traveler2005

<b>Monday – April 19 – Arenal - evening </B>

8 PM: We had dinner in the lodge. Before we came, I’d read that they only offered a buffet at lunch and dinner. It was reportedly in the $20 range and wasn’t that good. That was not true. We ordered off a menu and there wasn’t a buffet. We bought lower priced entrees which were under $10 each and I thought the food was good. Tonight, Charlie had the primavera again and I had spaghetti with butter. It wasn’t on the dinner menu, but I’d seen it on the lunch menu. I asked if I could have it and I could. We had the same waiter tonight. There was a table of about 20 near us. They seemed to be a tour group. The restaurant had a very good feel with candlelit tables and separated from nature only by screens. Very pleasant with a romantic feel.

After dinner, we decided to go to the museum and try out the swimming pool. The walk there was dimly lit at times and I came close to slipping. The museum mainly consisted of framed articles and some samples of lava. I read a display about the chances of fatalities due to tourism in the area and a travel article written in the early 80’s. There was no one in the pool. The pool was cold and the hot tub was hot, so we decided just to sit for a moment and enjoy the ambiance. As we were leaving, another couple arrived.

Tomorrow we plan to get up early for the drive to Manuel Antonio. If I had this trip to plan over, I’d spend another night here. I’d also spend a third night – perhaps – at Jaco and do a day trip to Manuel Antonio. If we get Internet access tomorrow, I might check out the foders information about a private guide for Wednesday.

traveler2005

<b>Tuesday – April 20 – Arenal to Manuel Antonio - the drive </b>

Last night, I again got up in the night a few times to see the volcano. The clouds cleared and there was a wonderful view.

We were so fortunate to have this weather. I woke up about 5:30 to the sound of the birds. I got up at 6 and went on a final walk. I went to the waterfall, but not down the hill. There was a cacophony of sounds – birds, howler monkeys, the waterfall, and the rumbles of the volcano. I wished that I’d brought the camera that does video/sound. I took more photos. This morning, the volcano was mostly visible, but slightly cloud-covered at the top

I got back about 7:15 and we went to breakfast. The bill seemed about $20 more than I was expecting. When I get home, I’m going to translate the bill and see why. (Tip - don't have meals added to your room bill in order to make it easier to understand.)

Yesterday, we asked directions and were told that the quickest and best way was to go back the way we’d come. Today, Alex, the Indian party’s guide asked us where we were going next and suggested another way. Then our desk agent suggested a third way. He suggested since we’d come through the mountains, we go around the lake in order to see more of the countryside. We ended up taking his suggestion.

The first leg of the journey was a better road than on Sunday, but was just as curvy. After a long stretch of driving, we saw something about a canopy tour and I wondered if it was one that I’d considered driving back and forth to from our hotel. If so, it would have been a LONG way to drive back and forth. At one point, we saw a cowboy shooing cows across a fence.

It was wearing for me just to ride in the car, so it must have been even more tiring for Charlie. We were down about a half tank and bought gas at the first town we came to with a gas station. It was a station with old-fashioned pumps and they pumped for you. It felt like Mayberry with a couple of men and a boy sitting on a bench outside. The restroom was very clean. This town was larger than many we’ve driven through. It had some shops and stores, but we didn’t tarry. Fortunately, we had the GPS because we would never have made it out the right way without it. Why there are no highway markings is beyond me. Perhaps the locals know their way around, but it seems Costa Rica now has quite a tourist trade. Markers at intersections and a few under the yield signs at the many dangerous bridges would be helpful.

The trip seemed like it would last forever. Our progress was very slow because of the serpentine roads. We ate a bag of munchies in the car to save driving time. The office at tonight’s lodging closes at 5. If we are going to get there later, we can call, but that might be easier said than done.

In 2005, we rented an audio tour of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. I thought then that they should combine a tour with a GPS. Well, guess what, our GPS had information about some of the towns that we went through. One of those nuggets explained that the ICE that we saw on fenceposts was the name of the power company.
Eventually we got to Highway 1. Amazingly enough, it was marked and straight. If someone had only driven on that road, he would not have had the full experience of driving in Costa Rica.

