Wednesday, Nov 30th in Dominical

So here we go again … early to rise at 5:30 am on ANOTHER rainy, bleak, gray day.  We made a big pot of rich, strong local Costa Rican coffee, sat on the spacious veranda and talked about what to do today. Even WITH the rain here, we feel much more content in our shorts and T-shirts and looking at the ocean.  And best of  all … NO BUGS. 

As we started to make breakfast, we met the OTHER D&D ... our hosts David and Debbie (they live part of the year in Alaska & Colorado).  Very friendly and open people who have made us feel very much at home.  We also ran our first load of laundry in over a week which also helped our morale. 

It felt good to want to cook again, so I whipped up some spicy scrambled eggs and we enjoyed breakfast on the veranda.

Not ALLOWING the rain to stop us, we packed up our stuff and headed out; first stop the beach. That is, after several attempts to FIND the very well hidden road which leads down to the beach.  It is so INCREDIBLY LUSH!  The roads and restaurants here take several passes, back and forth, before we can figure out where to go, even WITH the lady in the GPS (who continues to be misleading)!  

So we headed out to explore low tide, and THANK YOU GOD, I found my shadow there!

The beach here is absolutely gorgeous.  Big rocks, waves, sound and lots of baby crabs crawling everywhere.  We blissfully explored for quite a while enjoying our favorite hobby … photography.

                                LOOK into the distance to SEE our UPPER LEVEL "cabina"

                               Here's a ZOOM pic of our upper level "cabina" (shot from the beach)

Following advice from our host, we then drove to the little village of Dominical which looked NOTHING like it did last night in the downpour and darkness. 

              Dennis on his way to the Tortilla Flats bar / restaurant across from the playa (beach)

                               Kathy Weyand... we FOUND the MAGIC BUS in Costa Rica!

             Diana loves this little town so Dennis made an offer to buy this beautiful get away place

The rain actually continued to be minimal and we headed south for about 30 miles to explore.  The coast highway here is in great condition, except of course for the mini-landslides due to the massive rain.  The jungle in this area reaches right down to the Pacific ocean.  So beautiful!

We made a store run and it wasn’t bad at all.  Dennis says he could deal with shopping here on a short-term basis (hear me say YES!)  

                                                       
                                                       Ivonne... THINKING of YOU!

We then FINALLY found the  turn off for the restaurant La Parcela which is at the end of a peninsula, just south of our AirBnB rental. 

We so enjoyed our cold drink, nachos, and view as we watched the rain move back in.  But this time, the rain was fine with us.

We made one more stop today at the road-side fresh pescado (fish) market.  Our choices were shrimp, marlin, sea bass, and mahimahi.  We bought a kilo (2.2 pounds) of the latter for $15.00 USD.  Dennis is preparing blackened (pan seared) mahimahi for the first time ever!  We'll serve the fish in tortillas topped with diced tomatoes and glazed with a "crema" (avocado, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, lime & salt).  YUMMY!  

               Chef Cindy and Chef Robb... we're thinking of you making this fish dish tonight 


Dennis and I work jointly photographing, composing, uploading (quite a JOB in a third world country!) and preparing our blog.  But I will end today with just one image that explains how I personally feel about Dominical, Costa Rica ...

What if... can you imagine us living here for 1, 2 or 3 months?  I think you how Diana feels today! 

Tuesday, Nov 29 heading to Dominical

We awoke again today at 5:00am to pack up and prepare for our 8:00am departure for the long 7.5 hour journey from El Castillo (central mountain volcano region) to Dominical (southern Pacific Ocean coast).

Brief road stop for a coffee and breakfast treat

The GPS unit in our vehicle took us on some REALLY interesting side roads (gravel, dirt, huge pot holes, lots of mud) during MORE rain storms today.  Even though we chose the “fastest route”, I personally think the lady housed in the GPS unit was totally screwing with us!

The GPS states "road"... what  road and what route?  Any ideas?

Driving on the narrow roads and over the one lane bridges in Costa Rica is quite challenging.  Diana recently signed me up for Lumosity, a brain-building app that helps to keep my brain sharp.  One of the games is driving on a track with lots of obstacles.  We had fun today calling out points to all of the crazy things that jumped out in front of us .... tractors, trucks, lots of small dogs, drivers stopped ON the road talking on their phone, animals of many kinds, Ticos walking in the rain, incorrect road signs, and DEEP potholes that seemed to  come out of nowhere.  We prayed for a safe journey along our long route today.  Unfortunately, we came upon an accident where a large truck carrying horses drove off the road.  Some of the horses survived and the rest were dead along the road side. 

As we passed, Diana could see the large truck crashed over the side.  So sad.

        

We stopped in Quepos (a small town about 30 minutes from our destination) to shop for food, beverages and supplies. Then we made the last jaunt down the coast highway to our next AirBnb home on the road.  

