Costa Rica Again in 2024!

 Intro

Hola mis amigos. After 162 straight days of online Spanish lessons, I am ready to go to Costa Rica once again, our fifth time. Having been immersed in Spanish, I now understand the silent H's, the J's that sound like G's, etc. I know muchas gracias, although I have a habit under pressure of responding with "merci", as though I actually know French. I also know that everything will hopefully be elegante or intellegente. Mi esposa es bonito. If you are a lector or lectora of this blog, stay tuned for the next installment of fun in the sun. In less than two weeks we will embark on our five week  stay at a beautiful VRBO house above Dominical on the Pacific coast. Great friends will be joining us for the first three weeks and them we will trade them in for our immediate family, including our three year old and soon to be six year old grandsons. Tucked into the rainforest, the site promises sightings of lots of birds and other wildlife. It has an infinity pool with attached hot tub for enjoying a drink in the evening, spotting fireflies. What could be better? Our reservation, which I made last Spring, comes with a manager and a concierge. It is difficult to know how this will change us. Will we still interact with regular people when we get home? Do we still need to go grocery shopping, even when we do not feel like it? And how will my Tuesdays look like? Will I still need to help clean bathrooms and bedrooms at home? These preguntas are intellegente and muy elegante. 

Thursday Feb. 22 to Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

The journey to the sun began with an overnight stay at my sister-in-law's complex in Queensborough, New Westminster because we had to get an early start for the airport. After a very short night, we left at 5AM. I had ordered a taxi online and this worked well. We were at the airport within 23 minutes and we went to the domestic area to check in, since we were flying from Vancouver to Toronto first, before going to San Jose, Costa Rica. It was very quiet so we were checked in within minutes. I think the person working there thought we were old and probably would struggle with checking in the luggage and getting the tag, especially when the machine did not read my passport the first time. She asked if she could try, and then proceeded to do everything. The tickets we were given were for both flights. After glancing at the ticket, we noticed, or at least thought we noticed that it said we were departing from the E terminal. We hiked clear across the airport to the E customs area, only to be told we needed to go to gate C in the domestic area, where we had just come from. So, off we went again, getting in our daily steps. We went through security in a matter of a few minutes and had over a 90 minute wait for boarding. The flight went well and in Toronto we only had about an hour to wait. After the long journey in the airport here to get to the international departure gates, we had just enough time to go to the washroom, look for some food to take along (nothing appealed), and get ready to board. Again, the flight went well, although the onboard meal offerings were less than impressive. I tried to sleep a little, as I was very tired, but after a minute of dozing, my head would fall forward, jarring me awake again. 

We arrived in San Jose early, at about 8:45PM local time. From past experiences, I fully expected a very long line up and slow progress to go through security. Instead, we were directed to a very short line of only two people, so we were done within a few minutes. Never happened here before! We soon found our shuttle to take us to the Holiday Inn Express which was about 5 minutes away. Check-in was slow because my reservation name was not the same as my Dutch name of the passport I used. We were all surprised at all the renovations that had been done. The check-in desk was moved, the elevator was also moved. After a drink in our room, we walked to Dennys for a snakc. This also seemed a little closer than I remembered. 

Saturday, Feb. 24

Our hotel included a continental breakfast. It was not as good as last time. As we were sitting and eating, I looked out of the window, facing The Hampton Inn, next door. A light went on. In the past we did not stay in The Holiday Inn but at The Hampton Inn. Now all the changes made sense. A senior moment?

We were to meet a rep from Alamo at 9:30 to get our rental vehicle. He arrived at 9:00 and spoke very little English. Our Spanish lessons did not help too much. There was a mistake with their reservation, since it was only for one month, not the one month plus a week that I had arranged and was on my copy of the rental offer. It took a long time to sort out but by 10:00 we were on the road to our place in Dominical. The drive went very smoothly, and we never made a wrong turn once. After lunch in Dominical, we proceeded to our house, Casa de Los Suenos. It promised to be a rough road from the highway up to the house, It was rough, but after the rough road we had to travel in 2022, it was not bad. Far less potholes and dust. Soon we settled in to our place and hit the pool. 

One of the wildlife to see on my bucket list this time was a beautiful bird, the montezuma oropendola. While unpacking, my friend W called from the pool for me to come see a bird he spotted. It was the oropendola. In fact, within minutes we saw five of them fly by. This must be a good omen. We also saw a pair of eagles called caracara, attending a nest in a palm tree just above the property. After our dip and drive to Uvita to get some groceries, we relaxed outside by the pool. It was now dark. We found a large toad that appeared on the pool deck and stayed the rest of the night. None of us were hungry because of a large lunch, so grilled cheese sandwiches were on the menu. I went inside to clean up the dishes and get a drink. Cleaning dishes is very important here because any crumbs or dirty plate could attack ants in no time flat. I put the plates in the dishwasher and then took the very sharp knife that had been used to cut the cheese. As I was turning to put it in the dishwasher, it slipped out of my hand. The blade went straight down into my foot. In no time, there was a pool of blood and my foot continued to gush for some time. It did not hurt but was very messy. With three attendees, the mess was cleaned up and my foot was treated and bandaged. I spent the rest of the night with my leg elevated. Those blood thinners I take really work! And I survived my first stabbing. A good skill to have when you come from Surrey.

Sunday, Feb. 25

Though we went to bed early, by our standards, sleep did not come easily. Soon after we went to bed, it started raining. Then it poured. Then there was the torrential rain. All hitting the metal roof, making a huge racket. It took quite a while to sleep, and also to keep from rolling off of the bed. However, by morning it was another bright sunny day, with temperatures in the mid 30's, much like yesterday. There was nothing on our agenda for today. except to swim and keep an eye out for birds. However, it was surprising to me to see so few birds around in the morning. We did hear some howler monkeys nearby and a frigatebird flew overhead with the vultures, but not much more. I did see a white hawk and some small birds while exploring the grounds. Also, a small group of white-faced capuchin monkeys dropped by for a visit. Then just before sunset things picked up. A toucan flew by and sat on a nearby tree for a few minutes. By sunset a troupe of howler monkeys entertained us for some time. Most of the monkeys looked like young mothers with small babies. When we were almost ready for dinner it began to rain. It rained heavy at times all evening. Fortunately, we had lots of covered area to sit in and the outdoor dining room was fully covered.  

Monday, Feb. 26

As usual, we woke up to sunny skies and highs to be in the mid 30's. Since it had rained, we decided to put off our walk in nearby Hacienda Baru Nature Reserve since it could be muddy. Instead we took a walk up the hill from our place. We came to a property with large trees filled with hanging oropendola nests. We found several of the birds coming and going and I got some great pictures, the first of this bird outside of the Seattle Zoo. I also saw a masked tityra with it's nest in a tree by the montezuma oropendolas. Along the road I found a saltator. It was getting very hot so we returned home to our pool. It was a very busy day! First we were treated to a visit by a troupe of white-faced capuchin monkeys, which meant getting out of the pool to take pictures. It was entertaining watching the monkeys leap and fall great heights to other trees. That required a long afternoon of soaking, reading and napping, more for some than for others. Before sunset we were visited by a large troupe of howler monkeys that seemed to be composed of mainly young mothers and some very young babies, some perhaps only a few days old. Some capuchins were also in the area and were sneaking to get past the larger howlers. After bbqing burgers, we settled into our chairs outside only to be disturbed by cicadas and giant grasshoppers that were attracted by the light but had no navigation skills, often flying right into you. We soon had to retreat indoors.

