shillmac

We have driven that route from Atenas to MA numerous times, but can't remember the "big tree" signs! Perhaps it is directing toward the beaches of the north Pacific?

I am enjoying your humor--could just see the cloud of gnats and understand the Birds analogy!

We had a lot of trouble finding Hotel California also a couple of years ago. Very small little sign on the left, huh? They need something a little more substantial! Keep it comin'!

robrick

Thank you for your great report. I am enjoying it, and have found that you have provided alot of great info. I am getting excited now, as we leave end of Jan.

Mixter603

Love your trip report cmerrell. I've been to many of the places you visited on your trip except for Peace Lodge. It sounds lovely and one of the places I am considering for my trip in March.

lorrie2404

cmerrell--there was only one manatee in the springs run--I was so glad to see him! But the largest turtles I have ever seen were there, and the requisite alligators!

I love your trip report--wish I could send you to all the places I want to visit and have you write about them before I go!!

tully

I swam into a manatee - or he swam into me - right off of Holmes Beach, near Sarasota. I thought I was going to be eaten til I realized it was not a shark!

I wonder if the tree sign was meant to be a Guanacaste tree, pointing the way to the province? Or maybe someone in the road sign department has a sense of humour?

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report!

shillmac

That's it, I'll bet, Tully. The Guanacaste tree. Definitely a big one!

Did I tell you I was excited to find one at the Serralles family castle (rum family) in Ponce, Puerto Rico, last March. I had never been right up next to one, and I asked my husband what he thought it was. You know how they spread out forever. Very impressive! I was so surprised to read the plaque about it. It told how it was Costa Rica's national tree.

cmerrell

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the positive, complimentary responses to my report! I've really enjoyed writing it and reliving the memories, but it has become a lengthy narrative indeed!

Thanks for hanging in there with me! We are (sadly) nearing the end of the adventure; just a few more days to go...

Saturday December 9: Got out of bed and stepped onto our balcony. Wow! Blue sky with white puffy clouds, the picturesque pool and dining area below us, all manner of trees and flowers on the hillside, and beyond all of that; the pacific ocean. Just gorgeous!

I showered and discovered that Hotel California was the only place we stayed at that does not provide hair dryers (none of us had thought to bring one). Oh, well... I decided to eschew all makeup as well to round out the attractive, bedraggled appearance.

Hotel California continued our string of wonderful breakfast buffets. Good food coupled with beautiful ocean views; a winning combination! Our tummys pleasantly full, we piled in the trusty Rav-4 and followed the scenic, winding road to the National Park entrance.

We were stopped at the stretch of road in front of the Marlin restaurant by a young man who directed us into that little parking lot right off the public beach. He met us as we were getting out of our car and introduced himself as a naturalist guide. We agreed to procure his services and followed him into the park, hoping he would do a good job explaining the flora and fauna to us. It turns out that we picked a good person because he had a wealth of knowledge about the plants and animals we saw, and I think really has a genuine passion for his work.

It was a Saturday, and I was afraid the park would be totally packed with people, but it really was not bad at all. Mario (our guide) told us it would start to get more and more crowded in the coming weeks as the main tourist season kicked into high gear.

Within moments of beginning our tour, we saw a yellow-crowned night heron, a basilisk lizard, a pale-billed woodpecker, 2 species of bats, several iguanas, a racoon, and a sloth. All of that against the backdrop of those beautiful beaches. I loved it!

We would have missed most of the animals without Mario's keen eyes and ears. In each case, we got a phenomenal view through his powerful spotting scope and he was a terrific photographer to boot! He knew just how to optimize the settings on my little digital camera to get good wildlife shots through the scope lens. I owe many of my best best photos to him.

As we rounded the curve in the main trail that takes you away from the second beach, a couple of tourists approaching from the other direction alerted us that there were monkeys ahead.