The oncologist had told us about a bridge with crocodiles. Before we left, Alex told us where to find it. We stopped and took turns going out to see the crocodiles. I also browsed the shops that lined both sides of the road, but didn’t buy anything. I considered the flags/towels which were 5,000 ($10) without cut-outs or 9,000 ($18) with.
Using the GPS was tricky at times. I didn’t have an address for where we were going today (as the agent said, we measure in distance from a tree – no addresses), so tried to just put in the city. Fortunately, before we missed a turn, I realized that I’d input the bus station to Quepos in San Jose rather than Quepos itself!! (one of our near-misadventures)

One large strip of the road was lined on both sides by palm trees. When we first saw them, I thought they were a sign of being in the tropics. However, they extended for kilometer after kilometer. The GPS guide said that they are a crop and are used for palm oil.

traveler2005

<b>Tuesday – April 20 – arriving in Manuel Antonio - </b>

When we arrived in Quepos and then Manuel Antonio, I tried to figure out where we were on the map. Our laminated map had an inset for this area with restaurants and hotels marked. However, not all were marked and it took me a while to actually find one. Now that I’m an adult, I can normally read in the car without getting sick, but the miles of curvy roads put me on the edge. Eventually though, I did find one and started following along. Our lodging was on the road to the Hotel Parador after the Hotel Mariposa. The road was unpaved, very rough, and steep. We pulled into a carport at our lodging at 3 PM. The woman was in the office along with a darling little girl – maybe 4 years old.

They took us up to our VRBO apartment. Wowie. The room consists of a kitchen, living area, bathroom, and bedroom. On the back is a balcony which is adjacent to the rain forest. There is also a sitting area outside our front door. But most impressive is that we are the only ones staying in the complex and we have a beautiful pool to ourselves. I am well satisfied.

I got the Internet going. The Frommer’s book left in the room suggested a favorite restaurant that is quite close to here. After, Charlie got up; we decided to walk to it and to the grocery. It was a long uphill climb back to the main road. We saw a bus go by and I was reminded that we could take the bus for 30 cents. When we finally got to the main road and the café, we decided we should go to the grocery first. It was a ways and en route, I asked a passerby if we were going the right direction (method – point to it on the map). When we finally got there, it was a small grocery.

5:30 Tuesday – We’re back from a walk to the grocery. We bought bread, cheese, water, chips, tortilla chips, salsa, and microwave popcorn. We were shocked that it was $30.

After a rest, we went out and took advantage of the pool. The temperature was perfect and the pool is lovely. One side was an infinity side with a view to the rainforest.

I thought to myself that this would be a perfect place to visit with friends if only it weren’t so far away.

traveler2005

<b>Wednesday – April 21 – Manuel Antonio </b>

It was another early wake-up day. Going to bed early isn’t all bad. I was up before 7 and Charlie got up not much later. We had some food, such as it was, from our refrigerator and then prepared to go to Manuel Antonio National Park. I’d read that people try to convince you to park before you get there. I suppose in that respect, it’s not much different from going to the State Fair or an athletic event. I asked Charlie if he thought we should try taking the bus, a taxi, or drive. He opted for driving.

Indeed as we neared the park, official looking young men motioned us to the side. I opened my window to ask one and he said to park there and then we’d walk to the park. Since I’d heard about this ruse on a trip report, we kept going. Eventually, we got to the end of the road. Again, there were people to park us and at this point we took them up on it. The cost was 2,000 colones or $4. This seemed reasonable for parking plus they would watch our car. They also had guides available. We wanted a guide and hadn’t gotten one in advance, so took them up on that offer too. Whether the price was good and whether someone else might have been better was unknown. However, in the end, we were satisfied with both the price and the tour.

Luis directed us to the entrance. It was behind a yellow building and I’m not sure how we would even have found that without him. As you look at the end of the street, it was on the left.

Luis carried a Swarovski spotting telescope. I figured that looking through my telephoto lens would bring me just as close. I was wrong. When he found an animal and I first looked through his lens, I was astounded - it was as if the animal was right in front of me. Something else cool is that we could take a photo through his telescope. I think they should turn out really well. We could tell where some things were since other people were looking. He knew whether other animals often hung out and so watched for them. The trip to the national park would not have been the same without him. Maybe we’d have seen something – but not much – and certainly not up close.

After about 20 minutes, it started raining. I got out the 2 gallon zip lock and put the good camera in it. Charlie and I both put on jackets that made us really hot and sweaty – but maybe not as wet – that is debatable. Once the rain started, we only used the smaller camera. Fortunately, the rain didn’t last the entire hike and we were able to take off the coats and use both cameras again.

As we saw the animals, I wrote them down in my notebook and tried to mark them on my spotting guide. I know that I’d never remember exactly what we saw otherwise. We saw many birds and animals – but no toucans.

At the end of the hike, we had to cross water to exit the park. I’d read that you had to go through water to get into the park. Luis told us that they’d changed the entrance to the exit. There was a guy with a boat and he took us across for a tip.

We could have gone back into the park with our admission tickets, but we were satisfied with what we saw.

