Trip Report Part 1 Peace Lodge & Waterfall Gardens
Jun 19th, 2008, 06:36 AM
#22
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Have been trying to manage all my photo files and am a bit of a novice at online posting of the same. Have managed to get some loaded up now. Link is: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/k..._tab_my_albums
Please let me know if anyone has trouble opening it. Will post next part of trip report today (darn that work schedule of mine!)
Please let me know if anyone has trouble opening it. Will post next part of trip report today (darn that work schedule of mine!)
Jun 19th, 2008, 07:11 PM
#23
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his is the final installment on our two week trip. Up early in the AM for a 7:00 excursion to the Osa rainforest.. Our guide, Alberto, met OH and I after breakfast with a 4 WD Range Rover. We drove (lurched) through Puerto Jimenez on the main road heading south initially on a 45 minute drive toward the Corcovado National Park. The road, like many in CR, was made of sand and/or dirt with a load of big, chunky rocks thrown over that, hoping that truck traffic would push the rocks down into the dirt. Combined with the 1 -2 foot deep potholes and areas where the rocks have not penetrated into the soil, the ride is guaranteed to keep chiropractors in business for a long time. The best part of driving through the roads on the Osa, though, have to be the bridges (or lack thereof). When there actually is a bridge, it is barely wide enough for a smaller sized car; some have guardrails (or parts of them); some do not; some places you drive through the stream or river because there is no bridge - and pray that the water is not too fast or too deep! No worries, though - it's all part of the experience and makes it all the more worthwhile! And, as my OH observed, if the roads were in great condition, there would not be as much wildlife and there would be way too many people!
Alberto stopped the Range Rover at points along the way when we saw something of interest, so we could get out and look more closely. Saw many interesting birds and plants - a yellow crested caracara, a railbird, a litle black grasschit which kept jumping straight up in the air from a fence wire, trying to attract a mate.
We parked the Range Rover by the beach at Matapalo Point and continued on foot. Immediately spotted a "pizote" (coatimundi) on the beach. Following the road and hiking trails, we also saw pacas, toucans, and scarlet macaws. Up in the trees, we came upon a troop of spider monkeys settling down for a siesta (several mothers with babies), a squirrel monkey passing through, and a troop of howler monkeys. Then Alberto, or sharp-eyed guide, spotted a three toed sloth up in a treetop. All during this trip, I'd hoped to see a sloth in the wild!
During the trip, we stopped at a soda/bar called Buena Esperanza for an "el bano" break. It wasn't open at that time of day, but the owner (a German who surfs) told us that they have a great fiesta there every Friday starting about 4 pm with open markets, local goods, great food and drinks with dancing and music.
The next day was a fishing day. Interesting point - haven't really seen a lot posted regarding fishing although Costa Rica is one of the world's prime spots for it. Maybe I just haven't read the right posts? anyway, if you did not know, CR is known for roosterfish, a type of game fish found only in parts of CR and Panama. They are for fun only, you do not eat them, you throw them back to catch another day. The goal for my OH was to catch at least one, which he finally did that day! With the exception of that rooster and spotting some pilot whales swimming by the boat offshore, the day was a wash. After dinner, OH and I had massages at the spa - really, really good!! Fought to stay awake until 9 pm, but didn't quite make it!
The next morning was our last day of fishing - we were going out with our old friends Danny and Pitti. Had a feeling it would be a good day - and I was right! We ran the boat up off Carate Beach and within a few minutes of throwing our bait over, we were hooking up with fish! In all, we caught 14 roosterfish that day _ OH caught 8, I caught 6. The largest roosterfish, which was close to 50 lbs, was hooked and brought to the boat by - ahem - yours truly! As much fun as we had catching fish, it was more fun doing it with Danny and Pitti. I guess since we had been out with them before, we all felt more comfortable. Danny was really doing well with using his English and I was chattering in Spanish - we covered politics, schools, work, families, differences and similarities in our cultures, and ecotourism and its sustainability. We laughed and joked with each other, and Pitti actually offered to keep the boat out past the time to go in because we were all having such a good time. When we got back to the dock, it was gratifying to see the pride he and Danny took in making sure other captains and boat crews saw the image of the "grande gallo" our senora caught. I made sure to get their addresses, to send them photos of all the fish we caught that day, as several were very good sizes. Felt like we were parting from family members when we said goodbye.
That evening, had an "After Sun Facial" at the spa - heaven!
