This is definitely the most entertaining trip report I have ever read! I just hope you actually had some fun as well during your trip :-)

I can't wait for your next chapter! It's like "I Love Lucy" does Costa Rica. I am hoping to hear that in the end you would do it all over again???

Trish, please post more... I'm have trip report withdrawls!

Trish, take your time, but we are all in deep suspense! :) Have you already gone back for more?!!

Sorry guys,

For some reason real life got in the way. Promise that on Saturday I will post a few more days. Thanks for being patient.

Trish

Day 7 -n Sarchi, Swimming Pool and Steaks

As usual we are awake early. It is warm out and we enjoy another wonderful breakfast at Pura Vida. I am feeling a little better and make sure I eat all my fruit. Today we are going to Arenal. Berni suggests that we take the country road through Grecia, Sarchi and Zarccero. Oh why not. What could possibly happen. So off we head, useless map in hand and a full tank of gas. We find the highway easily and follow the signs to Grecia. This is the only time we are nearly killed. A semi in the right lane pulled into our lane while we were there. Rene had to lock them up. The day is starting out wonderfully! It is very pretty countryside and within a half hour we are in Grecia. What a pretty little town. Stopping at the town square I get out and take pictures while Rene stays with the Galloper (it is full of all our luggage). Onward to Sarchi. Such lovely scenery. Once in Sarchi the shops are just beginning to open as it is 9 a.m. I go inside a plaza while Rene stays with the vehicle. There are many stores with souvenirs and in the middle of the plaza is a square with some of the cute oxcarts. Picture time again. We then head to another store where we can park right out front and Rene is able to come in with me. I love the rocking chairs but they are just not in my budget. Off again, this time to Zarccero. It takes a while to get there but the drive is really nice. The sun is shining and there is not a lot of traffic. Rene pulls over many times so that we can admire the view and take pictures. Finally we reach Zarccero and it has a beautiful central square with a topiary garden and magnificent church. We spend some time here and then head off for our final jaunt to Arenal. There is a light rain now but not enough to hamper our drive. We pass through another large town whose name escapes me. Finally we are on the stretch to Arenal which is quite a nice road. Rene decides that he would like to stop at a Soda which would be our first time doing so. Pull into this little one and go inside (which is still outside). The fellow comes over and is just beaming at us and shakes Rene's hand and pats me on the back. I decide to try the taco as my stomach is still not quite stabilized and Rene orders Ceviche for the first time. He also orders a bottle of Coca Cola Light. The ceviche comes with sliced banana on top and my plate is delivered. It is a huge pile of lettuce with some red and white sauce on it. Sour cream and salsa I figure. Wrong. Ketchup and mayonnaise. Hmm. I dig through my lettuce and find the taco. It is more like a spring roll but is very tasty. Rene enjoys his. The fellow speaks no english but seems very concerned that I am not drinking anything. He proceeds to bring me a glass of water that is extremely cloudy. Oh dear. Not with my stomach. Rene drinks the water when the fellow is not looking. The fellow writes on a paper 1,200. This is less than $3. Well all we have is 2,000 which is less than $5. He takes our money and heads to the til. Rene just yells our "gracias" as we head for the truck. Well the fellow opens his mouth and throws his hands up in the air and runs over and hugs Rene. It makes us sad and happy at the same time. Knowing that under $2 made someone that happy. Soon we arrive in Fortuna and continue on to find Montana de Fuego. After about 15 minutes we arrive. I have booked a deluxe cabin and we are thrilled. The cabin is very nice and the grounds are truly gorgeous. We can see about 1/3 of the volcano, but more than that we see a swimming pool and hot tub. Go back to the cabin and have a shower. What a luxury. The bathrooms are huge and the water pressure is amazing. Quickly changing into our suits we go over and sit in the tub and Rene gets us some beer from the pool bar. The hot tub is hot (compared to the one in Almonds and Corals which is downright cold) and we soak and visit with others for awhile. It is extremely humid and so Rene has turned on the air conditioning in our cabin. While in the hot tub we suddenly feel drops. Oh no, not again. But it stops and we head for our cabin for siesta. Later we decide to go to El Novillo for dinner as Rene decides he can drive in the dark for a few minutes. Turn right out of the entrance to MdF and go for approximately 5 minutes and we are there. We park on the grass near the road and find our plastic table and chairs and sit under our tin roof. Order a couple of salads and steak dinners. It is starting to rain much harder now. There is a car parked right in front of us with his exhaust facing us. The fellow gets in and we assume that he is going. He starts his car and then just sits there idling. So now we have wind, rain bouncing off the tin roof and exhaust fumes coming at us. The funny thing is that when the lady brings us our dinner she lights our candle, like this is going to inspire romance or something! The food is very good and cheap. However, the car idled for 20 minutes or so. We could have said something or moved but I guess it just seemed so typical of our vacation thus far that we just accepted it. Finished our dinner and headed back to MdF. It is dark and raining so cannot see any potholes but we manage to find most of them. Our cabin has become very cold since we left so off goes the air conditioning. It is gusting and raining outside so we decide to watch tv. We get one channel that is an entertainment one where the programs are in English and is subtitled in Spanish. We have spanish commercials and announcers but this amuses us for an hour. Then there is some monstrosity called the Anna Nicole show. No wonder other cultures think North Americans are over indulgers. Turn it off and hit the sack. It has been a very nice day.

