Monday, April 16th
Zip-lining post coming soon! In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!
Sunday, April 15th
Our last morning at Rafiki was fairly low-keyed. I awoke early and made my way down to reception to write and enjoy the morning as I had each morning since our arrival. This AM the light was misty and veiled as the warmth from the sun heated the sparkling dew on the grass. On the landscape lawn, two lovely horses were grazing contentedly – the entire scene looked positively ethereal. I half expected to look up and see a hobbit or an elf appear at the edge of the trees.
After breakfast, Sara took a few more trips down the waterslide, I went back to the tent grudgingly to pack our bags (and brave the furnace that was our plexi-roofed bathroom in the late morning), and Cole found his special spot to read. Yesterday, I neglected to mention that Darron had come to me in a near-panic because he couldn’t find Cole. With water everywhere, caimans and snakes in the vicinity, and a dense jungle all around us, there was reason to be concerned and we both set off on a mad dash to try and locate him. Within a few moments, though, I found him. He was tucked comfortably into a rocking chair on the edge of the main deck overlooking the property, listening to Narnia on his MP3 player (which explains why he couldn’t hear anyone calling him.) The spot became a favorite and, anytime he needed a bit of a break, this was the spot to which he defaulted.
We hated to leave, but the time finally came. Felix, the driver that brought us to Rafiki, was the same one to take us back down the hill to Quepos in order to pick up our rental car. The ride down was much faster and bumpier than the ride up and, combined with the heat, the trip got to Cole a little bit. He was more than happy, therefore, to plant himself inside the air conditioned, renovated SeaLand container that served as the Budget Rental Car office.
As Darron was filling out the paperwork, I stood outside to chat with Felix and his wife, who had come along for the ride down the mountain. His wife was kind enough to point out that the tires on the Toyota Rav4 we were renting were completely bald. She explained that, if we were stopped by the police with the tires in that condition, we would be fined.
After discussing the problem with the rental car agent, we were presented a fully loaded Toyota Land Cruiser as an alternative. Our favorite feature was a refrigerated cooler in the center console! Sweet! Darron, for the first time in his traveling life, relented and rented a GPS to accompany us on our trip. No more spreading out unwieldy maps with my feet on the windshield! Woo-hoo! This would turn out to be both a blessing and a curse, but, mostly, it was quite nice. The trip, with our GPS guide, was fairly straight-forward, but, since many of the exits and turns were not marked whatsoever, we had to wonder how the poor suckers with the maps would get around. It was interesting to watch as the landscape, while still thick with vegetation, became increasingly arid and the roadside became increasingly touristy. We were glad we had decided to avoid the Manuel Antonio area.
The Adventure Park and Hotel Vista Golfo was located high in the hills about an hour north of Puntarenas, which is a large port town serving cruise ships from all over the world. In my mind I had pictured the location being closer to Monteverde than to the cruise ship capitol, so I was admittedly a little disappointed that we were going to miss seeing the cloud forest on this trip. Additionally, I was a little concerned about our zip-lining tour being crowded with day-tripping cruisers, but, as I was to find out later, there was nothing to worry about at all.
The German-owned Adventure Park and Hotel Vista Golfo were two portions of one business. The Adventure Park offered a number of adventures such as zip-lining, low and high ropes courses, and ATV trips. Much of their business came from day-trippers coming up from Puntarenas, but the hotel also provided overnight options and meals for guests. We had selected a package providing our room for one night, all meals, and a special zip-lining adventure which traversed 26 different zip lines and two rappels over 11 different waterfalls.
The lobby area had a lovely, massive fig tree coming up through the center and an open air view out over the landscape beyond. After check-in, we dropped our things in our room, which, while spacious with air-conditioning, a large porch, two full bathrooms, and four walls, lacked the unique charm of our treehouse and the Rafiki Safari Lodge.
The property itself was quite large, consisting of eight large guest rooms, the main reception building, and several other buildings, presumably to house equipment and employees. A small, but pretty pool was located just behind the main reception area, but we decided to first see if we could find the low ropes course on which the kids were permitted to climb around without a guide.
After a half-hour of Cole and Sara practicing their rope-scaling, we decided to head back so the kids could splash around in the pool a bit before dinner. I decided to stay behind in the room and check out the back of my eyelids while everyone else swam. We all witnessed a beautiful sunset together and were amazed at the speed of the amazingly fast-setting blood red sun as it peeked in and out of the surrounding growing clouds on its way to bed.
Our three-course dinner was more than adequate and the wait staff was wonderful, but it was hard not to compare our evening experience to that at Rafiki, which was not at all fair. We had come the Adventure Park specifically for the zip-lining and had very little in the way of expectations for the lodging and meals included in our adventure package. To find the food good, the room comfortable and spacious, and the staff friendly and helpful was a step above what we had expected, so we weren’t complaining a bit.
After dinner, we headed back to the room to rest up before our big day of zip-lining the next morning. If we had one small complaint about our accomodations, it was what we discovered when we tucked ourselves in for the night. Turns out, you couldn’t take a deep breath on our king-sized bed without creating some rather embarrassing squeaking and creaking noises! We had a good chuckle about the potential implications of more vigorous (and, with two kids in the room, completely impractical) activity before drifting off to sleep to dream of flying through the jungle.
Posted in Costa Rica | Tagged Adventure Park, Costa Rica, Hotel Vista Golfo, Rafiki Safari Lodge, Travel | Leave a Comment »
Saturday, April 14th
It’s becoming a morning tradition for me at Rafiki to get up early in the morning (I know, right!?!) and head down to reception to work on the previous day’s journal and watch as the morning comes to life.
We enjoyed another lovely breakfast on another beautiful, clear morning. The kids were offered pancakes and Darron and I chose the “Tico Typico” breakfast, which is a typical Costa Rican breakfast of rice and black beans, eggs, plantain, and fruit. It was delicious!
The day’s adventure was to be an “Aqua Hike,” which is, essentially a wet hike up a waterfall-laden river bed to a little mountain village where we were to eat a cultural lunch, then hike back down. Based on our previous day’s adventure, we knew it was going to be amazing.
