TravelStream™ news feed for member ricf964 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ricf964 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:39:39 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230649200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230649200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230649200/tpod.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:39:39 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Just outside of downtown Montezuma is the Butterfly Gardens. It's part of a B&B and you can also volunteer to work there. They usually require a 4,000 colones admission, but just asked for any donation...we each paid the 4,000 colones. One of the guys working there brought us into the gardens and gave us a brief overview, showing us some caterpillars, a board with harvested chrysalis, and of course, there were butterflys all over the place. He explained that the reason the chrysalis were harvested and put behind a screen door is because there is a type of wasp that will lay it's eggs in the chrysalis and instead of a butterfly coming out, a wasp does. :-( Additionally, there were various trees, shrubs and fruit about the area. What a caterpillar eats, as a butterfly it might go to a different plant for its nourishment. Some prefer fruit and will use it's tube to lick up the moisture and sugar from it for its meal. Here's two pictures of some butterflys:







After walking around, the guide told us about a road that would lead us to a trail to the same waterfall we had been to when ziplining. We decided to go up and while there took a couple pictures because the view is amazing. It was already hot this morning, so we decided to leave the windows open about a quarter inch before we headed down to the waterfall. Then we followed the trail. It wasn't a bad walk, but the falls were crowded. A lot of people from San Jose leave the city around the holidays for the Nicoya Pennisula and people take long weekends, etc. So the locals were more likely to be at the falls than on the beach...it's cooler and the water is fresh, not salt. Seeing the crowd, we headed back to the car. When I got to my side, I said, "Oh wow, I left my door unlocked". Until I opened it and found that someone had unlocked it for me. On my seat was a wire that someone had used to pull up the lock. The only thing in the car was my tripod, which they left. We think it was because the theives wouldn't have been able to sell it easily. So...lesson learned! Leave the windows closed and the doors locked!

We decided to stay local today and just headed down to Playa Montezuma, but on the way back we finally saw some Howler Monkeys. As the name implies, they announce themselves as the cross the canopy, but we never saw them, only heard them. Here's a link to what they sound like: Howler Monkey. And here is a picture of a female.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1231335960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1231335960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1231335960/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:52:39 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

With a 9:03 flight from Tambor to San Jose, we had to leave this morning at 7:30. Here is the Tambor airport and our plane:









We really had a great time, it was just soooo relaxing and so different from any of our previous vacations. So with a six-hour layover in San Jose, we leave Tambor airport. Our goal was to drop off our luggage and head to the Zoo as Alex reccommended, but with a camera and laptop, and a change of clothes in our carry-ons, it didn't work out. Instead, we paid $30 USD each to hang out in the VIP Club at the airport. It was so worth it.

A recap:
To be honest, it's not fully what we expected, but that being said it was very enjoyable and relaxing. We did not know beforehand that the majority of the roads were unpaved and required a 4x4 vehicle. We knew that there wasn't going to be a lot to do, but didn't realize that things were as limited as they were. That doesn't diminsh Montezuma, in fact it enhances it. As I have mentioned before, this is not the place for people who can only stay at 4- and 5-star hotels. Even with the nicest property like AguaVista, you're still somewhat roughing it. Your choices for the day are hang out in the hammock and listen to the birds and monkeys, go down to the beach, drive to another beach, or do one of the excusions like Ziplining, snorkeling, etc.

Based on our experience with the ATM and the bank, we strongly recommend getting your Colones before you go. Also, the stores DO NOT accept American Express Traveler's Checks. They ran into a problem where people would report them stolen after legitimately using them, then the store would be charged back and lose the money. The tip at restaurants in Costa Rica is 10% and added to the bill at the end of each meal. Anything else is much appreciated. We usually left an extra 5%-10%. There are a lot of backpackers and campers in the area, and that along with the surfing culture provides a very Que sera', sera' attitude (What will be, will be). Even on New Year's Eve with many people drinking much alcohol and hanging out in the street, it was only to have a good time, and perfect strangers would walk by and say, "Feliz Ano".

Would we return? Definitely, but maybe for a shorter period of time. Two weeks was a stretch because by the end I wanted to do something more than go sit on the beach or get bounced around in the Jimmy. Still, it was nice to return to the casita, have some dinner and wine, play cards, stream a little music, and look at the amazing sky. There were so many stars it was difficult to point out the constellations I knew. I'm not sure if this will turn out well, because I have to compress it, but here's a star trace from our deck...there's a few shooting stars there too.