Next up- Day 8 and Gee, it's raining, Gee, I can't see the volcano and Gee, that was expensive.

Thanks, Trish! Still entertaining us in style! And you have figured out just how to do it--by waiting between installments so that we hunger and beg for more :)

Your stories are truly enjoyable, and as I read of your travels to Arenal, it took me right back to those same places. Grecia, Sarchi, and Zarcero are just the neatest little towns. That larger city you were speaking of was San Carlos (also called Cuidad Quesada).

By the way, how were the steaks? I think we have eaten at El Novillo, but can't remember for sure.

Again, thanks for sharing. . .keep em coming!

Day 8 - Gee it's raining, Gee, I can't see the volcano and Gee, that was expensive.

We have slept in. It is 6:30 a.m. and the phone is ringing. We pick it up and there is no one there. I think God is playing a joke. Today we had thought we would do the Cano Negro tour but it is absolutely awful outside. The wind and rain are at an all time high. I cannot afford to get any more clothes wet as the ones that were wet are nowhere near dry. So we don't go. The volcano is completely socked in. You can't even see the bottom of it. Our glassed in front porch is all wet because the wind has pushed rain in all night. Racing to the restaurant for breakfast (which is included) is timed for a break in the storm. We make it. The breakfast is okay. Back to the cabin. It looks like it is breaking up. I tell Rene that we have to do something. Well let's go into Fortuna he says. So off we go. It is a cute little town and we wander the streets. It is now actually very warm and humid. Deciding to have a Coca Cola Light we find some stools at a bar type thing that is jutting out on the sidewalk. I am not sure if we have to eat while there so ask the girl. She does not speak english but someone who seemed like the manager came rushing over and told us to sit. Once they found out we were from Vancouver they kept coming over and talking to us. Rene was asking them how to say certain things in Spanish and we were teaching them english words and we were all laughing and having a great time. Even the Coca Cola Light was tasting much better (it is much more nutmeggy than our diet coke here at home). Wandered around some more stores and bought some souvenirs. There were not many tourists around at all. Back to Montana de Fuego. It is really humid and I know what that means. Rain. Sure enough it starts to pour. "Wanna play some crib?" asks Rene. I feel like crying. After a couple of games I am antsy. "The bar at the pool is covered" suggests Rene. Okay, off we go. The lonely fellow there serves us and we get to talking. He is all excited about the upcoming match between Alajuela and the team from San Jose. Alberto is his name and we discuss music. He turns up his radio and sings along. People here sure do like their music. Cocktails are only $3. Oh, oh. Soon Dexter from Virginia joins us and we get into lively discussions. He is a prosecuting attorney. The afternoon is going by very quickly and I am feeling no pain. Alberto tells us how much daily living costs in CR and how much he makes a day. $10/day and by law he must have 1 day a week off. Overtime is also paid. It has been a great 2 hours but it is getting very cold and windy. Head back to the cabin for a nap. Rene decides that it is really horrible out and that he does not want to drive anywhere tonight. So we decide to eat dinner here. Around 6:30 we are really hungry. It is quite a jaunt to the restaurant. The weather is not letting up. Alberto had said that someone would wake us if the volcano acted up. He was kind enough to phone in this request. The whole area is fogged in and it really is a strong storm. There is no timing it to the restaurant this time. We run for it. We pass people whose umbrella's are blowing inside out. Arriving at the restaurant we are absolutely soaked. There are about 15 other people who arrive and we all look the same. Hair soaked, clothes soaked and water running off us. The funny part is that the waiters etc. are all dressed up in very dapper black and white uniforms. I'm sure I have mascara running down my cheek. The floors in the restaurant are all wet and dirty (although they are trying to clean up as best they can). We are seated and puddles are forming beneath our table. What a mess. Our dinner here is excellent. The service was top notch and the servings are huge. It is however expensive. With an addition to our tip it cost $75 US Ah, but we are a captive audience. After dinner we give up trying to do the 100 yd. dash to the cabin and just walk quickly. "At least it's warm when it rains here" comments Rene. I am thinking that he is just shell shocked. Hot showers and hang our wet clothes in the bathroom. We sit on our wet porch for a bit but it is a little too windy. Read a little and go off to sleep. Maybe the volcano will be active and someone will phone us! I guess we'll always be the optimists.

Next up Day 9 - Which way, Why and Why not.

