get dollars but there was none available. We stopped at a bakery and I had a delicious cake pop type thing then we went to the market next door and I found this Trident Herbal gum which I was very curious about. It turns out it tastes exactly like Halls which I hated at first but now I really like it a lot so I bought some extra to bring home.
For dinner we went back to Dominical to go to a taco place that had grilled tofu tacos I was super excited about. They were almost worth the 45 minute wait. There was this super weird hippie night market there with a band playing. You could get henna tattoos or buy some crystals. The band was pretty annoying and sounded exactly like what you would imagine an ex-pat hippie night market band would sound like.
Day 5
We were tired of breakfast at our hotel/guesthouse so we tried a soda for breakfast. The communication (and welcoming from the cook) were a little questionable but eventually the food came out and it was not too bad. I got toast, scrambled eggs with black beans and I'm totally confident we paid tourist prices.
Afterwards we went to Reptilandia which is basically a zoo but just for reptiles. Also they have wifi which was awesome.
We decided to drive a bit farther south for lunch in Uvita. This is the town where we would have left from to go whale watching but the tour guide I spoke to basically told me we wouldn't see whales so I decided not to pay $90 to go see dolphins (it's billed as a whale and dolphin watching tour!). I still really want to see whales but I guess I need to do research about when/where to go to see them.
In Uvita (which seemed like just a bunch of strip malls?) we tried another ATM but again there were no USD so we ended up just paying Charlie via Paypal. We went to a place for lunch and then headed back. Everyone else went to the beach but I was still pretty badly sunburned so I relaxed in the hammock, read and took a bunch of bird pictures. I determined we have no less than 3 iguanas living in the roof of our house. I think it was 2 small females and then one VERY LARGE (probably about 3 feet?) male.
While we were in Dominical the previous day we stopped by a Tourist Information office and asked about tours of Manuel Antonio National Park. We booked with Tico Tours for the next day and had to be there at Manuel Antonio 7:45am on Saturday. Given that the park was 45 minutes from Matapalo we had to get up and leave very early! Apparently only a limited number of people can get in at a time so if you arrive late you have to wait in line until people leave. Also, it was super hot by the time we left!
Getting up this early had a perk though since we finally heard and saw all the capuchin monkeys running around the groups. There were a few babies too! I saw one grab a bunch of bananas from a tree, throw them to the ground and then climb down to get them and run off. I'm sure the locals see this stuff everyday but it was really cool.
We talked to the owner Charlie the night before about having breakfast ready for us around 6:40. I thought we communicated that we needed to LEAVE by 7am but apparently not since breakfast was ready right at 7am. Brandon managed to eat his really quickly but I just took mine to go in the car. All of the rush to leave resulted in Brandon forgetting his hiking boots but luckily the park was mostly a gravel path so he was fine in his Tevas.
We got close to the park and a nice helpful person told us to park on the side of the road and the park was "only a few blocks away" and that when we came back to get the car we would have to pay 3000 colones (about $6) for parking. I had never read about this scam before but luckily a park ranger down the street told us to move our car and there is "official" parking right by the park entrance, which was certainly not a few blocks away.
So we got to the official parking lot and found our tour office. We were a bit later than 7:45am but I guess this didn't really matter since our group was just us 4 and then another couple from Washington state. There are tons of other small groups that walk through at the same time so it's kind of a huge cluster of people but there was tons of wildlife to see. The guide carries a scope and you can look through and see really well. I never would have seen all the animals on my own so a guide is pretty necessary. We didn't know the tour ended at two beautiful beaches so we didn't bring our suits but you should if you go! I guess the beaches are a hot spot for locals so lots of people walk through the park just to go to the beach.
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| Capuchin monkeys are all over the park and very easy to see. |
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| The beautiful beach at the end! |
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| We also saw a few sloths in the park. They rarely move so the guide said they're typically in the same spots. |
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| A deer munching on plants a the side of the trail. |
Driving up to the park there are tons of restaurants and hotels. One was in/near a huge plane stuck in the forest? How does a huge plane get up the mountain? Anyway were tried to go there but it was 11:30 and I guess that's too early for lunch in Costa Rica so it was closed. We ended up at the aptly named Black Cat across the street which was nothing like the Black Cat in DC.
