Costa Rica has been one to the few countries that I wanted to leave the United States for. I knew lots of people who loved it and were looking forward to returning. I even knew someone who wanted to retire there. Last summer I thought about combining my new love kayaking with travel to somewhere where it would be warm in the winter. Being a novice kayaker I knew that I would have to go with a tour group. Of all the tours available in the Caribbean area, the one that fit my schedule best was offered by Crystal Seas to Costa Rica in mid January. I decided to tour Costa Rica for a couple of days before the kayaking trip.
As usual -- for me -- by the date of departure I was ready to forget the whole thing. On Saturday morning I arose early for my 8:45 flight. The first of three bad things happened -- Ginger had spent the night outside in the rain. I was so preoccupied that I didn't realize that she was out. Fortunately, the weather was warmer than usual for January so she didn't get pneumonia. While driving to economy parking at the airport, the second bad thing happened, I hit something in the road (not a soft thing like a body) and busted my tire. Knowing that I didn't have time to wait for a tow truck and make arrangements to repair the car, I drove on to economy parking. At the airport the last bad thing happened, I was overweight on my suitcase. Since I always carry only one suitcase, I didn't notice that I could have brought two suitcases and saved myself $25 in overweight charges. With the three bad things over, I enjoyed the flight to Costa Rica through New York.
Upon arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica, I bought 6 1-pound bags of Tres Rios coffee, recommended to me by my co-worker Virgil. The clerk asked my how I liked Costa Rica and I explained that I was buying my souvenirs first in case I didn't get a chance later. After going through customs/immigration, I easily found a cab to take me to Hotel Buena Vista, my home in Costa Rica. You find a cabby,go to a cashier and pay for the ride, give the cabby the receipt, and jump into the cab. The receipt is checked before the cab can exit the airport.
Arriving
at the Hotel Buena Vista, I
found a place that was accurately represented on their website. Except that
the staff was beyond wonderful! I would recommend the Hotel Buena Vista in Alajuela
to anyone who wants to go to Costa Rica. Click on the link and take the tour
of the hotel, you will want to stay there even if you don't want to go to Costa
Rica. My room was huge with two queen size beds, a bathroom, and a balcony which
overlooked a little garden. 
Some rooms overlooked San Jose. 
A
continental breakfast of fruits, a muffin, orange juice which was great, and
coffee was included in the room; one could also order from the menu. I checked
into my room and walked around the hotel to acquaint myself with the site.
I then turned on the TV and found the Redskins playoff game -- in Spanish. Unfortunately
the Redskins lost. I watched the next playoff game to the half and then went
to dinner. I had Sea Bass Scampi which was fabulous with mashed potatoes and
vegetables. One thing about Costa Rican cooking is the abundance of vegetables.
When I checked into the hotel, I asked about taking a tour on Sunday and was told that there were no tours on Sunday. I decided to see if I could rent a driver rather than sit in the hotel all day Sunday. When I went down to dinner, I ran into Adam and Elise who were also trying to rent a car and driver to go to La Paz Waterfall. I asked if I could come along and pay my share. That set, I ate dinner and went to bed.
The
next day started misty and got rainy. 
When
we got to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens reception area, we bought ponchos which
were greatly needed. The first stop on the trail was the butterfly house. 
Signs
told us to look for the butterflies under the leaves when it was rainy.
The butterfly is in the center of the picture. Sure enough we found lots of
Blue Morphos, Monarchs, and others. Next we went to the Hummingbird area. Though
this area was completely outside and only contained two shelters, we had plenty
of opportunity to see the different types of hummingbirds. 
One
thing that really was exciting was when a hummingbird landed on the handheld
hummingbird feeder that I was holding. 
FYI, this hand is not mine but I did get to feed a hummingbird. Hummingbirds
are just so cool.
After
the hummingbirds we passed the orchids but January must not be orchid season
since there were none to look at. Despite the constant rain, we weren't terribly
uncomfortable since the temperature was warm. It was like walking in the bathtub.