Thanks, trvlbug. You have again outdone yourself! Glad to see that you have managed to retain your sense of humor despite misfortunes!

Thanks for the latest reports Trish! Your description of the rain and wind brings me right back to my trip to Tahiti last year. We thought our bungalow was going to blow over. I hope we have better whether in CR this summer, but that's questionable. :)

Trish:

I hope you'll be posting your final thoughts soon! Also, I would love some feedback on America West.

Thanks!

Terri

Final thoughts! Not so fast, she's got like six days left :)

Yes, let's not rush Trish through her trip LOL! We want to hear about every one of her days!

TAGriffin,

Am now in the process of trying to wrap this up. Took longer and as I said earlier for some reason life seems to get in the way.

America West was fine. Not too sure what you would like to know. They were on time and you could buy a meal on board for $5-7. They also showed a movie from the Phoenix-San Jose leg and return. Anyway, I think I should get on with my trip report.

Day 9 - Which Way? Why? and Why Not!?

We are up and about getting ready. There was no phone call to see the volcano. Managed to hear it rumble for a few minutes around 11 p.m. Looked outside but could not see anything. It is now 6:30 a.m. and the phone is ringing. We answer again but of course there is no one there. Today we are on our way to Monteverde. I have told Rene that there is no discussion about his driving because of all the horror stories I have heard. He just nods. Go for breakfast at the restaurant and settle our bill with travellers cheques. Once again, we are on our way. There is a light drizzle but not too bad. The road around Lake Arenal is not really bad at all (quite a few potholes but other than that). There are a lot of beautiful homes for sale. All we know is that we have to follow the road around the lake to Tilaran and then continue on from there. Ah, the dreaded "fork in the road". Going to the right we end up at the top of a bluff where we meet some people in a jeep who are looking for Arenal. Well, we are just too smart and give them wonderful directions. We double back also. Now we are somewhere called Nouveau Arenal. There are no signs for Tilaran or Monteverde. Driving down the main street of the town I notice a soda that has a large yellow sign on the door. It says "Lost? Ask here for Information" I kid you not. So we park and go in. There is a lady eating at one of the tables and we ask "Monteverde?" She yells to someone in back and they talk back and forth and then she looks at us and shakes her head. Alrighty then. I remember how the Ticos just seem to know certain places so I then ask "Tilaran?". More yelling back and forth and once again she shakes her head. Talk about false advertising! Back on the street we ask someone who points up the street and does a left turn. Guess we can try that. So off we go and a little ways after the left turn there is a sign for Tilaran. Back on track. Finally make it to Tilaran and follow the signs for Monteverde. Suddenly we come to a sign that is pointing left. "Up that goat trail?" asks Rene incredulously. "It only says 35km to Monteverde" I offer up. For a few seconds we both just sit there and stare at what is considered a road to a major tourist destination. It is covered, not in gravel, but in large pieces of broken rock and is rather steep. No turning back now. This is where we discover that the Galloper has no power whatsoever. Rene cannot get it out of first. So we do 20km an hour. It is very bumpy and we are jostled around in the cab. After an hour, and a sign that says "Monteverde 15km" Rene turns to me and asks "Why are we going to this place?" He had left all the planning up to me and so I told him "It is a cloud forest." "I can see clouds and forest at home" he mutters. Point taken. After what seems like an eternity we come across an information centre. It is just before you get to Santa Elena (approx. 8 km.) We pull in to get a water and do a bathroom break. The fellow there is really nice and helpful. He asks where we are staying and then gives us a map of the area and asks if we plan to do any tours. We tell him we are interested in doing the Original Canopy tour and he gives us brochures and says that he will give us $10 each off the price and that they will pick us up at the hotel. All we have to do is call him later and let him know what time tomorrow. Two hours after starting on this road we arrive at Santa Elena. Our map doesn't seem to jive. We arrive at some new built up kind of area but it shows that our hotel, Finca Valverde, is on the other side. We just can't seem to get there from here. We backtrack a bit to see if we missed something. Finally, Rene turns down a street. "I think we're on a one way going the wrong way" I keenly observe as I see vehicles coming toward us. "Do you really think anyone in this country gives a bleep!?" snaps Rene. Someone needs a beer. However, it does get us to the other side and we find Finca Valverde These are cabins nestled in a coffee plantation. The girl at the front desk leads us up the hill to our cabin which is a duplex. It is huge inside. We have our bed and a sitting room with two futons and upstairs is a loft with another double bed. The wood inside is beautiful and we even have carpeting. Very nice. Our balcony affords us a lovely view. I take our wet clothes from Arenal and hang them on our balcony. It is very warm and humid out. That should have been a clue. Deciding we are hungry we head off to the "new" part of Santa Elena and go to the Rainbow Cafe. The sandwiches are delicious and cheap. We walk around the town a bit. I am confused as to why I cannot find Johnny's Pizza and Stella's Bakery until I confront my map and see that they are in the opposite direciton of Finca Valverde. The wind is coming up and a mist seems to be ever present. Head back to the hotel for a siesta. Later on I tell Rene we should drive to the other part of the town. Turning left out our hotel we come upon a huge hill. The Galloper barely makes it. We stop in at Stella's for a sweet (walking across the concrete slab over the ditch) and then stop in to check out Johnny's Pizza. Decide we will go there for dinner tonight. The hill is so steep that coming back it looks as though you are going to fly off the edge. It is now raining. Take the still wet clothes off the balcony and put them back in the garbage bag I had brought along. I am beginning to second guess my clothing amount. Head to the little bar at reception in the rain. Nice and cozy in here. We relax and have a few beer. The bartender and us are the only ones in there. Rene and I are talking about our trip so far and how the road to Monteverde was not scary at all, only frustratingly long. Not sure what other people had seen. Suddenly the bartender turns on the TV above the bar and plays Lord of The Rings at full volume. Then he goes outside for a smoke. Well, isn't this romantic. Head back to the cabin and then up to Johnny's Pizza for dinner. A wonderful meal in a pretty place. Want to sit on our porch after dinner but if we turn the light on we are inundated with bugs. So we go inside. Boy, there are a lot of bugs inside as well. Sitting on the bed we are playing crib when Rene suddenly says "Oh My God!" This is not a good sign especially when he is looking past me. I cower and he tells me that it is the Goliath of flying beetles. Oh Lord. It flys away but Rene has grabbed a sandal and is killing other bugs while hunting down Goliath. He decides to turn off all the lights except the one by the bed to draw him out. It works and Rene is slamming this thing with his sandal and slamming and slamming. I am yelling "what is happening" and Rene is saying" He won't die". I am wondering if we have neighbours and what they are thinking. Of course he kills it and half of it is embedded into the carpet. Yuck! There are so many bugs that we do the bed check and I hide under the covers. Later Rene gets up to go to the bathroom and comes out. "The toilet is leaking out the bottom and I think I have discovered why there are so many bugs." I'm sure I whimpered. "One of the glass louvres is missing on the bathroom window." Why not!!