On the way out of the park, a man sold coconut milk out of a coconut. It looked cool and I decided that if it was less than $5, I’d get one. I was in luck - it was $1 for a small size or $2 for a large size. The small size was fine for me. He cut off the top of the coconut and inserted a straw. It wasn’t very cold, but tasted coconuty and was pretty good. Nearby a man sold decorative wooden pieces. I checked prices and then checked again with a woman. They both wanted $10. I offered $5, but no dice. As we were leaving, I asked Charlie if we could see what the yellow building was. As we were returning from there, the woman came up again and offered the piece to me for $8. I decided it was worth that to me and bought it. It is a wooden candleholder with holes in it – i.e. you put a votive candle inside it.

Charlie decided that it would be fun to drive around town. We debated about eating at the Cafe Marmosa that was near our lodging and mentioned in the Frommer’s book in the room. However, we decided we should look around first. We parked and walked around. We saw the bus station and a bunch of restaurants and shops. It seemed like an area where locals would shop. There were tourist items, but not solely tourist items. Going back to the car, we saw another branch of the Café and decided to eat there. I got a veggie wrap and Charlie got a hamburger. Both were good and about $10. I decided to buy a couple of bags of coffee as Christmas gifts.

Back at the apartment, we changed into our suits and went out to the pool. It is as pretty as I can imagine a pool being. The tile is a brilliant blue, there are layers of seats around half of it, and an infinity edge leads to the jungle. We swam, I floated on my back, and we relaxed. After we heard thunder, we got out and I read. As we relaxed, Charlie saw some white-faced monkeys in the trees. A minute later, we had visitors. The monkeys came down to the pool. One browsed the edge and then they both played on the fence. I went back up into the room and got the cameras.

Later, we may go on down the road towards the beach and the hotel Parador. Cars pass about every 30 seconds and we are curious what’s down there. I joked to Charlie that maybe there’s a Super Wal-mart.

We did go down to the Parador. The only really notable thing was the awful road. I’m glad that we don’t have to drive it multiple times.

In the evening, I checked email and we watched the movie Spanglish. It was in English with Spanish subtitles and I tried to pick up some vocabulary by watching.

owlwoman

Nice report, very detailed. Good description on the zip line, you captured my feelings entirely (especially the closed eye part). When we went back two years later and my DH asked if I wanted to do it again, my response was "been there, done that"

traveler2005

The report is finally winding down. Thank goodness, you are probably saying. The next two days included a lot of wedding activities. I'll omit most of that.

<b>Thursday - April 22 – MANUEL ANTONIO TO VILLA CALETAS – REHEARSAL DINNER </b>

I got up at about 6:30, sat on the balcony, and read travel information. We had some free time and I wanted to check out options for the morning in Manuel Antonio and before the wedding tomorrow in Jaco. For Manuel Antonio, I came up with a gift shop and butterfly preserve. For the Jaco area, I decided on another national park and a hotel complex that has a gift shop that is built like a Costa Rican town.

Since we’ve been told that we shouldn’t leave the car with any luggage inside, sightseeing is inconvenient. For that reason, we decided to go to the butterfly farm and gift shop before checking out.

Driving, we missed the butterfly park and neared the national park. One of my questions had been what the charge for parking along the street would have been. So when we were again motioned to the side to park, I asked for directions to the butterfly preserve and for the price of parking. The butterfly park was behind us – the parking was supposedly free.

Since we were so close to the entrance to the national park, we looked for the Buena Note gift shop. We didn’t see it and when we got to the turn-around at the end, I got out of the car and asked Luis, our guide from yesterday. He said that it isn’t there any longer, but is now a disco. The owner still lives there though. On our way back, we saw the disco. There were many shopping stalls extended back from the street there, but we decided not to stop.

This time through, we didn’t have any trouble finding the butterfly farm. We parked and found the reception area. The young woman inside took our money and asked if we’d like a guided tour (no extra cost). That certainly sounded like the way to go. She directed us to the butterfly area and said she’d meet us there in 15 minutes. While we waited, we tried to take photos. There were many blue butterflies, but they moved so quickly that it was hard to take a photo. When their wings were folded, there was no color. I later noticed that the blue color was only slightly visible on the open butterflies near the roof.. The guide later told us that when light shines through the wings, the blue does not show.

The young woman gave us many interesting facts about butterflies and then took us into the lab area. The staff gathers eggs from the atrium and moves them to the lab. This is because there are many within a small area and the pupas require much food. In the lab, the staff brings in food for them.

She showed us both eggs and pupa. The pupa of the blue butterfly looked like a fruit, but when she touched it, it moved! This is a safety mechanism to repel predators. The pupa is also brightly colored. Since brightly colored fruit is often dangerous to their predators, they don’t eat it.