We were pleased to hear that Randall, one of the other river guides from yesterday, was scheduled to be our guide for the day. We piled into the truck to head out on our hike, but I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about Darron. Although he didn’t notice anything unusual last night, he woke up this morning with a lot of pain in one of his knees. We had to assume he must have tweaked it on the rafting trip the day before. He was determined, however, to go ahead with the hike, expecting that it would feel better with a little activity, so we soldiered on, keeping a close eye on him.
Our guide floated us across the Savegre River on a raft to begin our hike. Once on the opposite bank, I quickly became alarmed at the possible implications of hiking on the surface of the sun. As much as we appreciated the very clear skies, the sun in Costa Rica is incredibly strong and, with no cloud cover to tone down its rays, the heat was unnerving. Before long, however, we made it to the waterfall that we had seen while rafting the day before.
The plan was not to wade into the pool here, but to continue on, just a bit further, to ANOTHER pool and ANOTHER waterfall just above this one. We couldn’t wait to dip into the refreshing water! Darron was especially pleased to enter the cool water and take some weight off his knee for a little while. The water was amazing and we all enjoyed wading and swimming in the calm, still, clear pool, and climbing behind the waterfall to watch the world through the curtain of the powerful, falling water. Just above this waterfall was yet another little fall and pool and Randall took the kids up to check it out and splash around a bit.
At one point, our guide called out of the water to see a poison frog that he had managed to call over with a poison frog call that he had recorded on his cell phone! Small, colorful, and poisonous even to the touch, Darron and I couldn’t help but wonder about the first poor fool who had been the one to figure out you couldn’t eat this particular type of frog… As we watched the little guy, Randall continually warned us to be cautious of the ants scurrying about in the Acacia tree just above us. Soon, we discovered why. One had dropped onto Randall’s neck and its sting had created a massive welt in just moments. Apparently, this particular ant has developed a symbiotic relationship with this type of tree. The ants create their homes in the tree’s long, sharp thorns and feast on its nutrient rich new leaf buds. In turn, the ants ensure that the tree survives in its competitive environment by killing off all the other vegetation that attempts to grow around the base of the tree. Interesting…
After our frog-watching, Sara decided she was ready to attempt jumping off the 12-foot waterfall cliff into the pool below! Randall was kind enough to offer to jump with her, so off they went, scaling the jagged, slippery rocks (at least they looked jagged and slippery to me…) to reach the top. Mommy wasn’t nearly so sure about the process, but Randall took very good care of Sara and, together, they made the leap! Sara did great and, by the time she made it to the side of the pool, she was ready to do it again! Off they went, once again. By the time Sara made her second jump, Cole had decided he was ready to try and, under Randall’s watchful eye, he scaled the rocks and leapt from the top! Both kids took the leap one more time and splashed and swam a bit more before it was time to move on and continue our hike.
We continued hiking upward, along and, often, through the clear water of the rocky river bed. Randall had grown up in this area his entire life and we were appreciative of the knowledge he shared with us. He showed us the fluffy, floating seeds featured in the movie Avatar, as well as a tree that produced strange, yet incredibly fragrant, little green flowers that are used to make the perfume Chanel No. 5.
At one point, Randall pointed out one of the huge termite nests that we had been seeing throughout Costa Rica. He explained that termites are high in protein and, furthermore, taste a bit like carrots. He then poked his walking stick into the nest and brought out a few dozen of the winged critters for us to try. I have to admit that the sight of the squirmy, winged, ant-looking bugs crawling all over the stick did not look especially appealing, but, “when in Costa Rica…” Sara decided she would pass, but the rest of us gave it a whirl. Cole loved them (Of course! Eating bugs seems like something that would be right up his alley…) and Darron thought they did, in fact, taste a bit like carrots. As for me, well, I am a “texture girl” when it comes to eating and I couldn’t quite get over the sensation of feeling their live, buggy, wriggling bodies crunching between my teeth.
Continuing on even further, the kids picked up some paint rocks and enjoyed painting with them as we walked and tattooing our clothes with more fern leaves. We even had the opportunity to see a leaf cutter ant in action – it was fascinating watching the quick and efficient way he sliced away a section of leaf, then juggled it into position for the long carry ahead.
Eventually, we came to a canyon of sorts lined with several lovely waterfalls. As we rounded another bend in the little river, we were caught off guard by another long, beautiful waterfall at the end of the canyon. The stream in it was fairly small, but, Randall explained, in the rainy season, it was a torrent and the canyon we were walking through was completely impassable. Of course, we had to stop for a splash in the waterfall pools. I enjoyed standing beneath the pummeling water, letting it massage my neck and shoulders.
Finally we were able to wrestle the kids out of the water to break for lunch. We hiked up a narrow little trail which apparently led out of the canyon to a simple, but very nice little eco-lodge at the top of the mountain. Along the way, Sara had been walking a little close to the edge of the trail nearest the drop-off and, at one point, she slipped. Gratefully, she managed to grab onto the wire guide line that ran along the side of the trail to catch herself and Randall, ever-watchful and close by her side, was able to quickly grab her and tug her back up onto the path. I was last in line behind Cole. The incident happened so quickly and was over so fast, that I really didn’t understand what had happened until Darron explained it to me. Like I’ve said before, we definitely feel like there is a Greater Guiding Power keeping an eye on us. And, apparently, we need it! We are so grateful for prayers for safe travels that I know are being said over us. Keep ‘em coming!
We continued along the path (keeping Sara on the opposite side of the trail) until we reached the lodge. Interestingly, it was apparently developed by the tiny village nearby as a cooperative. The villagers share the cost and duties associated with building, owning, and operating the lodge. I was struck by how very well it appeared to be maintained and thought it was very cool that a group of people in such a small village would be willing and able to pool their various resources and talents together to create such a sustainable source of income with as little impact on the land as possible.