I say, that if you're looking for a completely chilled out, relaxing vacation to give Montezuma a try and definitley look into AguaVista. At the very least you'll come back with a tan that will make your co-workers jealous and probably a better attitude. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230831000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230831000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230831000/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:39:57 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Did something last night that I haven't done in YEARS...stayed out drinking until 4 AM. We met a group of guys in "downtown" Montezuma who represented various parts of the world; Turkey, Germany, Costa Rica and we proceeded to talk and drink. I apparently forgot how much I was drinking. Anyway, what was really interesting is that unlike what I've seen in the US, just because it was midnight and a new year didn't mean it was time to go home. So, four hours later we were still there. We had a great time. Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun and I'm sure Montezuma is a very quiet place right now because of all the hangovers that people are nursing.

Despite the late hour, we had to get up and fill the gas tank on the Jimmy because Alamo is picking it up today. <Sigh> That means that we leave tomorrow morning. According to the WeatherBug on the computer it's currently 12 degrees farenheit in Boston right now, which makes leaving Montezuma even more difficult. We have a six hour layover in San Jose, so after we drop off the luggage we're going to hop into a cab to visit the Zoo. Our host, Alex had to do the same thing with his daughters a few years ago and recommended it as a good time killer.

Well the car has been picked up without any problems and we're just hanging out at the casita. For dinner, we needed to go back down to Montezuma since we didn't have any food left at the house. As we were walking down the "street" with our flashlights, I saw something in the road and yelled for Doyle to stop. Costa Rica has both venoumous and non-venoumous snakes and Doyle was about to step on one of them and from the distance I couldn't tell what it was. The snake, feeling the vibrations from his feet, pulled back and headed into the woods so we shone our flashlights on it and it appeared to be a small boa constrictor.

Oh, BTW....The ATM was functioning, BUT it was offline. We were told that when it does work it's only open from 8-5, but it doesn't say that anywhere on the ATM.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230129000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230129000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230129000/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:37:12 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Paquera, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Today we schedule a trip out to Isla Tortuga (Turtle Island) to do some snorkeling. There are several companies here that you can use, but Alex suggested using Monkey Tours because they give 10% of their profit to the local schools. We thought that was great and agreed. Some companies charge as much as $70 per person, but Monkey Tours was only $40 and there were only six people on our boat, some had as many as 20. Monkey Tours does not have a website, but they do have a blog: ProyectoMontezuma.blogspot.com, you should check them out. Here is their "outpost":








The boat ride to the island is about 50 minutes at full throttle with two brief stops. One to see the waterfall past the Playa Grande that we never reached (and after seeing it, we're glad we didn't walk the rest of the way) and another to see Rainbow Rock. It's a cool rock formation with a hole in the bottom, forming an arch. I didn't bring my camera, as our host thought it would get soaked on the trip; however, it would have made it just fine. On the other hand, if I had brought it, it probably would have gotten soaked, so C'est la vie.

After some snorkeling, they take you to the island for lunch and some relaxation. The lunch was very good. It was fresh fish with some potatoes and a nice salad, and they had fresh cut fruit on the table. One thing about this area is that it's very easy to find healthy food. Fresh fish, organic restaurants, right sized portions, it's really nice. On the other hand, there's plenty of bars to drink all the cerveza and margaritas that you care to. They also had beverages included. There's said to be hiking on the island and we even brought our hiking shoes, but no one mentioned anything and it was nice just hanging out on the beach, so we didn't bother. There's also a "wild" pig on the island that is pretty friendly. We didn't see him, but we met people who did and they said that if scratch his head he'll roll over like a dog so you can scratch his belly.

We then went out for another round of snorkeling before heading back to Montezuma. Overall, the snorkeling wasn't bad. I think I've seen better elsewhere, but it was well worth the trip and we'd recommend it.

For Christmas Eve dinner, we went to a restaurant called Cocolores. It wasn't bad, but seeing that the prices were a little higher than other restaurants, I couldn't really recommend it.

The ATM machine is still out of service.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230245880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230245880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230245880/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:32:12 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Feliz Navidad a nuestros familias y amigos en todo el mundo!

We're off to the beach. :-)

We actually had some rain overnight. Pretty cool actually and seeing that we're in a rainforest, pretty much expected. We've also had some nocturnal visitors to our deck and we haven't been leaving food out either. This morning we had breakfast at Organico, an organic restaurant. The food here is amazing and it's got a very laidback vibe to it. In fact, they even have a "chill room" where you can sit on pillows, have a freshly made fruit shake, and surf the Web. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!!