She explained that butterflies fly in the day and moths at night. She showed us various examples and pointed out that color is not a clear predictor of which is which. There were also insect specimens for us to see.

After she left, we were free to spend more time in the garden.

We went back to the room, packed up our things and were off to Jaco. We left at about 11:15 and arrived at about 1. The drive was quick and simple.

The road up to the hotel was lovely but extremely steep. We found a small parking area and I left to find the reception. Two parties were already checking in and I waited on a nearby couch. A staff member appeared and took care of me there until a desk opened up. She brought me a wet towel and a glass of peach tea. She said that a bellboy would show us the room. We walked back up to the car and he handled the luggage. The room was very close to where we were parked. Charlie asked if he should move the car to another area, but was told that it was fine. He did later back it into a space. Unfortunately, he hit a pole and chipped the paint. It is nothing compared to all the dents, scratches and a hole already on the car, but I worry about it.

The room is nice. The furniture is dark and much is rattan. There’s a bench, several tables, a desk with hutch and a chifforobe. We have a balcony with a beautiful view of a somewhat distant ocean.

We went for a walk to the Zephyr Palace where the wedding will take place. It isn’t far, but the road is steep. We then checked out the computers with Internet access for guest use, and the infinity pool.

We watched the sunset from the amphitheater, a popular option that was even mentioned in guidebooks.

The rehearsal dinner was at El Galeón an, open-air restaurant at another resort.

traveler2005

owlwoman - I'm not sure if I would do it again or not. It would nice to be able to open my eyes and see what I did. On the other hand, I never really got over being scared. It felt like I was trusting my life to a harness and a piece of metal - I guess because I was.

traveler2005

<b>Friday – April 23 – VILLA CALETAS – Carara National Park - Jaco </b>

I went to the 7 AM yoga class at the resort. It was held on a shaded terrace on the back of the building with a view of the ocean. There was one couple and the teacher. The movements were way too hard for me. I tried and then finally modified everything A LOT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3y8ORb1Yuo

After breakfast, we drove to nearby Carara National Park. We paid $10 each to enter and the staff member told us that we could have a private guide for $20 each. My tour book suggested that a guide should cost about $15 each, so I asked if he would take less since there were four of us. He said that $15 would be OK and said that we should enter through the next entrance. We could drive there and he would drive his own car. It was down the road a bit. Charlie noticed that a water jug hanging from a tree marked the entrance. I’m not sure why that trail was better than this one. Well, come to think of it, I think that actually I think I do know. The answer lies in the next paragraph.

The next parking area featured a sign that said Carlos would watch our car for $7. The sign also said that if we did not pay the fee, we might come back to find our window smashed or the car broken into. Carlos was not there, but there was a woman who took the money. Later, I asked the guide his name. He was Antonio and he said that Carlos was his brother. He said that the woman was his wife.

He asked what we wanted to see and we said wildlife and perhaps toucans. He said that toucans would be hard to find, but he’d see what he could do.

He also carried a spotting telescope and pointed out many birds. I made a list as we walked and marked them on my spotting guide. One of the highlights of the walk was seeing two scarlet macaws. The guide said that if we came back early in the morning, we might see hundreds of them. Coming at 10:30 AM was not an ideal time – early morning or late afternoon would be better.

After the hike, we decided to go to the nearby hotel that featured a replica of a Costa Rican village. We found the hotel, but when we drove back looking for the village, we ran into a dead end. We went back towards the hotel and I went into the laundry area and asked a man. He said that we could park where we were and he would show us where to go. We crossed behind the open-air restaurant and he motioned to a bridge. We crossed it, walking by a huge lizard who was not interested in moving. A woman was coming the other way.

The village area had a couple of buildings on both sides and a church at the far side. The first building was a shop that sold clothing, but it was locked. On the other side, there was another gift shop. We could see a mortar and pestle and wooden vases marked $4 through the window. That building was also locked. As we left, however, the woman came back carrying her lunch and unlocked for us. I bought a couple of key chains and some pencils.

Her lunch looked good and we debated whether to eat at this restaurant or go in to Jaco. We decided that it would be more interesting to explore another new place and set out for Jaco.

The main street of the town was a couple of blocks off the highway. It looked more touristy than the other towns that we’ve been in with restaurants and shops, some of which, unlike the other places we’ve been, seemed like they catered more to tourists than to locals. I’d heard that the city should be avoided since it consisted of prostitutes and drug dealers. However, it didn’t give off an uncomfortable feel to me.

