Costa Rica

I recently read a piece about how much people hate hearing about other's vacations.  It suggests doing so pushes people away.  So.  Friends.  Get ready.  I'm about to talk about our vacation.  (dum, dum, dum) Read with caution.

Boat ride from the village of Tortuguero back to our lodge.

It's been nearly three weeks since Spencer and I returned from Costa Rica. It was a great trip, largely because Spencer and I actually got to spend time together for days on end (a rarity due to my early morning hours.) It also didn't hurt that we read a ton of horror stories about being mugged or having your bags stolen, and none of it actually happened to us, making for a pleasant surprise. 

View from our room at Hotel Fleur de Lys in San Jose.

Up, down, and around the corner.  Our day of driving east.

Our day in Limon, celebrating Carnival.

Our trip was broken down into a few stops. We flew into San Jose, spent an afternoon exploring the downtown (even stopped into a casino for kicks), then the next day took a rental car east toward the Caribbean, which in itself was an adventure. For hours on end we drove along windy roads, up and down, over and over. At times the GPS would warn of an upcoming 'windy road' which made us giggle since we hadn't had a straight path since we left San Jose. So our second day was spent driving, with one stop for a short hike along Irazu Volcano, where we fed little scavenging raccoon-like creatures called coatimundi (a big highlight for me).

For several days we stayed just south of the port city of Limon, in a little hotel along the ocean.  We spent a day waiting around for, and eventually witnessing, the Carnival parade in Limon; another day hiking and snorkeling in Cahuita National Park.

On Day 4 we ditched the rental car, joined up with a vacation-tour group and were driven north to a sandy dock where we were picked up by boat, and taken into Tortuguero National Park. The remainder of our trip (aside from a ziplining excursion on the ride back to San Jose) was pretty much there.

We spent our nights at Tortuga Lodge, in a room surrounded by screened windows, eating ridiculous amounts of food offered during our meals there. In the morning we woke up to the sound of Howler monkeys in the distance. During the day we hiked behind the lodge, we toured the rivers that weave through the park on boat, we kayaked, we swam in Tortuga's pool, we spotted sloths in trees, took a boat across the way to the ocean to search for baby turtles, and once we took a break to nap in hammocks. On one night we also ventured out into the darkness, along with a tour guide and other guests, to watch a sea turtle crawl out of the ocean, dig a hole, and lay her eggs in the sand.

The food.  Oh, the food.  Those little blocks of fried cheese goodness were Spencer's favorite.

Tortuguero National Park and the beautiful Tortuga Lodge where we stayed.  Also, notice all those waving people in the top left.   That is lodge staff which comes out to wave as your arrive and then lines up to see you off as you head out.  It made us giggle but we loved it.

Ziplining through the rainforest canopy in Braulio National Park.

We took about 1400 pictures on the trip.  Many of monkeys, dogs, and lizards. 

DSLR heaven.  Had so much fun taking photos like this on the trip.

Day 7 was spent driving, actually getting a ride with the tour agency, back to San Jose and ziplining. Day 8 we were home.

I have so much to tell that I'm having trouble recapping this trip, which I'm largely doing for personal reasons.  I just don't want to forget what a great time we had. 

• I want to remember the nights Spencer and I spent playing Gin Rummy and drinking pre-mixed cans of Rum and Cola.
• The hours we trying to figure out when Carnival started and then spent sitting on a curb in Limon, waiting for the parade to begin.  It started two hours later then schedule.
• The excitement we had every time we spotted a new animal or turned a corner to a different view on our drive...and how Spencer constantly reacted with, 'Take a picture!'
• How in awe we were when we first arrived at Tortuga Lodge and heard about what was in store for the next few days and all the amenities available to us.
• There were the cold towels the staff at Tortuga gave us before every meal so we could cool off.  The 'frosty drinks' we looked forward to when we returned from an excursion with the lodge.  They would meet you on the dock ready to give them to you!
• Oh yes, there was the morning at Tortuga we woke up with a bat in our room and Spencer insisted we get rabies shots. (We didn't)
• How much we laughed as we kayaked, and at times raced, along the river, through Tortuguero Park.
• And all the dogs!  Every town we visited, along every road, we saw them, and we usually took a photo.  We were especially thrilled when we visited the village of Tortuguero, nestled within the park.  It's an isolated town so all the dogs there are related.  We discovered a plethora of small ones which all looked the same, trotting around and welcoming guests.

It was just a really. great. vacation.  It reminded me how much I love exploring, that I need to find time and money for travel more often.