Tuesday, Feb. 27

I got up early because we were going to Hacienda Baru after nibbling on the scraps we had left in our cupboards. This allowed me to see a few more birds than usual like a black guan, brown jay, gray-headed chacalaca. Google can show you what these birds look like. Before starting our walk, I needed to have my first mango smoothie. It was great! We spent several hours watching capuchin monkeys playing and fighting in the trees. We also came across some agoutis, coatis, and some little birds like antshrike, gosbeaks, a beautiful orange-collared manakin. The piece de resistance, or "pieza de resistencia" as they say around here, was fining two three-toed sloths. Actually that does not include the baby curled up with mommy. Great sightings. That lead to a nice lunch with beer before heading to Uvita to do some grocery shopping. More pool time was needed to round out the day. We had no monkey visits at sunset. I guess we had seen enough. The hoppers returned after dark. Oh, and our dishwasher broke so we had to do dishes by hand. How primate.

Wednesday Feb. 28

Today was a scary day. Our plan was to go for breakfast at Bagel Time in Uvita, a place we were familiar with and had great breakfast. Then we were to go down the highway to Ventana beach. I decided not to take my trusty Nikon camera, but my Fuji waterproof camera instead. This presented all sorts of threats like seeing amazing birds or animals without a good camera. I saw very little in our yard before we headed out, so a rare morning of no photos. We did see two anteaters along our drive, but they were mysteriously still on the shoulder. It went well though. I saw nothing wildlife related to photograph. We had a nice beach day playing in the waves. It never ceases to amaze me how warn the ocean is here, in fact we came across a few spots where the water felt hot. After the beach and a visit to a pool shop to buy pool noodles, we headed back to our “home” for lunch and pool time. 

We thought we had dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant at 5PM, but when we got there we found a sign that it was closed due to a private function. So, off we went back to Uvita to a restaurant we knew. Most of us ordered the shrimp and rice dish, with pantacones, which was very good. In typical Costa Rican fashion, we waited a very long time to get the bill and finally we went to the bar to pay. We got home close to 8:30. A good beach day. I did break down at the restaurant and used my Fuji camera to take a pic of a bird outside the restaurant.

Thursday, Feb. 29

It's a leap year and we get to spend the extra day in Costa Rica! It started like every day here, get up to sun, the coffee is on the go so sit outside with a cuppa joe, looking for exotic birds that have been surprisingly lacking here, and finally getting around to breakfast, pancakes today. We got a late start today, mainly waiting for low tide so we could walk the whale's tail in Marino Ballena National Park in Uvita. We did a nice long walk on the beach, walking up the spine of the whale's tail, which is covered in water in high tide. Where the flukes of the tail would be, the sand gives way to rocky outcrops. We sat by a small tidal pool which was hotter than any shower I ever have. The water here was sheltered by the "tail", so was very calm, unlike most places where there is a good surf. I couldn't resist the temptation to go in. It was wonderful to sit in warm, calm ocean water. I was wearing my beach shirt, so the wet shirt helped cool me as we walked back. I can not get over the stunning beauty of the sandy beaches, the tropical forest with palm trees interspersed, all rising up a mountain. Few things are more beautiful than this. We encountered the loud goings on of some scarlet macaws in the trees at the base of the tail. We discovered what may be a macaw nest. The parrots seemed to be fighting but I suspect it was actually a very loud mating ritual. We did get a few photos through the trees. Being 35 degrees out, we needed a pit stop at the local bar/restaurant for an Imperial beer before heading home. We did pop into the supermercado for some items needed for dinner first. While I doubt I could ever have a Spanish conversation, and I freeze up when trying to respond to a simple Spanish comment, I do feel we are understanding more words in conversations and on signs. 

We spent the rest of the day at the house, soaking in the pool or reading. That is, until the howler monkeys came. I first spotted one in a nearby tree and knew more would follow. This group we are becoming familiar with. Most of the adults are moms with babies. One mom had a tiny baby, perhaps a day or two old. It lacked a coat of fur and was nursing. Very cool to see this. After that, there was little activity, even at sunset, which is now about 5:45. We always eat dinner at the outside dinner table before settling in by the pool for the evening. We discovered that if you keep the outside lights off, you do not get all the giant grasshoppers and cicadas that appear otherwise. They are all crazy, and bounce all over the place, including your head. Once here, they stay for the night. Tonight we saw one grasshopper by the pool and had no bugs around us.   

Friday, Mar. 1

After a leisurely morning, we headed down the road to the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary where we had a tour booked for 11AM. But first, we met with Geraldo, the gardener and property keeper, and the professional who was to look at our dishwasher. Neither spoke a word of English. It was interesting communication, but our Spanish lessons did help us recognize a few words here and there and somehow get the thoughts across. The guy looked at the washer and somehow got it to start. He started to run it and said he could not find anything wrong. He left while the washer ran, and about 30 minutes later the thing beeped and shut down again with the same message that it needed salt. Back to the drawing board. 

At the sanctuary, which was less than 15 minutes away, we joined a small group to see the wildlife that were in cages because they could not be released back into the wild for various reasons. Critters that were to be released were in a different area and had little contact with humans so they could be rehabilitated. We saw capuchin, squirrel and spider monkeys, sloth, various species of parrots, toucan, peccaries, a crocodile, an ocelot and a kinkajou. Of most interesting animals everyone wanted to see, the ocelot, kinkajou and anteater, were all curled up in their boxes and were barely visible. On of the capuchins was very entertaining. Seeing all the people gathered near his cage, he got a big rock and slammed it down on the side of the cage, causing a bang. Apparently, he does this regularly, or sometimes throws stones, just to see the reaction of the people. The tour was interesting but pricey for seeing so few animals. I guess the good thing is that profits from the tours go to support the rehabilitation of injured animals found in the wild. After a mango smoothie to cool off after the hot morning, we returned home to sloth around our pool for the afternoon. 

We went for dinner at Don Rogers, a restaurant in Uvita we went to several times on our last trip because of the awesome sunset views over the Whale's Tail. We found that food prices had skyrocketed and our simple meals came to over $100 for the two of us. We need to rethink some of our future dining plans. 

The internet had related things have been a challenge. We tried getting reservations at a local restaurant several times, but never got any confirmations to know if the reservation was accepted. Similarly, I tried to reserve for a tour, only to have the website stop functioning once I input our request and tried to pay. I have been dealing for a week with our concierge who was to book us a excursion to a local waterfall. In the past going there required a long hike or going horseback. Now there was an option to take a 4x4 to about 100 meters from the falls. This is what I asked for. The concierge, Silvia said she would work on getting it booked. We got nothing back from her, and even when she sent messages about other matters, this booking was never confirmed. Finally I wrote her asking specifically if she had made the booking, or if I should go ahead and make it directly. She responded that after talking with the owners, the horseback option was not available for the whole week we were looking at, due to a local festival being held nearby and all the visitors that booked for this tour. However, could we go after March 18. I responded no, we specifically wanted an earlier date because our friends would be leaving before then. I also noted that we never asked for the horseback option. At last she got back to me to say that there was another option, an economy 4x4 tour for about 3 hours. (This is the one I always thought we were asking about!) This tour could be done any day. I said yes, please book us, and I gave three possible dates. She responded "Perfecto", but that was yesterday, and today I still have no idea if she made a booking and for which day. The first day option is a few days away. Pura vida I guess.

After dark we did have a number of giant grasshoppers and a cicada come and ricochet around us, even with the outside lights being off. Perhaps the inside ones were too bright. I do find some of my favourite moments are sitting outside all night. Today was the first day we had no monkey visitors but we were gone long before sunset.

Saturday, Mar. 2

This morning we drove to Dominical, a 5 minute drive up the highway. We walked around and did some shopping. It was another hot day. Nothing much to report as it was an uneventful day. It is good to have some of those. This was the second day no monkeys came by. I don't like this trend. A number of toucans flew by but they rarely stay. There were few birds around at all and four legged creatures haven't been here. A little disappointing after previous trips, but at least the house and pool are great. Tonight there were no insect invasions either.

Sunday, Mar. 3

We decided that on weekends we would try avoid going to popular places which are often packed with locals. Also, tomorrow, the Envision Festival begins near here. It is advertised as a holistic blend of education, adventure, community, yoga, music and more. I suspect more includes tie dying and weed. It lasts a week and is sold out. Most people camp in small tents on the property. 