Since we drove through Quepos on the way home we tried to go to the ATM again to get dollars but there was none available. We stopped at a bakery and I had a delicious cake pop type thing then we went to the market next door and I found this Trident Herbal gum which I was very curious about. It turns out it tastes exactly like Halls which I hated at first but now I really like it a lot so I bought some extra to bring home.
For dinner we went back to Dominical to go to a taco place that had grilled tofu tacos I was super excited about. They were almost worth the 45 minute wait. There was this super weird hippie night market there with a band playing. You could get henna tattoos or buy some crystals. The band was pretty annoying and sounded exactly like what you would imagine an ex-pat hippie night market band would sound like.
Day 5
We were tired of breakfast at our hotel/guesthouse so we tried a soda for breakfast. The communication (and welcoming from the cook) were a little questionable but eventually the food came out and it was not too bad. I got toast, scrambled eggs with black beans and I'm totally confident we paid tourist prices.
Afterwards we went to Reptilandia which is basically a zoo but just for reptiles. Also they have wifi which was awesome.
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| A monitor at Retilandia. |
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| Aptly named snake-necked turtle. |
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We decided to drive a bit farther south for lunch in Uvita. This is the town where we would have left from to go whale watching but the tour guide I spoke to basically told me we wouldn't see whales so I decided not to pay $90 to go see dolphins (it's billed as a whale and dolphin watching tour!). I still really want to see whales but I guess I need to do research about when/where to go to see them.
In Uvita (which seemed like just a bunch of strip malls?) we tried another ATM but again there were no USD so we ended up just paying Charlie via Paypal. We went to a place for lunch and then headed back. Everyone else went to the beach but I was still pretty badly sunburned so I relaxed in the hammock, read and took a bunch of bird pictures. I determined we have no less than 3 iguanas living in the roof of our house. I think it was 2 small females and then one VERY LARGE (probably about 3 feet?) male.
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| Birds in the field by our house in Matapalo. |
Monday, February 15, 2016
Costa Rica Part 1 - Playa Matapalo
Of course I had the best of intentions of posting updates along the way on our trip but that didn't happen. At our first stop we had terrible wifi which barely worked well enough to get email (and rarely that well) so I think I just never got in the habit of updating. Anyway, here is a summary that I'll work on in a few parts over the next few days
Flight and Drive to Matapalo (February 3rd)
The flight from BWI to San Jose seemed very quick and short, it's only about 4.5 hours. We landed around 1pm and got the shuttle to the Dollar Rental Car office. We got a Nissan XTrail with a GPS. I would highly recommend an SUV and GPS since both were necessary on almost every drive. Most of the places we stayed we could easily look up in the GPS and those we couldn't we were able to get the GPS coordinates of and put them in.
Filling out all the paperwork and putting down the deposit at Dollar was easy enough then we just saw around and waited for about 30-45 minutes for our car. They kept telling us the internet was really slow but everyone else seemed to be getting their cars without an issue. Eventually our car came and we were on the road by 2:30pm if I remember correctly.
There are a few tolls leaving the airport out to the beach so you will need colones immediately (only about 2000 if I remember correctly). We just went to an ATM in the airport.
The drive was about 3 hours and we got there just as the sun was setting. I was pretty nervous about driving in the dark so we didn't stop for dinner. Everything I had read about Costa Rica mentioned that you shouldn't leave valuables in the car so we just powered through- not wanting to leave our suitcases in the care while we ate somewhere. I think driving in the dark is fine once you know an area and how to get back to where you're staying- our place would have been very difficult to find in the dark!
I found driving in Costa Rica pretty easy- sure some of the roads were muddy with tons of potholes and there are steep hills with blind turns but if you are careful it isn't particularly dangerous. There are some streets in towns that have very deep ditches as gutters so make sure you're aware of not getting stuck in those while parking or turning!
Playa Matapalo: Wednesday through Monday (5 nights)
February 3rd - Day 1
We got settled in and asked Charlie the owner where to get dinner. There isn't really much in the immediate area of Playa Matapalo other than small guesthouses and sodas (roadside stands that serve food) but he recommended a place about a 2 minute drive away that we ended up at repeatedly really for lack of any better option and they also had pretty good wifi. We were all exhausted and barely made it through dinner!
We stayed at a very small guesthouse literally across a street (small dirt road really) from the beach. The location was wonderful and the beach was pretty much deserted all day. Since we were two couples I tried to find places to stay with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but a shared living area to hang out in. We were basically staying in a portion of the owner's son's house and it was a little odd being able to hear them (and I'm sure they heard us) the whole time. Once we stayed in other places in Costa Rica we realized everything that was lacking in our first place! I think I'll decline to mention it by name since the owner was really very nice.
