tully

Yep, the red clay just sticks and sticks. Try to sun them for a couple hours then beat them against a tree or something and it'll usually pop off. Leaving so soon, have an awesome time! I forget, will you be there when Jill is there?

hvc - have you already made reservations for BdC?

hipvirgochick

tully - I have...are you coming?!?!?!

shillmac

volcanogirl,
let me know if you will be there same time as I. . .

hvc. .glad to hear you´ve made your res. Now you have something grand to look forward to!

Tully. . .e-mailed you. . .

volcanogirl

Hi, shillmac - I keep finding myself wanting to type shillman - ha, ha - We will have just left BdC when you get there. I believe you said you were arriving on the 11th? I am so sorry we'll miss you - I love hearing of your adventures. Meeting you would be like meeting a Fodor's celebrity. I hope the rest of your trip is wonderful.

janenicole

Thanks for the great trip report!

Am I missing a joke, or does Jose really have a CD one can acquire? I would love to get one.

volcanogirl - We didn't lock up anything while we were at BdC in the safe, and had no incidents. So refreshing. Don't forget to pack some plastic bags to pack your shoes in on your return. Enjoy your trip!

crchica

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I am really enjoying reading your report! Bosque del Cabo sounds amazing, and I hope I make it there someday!

tully

hey hvc - who knows? Tho' I do tend to go usually in May.

janenicole - the cd does actually exist, it is recording made at the BdC bar of Jose playing. And yes, those plastic bags are great when leaving with a bunch of muddy shoes!

volcanogirl

Thanks for the tip about the plastic bags, Janienicole - it's a great idea, and I wouldn't have thought of it. I'll be sure to let everyone know how our trip goes.

shillmac

volcanogirl, that´s right. .. I remember we have discussed this before! A celebrity? More like a Fodor´s Screw Up!

volcanogirl

Hi, hipvirgochick - I wanted you to know that I passed along your message to Jose. It took me a while to figure out who Jose was - he had been sick so wasn't singing. My husband and I got smoothies one day, and Jose was our bartender. His eyes lit up when I mentioned Alex, and I told him how you missed saying goodbye to him but you would be back to get his CD. I told him that I would love to hear him sing, and he sang for all of us that night, and it was wonderful. So, consider your message passed along. I think you made his day! He's such a nice man.

volcanogirl

Oh, shillmac - you are truly one of our best experts; I have followed advice from you along with others, and it's been so helpful. By the way, Kim, the owner, mentioned that you were coming in soon, so see you really are famous! She mentioned you and Tully and Suzie and said you were all great ladies.

hipvirgochick

volcanogirl - You just made my day!

You are such a sweetie to get that message to Jose. I'm so glad he remembered Alex and I. He's certainly a man of all trades! We look forward to going back next Spring and seeing everyone again.

The Summer has been calling me...but I believe I better get this report wrapped up this weekend!

P.S. Were you able to find the bowls you were looking for?