From the orchids we began the waterfall descent. There are four waterfalls at
the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. The trail provides many interesting viewpoints.
At all but the first waterfall
one saw the waterfall from the top 
and
then walked down to about halfway and then off to the next waterfall. At the
halfway point one could also walked down a separate path to the bottom of the
waterfall; this path deadended at the waterfall view. Of course, we all walked
down all the steps and back up to the main trail. The trail ends at the top
of the La Paz waterfall where there is a shuttle bus to take one back to the
reception area. Of course, we decided to walk down to the bottom of the waterfall
even though it meant we would have to walk back up on wobbly legs. It was worth
the trip. The La Paz waterfall is beautiful even in the pouring rain. 
When we got back to the reception area, we again browsed the gift shop before starting back to the hotel. Had to get a shotglass! When I arrived back at the hotel, I changed out of my wet clothes, left my wet sneakers for the laundry to dry (not a self service laundry), and had nachos for lunch. Exhausted I took a nap before watching the remaining two playoff games. Before dinner I reserved a trip to the Poas volcano, weather permitting.
The next morning while eating breakfast Max told me that the Poas volcano trip was cancelled due to weather. I didn't want spend the entire day in the hotel. Despite the wonderfulness of the hotel, there isn't much to do. Note to self: bring more books to read. I lined up a halfday trip to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, for the afternoon. While waiting for the tour to pick me up, I met Margaret and her sister from Alberta Canada who were also on the same tour and were staying at the hotel. They were going to be in Costa Rica for three weeks, staying a couple of days at many different places.
San Jose is similar to most capital cities -- uninteresting. The people on the bus were interesting. The first stop was at the Nacional Theatre. The statues on the front facade were replicas of those that had been there until the earthquake. Then they were copied and the originals moved into the lobby of the theater. The theater is small and very cozy. I really liked this place and would have liked to take pictures. When I go back, I will buy more postcards.
The next stop was the gold museum which is under the Nacional Theatre. Here too we had to surrender our cameras. This place was interesting with its dioramas of early Costa Rican culture and display of masks. Another place to revisit and buy postcards. Following these two museums we were taken to two tourist traps. The first was an expensive jewelry shop and the next one was more of a tourist trap. At the second place I bought a wooden kayaker pen holder and a Costa Rica tote bag.
When the tour was over, we were dropped off at a casino and had to hire a taxi to go back to our hotel. Searching for a phone, we went into a casino that could have been in Las Vegas. We found a cheap cabbie who really didn't know where the hotel was; we finally got back to the hotel. On the ride back the Canadians told me about a restaurant up the street from our hotel. We decided to go there since there was going to be a large group for dinner at our hotel. The tables were turned -- the restaurant was closed for a private party and our hotel was available for dinner. Before going to bed, I repack my suitcase which was going to be stored at the hotel and my backpack which was going to carry all my worldly goods for the kayaking trip.
Walter and Manuel the driver picked me up first at 5:30. There were other people up awaiting a ride to the airport,so I was able to get a muffin and some orange juice for breakfast. We drove for about 90 minutes to a timeshare megahotel near Puntarentas where we picked up Steve and Debby from north of Toronto. Then began one of two unpleasant times -- waiting for the ferry.
The ferry leaves Puntarentas for Paquera every other hour. No matter how early you get to the ferry loading area, you can't get on the next ferry and therefore have to wait till the next one. So you have at least a three hour wait. After waiting three hours and realizing that we would miss the next ferry unless we walked on, we walked on carrying our gear. As usual, I brought enough stuff for six weeks. The ferry ride was interesting with many islands in the Gulf of Nicoya. Arriving at Paquera, Walter hired a car and we headed to pick up the other three kayakers. We picked up Pam and Ray, a couple from northeastern Washington state and Brenda, a brand manager from New York City. Now that we were all aboard we headed to the start point at Curu Refuge.