Returned to San Jose the next day to the Doubletree Cariari again. Slight glitch on arrival - went to open door of our assigned room with the key - OH said "wait, there's a do not disturb sign on the door". Too late, as the door opened to a room with unmade bed and shoes and clothes on the chairs. OOps! Assigned us to a (thankfully) unoccupied room. Jonathan had arranged for a friend of his to meet us in the lobby at 2 pm to take us into San Jose for the afternoon and evening. Marco took us to the Gold Museum, the Jade Museum, and the "money" museum. It was only about $4.50 US to enter all of them with one ticket! The Gold Museum amazed us with the intricacy of some of the gold items on display; I really enjoyed reading the explanations of the customs of the early indigenous peoples. The artwork on some of the currency through history was high caliber! We then went upstairs to the Teatro Nationale, San Jose's Opera House. It was built using materials brought over from Italy, funded by the coffee barons. The story was that an opera diva came to sing at their invitation, but refused to do so until they provided her with a proper opera house. The theater is absolutely gorgeous! I have been to Venice and Florence - it could defintely fit in those places! the frescos on the walls and ceilings are beautiful - it is truly a national treasure ! We also visited the cathedral close by, with it's lovely stained glass windows and ornate altars. Marco took us to buy some souvenirs for home at the Mercado de Artistes; then we went for dinner at the Restaurante Grano de Oro in the historic hotel of the same name. The food was extremely good, not too expensive for the venue ($100 without tip for three of us). Bonus was that our waiter went to high school with Marco and they'd not seen each other for a very long time!! He helped us get the okay to peek into a couple of the vacant rooms they had at the hotel. I'd have no hesitation to staying there the next time we come to CR. They looked simple but comfy - and the hotel is restored from a mansion belonging to one of the coffee barons, hence the name which means "gold bean".
Returned to home and reality the next day - already making plans for our next trip!! We loved so many of the thing we saw and did - but we both agreed that Costa Rica's biggest treasure is the Tico people. They are what made our trip truly memorable. Pura Vida!!
Alberto stopped the Range Rover at points along the way when we saw something of interest, so we could get out and look more closely. Saw many interesting birds and plants - a yellow crested caracara, a railbird, a litle black grasschit which kept jumping straight up in the air from a fence wire, trying to attract a mate.
We parked the Range Rover by the beach at Matapalo Point and continued on foot. Immediately spotted a "pizote" (coatimundi) on the beach. Following the road and hiking trails, we also saw pacas, toucans, and scarlet macaws. Up in the trees, we came upon a troop of spider monkeys settling down for a siesta (several mothers with babies), a squirrel monkey passing through, and a troop of howler monkeys. Then Alberto, or sharp-eyed guide, spotted a three toed sloth up in a treetop. All during this trip, I'd hoped to see a sloth in the wild!
During the trip, we stopped at a soda/bar called Buena Esperanza for an "el bano" break. It wasn't open at that time of day, but the owner (a German who surfs) told us that they have a great fiesta there every Friday starting about 4 pm with open markets, local goods, great food and drinks with dancing and music.
The next day was a fishing day. Interesting point - haven't really seen a lot posted regarding fishing although Costa Rica is one of the world's prime spots for it. Maybe I just haven't read the right posts? anyway, if you did not know, CR is known for roosterfish, a type of game fish found only in parts of CR and Panama. They are for fun only, you do not eat them, you throw them back to catch another day. The goal for my OH was to catch at least one, which he finally did that day! With the exception of that rooster and spotting some pilot whales swimming by the boat offshore, the day was a wash. After dinner, OH and I had massages at the spa - really, really good!! Fought to stay awake until 9 pm, but didn't quite make it!
The next morning was our last day of fishing - we were going out with our old friends Danny and Pitti. Had a feeling it would be a good day - and I was right! We ran the boat up off Carate Beach and within a few minutes of throwing our bait over, we were hooking up with fish! In all, we caught 14 roosterfish that day _ OH caught 8, I caught 6. The largest roosterfish, which was close to 50 lbs, was hooked and brought to the boat by - ahem - yours truly! As much fun as we had catching fish, it was more fun doing it with Danny and Pitti. I guess since we had been out with them before, we all felt more comfortable. Danny was really doing well with using his English and I was chattering in Spanish - we covered politics, schools, work, families, differences and similarities in our cultures, and ecotourism and its sustainability. We laughed and joked with each other, and Pitti actually offered to keep the boat out past the time to go in because we were all having such a good time. When we got back to the dock, it was gratifying to see the pride he and Danny took in making sure other captains and boat crews saw the image of the "grande gallo" our senora caught. I made sure to get their addresses, to send them photos of all the fish we caught that day, as several were very good sizes. Felt like we were parting from family members when we said goodbye.
That evening, had an "After Sun Facial" at the spa - heaven!