My main complaint about the place we stayed (other than wifi that barely worked) was that it was SO HOT AND HUMID (think 95 degrees) I could never get comfortable since the only air conditioner was in our bedroom and I think it was about 20 years old and barely worked. There was no air conditioner in the living room and they asked you to keep the AC off during the day so really the only time I was cool and comfortable was when we were driving around in the car!
February 4th - Day 2
We ate breakfast and immediately went to the beach. I think we were out there for 3-4 hours which was way too long for me and my pale winter skin! I felt tired and terrible afterwards and probably got a good start on my sunburn.
We went into Quepos for lunch, ATM and groceries in the afternoon. Quepos is a small town about 30 minutes to the north (we passed through on the way to the hotel but didn't stop). We waited in an uber long line for the ATM. Throughout our stay in Costa Rica all of our lodging owners said they preferred payment in cash in US dollars but we never actually found an ATM that would give dollars (despite being told they all do). Had we known everyone wanted cash in dollars we could have brought a lot more down with us and not paid ATM fees. We ended up paying most of the owners in colones.
For lunch we went to a Mexican place and while we ate there was an epic traffic jam. A truck was trying to move mattresses and the way they parked to unload the busses (tourist and local transportation) couldn't turn so everything just came to a standstill for a good half hour. It was impressive.
We stopped at a supermarket after lunch and got snacks and drinks for the house. Food in Costa Rica is basically as expensive as the US which I didn't expect. Or perhaps we were only stopping at restaurants/markets with tourist prices?
February 5th - Day 3
We went on a kayak tour this morning. One of the other guesthouse owners on the beach ran the tour so he came by and picked us up in the morning. I don't remember the name of the river unfortunately but we kayaked down the river towards the ocean. When the tide switches the ocean starts to come up the river and the current reverses. The tour ends going through mangroves. I was worried it would be really hot and uncomfortable but there was a nice breeze on the water and it felt great! We stopped to swim for a bit and the water was nice a cool (unlike the ocean which is lukewarm). Of course I got a sunburn despite being very diligent with sunblock.
My favorite part was all the wildlife we saw on the river. Below are some pictures.
After kayaking we went about 30 minutes south to Dominical. It's a town with a big ex-pat hippie population so there's a small cluster of stores that sell things like artisnal soap and craft beer- things you would never find in a regular Cosa Rican town! We went to a coffee shop on the side of a pungent river and I bought some aloe at a natural foods store. Who knew you would be able to buy tempeh in a Costa Rican beach town?
As we were leaving we saw a flock of toucans. Pics below!
Okay this entry seems long enough for now. I'll have more soon!
Flight and Drive to Matapalo (February 3rd)
The flight from BWI to San Jose seemed very quick and short, it's only about 4.5 hours. We landed around 1pm and got the shuttle to the Dollar Rental Car office. We got a Nissan XTrail with a GPS. I would highly recommend an SUV and GPS since both were necessary on almost every drive. Most of the places we stayed we could easily look up in the GPS and those we couldn't we were able to get the GPS coordinates of and put them in.
Filling out all the paperwork and putting down the deposit at Dollar was easy enough then we just saw around and waited for about 30-45 minutes for our car. They kept telling us the internet was really slow but everyone else seemed to be getting their cars without an issue. Eventually our car came and we were on the road by 2:30pm if I remember correctly.
There are a few tolls leaving the airport out to the beach so you will need colones immediately (only about 2000 if I remember correctly). We just went to an ATM in the airport.
The drive was about 3 hours and we got there just as the sun was setting. I was pretty nervous about driving in the dark so we didn't stop for dinner. Everything I had read about Costa Rica mentioned that you shouldn't leave valuables in the car so we just powered through- not wanting to leave our suitcases in the care while we ate somewhere. I think driving in the dark is fine once you know an area and how to get back to where you're staying- our place would have been very difficult to find in the dark!
I found driving in Costa Rica pretty easy- sure some of the roads were muddy with tons of potholes and there are steep hills with blind turns but if you are careful it isn't particularly dangerous. There are some streets in towns that have very deep ditches as gutters so make sure you're aware of not getting stuck in those while parking or turning!