As we drove through, we tried to decide where to stop to eat. I suggested that we could drive all the way through and at least see the town. Meanwhile, I looked at my tour information to see what restaurants they suggested. I came up with two that were listed as budget gems. We didn’t see either one and I told Charlie that I’d be happy to get out and ask. He pulled over and I got out. My glasses immediately steamed up so badly that I couldn’t see anything. I asked a man, “Donde es?” and pointed to the name Rioasis in my guide. He thought for a minute and then pointed directly across the street. I thanked him and we pulled around to the other side to park. A rough looking man carrying what looked to be a lead pipe offered to watch our car. He gave the sign that I’d seen mentioned in the books – pointing to his eyes. I’d told Charlie that the books suggested taking people up on their offers, so he gave him some coins and we went into the restaurant.

We looked at the menu and decided on a vegetarian pizza to share with cokes all around. They came in glass bottles (it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that) with glasses of ice. We skipped the ice. The pizza was really good. At one point, I saw something large running across the netting that covered the ceiling and realized that it was a cat. Not long after that, the waiter used a large broom to poke at it and try to scare it away.

When we left, the pipe man was still there and he stopped traffic to let us pull out. Charlie told me that he’d given him 40 cents. It was the best 40 cents we’d ever spent and we would have gladly given him more. He certainly earned it more than Antonio’s wife who charged $7.

We went back to the resort. Wedding festivities took up the evening. It was very hot, but a beautiful place for a wedding.

1bhcrashman

Just felt I should comment again. Not only is your report informational but I can see you did a lot of pre-trip reading & planning. I am very interested in reading your posts. Thank you.

klam_chowder

Thx a mint for the detailed trip report! I know it takes a lot of time to include this level of detail and wanted you to know it's much appreciated. This December, I'm going to Costa Rica for the first time and this is great reading/info! Looking fwd to your next installments.

Enjoy-la!

bspeck007

I am loving your reports! With all your details, I feel like I am there with you! You are getting me so amped up about my trip in 3 weeks. Thanks for taking the time to share your adventures with us.

traveler2005

Thank you for the replies. I was afraid that I was posting into a vacuum - that my journal was too long for anyone to want to read. I am getting close to the end!

By the way, my husband only gave the pipe man 40 cents because all he had was the equivalent of a $20 bill or coins. He gave him all the coins that he had. The man seemed fine with it. We are unsure whether the pipe was to protect our car or to make you think that he'd hit the car with it if we didn't pay him. Or maybe he just likes carrying around a lead pipe - one of the mysteries of travel.

traveler2005

<b>Saturday – April 24 – VILLA CALETAS to SAN JOSE</b>

I woke up early again. My back hurt, so I took some ibuprofen. I’m not sure whether it was from the yoga or the bed. In any case, I tried to go back to sleep without much luck. I asked Charlie if he wanted to try to go to Carara to see the early morning birds. He was OK with it, so we did.

I dug the park receipts out of the backpack. Charlie thinks they are good for a week. I wasn’t sure, but it could be.

We drove directly to the second entrance. Neither Carlos nor Antonio’s wife was there to take money, so we saved some money there. I saw a camera bag on the ground, so hung it on the gate to make it easier for someone to find. Inside the park, we ran into two couples with guides. They were looking at a group of a dozen or so scarlet macaws. We walked on as far as the area where we saw the macaws yesterday. There weren’t any there. We were pleased enough to see the bigger group near the beginning and headed back. On the way, one of the guides asked to see our tickets and we discovered that I’d brought the ones from Manuel Antonio. I explained that we had been there yesterday and I’d just dug out the wrong tickets. When I told him Antonio’s name plus noted that Carlos was his brother and his wife was the one watching the cars, he believed me. However, he said we were supposed to pay every day. We told him that we were leaving. He pretended that he was going to call the authorities. However, he smiled and was evidently joking.

Back at the hotel, we happened upon the palm weaving class. I’d planned to go and had forgotten all about it. We were just on time and Suzi and I were the only ones interested. This was another example of happening into the right place at the right time. We made a hummingbird with plant and a lamp. Melkin also gave us each a woven heart. After the class, it was time for us to head out. The ones that were staying were going to the zip line. I rather wished we had time to go along, but we weren’t sure how long it would take to get to San Jose and we needed to make sure we got there before dark.

As it turns out, the new road to San Jose was great and it was only an hour and a half. We found the Holiday Inn Express without too much trouble. It is great. They even feature free international calls. Another neat feature is a luggage scale in the lobby.

We talked to the Grey Line agent about options to go into San Jose. There’s a Grey Line tour on Sunday, but it lasts too late for us. There is also a free shuttle to a shop. After going to it, they can bring you back to the hotel or drop you off somewhere else and you can take a cab back.