It turned out to be a troop of Howlers. One of the monkeys was down fairly low in a tree close to the trail. Mario was trying to figure out why she was so near to the human onlookers, and then noticed the tiny baby Howler Monkey right at the trail's edge, precariously perched on a very small, spindly branch. The little guy was about eye level with us and was obviously frightened. It had these gigantic round eyes in it's sweet little face. Mario surmised that the baby must have fallen from a higher location. The mother monkey was a few yards higher up in the tree, obviously wary of the increasing numbers of tourists who had stopped to look at the baby. She kept making gentle grunting noises to her little one. After a couple of minutes, Mario asked everyone to move to the far side of trail so that mom could retrieve her child. We all watched rather breathlessly as the mother cautiously descended the tree. As soon as she was close enough, she reached out and grabbed the branch the baby was clinging to, pulling it towards her. The baby wasn't expecting the movement and almost fell again, but managed to hang on with its little hands. Once the baby was in range, mom grabbed the little tyke with one hand and slung him/her up on her back. Then she high-tailed it up to higher ground. The human onlookers all cheered and applauded. This enraged the alpha male of the troop who started howling and even emptied his bladder in an attempt to scare us away. I personally thought he was a bit late to rescue at that point!

This whole incident was such an amazing highlight in our vacation. My brother caught most of it on video, and I can't wait to get my copy!

Nothing could top that for the morning, but we did see a few more sloths, a large toad, and a golden orb spider. Mario also pointed out interesting plants along the way.

The hike was over all too soon, and Mario led us through the park exit and back to the main drag. Being the enterprizing little businessman that he is, Mario asked if we would have any interest joining him on his Damas Mangrove tour the following morning, promising that we would see White Faced monkeys. He had done such a nice job for us that day, that we really didn't hesitate to sign up for the Damas excursion. He offered to meet us at our hotel at 6:45 the next morning (makes me tired just thinking about it!) so that we could easily follow him to the boat dock.

After parting from Mario, we walked down the street to the Marlin for lunch. It was a warm day, and we were all hot and sticky from our park trek. We ordered cool drinks and nice big salads and watched the people and ocean waves across the street.

Once we were rested up a bit, we headed back into the park for a leisurely tour of our own. Not very far in, we paused to take pictures of the first beach. We were distracted by noise in the tree branches above. It was a troop of White Faced monkeys (also known as Capuchins)! They were really close to us and there were a couple of babies on their mom's backs. It was a delightful and unexpected surprise. We watched them for several minutes before proceeding to the second beach.

We had not thought to bring our swimwear with us (for some unkown reason), but waded out into the water a little bit. It was very warm and felt wonderful. We spent some time watching the little crabs scurry around the beach and then proceeded with our walk. We ventured down a trail that Mario had recommended. I was hoping to cap off the day with some Squirrel monkeys, but they eluded us. My mother opted to wait for us on the main trail because she was a bit worn out from the heat. When we met up with her again, she told us that she had found a boulder to sit on, but had thrown a bunch of little rocks at it first in case one of those Fernando Delilio snakes was hiding under it. Luckily no snakes (or any other animal or insect) was lying in wait for her by the boulder.

We stopped at Cafe Milagro on the way home and got yummy blended coffee drinks. They have some nice items in their gift store, so we picked up a few souvenirs. Then it was back to Hotel California to relax for the evening.

Next up, our last full day in paradise...

cmerrell

Thanks for solving the 'Big Tree' mystery, Tully! We were very intrigued by the sign, and its lack of explanation...

shillmac

What a great story--I'll bet the video will be terrific! What a treasure! You're doing such a good job of sharing your adventures with us. Thanks for taking the time! Sorry your trip had to come to an end--join the crowd!

Suzie2

I have been trying to wait until your report was done but just couldn't anymore. What fun it is and I feel like I am reliving so many things that I have done.

Your mother sounds just lovely and hats off to her making her first visit to CA at that age. Not that that is alllllll that old. At least not from my rapidly advancing perspective LOL. Heck, my 90 yr old mother in law could wear me out until just recently. She is the one that told us how nice CR was after traveling around by public bus for two weeks and living with host families while in her 70's. Your mother sounds like she is 67 yrs young not 67 yrs old. Enjoy her while you can.

Lucky you....it took me 13 years to see my first tayra and never ever will I see the wonderful sight that you did, I am sure, of the mother rescuing her baby from all of you bad tourists. Figures the guy would let the gal do all the dirty work and then take all the credit ;-). My husband saw a jaguarundi cross the road just south of Quepos.

Sounds like you met a lot of those wonderful ticos that we talk about so lovingly. So many do take pride in their country and love to share it.