hipvirgochick

DAY 15 -

Sadly, our last full day at BDC. But, we thought it gave us plenty of adventure and we felt completely satisfied by the end of our stay. We woke up to Howler's again and a delicious breakfast. At risk of repeating myself, I'm partial to the huevos rancheros Also, can't get enough of the fresh Costa Rican coffee. MMMmmm So we were off for our horseback ride. Didn't know quite what to expect, and we were pleasantly surprised. Phil drove us to the home where I believe Miguel lives, but maybe also Rafael. Rafael is the one who took us on the ride. I rode Paloma, while my daughter had Tranquilo, which we would soon find out was a perfectly fitting name. Rafael spoke fairly good English, but mostly used LA names for things he showed us, rather than common names. We started out by heading through a shallow river bed (like in the movies meandering down the river bed we spotted various varieties of birds and howlers. I love horseback riding, so just being with nature was enough for me. We continued a ways before we headed into some primary forest. The ride was an easy one, there were a few steep up's and down's, but mostly the horses knew the drill and were easy to lead. As we headed through the primary forest Rafael pointed out different plants and trees and their effect on the rainforest. We ended up on a long stretch of beach and after galloping through the water along the shore we tied up the horses to go check out the tidepools. There were many crabs at the beach, but not many birds feeding on them. Strange as here in the NW the seagulls would have a hayday. After checking out the sea anenomes and urchins and fish in the tidepools, we walked over to a coconut tree where Rafael cut one open for us to drink and eat fresh. YUM! There was one left from earlier, literally filled with hermit crabs having a treat. Hermit crabs were plentiful here. We saw about a dozen pelicans surfing wind over the breaking waves. Really beautiful. After spending some time on the beach, we saddled up, galloped through the water some more and headed back the way we came. It was a really enjoyable, leisurely morning. We returned to BDC in time for lunch All of the dishes were just so fresh and tasty, the chicken, vegetables, fruit. Really wonderful. I think I forgot to mention by obsession with the sloth and teenager. Well, I visited the sloth and teenager several times a day for the last 3 days I was there. I really wanted to get some good photo ops and I truly find them fascinating. I pointed them out to some other happy travelers as well. On our last day, I finally got some full on pics of the mom and juvenile hanging and eating leaves, both faces towards me. So happy am I! I also made several visits to the hummingbird nest. That mama was so adorable! I didn't see the babies, there were just eggs, but I got a couple cute pics of her sitting on her nest proudly. By now, the coatis, monkeys, toucans and mcaws were regular sightings. They were particularly active today, so I followed (at different times) groups of howlers, spiders and titis, not taking pictures, but simply watching. Incredible! They watched me also The howlers settled in on the almond trees for quite sometime. It was fun watching them crack them open and eat them eagerly. Later that afternoon capuchins settled into the coconut trees. I got a couple pics of a baby on mama's back. So cute. They would tear open the top of the coconut and dip their hands in to scoop out the milk and drink. Adorable. These were the monkeys that would let us get the closes and seemed the most curious of us. Although, they did throw a couple of coconuts down, so careful not to stand directly below! We spent some time at the pool today, the usual social scene at the bar, followed by dinner. I can't remember what we had our last night, but I think I tried every single thing at the buffet every single night...literally. Thank goodness for the hiking trails! After one farewell drink, it was off to bed.

hipvirgochick

DAY 16 - We slept in a little today. Until 6:30 I think! After shower we traipsed off to begin our goodbyes I scheduled us on the last flight out, which was nice. We didn't have to leave until 1:00 or so and had no plans other than wander, swim and relax until we left. Are you kidding? I wasn't going to miss lunch! LOL! Of course, I did have to visit sloth and teenager one last time, and again, the monkeys were super active. The first 3 days they were more off grounds, but the last 3 they were pretty much in the trees on the grounds for a good part of the day. I loved standing under (well, not RIGHT under) the howler while he talked to me. He used his "indoor" voice, as I know they can be as loud as a jet engine in that close of proximity. One day from our porch I just sat and watched a lone howler eating leaves contently on a somewhat bare tree. This is where I got the best visible view of a howler, as they seem to like the upper canopy more than the others. By this time, I felt pretty comfortable with Alex at the pool as long as I know who was there with her. Our cabina was visible to the pool, and everything feels familiar, so while she swam I did our packing and then visited the TG one last time. I think I missed mentioning a couple of other trails we walked on other days, but they just become a daily thing. During lunch I figured out tipping. There is a guidebook in the room, that also has tipping guides, if you care to follow. I just wrote down names of waitstaff, maids and guides and the amount of tip for each, and added it to my final tab. Next time I will check out the tipping guide, just to see how that compared. Kevin took us to the airport and we ended up leaving a little early. There were clouds rolling in and Sansa wanted to leave, so we headed in to PJ. BDC left us in euphoria The flight to SJO was fine and upon landing we caught a taxi to Hotel Villa Bonita. It's a 180 from BDC, but sweet nevertheless. The hotel is actually a colonial style home where the owner's live and offer several rooms. Ours had 2 singles and a T.V. Not much else, but fine for what we needed. There was also a living room with magazines and books and television, a family room with table and games and sitting area, free computer/internet, kitchen/dining room and fenced in outdoor area. Perfect for our short stay. We were there on Sunday, and some things were closed for dinner, so we headed out to go to the Argentinian restaurant recommended by another visitor. On our way, we decided to go to...McDononald's. I know, I know. But, it was calling my daughter's name and I thought, what the heck, why not check it out once! It wasn't much different at all than the states, but it was PACKED! It must be very popular with families and teens, because it was super busy the entire time we sat and ate. In Paris at CDG, they had a "special" sauce that was spicy and actually quite good, but here, none. We were winding down and really just wanted to head back to the hotel as there didn't seem much else to do locally on this Sunday afternoon. I read while Alex watched something on TV and we said our last Costa Rican goodnight's