Lunch was prepared for us in the cafeteria building of the lodge and was a “typical” Costa Rican meal. It was cooked over a wood-burning stove and consisted of papaya juice, rice, black beans, homemade tortillas, melt-in-your mouth chicken, and salad. It was incredibly flavorful and delicious and we ate WAY more than we should have! SO good!
After lunch, it was time to cross the suspension bridge from the lodge to the village. The bridge was 127 meters long and 40 meters high and crossed over the river bed below (from which we had just ascended) and terminated at the top of the tall waterfall we had seen. With a bit of swaying, we all managed to get across without incident and, lo and behold, discovered yet another little waterfall and pool in which the kids could take one last swim before we began our “dry” descent back down the mountain. While Cole swam, Darron chose to take this opportunity to stretch out on a flat rock and give his knee a rest, Sara busied herself trying to remove the sunscreen I had just applied to her face, and I, of course, took pictures.
The way down the mountain took us through another small village, where Randall stopped along the road, shimmied out on a nearby tree, and picked a few star fruits for everyone to enjoy as we walked. A short while later, we passed by a view spot and enjoyed a beautiful panoramic view of the valley below. We were even able to see Rafiki in the distance!
Randall continued to point out interesting things along the way. He captured a Golden Orb spider, which, in addition to being an extremely cool looking spider, makes the strongest web fibers in the world. Apparently, its golden/yellow threads have the the same strength as a steel cable of the same size. Our hike ended with a handtram ride back across the Savegre River where Constant, the owner of Rafiki, was waiting to take us back to the lodge.
Once back at the lodge, the kids, having apparently not gotten enough water on our hike, chose to play in the hot tub while Darron had a rest back in the tent and I had a nice chat with Ralene, the owner’s wife, and the son of one of the other guests. Eventually, it was time for the kids to migrate to back to the slide and the fresh water pool and I enjoyed timing them and videoing and photographing their descents before it was time to head back to the room to prepare for our last dinner at Rafiki. 
As we had each evening, we enjoyed our relaxing meal immensely. We especially enjoyed our short chat with the owner’s son (who, I think, helps to manage the lodge) about traveling in South Africa. After our conversation, we may be moving that destination up to our short list. 
After dinner, it was back to the room to get some shuteye before getting up early the next morning to check out. We will be sad to leave Rafiki. It truly was an amazing experience set in an incredibly beautiful place and one I would highly recommend to anyone.
Posted in Costa Rica, Uncategorized | Tagged Aqua-Hike, Costa Rica, Rafiki Safari Lodge, Travel, Waterfalls | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 13th
As I write Friday’s blog early on Saturday morning from Rafiki, I am looking out over the manicured lawn outside the reception area, adorned with a lovely thatched roof, stone floor, bamboo railing, and the peaceful sound of a diverted creek which flows through reception and feeds a natural fish tank, in which live many of the species of fish found in the local river. Pretty little birds flit about snacking on some bananas left for them on a little platform in a tree across from reception. Not a bad way to start a day.
As much as we loved the unique experience of sleeping in an open air treehouse in the jungle, I have to admit that it was nice to have real beds and walls again – even if they were only made of canvas and mesh. The ceiling fan and well-placed oscillating fan kept the room cool, while we stayed blessedly bug bite free. The canvas walls, open mesh windows and front wall panel of the safari tent still permitted the sounds of the frogs, cicadas, and surrounding jungle to permeate our protective enclosure and fill our ears as we drifted off to sleep. We slept like babies.
The gloriously beautiful morning promised a fabulous day on the river. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast from the open air dining area while we overlooked the lush grounds of Rafiki in the fresh light of the early morning. Long shadows and bright sunlit highlights accented the landscaping while the lawn sparkled with morning dew and tiny birds flitted to and fro, busy with their dawn’s work.
After breakfast, we busied ourselves with the important task of sunscreen application before meeting our safari-style truck at reception, loaded down with rafts on the roof, and taking off for the river.
We were accompanied on our river expedition by five very capable and friendly local guides, a family of five from Chicago, a couple from Germany, and another from Houston. It was a fun, bouncy, gorgeous ride in the seats in the open back of the truck. Before long, we arrived at the small bridge where we would begin our 13km float on the Class II-III Sevegre (pronounced suh-VEG-ray) River. After a brief safety talk, each group was split off into their respective rafts – families and couples were kept together with their own rafts and a private guide.
Kenneth was to be our family’s guide. Hailing from a small village near Rafiki named Santo Domingo (or Silencio, I can’t remember which now!), he was well-spoken, good humored, GREAT with the kids, and very experienced; we knew right away he was going to be perfect for us. We boarded the raft in the water and practiced a few basic commands, “paddle forward,” “paddle backward,” “thank you or gracias” (which Kenneth used in place of “stop (paddling)”), “lean in,” and the always exciting “Hai Karumba!” (sp?) which basically meant “Get down in the raft and hold on! ” The kids loved that one because it meant we were in for some extra good fun!
Having rafted with the kids in Austria and the Brooks Range, we knew they were going to love the day’s adventure but had no idea just how much fun we were going to have as well. We started our float with a shoot down a short rapid where Kenneth decided to introduce us to the water early by allowing the river current to pull the nose of our raft into a little waterfall. Rushing water poured over the front end of our boat, thoroughly drenching Darron and Cole, who were riding in the front. Kenneth looped us through that entertaining little introduction several times before we took off down the river to begin our adventure.
The jungle surrounding us was incredibly dense, but the openness of the river gave us the unique opportunity to view the canopied landscape from a new perspective. The valley, the vegetation, and the mountains all around were green and lush and strikingly beautiful. The first small rapid we hit was known as “The Kindergarten.” It was fun and bouncy and, after we were through it, while Sara was still giggling, squealing, and grinning from ear to ear, Cole inquired, in an excited voice, when we’d be hitting “The College.” If we didn’t know it already, we knew then that they were going to have a VERY fun day.
The water was perfect. Crystal clear and just the right temperature, according to our guide, the Sevegre River is known as the cleanest river in Central America. We could believe it. Everyone was excited, therefore, when we hit a smooth stretch and were offered our first opportunity to take a dip in the refreshing water.
