Dia Cinco

Hola a todos nuestros amigos americanos.

Jenni has handed the blogging duty over to me for the time being so I will be trying my best to live up to her posts' quality. As usual this day was spent relaxing and taking in some rays near the pool and near the bar. All in all a very typical day so far except for one slight difference.

We rented surfboards and took to the waves as the Pacific Ocean taught us a lesson...well at least Dwayne, Jenni and I, I believe my Dad did OK. I myself found out quite conclusively that I am more likely to get hit in the head with my own board than for my feet to ever touch the top surface of my board. We rode the boards to the best of our ability well into the sunset which is always an enjoyable time of the day here in Costa Rica.

After our day on the beach we all came back to Harbor Reef Lodge and began our evening activities. Jenni and myself helped ourselves to the pool for an evening swim. My brother started sorting through some of his pics from the trip so far and my parents with their friends to a new restaurant. About 30 minutes later the rents showed back up after an unsuccessful search for this elusive spot. We ended up having dinner together again except this time we tried some desserts on for size. We sampled both the Bananas Flambe and the Coconut Flan. Both were delicious but the Flambe tasted a little bit too much like a shot of whiskey for my tastes.

After a long and tiring day we all decided to turn in. Tomorrow is a big day which technically already happened but I just haven't gotten around to posting yet. It is a little departure from the previous list of activities and many events so expect a lengthy post. I will eventually end up posting it but...I am on vacation....so there is not much rushing around needed.

Dia Cuatro, part dos.

So I hope you all enjoyed that last post...I know I did when I read it.

This is a quick one as there is not much new to tell. I just wanted to toss up this video of the howler monkeys. They were passing over the hotel on their way back home for the evening, and we got a real good view of them from the hammocks. Maybe too good of a view, just ask Shelia.

Dia Tres....I think.....no Diaa Cuatro I am told!

h

We slept in today...for whatever reason. It must ahve been too hot for the howler monkeys to come out. after we all woke up, it was a tasty breakfast in the restaruant a meer 20 feet from our room and then Shelia and I headed for the ppol while the guys headed back to the room to watch a Kung Fo comedy redubbed en espanol. After several hours basking in the pool (and several pina coladas later), I find myself at the pool bar posting this blog and ordering another Pina Colada. Pardon me if my typing is less than bueno. Life is good here in Costa Rica.

As we lounged by the pool today, we heard the howler monkeys in the nearby trees. Eager to get a closer look...I ventured over with my camera to find two VERY lazy monekys leterally passed out in the trees.

I write this blog from thepoolside bar, while enjoying an pina colda, and fresh cihps and guacomole, so I appologize for any spelling eerrrors.

Hasta luego!

We walked down the pitch black road to the Casa Tucan and had some Costa Rican pizza for dinner tonight. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, very tasty. One of the many charms of the Costa Rican atmosphere is the open air dining and the open door policy that goes along with it. It's a rare occasion to sit down for a meal and NOT have a dog or cat curl up under your table. I even felt compelled to call a cat over and scratch it's head.....and I wasn't even drunk!

On the walk back from the resturant we did a little star-gazing. With no cities around, and no smog hanging over head, the sky is crystal clear and the stars infinite.

Dia Tres

Day three of our vacation, we are already settling into a routine. Wake up..put on your swimsuit (unless you are already wearing it because you slept in it), go down to the beach, come back up, enjoy a nice long breakfast, walk somewhere at a leisurely pace, go to the pool, eat some more, sleep some more, watch the sunset, you get the gist..

Today we took a trip down to the market. A 30-some minute stroll down some dirt paths took us to "town" where we found some surf shops, internet cafe, and the grocery store. We bought some peanut butter and bread, snacks and sunscreen and shower supplies. Along the way, we found the largest tree I'd ever seen. This photo pales in comparison to the monstrous size of the tree in person. After we returned from our morning adventure we headed to the pool for some much needed rejuvenation (and bebidas).

Not much to report for today...just a dia hace nada. We headed down to the beach with the rest of the town to watch the sunset, and now we are headed down the road to find a place to settle in for dinner.

Adios amigos!

Dia Dos

We awoke to the sounds of howler monkeys on Sunday morning. Eager to see what could produce such a loud, odd noise, Shelia, Earl and Jenni took off for the beach. Up in the trees, black monekys climbed from branch to branch whooping and hollering as they ate thier morning meal and basked in the early sun. After enjoying the company of the howler monkeys, we continued down the trail to the beach to watch the sunrise. What a beautiful site it was (see the banner at the top of the page?)

We made our way back up to the villa, woke the boys and ate our first scrumptious meal of the day including banana pancakes, beans and rice, breakfast burritos larger than your cabeza, and of course - fruit smoothies.

After a long, relaxing breakfast we headed back to the beach and strolled down to an interesting and what appears to be abandoned Hotel about a mile down the beach. We played in the surf, collected shells, and climbed on the rocks all along the way.

We made our way back to our hotel and turned in for a siesta. Jenni found a comfy hammock while everyone else went back to the room to enjoy the AC. Well rested, everyone changed into thier swimsuits and headed to the resturant from drinks and lunch....yes I said swimsuits.

After lunch we did something else....I can't remember but it most likely had to do with bebidas, siestas, playas o pacinas. You tend to forget while on tico time. Finally we wound down the day and watched the sunset over the water. A first for everyone except Earl who enjoyed it last year on his first trip to Costa Rica.

Adios para ahora!

Dia Uno

Hola! Everyone is enjoying a midday seista, so I thought I'd pop on here and share a bit with you. We arrived yesturday around 2:30 pm. Picture this: We stepped off our huge American plane out into 87 degree sunny weather (still wearing our pants and warm clothes). As we walked down the sidewalk, we passed an open air building with rows of seats and a simple rope between them and the tarmack. This is the terminal. A little farther down we enter the customs building. We look up and there are 2 "Big Ass Fans", each with a wingspan of atleast 20 feet, slowly oscillating and sending a nice breeze down on us. We get our passports stamped and take our luggage through security where a tico with his shirt unbuttoned quickly looks through it (no x-ray machines or metal detectors). A cool 10 minutes later, we walk out the front of the building and are greeted by our drivers Edwin and Eddie. As they take our luggage to the vans, we quickly change in the bathrooms into something cooler and exchange our money. The atm tells us we have 2 million colones in our account....we are rich!



We set off for our ultimate destination, Nosara. A 4 hour drive from Liberia, we get to take in the amazing sites of this country. We stopped at a mercado and picked up some snacks and Imperial for the road. It felt so illegal to look over at Dwayne - drinking - in a vehicle, but it's all legal here. About three hours into the ride, we arrive in Nosara...however it's another hour down a dirt road to our hotel. We pass over partially washed out bridges with no railing and barely wide enough for one vehicle. Dogs jaunt alongside the van close enough that you could reach out the window and scratch it's ear. We attempt to pass a tico on a bike and quickly find out he's on his way home from the bar, so we made a wide pass around him, and look back into the face of the most determined man on earth. At last we arrive at the Harbor Reef Lodge...the sun has already set but we can tell it's a mystical place and cannot wait to begin our weeklong stay in paradise.