ShellD

Excellent trip report! You gave such great details, I felt like I was right there - I'm so glad you and your daughter loved BDC so much! How special to have shared the vacation with her! As I've mentioned in some previous posts, I can't wait to take my kids to CR! They will be 7 and 9 next summer and I may try to pull it off next year if I can fit it into our budget! Unfortunately my husband didn't really catch the CR bug the way I did! He liked it, but really isn't interested in going back - if you can believe that!!! Again, thanks so much for sharing your report! It really sounds like a great trip!

hipvirgochick

ShellD -- Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the report I agree, it can be a stretch on the budget, especially for a family of 4! If you're able to pull it off, I'm sure your kids will love it! If you can, try going near the end of rainy season to save a little $ because BDC prices will keep rising. I'm a single mom, but drive an old car and don't shop much so I can do some travelling. Not sure I'll be able to afford BDC after daughter turns 12 though...hence, the return trip next year. Actually, when I add up what I might spend on taxi/car, food, tours and hotel in other places (for the 2 of us), BDC comes out fairly well, and it's such a unique place. The place we also loved in Puerto Viejo was $50/night. As far as your hubby not catching the bug, well, I ran into quite a few people like him. Some just don't see the attraction and I think are more cut out for city or European type vacations. If you're not a nature freak, or don't get a thrill from what critters you might come upon, or don't enjoy the specific activities CR has to offer, I guess returning there would not be at the top of the list. For us, we enjoyed every single thing about it! Good luck planning a return trip!

wanatrvl

Thanks for finishing up your trip report. Sounds like you and your daughter had an amazing trip!

volcanogirl

Welcome back, hip! I'm glad you and Alex got to have such a wonderful trip together. We used a lot of your experience in planning our own trip - thanks for letting us hear all about your adventure!

I did find the wooden bowls you asked about - at the Morpho gift shop in the airport of all places. Really pretty and will always remind us of CR.

cmerrell

Well done, HVC! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures.

You hit the nail on the head in your reply to ShellD regarding the type of people who really seem to 'get' Costa Rica. I love great cities, shopping, visiting museums, attending the theatre, soaking in the history and culture, etc... But at heart, I am a bonafide nature freak and few things do thrill me like seeing living creatures roaming free in their natural habitats! Add that to the beautiful landscapes and warm people of Costa Rica, and it's pretty darn hard to beat!

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with the forum.

hipvirgochick

thanks wanatrvl, volcanogirl and cmerrell. I've had so much fun reading trip reports in the past, it's the least I can do!

I feel very, very lucky to have had 2-1/2 weeks to explore. We really began feeling at home!

For next year, vacation is on for 3/21 through 4/6, which allows us the same 2-1/2 weeks. Now it's all about saving...saving...saving $! Our last 5 nights are already res'd at BDC, because of Spring break time booking fast. The rest will be fun planning with more questions from Fodorites and searching through threads again! Right now, contemplating rafting on the Pacuare from San Jose to Puerto Viejo. Must get back to see our friends at Banana Azul! Sigh