We continued on until lunchtime, alternating between shooting gurgling rapids, relaxing with a swim on the smooth spots, engaging in water fights with the other nearby rafts, laughing, joking, and learning about the local flora, fauna, and communities with our guide, and gaping in awe at the beautiful surroundings. We even learned that you can eat the heart of a palm (tastes like salad) and slap the back side of a little fern onto your clothes or arm for an instant tattoo.
At a little pull-out spot, we ascended the bank and found lunch being prepared for us at a lovely little covered picnic table, set with flowers. Lunch was wonderful. We were told we were eating barbecued iguana, but it sure tasted quite a bit like chicken…either way, it was delicious. We also enjoyed pasta, salad, watermelon, mango juice, and coconut cookies. By the time we were done eating, we were all anxious and excited to head back to the river.
Soon after we began our after-lunch float, one of our amazing guides managed to spot a boa constrictor relaxing in a tree on the river bank. Kenneth expertly guided us over and patiently desribed the spot over and over (and over!) until every one of us had seen it. We’re still dumb-founded as to how the guide managed to spot the well-camoflauged slithery critter WHILE floating AND guiding a raft. Clearly we all have a lot to learn about paying attention! (I barely notice people waving to me from another vehicle while driving on the road…)
After several more series of rapids and smooth spots, swims and water fights, we pulled out at a particular point to walk to a nearby waterfall. Along the way, Kenneth took the time to note several interesting plants, including a leaf used to flavor licorice, some herbs, and one little fern-type plant that closed itself up completly when touched. Very cool.
The waterfall was beautiful and we all enjoyed splashing and playing in the pool beneath it, as well as standing beneath the thundering downpour. When it was finally time to leave, on our way out, Kenneth captured a small river shrimp for us to see. Moments later, he showed us the massive claw and head shell of a MUCH larger shrimp that had met its demise nearby recently. It was the size of a crab claw! Amazing…and a little disturbing. The only way I’d want to see any version of a shrimp that size in person would be on my plate…
Throughout our expedition, a photographer in a small kayak tagged along, occasionally darting ahead of our group to set up to take pictures of us all on key rapids along the way. As we were leaving the waterfall, one of the guides drew my attention as I was walking and, moments later, another guide leapt out of the bushes with a banchee-like scream that scared the daylights out of me! Our friendly photographer was conveniently set up to capture my surprise for posterity… We all had a really good laugh over that one!!!
Many of the rocks along the river could be used to create paint, so Kenneth painted the kids’ faces before we left the waterfall – Sara received hearts and Cole was appropriately adorned with tiger stripes. A few more rapids and a little more fun and, sadly, we were almost done, but, not before we all had a chance to get out of our rafts and attempt to float down a (small) rapid the right way, which is feet first. I found it surprisingly hard to keep my head fully above the wavy rapids and decided that I did not intend to ever get tossed from a raft in the middle of a “real” rapid if at all possible.
At the end of our journey, the truck met us to return us to Rafiki, while the rest of the river guests (who had come up just for the river trip) were escorted back to the Quepos area via another vehicle. We would be fortunate to have Rafiki practically all to ourselves for another evening.
We had promised the kids that they could try out the waterslide after we returned from our rafting trip and their memories were tack sharp. We therefore spent the rest of the afternoon watching them shoot the INSANELY fast waterslide over and over and enjoying the cool, freshwater pool beneath it. Darron and I relaxed with the view over the entire property, occasionally joining the kids for a bit of waterslide fun, although, truth be told, two times was more than enough for me. I prefer to break the speed of sound dry and fully dressed, thankyouverymuch.
We had a few friendly words with some new guests from the U.K. and Cypress before heading back to our tent to shower and dress for dinner. It must be noted that, in Costa Rica, life is abundant and everywhere. All around, the insects, the birds, the animals, and the vegetation are in a constant state of what can best be described as simply carrying on. It was no surprise, therefore, when, on the way to dinner, Cole exclaimed, “Hey look! That frog is giving another frog a piggyback ride!” Yup. It seems they don’t mind carrying on regardless of who is watching…
Knowing what was ahead for dinner created an almost Pavlovian response in all of us. So, despite the amphibian “show,” we were all anxious to get to dinner and taste the evening’s delicacies, which included a lovely, flaky, white fish called King Clup and a South African sausage, which the management arranges to have specially made just for Rafiki. A moist carrot cake topped off the meal and we returned to our bunks sleepy and satiated and looking forward to our next day’s adventure – an Aqua-Hike up a riverbed, past waterfalls, and into a small local village.
If tomorrow’s adventure was anything like today’s, we can’t wait!
(The pictures are a bit out of order… At the end of the day’s pics with my little waterproof point and shoot camera, there is another round of pictures taken by the Rafiki Safari Lodge photographer which shows how fun the whitewater was!)
Posted in Costa Rica, Uncategorized | Tagged Costa Rica, Rafiki Safari Lodge, Rafting, Sevegre River, Travel | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 12th
Today is our last morning in the treehouse and we awoke to a gorgeous, sunshine-y farewell day.
We spent the bulk of the morning packing up, but Sara and I took a short trek into the woods to see a little dipping tub that had been set up especially for residents of the treehouse. The hike down was lovely and we saw some interesting lizards along the way.
We decided to squeeze in a few more minutes of beach time before meeting our ride to Rafiki at 1pm. We first tried a nearby beach, but realized that, at least at high tide, this was not exactly what we had been looking for. After some quick calculations, we decided we could head down to our favorite beach and still have half an hour to play around before it was time to return and pack. Since Darron and I were still nursing some pretty uncomfortably sunburns, that was good enough for us.
The lovely beach we had visited a couple of days before was still deserted and isolated except for a lone surfer attempting to take advantage of the waves. The waves were a bit bigger today than they had been before, but were even MORE fun that way! We splashed and played as long as we could before high-tailing it back to the treehouse to quickly shower and pack up.
Our driver met us at our rental car office and drove us the four hours or so to the Rafiki Safari Resort, nearest the little town of Santo Domingo, which is nearest the larger town of Quepos. Our arrival at Rafiki was delightful.
