Shell's return to Costa Rica - a family's adventures!
Aug 6th, 2010, 02:44 PM
#21
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colibri - we started out with our legs crossed, like a ball, laying back. Then to stop, that's when we straightened them out. We definitely picked up speed! They said on the longest line, we could be going 45 mph! It was fast! But I did like not having to break. At Los Lagos we had to use the gloved hand to break and it was more challenging.
Aug 8th, 2010, 08:33 AM
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Day 3 - July 23rd
Today we are scheduled to do the Hanging Bridges, with a guide from the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We were supposed to meet him at the desk after breakfast. Breakfast starts there at 7, so we showed up around 7:45. Well apparently there was a bit of confusion in scheduling this because he told us when we showed up that now we weren't going to see "anything at all" at the Hanging Bridges - we should have left at 6:30 to see wildlife. I was a bit annoyed because he did not make this clear at all. He never told me to schedule a special early breakfast at 6 am and be at the desk at 6:30. And I've been to the Hanging Bridges before and while maybe we won't see tons and tons, I'm sure he can find something for us - afterall - it's only 7:45 now! This was the same guide we had the day before for the Morning Hike at AOL, the quiet one. I tell him the excursion is paid for and we are leaving the next morning, so it's now or never....we all pile into our vehicle, guide included and off we go.
As we were heading down the bumpy road, I asked him (I never did get this guide's name) why they don't pave the road to AOL and he told me it's to reduce traffic and to keep drivers going slow. To protect the wildlife basically. He said that in the past week or so they recently had found a dead ocelot on that road! It was hit by a car. It's that very reason they don't pave it. That area is still very overgrown and they don't want cars flying through hitting animals. He said it's very rare to see the jungle cats there, and now there's one less because of a vehicle.
I also asked him why we hadn't seen any lava when the volcano has been so active and clear. He said that since the eruption a month or so ago, the lava isn't flowing as much. He said there was some around 1 am last night, but mainly it's flowing into the other crater - I think that's what he said. But it's not really flowing down the side so much anymore so it's much rarer to actually see the lava flow. In the 3 nights we were there the volcano was clear as could be for part of every night. We saw puffs of smoke, heard rumbles and saw rocks tumble during the day, but not one speck of red at night.
On the way to the Hanging Bridges the guide spotted some howler monkeys and a mot mot. He told us there are two different types and apparently this was the more rare type. I couldn't tell you what was rare about it, but he seemed pretty thrilled to see it!
We got to the bridges and started our walk. I was happy that he was much more talkative here than on Morning Hike. Maybe because it was just the six of us instead of such a large group! We did end up seeing quite a lot of wildlife! At one point he heard the call of a blue jean poison dart frog and wouldn't you know he spent about five minutes looking for it and he found that little thing! Amazing! We saw many birds, including toucans, a two toed sloth, howler monkeys, hawks, a helmet lizard, coatis, many leaf cutter ants, and an eyelash palm pit viper snake - up very close! It was a beautiful day and we had some great views of the volcano and the surrounding areas. We enjoyed it quite a bit and at the end of the hike, our guide admitted that even though we started out late, we really did see much more than he thought we would!
On the way back we stopped at a typico casada, which was mentioned recently on another thread - I can't remember the name....casadajos or something like that. It was very good and I believe he was the owner, was so friendly as was the rest of the staff. It was however not very inexpensive!
When we got back to AOL we all went to the pool to hang out for the rest of the afternoon. We were so lucky to have such great daytime weather while in Arenal!
For dinner we went to las Brasitas, it's the Mexican restaurant in La Fortuna. Evertyone enjoyed their meal here. The plan, for the third night now, was to eat and then head to The Springs Resort for their hot springs. The past two nights we'd gotten totally rained out. We wouldn't mind going in some light rain, but not in heavy downpours with thunder. But once again, during our meal, the thunder and lightening and storms rolled in....no hot springs for us on this trip. Back to AOL and early to bed....no lava again tonight, even after the storms left and the volcano cleared.
Overall I really liked Arenal Observatory Lodge. I would definitely stay there again. I was very glad that we decided to rent a vehicle while we were staying here though. It's very isolated and it would be very expensive to use taxi's every time you had to go to town or an excursion. Even though on previous trips, we've gone to the "bridge" to watch the lava flow, actually staying at the hotel and driving back and forth on the road does get to be a bit tiresome - the bumps can get to you! I wouldn't want to do it in any of the heavy rainstorms we had. But the hotel itself was just what we were looking for. The trails were great, the rooms were big and clean. Not luxury, but they were clean. The one thing I didn't like was that in the Jr Suite, there was no screen door on the patio and no A/C so it was very hot at night in the room. They did have ceiling fans, but the room was still hot. I would assume because we were on the ground floor, they wanted the door shut, so no screens. In the standard room, which was 2nd floor, we had a balcony with a screen on the patio door so we left the patio door opened during the night and it was much cooler. The views of the volcano are of course fabulous. The food there was fine, it wasn't bad as some of the other's had previously commented. Breakfast is included and was always good. I would definitely stay there again!
Next up.....Peace Lodge!
Today we are scheduled to do the Hanging Bridges, with a guide from the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We were supposed to meet him at the desk after breakfast. Breakfast starts there at 7, so we showed up around 7:45. Well apparently there was a bit of confusion in scheduling this because he told us when we showed up that now we weren't going to see "anything at all" at the Hanging Bridges - we should have left at 6:30 to see wildlife. I was a bit annoyed because he did not make this clear at all. He never told me to schedule a special early breakfast at 6 am and be at the desk at 6:30. And I've been to the Hanging Bridges before and while maybe we won't see tons and tons, I'm sure he can find something for us - afterall - it's only 7:45 now! This was the same guide we had the day before for the Morning Hike at AOL, the quiet one. I tell him the excursion is paid for and we are leaving the next morning, so it's now or never....we all pile into our vehicle, guide included and off we go.
As we were heading down the bumpy road, I asked him (I never did get this guide's name) why they don't pave the road to AOL and he told me it's to reduce traffic and to keep drivers going slow. To protect the wildlife basically. He said that in the past week or so they recently had found a dead ocelot on that road! It was hit by a car. It's that very reason they don't pave it. That area is still very overgrown and they don't want cars flying through hitting animals. He said it's very rare to see the jungle cats there, and now there's one less because of a vehicle.