After breakfast I predicted that today we would see something good, since the bird sightings have been a little disappointing. Joanie wandered down the property and came across a peccary, a type of wild pig. That qualifies. We did watch a church service online. (There are no good English protestant church options in this area.) I also finally got a reply from our concierge, Silvia, that the requested tour to Nauyaca Falls was tomorrow. Thanks for the advanced notice. For dinner we went to Dominical and ate at a hamburger joint on the main drag. We thought we were being economical. We had a burger, chicken wings and two smoothies for over $70! Time to rethink out dining out plans.

Monday, Mar. 4

This morning we headed out to Nauyaca Falls. It was not far from here but was a 24 minute drive. We arrived at the office right on time for our 9AM excursion. There we were put in the back of a truck, along with a family from Pennsylvania for the final drive along private, dirt roads to the falls. In the past there was two ways to go to the falls, a very long, hot hike, or on horseback. We spent two hours at the falls. They were beautiful. By the lower falls there was a lake where you could get in and even swim under the falls. The water was substantially colder that what we were used to, but we all made it in. By we all, I mean me, because I didn't doubt that the others would. It felt cold but I got used to it quickly. It started getting busier with outer groups coming and I watched in amazement as some young girls posed in provocative stances on rocks, etc. while their boyfriends or other friends took pictures. They were the center of attention, not the falls. Funny and sad. Then a group came with guides who had ropes and other things. They cleaned of slimy rocks and strung ropes along a path up the side of the falls so young people in the group could climb the falls and jump down. Time to go before someone splits their head open on a rock. I do not understand why this is allowed at the expense of others who just want to enjoy the scenery. We were home by noon and had a relaxing, uneventful rest of the day, like most other days.

Tuesday, Mar. 5

 The Envision Festival was now in full swing as we discovered. We went to one of our favourite beaches, Playa Hermosa, just up the road. This beach is so popular that you can hardly get in on weekends when the locals go there. The beach is just next to the area where the festival was going on. Today, it was a little less crowded. I did spot brown boobies. And no these were not the avian variety. In fact, on our long walk along the beach we came across a number of naked tanners. Most if not all of them came from the festival. The temperature plummeted today. There were some clouds so it could go from the usual 35degrees down to 30 or 31 when the sun was behind clouds. We enjoyed a great time playing in the surf before heading to Uvita for bagels at Bagel Time, (my jaws were sore after chewing on my bagel), grocery shopping BM, and a little shop across the street where I bought a tee shirt. For dinner we had bar-b-qued chicken and potato salad. It as a five star day.  

Wednesday, Mar. 6

During our regular sit out by the pool drinking coffee and looking for birds in the forested yard before breakfast, we noticed a lot more sounds of little birds than usual. Of course, that means cold coffee and several photos of trees with no birds in them. I did spot wrens, flycatchers, etc. plus a large bird, the chackalacka. Things continued to pick up and we saw several toucans and six aracaris, a beautiful toucan-related bird. I saw the first squirrel her as well. Then we were off to Playa Linda, AKA Secret Beach, an amazing stretch of palm tree bordered sandy beach which stretches for as far as the eye can see in both directions. This area has been known to be frequented by petty thieves who like to break into cars. It is also a popular local hangout for locals and is not well known to tourists. However today there were few people today and the nice thing was that here you can park under the trees at the edge of the beach and set up within a few feet. Since we always have at least one of us staying with our belongings, we felt not to vulnerable. The surf here is beautiful and long walks along the edge of the water is great once you manage to cross over the flaming hot dry sand. We stayed for a few hours before heading back for lunch. The afternoon was spent in the pool, reading and oh yah, keeping an eye out for birds or other wildlife. I am always amazed by birds and their communication skills. There was one bird who sang loud and proud. I stood by the edge of the forest and could not find it, but there were other little birds flitting around. I took ten seconds to go and get my camera. The second I returned, this bird clearly told all the other birds that there was a guy with a camera, and all went silent. Clearly birds can understand each other, even from other species. There was no other action or sound. My friend saved the day by calling me to say he was walking down the driveway and came across a large green bird eating in one of the trees overhead. I came and we found two large parrots, known as mealy parrots in a tree. Exciting to get a good sighting of these birds.  

Thursday, Mar 7

I apologize to any who read my blogs and bet bored by the bird sightings I mention. I figure though it is more interesting than if I give details such as I got into the pool, I got out for a while, then I got into the pool again, etc. It was a quiet morning today. It was a little misty and therefore felt slightly cooler than other days, although the temperature did reach 32 or 33 degrees. We saw several toucans, now a regular occurrence, especially with then landing in nearby trees instead of just zooming across the property. I also spotted a great currasow, a large black bird with a weird lump on it's beak. The roadside hawk that lives near the bottom of the property dropped by for a closer look. Otherwise, nothing exotic to report. Our plan was to go to waterfalls behind Uvita after lunch, but since it was a little cooler and overcast at times, we decided to go to Ojical instead. It was a nice place with nice residential areas and nice houses. We returned in time for happy hour, rum punch in the pool. Again, another day with no monkey visits. We did get the gardener visiting. Our dishwasher continues not to work so he came to look, and suggested it was a drainage problem. That's what we understood from his Spanish explanation anyway. His advise was when the washer stops, to pull it out and tilt it to let it drain. We did that and ended up with a pool of water on the floor. So much for automatic washing. We also got a visit from the local police after dark. They opened the gate and came in with lights flashing, parked for a few minutes, and then left. No idea what that was about. Not much else happened and my wine is ready outside so adios.

Friday, Mar 8

We had an early morning today, up at 6AM, on the road by 7:15. We had reservations for Manuel Antonio National Park, perhaps the #1 visited park in the country. It took us just over an hour to get there. We drove through the usual fake rangers trying to convince you they are official and then direct you where to park. We drove within half a block of the entrance and parked there. We paid a few colones more but it seemed secure. We had a good day, walking and looking for wildlife. Most of the major sightings are obvious by the guides and their group huddled in an area. Sometimes we did see things where there were no guides. One always wonders what animals we missed seeing without knowing it. Today we had four sloth sightings, including a mom and her baby. We also found two coatis, one agoutis, several young Jesus Christ lizards (they can run on top of water), two howler monkeys and lots and lots of white-faced capuchin monkeys. I did get a few shots of small birds like an antshrike fluttering through the bush. You may not bring in any food whatsoever, and may only bring in water in non-disposable containers. There is a little food counter that serves assorted quick food items and drinks. Unlike a few years ago, this area is now enclosed in wire mesh so now the people are in cages and the monkeys are free outside. We had a drink, mango smoothie of course, and watched the monkeys outside. Then we went to the beach. It was not too busy so there were shady spots to sit. The monkeys were not in this area while we stayed, so I did not have to wrestle them for our bags like last time. The playa is a beautiful spot, with lush forest cascading down the hills to the edge of the sandy beach. The water was relatively calm and clear. It was hot and nothing is better that hanging out in the water for a while. Like every other water location we have been, there is always at least one couple that insists on taking  photos of each other in provocative poses, often in skimpy attire. A bazaar ego manic display. After four and a half hours or so, we left the park and had lunch in a restaurant near the entrance gate. A young fellow came with another fellow, clearly a couple, and this guy was wearing only fruit of the loom white underwear. He was on full display. They came into the restaurant and we were all surprised that he was served. It was clearly inappropriate. Oh well, pura vida. 

After some pool time at home, we went for dinner at the beach restaurant in Dominical where we ate lunch at the first time. It appeared that the long island ice teas the women drank were rather strong. Much different from the ice tea I drink every day. I was feeling very adventurous. No I did not decide to dress only in my underwear, but I did order a strawberry smoothie instead of the usual mango smoothie. It was a refreshing change.

