Feb 21, 2010

Costa Rica w/ Teens #3

The finale to a family Costa Rica adventure!

Guest post by Sarah Shonts, March, 2008, updated 2/10

We’d visited the Northern Highlands and Arenal Volcano of Costa Rica… and then we were off to our tree house in the jungle along the beaches of the Osa Peninsula!

Day 6: Breakfast on the Run to Black Turtle Lodge

We got an early start at 6:00am to make sure we were ready for our driver Sterling’s arrival at 7:00am. We weren’t able to have breakfast because the buffet included with the hotel didn’t start until 7:00am so we asked Sterling if he would stop at a bakery. We all piled out of the van and picked out two pastries (things like pineapple strudel and mango fritters) and tropical fruit juice. Twelve pastries and 6 bottles of juice for $10!

We got to the Sansa airport terminal early, which was a bit unfortunate because it is nothing more than one hot room with limited seating. We were issued our “boarding passes”–laminated sheets of paper reused each day–about 30 minutes before our scheduled flight time. We boarded our small plane on time. The flight was short and it was fun to watch the changing landscape out the window. I thought it would be very bumpy but it wasn’t. We felt the hot temperature and high humidity the minute the door of the plane opened. It took about 30 seconds for them to unload luggage from the plane, and another 15 seconds for two drivers to approach us and get our luggage in the vehicles. Before we knew it, we were on the way to Black Turtle Lodge (BTL).

BTL was just as marvelous as we pictured it–truly a jungle setting only a short walk from the ocean! I was immediately taken in by the sights and sounds. Maureen greeted us and showed us around the property. Four of us settled in the tree house, while the other two got settled into the cabana just a short walk down the path. The lodging was very quaint, neat and clean with beautiful wood. The bathrooms were enclosed for privacy but open to the air–and critters! While the rooms appeared critter free, we were told they can find their way in if they want. Nico shared stories of finding bats, crabs and snakes (a large boa), among other things, inside their second story home on the property. I chalked that up to it being above the kitchen. Since we had no food…no worries, right?!

Our next stop was the beach. It was so fun to see our youngest child’s reaction. It was his second time to be at a beach, but his first memory of it. His eyes were huge as he soaked it in! So precious! We were hungry and had arrived too late for lunch at BTL, so we walked a couple hundred feet up the shore and ate lunch at the Black Pearl. The food and atmosphere was delightful. We came back and played in the ocean until it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. We met and dined with the other guests, including a couple and their young son from Montreal. Dinner was very satisfying—a salad, shrimp skewers with sautéed veggies and garlic mash, wonderful bread and a tasty pineapple cake with fresh whipped cream.

As was becoming routine, we were beat, so we hit the pillow around 8:30pm. Oh…but before that one of the kids wanted me to walk to the bathroom with him. I shined the flashlight all around to assure him there were no visitors. All of a sudden something caught the light–frog’s eyes! I thought it was a fake frog… until the eyes moved, and then a leg moved! It was the biggest frog we had ever seen.

Day 7: Adventures Galore! First, Kayaking…

We woke up to the sound of howler monkeys! We had good coffee, fresh juice which tasted like a mild grapefruit juice, fresh homemade bagels with cream cheese, homemade biscuits and granola with yogurt.

After breakfast we played in the ocean and got out the boogie boards. We cleaned up for a nice lunch of tostadas. At 2:30pm a “taxi” picked us up to take us to a kayak tour. The taxi was an old beat up pick-up truck with benches on each side and a plastic canopy over the top. We felt like we were on Green Acres! It was a very fun experience.

We each chose a single kayak. Some of us had never been in one before. Our guide, Lara, was very helpful and encouraging. The first half of the trip was through the mangroves. The water was very warm and murky and the air was hot and sticky. The bio-diversity is amazing if you know what to look for and what it all means…not beautiful, per se, but interesting. Thanks to Lara we were “in the know” and it was simply fascinating. Hot and sticky…but fascinating!

We pulled our kayaks out of the water and up over a ridge after we left the mangroves in order to sea kayak back. While we took a break and waited to see if the waves would cooperate, Lara took two huge pineapples and a coconut (still in the outer husk) out of her kayak. She showed us how to open a coconut while her assistant cut up the pineapple with his machete—and we all enjoyed a scrumptious, juicy, fruity treat!

A few minutes later we got the green light to put our kayaks in the ocean. About half-way back we caught sight of some dolphins putting on a little show. It felt so incredible to be in a kayak in Costa Rica, watching dolphins play while the sun set. Lara said we were lucky, because usually the sun is behind clouds and you only see colors, but we saw the entire sun in its glory.

Nico planned dinner late since our new friends from Montreal and the six of us were on the same tour. We had chicken with prosciutto, garlic mash, sautéed veggies, oh… and a wonderful cream carrot soup, then carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

Once again, when dinner was done we were exhausted. Two of the kids fell asleep in the hammocks next to the dining table. After we chatted a bit we went to bed. The kids decided to use their mosquito nets. They probably didn’t need them, but they wanted to experience it.