I also asked him why we hadn't seen any lava when the volcano has been so active and clear. He said that since the eruption a month or so ago, the lava isn't flowing as much. He said there was some around 1 am last night, but mainly it's flowing into the other crater - I think that's what he said. But it's not really flowing down the side so much anymore so it's much rarer to actually see the lava flow. In the 3 nights we were there the volcano was clear as could be for part of every night. We saw puffs of smoke, heard rumbles and saw rocks tumble during the day, but not one speck of red at night.
On the way to the Hanging Bridges the guide spotted some howler monkeys and a mot mot. He told us there are two different types and apparently this was the more rare type. I couldn't tell you what was rare about it, but he seemed pretty thrilled to see it!
We got to the bridges and started our walk. I was happy that he was much more talkative here than on Morning Hike. Maybe because it was just the six of us instead of such a large group! We did end up seeing quite a lot of wildlife! At one point he heard the call of a blue jean poison dart frog and wouldn't you know he spent about five minutes looking for it and he found that little thing! Amazing! We saw many birds, including toucans, a two toed sloth, howler monkeys, hawks, a helmet lizard, coatis, many leaf cutter ants, and an eyelash palm pit viper snake - up very close! It was a beautiful day and we had some great views of the volcano and the surrounding areas. We enjoyed it quite a bit and at the end of the hike, our guide admitted that even though we started out late, we really did see much more than he thought we would!
On the way back we stopped at a typico casada, which was mentioned recently on another thread - I can't remember the name....casadajos or something like that. It was very good and I believe he was the owner, was so friendly as was the rest of the staff. It was however not very inexpensive!
When we got back to AOL we all went to the pool to hang out for the rest of the afternoon. We were so lucky to have such great daytime weather while in Arenal!
For dinner we went to las Brasitas, it's the Mexican restaurant in La Fortuna. Evertyone enjoyed their meal here. The plan, for the third night now, was to eat and then head to The Springs Resort for their hot springs. The past two nights we'd gotten totally rained out. We wouldn't mind going in some light rain, but not in heavy downpours with thunder. But once again, during our meal, the thunder and lightening and storms rolled in....no hot springs for us on this trip. Back to AOL and early to bed....no lava again tonight, even after the storms left and the volcano cleared.
Overall I really liked Arenal Observatory Lodge. I would definitely stay there again. I was very glad that we decided to rent a vehicle while we were staying here though. It's very isolated and it would be very expensive to use taxi's every time you had to go to town or an excursion. Even though on previous trips, we've gone to the "bridge" to watch the lava flow, actually staying at the hotel and driving back and forth on the road does get to be a bit tiresome - the bumps can get to you! I wouldn't want to do it in any of the heavy rainstorms we had. But the hotel itself was just what we were looking for. The trails were great, the rooms were big and clean. Not luxury, but they were clean. The one thing I didn't like was that in the Jr Suite, there was no screen door on the patio and no A/C so it was very hot at night in the room. They did have ceiling fans, but the room was still hot. I would assume because we were on the ground floor, they wanted the door shut, so no screens. In the standard room, which was 2nd floor, we had a balcony with a screen on the patio door so we left the patio door opened during the night and it was much cooler. The views of the volcano are of course fabulous. The food there was fine, it wasn't bad as some of the other's had previously commented. Breakfast is included and was always good. I would definitely stay there again!
Next up.....Peace Lodge!
Aug 9th, 2010, 08:38 AM
#23
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Sounds like you had fun adventures, shell. What a bummer about the lava! I had no luck either on my trip to Arenal a few years back. I've been wanting to get back for another shot to see it ever since. Hopefully the sight of it won't remain a rare occurence from now on...
So did your parents enjoy Arenal overall? It's always interesting to hear the impressions of someone who's never been.
So did your parents enjoy Arenal overall? It's always interesting to hear the impressions of someone who's never been.
Aug 9th, 2010, 01:18 PM
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cmerrell - my parents did enjoy Arenal. I think it's really a perfect place to introduce Costa Rica! Especially since we had such luck with the volcano being so visable and being active, even without the lava flow! AOL is such a quiet and peaceful lodge to stay at, so removed from the town iteslf it was really a unique place to stay. My mom said it reminded her a bit of their trips out west to Yellowstone, except there was a volcano here! But it very much had the National Park feel to her.
Day 4, Saturday July 24th
Today we were leaving Arenal and making the trip to the Peace Lodge. Wilson was driving us again and he was right on time. When he dropped us off on Wednesday he reminded us that the ride was longer now because of the earthquake of 2009. However when he showed up to pick us up, he told us he was just told that the road from San Miguel was just reopened this week and if we wanted to give it a try we could. It would save us a couple of hours and be less expensive. Apparently the locals were tired of waiting for the government to fix the road and they did it themselves. Well, that should have been our first clue....but we said - sure, if the road is fixed and it's faster - why not? Off we went.
On the way we stopped at the Iguana Bridge, the one that you stop at on the way to Cano Negro - and took pictures. The kids, especially Alex enjoyed that! After our short break we were back on the road. Everything was going well and when we got past San Miguel, when you make the sharp turn at the police station for those familiar with the route, little signs of the earthquake started to become visable. We kept going and a few miles later passed the "road closed" sign and kept going. I took it as a good sign that a car came towards us from the opposite direction, but I immediately tensed up. This was NOT a road to be driven on. As I'm looking around the area where the damage from the quake is so clear. I had no idea. We all saw some youtube videos or pictures here an there. But this road, no one has driven on it, no one - since the earthquake - until this week. All along the mountainside you can see the sides where the landslides occurred. The trees are just gone. It's just the color of mud. There are houses and buildings along the side of the road, just destroyed, halfway down the cliffs. As we're driving along I just feel sick. This "road" is on the side of a cliff and it's curvy and I have my kids and my parents with me. I keep a calm front but I am so tense as we wind up and down the snakey road that is barely dirt and holes and boulders and rocks! Occasionally a car comes the other way and we have to share this barely one lane, if you could call it that, with this other car. However, it does make me feel better that a car did come the other way. If they could come towards us, it must be safe where we're going. I just keep holding my breath because the more we keep going, the closer I know we're getting. I know my mom is freaking out because I'm a very calm and pretty couragous person and if this bothers me, she must be a basket case! We see so many destroyed homes, a church, a school even a restaurant that the only part standing is the restrooms! Wilson shows us where a town was - he tells us they're rebuilding - but not up here on the hills. He shows us waterfalls that are across the valley that are only now visable because the trees that once hid them have been wiped out. We finally get to the bridge at the bottom of the last waterfall from the Peace Lodge. I breathe easier, we're almost there. The reception area where the shuttle bus comes from the Waterfall hike to take you back to the Peace Lodge is being totally rebuilt. It's just a shell right now. How in the world did the Peace Lodge survive? The area right across the road has so many less trees....the road is much better now. My mom asks if I'm sure the Peace Lodge is ok? She can't believe any hotel in the area could possibly have survived with what we've just driven on and seen! Had I not read the reviews here and on Trip Advisor from people that have been there this past year, I'd actually begin to wonder myself!