All that talk about manatees is making me smile. I have been to both zoos near me to see their newest members. I can stand and watch them for hours. I have always wanted to see one in the wild. Closest I have come was a long dead and quite bleached skeleton of one with a caimen sunning itself on it up in Nicaragua.

I am sadly awaiting the last of your report but I am sure I will read it at least a time or two more.

cmerrell

Sunday December 10: The alarm clock beckoned to us at 5:00 a.m. and we stumbled out of bed. Mario showed up promptly at 6:45 as promised so that we could follow him to the boat dock for our Damas Mangrove expedition.

He had brought his girlfriend Katia with him; a really cute girl who was working towards a degree in Biology. We followed them through Quepos and beyond to a bumpy little roadway that took us to a small boat dock on the river.

We met up with Macho, our boat captain, and were soon underway. The Damas tour takes you through a series of narrow waterways that weave through the Mangrove swamp. Mario regaled us with all sorts of information about the flora and fauna around us. We saw a beautiful Kingfisher, lots of little crabs, a family of raccoons, and a large caimen on our way through the tangle of tree roots that characterize a Mangrove forest. At one point, Mario had Macho completely shut down the boat motor so that we could experience the full ambiance of the place. Without the noisy engine you could hear all sorts of birds singing in the forest. The sun created a dappled appearance on the water due to the tree limbs blocking it's rays. It was very serene, and Mario commented that he never grew tired of sitting in that forest, listening to the sounds of nature. We didn't linger for too long because Mario was determined to find us some White Faced monkeys.

We finally came upon a good sized troop playing in the tree tops. Mario and Katia had purchased some bananas at a roadside stand on our drive to the boat dock. I had assumed they were for us, but as it turns out, they were for the monkeys. I definitely have mixed feelings about the fact that the monkeys were lured closer to the boat with bananas. Encouraging wild animals to grow accustomed to human interaction by feeding them is ultimately detrimental to the animals. I didn't really say anything to Mario about this (although I probably should have at least asked him about it). It was totally apparent that he and Katia both loved watching those monkeys as much as we did! The monkeys were given a nice breakfast out of the deal, and I can't deny that it was really cool to be able to see them up close and personal.

We made one additional stop after this to look at a Silky Anteater sleeping in a tree. It was very small and a bit hard to see from our vantage point, but exciting nonetheless.

We eventually made our way back out through the swampy channels to the wider river beyond, and ultimately back to the little boat dock. We bade farewell to Macho, and Mario led us to a small open-air soda type of place and ordered plates of fresh fruit for everyone. We sat and chatted for a while and coaxed Katia to speak english to us (she was embarrassed about her pronunciation, but actually did a very good job!). She had been learning english in school. Mario told us that he pretty much taught himself to speak english. He had purchased a set of tapes when he was younger, and would listen to them everyday for a few hours. He felt this was more useful to him than the classes he had taken in school. He actually had a pretty good grasp of our language, so perhaps there was something to his method!

He spoke to us about all of the development that is being allowed to take place in the area, and how detrimental it is to the environment. He remembered Manuel Antonio as it was in his childhood; few hotels and no condos, just beautiful trees everywhere. He said that building condos doesn't really help the people in the area. "We're already working. What we need is better infrastructure like road improvements, but no one wants to pay for that. There's too much emphasis on money for profit." I'm paraphrasing liberally, but this was his basic point of view.

He also told us about the Squirrel monkeys, and how most researchers feel that its already too late for the population that lives in Manuel Antonio. There's not enough diversity in the gene pool, and not enough good corridors established to allow migration so that different populations can readily mix. I was already familiar with the Squirrel Monkey's plight (and very saddened by it). I mentioned that we had not yet seen any of them, and had really wanted to. I asked if there was anywhere we should specifically look for them that afternoon. He thought about it for a minute and then offered to help us find them.

He would meet us at 4:30 and take us to the places where they typically hang out. Being the businessman he said, "If I find them for you, you give me a tip; whatever you think is fair. If I can't locate them, don't give me anything, but I'm 99 percent sure I can find them!". We all liked Mario and knew we'd have a much better chance tracking down the monkeys with him than without him, so we agreed to meet up later that afternoon.