Saturday, Mar 9

After yesterday's early start, at least for some of us, (some found this a standard get up time), today was sleep in day. I stayed in bed until 7:15 and Jo got up closer to 9:00. We had no plans for the day, so after a pancake breakfast we headed for a place up the next road where they sell carved masks, which are made by a local indigenous tribe. We first drove up a wrong road, the one leading to the wildlife sanctuary. We discovered we had to take the road nearer our place. Descending though, I got a nice picture of a woodpecker so that salvaged our wrong turn. On the other road, it became evident very quickly once we started up the road that this was a different class of people. The road was still rocky and no better than ours, but there were some mansion-like houses with amazing views. The place we were looking for was closed because the owners went to the beach. We, actually they, decided to go to Dominical to check out the carved masks sold on the street. This had not been part of the plan so I had the large lens on my camera, a great move for the woodpecker picture, but not so good for strolls in Dominical. I felt conspicuous walking with this big camera among the dreadlocks, hippy clothes and general simple life style of the people here. 

We returned to find the "technician" and Gerardo in our kitchen. Supposedly the problem with our dishwasher required a part that was difficult to find in the country, a common problem. They decided to try to do a work-around so we shall see. Since neither spoke any English, the technician used an app to write in English a request for us not to run the dishwasher for at least two hours. Not sure how well that would have gone if he told us in Spanish. Back to the pool.  

Sunday , Mar 10

As uneventful days go, today was most uneventful . We saw some toucans and perhaps are taking some things for granted, but there were no highlight sittings. We drove up our rough gravel road to see if we might see something but apart from seeing where our road ends up, back on the highway, we saw nothing of great interest. I did watch a Sunday church service while sitting in a wet bathing suit, which is a first. We drove to Uvita to get groceries and spent a lot of time in the pool. Again, we got no visit from monkeys, although several times we heard loud roars from male howlers nearby. For dinner we went to Uvita to a favourite pizza restaurant, La Fogata. 

Tomorrow we are supposed to go early to Uvita for  an excursion to Corcovado N.P. On the Osa peninsula, but websites here are very poorly designed and maintained. I booked the trip days ago, and followed their directions for payment. I got an email saying our booking was canceled because their payment system was having problems. I confirmed that the payment was on my Visa. Today I got another email headed that our booking was canceled and then asking if we had any food allergies. Tomorrow we will see.

Monday, Mar 11

We were up by 5:25 and o the road by 6:15. This was the first time I drove our rental car as our friend did all the driving up to now. We arrived in Uvita and at our meeting spot at Dolphin Tours before 7 o’clock despite not finding it right away. Because of the confusing emails, I had no idea if our booking was a go or not, but when we checked in, my name was at the top of the list. Our boat ride with 8 other people was 90 minutes long and we arrived at the ranger station at Corcovado at about 9 AM. There all our bags were searched. They did not allow any plastic disposable bottle, plastic bags, food (except what the crew had in containers for lunch) or cigarette products. It was another hot day with temperatures about 35 degrees Celsius. As the day wore on it was also dry humid. Fortunately the guide we had was a bird enthusiast so he was quick to point out a tree nearby with many small manikin birds in it. He was especially excited about the red-capped manakin, beautiful little bird. I believe I took about 40 photos trying to capture these flighty birds. Later that night I deleted about 35 picture of leaves. We then loaded up on water and headed for the forest. Our guide searched for tapirs that often hang around certain places, but not today. We did find small forest birds like the black-hooded antshrike. Another group found an anteater and we joined them. Our cameras got a workout. We had to look up straight above us to take pictures. Several times I stumbled backwards and almost fell. We also came across a few spider monkeys and howlers. We found a family of coatis. At one point the mother seemed to give a chatter at her young ones and they all scampered up trees at once. A coati, or was it the mother (?) charged up a tree and had a big todo with one of the little ones until it fell out of the tree, a long drop. It raced away with the larger one still in chase.We found it later hiding in a palm tree. We also found a tree with long-nosed bats on it. There was a report that one group found a boa constrictor, but someone prodded it and it disappeared. Returning to the ranger station we came across scarlet macaws making love. We had an option to have lunch or continue on for a 20 to 30 minute walk and then eat. Though everyone was spent because of the heat, we decided to carry on and then rest. There was grumbling because this walk didn’t produce even bird sounds. Fortunately we came across a number of orange manikins, a very interesting sighting. These birds flit from one side of a path to the other, each time making a clicking sound. They never sat for more than a second or two so getting pictures was very, very difficult. That salvaged the extra walk a little. We had a nice lunch of fried rice with chicken, tuna pasta salad, others salad and fruits for dessert. We were soon revived. On our way back in the boat we did find a pod of several dolphins. We also passed an island with nesting frigatebirds and boobies but it seemed to me when I pointed my camera up the boat lunged forward. Not impressed, since we got back early. Then instead of the usual backing up on the beach to let us off, we went up a stream into the mangroves, which was interesting until he dropped us off on a small patch of sand. The water was rushing in under the trees with each wave, and we had to rush between waves to get around along the trees to the main trail to the entrance. We had to dodge naked women and another guy in tightly whites. I have never seen so many bare-breasted women, (ok I don’t get around much). I never saw any in four previous trips here. We did manage to get up the hill to our house, despite my total lack of knowledge on how to operate this vehicle in for-wheel drive. I think I had the downhill setting on to challenge the engine more, and twice we were down to 12 kmph on steep grades before it recovered. We came home to find our friend, floating on his back with a pool noodle under him and his heels hooked on the side of the pool, fast asleep.

Tuesday, Mar 12

Today it was off to Matapalo beach, a new beach to explore. Oops, things change by the minute here. We were off to the waterfall behind Uvita, a place we enjoyed in the past. We would end with a mango smoothie at the on site restaurant. When we walked down the trail to the river, it was packed. A tour group was helping their large group of young people slide down the falls. We decided to forgo the falls pool and go to one of the pools below. There was a large group waiting to jump off the platform, with loud people below yelling up to the jumpers. The last pool seemed quieter except there was now a zip line overhead. We sat in the cool water for a while but the final straw was when a rope was thrown down into the pool and fastened to rocks at the top of the cliff. Tour leaders and a large group of helmeted people were lining the path above us. Our quiet, relaxing place was a full-fledged zoo. The restaurant at the top did not have mango smoothies so we left and went to Los Laureles, the restaurant we ate at before. They also did not have mango smoothies. At last I just ordered a can of Fanta to go with what was now suddenly lunch. Everyone got their drinks but me. When Jo ordered her second drink, I told the waitress I was still waiting for my Fanta. By now we were more than halfway through our lunch. My drink never came. When we were finished to original server, who owns the restaurant, came to see how we enjoyed lunch. I said I never got my drink even after two requests, but now it was too late. We were leaving. We paid but I did not leave a tip. As we were crossing the parking lot she came running and gave me a dessert to go as an amends. 

The rest of the afternoon we hung out in the pool, turning to prunes while wondering why we left a warm pool to go sit in a cold, crowded and noisy river.

Wednesday, Mar 13

For me, mornings start at about 7AM. By then, our friends have been up for an hour, drinking coffee and noting the wildlife I missed while sleeping. There seems to be a short period of time when there is a lot of activity. This morning it started after I got up. For a period of time there were lots of toucans and fiery-billed aricaris descending on the trees nearby. The toucans have found a favourite tree with fruit that they now visit regularly. The aricaris have been traveling in a group of 5 or 6, and today they posed nicely. I have been disappointed by the lack of sharpness in many of my photos but perhaps that is due to the humidity. Besides these birds I found a number of little birds that looked like dark silhouettes but when zoomed in were colourful birds, some of which I had not seen before.