But we pull up to the reception area and it's like nothing ever happened here. It's our third visit here and we're very familiar with it. Mr Shell and I were here 3 years ago and then with the kids 2 years ago and now with my parents. We checked in and while we waited for our rooms we had lunch at the Trout Bar. It's the same I think, but no fish in the water. I asked the waiter and he said they just finished fixing the ponds and the fish would be back in about 2 weeks. After lunch, we get our rooms. My parents have a deluxe, I'd forgotten just how luxurious the bathrooms are! They're pretty impressed! We have the Monarch Villa. Just as we remembered! We settle in. Alex is thrilled to have a tv again! It's been 4 days without one! We drag him away from it after a few minutes and head out to go feed the hummingbirds.
This is a huge hit. It's not real crowded and the hummingbirds are landing on all of our feeders. My parents really seem to enjoy this a lot. It starts to rain and my dad comments that he can't remember the last time he was just out in the rain, sitting and totally enjoying himself! After about an hour we left to get ready for the night frog tour. Our guide is John and he was great. First he took one of the poison dart frogs out of the aquariums in the first room and let us take pictures of it. We haven't done that on past tours! Then in the middle room, with the poison frogs we stopped for a long time and saw several small frogs. Usually we've skipped right through that room on the tour. It was here where a baby green eyed tree frog jumped right on Alex's neck. He wasn't too thrilled and had no interest in touching a frog after that! In the third room we saw so many frogs! We were allowed to hold them again. On our 1st trip we could, last trip we couldn't and now we could again. It was a huge highlight! The guide was great at teaching about the frogs, finding the frogs and he never felt like he was rushing us out. Between the hummingbirds and the frogs, we had a wonderful afternoon and evening!
We had dinner at the Vista Poas. It was very good. They no longer have the set price, multiple course dinner, which I thought was a really good value, everything is now a la carte. It was expensive but everything we had was delicious. Compared to the food in Arenal, this was excellent! They have a kids menu - not printed, but offered with very reasonable priced meals. Megan had a filet that was huge and priced at less than half the adult entree. The restaurant has clearly been redone and now has restrooms upstairs past the new bar area. It's much cooler here and it will be nice to sleep with the patio door opened!
Day 4, Saturday July 24th
Today we were leaving Arenal and making the trip to the Peace Lodge. Wilson was driving us again and he was right on time. When he dropped us off on Wednesday he reminded us that the ride was longer now because of the earthquake of 2009. However when he showed up to pick us up, he told us he was just told that the road from San Miguel was just reopened this week and if we wanted to give it a try we could. It would save us a couple of hours and be less expensive. Apparently the locals were tired of waiting for the government to fix the road and they did it themselves. Well, that should have been our first clue....but we said - sure, if the road is fixed and it's faster - why not? Off we went.
On the way we stopped at the Iguana Bridge, the one that you stop at on the way to Cano Negro - and took pictures. The kids, especially Alex enjoyed that! After our short break we were back on the road. Everything was going well and when we got past San Miguel, when you make the sharp turn at the police station for those familiar with the route, little signs of the earthquake started to become visable. We kept going and a few miles later passed the "road closed" sign and kept going. I took it as a good sign that a car came towards us from the opposite direction, but I immediately tensed up. This was NOT a road to be driven on. As I'm looking around the area where the damage from the quake is so clear. I had no idea. We all saw some youtube videos or pictures here an there. But this road, no one has driven on it, no one - since the earthquake - until this week. All along the mountainside you can see the sides where the landslides occurred. The trees are just gone. It's just the color of mud. There are houses and buildings along the side of the road, just destroyed, halfway down the cliffs. As we're driving along I just feel sick. This "road" is on the side of a cliff and it's curvy and I have my kids and my parents with me. I keep a calm front but I am so tense as we wind up and down the snakey road that is barely dirt and holes and boulders and rocks! Occasionally a car comes the other way and we have to share this barely one lane, if you could call it that, with this other car. However, it does make me feel better that a car did come the other way. If they could come towards us, it must be safe where we're going. I just keep holding my breath because the more we keep going, the closer I know we're getting. I know my mom is freaking out because I'm a very calm and pretty couragous person and if this bothers me, she must be a basket case! We see so many destroyed homes, a church, a school even a restaurant that the only part standing is the restrooms! Wilson shows us where a town was - he tells us they're rebuilding - but not up here on the hills. He shows us waterfalls that are across the valley that are only now visable because the trees that once hid them have been wiped out. We finally get to the bridge at the bottom of the last waterfall from the Peace Lodge. I breathe easier, we're almost there. The reception area where the shuttle bus comes from the Waterfall hike to take you back to the Peace Lodge is being totally rebuilt. It's just a shell right now. How in the world did the Peace Lodge survive? The area right across the road has so many less trees....the road is much better now. My mom asks if I'm sure the Peace Lodge is ok? She can't believe any hotel in the area could possibly have survived with what we've just driven on and seen! Had I not read the reviews here and on Trip Advisor from people that have been there this past year, I'd actually begin to wonder myself!