Day 8: Monkeys, Macaws and 400 Dolphins

We waited for the sound of howler monkeys to wake us, but they didn’t. Instead, a huge pod hit the roof at about 5:45am and woke us with a start. It happened fairly often during our stay and each time it sounded like a huge rock landing, or even a gun being fired. We had breakfast early—fresh fruit, juice, coffee and pancakes. Immediately after breakfast our taxi arrived to take us to the boat marina in Puerto Jimenez. There we met Chris and his mate–our guides for the morning. Chris immediately memorized all our names and gave us two promises: 1) to do his very best to show us a great time and see as much as possible and 2) it would not snow. He was correct on both counts.

Chris showed us landmarks and taught us a bit about the area and the rain forest. Then he dropped us off at the animal sanctuary where a couple from Northern California does tireless work to save Costa Rican animals from extinction. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the dangers and consequences of poaching, the illegal pet trade and commercialization of the rain forest. They did a wonderful job presenting the information without making a political agenda out of it, but instead sharing the pros and cons of progressive business. We saw many birds (parrots, macaws, toucans, hummingbirds and more) three kinds of monkeys (howler, white-faced and spider), a two toed sloth, (incredibly interesting animal) a kinkachoo and a weasel.

After our tour we got back on the boat and Chris took us to a nearby reef to snorkel. He had great gear—nice clean masks and fins that went on so easy! It was the best snorkeling I ever experienced. We saw so many types of fish—and not just a couple here and there, but whole schools of them.

When we got back in the boat, Chris told us he had a special treat for us—a pod of dolphins estimated to be approximately 400. We rode in the boat to the site where he heard they were hanging out and before we knew it we were surrounded. Groups of two, three, five, six or more were surfacing at a time! They were so playful! I loved it and could have watched them for a couple hours, but we had to get back so we headed away. Just as we did, one of the dolphins jumped very high in the air—a nice “Adios Amigos” to the tourists.

After we returned to BTL the kids stayed behind and played ping-pong while we took a taxi into town to get cash, buy stamps, buy more sunscreen and mail postcards. I enjoyed the little errand tour immensely—it was so fun to see the little town in action during a “regular day.” Everyone was very helpful. We were surprised by the level of security at the bank (much more than I’ve ever experienced in the U.S.) and the fact you really don’t need correct change while shopping. As long as you are close (over or under) it’s all good—Pura Vida!

Later that afternoon a big storm moved in and the rain came down in buckets, so we went for a walk—so fun! We cleaned up and went to dinner—yummy mushroom soup, mahi-mahi served with some sort of mashed sweet potatoes and sautéed veggies. Dessert was peach crisp with vanilla ice-cream. The kids assumed their positions in the hammocks after dinner. We chatted with Nico about local life for a bit and headed to bed. There were more bugs in the air due to the rain, so we all used our mosquito nets. I have to admit it felt a bit exotic sleeping under one.

Day 9: Fishing & Horseback Riding

We woke up feeling damp with sweat. I found myself wondering what the rainy season was like. The howler monkeys were really at it, and white faced monkeys were playing outside the cabina. We had an early breakfast so we’d be ready for our morning adventure. Randall (our guide for the day) picked three of us up for a fishing trip and the taxi came to take the other three horse back riding.

It was a fun day for all. Fishing is the most expensive excursion we did, but the look on the boys’ face as they held a rooster fish for a picture before releasing it was priceless (my youngest, with the guide, pictured above)! The real highlight of the day was seeing two green sea turtles at the surface of the water mating. We were only 10 feet from them. It was like watching National Geographic live!

When we got back to the marina we asked Randall to show us the soccer field which he was happy, even proud to do, since he is the manager of the local team. Then he drove back through the town so the boys could see the bank, post office, markets, bakeries, etc.

We had an incredible taco bar for dinner—tortillas, chicken, mahi-mahi, rice, beans, fresh pico de gallo and fantastic guacamole — probably out favorite meal at BTL. We had homemade banana cake (made with bananas from the property) for dessert.

Day 10: Rain Forest Exploration

The howler monkeys were VERY loud—for a long time. Loved it! It helped us get up and to breakfast at 7am so we would be ready for Randall to pick us up at 7:30am. All of us piled in his SUV and started out on another day of adventure. He stopped the car on numerous occasions to point out wildlife, birds, plants and trees. Some things we learned:

• There are many medicinal plants in the Costa Rican rainforest—for treating things such as diarrhea, upset stomach, colds, loss of energy, fever and even migraines.
• Teak trees are not indigenous to Costa Rica, but are quite plentiful and a good business for Costa Ricans. Their leaves are like a fine grit sandpaper—and are sometimes used for finishing sanding on teak furniture. If you rub a leaf between your fingers it will produce a red liquid, used as dye.
• Some trees have “milk” in them which is nutritional and/or medicinal.
• Indians use cutter ants as sutures when they cut their skin open.
• Indians use palm trees to build arrows and the little spiny things on them dipped in poison from a poison dart frog for arrow points.
• Monkeys like to poop and pee on you from up in trees—just for fun.
• Mexican anteaters are about the coolest animal we’ve ever seen.
• Sloths are likely the most interesting animal we learned about, but they aren’t very exciting to watch.
• Termites don’t taste nearly as bad as you might think! We all tried one.