Ok, so I know I said earlier that it was a difficult trip to Playa Grande and you should stick to the trail. Well, we went to Playa Grande and again we didn't stick to the trail and again we regretted it. So much so that future beach trips will not include Playa Grande. On the up side the waves were better than last time and we saw more Rays.

There is the opportunity to go on horseback riding tours and one of those tours takes you down Playa Grande.


All the beaches that we have been to so far have been very clean. In fact, there are signs up about protecting the beach and not leaving trash on the beach. However, because of the current, the plastic that gets left across the Gulf and probably other parts of the world end up in huge piles at the high tide mark, it really is a sad sight. Glass is dangerous and people can step on it, but sea glass can be collected and in the end, glass ends up going back to its original state...sand; plastic goes on forever:





Since it's Christmas evening we headed downtown to check out the nightlife. Basically around 10:00 one bar raises the music level and the people move out into the street. It's very "tranquilo" and very much what you would expect from a surfer's town. As usual, there were people getting drunk, but pretty much everyone has a laissez faire attitude that no one really cares what you do. Pretty refreshing, actually.

The ATM is still down.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229896800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229896800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229896800/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:26:55 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

We arrived in Miami with a 3 hour layover and then another flight to San Jose, Costa Rica with a 2 hour layover. Without the layovers, it's actually only about a 6 hour flight. In San Jose we went through Customs, which seemed more a formality as he collected our forms and said, "Buenos Dias" and off we went. I think the real reason is for statistics and marketing. Costa Rica, for the first time ever reached 2 Million tourists in one year. The closest country to that in this region is Panama at 1.3 Million. After leaving Customs, we headed out to SANSA, the regional airline. Here is our boarding gate





Flying SANSA is like flying a plane from the Flintstones...everyone has to pedal real fast and put their feet down to stop! OH...and landing in Tambor, just north of Montezuma is an experience. As we came in over the Gulf, we saw a dark brown strip amidst the space that used to be jungle...that would be our landing strip. Still, it was a great experience and Alex, one of our hosts for the 2 weeks, was waiting for us when we came in. Some pics of our flight over to Tambor:

The flight from San Jose to Tambor was only 30 minutes and costs $75 each way. The other options are to drive 2-2.5 hours to Puntarenas and then get in line to get on a ferry that will take another hour to Paquera and then continue your drive to Montezuma. The other option is a private shuttle that will pick you up in San Jose and drive you to Montezuma, that is only $45 but can take 5 hours.

We rented a casita (a small house) on a beautiful piece of land called Agua Vista, for those not up on their Spanish, it means "Water View" and that's exactly what we have. This...is our view:








In addition to a view of the water we have howler monkeys, white-throated Capuchin monkeys, and lots of different birds. The casita, is very nice with WiFi, a full kitchen, bathroom with shower, our own deck and "plunge pool". The plunge pool is very nice after the beach or just after driving around. The water doesn't get too warm, so it's very refreshing. Alex and his wife Khalida are great hosts. In fact, they had a nice welcome basket with fresh fruit, some breakfast foods, guides to the area, and samples from a local vendor who makes skin care products. What you DON'T get at Agua Vista is a TV, Radio or Phone. For some people that can be very difficult, but to sit on the deck and hear the birds talking, the monkey's howling and the breeze blowing through the trees is sooooo relaxing. If you're a 5-Star hotel type person who likes to be catered and doesn't want to "rough it", the Nicoya Penninsula is probably not for you.

On the way to the property, Alex subtley asked us why we didn't rent a car. Since we don't own one back in Chelsea, and walk a lot anyway we didn't see a need, though the initial email did mention that it's a 2.2 km (about 1.4 miles) walk to downtown Montezuma. After settling in, we headed downtown to check it out and Alex suggested we take a flashlight with us. After about 5 minutes, we had checked out ALL of downtown Montezuma and decided to have a few drinks. We were lucky enough to get the bus back up to the entrance of the property, because of that 2.2km, the majority is loosely packed gravel, so you can end up on your butt in a second; try that with a flashlight.