While our agenda seemed to change hourly, we ended up going to Matapalo beach, a beach just past Secret Beach that we had not been to before. Reviews said it was a beautiful beach but you had to be extremely careful because of the danger of theft. It also said beach vendors often outnumber beach goers. Sure enough when we got there at about ten, there were only one or tow cars along the long stretch of beach which looked much like Secret Beach. Before I could even sit down in my beach chair, a scruffy looking fellow was on me. We chatted a bit and he said he wanted to show me a sloth which he sees almost every day in one of the trees nearby. I was suspicious but played along when he wanted me to follow him. My trusty spouse was very supportive, offering to look after things. He took me to the large tree right next to where we were sitting. No sloth. He also pointed out the shoots of new coconut palms. He claimed he planted these and this was his palm farm. We went to a few more trees with similar results. I was determined not to let him take me far from my group but he did not try. He said he would keep looking and let me know if he found 🦥. After I sat down, out came his little plastic bag of strings. He of course wanted to make me something out of string. I declined and said I did not bring money with me. He soon left us for a newly arrived group. We quickly decided that we did not want to be harassed by vendors and the conditions were not good for going in the water because the breakers were so close to shore. We quickly packed up and left before anyone else came. The beach was indeed beautiful but it did not feel comfortable. We headed to Secret Beach where we were more comfortable and did go in the water. Then we stopped by the Hasienda Baru nature reserve for cold drinks, mine of course was a mango smoothie, before heading home for lunch and an afternoon in the pool.

Thursday, Mar 14

This was our friends last day in Dominicalito, but again plans were very fluid. The agenda to go to the beach, playa Hermosa, have lunch, and go shopping changed when dark clouds rolled in. First there was breakfast and coffee. It is impossible to enjoy a hot cup of coffee here. The minute I pour myself a cup or sit down to drink, some bird shows up and I have to leave to try and photograph it. So tiring. I did see some nice little birds and stalked a wonderful singing bird just outside our front door that sounded no more than a few feet away, but I never saw it.

Just as we were heading out to go grocery shopping, (Jo and I needed to do a major shop for when our kids and grandkids arrive in a few days), Gerardo, our gardener/handyman came. We needed a few things for the grandkids, but soon we were in a conversation. He spoke no English and of course our Spanish lessons were limited and basic. However, we recognized enough words to learn that he and his esposa had a seventeen year old daughter who is now attending university. We finally did get away and bought a few things. Over $525 Cdn worth! I generally pay food with cash but today I could not cover it. Good thing for Visa. Talk about costs skyrocketing in Costa Rica. 

We came home for lunch. By now it was back to sunny and 34 degrees. We went to Dominical so our friends could do some souvenir shopping, and a smoothie, and then we went back to Secret Beach for their last beach experience. The water was in and it was wonderful. We did still manage to wallow in our pool until sunset before returning to Dominical for dinner at the beach side restaurant, El Coco, where we had been a few times this trip, including drinks earlier. A fitting end to a good day.

Friday, Mar 15

We were off by 9AM to drive to San Jose. We stopped in Heredura, a town just past Jaco where we had been on a previous trip. It was a more upscale area with fancy resorts, parks and boats moored in the water. The restaurant we went to had tables outside by the beach, and a more expensive menu to boot. We ordered smaller dishes but they were still substantial. They also had one of the best mango smoothies I have had this trip. We finished lunch just after noon and we’re on our way. Like usual, there was a long traffic jam crossing the crocodile bridge. We had good directions on how to go from the San Jose airport to Dominicalito, so we used the same directions in reverse. That was great until we passed through the last toll booth. Coming from the other direction, we took a roundabout, took the exit towards Orotina and almost immediately got to the toll booth. Therefore we expected to pass through the toll booth and see the roundabout. However there wasn’t any and we continued to follow the signs to San Jose. Unfortunately, we later decided we should have taken the exit right after the booth, which I presume would have us cross over the road we were on and then go to the roundabout we were looking for. Instead we now found ourselves heading past downtown San Jose, some 15 km southeast of the airport. We now did not really know how to find our way to where we wanted to be. I removed “airplane mode” from my iPhone and we could use Google maps to lead us to our hotel. It was to be a 15 km drive and take 20 minutes, but with bumper to bumper traffic, it took much longer, and we made it at 3:30. We relaxed by the pool, if you call it that with the sound of whistles and clanging of the commuter train that stopped nearby regularly, the squawking of parrots in the trees of the adjacent Hampton Inn, and airplanes taking off so close that it appeared that they were coming up from the parking lot. The parrots of course were only an issue until I decided to wander over to the Hampton Inn to get photos of them. Every last parrot left before I got there, and did not return until they were sure I was settled back down by the pool and could not get pictures. It will be sad to see our friends leaving for home tomorrow but also exciting to welcome our kids and grandkids in the morning. At night we said goodbye to our friends as they would be leaving at 4AM for their flight to Vancouver. 

Saturday, Mar 16

We were relieved to hear that our kids made their flight connections and were in Miami. They were expected in at 10AM, after which a rental vehicle would be delivered for them. We had breakfast and we’re going for a walk when we ran to our friends. After getting to the airport they learned that their flight would be delayed for nine hours. They came back and reclaimed their room until they go back to the airport after noon. Everything went according to plan and we were ready to leave for our long drive to Dominicalito at 12:15. We were leading, but the first stretch was the most challenging because of the heavy traffic. We had to force our way onto the road past the hotel, go maybe 50 meters and the merge with traffic from both directions on an entrance to the highway around the airport. You could not wait for anyone to let you in. You had to take advantage of any little opening. Once on the highway you had to move to the left lanes or you would find yourself leaving the highway on the right. I managed to do so, but keeping an eye on our kids’s car was impossible. They had a copy of our driving instructions so I hoped they followed suit. However as we got going and neared our first landmark, a green foot passenger overpass, we still had not seen them. They were in a white suv, like a million other white vehicles. We pulled over to see if they were coming but no. We tried messaging them but could not get through. We waited a while but it was clear they had probably turned wrong, and it would be futile going back to look for them. We had to assume they would find their way back and we could meet up somewhere. We carried on, got gas and crossed our first of three toll booths. Then we got contact and a message that they had gone wrong but were now on track. As we approached the second toll, we told them our location. They were at the same toll booth. Soon we were together again. In the interest of not extending an already long drive, we went to the traditional Costa Rican food outlet, Burger King. Slow trucks and rush hour like traffic through Parrita meant we did not get back to Dominicalito until 4:45. The cars were unloaded and we were all in the pool within 15 minutes. It felt like along, but good day. No special wildlife sightings though.

Sunday, Mar 17

Today was my grandson's 6th birthday, and he was standing by my bed at 6AM, so we could begin the day searching for birds. He wasn't about to leave until I came along so off we went, camera in hand, looking for birds on the property. We did not find anything too exotic. We spent much of the day in the pool with the kids, even after his eggs "bennedip" dinner. Sitting on the deck in the late evening we saw a skunk wander by and go down the hill. I leaped for my camera but of course it was too late. I did get some nice shots of trees and bushes emerging from the darkness. 

Monday, Mar 18

 It has now been a long time since we have seen any monkeys go by, even though we often hear howlers nearby. We have seen  few toucans wiz by now and then. I was able to find a few new birds for my grandson, who marks them off on his "map", which is actually a foldout card of Costa Rican wildlife I gave him for his birthday a few years ago. We decided to go to Ventanus beach, much to my oldest grandson's chagrin. He liked the pool and did not think the beach would be good, especially because we were going to the beach he lost his sunglasses at two years ago. That changed rapidly and he jumped through the waves and learned to boogie board. He admitted later that the beach was much more fun than he thought.

Tuesday, Mar 19

This morning our back yard had a strong smell of skunk but we did not find him. Despite the lack of wildlife here this time, I have photographed a lot of little back silhouetted birds in trees, many of which turned out to be beautiful, colourful birds once I lighten them up on the computer. My bird collection is growing. Today my son-in-law was busy with online business meetings, so the rest of us went to Reptilialand, and place not to far away that displays reptiles. I thought it would be reptiles and amphibians from Costa Rica, but there were reptiles from Madagascar, South America and other places as well. We had a great time but it felt extremely hot and humid. Afterwards we drove to nearby Hacienda Baru because my oldest grandson and I agreed to enjoy drinking mango smoothies. The restaurant said they were not offering smoothies today due to electrical outages. I said we came specifically for  smoothie and would go somewhere else. As we were walking to the car he came out after us to say he was informed they could do smoothies. We had our first smoothie together for this trip. The afternoon was spent in the pool. We drove to Uvita for pizza dinner. During dinner there was a lightning storm and my one grandson was quite disturbed by it. Incidentally, my grandson and I ordered a strawberry smoothie to change things up. What a disappointment for both of us. 