We mentioned the Clarion to the agent and he said that the government had shut it down THAT DAY for not paying its taxes. All the guests had to leave. I have no idea what we would have done if we’d gotten there and found a closed hotel. (This was another of the almost misadventures.)

After checking in, we decided to go next door to the Denny’s for dinner. While there, we discussed what we could do. We decided that we’d drive into San Jose that night for “date night.”

Back in the hotel, whom should we run into but Steve and his daughter Taylor? They’d been on the hike at AOL with us and then we got to know them when they were at the same zip line tour as us. Steve said that his GPS had led him through downtown San Jose on the way to the Holiday Inn Express. He was stuck there for two hours and it was white knuckle driving. This is the same guy who took the zip line one handed so that he could video with the other. We decided that we should rethink our plan about driving into town.

We decided to make a reservation for the free shuttle at 9 AM on Sunday. We also decided to take the option of paying the airport departure tax in advance. (It cost an extra $3 – but would save us a line at the airport.)

It was now raining.

Since we wouldn’t need the car on Sunday, we went on and returned it. We were scared that there’d be a problem with the chipped paint, but fortunately there wasn’t. There were so many dings on it that another wouldn't matter. We also saved some money by returning it early. The agent here was the one from the airport who taught us how to say Jaco. He said that he usually works at this location, but they needed him at the airport that day. They gave us a ride back to the hotel.

Back in the room, I worked on my trip notes and remembered that we’d left the palm frond projects on the back shelf of the car. We walked back to the rental agency and found them. The buildings that bordered the short walk were all bordered by fences topped with barbed wire or razor wire. I didn't feel uncomfortable, but I did wonder how much trouble they must have with robbery to need it.

When we checked in, we were given some coupons for the casino next door, so went over there. The cashier indicated that we needed to go to the club area. It took a while for someone to come help us. Eventually, she came and we gave her the $5 of free play coupons. She motioned that we needed to each pick a machine and she’d put credits on it for us. Not long after playing I won 125 coins. Charlie found that he had to play out his money on the same machine. However, I saw that I could cash out my winnings and went to another machine. When I later came back, Charlie was watching my machine. As it turns out, I’d cashed out my winnings, but my original credits were still on the machine. It seems like I started with 600 credits. I played what I thought was a nickel at a time and won a bunch of free spins and small and large amounts. I played for a long time and had a lot of fun with it. In the end, I thought I’d won about $50. However when I took all my coupons to the cashier to cash in, it was only about $10. I guess the machine printed the coupons in American money when it was really Costa Rican colones. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

oak_tree

Thanks for sharing. Fun to read your journal.

traveler2005

Almost done!

<b>Sunday - April 25 – SAN JOSE </b>

I woke up and had trouble getting back to sleep again. I guess it’s better than being so tired that I can’t wake up. We got up at 7, did a little packing and went down to breakfast. They had a nice assortment. I had a bagel and cream cheese and juice, but there were also a variety of hot items. We then finished packing and went downstairs. I noticed when we came in that the hotel had a scale to weigh your luggage. What a great idea. Our suitcases were only a couple of pounds under the 50-pound limit when we started and we bought souvenirs, so we are checking through a third bag. The good news is that we can each check two for free.

We checked out and left our luggage with the hotel so that we could go sightseeing.

The woman who was running the shuttle to the shop called my name and we were off about 10 minutes in advance of the 9 AM time. She drove a car. Her English was not fluent, but it was certainly decent and she was able to point out a few things as we drove. She pulled into a neighborhood of homes topped by coils of barbed wire. We hoped that our hotel would not set us up to go somewhere to be robbed and murdered, but that thought did cross our minds. We entered the building and found two rooms full of jewelry. Another woman explained a bit about the history of Costa Rican gold pieces and then showed us a video. It was in Spanish with subtitles. Afterwards, she showed us around her shop. The items were beautiful, but nothing was marked. I eventually told her that the things were beautiful, but that we’d like something inexpensive. She showed me some earrings for $10. I figured that we should buy something and temporarily settled on the earrings.

However, a necklace had caught my eye and I asked her how much it was - $190. That was more than I wanted to pay, but I was drawn to it. She offered it for $160 if we would pay cash. I was tempted, but I wasn’t sure we had that much extra cash. I asked her if she’d take $140 hoping that we could meet at $150. I also started digging to see how much cash I had. I found $60 in American money and only $2 in Costa Rican money. Charlie didn’t have enough, so I checked my money belt again. I found some traveler’s checks and asked if they’d take them. In the end, I had my necklace for $140.