Some things to know if you plan to come to the Nicoya Penninsula...Banks are only in the major cities, but there are ATMs in some of the towns including Montezuma. However, they're not very reliable. The ATM here in Montezuma is out of service; let's see how long it remains out of service. So, if you want to do any banking it's a 15 minute drive up to Cobano or longer to Mal Pais. Secondly, the exchange rate for Dollars to Colones at the restaurants, etc. is horrible. We used Oanda, a currency site to purchase our Colones before we left. The fee was only $5 and they FedEx'd the money directly to the house, very cool. One example is that when we left the exchange rate was 565.67 Colones to the Dollar, but a restaurant here is only changing at 485! Another cool tool is the Big Mac Index. It shows that in the US, the average cost of a Big Mac is $3.57 while in Costa Rica, the US equivalent is $3.1945 so the Dollar is doing fairly well here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230042600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230042600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230042600/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:14:42 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Montezuma, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

The coast of the Nicoya Penninsula has some incredible beaches, but the one that gets the most press is the Playa Grande (Big Beach). Additionally, there's a waterfall past the beach that flows directly into the ocean instead of a river. So, despite a local map saying it was a 2 hour walk to the cascade, we set out for it. After about an hour's walk, we got to the end of Playa Grande and still didn't see a waterfall so we stopped and went swimming.

Just a synopsis of the walk...
It's 80+ degrees, the sun is beating directly on you, the sand on the beach retains the heat and burns your feet, there is a path, so if you decide to go, stick to it...we didn't and regreted it.
Much of Costa Rica was formed by volcanos and there are volcanic outcroppings along the way.

It looks like you can follow the outcroppings, but looks are deceiving. Several times we were climbing down the sides of these things as sweat was dripping in our eyes and our feet were slipping in our shoes.

Sticking to the path is somewhat better, but you still have to walk along the sand and the rocks get in your shoes or Teva's or what have you so you're constantly shaking them out. However, the upside is that the soles or our feet are now baby smooth from the dermabrasion.

Now...Playa Grande:
It is a very long, flat beautiful beach. The waves and body surfing is amazing and the water is warm, but not too warm. There's hardly anyone on the beach with you, so there's lots of privacy and if you're into an all-over tan, no one will say a word to you. While we were in the water, we actually saw Rays swimming beside us hunting for food, and one of the coolest images I've ever seen was three Rays, side by side, riding a wave in...amazing.
You'll spend a good part of your time in the water because it does get hot on the beach. Then, you have to head back. Now you are hot and probably hungry and thirsty AND you have a one hour hike ahead of you. So if you do decide to go to Playa Grande go prepared with food and water and leave early. There is an eco-park on the way to Playa Grande which is a nice pitstop:







If you're into Geology, the Nicoya Pennisula is pretty impressive. There's the igneous volcanic out croppings and as you walk along the beach you can see the metamorphic sills and dikes caused by earthquakes. My college geology professor would be so happy.






There is a Website that talks about how Playa Grande is haunted and people have passed out from fear when they were on the beach at night. The site goes on to say that you cannot camp on the beach at night but you can walk it. First, some locals have told us they have never heard such a thing before. Secondly, after having done the walk, you wouldn't want to walk back in the pitch dark with a flashlight, it's a little dangerous. So, I don't believe in the haunted beach myself, but if someone can tell me about their first hand experience with the celestial beings of Playa Grande, I'll be happy to update this.


For lunch we went to Sano Banano. They have a nice patio out back and a great menu. I had a Mahi Mahi Sandwich that was excellent and our server had a great personality. BTW, tipping is more rounding up the bill, but we've been doing about 10%. Also, there is a 10% tax on all restaurant food. ****Just a word about Sano Banano and another place, Ylang Ylang. As one local put it, they talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. Montezuma is a very ecological place; in fact, Costa Rica as a country is striving for a Zero Carbon Footprint, with Yoga studios and organic restaurants, etc. The people that own these two places seem to have put the right amount of money in the right hands. For example, there is a law that you are not to build closer than 200 meters from the hide tide mark, but Ylang Ylang is well within that 200 meters. Additionally, there are no roads to Ylang Ylang and they drive trucks across the beach, weaving around the bathers, to shuttle their guests...supposedly another violation, but they do so without problem. After hearing that, we would not go back to Sano Banano; let your conscience guide you.

The ATM is still out of service.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229845800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229845800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1229845800/tpod.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:33:48 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States

New England experienced it's first snowstorm of the season on Friday, December 19; so, after helping the neighbors of our condo shovel the driveway and sidewalk, we finished packing.

Packing for Montezuma, Costa Rica in the dry season means shorts, t-shirts, sandles, hiking shoes, and flip-flops and of course the eseential toiletries. The dry season starts in mid-November and goes to about April. After that, good luck. Rainfall is pretty frequent and there aren't many restaurants and stores open.

So, up we were at 2:50 AM for a 5:30 AM flight and it's a good thing we did. When we arrived at Logan Airport, all the people either vacationing or visiting family in the Caribbean or Southern Hemisphere were in line. Additionally, all the people who were bumped on Friday and didn't make a flight on Saturday were in line.

