#95 - Go to a New Country

Yes, I knew I'd be going to a new country this year, but also, it's not cheating because this item is always on the list. But let me paint the scene.

I'm having Christmas dinner with my family. It's just the four of us (my parents, my brother, and me) for the first time in a long time. We're back to our old tradition of fondue, which is fairly easy for prep and clean up after a lot more effort the previous day for the Polish Christmas Eve dinner celebration.

We're finished eating, and my mom puts the palms of her hands flat on the table in front of her, and solemnly says, "We need to talk to you about something..." and I feel a little dread but have no idea what this information could possibly be. "There's some time to decide... But next year, probably between Thanksgiving and Christmas... " What terrible thing could we possibly know is coming a year in advance? "Do you kids want to go to Costa Rica?"

My brother jut our jaws out in awe, stare at her, and say, "YES" but with a definite tone of frustration.

"Why are you saying it like that?" she asks.

"Why did you ask it like that?!" we ask.

Apparently she was just bracing herself for us to say no. Not only was everything fine, but we were going to Costa Rica.

"There's one condition."

"WHAT?"

"I want to see a sloth. Last time we were there I didn't get to see one. So I want to see one."

I'm pretty sure Chris and I exchanged glances at this point. Because, yeah, duh, we all want to see a sloth.

We were there for 10 days, and they all kind of blend together until the end, so here is what we did, to the best of my memory.

KRONES

Wednesday

We landed after sundown and were staying in San Jose the first night. Before we even made it to the hotel, we experienced our first Tico time incident. We must have waited, along with others, over an hour for our rental car. Then, they didn't have any full-size cars that were automatic, so we had to decide between a stick shift and a smaller car. We could tell they wanted us to take the stick since we'd watch many other tourists attempt to drive sticks out of the parking lot only to end up in the bushes or not actually get anywhere at all, and my dad and brother could drive stick. However, the plan was to have me drive in the city since I'm the most used to aggressive drivers and also get pretty dang car sick pretty easily. So we crammed into a Corolla and headed to the hotel.

Costa Rica is the most biodiverse country in the world, and while I knew we were going sloth spotting and would likely see monkeys near the house, I was curious about what else we'd see. In the morning, while waiting to leave for the Pacific coast, I read all about Costa Rican wildlife: at least three species of monkeys, sloths, jaguars, macaws, toucans... harpie eagles (terrifying)... tarantula hawks (wasps that stun tarantulas, drag them away, lay their eggs on them, and then bury them so that their hatchlings have a fresh meal upon arrival to the world)... butterflys, leaf cutter ants... bullet ants (their bite ranks a 10 on the pain scale)... very few spiders and none toxic... but then ALL the toxic snakes: pit vipers, fer de lance (described as quick and excitable), boa constrictors, coral snakes, and all kinds of scary things. I was now less excited to go be in the middle of no where.

Thursday

On our 2-hour drive from San Jose to our little spot on the coast (near Parrita), we saw a ton of animals before arriving at our house: La Villa Dos Gatos. My mom found what turned out to be a fantastic VRBO in the middle of the most beautiful no where. It was 4 bedrooms; 2 full baths; a decent kitchen; a living room; a gorgeous, huge, second-story front porch; and a pool--plus they had surf boards, boogie boards, and floaties. Supposedly, there were also monkeys (capuchin) and sloths that hung out in the trees. I hoped there were no pit vipers hanging out with them.

Thanksgiving day we had a great meal at the little restaurant down the road, Mar y Sol: a perfect name for a Costa Rican restaurant with a great view of sunsets over the ocean. My dad and I had red snapper, pulled fresh from the mangroves just a few dozen yards away, and it was one of the best fishes I've ever had. The servers were great. Everyone was happy with their meals, especially my brother who had the first of what would become his daily arroz con pollo meals. We spent the rest of the night playing board games and debating whether or not it was the geckos making the barking noises. (Spoiler alert: it was.)

SO GOOD

Friday

I kinda don't know what we did. I think we just hung out at the house, reading, napping, watching the iguanas, later playing some more games. I made breakfast tacos, and I cannot remember what we did for dinner because I don't think I cooked twice in one day.

Saturday

We drove to Jaco, a nearby beach town, to catch the Michigan-Ohio State game. We wound up at a sports bar called Cheerleaders that caters to tourists and ex-pats, showing just about any game, match, competition, etc. from the states. The bartender (Bee) was stellar, and the only down side was that it was 11:00am, and they didn't serve food until 1:00pm, so we were quite buzzed by halftime and needed to take a walk. The upside is they had arroz con pollo, so Chris kept up his streak. The other downside is the game sucked. But we had a nice time wandering Jaco after.