Curu is filled with spider monkeys and scarlet macaws, many of whom I took pictures of. We had a quick self made lunch of sandwiches and fruit. We had pineapple at every meal and it was fabulous. After lunch we loaded the motorboat with our personal belongings. We didn't have to limit ourselves to two middle sized dry bags after all. Once that was done, we prepared our kayaks. They were Impex kayaks, a brand I really don't care for. Impex kayaks have a tendency for the pedals to disengage and make one pedalless. This happened to me during my rescue class and, you will see, on this trip too. The kayaks had rudders which I was not familiar with, so I decided to not use it for the initial paddle. A typical novice sea kayaker mistake! We started out and I assumed my to-be-usual position of "Last." The causes were, in my opinion, the decision not to use the rudder and my inexperience with sea kayaking. The lack of rudder meant that I had to fight the waves in order to keep the kayak moving in a generally forward direction. The decision not to use the rudder and my lack of experience in paddling in waves were the fault of my general inexperience with sea kayaking. I also had not conditioned myself as well as I should have.
The waves were picking up as we approached Playa Quesera --the beach of the cheesemaker -- our home for the next three days. We landed on the beach in the surf. This was the last time I paddled with my digital camera. I felt less sure of my ability to keep my camera dry and safe and didn't want to chance losing my camera or the cartridges. We picked our tents;there were three two-person tents and two one-person ones. I picked the one person one closest to the dining area. It was about 4 when we had stowed our gear in our tents and pulled the motorboat up above the high tide mark. I felt terrible; I was getting a airplane-travel-caused cold. I decided to sit and chill and take pictures. Since I had bought only one book, I didn't want to read it all on the first day. Some decided to go swimming in the surf. Ray lost his glasses in the surf and despite the efforts of all, they were never found.
About 6 the guides brought out rum, coca-cola, fresca, and fried plantains and some dip. We then drank and ate until dinner. This was our nightly ritual and helped to bond us into a group. At about 7 we were served dinner. We had chicken, rice, and vegetables. I, being a vegetarian, ate lots of rice and vegetables. At about 8 we were beat and looked forward to going to bed. I think we were all in bed by 9 that night. I had only slept on an air mattress once in my life and was worried about sleeping since I was ill and coughing. I did get an aspirin from the first aid kit and Debby had some throat lozenges. I fell asleep to the roar of the surf. And was awaken by the howler monkeys. When the moon came up, I got up to see the moonlight. The sky was fantastic; there were millions of stars and they were everywhere. I had only seen that sight in movies. This is what it looks like away from civilization.
One reason to get up was to visit the loo, privy, outhouse, whatever. Since there were no lights in the jungle, I grabbed my flashlight and trekked to the privy where I shared the space with multiple crawly things. So that I didn't focus on them or on the other animals in the jungle watching me, I left the flashlight on the ground. I returned to my tent and slept until right before sunrise. I wanted to take pictures of the sunrise since I had taken pictures of the sunset the night before.
Hermit crabs were always on the beach. They were funny because when you got close to them, they went into their shells. And what kinds of shells, none had the same type. A hermit crab would find a snail shell and live in it until it got tight and then they would find a larger one. It was fun watching them on the beach.
Walter had told us that coffee would be at 7 and breakfast at 8. Several of us were up at sunrise on Wednesday waiting for coffee. Costa Rican coffee is wonderful and the way Walter made it made it even better. One of the things Walter had bought at Puntarenas was coffee bags, They look like a child's sock and are hung in a holder. The coffee grounds are placed in the sock and boiling water poured over it. We looked forward to morning coffee every morning. For breakfast we had french toast, bacon, and syrup.
Before breakfast Steve and El Capitan went out in the motorboat to get fish for dinner. Steve had brought his own fishing pole which was a collapsible. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. After breakfast we were visited by an iguana that we called Sylvia. She stayed around for about an hour. We never saw her again.