The driver asked if we wanted to go back to the hotel or somewhere else. We asked if she’d take us downtown. As it turned out, it wasn’t that far away and she pointed a few more things out as we drove. I considered accepting that as our trip to San Jose and asking her to drive us back to the hotel. However, we continued with our plan.

We got out of the car and dug through our bag to try to find the tour book info on the city. Fortunately, it was in the back pocket of the backpack. We started to walk and came upon a plaza where we saw a young man with a sign advertising a city walking tour. We found out that it started in only a few minutes and was just $15 each. It seemed a no-brainer to take it and we were glad that we did. Irenetta was an excellent guide. During the week, she does tours for cruise boats and she does city tours on the weekend. Charlie and I were the only ones on the tour. She pointed out many interesting buildings and shared much of their history and the history of Costa Rica. We learned so much on the tour and got a real bargain. Our tour ended at the national museum. We could have left her there and visited it, but instead we asked her about the Artisan’s Market that I’d heard of. It was nearby and she took us there. She also explained to us that we should only take a red cab with a yellow triangle on the side. That, too, was valuable information.

The market was a series of stalls much like the market in Nassau or Budapest. Irenetta had told us that the items were all made in Costa Rica, that the prices were good and that we could bargain. We worked our way through it to see what our options were and I found many things that I liked. I ended up buying 3 beaded keychains, 4 wooden bracelets and 6 wooden coasters. I was able to bargain the key chains to 3 for 5,000 colones ($10), the bracelets from $3 each to 4 for $10 and the coasters from $3 each to 6 for $10 (that was the toughest sell).

We were hungry and decided to look for somewhere to eat. We would have been happy with a McDonald’s, but saw a local fast food restaurant. Inside, we found that it was much like a KFC. All the main items were chicken, but I saw some side dishes that I’d eat. I thought that I saw rice with vegetables, but wasn’t sure about the word under the photo. A family that was already eating saw our difficulty and asked if we spoke Spanish. We said that we didn’t and they asked their daughter to help us. I think they were proud that she could do that and thought it would be a good experience for her. We saw very few Americans in San Jose, so they might not often get the chance. In any case, she said it was potatoes. After I ordered, I realized that the rice had another word next to it and the word that I ordered was next to the French fries. I tried to change to the rice, but they were out of it. The workers did not speak any English at all and we enjoyed the chance to try to get along without a shared language. We asked if they took dollars since we only had enough colones left for the taxi. They did, but only with a $10 minimum. (They wrote $10 on a piece of paper.) However, they did take a charge card, so we were in business. Travel is so easy now compared to what it would have been before the days of charge cards and ATM’s.

Charlie got a chicken sandwich that was really good. My French fries were also hot and yummy. I asked the young girl how old she was – 13. We chatted a bit. I think it would be ideal to learn a language by trading words back and forth with a child or young person.

Out of the restaurant, we saw a number of cabs across the street. However, as we started across, I noticed a cab turning onto our side and hovering to see if we needed him. We walked up and I was ready to show him the paper on which I’d written Holiday Inn Express and point to “how much does it cost?” that I’d found and marked in our Spanish guide. Unfortunately, Charlie pulled out the paper and we lost the place. No matter though, we were able to communicate that much even though he didn’t know much English and we know less Spanish.

The ride back to the hotel was fairly long and since there seemed to be so many empty taxis, I thought that the driver was probably glad to have a substantial fare on a slow-sh Sunday.

Cattail

I'm enjoying your report, traveler. Funny about Steve and the San Jose driving - poor guy!

traveler2005

Thanks, Cattail. Yes, when Steve was shaken, we decided that it was better to avoid driving downtown. My husband grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so had experience with big city driving. On the other hand, Steve was from Phoenix so knows a little about it too. Steve said he'd pull over to make room for another car pulling out and then the spot that he needed to pull back into would be filled by someone else. Hard to explain - but we certainly got the idea from talking to him that we didn't want to try it. He and his family decided to stay at the hotel that last night and order in for pizza. When we went in on Sunday with the driver, it didn't seem that bad, but Sundays are probably the days with the least traffic.

I had to marvel at the chances of running into Steve that evening.

traveler2005

This is finally the last installment.

<b>Sunday - April 25 – SAN JOSE TO HOME </B>

Back at the hotel, we relaxed in the lobby and watched people come and go. Eventually we got our luggage and moved some things from the backpack into the pieces that would be checked. The desk clerk told us to let him know when we needed the shuttle. We left about 2:15 or so. The van was huge and it was a quick drive.

I wrote the following when Holiday Inn emailed me for comments:

<i>The Holiday Inn Express in San Jose did everything right.