We left Mario and Katia at the dock, and headed back to towards the hotel. We wanted to do a little bit of shopping and just check out some of the sights along the main road. I had read a lot of reviews of Costa Verde on this forum, and wanted to see that famous view from their swimming pool, so we made a stop there to take some photos. My mom had decided to wait for us in the car. When we got back to her, she was sound asleep in the back seat! She absolutely loved this vacation, but I think we really did wear the poor woman out!

We ended up back at Cafe Milagro for an afternoon snack and more of their delicious blended coffee drinks. Then we went back to the hotel where we all fell asleep for an hour. Getting up at 5:00 a.m. is tough!

We were raring to go by the time Mario showed up at 4:30. We were pleased to see that he had brought Katia with him (such a sweet young woman). We all crammed into our rental car so that Mario and Katia could act as spotters while my brother focused on driving (Mom and I were just along for the ride!). Mario took us to the Hotel Plinio first and got permission for us to walk on their private nature trail. He and Katia found 2 Poison Dart frogs for us to look at which was really neat.

We then started driving up the main road towards the national park, pulling off on several side roads so that Mario could listen for telltale sounds of the monkeys. I started to think that we would be doomed to disappointment when quite some time passed with no sign of them, but suddenly Mario exclaimed, "I just heard something, pull over!".

We found a place to park and got out of the car. Mario listened for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's definitely them". He led us up the road a little ways and told us to look in trees. At first I didn't see anything, but then noticed the rustling of leaves off in the distance, followed by the appearance of a long reddish-brown tail dipping beneath a branch. Mario said they were heading our way and would stop to check us out. Within a few minutes, there were several Squirrel Monkeys in the branches right above our heads! They were absolutely beautiful! Such adorable, delicate, expressive little faces! Mario gave me a high five and a huge grin.

Soon, a whole crowd of people had gathered to ooh and ahh at the monkeys.
We all watched for several minutes, until the troop started to move out of range. Mario waited until the crowd dispersed and then said "Let's go down the hill a little ways. We'll get even closer to the monkeys there". We followed and waited patiently in a little parking lot off the main road. Within moments, the monkey troop had reached our location. They were very curious, peering at us from several tree branches and peaking over the edge of a nearby restaurant roof. It was another wonderful highlight in a week full of highlights. It was awe-inspiring to watch them.

They eventually moved away from us, and it was time to part ways with Mario and Katia. On the drive back to the hotel, Mario pointed out the Marluna restaurant and recommended it to us for dinner. Mario earned a handsome (and well-deserved) tip that afternoon, which I admonished him to share with Katia. We all shook hands and said our farewells. Very cute couple!

We took Mario's advice and ate at Marluna, which we all enjoyed. For desert we shared a piece of tres leches cake, which I had read about, but had no idea what it actually was like. It was yummy!

The day was gone and it was time to get to bed. Another early morning awaited us.

Next, time to go home...

cmerrell

Thanks for chiming in Suzie2. I bet you've had all sorts of amazing experiences in Costa Rica throughout your many trips.

Very cool that your husband actually saw a jaguarundi. He should compare notes with Shillmac to see if that's what they saw as well.

I'm a big fan of the Feline (in all its many forms). After all the really wonderful wildlife sitings we were lucky enough to have, I think I might had just died and gone to heaven if we had spotted a jaguarundi or ocelot!

Regarding your reference to manatees, if you are ever in Central Florida during the winter months, do check out Blue Springs State Park (that Lorrie and I have mentioned). Its just a bit north of Orlando, and a really pretty place. Manatees always congregate in the warm, clear spring water when the weather cools.

Tully, I liked your tale of bumping into a manatee at the beach. I would have freaked out too until I realized what it was! I've never seen one in the ocean although I do hear the odd report of sightings.

cmerrell

Monday December 11: A day of profound sorrow and mourning! We had our final breakfast overlooking the blue Pacific. We snapped our final few photos of the beautiful vista, and then trudged dejectedly back to the room to finish packing, our hearts heavy...

I'm being deliberately melodramatic, but in all honesty, none of us were ready to come home! My brother commented that he actually felt a bit depressed to be leaving. I realized that I felt the same way. There is a magical quality to the place.