Terri,

Sorry, reread my first reply to you and thought it sounded a little curt. Did not mean for it to be so. Forgot to mention that from Phoenix to San Jose the plane was not full at all and we had all three seats to ourselves. Coming back was the same I believe. The lunches and breakfasts you could buy were not bad either.

Trish

Trish

Trish,
Please tell me your trip gets better! I'm hoping my husband will be half as tolerant as Rene was, on our upcoming trip next month :)
Thanks for the Am. West info. We'll be flying with them too.

Day 10 - Leaks, Long way up, Laughing

The afternoon before (day 9) we had phoned the fellow at the information centre to arrange the Original Canopy Tour. There were 3 times we could go on. 7:30 a.m. (a little too early), 10:30 a.m.(which we took) and 2:30 p.m. The morning of day 9 we woke up early again. I went to get our clothes out of the suitcase and lo and behold there was a puddle on the top of it. Luckily it was shut as the roof was leaking. This appeared to be the only spot and of course was right over our luggage. Sigh. Decided to go to Stella's Bakery for breakfast. It is raining heavily out. We head to reception to tell them of the problems with our room. Then head off to Stella's where it is packed. I just have something light (okay, it was a big sticky bun but it was the only thing I had)! Rene had an omlette. Both were very good. Head back to Finca Valverde where the Tour is supposed to pick us up at 10. The lady says that the window and toilet are fixed but that they do not want to put the maintenance man on the roof as it is too slippery. They will move us. However, we decide that we only have one more night so we'll just keep the luggage out of the way of the leak and deal with it. 10:30 and no one has shown to pick us up. Reception calls them and they say they are on their way. Fifteen minutes later and a van arrives and takes us the ten minutes to the Tour. They have us down and say that everyone else cancelled because of the rain. We are either stupid or insane. The amount they have down is correct with the $10 off per person. It is now only $35. each. They load the gear on us (which is a little heavy) and we traipse through the canopy for about 15 minutes until we reach our first point. Jorge and Reese proceed to show us how it is done and up we climb. Up, up and up. We are now standing on a 2 ft. wide platform that surrounds a tree. The canopy is below us. Jorge goes first and they hook Rene up. Off he goes. He disappears into the canopy. I am left with Reese. Here I go. Well not quite. My legs are shaking. I am thinking that they want me to step off this platform and slide down a wire with a hook holding me in place. Hyperventilation is starting to set in. "I'm scared!" I tell Reese. "That's okay" he says. Keep telling myself that I have to be brave. Rene, who is on the other platform with Jorge tells him that I must be scared. Jorge tells him that it happens all the time on the first platform and that many times they have to take the person back to the lodge. Meanwhile, back at platform 1 Reese tells me to lift my legs and sit and that he will hold me. I do this but when he says "Can I let you go?" I say "NO!" Oh dear. All I can think of is that I am ruining Rene's adventure. After about 5 minutes of this I go. Reese gives the shout and Jorge and Rene look for me. I have stepped off and now I am grinning from ear to ear. The exhileration I feel is really something. It is a feeling of being so alive and conquering a fear. I did it! We continue on and it is pouring but we don't care. One part of the tour consists of climbing up a rope ladder inside a strangler tree. Then we are off on more zip lines. Suddenly we are up top and they tell us that we are now going to rappel down 90 ft. Rene is a little nervous but does it. Then I step off the platform backwards and away I go. What a rush. We are sad when it is over. It has taken about an hour and a half. That is because there was only the two of us. Reese has kept our camera under his jacket most of the time and took pictures of us zip lining and rappelling. We are so pumped and Rene says that he doesn't care what other pictures turn out but he wants these ones (they did by the way and they are very good despite the downpour). We hike back to the lodge and give Reese and Jorge the extra $10 each that we would have paid. They were