Booking over the Internet was easy.
Check-in was quick as was checkout.
The rooms were great.
Breakfast was yummy.
The man at the tour desk was helpful.
I appreciated being able to use the printer in the office to print off my boarding pass.

I also appreciated being able to leave our bags on our last day so that we could explore San Jose after our check-out, but before our evening flight.

Although, we didn't utilize it, being able to make free international calls was an awesome perk.

Being near the rental car return was convenient. Because you offered a free airport shuttle, we were able to return our car a day early and save money.

I also was very impressed at the luggage scale in the lobby. What a terrific idea!! We did take advantage of it.

I would highly recommend your hotel.</i>

Yesterday, we paid our departure tax, so we were able to skip that line. The man at the hotel said that it could be a long line. I wasn’t, but you never know.

On the way through the airport, we stopped at a shop and bought t-shirts for Charlie, Scott and I. Back at our gate, we saw the people who had rented the car in front of us. Charlie and I each chatted with them separately when we walked by them. After a while, I went to shop some more. I bought a keychain for a Christmas ornament, a set of Costa Rican wood, and a couple of necklaces. The necklaces were supposed to be on special with a third one for a reduced price. However, the cash register couldn’t handle the third one. Oh well. Back at our seats, crowds had formed. I overheard another person marvel over the great airfare.

I’d moved our seats up to row 4 and left an empty one in the middle. Someone sat in it, but we traded and he sat by the window. I was surprised to have food service on the short one hour flight. We had a drink plus a hot filled scone. I was even more surprised when I saw the attendant serving mixed drinks and not charging for them.

Our flight got in on time and we hurried over to the new gate. The El Salvador airport had a number of nice stores. I stopped into one while Charlie went to the bathroom. I almost bought a Hello Kitty key cover for Laura, but we didn’t have time. I jested that I enjoyed our stay in the country. Our second flight was only a half hour. This time, we had the row to ourselves. Even though the flight was so short, the attendants went from guest to guest offering mints.

Next stop was Guatemala City. Even though our next flight was on the same plane, we had to disembark the plane so that we could go through security again. Our hand luggage was searched and we each had a pat down. At this stop, a young man with a Michigan t-shirt asked if we’d heard the row numbers for boarding. It was nice to talk to someone with a Midwestern accent. We chatted for a bit. He’d done the Skytrek at Monteverde.

When we boarded, the plane smelled like hot chocolate chip cookies. We’d hoped to have a row to ourselves to make it easier to sleep, but no luck. I had the window seat and Charlie traded with the other person in order to sit in the middle next to me. I dozed until it was time for dinner. The choices were chow mein or spaghetti. The spaghetti was meatless, so I picked that. It had mushrooms and broccoli and was quite good. The dinner also included carrots, a dinner roll, and a cookie. After dinner, I went back to sleep. I was fortunate to be able to sleep.

We had another “on time flight with Taca” and arrived at O’Hare at 1:30 AM. We were able to get off quickly since we were in row 6. We were asked if we had any food with us. We did, but since it was not a fruit or vegetable, there was no problem. Next step immigration. We entered a room that looked like the interior of the ET ride at Universal- a serpentine maze to accommodate a huge number of people. We, fortunately, walked to the front - waiting only for the couple of people that were in front of us on the plane. We commented to the agent that we were lucky to be there in the middle of the night. He said that 8,000 to 10,000 people go through that area per day – most between noon and 8 PM. He said that sometimes not only is the room full, but they keep people on the plane because there is no room for them.

After immigration, we went to the baggage carousel. We took turns going to put on long pants. After we got the bags, we headed to the next area to call for the hotel shuttle. We found the hotel call center where we could pick the appropriate hotel and call them using a touch screen. The shuttle driver was the same man who took us to the airport a week earlier. From the phone call to the hotel took about 40 minutes. The car was fine and we were soon on our way. I was well satisfied with the cost and convenience of the hotel. It was a wise choice. We stopped at a 711 for a Coke and bag of popcorn and then continued on our way. It was a great time to drive since there was no traffic. We took turns driving and got home at 5:40 AM.

Both of us were glad that we were able to go to the wedding and extend our stay to a vacation in Costa Rica. The trip was full of adventures – a new-to-us airline, challenging driving, a scary zipline, and a car watcher with a lead pipe. There could have been misadventures –an ATM that turned RED when we tried to use it, terrible roads, a hotel that was closed the day we were to check in, a private driver taking us to a home topped with barbed wire, and an expedition to downtown San Jose. In every case, everything turned out fine and gave us stories to cherish.

JC98

Thanks for the report. The basic rate for car rental was $84 per day??

volcanogirl

Glad you guys had fun!