WOW… Diana picked another fabulous place to stay ~

CLICK HERE to see where we're staying now

We arrived at 3:30 pm and we were so happy to be here SAFELY.  A very comfortable upper floor studio apartment with a large king bed (rarely found in Costa Rica), complete amenities (including washer and dryer), a small dip pool and a gorgeous view of the Pacific ocean.  It will be WAY COOL if it stops raining “cats and dogs”!

View of Pacific Ocean from our AirBnb unit through the mist and rain

After settling into our unit and enjoying a vodka cocktail on the covered veranda overlooking the beach and rocky coast line, we made a plan to venture out for dinner.  It gets dark here at 5:00 pm, ESPECIALLY on a New Moon like tonight, so it’s pitch black and raining hard while we drove up and down the coast highway looking for this special “Tuna Tuesday” surfer restaurant / bar.  Are you kidding me… we can barely SEE the road and STAY on the road!  We had no success so we headed home and Diana created an improvised dinner with tuna salad, cheeses, chips, tortillas, hot sauces and red wine.  So yummy and cozy in a simple way.

We go with the flow... simple travelers and eaters ANYWHERE in the world

Wednesday will be a NEW adventure and we have NO idea where we’re going and NO idea what we’re doing!  Stay tuned for another update if the Internet is working.

It seem so surreal to see Christmas trees and decorations, and to hear Christmas music during our travels around Costa Rica.  It DOES NOT feel like the Christmas holidays to us!        

Monday, Nov 28th in the Arenal Rainforest

We were pumped up this morning to create nicer weather.  And before we left our AirBnB home at 7:00 am, we actually got a glimpse of PART of the volcano and lake! 

But unfortunately, it was short-lived and the rain just kept on coming. We learned today that only 30 - 40% of visitors to this area EVER SEE the volcano.  We feel very grateful that we clearly saw the Arenal Volcano on Saturday (our first day of arrival in this area).

Our ORIGINAL plan was to do a 3 hour rain forest canopy tour, followed by a 2.5 hour zip line adventure.  But we decided last night that there was no point in doing a zip line in POURING rain and ZERO visibility, especially since both of us wear glasses.  So we cancelled the zip line and arrived at SkyAdventures around 7:45 am to meet our guide and fellow visitors.  There were only 7 of us on the SkyWalk tour!

Thumbs UP Santa, I'm ready to fly with you on Christmas Eve! 

Because of the massive amount of rain, they had to close two of the hanging bridges.  Part of the trail was also washed out so we rode the gondola up the mountain.  We then slogged our way down through the mud and steady rain.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so we kept our attitude positive and just kept on slopping through the muddy muck.  The constant rain made it almost impossible for mosquitos to bite us!

We are so grateful that we took a GUIDED tour because the rain forest is a lot like the Sonoran desert... most of the animals are nocturnal. But our guide Andre knew where to look so we did see bats, a tarantula (tarantula hawks are nasty here, too), frogs, very strong ants, butterflies, numerous interesting plant species and ALMOST saw a turkey.  It was surprising to learn that NO HUNTING for ANYTHING is the law in Costa Rica (we thought of you, Jae).

I can't get enough of hanging bridges anywhere in the world! 

Diana also loves the hanging bridges and rain forest canopy walks 

Drenching from rain today but loving the wet waterfall  

Did you know that trees in Costa Rica don’t form tree rings because of the lack of four seasons?  In Costa Rica, they receive rain almost EVERY day of the year.

After hiking 2.5 miles over 3.5 hours, we stopped in the restaurant for some hummus and pita chips, and tried to dry out a little. But we were so drenched that WHATEVER we did next wasn’t going to make a difference, so we did a CARPE MOMENTO trip and took a drive up to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, which of course, we could only observe close-up things ~ not the Volcano or Lake.  

There were many of these flying around with a loud call ~ Montezuma Oropendola

Passerini Tananger

We visited the volcano museum which included the seismic tracker unit.  The last volcano eruption was in 2010.  We also walked two of the shorter trails and counted our blessings for being in Costa Rica on vacation and NOT living here!  

Diana hiding from the constant rain under a gigantic leaf 

After that, we thought it best to head home and put on some dry clothes, take a bath and warm up.  Our upper level Airbnb unit is cozy, with a spectacular view of the clouds.  Costa Rican “Tico” music is loudly playing next door and our left-over pizza from Pizza Johns in El Castillo is warming in the oven.  THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME, even when on the road. 

We leave early on Tuesday morning for a LONG 5+ hour drive down to Dominical for 3 nights on the Southern Pacific Coast.  Hopefully, we will remove ourselves from this constant rain and move toward the sun and better days on the warm beach front!

But as we said when we started this trip, “we gotta go so we will know”.  We have decided that we would not choose to live in this area or our previous locations (San Jose or Aguas Zarcas).

After arriving home soaked this afternoon, we needed to dry out the paper money!

But ... we are staying ever open to new and interesting global adventures!