Wednesday we were going to paddle over to Isla Tortuga. Isla Tortuga is a tourist area. Hotels on the Nicoya Peninsula send boatloads of people to the island to lie on the beach and snorkel. We jumped into our kayaks and started off through the surf which was not as rough as the previous night. This time I decided to use my rudder;anything would be better than the trip I had had the previous afternoon. The paddling was easier but I still was the anchor paddler. I carried my waterproof camera and took pictures along the way and this accounted for some of my delay. This trip was fun because the waves were a little challenging (for me) and the rocks and islands we passed were interesting. We reached Isla Tortuga without seeing any turtles. The beach at IT was long with rental kayaks and lounge chairs. There was also a gift shop.
Once we had pulled our kayaks and the motorboat above the tide line, we walked around a bit. Then we went snorkeling. We jumped into the motorboat and El Capitan motored us out to a rock where loads of people were both snorkleing and scuba diving. After putting on our masks and snorkels, in we went; this time I didn't lose my mask. My mask didn't fit well,so I had to keep adjusting it. The next time I go snorkeling, I am going to bring my own mask (which I still have to buy). It was fun snorkeling; we saw blue and yellow fish, blue fish, big fish, and a bandana. I thought I saw a sting ray and was so excited until I realized that it was a bandana. I took a bunch of pictures which don't due justice to the fun that snorkeling is.
After snorkeling, we had a lunch of self-made wraps and pineapple. Then a nap. Then it was time for the paddle back to our home. I didn't check my pedals when we started out and soon lost my left pedal and control of the rudder. Since it was afternoon and the surf was up, it was a difficult paddle back without a rudder. I got a bad pain in my shoulder, but I couldn't stop in the middle of the gulf. I finally made it in -- last again. After getting out of my bathing suit, I dressed for dinner. Speaking of dressing, I learned a valuable lesson about kayaking and camping --- you don't need changes of clothes. I had brought a bathing suit, a sleeveless shirt, a short sleeve short, several long sleeved shirts (for night), three pairs of long pants (I am not a shorts person), and my winter jacket. I needed three bathing suits, one short sleeve shirt, one long sleeved shirt, and one pair of long pants. Since the clothes were all quick dry, I didn't need as many of them. I also brought my makeup which I didn't put on the whole time. I should have brought cold medicine and aspirin.
For pre-dinner that night we had margaritas and chips and dips. For dinner we had red snapper and vegetables. We again tried to stay up till 9. At bedtime I went in and slept the whole night through.
The next morning's breakfast was eggs and gallo pinto. We were going hiking through Curu refuge of which we were a part. After breakfast we started out. We saw the howler monkeys who kept the nights from being too quiet. We walked up hills and down hills. I said that I obviously didn't have a heart blockage since I was still alive despite the pounding of my heart. We saw coatimundis and peccaries, both of which moved too fast for me to get a picture. It was an interesting trek and a change from our paddling routine.
The reason we hiked in the morning was that the tide had to be high where we were going. We were going into a mangrove swamp, the entrance of which was under water only in high tide. We paddled out and around a rock with pelicans on it. Walter had told us that we would have to paddle parallel to the surf until we go to the entrance of the swamp and then turn into the entrance. I wasn't sure that I could do it, but I knew I couldn't sit out there and miss the mangrove swamp. I started off and for a while did pretty well paddling parallel to and with the surf. It is a very different experience to be in the surf at that angle. All of a sudden, I flipped over. I think the water turned and I wasn't prepared for it. Fortunately I was close to the shore and Walter who was on the beach came out to get me. Meanwhile I tried to get myself upright; it was no eskimo roll since I didn't have my paddle anymore. I was just trying with my hips. When I realized that I wasn't going to be successful, I pushed myself out of the kayak. One thing I haven't mentioned is that we wore spray skirts when paddling. This was to keep us dry in the high water. Once out of the kayak which by that time was in Walter's hands, I chased after my paddle which was still surfing or rather being towed out to seas with the undertow.