After the line to check in, then the line at TSA (and I forgot to take my TINY Swiss Army knife off my keychain so it was confiscated...and I bought that on our trip to Rome, too. :-P) we only had to wait about 10 minutes before they started boarding the plane.

Anyway, to give you some idea, this is where we are headed:






BTW, Oprah did a show while we were away about "Blue Zones" around the world. A Blue Zone is a place where people live over 100 years old without any problems. The first Blue Zone that they profiled was the Nicoya Penninsula.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230474660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230474660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230474660/tpod.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:22:14 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Manzanillo, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Everyone has mentioned that we should go to Mal Pais because it's "muy hermosa" (very beautiful) so this morning we headed that way. I should mention that the pin shows Manzanillo which is north of Mal Pais because TravelPod doesn't seem to have it in their list.





Mal Pais in Spanish means Bad Country or Bad Lands and we found out why. Despite the beautiful beaches, it is pure hell getting there. As one person said, the roads in Montezuma are like the Autobahn compared to the roads in Mal Pais. Mal Pais, Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa, and Manzanillo make up the pacific coastline of the Southern Nicoya Penninsula. Because of the wide flat beaches, you have to go out pretty far before the water is above your head, surfing tournaments are held here every year. Looking at the map provided in the guide we have, silly me, I was thinking Virginia Beach Boulevard or something similar. It shows a long straight road with shops and restaurants on either side and, of course, the ocean. But this is the Nicoya Penninsula and that long road was just rock after pot hole after boulder with people, dogs, cats, other cars, Quads, and motorcycles vying for space.


We took a side path that headed toward the water and followed it to a parking/camping area. So we parked and headed down to the beach. It was very nice and there was some surfing going on.






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12/29/2008
We decided to head back to Mal Pais today but headed further up the coast to Playa Hermosa and Manzanillo. After a few hours there, instead of coming back the way we came we decided to trek across the penninsula and stop in Cobano at one of the only banks in the area so I could exchange an AmEx Gift Check that I got from some great people in the office. The bank was very interesting...
Only one person can enter at a time. A sliding glass door opens, you step in, it also acts as a metal detector, then the door closes behind you BEFORE the door in front of you slides open. There is an armed guard walking around and not just with a pistol, but with a shotgun, with a pistol grip. Let's hope he never decides to go loco. After standing in line for single transactions, I noticed a sign that said that that window did not accept travelers checks. So, I went an got a number and with 12 people ahead of me, sat down and waited. When I got up to the window I handed the woman my passport and the gift check and told her I would like to change it to Colones. She looked at it, told me to wait, left her cube and spoke to someone in the back office, then came back and asked me to sign it. I did. She looked at it, asked me to wait, went back to someone in the back office, then came back and told me the signatures were not a close enough match and they wouldn't accept it! EVEN WITH MY PASSPORT RIGHT THERE! So I argued as best I could that now the gift check was useless because both signatures were on there and all she could say was, "Si". So when I get home I have to call AmEx and find out what to do about this.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230390000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230390000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ricf964/2/1230390000/tpod.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:15:26 -0500 Montezuma, Costa Rica - Nicoya Penninsula

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Cabuya, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Today we headed to Cabo Blanco. The Cabo Blanco nature reserve was the first national park established in Costa Rica. A Swedish/Danish couple bought up some farm land and persuaded others to donate land and basically allowed it to return to it's natural state. The "blanco" or white comes from all the bird droppings on the rocks at the water's edge...nice.

We got there about 10:00 AM and the parking lot was already pretty full. The park ranger explained, in crystal clear Spanish, that there were two routes, one was circuitous and the other lead down to the beach. However, the beach trail would take over an hour each way. Because of the "late" start, we were unlikely to see any animals, but we headed off to see what we could see (kind of like the bear on the mountain). Here's some pics of our walk...we did not go to the beach, it just didn't seem worth it.





On the way back, we stopped at the same restaurant, Delfines de la Luna, that we stopped in on Monday. This time we had the lobster...and it was much more than the calimari, but again it was a great meal. I got a picture of the owner and our lunch and a sign so you know what to look for.






Once we were done with lunch, we headed to the beach for a bit and then back home to make dinner. An interesting thing about Cabuya is the small island off the coast...it's a cemetary. You can only get out there at low tide and you should time your return otherwise you could get stuck out there until the next low tide. You can see the island on the left side of this picture.




OH!!! The ATM is still down.
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