El Ocotal Playas del Coco

Costa Rica - here we come! I've heard so many great things about Costa Rica and I could not wait to get there. Also, today is also our 3 year anniversary so Jess had done some research online and found a beautiful resort called Hotel Ocotal near Playa Del Coco for a little luxury and respite! But wait...we still have Nicaraguan roads (worst so far), the border crossing (the one that takes the longest from what we've heard) and the Nicaraguan police checkpoints (also the most corrupt from what...

We have been at the Ocotal resort for the past three days to take part in Gil Gata and Michael Willets wedding two of our friends from San Francisco. There wedding was beautiful. It was at sunset with breath taking views over looking the ocean. They had 50 people which is a pretty large destination wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception and dancing were fantastic. The resort its elf was huge and there was lots to do. Most of us stayed by the pool. Justin and Michaeñl went deep ...

Liv and I have been consistantly waking up at the crack of dawn. Literally, 5 and 6 a.m. is pretty normal here. At our first destination in Corcovado, a loud cowbell would ring at 6:30 a.m. to sound us all to breakfast. Seems early, but we were always asleep by 9:30 p.m because the generator turned off at 9 leaving us 30 minutes to squirm in our tent beds in blackhole darkness while wild cats screeched from 50 feet away and monkeys threw water apples at our tents. Definitely an experience. Fo...

We left the Pacific beach for a moment and followed 14 BMW motorcycles from the UK travelling the Americas in 3 months. Ouch saddle sore! It was 3 hrs at the border waiting for stamps. But all the docuements were succesful in allowing me and Shifty to exit Nicaragua. The scenery was still lush green but flatter and more park areas. The trans America is a single road, well maintained, with no cycling shoulders and lots of police stops. Me and Andrew drove into Playa Del Coco. Touristy but very...

As expected, I was extremely disappointed when the alarm went off at 4:20 a.m., giving me just over two hours of sleep. I dragged myself and Paul out of bed, said goodbye to Tigger and Finn, and was at the airport by 4:50 a.m. There I learned that my suitcase was 55 pounds--i.e., 5 pounds over the limit. The airline employee was nice and did not charge me for going over, which I appreciated. I tell you this seemingly insignificant detail because it actually turns out to contribute to why this...

Our first official day in Playas del Coco was all about meeting people. And I use the word "people" a bit loosely. At breakfast, we met George. George is not particularly friendly, but he has lots of personality for an enormous iguana. He likes to be around people, but is a bit camera-shy and ducked under a chair when we tried to get a picture with him. We didn't know if George would meet us for breakfast every day. Heck, we don't even know if his name is George, but the name just felt right....

We began our day on Tuesday with what started as an uneventful breakfast. We were happy to see that George was there, wandering peaceably among the chairs. Suddenly, Catharine (I just learned I had been spelling her name incorrectly from the beginning) looks up to the trees above us and says, "I think I just got peed on." "By what," I ask? I look up and see a fairly large lizard (not George) in the tree above our breakfast table. His hind end was located suspiciously above Catharine. Catharin...

Undoubtedly, the best part of this trip so far has been getting to know Catharine better. For starters, I learned how to spell her name correctly. I have since learned that she prefers red wine over white, enjoys chocolate, keeps thinking Costa Rica is an island, and shares many of my views on life, happiness, as well as the pursuit of both. Catharine also has a way with people, and will start a conversation with anyone. As I tend to be a bit more reserved, I envy her this talent. Although no...

Thursday, our second to last full day in Playa del Cocos, Costa Rica was another leisurely and rather uneventful day with beautiful weather. Our thirty year-old bodies woke up sore from our canopy tour, so we spent a leisurely morning at the pool. However, after some discussion, we decided that our "letting go" theme should also include letting go of our slacker ways. Plus, Cat's pale skin was beginning to react to the brutal sun and heat (I told her that natural selection would have weeded h...

Shannon has given me the opportunity to respond - finally - to her many spurious blog entries impugning my character as a good travel companion and an adventurous zip-liner; not to mention the more maligning comments regarding my paleness. Ok, as pictures demonstrate, I can't really debate my paleness and I did volunteer to do whatever on the zip-line, so, instead of a response and in the spirit of the title, I give you comment on 'regalos' - or, in english, 'gifts.' When Shannon asked me to ...