The insanely beautiful and well-manicured property was styled with thatched roofs and open-air everything. Artful flower arrangements and beautiful pieces of furniture were everywhere. We were met by our hostess who proceeded to give us a short tour while our luggage was whisked away to our rooms and chilled, fruity, smoothie drinks were placed in our hands. Niiiiiiiice!
The dining/bar area opened to a gorgeous vista, at which we could not stop staring. While our hostess spoke to us, we watched a massive, spiky-backed iguana ascend to the top of a nearby tree as our children descended to the fresh-water pool area located beneath what is touted as the “fastest waterslide in the world.” Made of stone, it takes just 4 seconds to shoot from the top to the bottom and hit the pool of fresh water below with cannonball-style pizazz.
We continued our short tour, gaping in awe at the stunningly landscaped grounds all around us. Every detail appeared to have been attended to including a sustainable renewable power system which powers the property. We were shown to our large, comfortable safari-style tent, which consisted of a beautiful large deck overlooking the jungle, a queen bed and two singles, mesh door and windows, a ceiling fan, an oscillating fan, and a huge, wonderful bathroom in which, as Sara noted with pleasure, we were permitted to actually flush our toilet paper!!!
Drawn like a moth to a flame, I slipped off to take some photos of the property before the sun went down and Darron and the kids headed straight for the river-fed, clear water swimming pool beneath the waterslide. After a few minutes, I found them all there, chirping with excitement over Daddy’s very exciting waterslide run. Apparently it really is THAT fast. Darron did a quick run for me (nearly soaking me with his landing in the process), before I went back to change briefly and joine them for a brief dip in the pool before all of us needed to begin dressing for dinner.
Dinner was a feast for the eyes AND stomach! Set in the spacious open air dining/bar area, our table had been set with artistic mastery. Fresh flowers and greenery had been arranged just so, a single candle illuminated the table, and soft music played in the background as a gentle breeze wafted in from the darkness beyond. Incredible.
A large party had left that afternoon and, in addition to our family, only one other couple was present. The couple owned a part-time retirement property in Costa Rica but, incredibly, it turned out their primary home was in Homer, AK! What a small world!!! We had a nice chat before being called over to begin being served for dinner.
Dinner began with a savory vegetable soup. Each evening, it appears, we are offered a choice between two entrees. This evening’s first choice was a barbecued pork with a South African curry marinade, potatoes with a creamy gravy, and lovely vegetables. The second choice included fried calamari, noodles with a delicious pasta sauce, and fresh vegetables. We chose a combination of both meals, uncertain of what the children would like. We needn’t have worried, however, because the food was so incredibly delicious that everything was practically licked off of the plates. Darron and I shared a lovely bottle of an Argentinian Cabernet/Malbec blend and we all enjoyed our dessert, a South African cake known as Malba, immensely. What a perfectly delightful meal!!!
We made our way back to our tent after dinner, marvelling at the many frogs present on the property. We enjoyed listening to their songs, and those of the jungle insects all around, as we prepared for some much needed rest for our next day’s adventure at Rafiki – White Water River Rafting!
Posted in Costa Rica, Uncategorized | Tagged Costa Rica, Lapa's Nest, Osa, Puerto Jimenez, Rafiki Safari Lodge, Travel, Tree House, Treehouse | Leave a Comment »
Wednesday, April 11th
Before beginning my entry for today, I thought it would be fun to take a few moments to describe the treehouse. Upon our arrival, we always park in our designated parking spot, marked with a green dot. A manicured, windy path lined with monkey grass takes us through a open clearing filled with flowering trees and bushes, pineapple plants, and banana trees, before leading us down a deeper path through the jungle. In the center of this path, leaf-cutter ants are busy working 24/7 in a never-ending line to carry their leafy treasures back to their nests. After another 50 yards or so, the treehouse comes into view.
There is an open-air shower at the base of the tree (heavenly, I might add). Built around a huge, beautiful mahogany (we think) tree, we ascend the wrap-around front steps, triggering the ever-vigilant motion-detecting alarm, before reaching a bamboo door which resembles a small gate. Once the door is unlocked, on our immediate left is a hanging mesh panel protecting the opening to the “Monkey Room,” which is the first screened-in bedroom consisting of simply a bed, a little shelving, some lighting, and a couple of small fans. Continuing up the handcrafted steps of the spiral staircase which wind their way around the base of the tree, we next reach the studio level.
On our immediate left is a small open-air half-bathroom with toilet and sink, which is on the same level as a small living area, also open to the jungle all around. The only separation between the room and the jungle is a low bamboo railing. Up a few more hand-cut steps off of this level, we pass the “library” and reach the “Surf Room,” the second of the screened in bedrooms, the entrance of which is also protected by a mesh curtain.
Continuing up the spiral staircase, we reach the main level of the treehouse, which consists of a “mosh pit” (3rd bed/seating area), living/dining area, kitchen, and full bath (which includes a wonderful shower with a plexiglass floor clear to the jungle floor 40 feet below). The walls of the living area are also a simple railing, although there is a nice bar area for eating, which serves as the “walls” of the dining area. The kitchen cabinets are made of bamboo and the floors throughout the treehouse are a lovely thin-planked dark wood.
There is an additional level up one more floor, but this level is not rentable and is the owner’s private studio and master bedroom. We were given permission to take a look, but we respected their privacy and limited our visit to only a quick peek. The entire house has a bit of a boat feel: compact, efficient, and very, very unique.
So, now, on to the day’s blog…
We awoke today at our regular time, but our adventure yesterday tuckered us out so much that we all fell right back asleep.
We decided to have a “down day” for our last full day at the treehouse and, after a lazy morning, went for a late lunch and a look around Puerto Jimenez. Carolina, a restaurant on the main strip of town, had been recommended to us by several people as a great place to eat and people watch, so off we went to check it out.
