I was grinning ear to ear when I collected my family at the airport last Thursday. They knew they had another four hours of travel ahead of them, so we all looked forward to a glass of vino when we reached Monteverde. “Where is that corkscrew?”, nowhere to be found, so we improvised, and kudos to Amy for her talents using a screw and pliers! SUCCESS!
The boys were spoiled with treats and little gifts from their aunts and grandparents.
Thanks Amy and John for the new swim trunks (proudly shown below), rocket shooters, puzzles, and super hero unders!
Beth, the boys love Candy Land and take great pride in reminding me of the rules and beating the pants off me! Choppy, the Fishy Crackers are all gone and they are working themselves through the remaining peanut butter granola bars!
We enjoyed hula hooping in the yard and even got Choppy engaged! SHAKE THOSE HIPS! Fun times with all – the boys were happy to know they are not yet too big for an airplane ride from Auntie Beth!
We spent Saturday in Arenal hoping to get a glimpse of the volcano. We left Monteverde Saturday morning with nearly a cloud in the sky. We poured ourselves into a tour van and headed off for a 90-minute ride through the mountains to this side of Lake Arenal. Forty-five minutes into our ride, the clouds thickened, the sky took on a sheen of deep gray and the mist started to cloud the vision of our driver so we approached the Lake with uncertainty and caution. It is quite the tour business they have at the Lake, a myriad of tour boats, ready and waiting for trusting vacationers to board. We dumped our luggage at the front of the boat and took our seats – HOLD ON. Surprisingly, the ride was smooth and we made it to the other side of the lake in about 40 minutes. Again, we were met by a tour van that whisked us away to the Observatory Lodge where we would spend the night. The lodge was beautiful, with expansive gardens, trails and a huge variety of birds and wildlife…I can only imagine it on a clear day. The rooms were spacious and each had a great view of the Volcano (which we had yet to see)!
The rain toyed with us all day and each time we thought we had a chance to get a quick hike in, the heavens opened up! Being the dry season here in Costa Rica and not as much as a drop of rain here in Monteverde, we were ill prepared for the rain – ponchos (at home), boots (at home), umbrellas (at home), so we sprang for some rather thin, cheap ponchos at the reception desk and in our determined state, started off to find the trailhead to the waterfall hike. We howled in laughter as we commented on each other’s grand style, sporting the lovely ponchos. Five minutes into the hike, we opted to turn around and head for the covered hot tub. We enjoyed warming up after being soaked by the cool rain.
Late afternoon was upon us as we trundled back to the hotel room. We spied the girls out on the porch snapping pictures of the volcano. We turned around and saw this expansive mountain – the clouds were parting, blue sky was breaking through and the late afternoon sun was bearing down on it! A gorgeous site indeed. We must have taken 100 pictures in a span of an hour – it was worth it!
Sunday was a beautiful day, with blue sky and lots of sunshine – we enjoyed a morning guided hike, complements of the hotel and watching the birds snack on the papaya and watermelon peels just outside of the restaurant/deck – the birds were incredible, so many species and colors, not to mention melodic sounds!
We had a great time and the boys were super little travelers! Our departing shot from the boat - a much better view than just a mere 24 hours prior!
Mike and I enjoyed our break from kitchen duty thanks to Amy, Choppy and Beth – Dunkie, you better hold onto Amy; she’s a super cook! Poor Mike, will have to get reacquainted with the "Suppers by Sally"☹
The weather in Monteverde was spectacular, very dry, a nice breeze and all sunshine. We took every advantage of the weather especially when we headed to San Luis one day after school to hike the Waterfall. I sure did not remember the hike as being so treacherous, having to negotiate big boulders and shimmy over narrow plank bridges. Had I, perhaps I would have suggested that Choppy spend the afternoon reading at home. However, for any of you that know my mother, NOTHING DOING – she had her game face on and was determined to make the climb with us. She did great and came out on top. The waterfall is quite something – a hike I would recommend for anyone visiting this area. We drove our new (to us) Gallopher down the Trocha (which is a very, very steep hill that spills you out at San Luis Alto). We stopped at the overlook and Mike looked for rocks to butt up against the tires (a little extra insurance to help shore up the emergency brake).
A pic of the waterfall as you drive down the Trocha - "What, we're ascending that waterfall"?
While the kids were in school, us girls enjoyed walking around town and visiting the variety of shops that Cerro Plano and Santa Elena have to offer. Of course, we also enjoyed the ice cream, complements of the Cheese Factory.
We headed to Playa Blanca on Wednesday. Mike was able to rearrange his classes, so it was a family affair. It was low tide when we arrived, but that did not stop us from having fun. We rescued a Jelly Fish that had come ashore during low tide and worked feverishly to revive it and get it out into deeper waters. The boys were engrossed in the rescue effort and encouraged Mike and Amy as they used sticks and a piece of styrofoam to maneuver the little fellow out to deeper waters. We are unsure of his fate, but hope he survived.
We decided to stop at Rio Acapulco on our way back up the mountain for a little fresh water river fun! Think of it as a natural water-slide – the kids had a great time and the water was so refreshing after the thick mud beach and salt water. Boy were we tired when we arrived back home!
We enjoyed hiking in Bajo Del Tigre (across the street from our pasture) but were disappointed we did not see any white faced monkeys. They had come and gone the day before. We did however find two monkeys (of the human kind)! Amy was a real trooper as the boys were in a camera-happy mood and wanted their pic taken at ever turn in the trail.
Thursday we visited with friends that live toward the Santa Elena Reserve, who sell coffee to hotels and restaurants in the area as well as the Saturday famer’s market. They are such a kind family and invited us in for a flavorful cup of coffee and some toast with homemade jam. They have an impressive coffee roaster in their out-building and we learned a lot about the roasting process. Choppy, Amy and Beth went home with some robust, truly Costa Rican coffee!
A quick lunch at Dónde Henry (a place I would recommend in Santa Elena) for anyone travelling and then off to the Monteverde Reserve to check out the hummingbirds!
Thursday night, we dined with Veronica and gave the foosball table a work out – there was some fierce competition.
Us girls even managed to sneak out for a night-cap one night! Beth, Amy and Choppy snuck out after dish duty and while I was reading to the boys. A half hour later, I met them in my long-johns, a cozy sweater at Tramonti for a wine. That's the beauty of living here...grab a flashlight, walk to the bottom of the hill and jammies and all, you'll fit right in! We had a lot of giggles and shared some Dunkie stories with Amy (his new bride) :)
And of course, the story would not be complete without a pic of Choppy in action - you can't keep her idle for long! The car was thankful for the wash as it had been up and down the mountain a couple of times that week!
We’ll have fond memories of our time with family and hope that more family and friends can visit and get to know our new home, Monteverde!
Peace
Signed: S
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