Day two of our attempt to reach Golfito was a success. We actually stepped off the plane at 10:00am to a world of beautiful, warm, humid air (which our dry Utah skin appreciated), lush, green vegetation, the smell of the sea, the sound of flocks of small screeching parrots and the cutest little airport we've ever seen. It included a small, open air terminal with outdoor, walk-up counters for both Sansa and Nature Air, an open air restaurant/bar emanating wonderful smells of Tico food and a hot cha/cha girl bartending in her short shorts, plunging neckline tank top, big hoop earrings, bright blue eyeshadow and tatoos. She was charming, pretty, friendly and toast of the guys arriving and departing. The Golfito airport also has a resident dog (potcake they were called in the Caribbean) who chases planes the way most chase cars. She knows the exact arrival times of the 2 Sansa, 1 Nature Air and 1 private charter flights, each morning. She sits at the end of the landing strip, eyes riveted on the sky, turns when she sees (or hears) the far off dot in the sky, gets into crouched position and tears down the asphalt, barking at the tires, when they touch down.She's then the official greeter of debarking passengers. It's a big job and she performs it with serious dedication.

Lynn's driver, Victor, from the previous night, was waiting for us, although the house where we'd be staying was within sight. He'd slept over, as it's a 7 hr. drive back to SJ, crossing big mountains & winding roads in thundering rain. The cost of a driver to Golfito is steep because it's a long ways and no returning passengers (who goes to Golfito, other than by plane on the way someplace else) so it's a dead head run. He was very nice, very good looking (the Costa Ricans are such handsome people)and relieved to see us. He said that Lynn, Chus and Robbie (owner of the house in Atlanta) were all concerned over our "no show, no call" status then night before. Lynn had checked the news that morning for Sansa flights crashed in the sea and then Victor's call to Sansa verified our arrival on that mornings flight....once they figured out how to drop us off first. They were TRYING to get rid of us!
He said that Lynn and Chus, the houseman, had gone to the bank and would meet us shortly. After waiting for 20 minutes and knowing my girl Lynn, I suggested we go looking for her. Found her a few blocks away, surrounded by vendors, shopping bags in hand (don't you love the blue & orange stripped plastic bags) being sprayed with faux perfume samples. We're standing in the heat, in travel clothes, bag in hand, sweaty, in need of a cold beer (don't normally drink that early, but an Imperial was sounding awfully good) and she's shopping. Typical. I got to chide her over that one. We went to the house, compared notes on the previous days Chinese fire drills of travel and had a good laugh.

The house was beautiful. It had been the managers home of the old Chiquita Banana plantation, that closed operations in Golfito long ago, leaving the tiny town with many old homes that were long since abandoned and delapidated. Lynn's friend bought this one 6 yrs. ago, did a complete restoration, reconfigured it for a modern kitchen, wrap around veranda and gorgeous landscaping. The floors are dark polished hardwood, the cabinets Costa Rican Cristobal, high ceilings, hand painted sinks, and the traditional wood/leather rockers on the veranda. The owner/guest quarters are on the upper level and the caretakers on the ground level.
The property backs up to the mountains, with an ocean view, huge palms, ficus, guava, limons, a smaller, red trunk palm, trumpet vine and dozens of flowers, trees, vines & shrubs, that I don't know the names of.
A puma walked through the Rancho, right behind the house, one morning, the air screeched with flocks of Love Bird type parrokeets and there was a dramatic iguana fight in a very tall palm, that resulted in one getting dethroned and knocked to the ground in front of us. After falling 40 ft., he shook his head, looked around a bit dazed and slinked off...none the worse for wear. We all knew who ruled that palm now.
Chus said that the pumas eat iguana and cautioned Lynn to keep a close eye on Grayson as his fat little 7 lb. body would make a good appetizer for them. Grayson loved exploring the tropical lushness and was very curious about the iguanas. They were about his size and the strangest dogs he'd ever seen! They all seemed equally curious about one another.