Frozen lemonade was the drink of the day and offset the warm, muggy air perfectly. After perusing the menu, we all ordered some form of rice and meal, but Sara, being slightly less willing to experiment than the rest of us, thought she’d simply try a hot dog. When our meals arrived, I have to admit that Sara’s expression mimicked our own; turns out an Osa Peninsula Costa Rican hot dog is not “exactly” the same as an American hot dog. The sesame seed bun was topped with some form of cabbage wrap bun, in which was concealed some form of sausage, hidden amongst shredded cabbage, and topped with two types of mustardy/ketchupy sauce, which had been squirted every which way over the entire plate, bun(s) and all. After some cajoling, we are proud to announce that we managed to convince Sara to eat at least the sausage portion of the meal, after which we supplemented with what was left of our meals, which she was then more than happy to get. In retrospect, I think this may have been a turning point for the pickiest eater of our family. After that unexpected turn of culinary events, at least in Sara’s eyes, anything else would be worth trying…
After lunch, we walked up and down the short main street of Puerto Jimenez and found a little art shop from which we acquired a couple of special trinkets to remember our trip. We had read somewhere that there was a place nearby where we could see crocodiles and, after a little investigative work and armed with a breast and wing from Mr. Chicken, we went off croc-hunting.
The crocodile viewing area was in a natural habitat outside a lodge by the name of Parrot Bay just outside of town. After parking our car, we (with some trepidation) started down a short, wooded path which followed a small creek. After Darron spotted the first croc, we continued on to find at least a dozen more dozing in the water, each surrounded by little clouds of muddy water. We had been told by a local to bring along the chicken, so we cautiously tossed in a bite or two. Within a few moments, there were at least four crocodiles on the shore just a few feet away from us, awaiting the next tasty tossed morsel. A small flock of vultures positioned themselves just a few feet away from the crocodiles and watched carefully for signs of neglected treats. It was amazing, and a little intimidating, to see them in the wild so very close to us.
We had wanted to spend our entire last evening in the Osa hanging out in the treehouse watching for the fireflies to appear, so, after 10 minutes or so with the crocodiles, we started our journey back to the treehouse.
The first night in the treehouse was absolutely magical. We decided, on our last night in the treehouse that this may have been due, in no small part, to the fact that the bugs didn’t realize that new residents had moved in yet. By our fourth night, they were well aware of our presence and, we think, they were also aware that they had only one more night to snack on us. Don’t misunderstand, we didn’t feel swarmed by bugs at all, but they were stealthy. We would suddenly find little bites when we hadn’t realized we had been bitten at all. The noseeums and the teensiest of the ants, especially, worked us over the hardest. Cole and I are apparently the tastiest of our family because we took the brunt of the munchings, although Sara came in a close third.. Darron, it seems, although he sustained a bite or two, must not taste good at all – lucky guy.
Don’t misunderstand – we CHOSE to stay in an open-air treehouse in the middle of the jungle, so we were well aware that there would be bugs. And, although, we might have brought along some stronger insect repellent had we done a little more thinking, the experience has still been truly incredible. Honestly, I can’t imagine there would be another place like it anywhere and I’d highly recommend it to anyone.
After dinner, we decided to take a short night hike into the jungle to see what it was like in the pitch black of evening. We took one flashlight. The kids, Cole especially, wasn’t so sure about our plan, but went along anyway. After a while, Darron stopped, turned off the light, and we all stood there in the total darkness soaking in the sounds of the jungle all around us. Sara was the first to notice a glowing on the ground ahead of us. As we investigated further, we found that the glowing was created by a root in the ground! Darron broke off a couple of small pieces of the root and the pieces continued to glow when we turned off our light! Incredible! We’re still not sure what we found, but are looking forward to researching it when we get home!
Once back to the treehouse, everyone was beat. We had been very busy exploring the Puerto Jimenez area of the Osa Peninsula over the past few days and the adrenaline was just beginning to wear off. Sleep came easily for Darron, Cole, and Sara, and I had a little quiet time (well, me and the bugs who were big fans of the light of the iPad) to catch up on my blog.
We are super excited about the next stage of our adventure – Rafiki Safari Lodge! We head there tomorrow and are looking forward to being spoiled rotten and having everything provided for us. (And no ham and cheese sandwiches or plates full of scrambled eggs! Long story!)
Posted in Costa Rica, Uncategorized | Tagged Costa Rica, Lapa's Nest, Osa, Puerto Jimenez, Travel, Tree House, Treehouse | Leave a Comment »
Tuesday, April 10th
WOW!!! Where to begin?! We were so completely spent on Tuesday night that we all collapsed once we finally made it home from our day’s adventure.
We started our day like every day with the crack of dawn at 5:45am. I have no idea how this is happening, but I seem to be developing <gasp> a SCHEDULE! Having never owned an internal clock, this has been quite a novelty for me.
Since our day’s “Big Adventure” would be a sunset/mangrove swamp kayaking tour slated to begin at 3pm, we decided to entertain ourselves for a few hours at a beach somewhere. Having no idea where to find such an animal (despite being fairly surrounded by water), we decided to simply follow the directions in the guidebook in the treehouse to reach a random nearby beach. It appeared the beach was just a few minutes outside Puerto Jimenez, so we naturally assumed it would be like every other beach nearby any other town – dirty, touristy, and crowded – but we figured it was just a “filler adventure,” so, why not?
Like most directions in Costa Rica so far, landmarks were heavily relied upon for guidance. We were directed down a long, remote-looking road which inevitably had us questioning whether or not we were going the right way (as we had on every other attempt at following directions thus far). Somehow, we managed to arrive at what appeared to be a beachy area and, after much discussion, simply decided to park ON the beach. When we pulled forward off the little path, our jaws dropped.