Wednesday, Mar 20

This morning we went to Playa Linda, AKA Secret Beach, where we also had lunch. We have never had such a high tide here. That meant we did not have to run across a long stretch of hot sand before reaching the water. the waves were high but it made for good boogie boarding. My oldest grandson has really taken to the water well, and had a great time on the board. He also has progressed a great deal in learning to swim in the pool. We did see dolphins jumping through the water just beyond the breakers. And, for the first time in a long time, we were visited by capuchin monkeys in the late afternoon. The yellow-headed caracara, a small type of eagle, which is nesting in a palm tree just behind our house, swooped down and attacked the monkeys. Perhaps she is the reason we are not seeing monkeys much these days. We heard howlers nearby as usual, but did not see them. Just at sunset, a storm rolled in. There was torrential rainfall and some thunder and lightning, although that was far away. We were all concerned about how our oldest grandson would handle this after last night, but he did okay. We did eat dinner inside for the first time. The stars were out after dinner again. I thought we should nail down when we wanted to go to Manuel Antonio National Park, a must do. However, due to Spring/Easter Break, everyday was fully booked and we could not get tickets through the park admin. After some research, we found we might be able to book with a guide on a tour operator's website. Presumably they have a block of tickets? I booked but it is still up in the air as we need to wait for confirmation. It will be disappointing for our kids if we can't get in. Stay tuned.  

Thursday, Mar 21

We got the news this morning. Our booking for Manuel Antonio was canceled due to no available tickets. It looks like we may have to miss this with the kids. I contacted our concierge to see if she could do anything. We went to Hacienda Baru, for a hot, humid walk through the rainforest. We hoped to show the grandkids sloths, monkeys and various other creatures. We did see an agouti right away but after that, nothing. Jo and I admitted saying a few prayers that we could see a sloth or SOMETHING! Near the end of the walk we did come across some capuchin monkeys nearby who put on a show. Great, we'll take it. The carrot to keep the boys going was the promise of a cold smoothie afterwards. It was delicious. The men went home while the women did some shopping in Dominical. After lunch Jo and I went to the grocery store in Uvita, our home away from home it seems. 100,000 colones later we had food and drink for a few days. We did hear howler monkeys nearby but little else. After a hot day, we had a rain shower just before dinner.  

Friday, Mar 22

I woke up several times during the night because of heavy rainfall. My alarm was set for 5:25AM and I crawled out of bed, looked outside and wondered what to do. It was pouring, and my iPhone showed showers all morning. We had a boat cruise through the mangrove forest in Sierpe booked, which required a 90 minute drive. Since it would still be in the high 20’s or low 30’s, there was no reason to cancel, especially since it was too late to expect a refund. I am far too cheap for that. Unfortunately, Jo was feeling ill and would not be going. As we drove south towards the Osa Peninsula, the skies became sunnier and sunnier. We arrived at the excursion office in Sierpe right on time. We had a boat to ourselves, so as soon as we were ready, we were off. Our guide was very good. The first thing we saw on a dead stump was a potoo, a strange looking bird that seems like a cross between a nightjar and an owl. It blended in perfectly with the snag, and I would never have seen it. For me, this unusual sighting was my highlight of the excursion. We travelled down the Sierpe River and it’s little tributaries looking for wildlife. Soon we found a black-tailed boa constrictor, rolled up and sleeping in a tree. Later we saw another one, a orange coloured one also curled up. The slow travel through the mangroves was beautiful. We saw so much, including green herons, little blue herons (actual name), green kingfishers, many caimans (type of croc), a barn owl near it’s nest where we could hear the owlets chirping, great egrets, cattle egrets, tricoloured heron, tiger heron, white ibis, purple gallinule, wood rail, long nosed bats, some capuchins, lots of very cute squirrel monkeys, a few howler monkeys, and scarlet macaws to name a few. It was a great boat ride and the grandkids did amazing. My daughters wanted to see a sloth, but it was to no avail. After we got back, our guide said he knew where we would very likely see them, about a seven km. drive away. We followed him to his house where he abandoned his excursion company shirt. He hopped in our car to show us where to go. We drove through a palm tree plantation and he had me driving about 12 kph while he scoured the trees for sloths. I was ready to give up when he told me to stop. He had found a sloth barely visible in a leafy tree. It took me some time to actually see it. Then as we were heading back we stopped again for a sloth sighting. (I never did see it but I let on that I did, because we were all ready get back home.)  I think he would happily continued to look for things if we wanted him to. We headed back to Dominicalito with a pit stop at an ice cream shop. Jo was improving slowly but still spent the afternoon lying on her bed. The rest of3the day went as usual, although we postponed our planned dinner out for home made quesadillas. An outstanding day!

Saturday, Mar 23

Easter week, which begins tomorrow is big here. Schools are closed for the week, locals go out and families like to hang out on the beach. Therefore, weekends we stay home. Today was a quiet day. At lunchtime we were sitting at the table on the patio when my 3 year old grandson said, “Shhhh, Opa there is a bird.” He’s learning quickly. Sure enough there was a male and female trogon, of the slaty-tail variety, sitting in a tree behind the bbq. They are a beautiful crow-sized bird with green shady colour on the back and a bright red breast. A hundred pictures later they were still there, as well as returning the next day. There was a termite nest on a nearby tree and they would regularly go and get a mouthful of termites. Later, we watched in fascination the battle between white-faced capuchins and yellow-headed caracara. The capuchins returned again today and immediately the caracaras sprung into action to chase the monkeys from their nesting area. Both male and female caracara, a medium sized eagle, swooped down on the monkeys. Two monkeys would go to the end of the branch and then seemed to taunt the birds, and then scurry to the middle of the tree when the caracaras swooped in. This lasted for some time. We enjoyed the action from in the pool.

At dinner time we walked on The Dominical beach, which was busier than normal. We returned to Cocos, an open air restaurant along the beach. We had been there several times already. They had good smoothies. Jo raved about how good the rice dishes were here, and how she had enjoyed the the rice, beans and chicken dish she had before. I trusted her and ordered it. My son-in-law, who wasn’t sure what to have copied me because he knew my choice would be safe. The dish turned out to be plain white rice, some black beans in a little liquid, and a patty that turned out to be chicken. It was plain, boring and just ok, but it was authentic. The dish Jo actually referred to was a fried rice dish. I know of one person who would have enjoyed the boring rice, perhaps with a sea rubber tire, aka calamari, on it. I will no longer take culinary advice from my spouse. 

Sunday, Mar 24

After a good breakfast of eggs, sausages, potatoes and toast, some played in the pool until it was time to watch online church. There’s nothing like watching church in wet swimsuits and Oreo cookies. It was a challenge because the church we watched was audio challenged and songs were soft, sometimes fading out, mikes didn’t always work well, etc. we plugged away because it was Palm Sunday, although that was lost on the pastor. After lunch my S-I-L and I went to the grocery store in Uvita while the rest did crafts, etc. It was a quiet day.