Some were successful and some weren't. We all met up and prepared to return to the kayaks in order to go to the mangrove swamp. We paddled past quite a number of people and two dogs on the shore. One of the dogs thought that we deserved a good barking to. After touring the swamp, we returned to the beach. The surf was higher than it had been earlier and we had to go through it in order to get home. I again felt that I couldn't do it, but had no choice. I couldn't spend the night on the beach and no one could tow me out through the surf. So I jumped into my kayak, attached the spray skirt (in reality, I never was able to do it all by myself and needed help each time), and headed out. I was first for the first time. I paddled as hard as I could and made it through the surf and into the gulf. In order to get away from the surf I paddled further out than I needed to and thus, again, came in last. I felt proud that I had managed to get in and get out through the surf. I was very concerned though because my technique was so poor. I felt that I had forgotten how to paddle in the two and a half months since I stop paddling every weekend. I am sure that this was the reason I was so slow and always came in last.
That night was our last night as a group. We had quapo, the Costa Rican favorite drink and ceviche. The ceviche was great; I have got to learn how to make it. For dinner we had leftovers and vegetables. The guides ate with us this night. El Capitan was funny, climbing a tree and dressing in palm fronds. We all had a great time. Bedtime as usual was at 9.
The next morning we packed to return. Our suitcases went into the motorboat and this time my digital camera was there and not with me in the kayak. I was really feeling poorly when we started out and almost asked if I could ride in the motorboat. I didn't and struggled with my paddling. The night before a huge ship came into our area of Curu. It anchored off of the beach that we had initially paddled out of. While paddling back we had a good look at this ship. I didn't envy those people at all. It turned out that Chrysler Company had chartered the boat for 80 of its top performers.
When we got back to Curu, we unloaded the motorboat and our kayaks. There was a 13 person group which was coming in that afternoon to take our kayaks back to our beach, our home for three days. We were able to take showers here though they were still outdoors. It was nice to have clean hair again. Curu had a band for the Chrysler people which was still playing after the shower. The gift shop was also open and I bought a pen holder. One thing I failed to buy while I was in Costa Rica was a t-shirt.
As we waited for the taxi to take us back to Paquera for the ferry, we wandered around Curu. We saw the ever-present spider monkeys and scarlet macaws. Pam and Ray went off in the first taxi since they were staying in Nicoya for another day. Tito and El Capitan went back to our beach t make it pristine and untouched by anyone for the 13 who were coming. The rest of us got in a van to go to lunch and then on to the ferry. At lunch Steve and Debby left us to go to the ferry; they were going to walk on since they were staying on the Puntarenas side for another week and would have to get a cab in Puntarenas. Walter, Brenda,Manuel, and I headed off for the ferry. It was very hot and we had to sit in the hot van for three hours waiting for the ferry. I did get out and walk down to the dock where there was an eatery and got a Diet Coke (Light Coke in Costa Rica). The ferry was crowded.
On the ride back which started at 4:30 pm we saw the Queen Mary which was docked outside of Puntarenas. The ship was huge. By the time we got close to it, it was dark so I didn't get a good picture of it. When we got off the boat we began a 3-1/2 hour trip back to Alajuela. The trip normally takes 2 hours but the traffic was so heavy it took longer. Manuel knew of a short cut to Alajuela. Whether it was shorter or not, I can't judge. We did stop for a potty stop and to get something to eat or drink. This was the first time since Tuesday that I had looked at myself. I was shocked; I had a beet red face and my hair was all curly. I felt sorry that the others had to look at me this way.
I was glad that I called the Hotel Buena Vista on the trip back. They were waiting for me when I finally got back. Max and Christian met me. I was so happy to see them even if it was 10pm. They had moved my suitcase into my room for the night. The restaurant and bar was closed so I had a nightcap of water and peanuts.
I repacked my suitcase hoping to reduce the weight to under 50 pounds. I would have to carry the extra weight in my backpack or in the Costa Rican tote I had bought.