Ferry To Montezuma

Back on the road again and headed back to the beaches of the Nicoyo Peninsula. This time we are taking the ferry from Puntareanas across the Golfo de Nicoyo and heading up the coast from the south where we plan to check out a few more surf spots. But first we want to check out Montezuma a funky little beach town nestled in the forest and bordered by some of the most spectacularly photogenic beaches we have seen in Costa Rica. The town center is really just a Y in the road, both arms of the Y turn to dirt roads and head out to more breathtaking beaches - or so we are told. We opt for a room at the Hotel Aurora where we share the walkway with numerous red and purple cangrejos (crabs).

We stroll through town, which consists of a few restaurants, a few hostels and a couple of nicer hotels, some souvenir shops, a book-exchange and a make-shift artesian market - this all takes about 20 minutes. The real draw here is the laid back vibe, most likely emulating from the hippy type ex-pats, and the gorgeous beaches.

In the morning we take a walk along the beach. Around each corner is another beautiful cove, each one more peaceful and secluded than the last. If you are looking for a mellow, relaxing place to lay down a towel or hang a hammock and do nothing but maybe read a book - I highly recommend this place.



















Interestingly, these white throated magpie-jay birds, common in Central America, are sugar addicts. We saw one steal a sugar package from a table, fly to a perch and meticulously attempt to open just the corner of the package and then tilt it up so that the sugar falls into its beak. This particular bird joined us (and anyone before or after us) for breakfast. Posing patiently for every camera in hopes of a reward - sugar please.

A Classic Latin American City - Alajuela

Alejuela is a traditional Latin American city with a “parque central” in the town center surrounded by several buildings and of course the cathedral, which interestingly has a hemispherical cupola made of sheets of red corrugated metal.









A more modern park, Parque Juan Santamaria, with some interesting sculptures and a statute of a hero in action, is the place where the young people hang out at night. On Saturday morning there is a procession down the street with someone carrying the statute of a Saint and reciting “Hail Mary’s”








Turns out the San Jose International Airport is not actually in San Jose, rather it is in Alejuela So we found The Guaria Inn, a few blocks from the center of town, with a very friendly staff and 5 minutes from the airport. Mom’s flight is delayed several hours, but she eventually makes it off to the States We could hardly believe a week had gone by, how time flies when you are having fun.

Next Stop, Peer Into a Volcano

Parque Nacional Volcan Poas erupted in 1953 creating an enormous crater about 1.3km across and 300m deep. An active volcano, minor eruptions still occur and the cauldron on the top of the peak bubbles over regularly emitting steam and gaseous fumes. Access to the top is a simple walk down a paved path leading to a look-out point. We arrive in the nick of time. Snap, snap, snap - photos and video capture our moment. Not more than 10 minutes after we arrive at the viewing area the clouds roll in and cover the entire crater view. And then the rain starts…

Cloud Forests, Coffee Farms & Casadas

Costa Rica is a visually beautiful country with more than 14% of its land falling within national park boundaries and even more land under conservation bringing the protected land estimates to 25%. There are lush jungles and cloud forests, filled with a 4 breeds of monkeys, 220 reptiles, 160 amphibians, 35,000 species of insects, 3,000 types of butterflies, armadillos, anteaters, and more; rugged and scenic white and black sand beaches line the coast while volcanoes form the spine of the country.



Since Mom was only in town for 6 days we wanted to make sure she saw more than the beaches so we decided to head inland to show her some other parts of the country. The drive alone is spectacular, albeit long and bumpy. The Nicoyo Peninsula is actually the driest part of Costa Rica, as you travel inland it gets more lush. We take the Interamerican Hwy and turn off for Juntas which we thought was the quickest way. Well maybe according to the map, but we later realize that this is part of the road labeled as the worst road in Costa Rica as it turns to a rough, bumpy, windy dirt road which seems to last for eternity - although according to the map it was only 30km. Coffee farms cover the hillsides here like rice fields did in Bali. I am always baffled when the places that grow such good coffee don’t really drink it or serve it locally - rather the norm here is instant powder - Nescafe style.



We decide to stay in the neighboring town of Santa Elena. After checking out a few places we decide on the Vistas del Golfo. Its family run and I get to practice my Spanish as not all the staff speaks English. We rent a little loft apartment with a large balcony which apparently has spectacular views of the valley down to the Golfo de Nicoya. Unfortunately, true to its name “cloud forest“ it is pretty socked in even first thing in the morning. It is pouring outside so we decide to just walk to the soda next door for dinner. La Amistead served up delicious casados (typical meals including pollo, pescado or carne, con arroz, refrioles, plantans, y ensalada) and cold cerveza.



Costa Rica is best known for eco-tourism, after all with the bountiful environment it seems a natural fit. However, somehow this eco-tourism label has been liberally used to promote numerous zipline parks which really should be labeled amusement parks rather than ecotours Yes it is true that they are located in beautiful cloud forests, and could provide amazing views from high above the ground But lets face it, speeding across a zipline with a group of 15 or more others lined up waiting for their turn, everyone yelping and hollering, egging each other on to do the next one upside down, is a far cry from an ecotour. Certainly if I was a monkey I would relocate my family to a more pristine local where there were less daily visitors. Interestingly even the backpackers traveling on tight budgets manage to come up with the $30 plus needed for the adrenaline rush. Don’t get me wrong, I know it can be fun, I have done the zipline tour in Mexico, but I saw very little of the jungle while I whizzed through the trees from one landing post to the next.