Returned to San Jose the next day to the Doubletree Cariari again. Slight glitch on arrival - went to open door of our assigned room with the key - OH said "wait, there's a do not disturb sign on the door". Too late, as the door opened to a room with unmade bed and shoes and clothes on the chairs. OOps! Assigned us to a (thankfully) unoccupied room. Jonathan had arranged for a friend of his to meet us in the lobby at 2 pm to take us into San Jose for the afternoon and evening. Marco took us to the Gold Museum, the Jade Museum, and the "money" museum. It was only about $4.50 US to enter all of them with one ticket! The Gold Museum amazed us with the intricacy of some of the gold items on display; I really enjoyed reading the explanations of the customs of the early indigenous peoples. The artwork on some of the currency through history was high caliber! We then went upstairs to the Teatro Nationale, San Jose's Opera House. It was built using materials brought over from Italy, funded by the coffee barons. The story was that an opera diva came to sing at their invitation, but refused to do so until they provided her with a proper opera house. The theater is absolutely gorgeous! I have been to Venice and Florence - it could defintely fit in those places! the frescos on the walls and ceilings are beautiful - it is truly a national treasure ! We also visited the cathedral close by, with it's lovely stained glass windows and ornate altars. Marco took us to buy some souvenirs for home at the Mercado de Artistes; then we went for dinner at the Restaurante Grano de Oro in the historic hotel of the same name. The food was extremely good, not too expensive for the venue ($100 without tip for three of us). Bonus was that our waiter went to high school with Marco and they'd not seen each other for a very long time!! He helped us get the okay to peek into a couple of the vacant rooms they had at the hotel. I'd have no hesitation to staying there the next time we come to CR. They looked simple but comfy - and the hotel is restored from a mansion belonging to one of the coffee barons, hence the name which means "gold bean".
Returned to home and reality the next day - already making plans for our next trip!! We loved so many of the thing we saw and did - but we both agreed that Costa Rica's biggest treasure is the Tico people. They are what made our trip truly memorable. Pura Vida!!
Jun 20th, 2008, 04:51 AM
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Nice fish!! I was interested to hear about your fishing adventures, as we love to fish. What did you think of Crocodile Bay as far as a place to stay and food? We love BdC, but if we ever wanted to do some serious fishing, I think Croc. Bay offers packages, don't they?
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip - a little bit of everything. Was fun to hear about the museums you visited in San Jose, too. Great report!
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip - a little bit of everything. Was fun to hear about the museums you visited in San Jose, too. Great report!
Jun 24th, 2008, 06:41 PM
#27
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Sorry it's taken a few days to get back to answer; had a slight medical problem but all better now (pining for CR, I think).
Dmp - I would think pretty much anything is possible for the right price - are you talking about going from hotel at MA to La Paz and back the same day? If so, (and those who are more knowledgeable than I please chime in), I think you would be talking traveling time of about 5 - 6 hours total (2.5 - 3 hours each way) You could do the Waterfalls Gardens Tour in 4 hours, including lunch if you did not linger. I could recommend 3 drivers - Jonathan Madrigal Cell 011 506 844 9356 Fax 011 506 293 5961 email: [email protected]
Alejandro Rodriguez Phones: 011 506 88 71 66 75 or 011 506 83 02 15 19 email: [email protected]
Marco Ugalde Phones: 011 506 24 41 15 37 or 011 506 88 38 66 77 Email
[email protected]
Tell them Penny and Mike from Florida gave you their names
janenicole - yes, Croc Bay does some great packages and will actually give you a quote on a custom package; you just let them know what you want, they quote you a price. We had them quote us one for 3 days fishing and 2 days of ecotours. Croc Bay was very nice (not as romantic as Bdc, I'm sure), a little more "tamed" than I expected. The food was quite excellent and the staff were phenomenal! They have several boats of different sizes, the smallest were 24 ft open fishermen, the largest was 33 foot. They do not have the number of hiking trails that Bdc has.
Dmp - I would think pretty much anything is possible for the right price - are you talking about going from hotel at MA to La Paz and back the same day? If so, (and those who are more knowledgeable than I please chime in), I think you would be talking traveling time of about 5 - 6 hours total (2.5 - 3 hours each way) You could do the Waterfalls Gardens Tour in 4 hours, including lunch if you did not linger. I could recommend 3 drivers - Jonathan Madrigal Cell 011 506 844 9356 Fax 011 506 293 5961 email: [email protected]
Alejandro Rodriguez Phones: 011 506 88 71 66 75 or 011 506 83 02 15 19 email: [email protected]
Marco Ugalde Phones: 011 506 24 41 15 37 or 011 506 88 38 66 77 Email
[email protected]Tell them Penny and Mike from Florida gave you their names
janenicole - yes, Croc Bay does some great packages and will actually give you a quote on a custom package; you just let them know what you want, they quote you a price. We had them quote us one for 3 days fishing and 2 days of ecotours. Croc Bay was very nice (not as romantic as Bdc, I'm sure), a little more "tamed" than I expected. The food was quite excellent and the staff were phenomenal! They have several boats of different sizes, the smallest were 24 ft open fishermen, the largest was 33 foot. They do not have the number of hiking trails that Bdc has.
Jun 25th, 2008, 11:20 AM
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flapenny - I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report. I mean, it couldn't get much better, could it? Sounds like a WONDERFUL vacation. Thanks for the great information and details...takes me back...sigh. 
Jun 25th, 2008, 05:56 PM
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So, I am now planning our next trip - trying to decide between Casa Corcovado and Aquilas de Osa on Drake Bay. Will be doing an official posting, but if anyone wants to weigh in an opinion, would welcome it.
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