But we pull up to the reception area and it's like nothing ever happened here. It's our third visit here and we're very familiar with it. Mr Shell and I were here 3 years ago and then with the kids 2 years ago and now with my parents. We checked in and while we waited for our rooms we had lunch at the Trout Bar. It's the same I think, but no fish in the water. I asked the waiter and he said they just finished fixing the ponds and the fish would be back in about 2 weeks. After lunch, we get our rooms. My parents have a deluxe, I'd forgotten just how luxurious the bathrooms are! They're pretty impressed! We have the Monarch Villa. Just as we remembered! We settle in. Alex is thrilled to have a tv again! It's been 4 days without one! We drag him away from it after a few minutes and head out to go feed the hummingbirds.
This is a huge hit. It's not real crowded and the hummingbirds are landing on all of our feeders. My parents really seem to enjoy this a lot. It starts to rain and my dad comments that he can't remember the last time he was just out in the rain, sitting and totally enjoying himself! After about an hour we left to get ready for the night frog tour. Our guide is John and he was great. First he took one of the poison dart frogs out of the aquariums in the first room and let us take pictures of it. We haven't done that on past tours! Then in the middle room, with the poison frogs we stopped for a long time and saw several small frogs. Usually we've skipped right through that room on the tour. It was here where a baby green eyed tree frog jumped right on Alex's neck. He wasn't too thrilled and had no interest in touching a frog after that! In the third room we saw so many frogs! We were allowed to hold them again. On our 1st trip we could, last trip we couldn't and now we could again. It was a huge highlight! The guide was great at teaching about the frogs, finding the frogs and he never felt like he was rushing us out. Between the hummingbirds and the frogs, we had a wonderful afternoon and evening!
We had dinner at the Vista Poas. It was very good. They no longer have the set price, multiple course dinner, which I thought was a really good value, everything is now a la carte. It was expensive but everything we had was delicious. Compared to the food in Arenal, this was excellent! They have a kids menu - not printed, but offered with very reasonable priced meals. Megan had a filet that was huge and priced at less than half the adult entree. The restaurant has clearly been redone and now has restrooms upstairs past the new bar area. It's much cooler here and it will be nice to sleep with the patio door opened!
Aug 9th, 2010, 01:49 PM
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Great report ShellD!
I was at Arenal about a week ago. It was the first time I had been since 1999! Last time the weather was clear and beautiful and I saw the volcano smoking..and the lava too! This time the weather was clear part time and again I saw the volcano smoking, but NO lava. The people I talked to about this said that the volcano, other than one rather large explosion has been very, very quiet this year. Oh well, it's still impressive to see it smoke!
Looking forward to the rest of your report!
I was at Arenal about a week ago. It was the first time I had been since 1999! Last time the weather was clear and beautiful and I saw the volcano smoking..and the lava too! This time the weather was clear part time and again I saw the volcano smoking, but NO lava. The people I talked to about this said that the volcano, other than one rather large explosion has been very, very quiet this year. Oh well, it's still impressive to see it smoke!
Looking forward to the rest of your report!
Aug 9th, 2010, 02:10 PM
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Shell - the earthquake damage is just heartbreaking, isn't it? I went up to deliver school supplies and donations to Escuela de Poasito six weeks after the quake and couldn't believe some of the damage over on that side. Yours is the first description I've seen of anyone trying out the road from San Miguel - sounds like you would have preferred the longer drive.
Glad you enjoyed Peace Lodge, going there in February.
Glad you enjoyed Peace Lodge, going there in February.
Aug 9th, 2010, 03:00 PM
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Oh, wow, shell, that drive sounds heartbreaking.
Glad to know that the Trout Bar is back open; we really enjoyed that. I thought Vista Poas had great food - will be fun to see the new changes. I'm glad you can hold the frogs again. We had the "you can hold them now you can't" experience too.
Glad to know that the Trout Bar is back open; we really enjoyed that. I thought Vista Poas had great food - will be fun to see the new changes. I'm glad you can hold the frogs again. We had the "you can hold them now you can't" experience too.
Aug 11th, 2010, 04:56 AM
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Yes, the ride was heartbreaking, and more so just plain scary. That road never should have been opened. It wasn't even a road. In the US, they would never have let cars on it. While it did cut out a few hours I feel like a few years were cut off my life! But we made it and that's the important part right?
Day 5, Sunday, July 25th
We woke up after my first really good night's sleep to a wonderful view with the sun shining bright. Even though breakfast is no longer included at the Peace Lodge I thought it was still very reasonably priced at $10/adult and $5/child for their buffet. The food was very good, very fresh and there was an excellent variety. Today our plan was to start with the waterfall trails and then just wander through the exhibits.
We were told that the trails were all now opened and all of the waterfalls were back to being visable. I suppose if you've never been there before you wouldn't know the difference, but from what I remembered from the past the trail is much shorter. The starting point is different and you actually come "into" the falls at the bottom of the first fall. It's still spectacular and beautiful, but it's different. They've done a great job of restoring the trails with much safer paths that they have said will hold up even better should there be any future quakes or landslides. You also don't get nearly as close to the last fall the way you did before. There isn't the viewing platform that you had before. There's just no way to get there now since the land that was there was washed away. There's a straight walkway from much higher up. The kids loved the hike and got as close as possible to each fall so they could feel the spray. My parents seemed to enjoy it and my dad did well with all the steps. This was a concern I had since he has a pretty bad knee. Peace Lodge is definitely not the place for someone with arthritis in their knee!! When we ended the hike at the former gift shop, which is now being totally rebuilt - right now it's just an empty concrete shell of a building, we caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel's reception area. The bus driver really spoke no English but tried to emphasize the earthquake destruction we were seeing and show us with many hand gestures the evidence of landslides.
Our next stop was the aviary. I thought this would be a favorite for my mom since she is a bird lover! I remembered there being so many birds here! But when we walked in, they must have all been hiding! We didn't see any! Hmmm.... But almost immediately one of the employees stopped my daughter and asked her if she sould like to feed a Paca. She was thrilled! A paca looks sort of like a large guinea pig. So both her and my son got to feed the little guy some pellets through a cage while the guide told us about pacas. Then he asked if they wanted to feed the marmosets. Well, of course! Se he took us over to them and they were adorable. They'd grab a piece of food with their hands and run off. Sometimes they'd actually eat out of your hands directly. Then he asked my mom if she'd ever held a toucan. So off we went to the toucans. He reminded us that these are all rescued birds and in the wild you'd never want to try to touch one - they're aggressive birds. So immediately he puts some toucans on our arms and shoulders and lets us feed them and shows us how to gently pet them. They are really so beautiful up close! He took some group pictures of us with the toucans - maybe a Christmas card in the making? We were definitely impressed - and sort of forgot to walk through the rest of the aviary at this point!