Playa Matapalo: Wednesday through Monday (5 nights)
February 3rd - Day 1
We got settled in and asked Charlie the owner where to get dinner. There isn't really much in the immediate area of Playa Matapalo other than small guesthouses and sodas (roadside stands that serve food) but he recommended a place about a 2 minute drive away that we ended up at repeatedly really for lack of any better option and they also had pretty good wifi. We were all exhausted and barely made it through dinner!
We stayed at a very small guesthouse literally across a street (small dirt road really) from the beach. The location was wonderful and the beach was pretty much deserted all day. Since we were two couples I tried to find places to stay with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but a shared living area to hang out in. We were basically staying in a portion of the owner's son's house and it was a little odd being able to hear them (and I'm sure they heard us) the whole time. Once we stayed in other places in Costa Rica we realized everything that was lacking in our first place! I think I'll decline to mention it by name since the owner was really very nice.
My main complaint about the place we stayed (other than wifi that barely worked) was that it was SO HOT AND HUMID (think 95 degrees) I could never get comfortable since the only air conditioner was in our bedroom and I think it was about 20 years old and barely worked. There was no air conditioner in the living room and they asked you to keep the AC off during the day so really the only time I was cool and comfortable was when we were driving around in the car!
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| The house backed up to a field with cows. It was quiet and peaceful. |
February 4th - Day 2
We ate breakfast and immediately went to the beach. I think we were out there for 3-4 hours which was way too long for me and my pale winter skin! I felt tired and terrible afterwards and probably got a good start on my sunburn.
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| Playa Matapalo- not too crowded! |
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| Another view of the beach. |
We went into Quepos for lunch, ATM and groceries in the afternoon. Quepos is a small town about 30 minutes to the north (we passed through on the way to the hotel but didn't stop). We waited in an uber long line for the ATM. Throughout our stay in Costa Rica all of our lodging owners said they preferred payment in cash in US dollars but we never actually found an ATM that would give dollars (despite being told they all do). Had we known everyone wanted cash in dollars we could have brought a lot more down with us and not paid ATM fees. We ended up paying most of the owners in colones.
For lunch we went to a Mexican place and while we ate there was an epic traffic jam. A truck was trying to move mattresses and the way they parked to unload the busses (tourist and local transportation) couldn't turn so everything just came to a standstill for a good half hour. It was impressive.
We stopped at a supermarket after lunch and got snacks and drinks for the house. Food in Costa Rica is basically as expensive as the US which I didn't expect. Or perhaps we were only stopping at restaurants/markets with tourist prices?
February 5th - Day 3
We went on a kayak tour this morning. One of the other guesthouse owners on the beach ran the tour so he came by and picked us up in the morning. I don't remember the name of the river unfortunately but we kayaked down the river towards the ocean. When the tide switches the ocean starts to come up the river and the current reverses. The tour ends going through mangroves. I was worried it would be really hot and uncomfortable but there was a nice breeze on the water and it felt great! We stopped to swim for a bit and the water was nice a cool (unlike the ocean which is lukewarm). Of course I got a sunburn despite being very diligent with sunblock.
My favorite part was all the wildlife we saw on the river. Below are some pictures.
After kayaking we went about 30 minutes south to Dominical. It's a town with a big ex-pat hippie population so there's a small cluster of stores that sell things like artisnal soap and craft beer- things you would never find in a regular Cosa Rican town! We went to a coffee shop on the side of a pungent river and I bought some aloe at a natural foods store. Who knew you would be able to buy tempeh in a Costa Rican beach town?
As we were leaving we saw a flock of toucans. Pics below!
Okay this entry seems long enough for now. I'll have more soon!
Monday, February 1, 2016
Leaving soon
We leave Wednesday morning for Costa Rica. I am so excited to head somewhere warm- especially after it snowed two feet here a week or so ago. Luckily it will be warm here too on Wednesday so hopefully that means there's no chance of our flight being delayed.
Today we also just bought tickets for a long weekend in Reykjavik in April. We'll only be there 4 days (3 nights) so we will probably do a day trip or two, wander around the city and then head home.
Trips on the horizon: possibly the Galapagos with Brandon's family in January 2017 and then India in Fall or Winter of 2017!
Hopefully I'll update periodically while we are in Costa Rica and actually add pictures. I'm pretty much done packing and I must say I'm doing much better about not overpacking. I think living out of a backpack while in Cambodia for 18 days taught me some useful lessons!
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