We loaded up the Rav-4 and set out on our final journey. We retraced our steps back the way we had come a few days earlier through Quepos, Parrita, Tarcoles, and up the winding hillside road to Atenas. Soon, we were in the outskirts of Alajuela. We lucked out and noticed the subtle little roadsign pointing us towards the Airport (who knows where we would have ended up otherwise!). We had to return the car at the Europcar office, and luckily recognized enough landmarks along the way to get us there without incident. A short shuttle drive later, and we were at the airport.

We had one more humorous incident at the airport. When you walk in the entrance there are several uniformed attendants loading the luggage onto a strange looking contraption that wraps your bags in glorified Saran Wrap. Apparently, this is meant to protect the luggage from the elements and from possible prying hands. We were brain-dead enough that we didn't realize this was an optional service that you had to pay for! We stood dutifully in the line, and watched while my mom's big suitcase was encased in plastic wrap. Then another departing tourist approached one of the attendants and asked how much the wrapping service was. Nine dollars per bag! My brother and I declined the service for our suitcases and had a good laugh as mom wheeled her large 'sealed for your protection' case through the check in line.

A relatively short time later, we were airborne, craning our necks to get our final views of the green countryside through the small airplane windows.

Thus ends our adventure! It was a really wonderful week, chock-full of valuable new sights and experiences.

Was it a good vacation? Absolutely terrific! Would I ever go back to Costa Rica for another visit? In a heart beat!!

To Lorrie2402, Mazuka, Robrick, and any other readers planning their first visit; I think you're in for a real treat! I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I did. Best wishes to you all.

To the Costa Rica veterans, (Shillmac, Tully, Suzie2, Mixter, et al); you guys are terrific! Thanks for all the advice and recommendations that you are always so willing to share. It's very helpful to the rest of us!

If anyone has any additional questions or comments for me, fire away. Happy Holidays to all!

Best regards,
Camille

lorrie2404

Camille--I feel like I just finished a good book, you know when you get to the end it's kind of sad, even though the story itself isn't. What a fun time I've had reading your report--thank you so much!

tully

What a great time you had! Sounds like you've caught the fever! Now you can start planning your next trip. Isn't it great to meet people like mario & katia there? So many warm & friendly people there who love to share their knowledge.

btw - yes that manatee in the ocean was extremely strange. Since we were snorkeling far off shore we couldn't hear all the people on the beach screaming at us as no one else knew what it was either.

shillmac

Bravo, Camille!

I, too, am sorry to come to the end of your story. You truly did have some amazing experiences. Although everyone who returns has fun things to share, you really did have some rare moments, special events that you'll never forget!

You know, of all the Fodor boards (and I've only spent time on this one and the Caribbean one), surely the Costa Rica discussions must be the most passionate! That in itself says something about all the charm this little place (and its people) have. What parts do you want to see next?

robrick

Thanks so much Camille. I can only hope our trip will be as fantastic as yours sounds. I can hardly wait now. Wish there were more chapters...... Thanks. again.

Suzie2

Lorrie really nailed it when she said it was like coming to the end of a good book. We all felt like we were down there with you.

You had some wonderful experiences. I love hearing about trips like yours. You brought your whole experience to life with your humor. What I loved most was the fact that you took the time to really see the beauty of Costa Rica. It is the natural beauty of the land and the people that keeps me going down.

I wish I had had the benefit of these boards when I first traveled down there. We learned a lot of things by trial and error initially. I have been on various boards for 5-6 years at least now. My goal has always been to try to make people more comfortable about things so they can relax and enjoy their visit. There will be a lot of people making decisions to visit CR after reading your report. Anyone who was on the fence will be jumping off and calling their travel agents soon.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays,
Suzie

owlwoman

I wanted to add my thanks for your great report, we're heading to CR for the first time this March and your experiences make me even more psyched for the trip. We are staying at some of the same places and same areas. Fabulous report!

cmerrell

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your kind words. It was a pleasure to write for such a nice audience!

I just re-read the whole saga from start to finish for the first time, and was a little bit dismayed by how many typos I saw! Still, I suppose there are worse crimes I could commit than a few mis-spelled words, and some punctuation and grammar glitches!

Yes, I suppose I have been bitten by the Costa Rica bug. My brother is perhaps even more afflicted than I. We can't get him to shut up about it!

To answer Shillmac's question about where I want to go next... I think you veteran travelers have sold me on the Osa peninsula. I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to get down there, but I feel its fairly inevitable that I will go there!