Monday, Mar 25

The plan for today was to go for breakfast at Bagel Time in Uvita, because today is cleaning day, and they are coming at 9AM. After that we would go to Playa Ventanas for a few hours. Shortly after getting up, it started to rain. Then we learned that my S-I-L was sick and would not be coming. We had to relay that to the cleaners, Gerardo and his wife, who do not speak English. Because of our Spanish lessons we knew to say that someone was enfirma so they would not get a surprise. They understood. We headed off to Bagel Time which we learned on arrival was closed on Mondays. We should have remembered that from our past trip but we are old. We now had to find a restaurant. We drove into Uvita and headed to the Main Street leading to the marine park. It was crowded with people going to the park and trying to find parking. We inched our way through once, finding a few open restaurants with little or no parking except at the main lots. We enjoyed this so much that we went around a second time. Finally we went to a small restaurant attached to a hotel near the top of the town. Jo and I both agreed that staying in the heart of Uvita was not something we would want to do. We were the only customers and breakfast was prepared one or two plates at a time in the tiny kitchen. I was long finished my omelet and two pieces of toast before Jo got her more traditional breakfast, soft eggs covered in some tomato based sauce and rice with beans. After breakfast we headed for Ventanas. Jo no sooner commented that highway paving seemed to be over and we ran into a construction roadblock. We waited for probably twenty minutes before we could go. It was over 2.5 hours before we got to the beach. With Easter break in full swing, the beach was very busy and I would not be surprised if people were turned away. I had to move our car to make sure there was room for another vehicle. We set up camp near the tunnels to the right side edge of the beach. This has shade for most of the afternoon. We forgot that today there would be a king tide. We found ourselves moving at least six or seven times because the tide, which according to the internet would be high at 11:00. In fact it kept rising right up to when we left at 3:00. We would move away from the water shooting through the tunnels and seek higher sand, only to have the water invade again. Despite the crowd, there was always room to play in the waves and boogie board. 

On our way home we had another 11 minute construction delay, there was a bet going about this in the other car when we got home, S-I-L was still feeling ill and by dinner my daughter, his wife, was also not feeling well. She had back aches and stomach problems which could also be caused by dehydration. We had some more showers, it was still 32 degrees, before giving way to a clear night sky.

Tuesday, Mar 26

Today was a stay at home day, mostly because two people were sick. That meant relaxing by the pool, organizing photos and going to Uvita just to get out. We picked up more to drink, we are going through ice tea, pop, orange juice and margaritas at a rapid pace. We also popped in a few souvenir stores before vegging in the pool before dinner. It was a quiet day wildlife wise. Few toucans, only a few howls from monkeys and few little birds even. At 4:30 we did spot some capuchin monkeys traveling through the trees and the caracaras on high alert. It is beginning to feel after a month that we are entering wind down mode. Food purchases have to be planned carefully so we have no leftovers. At this stage my daughter's reservation for a tour led visit to Manuel Antonio on Saturday is a go. We have no other major plans, especially with the two sicknesses. By tonight, they seemed to have improved. Let's see what tomorrow brings. It is hard to imagine being back home to long pants, no pool and hot weather, and daily chores. Can't think about that too much.

Wednesday, Mar 27

It was a morning of uncertainty as our plans to go to the beach were on hold until we knew how some people were feeling. By late morning the plans had been changed to a visit to Dominical for shopping.  My S-I-L stayed home. After the usual street market shopping we stopped at El Coco for smoothies. It was an overcast day, and it felt a little cooler despite the temperature without the direct sunshine. When we got home, we heard that a troupe of capuchins had hung around near the house for some time. S-I-L even took a few photos to prove it, which was highly unusual. In the later afternoon we heard the sound of monkeys crashing in the trees. Then I saw them, the group of howler monkeys we had not seen in almost four weeks. The babies were noticeably larger than when we last saw them. They stayed in a tall tree just behind the house, so we were able to take many great shots of them, and then relax in the pool and watch them perform. A toucan also landed in the same tree and them poked in another nearby tree. It was all most enjoyable but I will have days of work ahead of me going through and editing all the photos. For dinner we went to Hacienda Baru for the best smoothies in town and very reasonably priced food. To add to the “enfirmo” issues, my daughter suddenly developed thick lips that looked like Botox gone wrong. Dr. Google provided some advice for this, and while it did not disappear completely, it improved enough for her to join us for dinner. The monkeys and toucan made this a good day.

Thursday, Mar 28

Today is Maundy Thursday. Being in a vacation mood, it is good to remind myself about these things. Easter week however is very evident in how busy everything is. Today we went to “secret beach” for a few hours. It is not so secret. I have never seem it so busy. We drove a long way along the beach road before we found a spot to park and have sitting room under the palm trees.  Almost every spot was filled. And yet, you could walk down the beach without feeling crowded at all. There were families cooking over fires. As we were about to leave to go I tried to start the car but got no response. Nothing. We looked at it, and S-I-L touched a few things related to the alternator and suddenly it fired up. We drove to the store to replenish our alway depleted drink supply, but I stayed with the car with the engine running. We got home and I tested it again after dinner, and the car started right up. Makes me think it was not a dead battery but rather that the car was not fully in parking gear or was in auxiliary mode when it turned off. We had no further problems. We spent time in the pool and did some swimming under water. That evening my ears  were plugged. I often have plugged ears for a time but this was different. I was almost completely deaf. I could see people’s lips moving but heard no voice. I must have swimmer’s ear infection that could last 7. I took drops and could hear a little from my left ear but my right ear remained completely blocked. 

Friday, Mar 29

I did not wake up to the sounds of birds singing. In fact I did not wake up to sounds at all. My right ear was still completely plugged and my right ear hears only a little. Mostly I just see people move their lips. It allows me to escape into my own world of course. Jo and I and one daughter went on another mangrove boat trip, this time by Damas Island just outside of Manuel Antonio. The setting was very beautiful, with narrow water passages through the forest and mangroves. I heard very little of the narratives the guide said. We did find two sleeping boas, a sloth that was barely visible. What I really did not like was that there were many boats, all operated by the same company it appeared, and on a few of the boats, the crew was encouraging monkeys to get on the boat by giving them bananas, not a natural food for a capuchin. I saw monkeys sitting on people's heads and shoulders. It was disgusting to see for a country that prides itself in being eco friendly and never interfering with wildlife. We saw a few smaller birds and of course iguanas that are quite common. Overall, the scenery was perhaps nicer that our Sierpe excursion but the wildlife was better there. Our excursion included lunch at a restaurant in Quepos. They had tables set out for us before we got there and we got a starfruit juice glass. It was quite good. Lunch was the traditional and not exotic rice, beans and meat. 

The big excitement of the day was seeing a second toad come visit our resident toad. They chatted with each other. At least, that's what I was told. I couldn't hear it. Overall, it was a good day but sure did not feel like Good Friday. What was nice however was that the Palm oil company that has miles of palm plantations we pass through to get to Quepos was closed. That meant no big, slow tractors, hauling trucks, palm cutters on small skooters, etc. were using the highway and slowing down the traffic. 

Saturday, Mar 30

We were all a little leery when we could not get entrance tickets to Manuel Antonio for any day this week because it was Easter week and my daughter found a site where she was able to book a guided tour of the park for today. However, the reviews were good and we saw no evidence that you would have to get your own entrance ticket. We met at El Avion hotel in Quepos, where it is partially the hull of a large airplane. As we parked, we immediately ran into someone from the company who gathered us with a few other people, and then we drove like a caravan to the parking lot outside the park gate. There we were met by a guide who took us through the entrance gate and cleared us to go in. I was told he was quite informative, but I can't be sure. To me he only mouthed words. By now I am convinced that I have an ear infection, something I have had several times on other trips where I go under water in the ocean. He obviously did not like capuchin monkeys and when we saw one he told about how mean they were and that they were meat eaters. They will go after the babies of the howlers and he had videos of them taking a tiny baby and eating it. This explains why our caracara at the house goes crazy when the capuchins come and dive bombs them, while paying no heed to howler monkeys. My youngest daughter was very keen on getting a good sloth sighting, but it was not to be. As we were leaving the park, we saw a few groups looking up at trees where supposedly there were sloths, but we could not find them. I would say the only exotic thing we saw was a potoo, the second sighting of this bird on this trip. We walked up to the restaurant area, where we were provided with cold water and a large cup of fruit. We did see aracari but we see them regularly at the house. When we got to the beach, our guide said we were on our own and could spend time in the park until closing. The four hour excursion was really only a few hours. We were okay with that since we preferred to be on our own and spend time at the beach. With all the surf at most beaches it was nice to be in a bay with very calm water where you could just hang out in the water without having waves crash in on you. What I found very sad was looking at the other people here. There were a lot of young people due to Easter break. Constantly I would see young girls in skimpy beachwear posing provocatively as their friends took pictures.  Some seemed to do nothing but pose for pictures. Even some guys joined in. Supposedly this is caused by Tik Tok and other social media platforms where kids try to become influencers. It all seemed so vain. The scenery here is spectacular but all these kids want to do is see themselves, head thrown back, looking sexy. One girl in a shiny purple bathing suite stood by the water's edge while her friend spent at least 10 minutes, preening her, with a little tug here and there, making sure her butt was appropriately exposed. She was not a little girl. Then they spent a long time taking photos of each other. 

