Costa Rica: Relaxation and Driving to Arenal

While Costa Rica has a lot of wonderful things to do, sometimes it is equally good to take a day to do nothing. Well, to be honest, it wasn't nothing but it was incredible. On Saturday, we opted to spend time with some very special people who invited us out to the countryside on the outskirts of Santa Rita. This was very near where the bird watching tour was, so it was hot, sunny and dry. After the soaking we had experienced, we welcomed the change.

This was a day of  barbecuing, good conversation and good wine. It was camping with the luxury of a pool, bathrooms and outdoor kitchen. The children were in the water, hanging from the zip line and generally relaxing.  I was thrilled to see a green parrot flying in the trees. We had a wonderful hospitable day, and we were sorry to have to go back and pack.

Now, hard shell suitcases are the new in thing, so I had acquired a new set for Christmas. These suitcases are not forgiving if you like to buy souvenirs. It took me two hours to try and fit everything back in. So far, the handle has broken off, the zipper protested and generally,I miss my old suitcase. For the record, my next suitcase will be a backpack, soft sided.

In the morning, it was time to check out of The Villas Palmas. Our three bedroom apartment was wonderful, but I have to say, I don't miss the ants that paraded everywhere. It was very safe and very secure, being in a neighborhood that felt homey, even after dark.

Now this looked like a promising way to travel

Living on the hillside

The views are incredible

Behind trucks, driving is slow and steady

Bridges only fit one car, and this is a highway

Arenal in the distance

On departure, we drove through the exceptionally twisty roads to Arenal Volcano. We took the advice of the consulate seriously and didn't stop as theft is a real issue here. The drive goes up river valleys, around mountains and through gorgeous villages. However, do take a motion sickness tablet if you even think it might be a problem. My youngest had us guessing a few times. As you drive, the forest becomes green and lush. We  had a picnic lunch in the car, which was good as the drive took four hours.

Our destination was Arenal lodge. It is past the dam and up a very adventurous rutted track. The views from here were incredible. Today was a day where the volcano was bathed in sunlight. The weather was warm we opted to splash in the chilled pool water and soak in the jacuzzi that feasts the eyes on an exceptional landscape. There are amazing birds flitted in the garden and horses in the lower pastures. We took tons of photos as we were warned that the weather here is very unpredictable.

Everything seems to be for sale

This is how tricky the entrance is to Arenal Lodge...they let you know you made it. Ummmm

The road

The master bedroom

The kids room

The volcano was clearly visible...we were so lucky

Me of course!

For supper, we ate at the  restaurant on site.  The food was delicious. I will say that there is no children's menu, so choose the chicken or beef. The meat needs to be well done to get medium rare, my medium tenderloin was almost breathing. But the ambience here is peaceful and soothing. Our family room has two bedrooms and a living room, very large. and gorgeous. The rain pounded on the roof throughout the night, which just added to the rainforest vibe.

Tomorrow,  we are back  to exploring.

Nuevo Arenal on Dwellable

Costa Rica: Museo de Los Ninos

The Museo de los Ninos, or Children's Museum, is a converted prison

Space Cadet in Training

Did you know there was a Costa Rician astronaut?

Jungle with live animals

Tour guide David

Banana Plantation

Sometimes you just need sleep, so we planned a lazy. Morning. I chose to sleep, eat breakfast and sun by the tiny pool. There were birds playing by the water, and sunshine peeking through the hazy cloud cover.  This isn't the bright sunshine of Mexico, but it warm enough and he breeze is strong.  There isn't a much better way to wake up unless I could figure out the coffee machine.

Once the crew was mobile, we opted for the Museo de Los Ninos. This is the children's museum that was created out of an old prison. We were among the first to experience their new program of tour guides. Each guide is a university student, and some are good with English too. We had Adrian, a tourism student. The girls were fascinated as we explored themes of space, Costa Rican life, banana plantations, the jungle, music, dinosaur and aviation. We had 3.5 hours there and it was nowhere near enough time to see everything. There are inter actives everywhere and lots to play with an explore. There was no time to sit and relax unless you stole it while the children were engaged in play. I have to say, we were very impressed with the staff and the exhibits. All for the price of 8400 colones...can you beat that?  It was very warm in there so I can't imagine a scorching hot day being a good idea.

Airport traffic...took us 45 minutes to do 6 km.

So, thanks to gps (seriously do not even consider driving yourself anywhere without one), I get to relax by the pool, do some laundry and think about supper plans at the resort. We have a tour booked for tomorrow, so should be fun!

San Jose on Dwellable

Costa Rica: Welcome to the City

Arriving into Costa Rica, the tired burns your eyes and the shining halls soothe. Security was easy and the final check point was also easy. Something that they don't tell you is that you should get your SIM card sorted out before you leave. GPS here is a priory as nothing has an address and nothing has directions. Driving around in the dark after getting the rental car was stressful and quite frankly, infuriating.

We are. Blessed this week to be staying at the Taranova Villas Palmas, a three bedroom condominium with great security and a walkable neighborhood. Church bells are chiming in the distance and traffic is muted, except for the loud motorbikes. 

Today was day one. We got groceries, and then headed with Sol Tropicana Tours into San Jose for a city tour. We toured the cultural embassies and saw the old airport which is now a school. Reclaimed land and sustainable development were big themes on the tour. Did you know that owning guns is illegal in your home? Did you know that they have 100% clean energy? Did you know that they have passed a law that makes zoos illegal? I do now. 