Mariella (Chus wife) made her wonderful arroz con pollo for us that night. We'd gone downtown with Chus (poor, locals area with little tourism, except sport fisherman) to Pearsons mercado, for the fixin's. He said it was a short walk. After 4 miles over rocky potholes & mud puddles, my husband, in thin soled loafers, was really missing the hiking shoes in his lost luggage. Before picking up our bags of rice, tomato, avocado (Chu's guacamole is the best)papaya, limones mandarino and chicken, we stopped at Samoa restaurant in the marina for shrimp ceviche & cold beers.
I also replaced most of our lost toiletries at Peasons, (we really needed to brush our teeth) trying to explain to the lady that one deodorant would suffice for both my husband and myself. 36 yrs. of marriage involves a lot of togetherness, but she'd hear none of it. A woman uses female deodorant and a man uses the macho version. She was so sweetly adamant that I had no desire to argue.

Chu & Mariella's 7 yr. old daughter, Lucy, went with us also. There aren't words to express what a darling, smart, funny, lovable child she is and a great addition to our Costa Rican experience. She loves to sing, dance and model clothes, all of which she's very good at. Lynn suggested that the two of them share a banana split for lunch so we gringos were an instant hit.
Taxi to Shalom Zapato on a back street for hiking boots for Alex. While waiting in the taxi, I reached into my backpack/purse to a mini swimming pool. My water bottle (with pop up top) had tipped upside down and emptied itself. Why it didn't immediately drain out (it was a cheap Wal-mart) is beyond me and was horrified to find both my cell phone (the only one in our group that got service there, but thank goodness it wasn't the passports) and camera, both floating. The phone was old, needed replacing and I could do without. Costa Rica, for the first time, without a camera was a crisis. I determined to head to the "free zone" the following day, for a replacement. They turned out to have a very limited selection and were far more pricey than in the US, but Lynn had a 2000 pic memory card in hers and very graciously shared it with me for the rest of the trip. Day 3 crisis averted.

Lucy entertained us on the veranda that evening with dancing and singing. She gave us Spanish lessons and we improved her English. I lived in Mexico when I was young so still have a good feel for Spanish conjugation and a decent accent, but my vocabulary has suffered from lack of practice. It was nice to have 12 days of a refresher course. We drank wine, rocked and enjoyed the beautiful downpour.
Here in UT, the majority of our moisture is in the form of winter snow, so a good rain is a treat, particularly those tropical showers that come straight down in sheets. To bed early & up early.