On our walk  back to the entrance we did get a close up look at the potoo we saw earlier from a distane. It had not moved. I also found a motmot, and bird we have seldom seen in this area of Costa Rica. On my recommendation, we went to a restaurant outside the park gates to have lunch. We had been there two years ago and thought it was okay. Today it took a very long time to get our order. Then it turned out the waiter had got the order wrong. The grandsons were going to share a hamburger. It didn't come. After talking to the waiter and the owner, it took another 40 minutes before it came. There was no effort to make good on the screw up and we were charged the full price for the hamburger. Jo was not happy and after some works we managed to get a slight discount. Last time I recommend a place. After lunch my grandson went to a clinic to see about an ear ache and he too has ear problems. For dinner we were going to go to La Fuego, and brew pub and restaurant in Dominical. This was our final dinner before we leave tomorrow. We made sure the menu had mango smoothies because my grandson really wanted one last one. We waited for some time to be seated, but even though there was a free table, no staff made any effort to seat us. There were more waiting as well. You could not get reservations. Finally we left to find another restaurant. We found one and had dinner there. It was very disappointing. First, they did not serve smoothies, and the food was so so. I had chicken tacos that were just okay. 

Sunday, Mar 31

Today, we take the first step on our journey home. I was woken at 7AM by a pair of little eyes, and a little voice saying , "Opa, there are howlers outside." I got up see the monkeys who obviously came to say goodbye. As we got ready to leave it struck me that every time before we go anywhere here, we have to lock every window and block them with rods and turn on the alarm. We exit through a gate that is locked and has a combination setting. It  was even recommended that we set a night alarm at bedtime which only monitors outside activity. (We never bothered as we would be sure to trigger the alarm some morning.) And here we live in Surrey, B.C., where there are almost weekly news reports of gang shooting, knife attacks at malls, etc., and we don't go anywhere near these lengths.

There was a plan afoot to stop by the Hacienda Baru on our way out so we could have a last smoothie. These days I am not part of planning discussions because no one wants to have to repeat everything in my left ear. We did enjoy the drink and headed out. Having screwed it up when we drove our friends to  the hotel by the airport a few weeks ago because we failed to exit just past the third toll booth, I ws determined to get it right this time. I downloaded instructions from Dominical to the airport and felt confident. It was a little unnerving driving down the toll highway and suddenly seeing a few cars move into the oncoming lane to pass. Then more and more cars did the same. Finally we realized that the highway was one way today, with westbound onramps all closed. I was soon driving on the left side of the highway too. (There were no signs informing drivers of this one-way change. Perhaps this happens every Sunday? There were also a lot of radar traps at many of the exits. All went well and Jo had money in her hands, ready for the third toll after which I would exit the highway. We got to where there was a toll booth, but only on the left side. Our side had no booth, but there was an exit (okay, I am not that swift), and a toll booth at the top of the ramp. There was a sign at the foot of the ramp saying airport with an arrow pointing left. i read that to mean, dont go up the ramp but stay to the left side of it. Wrong! I now think it meant go up to the toll booth, and then turn left. Again we found ourselves heading to San Jose instead of to the airport to the north of the city and a sign said 20 km. After some 5 km. we took the exit which did have an airport sign, and followed Google directions. We went down narrow residential street with doorsteps a few feet from the street, weaving through parked cars, around locals chatting on the street, etc. We saw a great deal more of city life in Costa Rica, and while it took some time, we arrived at our hotel unscathed. I was concerned that Alamo would not show up at the hotel as agreed to to pick up our rental vehicles, but sure enough, as scheduled, a fellow arrived, spent a minute looking at the cars interiors and walking around them, and gave us the thumbs up that the cars were great. There is always that feeling when you a rental that they will find something wrong, a dent, a scratch, etc. they will try to charge you. However, everything went perfectly. Now to prepare for a 4;30AM departure to the airport tomorrow. 

Monday, April 1

It's April Fools Day and perhaps that is why Air Canada in their notification of upcoming travel stated that for Costa Rica, you should arrive at the airport FOUR hours in advance. Normally international flights say three hours. I have yet to ever need three hours to check in and always find myself at the gate waiting for more than an hour before boarding call. I relied on my Dutch heritage which means we figure that somehow we don't need to follow the advice. Our flight was at approx. 8AM so we would need to be at the airport at 4AM, and get up at 315 or so. Instead, we got up at 4AM and arrive at the airport just before 5AM. While there were lots of early morning flights, that airport was not unusually busy, especially since that was the last day of many people's Easter/Spring break. We were at the check-in counter with perhaps 20 others. There were no staff around. Air Canada staff arrived and set up after 5:30AM. Why do we need to be there at 4AM when their own staff do not report in until 5;30??? Sorry, I am grouchy in the early morning, or so I have been told. We had no problem checking in, getting some breakfast and still waiting around to board. Our flight to Toronto was uneventful. Too uneventful. Service was minimal with no food and only a few liquid servings. When we arrived in Toronto Jo asked a Air Canada staff about this and was told that because this was a short flight, Air Canada classified it as a domestic flight, hence no meal provided. Can you image, a flight in excess of 5 hours from Costa Rica, not even an adjoining country such as US, is domestic! But it gets better. Some of us were told we had to retrieve our luggage in Toronto and go through Customs. We were not but OK. We waited at the carrousel along with perhaps 20 or more others until no more luggage came down for a long time. There was a sign that flashed at the carrousel saying that if you arrived internationally with Air Canada and your connection was also Air Canada, you did not need to retrieve your bags. We were about to go to Customs without our luggage when another passenger, in the same boat, came to tell us he found luggage from our flight at another carrousel quite some distance away. We thought we should check and sure enough, there were our suitcases, along with others, standing in the middle of the floor. No announcement about this whatsoever. There were more pockets of bags in groups at various places. How many more passengers thought their bags were lost? I guess the airport was confused whether our bags were domestic or not. I love Toronto airport. It is like an old warehouse. I have many good memories here, NOT. Fortunately, we had enough time, and Customs and security went fast, so we had no problem going to a restaurant for dinner and getting to our gate on time. (Our children/grandchildren were on a flight that left an hour or so after us.) 

I was not looking forward to leaving five weeks of 30+ degree weather for cool Spring and wet weather in B.C. but I was fortunate. I was somewhat acclimatized already. My wife liked to use the AC in our room. She generally set it to 21 degrees whenever she was in there to read after dinner, at night, etc. There is no way that temperature reading was correct. It was freezing! It was 30 degrees outside and often inside as well, but I was under the covers trying to stay warm. I could not store my camera in the room because when I came out in the morning the lens would immediately be covered in condensation. It was always a shock to get out of bed in the morning and then step into the bathroom. A wall of heat would attack you. 

The rest of our travel went smoothly, and Jo continues to be my interpreter because my right ear is still plugged. Have you ever watched Survivor while relying completely on closed captioning? You get lost very quickly. Ah well, PURA VEDA everyone.