Down in the Banana Republics

After a great  few days with my sisters, Kym and Katrina, I had to say good bye. As they hopped on a plane bound for Miami, my dad and I headed towards the Banana Republic or in other words the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Getting through San Jose is always awful, but doing so during rush hour without a plan is a nightmare. After  circling the city, getting lost I don't know how many times, asking directions on almost every corner and finally resorting to calling my mom in the states to give us directions, we made it out of the city and on our way in just over an hour.

We serpentine mountainous terrain  for the next 4 hours  only stopping for a bank and a snack a local bakery. Yes, we later found out we took one of the longest ways possible. Since  we knew we couldn't cross into Panama at night because the boarder closed at 5 and we wouldn't arrive to the border until at least 10PM, we needed to get a hotel.

We had hoped to stop driving at 8PM, but hadn't found a hotel to stay in. So we drove all the way to Limon. Limon is the one city most people will tell you to stay away from due to the large sailor and shipping industry and when we arrived, we agreed that we were better continuing closer to the boarder. We stopped just outside of Limon in a cute little bar to grab a beer and go to the bathroom. When we asked for our tab, we were pleasantly surprised it was only $1 a beer compared to the average $2.50 on the pacific side of Costa Rica.

We got back on the road and drove another 20 minutes and arrived in the little Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo. As we drove through we noticed all the street sellers and cute bar/ restaurants, but having traveled all day we could only think about a place to sleep. We ended up finding the Lotus Garden Hotel. It was nothing fancy, but the price was right and it had A/C, WiFi and hot water.

Playa Negra on the Carribean side of Costa Rica

Goat sleeping on the side of the road

We woke up around 8:30 ready to get back on the road, but first we drove around the small town of Puerto Viejo. Unlike the Pacific side of Costa Rica, everything was not yet opened and we were informed that the day didn't begin until 10AM. When we arrived at a cute little breakfast joint, we walked in and nobody even acknowledged us. We walked over to an empty table and waited another 10 minutes before walking to the bar and asking if they were open. The waiter said yes and that he would be over in a minute to take our order and went back to reading the paper. After taking a cursory look at the menu and realizing it was nothing special, we decided not to wait until the waiter was ready to serve us, but rather just get on the road.

Made a stop by the fire dept. for my cousin KPP

Driving towards the border town of Sixaola, there was nothing but banana trees, banana factories and plantation owned track homes for the workers. After an hour and a half of nothing but bananas, we finally reached the border which took forever to cross.

Bananas as far as the eye can see!

 First we had to officially leave Costa Rica which means waiting until they feel ready to stamp your passport. Then we had to carry all our luggage across a rickety bridge while carefully watching the ground for stray holes one  might fall in. After which we waited in a line of 5 people which took another 2 hours. When we finally got to the front, they were even in less of a hurry that the border guards in Costa Rica. We were ushered to a taxi , which ended up being a shuttle, and waited until all 10 seats were full. Again, time was not of the essence.

Looking towards Panama

woooo made it across!

First we needed to stop at a gas station because filling up while we were all in the border line apparently would be too practical. Then we went next door and the driver put air in the tires, but it didn’t seem to fix the problem. The next thing we know we are at a tire shop and the driver gets out and the car is jack up. With all 10 people inside the shuttle they replaces the tire! Finally we were on our way again but not without dropping someone off, picking up the drivers friend, and almost t-boning a car. But all the craziness lead to some great bonding among the shuttles patrons.

When we arrived at the water taxi place it only cost $4 a person to bring us from mainland to the Bocas. The ride was beautiful ; Caribbean blue waters and mountainous views.  Once we caught glimpse of the Islands we knew we were in for a treat!

Where Are You Going to Go When the Volcano Blows?

Katrina and my dad woke up early today for a little surf session. While they were  out in the water, Kym and I got to sleep a little longer before heading down to the buffet. Once again we had a great breakfast and when we were finished we went back to the room to get packed up. We made it on the rode by 9 and after a beautiful drive we arrived in La Fortuna around noon.