Here, only minutes from the little town of Puerto Jimenez was one of the finest beaches we had ever laid eyes on – completely ours and stretched out as far as we could see. Palm trees lined the upper portion of the beach, coconuts lay here and there, and the far coast was visible in the distance. Brilliantly colored scarlet macaws made an unholy racket as they bickered and argued in the trees and flew overhead, always in pairs. The kids (and Darron) permitted me only seconds for sunscreening before launching full-speed toward the beckoning waves. After securing our valuables (from who, I now wonder…), I headed toward the water to join the family in their wave jumping game. Mental note: Pay attention when the sunscreen bottle reads “Apply 15 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply after swimming.” To be continued…
Having lived in Kodiak for 12 years, walking toward any body of water inevitably causes me to tense up to brace for the initial chill of contact. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise to find the water as warm as a bath! At thigh deep, the waves were strong enough to occasionally toss us off-balance, but not so strong as to be a danger, which made for tons of fun. After a while, I added swim shirts to the kids’ arsenal of sun protection and the game continued. We had a few snacks, the kids created a canal and played in the little tidal pools the current had left in the sand, and we even spent some time investigating a young neotropical cormorant which seemed to have no interest in flying away regardless of how closely we approached. It was an amazing afternoon, but we had overstayed our planned visit and began the mad rush back to the treehouse to prepare for our kayaking tour. It was on our arrival at the treehouse that I noted everyone’s lobster-colored skin and recalled the directions on the suncreen bottle that I had so casually dismissed. Darron and I were well-toasted, but thankfully the sunshirts protected all but the lower arms of the kids, although we still felt badly for them.
We were running late, but, fortunately, we had been misquoted the time and, rather than arriving 10 minutes late, we showed up 50 minutes early! This suited us and, as it turned out, we were able to get an earlier start. Our guide would be Roberto, a wonderfully relaxed gentleman, presumably in his 50s, with whom we immediately hit it off. We already knew it was going to be a great afternoon, but, WOW, we had no idea what we were in for!
Roberto paddled a single kayak, while Darron and I each took a kid in our open-top double kayaks. Before beginning, while still at the beach, Roberto pointed out a cashew tree to us and we learned that the fruit attached to the nut is edible. Due to oils on the fruit’s skin, it is not only naturally protected from bugs and other marauding pests, it is also good for killing harmful bacterias in your body…and, apparently, according to Roberto, it makes a mighty fine cashew milkshake. Until the nut casings fall to the ground, shrivel up, and dry, they should not be broken into to retrieve the nuts because they can be corrosive to the skin on contact. Who knew the cashew was such a complicated nut?
It was already raining lightly and threatening to storm, but the water was wonderful and inviting and we were excited to get our boats in the water. Once we started our paddle, we began with a short, unplanned discussion about the Osa Peninsula and the Costa Rican people in general. We learned that the entire Osa Peninsula consisted of only around 6,000 people, much less-populated than we realized. Since commercial fishing was not permitted in the area and produce could not be easily exported due in part to the area’s remoteness, there was an excess of all types of fruits of both the sea and land.
We also learned that only a quarter of Costa Rica’s population of 4 million were actually native Costa Ricans. The remaining 3 million consisted of mostly Nicaraguans and Panamanians looking to escape the war, poverty, and oppression in their countries. According to Roberto, a great part of the problem, besides very lenient immigration laws, seems to be that, as Costa Ricans are becoming more and more educated, they are electing to have fewer and fewer children, choosing to pursue their careers over family. While he lamented the idea that, according to experts, in 10 years his country would already begin reflecting changes due to the influx of foreign nationals, he made the point that he also believed it was healthy to have a variety of different types of people so that everyone continued to grow and change versus becoming stale and narrow-minded. Did I mention how very cool a people Costa Rican’s are?
As we paddled, the clouds in the distance grew closer and continued to darken as lightning began to streak across the sky. As we were paddling with aluminum paddles, I must admit a little concern, but Roberto was very reassuring (although I could tell he was a bit concerned, too). We landed briefly at a nearby beach where Roberto proceeded to teach Cole and I how to open a coconut, drink the water, grate the meat out with a stick, and squeeze the meat to drink the deliciously sweet coconut milk. Next, he hunted down a green (unripened) mango for Cole to try as we listened to howler monkeys hooting in the distance.
As we boarded our kayaks to return to the ocean, Roberto noticed dolphins and we headed toward them in hot pursuit. While we never quite caught up to them (dolphins are FAST!), we were treated to the very cool sight of watching them leap completely out of the water, dive, and resurface time and time again.
Our sunset was obscured by the gathering clouds, but I thought the surreal colors of the stormy sky were almost as beautiful, and certainly more unique. We beached near the river we would be paddling down to reach the mangroves. There, Roberto showed us a better way to cut up a pineapple (the sweetest we have ever tasted!) and how to roll the leftover skins to drink the remaining delicious juice. He explained that the pineapples that grew there had such a high sugar content, that they were only good for about 8 days after picking, which is part of the reason they cannot be exported as the export process takes approximately 45 days.
After our treat, Roberto took us along the river bank to introduce us to another native fruit of Costa Rica which tasted similar to a sour apple in flavor, but more like a mango in texture. Along the way, he shimmied down into the river and dug into its sandy bank, from which he procured two crocodile eggs! They were about the size of a chicken egg, but slightly more oblong in shape. They were warm to the touch. If I understood correctly, Roberto explained that the heat of the sun warms the eggs buried in the bank and determines the sex – the warmest eggs become females, while the cooler eggs become males. This seems odd to me, but who am I to judge crocodile ways?
Finally, we dropped our kayaks into the river and began our paddle toward the mangroves. We began at the mouth and, as the sun faded, paddled our way into the secondary mangrove forest (a forest which had been cut back by man at one time and was gradually returning). Roberto explained that, in the primary mangrove forest, the trees were so thick that they reached overhead and closed together and the roots were thick all around. It appeared we had reached the end of our tour. Curious, I casually asked how far it was to reach the primary mangrove forest and Roberto replied that it was approximately another 500 meters. I asked him if we could go and, while he seemed surprised by my request, he also appeared to be very excited by our interest.
So, with an increasingly darkening and stormy sky, occasional flashes of lightning all around, and Roberto’s single headlamp (we hadn’t brought any lights), we adventured on. It was eerie, exciting, and a bit ominous as we approached the primary mangrove forest. The wide mouth of the river had narrowed to a small, root-choked corridor which took quite a bit of finagling to navigate in our long double kayaks. Many times throughout our paddle, Roberto commented that we were among only a very few tourists who had ever ventured this deep into the mangroves after dark. He seemed genuinely pleased that we were so enthusiastic and and appeared to be really enjoying himself as well.