We went right to the Butterfly house. Here Megan was a magnet for the butterflies! At times she must have had five or six butterflies on her at once! They would land on her and just hang out. She could have one or two on her hands and a few more on her shirt! They've added a cage with two sloths and they have got to be the cutest things ever! I don't know that I've seen a sloth so up close before! We spent a long time here just watching the butterflies and taking pictures. My parents really enjoyed the hatching process.
We decided to try the buffet for lunch. In the past I hadn't heard very good reviews of it, but we were planning on getting room service from the Trout Bar for dinner so it seemed like the best way to mix things up. We were pleasantly surprised! It was inexpensive and had a good variety. It wasn't crowded and everyone found enough that they liked. Again it was only $10/adult and $5/child. Things like ice cream or beer were extra. The rain began during lunch, but that didn't stop us - as my parents had come to realize you can't let rain stop you in Costa Rica! We went to the frogs, snakes the Casita and the cats exhibit. The puma was really funny. It actually seemed as if she was playing with the kids - the kids would run one way and she'd follow it was like a game of tag. I liked how each cat had a sign with where they came from, how they were rescued and it's history.
The rain stopped and my parents decided to relax on their balcony and the four of us decided to check out the pool. We'd never been to the Peace Lodge pool before. It was really cool! There's a warmer waterfall pool a really cold pool and a nice hot tub. We spent a few hours there and then the kids and I went back to feed the hummingbirds again while Mr Shell enjoyed some much needed alone time! We also took another trip through the Butterfly house. Of course the sloths were posing like you wouldn't believe and I didn't bring my camera this time. As we were thinking about walking back it started raining harder than you could imagine! Guess we'd watch the butterflies a bit longer! When they were almost closing we tackled the steps back to the villa....so many steps all day long! As I was walking back up it dawned on me that Mr Shell told me that Wilson was coming tomorrow about 1 1/2 hrs too late for our Sansa flight! I was checking in when he left and wasn't really paying attention. He said he'd be back at 10:30 am and our flight is at 12:05. This isn't going to work! I have his email address but not his phone number. So, back to the computers at reception and cross my fingers that Elsy checks her emails! We need to be picked up by 9:00 am! I tell her I'll check back later to be sure she got the email and he'll be there by 9:00 or 9:30 at the latest.
I get back to the room and we order our roomservice. My parents went back to the fancy restaurant for dinner. We got a couple DVD's from the front desk and just hung out! After dinner I checked my email and Elsy emailed back. Whew! We were all set. I repacked all our suitcases, hoping to even them out for the Sansa flights. Tomorrow we leave for Bosque del Cabo!
Again, Peace Lodge was a great hit. I'm not sure we'd stay there again just because of the expense. Each time we've stayed here it's been a "first" for someone. First for us, first for the kids and now first for my parents. But it's such a relaxing and unique place. It's sort of like a place you can re-energize here and gear up for the next part of the journey!
But we made it and that's the important part right?Day 5, Sunday, July 25th
We woke up after my first really good night's sleep to a wonderful view with the sun shining bright. Even though breakfast is no longer included at the Peace Lodge I thought it was still very reasonably priced at $10/adult and $5/child for their buffet. The food was very good, very fresh and there was an excellent variety. Today our plan was to start with the waterfall trails and then just wander through the exhibits.
We were told that the trails were all now opened and all of the waterfalls were back to being visable. I suppose if you've never been there before you wouldn't know the difference, but from what I remembered from the past the trail is much shorter. The starting point is different and you actually come "into" the falls at the bottom of the first fall. It's still spectacular and beautiful, but it's different. They've done a great job of restoring the trails with much safer paths that they have said will hold up even better should there be any future quakes or landslides. You also don't get nearly as close to the last fall the way you did before. There isn't the viewing platform that you had before. There's just no way to get there now since the land that was there was washed away. There's a straight walkway from much higher up. The kids loved the hike and got as close as possible to each fall so they could feel the spray. My parents seemed to enjoy it and my dad did well with all the steps. This was a concern I had since he has a pretty bad knee. Peace Lodge is definitely not the place for someone with arthritis in their knee!! When we ended the hike at the former gift shop, which is now being totally rebuilt - right now it's just an empty concrete shell of a building, we caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel's reception area. The bus driver really spoke no English but tried to emphasize the earthquake destruction we were seeing and show us with many hand gestures the evidence of landslides.
Our next stop was the aviary. I thought this would be a favorite for my mom since she is a bird lover! I remembered there being so many birds here! But when we walked in, they must have all been hiding! We didn't see any! Hmmm.... But almost immediately one of the employees stopped my daughter and asked her if she sould like to feed a Paca. She was thrilled! A paca looks sort of like a large guinea pig. So both her and my son got to feed the little guy some pellets through a cage while the guide told us about pacas. Then he asked if they wanted to feed the marmosets. Well, of course! Se he took us over to them and they were adorable. They'd grab a piece of food with their hands and run off. Sometimes they'd actually eat out of your hands directly. Then he asked my mom if she'd ever held a toucan. So off we went to the toucans. He reminded us that these are all rescued birds and in the wild you'd never want to try to touch one - they're aggressive birds. So immediately he puts some toucans on our arms and shoulders and lets us feed them and shows us how to gently pet them. They are really so beautiful up close! He took some group pictures of us with the toucans - maybe a Christmas card in the making? We were definitely impressed - and sort of forgot to walk through the rest of the aviary at this point!
We went right to the Butterfly house. Here Megan was a magnet for the butterflies! At times she must have had five or six butterflies on her at once! They would land on her and just hang out. She could have one or two on her hands and a few more on her shirt! They've added a cage with two sloths and they have got to be the cutest things ever! I don't know that I've seen a sloth so up close before! We spent a long time here just watching the butterflies and taking pictures. My parents really enjoyed the hatching process.