Variegated Squirrel who
joined us for breakfast

Magpie Jay

We decided to stay in the Tabacon Hot Spring Resort which is where we had stayed 15 years prior. It is one of the most famous hotels in Costa Rica because  of the beautiful natural hot springs  and the gorgeous view of Arenal. We set our stuff down in the hotel room and then hoped in the car in search of a zipline. We were very lucky to come across a company called Ecoglide and even luckier that we could start our adventure in only 20 minutes. Ecoglide has 15 different platforms with the longest line being over 1 km as well as the Tarzan swing.

I think pictures are worth 1000 words, so here is our ziplining adventures laid out in photos…

Me getting geared up

Katrina and dad waiting their turn.

Group shot all geared up

Kym smiling for the camera and showing no fear.
You would never know she is at least 100ft above the group.

My dad showing his more serious side.

Yup, everyone waits on this little platform. Its a little scary

Just the girls

Made it to the platform safely

Katrina getting ready to take the plunge on the Tarzan Swing

After an amazing time  ziplining with fabulous views of the volcano, we went in search of a waterfall. We were able to find one that passed under the road. So we parked the car and climbed under the bridge to take some photos. Once we had taken a ton of pictures, we were reminded we hadn't eaten in a while.

We drove just 10 minutes up the road to a highly recommended steakhouse where we once again were met with a great view of the volcano. We all ordered different cuts of steak and nobody was disappointed with the food, it was delicious!

If 

 

When we got back to the hotel, we quickly changed and got ready to hit the hot springs. The cool thing about Tabacon is it is so large you can wander into a private pool or waterfall. We spent the next 2 hours checking out different pools before finding the private hotel- guest only part which is all about tranquility and happened to be empty. We ordered a drink and then headed back to the main pool to play on the waterslide. The day had really taken its toll on us because we were all ready to call it a night by 8:30.

We got back to the room and set our alarms because Kym and Katrina had to head back to the states the next day and my dad and I had to get to Panama.


We headed back to the hot springs before they opened for a quick photo shot. Since the pictures we had taken the night before didn't really capture the beauty.

Tiki Bar is Open

Today we all got up around 8; early for everyone, but me since I have become accustomed to 4:30 hatchery checks, and headed down for breakfast. The Diria hotel in Tamarindo has one of the most beautiful all inclusive breakfasts I have ever seen. There were tables full of fresh fruit and breads, hot trays full of typical Costa Rica cuisine and an omelet bar.  After filling our plates full of wonderful food, we walked to an empty table where we are met by a waiter baring fresh tropical juice choices.

Swim-up bar

After finishing our delicious breakfast, we walked around town checking out the tourist shops and Kym and Katrina picked up some souvenirs for their friends. Next stop of the day was the pool, where we ordered some pina coladas from the swim up bar. We stayed there for over an hour before deciding to get some lunch.

Near Tamarindo, there is a beach called Playa Avellana, where you can find one of the most well- known beach-side restaurant in Costa Rica.  The location is gorgeous and the food is good, but I think one of the major draws is the giant pig, Lolita, who lives on the premise.  While Katrina and I were mesmerized by how much the pig could eat, we hear Kym talking to a bird. Every time Kym says "Its not fair" the bird responds with "Its not fair, I can't fly!" Needless to say Kym found this way more entertaining than a big pig. Shortly after our food came and we enjoyed fish and chips and a great pizza. Pizza is always so good in Costa Rica, which is funny since cheese is such a commodity.

Playa Negra

Our property

Once we finished lunch, we drove by our beautiful property in Playa Negra and then we went down to the beach to play in the tidepools. There were all sorts of different species visible there compared to what I am used to seeing in Costa de Oro. We enjoyed the  beach for an hour or so followed by a little more local exploring before returning to Tamarindo for dinner on the beach. After dinner Katrina and my dad rented surfboards for the morning. We made the plan for them to do a quick morning surf tomorrow before we headed up to Areanal for the following night.