On day 2 at Monteverde we visited a part of the cloud forest with Sky Adventure, one of several tour operators in the area providing guided access to the forest. Our guide was most helpful in identifying several species of birds, huge millipedes, various trees and plants. Close to the end we started to hear howler monkeys close to us. Freaky sounding monkey, the guide took us on a quick jog through the forest trails trying to catch a glimpse of the them. Unfortunately all we manage to find was their poop, much to the amusement of the girls. Still, a thrilling chase!
One of the bridges on the tour, very high and spanning deep valleys. the views on them where amazing.
Our new official family photo! Thanks to our French friends for the day for taking the picture.
The density of the foliage is pretty intense, plants just grow one on top of the other.
We managed to spot a Quetzal up in the trees. With the help of the tour guide i managed to get a photo using the binoculars. Hidden by the leaf bellow is it's long tail feathers.
But the Quetzal is no match for the dazzling beauty of this gorgeous bird :-)
Amazing view from one of the bridges.
After the walk in the forest we took the tram to the top of the mountain. Here we see our handsome son in a good mood :-)
One of the platform at the top, i liked the tree and the setting, it felt ancient and foreboding.
From the mountain top we could see Arenal Volcano, only 20 km away by air, but 3 hours of winding roads by car... we'll go on another trip when Willem is older, too much road for him.
That night we got to help out on the farm with the feeding of the calves. The girls had a blast and the farm hands had their hands full managing the dozen or so calves with only 2 milk bottles to work with. That morning we got to see a calf that was just born, it was still wet and trailing his umbilical cord.
Next post, day 3 in Monteverde.
My birthday activity yesterday didn't turn out like we planned but we had a fun day anyway. We had started on our way to Jaco Beach using the new highway 27 but half way through we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic... for almost 2 hours... good thing Willem slept for most of it. We inched our way to an exit and headed off north of Jaco to a different part of the coast. In no time we found a beach that seemed promising. It was not great but it had sand and surf, all you really need for a beach :-)
The sand was a dark gray, reminded me a bit of the beaches in Iceland, but way hotter! The kids had a blast playing in the waves and building castles as usual!
On the way back we took another road, route 3, which winds it's way up and down and around the mountain range, back to the house. Fortunately Willem took a nap again and even Evalie took a rare nap. The roads we have used so far are surprisingly good, if a bit narrow.
After cleaning up at the house and dressing up a bit we headed off to a local restaurant, Restaurante Tipico La Casana del maiz, for supper. We ordered a platter for 4 that was covered in meats, plantains, some kind of potato mash, corn on the cob, bean dip, salsa and pita bread to make empanadas. The bread and corn where bland as can be, but the rest was very good. There where also 4 kinds of soups as entrees. Everyone loved the food, even Julie who is fussy about going out to eat wants to go back. I'll take pictures next time, the place has a nice decor and the servers wear traditional costumes.
Wednesday we had gone out to a local Orchid garden. With the drought going on they where a bit low on flowers so we manage to get a lower admission price (a lot of places charge double for non-locals).
There where also a few birds (in cages of course, always makes me sad to see that), but at least we get to see them up close.
Monkey want a banana?
The kids having fun in the playground, there is also a lake with white ducks in it. We meet a nice Tico couple with their two kids. The girls had fun feeding the ducks with them.
Well it's been a rough start to our vacation, Willem got the dreaded Tourista monday night, that was not a fun way to get woken up in the middle of the night... he's much better now, should be back in top shape tomorrow. Unfortunately Evalie is sick now and my stomach is churning but it could just be the hot sauce i had for supper... i hope... i vaguely remember we came here to relax!
We still manage to have fun in the swimming pools and enjoy the warm weather. It's weird to have the sun directly above us, never been this close to the equator before! Lots of stars here too, as we are far enough from San Jose that the sky is pitch black at night.
As for plant life, we are surrounded by dozens of mango trees, a couple of banana trees and one cashew tree. Bellow we see a tree full of unripened mangoes. There are two kinds here, the regular one we have up north and a smaller type. Interesting fact, when you pick the fruit the stem drips a white sap that burns skin. The owner showed us a nasty burn mark on her arm... handle with caution!
Here is the cashew tree. The small darker part that looks like a stem is actually a fruit that get's bigger and round. The part at the end is where the single cashew nut is in... it has to be burned and then cracked with a hammer to get the nut out. Not allot of nuts in one tree, no wonder they are so expensive!
Our always photogenic Marianne posing in front of the convenience store that has been our grocery store for the last 3 days. Tomorrow i pick up the SUV we rented and we will start our exploration of the country... as soon as everyone is over the Tourista of course...
Let's end this post with a sunset you don't get in Canada :-)
After a fairly long flight including a transfer in Panama City, we made it to Costa Rica! Willem was a real champ, hardly any fussiness, and the girls where very happy to finally fly on a plane.
The parents on the other hand where exhausted from the late night preparations and early rise to get to the airport. Big thanks to Gilles for getting us there with plenty of time to spare... pro tip: if you want to do the baggage check-in and the security screening really fast, bring a small child with you, you get to use the express lane! :-)
Happy fliers.
More happy fliers
Nice puffy clouds, reminded Marianne of coton balls :-)
Made it to the house, despite a grumpy cab driver how could not figure out our printout of the map to get there.... you see there are no street addresses outside of big cities in Costa Rica, so the official addresses are something like: "300 meters from the football field, 4 streets after the first exit from highway 3 in La Garita". Took 4 cab drivers and a friendly guy how spoke english to figure out how to get us there... i think we got scammed for tips! Live and learn i say...
The view from the living room, nice clean place if a little low on essentials and internet connection speeds. As a bonus they have mango trees all over the property, can't wait to taste them!
The walk to the convenience store for some much needed supplies.