We decided to try the buffet for lunch. In the past I hadn't heard very good reviews of it, but we were planning on getting room service from the Trout Bar for dinner so it seemed like the best way to mix things up. We were pleasantly surprised! It was inexpensive and had a good variety. It wasn't crowded and everyone found enough that they liked. Again it was only $10/adult and $5/child. Things like ice cream or beer were extra. The rain began during lunch, but that didn't stop us - as my parents had come to realize you can't let rain stop you in Costa Rica! We went to the frogs, snakes the Casita and the cats exhibit. The puma was really funny. It actually seemed as if she was playing with the kids - the kids would run one way and she'd follow it was like a game of tag. I liked how each cat had a sign with where they came from, how they were rescued and it's history.
The rain stopped and my parents decided to relax on their balcony and the four of us decided to check out the pool. We'd never been to the Peace Lodge pool before. It was really cool! There's a warmer waterfall pool a really cold pool and a nice hot tub. We spent a few hours there and then the kids and I went back to feed the hummingbirds again while Mr Shell enjoyed some much needed alone time! We also took another trip through the Butterfly house. Of course the sloths were posing like you wouldn't believe and I didn't bring my camera this time. As we were thinking about walking back it started raining harder than you could imagine! Guess we'd watch the butterflies a bit longer! When they were almost closing we tackled the steps back to the villa....so many steps all day long! As I was walking back up it dawned on me that Mr Shell told me that Wilson was coming tomorrow about 1 1/2 hrs too late for our Sansa flight! I was checking in when he left and wasn't really paying attention. He said he'd be back at 10:30 am and our flight is at 12:05. This isn't going to work! I have his email address but not his phone number. So, back to the computers at reception and cross my fingers that Elsy checks her emails! We need to be picked up by 9:00 am! I tell her I'll check back later to be sure she got the email and he'll be there by 9:00 or 9:30 at the latest.
I get back to the room and we order our roomservice. My parents went back to the fancy restaurant for dinner. We got a couple DVD's from the front desk and just hung out! After dinner I checked my email and Elsy emailed back. Whew! We were all set. I repacked all our suitcases, hoping to even them out for the Sansa flights. Tomorrow we leave for Bosque del Cabo!
Again, Peace Lodge was a great hit. I'm not sure we'd stay there again just because of the expense. Each time we've stayed here it's been a "first" for someone. First for us, first for the kids and now first for my parents. But it's such a relaxing and unique place. It's sort of like a place you can re-energize here and gear up for the next part of the journey!
Aug 11th, 2010, 10:09 AM
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Interesting account of the road conditions! It's hard to picture what it must look like. I'm glad you enjoyed the Peace Lodge again. It certainly is expensive, but as you say - relaxing and unique. It's the first place I stayed on my first CR trip, so it holds a special place in my heart. It will be weird to see the changes that have taken place on the trails, but thank goodness more damage wasn't done.
Aug 11th, 2010, 10:13 AM
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Nice report, Shell! So glad you guys had a great time. I can't imagine what that road must have been like. It would have scared me, too, and made me sad as well.
You've brought back some lovely memories of relaxing in those luxurious rooms at Peace Lodge. Sure would like to go back again one day. We asked about Peace Lodge from one of the guides at Orquideas Inn. He told us about the falls, and how different the walkways were now--and the views. I'll bet it seemed really odd. Of course, to someone who didn't know, I'm sure it was spectacular!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share so much--looking forward to BdC!
You've brought back some lovely memories of relaxing in those luxurious rooms at Peace Lodge. Sure would like to go back again one day. We asked about Peace Lodge from one of the guides at Orquideas Inn. He told us about the falls, and how different the walkways were now--and the views. I'll bet it seemed really odd. Of course, to someone who didn't know, I'm sure it was spectacular!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share so much--looking forward to BdC!
Aug 11th, 2010, 12:18 PM
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Peace Lodge experience sounds great, especially for your kids with all of the animals.
I guess I'm really surprised that Wilson would have taken clients on a road that he had not checked out in advance, one that everyone knows had been destroyed with the earthquake and landslides. He gets such rave reviews on this forum as a driver/guide, but this seems a lapse in judgment. I wonder if he will continue to use this road?
I guess I'm really surprised that Wilson would have taken clients on a road that he had not checked out in advance, one that everyone knows had been destroyed with the earthquake and landslides. He gets such rave reviews on this forum as a driver/guide, but this seems a lapse in judgment. I wonder if he will continue to use this road?
Aug 12th, 2010, 05:51 AM
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colibri - I know Wilson was shocked at the condition of the road. Apparently whoever told him it was opened didn't give him the conditions of the road and he felt really bad about it. I'll explain more about that, but he felt really horrible about having taken us on the road!
Day 6, Monday, July 26th
After breakfast we checked out and Wilson was there right on time waiting for us. He had a gift bag for us. He said he felt absolutly horrible about taking us on the road that was in such bad condition. He gave us a bag with coffee and some coffee liquor in it. He said he won't be driving on that road again any time soon and certainly not with clients with him! He hoped that we weren't upset and thanked us for understanding. He did say that when he told his dad, who was turing 65, about the road, his dad wanted him to take him on it so he could see the conditions and the damage! Wilson said - ok, for his dad, but that was it! In a way I felt a bit better that he felt the road was dangerous too - it wasn't just me!
So, we said our goodbyes to Peace Lodge and went on our way to the Sansa terminal. We were making good time and Wilson asked if we wanted to stop for some coffee and snacks at Doka. We didn't have time for the tour but we spent some time taking pictures and Wilson took us down where they grow the coffee and told us about the coffee plants and harvesting it. It was a nice little break!
We got to the Sansa Terminal, which has been redone since our last visit there and checked in. Our flight was on time, it was just us and one other family. It was a smooth flight and we were met in Puerto Jimenez by - I want to say Bernie - I hope I'm right - from Bosque del Cabo - he's the bartender and I feel bad if that's the wrong name! We loaded up the Land Rover. Someone else was driving and we never got his name. We stopped at the supermarket for some snacks and supplies since we were staying at Casa Miramar, and off we went. Another bumpy road! I know that the kids, especially Alex and also my mom were very apprehensive about Bosque. My mom just had no idea what to expect and she was told the Casa was essentially open air - there was a roof, but no screens on the windows. And Alex - he just couldn't figure out what the heck we'd be doing for four days in the middle of nowhere with NO tv, NO computer and nothing really planned! He kept asking - what are we going to do there mom? On the way there it started to rain, pretty hard and of course our luggage was on the roof. So we stopped and they pulled the luggage off and shoved it in with us, plied on our laps, under our feet, just everywhere. You just have to go with the flow!....