With complete cloud cover, the grey sky had darkened to pitch black with the setting of the sun. In order to experience the mystery of the mangrove swamp more completely, we paddled with no light. Claps of lightning would momentarily illuminate the surreal scene around us, but not enough to prevent us from becoming occasionally entangled in a thick stand of roots or from gliding under a low lying branch across the water, which we had to lay back low in our kayaks in order to pass beneath. Occasionally Roberto would light his headlamp to direct us at a fork in the river or to illuminate some interesting creature, like a bird overhead or the unique crabs that clung to the mangrove trees. He explained that mangroves would not survive without the crabs’ constant cleaning. Now and again, in the darkness, we would hear the telltale eerie sound of something crashing in the trees and splashing into the water ahead or behind us that denoted the presence of a caiman or crocodile nearby. Roberto also described some of the other dangerous creatures that lived at the bottom of the mangrove swamp such as snakes, spike-backed fish, and sting rays. Here is not a place where you would want to go for a swim. Darron and I each made a silent vow NOT to tip our kayaks.
As I paddled, senses fully awakened in the darkness to the sounds of the mangrove forest, I noticed something unusual – it seemed that my paddle was creating small sparks in the water! Unsure that I had actually seen what I thought I had seen or if my mind was playing tricks on me in the darkness, I continued to dig more and more deeply, trying desperately to discern what it was I was seeing and then… It dawned on me!!! I was seeing the bio-luminescence of zooplankton created from the friction of the paddle in the water!!!!! I had read about the possibility of this at certain times, but had no idea we might actually see it – especially during our paddle through the mangrove! I was so consumed with what I had witnessed that Cole and I managed to fall well behind our guide and Darron and Sara. I collided with yet another root system, but found myself so giddy with laughter and joy at this unexpected miracle that I couldn’t have cared less.
By the time I caught up to Darron and Roberto, they, too, had noticed the twinkling light in the water. Roberto explained that the bio-luminescence would continue to grow stronger as the evening wore on, which it did. Soon, every paddle stroke created a sparkling trail of light in the water. We waved our hands through the water and watched as our hands created little wakes of sparkly and milky light. Twinkling light streamed from behind the kayak ahead of us. It was as if little star galaxy’s existed beneath the water’s surface and we needed only to touch the water to expose their celestial light.
Friction caused the single-cell organisms to release their light and, as raindrops fell from the clouds overhead, tiny sparkling diamonds appeared all around us in the water. We were overwhelmed with wonder! To add to the magic, fireflies began to light up the mangroves in the sky all around us, too!!! Sparkles below us and sparkles above us…it was as if we were surrounded by little fairies. We were utterly dumbfounded by the mystery, miracle, and beauty of it all. I couldn’t stop laughing and squealing with absolute genuine, unguarded delight. I felt like a kid in the biggest candy store in the world. Roberto showed us how we could even temporarily capture the bio-luminescence by using an article of clothing to strain the water between us. Darron said it best – it was like holding a shirt full of diamonds. I found that I could splash the water on my arms and legs and little sparkles would flash momentarily on my skin as well.
Finally, we had ventured deep enough into the mangroves and, sadly, it was time to turn around to head back. As we collided with another root, Cole had a small guest of the crabby kind fall into his lap, which surprised him a bit. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit an occasional misgiving during our paddle in the pitch black of the night. Once, I recall a time when Cole and had gotten our boat tangled up and stuck against the mangrove bank and I felt as if something had fallen on my back. Without the benefit of light to check myself, I was seized by an instantaneous, momentary flash of blind panic but, then, as quickly as the panic descended, it was gone. I truly felt at peace during that paddle, as I know Darron did, also. Roberto was a believer also, and throughout the paddle, we discussed the miracle of His incredible creation. The grace of God was with us and we felt safe and guided by a Greater Hand as we glided through this mysterious world.
As we left the secondary mangrove forest and entered the mouth of the river, Sara felt the call of nature. Unwilling to enter the water alone, I offered to accompany her. As I slipped into the water, the bio-luminescence exploded all around me. I felt as if I was swimming in shimmering, sparkling light – it was a breathtakingly beautiful experience. Sara was suddenly much more interested in joining me, as was Cole, if only for a moment. Thinking back, I recall that, very near that area, Roberto had dug out a couple of crocodile eggs… Like I said, we were protected and guided by a Greater Hand…thank goodness!
Once we reached the beach, we unloaded and joined Roberto for the short walk back to his shop. It was quite late by this time, but he offered for us to use the hose to rinse off and then shared with us some of the lovely herbs throughout his garden.
We were exhausted and hungry by the time we finished up and, after executing a quick change in the car, we deemed ourselves presentable enough-ish to find some dinner in town. After a quick stop by the market for some aloe gel, we settled in at the local pizza place, satisfied and glassy-eyed, to await our meal. We hardly spoke as we ate, each processing our very busy and exciting day in our own way. At the end of our meal, a 2-foot long iguana showed up nearby to add one final touch of excitement to our day.
By the time we made it back to our home away from home, it had began to rain heavy and hard. It was then that we remembered we had neglected to pack a flashlight for the 100 or so yard walk back to our treehouse in the jungle. Darron, being the brave soul he is, volunteered to venture ahead in the utter darkness to fetch a flashlight for the rest of us. After some time, I became concerned, but, by the time I had rallied my weary little search party, Darron made it back to us, safe and sound, but admittedly a little unnerved by his trek through the jungle darkness.
We stumbled to our beds for a well-earned night of rest and let the rain falling on the the leaves in the jungle all around lull us to sleep…which didn’t take long.
Posted in Costa Rica, Uncategorized | Tagged Bioluminescence, Costa Rica, Lapa's Nest, Mangrove, Osa, Puerto Jimenez, Travel, Tree House, Treehouse | 3 Comments »
