Adios Greg - July 30, 2012

Greg made his flight from Quepos without incidents. The weather cooperated and was actually rather cool with only a light wind. Perfect for flying.

We avoided paying $5 extra airport tax by avoiding the "time saving and convenience" of paying the tax in Quepos rather than standing in line in San Jose. It turns out when he got to San Jose there was one person in line in San Jose in front of Greg. But boy, that guy at the Quepos airport sure does hustle the gringos.

I am astonished that the Quepos airport charges another airport tax, $2 per person. What a ripoff.

The large gentleman on the right is the pilot. If he gets any wider he is going to have trouble getting through the door of his little plane.

We waved good bye to the departing aircraft and headed to Quepos to check out the Marina. We had never been. The marina looks very nice but it is suprising there are no small businesses around it, like restaurants or shops. Maybe they will come over time.  It looks as if the main reason for the Marina complex is the pier for big cruise ships, to make it easier for them to dock at Quepos. I suppose when there is a ship in port then the taxis will be in the area looking for fares. The marina is also where sport fishermen hook up with boats and captains. Quepos is a major sport fishing destination.

There is a beautiful little park at the end of the road that is worth checking out. Surprisingly, there is also a little theatre just before you arrive at the end of the pier.

Sightseeing to Rafiki Safari Lodge - July 29, 2012

After all the ATV action yesterday it seemed like a lower energy day was in order. Greg mentioned Rafiki, the African Safari style resort in the mountains above Silencio, along the Savegre River. Rafiki harnesses the power of the river for most of its electrical needs. You can rent African style tents with full luxury built in bathrooms at the rear. The tent sides roll up. It really is a nice combination of luxury and nature. We also wanted to inquire about the rafting excursions from Rafiki which include breakfast and lunch alongside the river. Here are some shots of the Rafiki grounds.

The pond below the main lodge, complete with two resident caiman (a bit like little alligators).

For those of you who haven't had a chance to see how bananas grow, this is a good reference photo I took on the way out. The blossom is at the bottom and hasn't opened yet. The bananas are up above the blossom. When the fruit is ripe, you cut the stock from above and hang the bananas from the flower end. That didn't make sense to us the first time but that is how it is done. Otherwise, the bananas fall off before they are ripened. As it is we have to duke it out with the birds and animals to get any.

Greg wanted one more swim and boogie boarding experience so we headed home to pick up his gear and headed to the beach. Greg was surprised to find the Pacific waters here warm. This time of year they are warm and violent, with all the storms.

ATV 4-Wheeling - July 28, 2012

Saturday dawned beautiful and sunny. Greg was up for more adventure so we headed to Uvita where he hooked up with an ATV group. They headed up into the mountains above Uvita, swam pools to waterfalls and generally had a good time. It DID start raining not long after they set off but everyone voted to keep going.

Meanwhile, Phyllis and Mike shopped the Uvita farmers market and bought a kilo of beautiful corvina for dinner. We also bought some hot sauce from Maria that really is hot! It is made with roasted peppers and tastes a lot like chipotle chilis.

Project Day - July 27, 2012

Enough of this tourist business. Time to knock off some projects a casa.

New shelf #1 in the big bodega.

Workers in the factory. I plan to call OSHA right away to report men working barefoot.

New plywood chair bottom to attempt to extend the life of the bamboo chairs. I forgot that we had a piece of plywood in our bodega behind the drawers.

New hanging rod, at least for small things that won't block the dehumidifier.

New shelf #2 in the big bodega over the desk. Good idea Gitti to reuse the old facia boards from the back of the house.

After all that hard work, we went out to dinner at Tico Gringo and watched the Olympics opening ceremonies. England really outdid herself.

Tomorrow, it is back to fun fun fun.

Mt. Chirripo - July 26, 2012

Bob and Gitti have been trying to get us to visit a hotel on the road to Mount Chirripo, the highest point in Costa Rica and National Park.On Thursday we drove about an hour out of San Isidro up into the mountains. The scenery was spectacular and the air was cool and fresh. We arrived at the end of the road where there is a sign marking the park's entrance. To get to the actual park entrance is a four mile hike in, and the walk to the top is estimated to be 4 hours. I'm not driven to scale Mt. Chirripo but I will be happy to return for a stay at the Pelicanos and hiking, Bob and Gitti, when it is hot hot here at the beach. San Gerardo de Rivas is a very pretty town near the top. The river was running strong and very beautiful. I don't know why none of us took a picture of it.

Before heading back down to San Isidro for a stop at the Feria (weekly farmer's market) we stopped for a drink at a little restaurant and hotel at the end of the road. No hiking for us today. My thighs are still aching from the zip line adventure from the previous day.

And we think that things are big in Texas! Check out this walking stick, she is bigger than a 7 1/2 woman's shoe. (Yes Ann, you may recognize those as formerly your tennis shoes. They live in Costa Rica now. They get around.)

Hacienda Baru - July 25, 2012

Finally after all these years visiting Costa Rica we decided to try a zip line canopy tour. We have been promising ourselves annually. This year we made good on our promises and in the nick of time too. The tour took us through lowland forest, secondary growth and primary growth forests. Hacienda Baru has been working on reforestation and maintenance of the remaining primary forest for the more than 40 years. We saw 2-toed sloth, 3-toed sloth, toucans and aracari close up. They appeared not to have developed a fear response to humans so we were quite close.

Here we are getting ready to go with David, one of our two guides. Since we were the first group of the morning at 8 am we were a small band, only two other people joined us, a honeymoon couple from Nevada.

The climb up the mountain was moderately strenous. I didn't think so at the time but my thighs told me the next day.

David and Pedro demonstrate how it is done.

Mike really is having a good time, despite the look on his face.

You have got to trust your catcher. At the end of the tour Baru offered us frozen scented towels to cool us down. We didn't expect such fancy treatment and  they were most welcome.

We followed up this fun with a visit to the snake and reptile park. Here are a couple of residents, a Caiman and a Giant Turtle. The turtle is not native to Central America.

This park has an impressive collection of snakes, but they were shy of our photographer.

Boys Day - July 24, 2012

Phyllis wanted some alone time and the boys were up for adventure so they headed out to Dominical to the Escaleras Waterfall and pool. This is a really pretty spot.

Yes, that is Greg climbing the falls to try out the rope swing.

He made it!

After they ran off a nice family from Kansas, they had the pool to themselves. There are not many tourists here right now in the Green Season. During the week the Ticos weren't around either.

The skies remained clear so Mike headed up to show Greg Las Nubes, an impressive, energy conservation-minded Bed and Breakfast directly above our house, vertically speaking. You can't actually see if from our house and they cannot see us, though Greg said he spotted Bob and Gitti's red roof. Phillipe, the owner, was gracious as always, though he was busy with some last minute details before some guests arrived. No one took any photos but here is a link if you'd like to check it out

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1483712-d1791236-Reviews-Las_Nubes_Natural_Energy_Resort-Playa_Matapalo_Province_of_Puntarenas.html