Mom's bff: Gator

I think it was on this day that I made dinner: two types of roast chicken (one with a random spice packet I couldn't translate that we'd picked up from the grocery store and one with just olive oil, salt, and pepper) and some roasted potatoes. I had planned to attempt using a yuca root I had bought, but the power was out and there was no cell service in our area, and I had no idea how to prepare that giant vegetable.

Sunday

Because the beach is so steep and rip tides are so prevalent in that area, we were advised to only surf at low tide. However, at low tide, the waves were pretty meh the whole time we were there. Finally, on Sunday, they were closer to the 3-4' range one afternoon, so we gave it a go. On foam boards, I think we both would have caught some decent rides, but with new boards and small waves, the best I could manage was a few seconds in a kneel before I'd run out of wave or onto the beach. It was Chris' first attempt at surfing, and he had that new surfer smile on his face, that one that says, I'm terrible at this--but I can't wait for the next swell. I was just happy to be back and excited to be able to manage a new board on a new beach in a new country. Super lovely.

I think the furthest from the house we went that day was Mar y Sol, our neighborhood restaurant, where three of us tried something new and Chris had chicken and rice again.

Monday

I believe this was the day that we hung at the pool for a bit and then eventually ventured to Quapos, a city in the opposite direction of Parrita and Jaco, just because after so much relaxation, I was finally getting the bug to be active. My parents recommended the zip line tour at Manuel Antonio National Park, and it was too late in the day to do that, but I figured scoping out the rest of the town so that we could return the next day would be fun. We ended up having apps and drinks at the touristy-sh marina/shops/restaurant complex, but it was still a mix of Ticos and non-Ticos, plus there was a gorgeous view of the sunset over the water, so I enjoyed my margaritas and the breeze and didn't worry too much about it. I think this was the point where that Costa Rica vibe was finally in me, and everything felt so relaxing and pleasant.

Tuesday

Chris and I went zip lining with a company that goes through Manuel Antonio National Park. There were 13 lines, some of which were very long. I love a good zip line, and this was the best zip line experience I've ever had, by far. Of course, the place made a huge impact: huge trees in a dense jungle. However, the guides also made the experience that much better. It was clear on each short trail and on each platform, one of them was scanning the forest, searching for wildlife to share with us. They pointed out poison dart frogs and the sleepy plant. They seemed disappointed at one point and mentioned there are usually monkeys in a particular tree. They shared with us a fruit that kind of reminded me of a bitter pomegranate. I was fascinated by the leaf cutter ants, and they joked, "Yes, the Costa Rican army." At points, we were so high up, really zipping along the tree tops of the jungle canopy. Once they noticed I liked zipping fast, they'd give me little comments about which rides were the fastest and telling me not to brake unless someone motioned from the platform. One of the guides took beautiful pictures, and while there was a cost, we could purchase all photos of us and the scenery (including the frogs)--probably 20 or so photos each--for around $20 a person. Once I viewed the photos, it was clear they also messed with us a bit, like during the rappel when they encouraged each of us to put our arms out and then dropped us quickly, resulting in big, open-mouth smiles with arms stretched wide, to encourage really fun photos. It was really well done, and I would highly recommend it. I would also love to try other zip line tours to see the canopies of other areas of the country.

That evening, we went to a new, small spot for dinner, where everyone else claimed they had their best meal while there. My meal was good, but I couldn't stop thinking about that snapper.

Chris' bff: this cricket

Wednesday

Feeling eager for more movement, I suggested we go on a "short, pleasant hike" to a waterfall (according to our host's binder of activities). It wasn't quite a tourist destination as it was in the middle of nowhere on land owned by no one, but apparently we just had to park in this woman's yard, pay her $4 per person for the parking, and then hike in.

It was certainly in the middle of no where, including one-lane dirt roads through farmland. We eventually found the spot and indeed, a woman came out to collect for the parking and pointed us in the right direction, saying the fall were just 1km away, a 10-minute walk. Perfect.

The ground was a little saturated from the rainfall and bumpy due to apparent cow tracks, but the trail was fairly well marked, and there were leaf cutter ants to honor on the way. And then we had to cross a creek, which we did not anticipate, but whatever. (I was doing my best not to think about how the fer de lance snake hangs out near riverbeds and along trails, especially where cows hung out.)