Sending Love back home ~

The Cactusheads currently the Wetheads

Sunday, November 27th exploring the El Castillo area

We woke up at 4:30 am to the sound of multiple roosters.  It was still dark and absolutely DUMPING RAIN.  By 5:00 am the birds, chickens, goats, cattle and horses were all serenading us.

We enjoyed fresh brewed Costa Rican coffee and made a revised game plan for our activities.  What we had planned on Saturday for Sunday was trashed and everything changed due to the weather.

In the tiny community of El Castillo are several unique nature experiences.  For our first stop we chose to visit the world renowned Butterfly Conservatory to learn about the hundreds of butterflies, frogs and insects from Costa Rica.

CLICK HERE to see their website

This is a special nature place and our donation helped the organization

The "owl eye" butterfly in the Edge of Forest Habitat

So many butterfly species... too many to show in this post 

Red eye tree frog hiding under a leaf and blending in

Several species of turtles were on display in the Turtle Habitat

After a couple of hours of touring the indoor habitat, outdoor facilities and trails, we needed a break.  Off to explore El Castillo eateries… many which were closed because it was Sunday (definitely a religious day here).  Fortunately we DID find Pizza John’s (originally started by a guy from California in 1999).  FANTASTIC thin crust veggie pizza with a cold cerveza!  

The family run eatery has a tradition that EVERYONE visiting should write a message on the wall.  LOOK what Diana created for the “Cactusheads” from Arizona.

On the way back up the mountainside (in the cold, rainy, windy conditions), we stopped to shop at the local Super El Castillo market.  The father and daughter who ran the very small store offer just the basics.  We’ve seen several of these little markets and the prices are high (by American standards).  I don’t know how the local “Ticos” have enough money to afford to shop at these stores.  However, in this area, many people grow their own food and only need to go there for packaged goods.

We had just enough of the rain today so we headed home to regroup and get ready for tomorrow’s adventures.  We have a reservation booked for a 3 hour "Hanging Bridges Canopy Walk" in the rain forest and we are focusing on our HIGH PRESSURE CHANTS to improve the weather.  We sure could use your help, too. 

Arenal Volcano

Saturday, November 26^th traveling to El Castillo 

We left Finca Isla on the most beautiful day we’ve seen since we arrived in Costa Rica.  The drive from Aguas Zarcas to El Castillo, which sits in the shadow of the volcano, took about 2 hours.  The sun was shining and we actually could SEE the volcano.  We were warned that it is not always sunny and bright here, so we were thrilled with the view.

 

Arenal Volcano view from El Castillo

Lake Arenal view - late afternoon

We were quite surprised how remote El Castillo really is.  When the directions said to turn off the paved road onto the rough, rocky road, we didn’t know what we were going to encounter.  Thankfully we have a high clearance 4-wheel drive SUV … we needed it!

Our AirBnB home is amazing for this part of Costa Rica.  We have the entire upper floor and spiral-staircase to the roof top with no other visitors staying below us.  It was warm, partly sunny, and we enjoyed the view from the wrap around veranda and the top level for the afternoon.  The clouds on the volcano changed every few minutes and we were in awe. 

CLICK HERE for a view of our place

From the roof top we overlook the tiny neighborhood of local “Tico” houses and I noticed an interesting event unfolding next door.  The father of the family arrived with several slabs of meat in the trunk of his car.  These slabs (looked like pig hind quarters) were brought to an open area in the back of the home.  Family and friends arrived to watch the butchery work of the father as the mother (and siblings) helped to cut the large swaths of meat into smaller manageable pieces.  This process took several hours while music played, food was enjoyed and loud discussions took place.  Later on Saturday, a party (or celebration of some kind) took place and the smells of grilled meat filled the air.  There was loud music, even louder laughter and I believe a good time was had by all!

Of course we both took pictures like crazy and were so excited to post them here.  UNFORTUNATELY, the Wi-Fi is a little spotty and it’s a neat trick to get them uploaded from my Smart phone to the Cloud and then downloaded back to the laptop.  That process does NOT happen automatically like it does at home.  OOOOPPPPS … I accidently deleted the entire day’s images with one click.  Thank goodness Dennis got some images with his camera.

And then it started raining, with lightning and thunder, and it continued ALL night long.  I did get my wish to sleep in the rain …  

Grateful for the wildlife encounters

Perro Bravo -  Sign shows there is a mean guard dog on premises

This is "Perro Bravo? No, he was a nice, friendly & sweet dog named Canela

Rufous Motmot (1 of 6 Motmot species) found mainly in Central America. Gorgeous bird! 

Diana says this is a BIG ASS Iguana... we didn't know they are tree climbers

This 3-toed Sloth was HUGE... VERY slow moving but HIGHLY agile

EVERYONE wanted to photograph the Sloth

  Creepy crawly something... there are MANY unusual creatures in the rain forest!

Large, aggressive Praying Mantis

 Blue Morpho butterfly

 We visited a Iguana sanctuary to view the many species, colors and textures of Iguanas

Hopefully we are going to see MANY MORE animals.  

Do they love to come OUT in the rain??