so professional and kind. This was one of our major highlights. The van comes after about 5 minutes to pick us up. All the fellas come with us as they are going into town. They are not sure whether or not people will cancel the 2:30 tour. We saw one creature while hiking in the canopy and after that we never even tried looking. We were too busy watching each other "fly" and listening to the guides to worry about wildlife. I digress. Ask the fellas where the best place to eat is and they tell us Morpho's. So back to Finca Valverde. Our clothes are absolutely soaked but we don't care. Change and stick the wet stuff into the garbage bag. We then walk to Morpho's which is in the "new" part of Santa Elena. Here we have an excellent meal which is more like a dinner. It is really good. Wander around town a bit. There is a mini fridge back at FV so we decide to go to the market to get some beer. It is so cheap. I really enjoy the Bavaria Light as it is only 2.5% alcohol and quite refreshing. Rene prefers the Imperial. Back to FV and we decide to have a nap. The adrenaline has left our body. Wake up around 2:30 and guess what. The sun is shining. Darn it. We took the wrong tour time. But when we think about it we don't mind as we enjoyed being the only ones. Sit on our patio and enjoy the view. Toucans and other birds come visiting. Clothes come out the garbage bag and get hung on the balcony. Sit our here until about 5:30. Decide where we want to go for dinner. Actually get to see a bit of a sunset. Suddenly, about 6:15 it starts to rain. Clothes, which are still soaking wet, go back in the garbage bag. I tell Rene that tomorrow I am putting on shorts and a tank top and sandals. I am determined to find sun. Rene figures that he really doesn't want to drive anywhere in the dark and the rain and it is too far to walk into "new" Santa Elena so we decide just to go to the restaurant on premises. Dash down and have a pretty good meal. It is $11 and Rene has a pork chop dinner and I have a hamburger. The fries are gross though. We had a really good day today and we are laughing and having a great time reliving our adventure. Head back to the cabin, which is now bug free and have our last beers and , you guessed it, play some crib. Tomorrow we are heading to Manuel Antonio and wonder what new experiences we will have. Next up-

Day 10 - Gaucimel, Great Road and Good Grief

Trish,
I'm glad to hear you guys had some adventure and sunshine in the same day!

What fun! I'll never get my husband on one of those things {fear of heights}. It's good that you didn't let a little rain mess up your plans.

I'm one of those strange women who actually enjoys creepy crawlies, but I'm not at all sure I'd enjoy goliath-sized beetles crawling around while I sleep. Just went out to by some zorries so as not to walk barefoot....

Another great trip report!
Brought back some memories of my own 'Goliath Beetle' experience in Manuel Antionio...gee I hope you don't have one there too...once a trip is enough!
Anyway, we were staying at Villas Nicolas. There was a net around the bed but we had not seen any bugs so didn't use it that first night. Sometime after midnight I was woken up by something hitting my hand..HARD. I jumped up, which woke up my husband. He turned on the light and we saw 'Goliath Beetle' on the bed next to me. It's a good 2-1/2" long and as big around as a half dollar. He says, "geez, did that thing TOUCH you?"...and said .."damn straight!!!" as I'm shaking, shaking, shaking my hand" as it feels like it is STILL on my hand. He didn't try to kill it because we could tell by the looks of it that it's shell was like an armored truck. Instead he graps a dirty t-shirt, folds it into a ball of sorts, picks up Goliath and throws the whole ball outside. We start looking around and notice that one of the screens in our room, about 15 or 20 feet up, has a hole in it. No way to reach it for repair. After that, we used the net around the bed for the rest of the trip. Next morning, I gingerly and very slowly start to pick up the t-shirt from outside, just knowing that the darn thing was waiting inside the T to attack me again, but it was gone.

my husband and i are leaving to costa rica tomorrow and will be visiting Manuel Antonio! i am hoping to get to read your adventure there before we leave. your trip report has been great :))))) thanks so much for sharing with us..