We went to a surfing beach near Matapalo for a picnic, followed by a walk along the beach where we saw at least four pair of scarlet macaws —squawking up a storm.

We got back in the car and headed for the final exploration of the day. Randall parked near a stream and we started hiking—sometimes over rocks on the edge of the stream but mostly in the water up the stream. At one point we were waist deep. The hike was beautiful and very worth the energy spent, because at the top was an incredible waterfall with a swimming hole. We climbed up the rocks by the waterfall and let the water run down our backs for a bit before jumping in. A fun bonus was the “spa treatment” Randall gave us using clay rocks—our own tropical rainforest mud mask!

Day 11: One Last Dip in the Ocean…

No howler monkeys this morning. We got up and had on early breakfast because Randall took some of us fishing again, while the rest of us packed and played in the ocean. The fishermen returned around 11:30am—carrying two nice sized red snapper.

Nico was nice enough to fix lunch for us even though it wasn’t part of our reservation, and when we were almost done, he brought us some of the fresh snapper–perfectly fried and seasoned. After lunch we took one last dip in the ocean. Darren squared up with Nico while we got cleaned up. Then we said our good-byes and caught our favorite “taxi” to the airport.

We were sad our vacation was nearing an end–so it was wonderful to have another stay at Pura Vida (where we started) to look forward to! We arrived in time to clean up before dinner–much needed after a hot and sticky day of travel. Nhi prepared another lovely dinner–ficase salad, chicken with a tarragon cream sauce over pasta and sugared carrots. For dessert we had peach upside down cake.

Day 12: Our Reunion with Sterling in San Jose!

We slept in a little this day—got up around 7:00am for a 7:45am breakfast. Once again it was a treat. I never got tired of all the fresh fruit. We had a new treat this day—banana cake with chocolate chips.

Sterling picked us up at 8:30am and drove us to the DOKA Estates for a tour of their coffee plantation, an interesting and beautiful stop. After the tour we tasted some chocolate covered coffee beans and some coffee. My favorite was Peaberry. Even the kids liked it! We bought lots of coffee (some to share and some to drink at home) and a few souvenirs.

From there, Sterling drove us to San Jose and showed us the city. He stopped at a street market where we shopped for awhile and bought the rest of our souvenirs: jewelry, hacki sacks, soccer jerseys and my favorite—wood frogs that sound like croaking when you rub a stick over them.

We left the market and saw a bit more of the city on the way to a huge soccer stadium, where we watched the first half of the exhibition game between Saprisso (San Jose’s team) and Puerto Jimenez (Randall’s team).

After the game we went to a Tico “fast food” joint (Polle Esta) and had a bit of food to tie us over until dinner. We said our good-byes to Sterling. But we got his email address so we can stay in touch, as we would definitely use him again!

We packed everything to be ready for our early morning flight and cleaned up for dinner. Nhi did not disappoint us! The evening’s special treats were egg rolls (they had a fancier name but I couldn’t remember it), chicken drumettes with a teriyaki sesame sauce, onion rice and bok choy. This was followed by a simply delightful dessert—gooey coconut bars and homemade ice-milk topped with toasted coconut served in a half coconut shell. Amazing!

Berni, Nhi and the entire staff are so wonderful, the location is convenient, the casita was wonderful (clean and fresh feeling) and the food amazing—definitely a good find. If we ever go to Costa Rica again we will make it a point to return!

Day 13: Oh NO! It’s Over!

3:45am came quickly. Darren and I rolled out of bed at 4:00am, got ready to go, then woke the kids. Bernie brought us our “breakfast to go” (another wonderful perk offered at Pura Vida) at 4:25am and we got into our taxis at 4:30am. We thought it seemed a bit early but quickly realized once again we should listen to Berni; he always knows what he’s talking about! We only waited about 10 minutes to pay our departure tax, but by the time we did that and checked in for our flight with no wait, the departure tax line was ten times as long. We quickly made it through security.

We boarded the plane… SO SAD to leave Costa Rica, but excited to tell all our family and friends about it!

For more on Costa Rica, see our San Jose and La Carolina in the Northern Highlands report; and our adventures around Arenal Volcano.

Have you been to Costa Rica, with or without teens? Please share your experiences in our comments section!