Then we arrived at Bosque and the staff is just so amazing. So friendly and it's so beautiful there! All worries just melted away. We had lunch right away and everyone was happy. Even my picky eater, Alex. We had a short orientation and went up to our Casa. WOW - just beautiful! The kids immediately went into our very own plunge pool which was the perfect size for us and we all watched the toucans and the macaws! We checked out the bedrooms and yes the bathrooms are wide open to the world. Mr Shell made a little privacy sheet for our side - with the kids it just made some sense for us! He's very crafty that way! We hung our on our deck area until dinner just looking at the Pacific, watching the birds and enjoying the pool.
We walked down the driveway to get to dinner and realized it was very slippery. This may be the biggest challenge for my parents, especially with my dad's knee problems. If it was a smooth drive, no problem but the rocks are pretty unstable. But we'd figure it out. Dinner was very good and over dinner we came up with our plans for the next day - animal sanctuary it would be! I was really looking forward to that. We didn't get there on our previous trip to Bosque and you hear so much about it here! By the end of dinner it was raining so we got a ride back to Miramar. They have a vehicle always on site now, they said and will always be able to drive us if needed. My mom was VERY happy about that! The kids, especially, had a very hard time getting to sleep. I did to a bit. It was pretty hot - not much breeze. But finally everyone settled in. Our first afternoon at Bosque was pretty great!
Day 6, Monday, July 26th
After breakfast we checked out and Wilson was there right on time waiting for us. He had a gift bag for us. He said he felt absolutly horrible about taking us on the road that was in such bad condition. He gave us a bag with coffee and some coffee liquor in it. He said he won't be driving on that road again any time soon and certainly not with clients with him! He hoped that we weren't upset and thanked us for understanding. He did say that when he told his dad, who was turing 65, about the road, his dad wanted him to take him on it so he could see the conditions and the damage! Wilson said - ok, for his dad, but that was it! In a way I felt a bit better that he felt the road was dangerous too - it wasn't just me!
So, we said our goodbyes to Peace Lodge and went on our way to the Sansa terminal. We were making good time and Wilson asked if we wanted to stop for some coffee and snacks at Doka. We didn't have time for the tour but we spent some time taking pictures and Wilson took us down where they grow the coffee and told us about the coffee plants and harvesting it. It was a nice little break!
We got to the Sansa Terminal, which has been redone since our last visit there and checked in. Our flight was on time, it was just us and one other family. It was a smooth flight and we were met in Puerto Jimenez by - I want to say Bernie - I hope I'm right - from Bosque del Cabo - he's the bartender and I feel bad if that's the wrong name! We loaded up the Land Rover. Someone else was driving and we never got his name. We stopped at the supermarket for some snacks and supplies since we were staying at Casa Miramar, and off we went. Another bumpy road! I know that the kids, especially Alex and also my mom were very apprehensive about Bosque. My mom just had no idea what to expect and she was told the Casa was essentially open air - there was a roof, but no screens on the windows. And Alex - he just couldn't figure out what the heck we'd be doing for four days in the middle of nowhere with NO tv, NO computer and nothing really planned! He kept asking - what are we going to do there mom? On the way there it started to rain, pretty hard and of course our luggage was on the roof. So we stopped and they pulled the luggage off and shoved it in with us, plied on our laps, under our feet, just everywhere. You just have to go with the flow!....
Then we arrived at Bosque and the staff is just so amazing. So friendly and it's so beautiful there! All worries just melted away. We had lunch right away and everyone was happy. Even my picky eater, Alex. We had a short orientation and went up to our Casa. WOW - just beautiful! The kids immediately went into our very own plunge pool which was the perfect size for us and we all watched the toucans and the macaws! We checked out the bedrooms and yes the bathrooms are wide open to the world. Mr Shell made a little privacy sheet for our side - with the kids it just made some sense for us! He's very crafty that way! We hung our on our deck area until dinner just looking at the Pacific, watching the birds and enjoying the pool.
We walked down the driveway to get to dinner and realized it was very slippery. This may be the biggest challenge for my parents, especially with my dad's knee problems. If it was a smooth drive, no problem but the rocks are pretty unstable. But we'd figure it out. Dinner was very good and over dinner we came up with our plans for the next day - animal sanctuary it would be! I was really looking forward to that. We didn't get there on our previous trip to Bosque and you hear so much about it here! By the end of dinner it was raining so we got a ride back to Miramar. They have a vehicle always on site now, they said and will always be able to drive us if needed. My mom was VERY happy about that! The kids, especially, had a very hard time getting to sleep. I did to a bit. It was pretty hot - not much breeze. But finally everyone settled in. Our first afternoon at Bosque was pretty great!
Aug 12th, 2010, 03:58 PM
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Yep, Bernie the Bartender.
Ah, you're makin' me jealous! Miramar is really magical--enjoy every minute! Kudos to your parents; I'll bet they are having the time of their lives. Good to get them transportation on that road, though. It is such a slippery walk when wet.
Now go find that puma!
Ah, you're makin' me jealous! Miramar is really magical--enjoy every minute! Kudos to your parents; I'll bet they are having the time of their lives. Good to get them transportation on that road, though. It is such a slippery walk when wet.
Now go find that puma!
Aug 12th, 2010, 08:15 PM
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Thanks so much for all the great info, ShellD - we were at AOL starting on 7/25 and had very similar experiences - except our guide for the "free" tour was darling - outgoing, informative and funny - "Eduardo" - great guy. After reading your posts, I definitely need to put Peace Lodge and Bosque on our next itinerary!