Day 11- Gaucimel, Good Road and Good Grief.

It is morning and we are getting ready to go to Manuel Antonio. I have put on my shorts, tank top and sandals in my determination to will the sun to come out. Rene joins me in this show of stubborness. It is a little chilly but what the heck. Head to the restaurant for breakfast. We both have French Toast which is really bad. It is just very dry. Check out. It was $45/nt and I pay the extra 6% and do it on Visa. Off on our next adventure. While at Almonds and Corals we met one of the tour guides. I told him I was worried about the roads in Monteverde. He told me not to worry and said that when leaving follow the signs all the way to Gaucimel and past through a town that started with S (the name of which escapes me). He told us to keep on this road as most people branch off but this would save us at least half an hour. We're off. The road is the same as coming up. Covered in broken rock. There are, however, some beautiful vistas of the cloud forest from here and we stop quite a few times to capture them on film. Hardly any traffic and once again the road is not scary. Sure there is a drop off but we stay near the centre and are not going fast at all. We bounce along following the signs to Guacimel. After quite a while we go through the town. It is still a lousy road and we question the guide's advice. Carry on to the town that starts with S. Just past the town the road changes. It is the nicest road we have seen. Freshly blacktopped with nary a pothole to be seen. There are palm trees lining the sides and beautiful homes. We are giddy and Rene drives extra fast and I don't even mind. Also note that there are a few prison camps along here. It is very warm out and we are following the signs to Puntarenas. After encountering people passing from the opposite direction we decide perhaps we should slow down a bit. But the windows are open, our hair is blowing and we are cruising. Get to what seems like a main crossroad and can only go left or right. We see a cabbie and ask which way to Jaco. Turn left and go for a while and there are a lot of signs for Jaco and Quepos. Turning off we are now on the coastal road. This is also very lovely and we enjoy the drive. A lot more potholes and traffic but we don't care. Over the Tarcoles bridge (we actually didn't realize this was the crocodile bridge as there wasn't a sign and there were no cars parked). Don't bother to turn around as I know that we will have to come back this way to San Jose. The clouds are starting to darken. I can't believe it. It has been so nice. The closer we get to Quepos the darker it gets. Starts to sprinkle and I think to myself that if Rene has to turn on the wipers I will cry. He turns them on. It is the only time that I actually did well up with tears. Have to go to the bathroom. We stop at a Soda and I go inside. It is very large and quite beautiful with painted gold elephants. The girl points to the banos. Every other ones we have encountered have said Damas and Caballeros. There are two doors with symbols but I can't figure out which symbol I am. Find the girl again and she points to one of the doors. Go inside and find a curtain. Behind the curtain is a vacumn cleaner and behind that is the toilet. Continue on our way. The wipers have been turned off and we are just outside Quepos. Everyone comes to a stop. We have to apparantly cross bridges. These are one lane bridges and quite long. You have to line your tires up on the tracks and bounce across. I am hoping they have tested the weight restrictions as we are quite high up and there are a lot of vehicles on the bridge. In Manuel Antonio we are staying at Villas Nicolas. There are no signs but I know that it is next door to Si Como No and there are plenty of signs for them. Drive through Quepos and up the hill to Manuel Antonio. We find Villas Nicolas no problem. The lady has our prepaid reservation and says that we are going to love our room. She takes us up to room 8UP and we are awestruck. The balcony is huge and tiled. On it is a double hammock, table and chairs and and a large wrap around bench with plenty of cushions. But the view! We look over top of the trees and can see right out to the ocean and an island in the middle of it. Louvered doors open into our bedroom which is very pretty. Not large but a big bed, fan, dresser and bathroom. Rene estimated the balcony to be about 16 x 24 ft. The sun is shining and once again it is very warm out. I grab hangers and we proceed to hang all our wet clothes from the rafters on the balcony. Go off to explore the property and check out the pool and hot tub. Very nice. There is a bar there but they do not open in low season. No problem. Reception sells beer and bottled water. Getting hungry so walked down to Cafe Milagro and had some really good sandwiches. They cash my traveller's cheque. Walk up the road a bit and check out the lovely art gallery outside Si Como No. Decide that we will catch the bus and go into Quepos. You catch it directly across from Si Como No. It costs 100 colones each (approx. 30 cents). They are nice buses (as compared to Mexico)and they run about every 20 minutes. Boy, is it hot out. The ride to Quepos takes about 15 minutes and we get off at the bus station. Wander up and down the streets and look in all the souvenir shops. Head to El Gran Escape for a cold one. It is time to go back and we go to the supermarket across from the bus station. Buying two 6 packs and 4 packs of cigarettes it comes to less than $13. We figure we have died and gone to heaven (our cigarettes are $7 each here and a six pack is $12). Back on the bus to Villas Nicolas and once again it stops right outside Si Como No. Sit on our balcony with our cold beer and watch the most incredible sunset. Snapping pictures like crazy. Dinner time and we figure we will go up to Barba Roja's for their famous natchos. It is about a 5 minute walk up the road from VN. Rene takes our small flashlight as it is now dark out. Once there we grab a couple of stools and order 2 cerveza's and the large order of natchos. They are fantastic! Not really something we can describe as they are not like those we have at home. The large is too much for us but we are full. Our only problem is that we are getting bitten really badly despite using the bug spray. Head back to VN. Sit outside on our gorgeous balcony and watch the geckos on our ceiling. A frog hops along our railing and we take pictures. This has been one great day. Bug check and off to bed, smiling.