We had a lot of fun at a local gallery that made indigenous art. They had the gold, silver and bronze  jewelry. They had a very informative lecture and we decided to take advantage of the local coffee. Sipped coffee and bought some awesome pieces made of silver and recycled wire. Beautiful.

From there it was to downtown. We had time at the cathedral and then went to the National Theatre. We saw the scramble of the street vendors trying to avoid the police and wonderful views of the downtown bustle. The cathedral was opulent and quiet, while the theatre was covered with gold leaf art and marble, a mixture of Italian and French architecture. It was stunning and the acoustics were perfect. The best part was learning the secrets of the moving floor, and the painting with the mistakes. Even better were the paintings with optical illusions...I won't wreck your tour.

Sadly, we also learned the lesson of "do not drive in Rush Hour". My darling child  left her retainer on the plane and we can't find it. So, we had to head back there to file paperwork. 12 kilometers took 45 minutes. It was worse on the way back. We. Also learned to check the numbers on the liscence plate, something the rental car company failed to mention. Ending in one or two, don't drive Monday. Our ends in 8, so no driving Thursday.

 By the time we hit Grandmas House for dinner we were starving. The food...just order what Laurie tells you to. The menu is simple and perfect for adults and children. Cooked freshly in front of your eyes, with veggies and wicked tastes, you really have stepped into grandma kitchen.

From the tour , we had cruised around and spied some options for tomorrow. A good restaurant and great museums. I think we have a winner. The country feels beautiful and safe. So far so good. Thirteen days to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italian Embassy

Guide giving a very informative and detailed description of the cultural heritage. Sol Tropical Tours stop one.

Outside the Metropolitan Cathedral

Christian of Sol Tropical Tours

National Theatre...Marble and Gold aplenty

Mahogany Chairs

 

Paintings that watch you

Traffic is a headache. Can take 45 minutes to drive 4 km at rush hour (which this wasn't).

San Jose & Central Valley on Dwellable

Los Cabos: Loafing and La Paz

Glorious sunshine streamed through the double deck doors and woke me up. So, the following day in Los Cabos became nothing more than a beach and pool day. The sand was warm on the feet and the bartenders were very attentive. By the end of the day, the skin was warm and the brain was relaxed. Just what I ordered!

We finished the day by wandering the streets of San Jose Del Cabo. This time, we did find the downtown and a very intriguing art district. The plaza was wide open with locals wandering in and across the roads. School children roamed the streets freely and we wondered about the school timetable. The vendors were inviting us in but laughed with us as we refused their almost free offers. Cheapo Phillipo was charming and fun, despite being over priced for our lowly budgets. Eventually we wound up at the Baja Brewery for supper after enjoying the street life. Fabulous food and a great outdoor eating area. What’s not to like?

Cheapo Phillipo (he tattooed himeself with the nickname)

Main Plaza

The following day we managed to snag a rental car for the day. Lesson learned: Either rent from the airport or the concierge. Do not rent from the travel desk as they were unreliable and not even apologetic. The concierge got us a great car price and size quickly and in the meantime, we had a cup of coffee.

The car was brought right to the hotel so we were able to complete all the paperwork from there. That was very convenient and so we set off for La Paz. Now, driving there was not that difficult. First thing to note is that speed limits seem to be guidelines, as are the stop signs and even traffic lights. In addition, with all of the construction they sometimes use real people and sometime cut out men with flags. The only road issues that were taken seriously were the Mexican military check stops.

In the meantime, we drove north through Cabo San Lucas on highway 19 through to Todo Los Santos. The rolling highway with the scenic blue ocean views added in with the mountains and tall cacti were spectacular. There were construction detours that required a bit of an adventurous spirit and I swear that neither of us saw the Hotel California (seriously – how did we miss it?).

The road to La Paz took about 2.5 hours. Once there, we decided to stop at Serpentario de La Paz. Outside the gates, we had some lunch and then wandered it. This place is volunteer run and can definitely use the visitation and funding to rescue animals. There were turtles and snakes, birds and an alligator, bunnies and more tortugas. I enjoyed the aviary where you could feed the birds. They were so trusting and landed willingly on arms and fingers. The bunnies were quite happy to be petted and even the large tortoise tried to get his share of the attention. However, the place isn’t that large so we headed out for more exploring.

 The little car bounced through the roads and we found ourselves down on the waterfront. So, we parked the car and walked towards the Marina and viewed the Malecon. Then, we found a delightful little museum tucked into a gorgeous building. There was art and views that took a bit of time to enjoy. From there, you can easily walk to the Cathedral Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Paz to take in the lovely art works, the ambience and Lady’s chapel. I was amused to see a day of the dead Halloween style display.

Next up was the Museo de Antropología  where you can get a sense of the history of the region. It seemed to have some displays that were still being redone and honestly, it doesn’t take very long to go through. We were done in under an hour. In fact, by the time we found a coffee shop and had some coffee, we were feeling like La Paz didn’t really have that much more to offer. So, more adventures of road works and bumpy roads ensued. We twisted and turned our way to Bandaros Beach and that should possibly have been our first stop as it was stunning. From rock formations, to a lovely bay and gentle breezes, you can feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

 The only hiccup we really had was our stop there meant that we were driving home in the dark and we took an alternate way back using Highway 1. You are warned to watch for cows sleeping on the road, but I never saw an alive one until much later in the drive. What was more alarming was the crazy speed bumps that signaled a village ahead that you couldn’t see until you were pretty much impaling your head into the roof. My poor co-pilot didn’t even have anything to hang onto. In the meantime, I will say that the roads minus the speed bumps are really fun to drive. I just think that perhaps daylight might have helped. All in all, it was a great day.