Travel date: June 30, 2024
We are in Costa Rica this week to celebrate Ken’s mom’s 80th birthday with family. 
Our flight left Dulles at 3am yesterday morning. This is an absurd hour to travel. 0/10 do not recommend.
Today, I’m grateful for scopolamine patches. The three hour car trip from San Jose Airport to Quepos (where we are camped for the week) looks like a wet spaghetti noodle on the map.
Brief stop at the Walmart in San Jose for provisions and a cultural experience. Imagine 13 people all shopping together, but without any real plan. I asked our guide what his favorite Costa Rican candies are and bought these. Have no real idea what I’m eating, but delicious. Was super thirsty, so bought myself a road beer for the bus.
Saw about a million mango trees on our way to Quepos. Our guide told us there are several different varieties of mango in Costa Rica. The large ones are called mangA. The smaller ones are mangO. You can buy 40 *pounds* of mangoes for $8. At home, I can buy 4 mangoes for $8.
Stopped at the famous “crocodile bridge” over the Tarcoles River. Several crocs sunning themselves in the brown river water below. (Did not dig my zoom camera out of my bag, so used my iPhone, which is ass for taking zoom photos). Just one of many animals in Costa Rica that could take me out. Will not be dipping my toes in any brown rivers while here.
Lunch break: Had a delicious drink called Coco Loco. Could have downed about 4 of these! But I didn’t want to flame out on day 1, so followed with a big glass of watermelon naturale, which is extremely fresh juice, instead.
Look at this limon – green outside and orange inside. It’s a hybrid between mandarin orange and lime. Was suuuppper sour. Everyone made faces trying it.
Made it to the house without tossing my lunch. Kids having fun exploring the house and playing in the pool. We were warned to shake out our shoes every morning, and our pillows at night. Because we’re in the jungle, and ….. critters.
Critter count, Day 1: 5 crocodiles🐊, 1 giant grasshopper 🦗, and 3 baby geckos🦎.
Salud!
Salud!
Looks like fun! I was there in 2007. Soaking in the hot springs near Arenal was an experience.
I’ll bet! We didn’t make it to Arenal. We stayed in the Manuel Antonio area. Beautiful. But HOT!!
We also stayed in Manuel Antonio, it was beautiful. We both got really sick there, Montezuma’s revenge.
Oh no!! That is the absolute WORST! This is one of my biggest travel fears. It’s bound to happen, but man . . . ugh.
Have never been in that part of the world so it is fun ‘getting there’ thru’ your eyes. At this stage am not that sure about the critters . . . looking forwards to the next instalment from the security of being across the Pond 🙂 ! We do have a few kinds of crocodiles ‘up north’ of Australia who definitely do not impact on 99.9% peoples’ lives . . :)!
Regarding critters: have heard people say that everything in Australia is trying to kill you! 😂
Meant as a joke, this actually is kinda true – elsewhere one normally does not have to worry about tiny spiders called funnel webs around your garden or, God forbid, your kitchen taps and end in hospital because of a tiny bite – or walk along the street at certain times of the year when magpies have their young in nests one does not realize are there next to the footpath > and have your eye poked out! And that is but the beginning 🙂 ! Well, I have managed so far . . .
I was in Australia many MANY years ago and was scared to death I’d be running into funnel web spiders everywhere! I saw exactly NONE.
Quepos was base number 2 on our Costa Rica tour in 2021. Loved it. Manual Antonio was incredibly rewarding from an animal and bird spotting perspective. We also had a great home with a super host, and THE most amazing sloth experience we could have wished for.
I was fascinated by the sloths. They really DO move that slowly!! And that moss/algae that grows on their fur? Fascinating.
Yeah, they are a good watch.