Next up - Day 12 and beaches, bugger all open, bad service.

Another great report Trish! We'll be spending three nights at Villa Nicolas next month and now I'm really looking forward to it!! Thanks!

Hi trvlbug,
Really enjoying your travel report and looking forward to your next installment! Did you take the anti-malarial medication? I know most people on this board don't think it is necessary but I am still undecided.

I am so glad you had a better day and we will be there in Aug, so I too am glad you like VN so far....Joyce

Great report - Manual Antonio sounds lovely!

Trish: Your report about Villas Nicolas sure brought back some great memories of my stay there. We stayed there 4 nights, but could have easily stayed a week. I really appreciate the feedback on America West - I've read some pretty negative comments about their service a couple of years ago, but I understand they've made significant improvements recently. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!
Terri

Hi everyone,

Thought I would get a few questions answered before continuing.

Shillmac - the steaks at El Novillo were very good and done exactly right. My husband likes his rare and I like mine medium and that is the way they came.

Kwoo - we took no medications. Our Dr. looked on the website for disease control and told us we were fine. He also said that nothing had been reported from CR for many years. Also stated that because it is developed more than most Latin American countries the malaria, dengue and hepatitis risks are extremely low. Hope this helps although I know that it is subjective and a person has to do what gives them the most peace of mind. As far as tours went if we booked through the hotel they just added it on to their bill or we paid be credit card when we got there.

Ally - laughed at your description. They were the most dreaded on our trip. Everything else I could deal with (bug wise) but those just gave me the willies.

Terri - service with AW was fine. The counter people were very friendly and helpful and the attendants on the plane were also good. Like I said, the meals were good. They were hot or cold sandwich type meals with cookies and chips etc.

Molly2 - What the heck are zorries?

I will not comment on the driving just yet as I will give mine and Rene's opinion in my wrap up. Only a few more days to go. Day 12 soon. Once again, thank you for all your wonderful comments.

Trish

I'm sorry if I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but there were several cases of malaria around Jaco last year. Big article in the NY Times about it, as I recall. We were in Quepos at the time, those folks were not happy about all the negative publicity for the area.

Maui had a major outbreak of Dengue fever in the fall of 2001. Enough of a concern for me, who despises the use of Deet, to slather myself with the stuff. Yuk.

As for Hepatitis A, it was just last year that several people died in Pennsylvania from it.

My point is, those diseases are out there. Never have taken anti-malarials for trips to Costa Rica. We did take Chloraquin (sp) for a trip to Belize. Also will take one of the anti-malarials for an upcoming trip to Panama. May even get yellow fever vaccine for that one, depends on what the local travel clinic says.

I would certainly get Hepatitis A vaccine, even if I didn't travel. About a dozen states now require it for children. Two injections, six months apart you and protected for life.

Off my soapbox now. Sorry to interrupt these absolutely wonderful travel reports.

Jean

Zorries {sp?}, to some of us eastern-USers, are flip-flop type sandals - LOL!

I went to the hospital injection clinic and told them where we weregoing. They gave us a typhoid shot, hepitatis A shot, and a tetnus shot. They also gave us malaria pills. The main concern for our trip was that we were going to Tortuguero. They also recommended DEET at 35% max and 10% max for kids.

I felt that it was better to be safe then sorry especially since we were taking our 8 year old son.

Kathy

Message from JeanH:

Unless you are 70+, it is my understanding from the medical sites that the HEP A vacine(2 shots) is good for 10-15 years, not life.

thanks for these great stories.

Denny, I just looked at the CDC website and it says 20+ years of protection from Hep A vaccine. Certainly not a lifetime if you're getting it as a toddler. I'll have to ask at work to make sure, but we're telling people two shots six months apart and you're set for life. Perhaps we need to rethink what we're telling people. Since I work in pediatrics, obviously I don't see people coming back in 20 years for booster immunization.

Definitely something I'll check on when we return to the travel clinic this fall.

jean

I'm happy to know that zorries are flip-flops - but I've always wondered what LOL stands for! (stupid-question of the day??) Katie

LOL means 'laughing out loud'.

Trish...we are waiting for the next report!