Aug 16th, 2010, 05:22 AM
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Day 7, Tuesday, July 27th
The howler monkeys started sometime in the middle of the night, but by about 4 am they were going strong! By about 5 am my daughter came into our room asking what in the world that noise was! She was a bit scared and unsure what was coming to get her! Everyone was up and ready for breakfast by 7 am, we had to be done by 7:45 for our trip to the Animal Sanctuary and we were also going to combine it with a boat ride along the River Esquines. Breakfast was great. The ride to Puerto Jimenez was bumpy as ever. It's hard to believe they just don't pave the road! It would cut out so much time on that trip! We met Carlos at the boat dock and off we went. The ride on the Gulf was smooth and the sun was shining. We saw quite a few dolpins on the way over. He dropped us off and we met Carol, the woman who runs the sanctuary. She has many, many rescued animals there. She gave us a nice tour explaining the history of each of the animals and also about the animals themselves. She'd feed each animal we'd come to and we'd spend some time watching them. Her goal is to release as many as possible back into the wild. She's very dedicated to her work there. We really enjoyed it, although I'd hoped to be able to interact a bit more with the animals, based on some previous reviews I'd seen. We only got to pet one spider monkey - sweetie - who everyone seems to mention here. And yes - she certainly was sweet! She walked along with us for quite some time and at the end of the tour we got to feed her a bit. When we were done we got back onto the boat and travelled a bit more across the Gulf to the River Esquines which is a National Park. It reminded me a bit of Tortuguero, riding a boat through the canals looking for wildlife.
Unfortunatley it started raining, really hard at times. It made for a very wet and pretty uncomfortable ride with very little to be spotted. It was so sunny when we left that I never thought to bring rain coats. As a matter of fact we had bathing suits and Carlos even had snorkels for us. We rode in the rain for at least an hour into the park. We did spot a crocodile in the distance and a few birds. When the rain let up to a drizzle we anchored under some of the taller trees and ate our boxed lunches. We did finally see a snake and some lizards while we were eating. That was pretty cool. We thought the rain had stopped and we started back out of the park. We had a few minutes of clear skies and enjoyed the ride. But as sometimes happens - it started to rain again....by now we were soaked. However, the boat driver picked up speed once we were out of the river and back on the Gulf and the ride was a lot of fun. We were hitting the chops on the water and bouncing all over the place. Alex and Mr Shell and I were lauging like crazy. Megan was sleeping through it all. The sun finally started to peek out of the clouds as we got back to town. So even though we really didn't see much and we were soaked, we had a pretty cool boat ride in the end!
By the time we got back to Miramar it was drizzling again, but the kids went swimming in our pool. We got ready for dinner and without even having to call for a ride, they automatically picked us up, which was nice. Glad we were ready though! After dinner we all played Boggle - glad I threw in some small games for night time - got that idea from a previous trip report. Thanks to whoever posted that one!
The howler monkeys started sometime in the middle of the night, but by about 4 am they were going strong! By about 5 am my daughter came into our room asking what in the world that noise was! She was a bit scared and unsure what was coming to get her! Everyone was up and ready for breakfast by 7 am, we had to be done by 7:45 for our trip to the Animal Sanctuary and we were also going to combine it with a boat ride along the River Esquines. Breakfast was great. The ride to Puerto Jimenez was bumpy as ever. It's hard to believe they just don't pave the road! It would cut out so much time on that trip! We met Carlos at the boat dock and off we went. The ride on the Gulf was smooth and the sun was shining. We saw quite a few dolpins on the way over. He dropped us off and we met Carol, the woman who runs the sanctuary. She has many, many rescued animals there. She gave us a nice tour explaining the history of each of the animals and also about the animals themselves. She'd feed each animal we'd come to and we'd spend some time watching them. Her goal is to release as many as possible back into the wild. She's very dedicated to her work there. We really enjoyed it, although I'd hoped to be able to interact a bit more with the animals, based on some previous reviews I'd seen. We only got to pet one spider monkey - sweetie - who everyone seems to mention here. And yes - she certainly was sweet! She walked along with us for quite some time and at the end of the tour we got to feed her a bit. When we were done we got back onto the boat and travelled a bit more across the Gulf to the River Esquines which is a National Park. It reminded me a bit of Tortuguero, riding a boat through the canals looking for wildlife.
Unfortunatley it started raining, really hard at times. It made for a very wet and pretty uncomfortable ride with very little to be spotted. It was so sunny when we left that I never thought to bring rain coats. As a matter of fact we had bathing suits and Carlos even had snorkels for us. We rode in the rain for at least an hour into the park. We did spot a crocodile in the distance and a few birds. When the rain let up to a drizzle we anchored under some of the taller trees and ate our boxed lunches. We did finally see a snake and some lizards while we were eating. That was pretty cool. We thought the rain had stopped and we started back out of the park. We had a few minutes of clear skies and enjoyed the ride. But as sometimes happens - it started to rain again....by now we were soaked. However, the boat driver picked up speed once we were out of the river and back on the Gulf and the ride was a lot of fun. We were hitting the chops on the water and bouncing all over the place. Alex and Mr Shell and I were lauging like crazy. Megan was sleeping through it all. The sun finally started to peek out of the clouds as we got back to town. So even though we really didn't see much and we were soaked, we had a pretty cool boat ride in the end!
By the time we got back to Miramar it was drizzling again, but the kids went swimming in our pool. We got ready for dinner and without even having to call for a ride, they automatically picked us up, which was nice. Glad we were ready though! After dinner we all played Boggle - glad I threw in some small games for night time - got that idea from a previous trip report. Thanks to whoever posted that one!
Aug 16th, 2010, 03:34 PM
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Well, at least it sounds like you kept a sense of humor through the rain! It can be rather miserable to be trapped at the whim of the elements like that. I remember hiking the hanging bridges in Arenal in a torrential downpour. We made the best of it, but it was not the most pleasant experience. I'd like to get back there for another shot in better weather.
Sounds like you had a nice morning at the sanctuary. It's nice to see folks doing their best to help the wildlife of the area.
Sounds like you had a nice morning at the sanctuary. It's nice to see folks doing their best to help the wildlife of the area.
Aug 16th, 2010, 05:31 PM
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Enjoying reading your report, brings back good memories. Did you gave any visitors at Miramar, like a wily looking coati that answered to Jack? The drive to Peace Lodge sounds so scary, I hated that drive before the quake even. Looking forward to the rest.
The drive to Peace Lodge sounds so scary, I hated that drive before the quake even. Looking forward to the rest.