Then, on the other side of the creek, there was so much mud that it was unavoidable. The kind of mud that makes it impossible to keep dry feet. The kind of mud that sucks off your shoes. And there's my poor mom, not the sportiest of the family, trying to be a good sport while her sport sandals kept slipping off and she needed one of us to lean on for balance.

But finally, we made it to the falls. They were called the Tres Piscinas, which we saw was because there were really 2 small waterfalls that fed one big waterfall (three pools). We waded in, and eventually my brother and I climbed up to the second pool. We almost climbed up to the top pool, but we were making my parents nervous by using the makeshift vine rope to aid our climbing.

Cleaning Mom's shoes

The way back was much smoother though we had a long stop at the creek for everyone to wash their shoes. (Again, not thinking about snakes, not thinking about snakes, not thinking about snakes.)

Thursday

Chris and I had signed up for another adventure: horseback riding. I'm not actually sure I've talked much about my riding experience on this blog, but I'm a fairly experienced rider. I mean, I took weekly lessons growing up, was part of the equestrian club in college (usually weekly rides still), and even now still ride most years at camp, so at least a few times a year. So, I was stoked to ride on trails in Costa Rica. Chris had never ridden before, but he was game, so we signed up for a tour I found from our host's binder.

Chris' other bff: Jalisco

We met the tour's van at a gas station and followed them there because we'd booked late and weren't staying at a hotel (where they did pick ups). That was a really good thing, as I mentioned earlier, I get motion sick easily, and we wove up some windy hills to get to the site. Once we got there, they fed us a Costa Rica breakfast (black beans, rice, scrambled eggs, and a tortilla, a breakfast I learned is right up my alley), split us into two groups, and prepped us for the ride. While I'm an experienced rider, I know that riding is a risky activity, so I only make my experience known when making reservations and when asked. As I knew I had a beginner with me, I didn't mention my experience at all while we were being given instructions, but it was clear the guides had read my reservation email and also put in a slight test. When introducing their very docile horses and how to direct them (not that many needed directing as they were practiced trail horses), the guide told us the slowest speed was walking and then asked what was next. I answered "trot." Then he asked the next and next (canter and gallop), and when I got those right, he said, "Megan, you have some experience riding, would you like a horse who likes to go a little quicker?" And I eagerly said yes.

It was a phenomenal ride through a secondary forest with a stop at a beautiful waterfall for a quick swim. Also, our guide told me that my brother and I seemed much more comfortable in the jungle than the others, and that's one of the best compliments I've ever received. Just a really lovely morning.

Views from Ronnie's place

We finished the day with dinner at this spot in Quepos I'd read about on Trip Advisor. If only we'd arrived just a bit sooner as it was the most beautiful spot to watch a sunset over the hills and the Pacific. We caught the last 10 minutes or so of daylight and then enjoyed our dinner with a view of the darkness. None of us got our hopes up for the quality of the food, as this was clearly a spot for tourists, but we were all pleasantly surprised with some fantastic food and lovely drinks.

Friday

Some of these suckers had to be
around 15 feet

It was finally time to leave La Villa Dos Gatos. We packed up, said goodbye, and drove off with the feeling that maybe one day we'd be back. We stopped in Jaco for some gift shopping, but the whole town was clearing out to make room for a festival of lights that night. We found ourselves at lunch at the taco shop we'd seen signs for during all of our drives, a tourist-friendly eatery. Again, we were shocked at how good the food was. The seasoning on their potato slices, fried chicken, and fried shrimp was bananas good. And yes, we had tacos in Jaco.

On our way back to San Jose, we came to a bridge that had been swarming with tourists when we were headed in the other direction. Suddenly, it hit me. "Is this the crocodile bridge?" We pulled over at one of the tourist traps and walked the bridge to gaze over the side at so very many humongous crocodiles. They were terrifying. And beautiful. And so creepy. I was so thankful we did this on the way home because I knew that there were crocodiles in the mangroves that were just dozens of yards from both our house and Mar y Sol. I would have been terrified at every step outside of the house and car.

NOT ARROZ CON POLLO

Back in San Jose, my mom and I walked to the mall while my dad and brother returned the rental car. Then, we all had a light dinner in the hotel, too tired and too aware of our 4am wake up calls to venture out again.



Saturday

I kinda dig the San Jose airport. There are so many shops for last-minute gifts, and the rum at duty free was cheap. And then we were off. And then we were home.

And yet, the Costa Rica vibe still isn't totally out of my system, almost a month later. It's a magical place, and I keep thinking about souvenirs that said, "I went to Costa Rica and all I got was happy."

#PuraVida

Actual photo my dad took at the beach we could see from our porch