Day 12 - Beaches, Bugger all open, Bad Service

Well it is Tuesday we decide that we will go to the park. It is 7 a.m. and we are sitting at Cafe Milagro having breakfast (very nice). The sweat is pouring off Rene and he is using every napkin on the table. Very muggy indeed. Walk back to Villas Nicolas and decide how to go about our day. It is so lovely here. Finally we decide that we will walk down as it seems to be all downhill. Setting off we take our time and look in stores etc. that we are passing. We also pass that monstrosity that is a plane. What an eyesore. Anyway, on our walk we see see some monkeys up in a tree. They are orange which I believe are spider monkeys. We also spot a Jesus Christ Lizard and a couple of other really large lizards. It is a nice walk and takes us about half an hour or so. Thankfully a lot of it is in the shade. Reaching the main "strip" we see the first beach. It is really beautiful and is the free public beach. Just an aside here and I do not wish to offend anyone. At this beach, our hotel and other places we went there were quite a few gay couples. They were fairly open about their sexual orientation and I am only mentioning it in case someone is easily offended by this they will not suddenly be "surprised". Coming from Vancouver, we could have cared less. We find a place to park ourselves and just sit there looking at a piece of paradise. Poor Rene is sweating buckets but luckily there was a fellow on the beach selling bottles of water. So we just relax, paddle our feet, drink our water and take in the view. There are a lot of vendors on the "strip" and we go looking for a photo album. They are really lovely albums made from banana leaves and make a wonderful souvenir. It is extremely hot out. Boy, we're never happy are we? After much searching we find the "exact" one that I want. This makes Rene very happy. While walking the strip we are approached by a lot of people wanting us to book tours, eat at their establishment etc. One guy who approaches us is Paul from Canada. He asks if we'd like to go for a surfing lesson. I tell him that I can't swim and he replies that I don't have to that the waves will just carry me back to shore! I guess the glazed look in my eyes from the extreme heat made me look stupid. We politely declined. It is so hot out and we are really tired. Here is where you can all boo us! We decided we did not want to go into the rest of the park. Had already seen so much wildlife on our trip and this beach was so beautiful (I know, the others are even more so apparantly) and it was sunny and hot out. This was enough for us for today. Caught the bus back to our hotel. Now we were hungry. Set off to get some food but there is nowhere open! Surprise, it is Tuesday and low season and so not a lot of places stay open this day. Some are even closed for a week or two to have holidays or ? Now what do we do. Don't really want to head back down to the park, where all the restaurants were open. Head back to the hotel and just happen to look across the street. There is a pizza place open. Wander in and it is a nice setting right by the pool. It is connected to a hotel although the name escapes me (it begins with K). Share a palm salad and a margherita pizza, both very good. When paying the fellow here tells me that I will get charged a fee for travellers cheques and not visa so I opt for the visa. Back to the hotel and change into swimsuits. Take some beer down to the pool and lie on a lounger in the shade. Dip in the pool and relax. Rene gets out of the pool and sprains his wrist. We are not sure how long the pain will last as he has ankylosing spondalitis (say that 3 times fast) and sprained wrists can happen. Decide that tomorrow we want to go on the Damas Mangrove Tour. Did not want to book it with the vendors at the park as we were not sure of the risk factor. Booked it through our hotel. The lady at reception called them and they told her that we had to be ready to be picked up at 8:15 a.m. The times you go out are based on the tides. We gave her a $40 deposit ($20 each). Back to the room for siesta and sunset watching from our balcony. It really is gorgeous. Later that evening we head out for dinner. Once again, where do we go with everything closed? Up the street is a sports bar and casino. Figure this is fine as we are not super hungry and will just have appetizers. It is nice and breezy in there and when we sit down we notice that on the giant screen they have the Calgary hockey playoffs on. Bonus. So we wait and wait until finally a girl comes over to take our order. A couple of beer and a few appetizers. Wait and wait until a fellow finally brings over the beer. Wait and wait. The food arrives. It is ok. But soon we are out of beer. A fellow sits down at the bar and sees the remote and changes the channel to wrestling! This proves too much and we yell at him. He changes it back and goes off to wherever the others have gone. There is no one around. Eventually someone comes and we figure we'll order another beer and the cheque. This place was an exercise in patience which is what we were running out of. C'est la vie. The rest of the day has been pretty nice and we head back to the hotel and a good night's sleep. Thank goodness for the fan! Next up - Day 13 and Money, Monkeys and Mexican Food. Hang in there, it's nearly over!!!

Trish,
Another great report. I'm looking forward to your "final thoughts" on this trip!

We will hate to see your report end! Was it a comfortable walk to the beach? We plan to stay there in Aug and I wondered if we should try to drive or walk to the beach? I am hoping to get a larger room as we will have our son with us. Joyce

I got a good laugh about your "almost" surfing experience! Once, in a {perscription} drug-induced daze,I got talked into swimming into whitewater rapids and had to be rescued!

Can't wait for your next installment!