After wonderful coffee and papaya on the veranda, waving at the Sansa & Nature Air passengers that flew by the veranda at almost eye level, before touching down, we headed out to the "free Zone" with Chus & Lucy. Golfito is just miles from the Panamanian border so a big shopping destination for shop owners taking merchandise back by the bus load. It's an enclosed compound with dozens of individual stores selling everything from electronics to clothing, appliances, kitchen ware and liquor. I was on the hunt for a camera, Alex for clothes, Lynn for wine and Lucy, anything that glittered. Lynn bought her a pair of quite fashionable, faux Channel sunglasses and I got her pink, lace edged capris with a flowered cotton sun dress....all of which she picked out herself with her very discerning, fashion eye. Lynn got Chus a good, large flashlight and I got Mariella an electric mini chopper so that she wouldn't have to spend hours mincing garlic, onions and peppers, on our behalf. She probably didn't use it after we left. I know I love my good chefs knife.
The whole shopping process at the "free zone" is complicated and requires an experienced hand to know the ropes. Upon entering, we were rushed by both men and woman offering to sell us something in the form of paperwork. Initially, I thought that it might be lottery tickets or phone cards, but turned out that one requires a "free zone license" to get the goods through customs at check out. Apparently the price isn't fixed as Chus negotiated for the best price, which was $24. Then the trek to each store began with much fun & laughs. The items are tabulated at one cashier, noted on our license inventory sheet, paid for at another cashier and left for pickup at the end of the day. From store to store, ending at the liquor store, which required it's own separate license. While we waited with the case of wine and new glasses, Chus went back to each store to retreive the loot. He was gone quite a while & returned with only some of the stuff. He'd forgotten that it was Sunday & everything closed at 2:00 so would have to return the following day. We bought ice cold coconuts with straws, to drink on the walk home.
The fish market also closed early so we had arroz con pollo leftovers, Chu's guacamole & cold beer. Another lovely evening on the veranda, singing, laughing and giggling with Lucy.
A storm of thunder & lightening had poor little Grayson shaking in his Mom's arms. Lucy had early bedtime as the next day was first back to school with the bus picking her up at 6:30am.
We were all in bed early every night & up early. It just seems to work that way in Costa Rica. We kept the same schedule as the birds and monkeys.
Monday (day 4)morning, Lucy came rushing up on the veranda at 6:15, where I was having coffee, to give me a hug good-bye, before her first day of school. She'd gone from wild, long curly hair, sun dress, flowery scarf tied at the waist, feather boa and tiara & bare feet, to dark blue, pleated shirt, button down white blouse, white knee socks, black patent leather shoes and hair brushed tightly back in long ponytail, shiny scrubbed face and books under her arm. The show girl Lucy and the studious Lucy. I waved as she got on the bus that picks her up at the property gate. Big metal gates decorated with colorful iron iguanas, palms and flowers. I got back on the computer and phone, checking with AA on lost bag. Their "Delayed Baggage" website said that the bag had been found & was in SJ. We had left instructions to have it sent to Golfito, but all attempts to communicate with them went unanswered. I began feeling like an AA stalker.
After papaya, watermelon & coffee on the veranda, we headed into town for avocados, tortillas, fresh tuna and dorado off the boat. We rode home in the mercados little delivery truck, with music blaring on the radio and Lynn singing to the driver. Chus insisted on returning to the "free zone" on his own so that we could take a walk, naps, swim...whatever tourits do on a lazy
vacation. He didn't return for several hours and I asked what happened, feeling bad that he'd gone to so much effort on our behalf. The lady that we bought the original license from and who was required for checkout, couldn't be found. Chus had then negotiated with the duanas ($4 bribe) for an hour before being allowed to leave with the stuff. Everyone's entitled to make a living.
Alex, Lynn and I headed to the pool. When Lucy's bus delivered her to the house at 1:00pm, it took about 3 minutes for the school clothes to be exchanged for a bathing suit and she did a running splash to join us. It's been years since our son was that age, who also was a fish when we lived in the Caribbean. The underwater races, somersaults, dives and cannon balls, brought back fond memories. Colorful birds swooped into the water, right next to us, to get wet for a feather cleaning, on the palm branches next to the pool.

That night Chus & Lynn prepared the most delicious tuna sashimi, in thin elegant slivers around a plate, surrounding small bowls of soy, ginger, shredded cabbage and the bowl rims topped with wasabi. Lucy then made a man's smiley face, out of fresh raw tuna, on another plate, for Senor Alex. She loved to help in the kitchen, mimicking her Dad's precise chopping and slicing. That child gobbles up sashimi and ceviche the way American kids eat burgers and fries. She'll never have a weight or heart problem.
Off to outdoor grill in the Rancho, on the hill behind the house, with Dorado (mahi-mahi) steaks marinated in evoo, limon mandarino (best limes in the world)oregano, s & p. I supplied the cold beer while Chus cooked. The man knows his fish.
He, Mariella & Lucy joined us on the back deck for the most memorable meal of great food and good company. We learned about their families and heritage. We discovered that Lucy is dying to see snow, so I told her that she'd have to visit us in UT, in the winter....their summer. We topped off that feast of fish and guacamole with ice cream topped with fresh mango. Another wonderful day in paradise.
Volume 3 to follow....

What a wonderful report! keep it coming!

Hi Randi -- Well, it doesn't really matter where you've posted as I'm thoroughly enjoying your report! Thanks for adding such great details...it almost takes me back to CR AND, I'm getting hungry.

I see your trip got infinitely better, and pretty quickly. I know what you mean about that first whif of Costa Rican air, Randi. You just know you're in the tropics, don't you? Golfito sounds wonderful. Views of the mountains and the ocean, lush vegetation, Love Birds, and Iguana fight, and a puma. I don't think you could have asked for more. Great Report. Keep it coming!

Delightful report! Looking forward to the next installment. What a horrible start (in part 1) you had! Sounds like you dealt with the headaches with a great attitude.