So in hopes of a more peaceful experience we decide to visit the Reserva Santa.Elena which is right next door to the Reserva Monteverde but receives far less tourist and claims to have a healthy population of monkeys, sloths, birds and other animals. Since John is itching to see an elusive sloth we figure the quieter reserva gives us better potential. Mom and I had rented big rubber boots from the hotel as they said it would be very muddy and armed with our boots, raincoat and water bottles we set off for an adventure. There are over 12km of trails and we, of course, chose the longest, at the recommendation of the park ranger. It ends up taking us 3 hours on a jungle trail, roots, rocks and steps included. Unfortunately we strike out when it comes to spotting a sloth, no monkeys either, but we did see some huge centipedes, this very big pincher bug, various birds, crabs, and other insects.
Oh and of course, the forest itself is stunning, with huge leaves, hanging vines, moss covered trees an of course - the mist from the clouds.

Later that day, after lunch in town, and a rest, we visited the Ranario (Frog zoo) which has over 30 species of frogs, most of which are nocturnal so it turns out to be a benefit that the sun has already set Only draw back is that. you can only see them with the aid of a flashlight and a trusty guide who knows exactly where they are hiding in those glass cages.

Estuary Tour

We had met several people who had taken the Estuary Tour and has seen alligators, monkeys, lots of birds etc. So we thought we would check it out. It was essentially a covered fishing boat with bench seating and a “guide“. We slowly glided through the mangroves in search of gators, but they were no where in sight.


Deep in the reserve we got out of the boat and walked through the jungle in search of monkeys. Eventually we found the local family of Howler monkeys hanging out in one of their favorite trees.

Our First Visitor While on the Road

Well lots of people say they would like to meet us somewhere during our journey, but our first visitor was a bit of a surprise - my Mom! Shortly before we left Los Angeles my Mom emailed and said she was interested in meeting us in Costa Rica. A few days later she had booked a ticket and would meet us a week later, May 24, in Liberia. We pick her up at the airport and head back to Tamarindo.





Yesterday we found a little 2 bedroom apartment at the Hotel Macondo, conveniently located in the center of town, an easy walk to the beach and shops with a small Super Mercado next door. The hotel is a bit of a splurge for us, t.v., a/c and a pool! Not to mention a nice kitchen too. We spend the first few days exploring the beaches, John and I get a little surfing in and my Mom gets to visit a couple of different beaches, Tamarindo, Marbella, and Avellanas, of course also getting the pleasure of experiencing the bumpy dirt roads too.






Sunsets are spectacular at the beach in Tamarindo, even when its raining.

Dirt Roads, River Crossings, and Cangrejo

We have to be in Liberia on Saturday so we decide to make our way back to Tamarindo via the beach road. Its pretty much a bumpy dirt road the entire way with a few river crossings. We had heard stories about the river crossings, the best was from the guys we met at our hotel in Tamarindo. They had made the drive in search of surf and were headed back, at night -- first rule broken: Never try to ford the rivers at night unless you absolutely know the way Essentially, the key is to be able to see where you need to enter and exit the river. Sometimes it is not a straight shot across. The best recommendation is to follow a local through as the river can get pretty deep in some sections. In the case of our friends, they knew they couldn’t just plow across unknowingly, so they got out and figured they would test the water level with a stick. As they poked around, they quickly were reminded that this is a jungle -- as an crocodile snapped at the stick. Which, as you can imagine, sent them running to their car in Three Stooges style. Of course by now it was pouring, and they were resigning themselves to spending the night in the car or turning back where they came from, until a local cowboy arrived. They paid him $20 and he escorted them through the next couple of river crossings and they and their rental car lived to talk about it. Our journey was easy, only a few river crossings and they were all pretty straightforward. Of course it was the middle of the day.

Although the drive was fairly deserted we did see a little wildlife. As we were driving along we kept seeing these flashes of red on the sides of the road. At one point they were darting across the road. I made John stop the car so I could run around and try to corral these colorful cangrejos.







Then we saw a monkey in a tree just above the road. We stopped to take its picture, and it tried to pee on us! There were several cowboys herding cows down the street which is a normal occurrence But the most culturally interesting was the funeral procession. It was for a baby, and they were carrying the casket down the street from the church, followed by family, friends and neighbors on foot making their way to the cemetery. We contemplated taking pictures as we drove by, but in the end decided against it. We arrive back in Tamarindo on Friday afternoon - our room at the Hotel Mamiri is waiting for us.

Road Trip South - Nosara

Nosara is located about half way down the Pacific coast of the Nicoyo Peninsula. We decide to take a little road trip for a few days and check out the area. We opt for the quicker route via the paved road which is not the most direct but the alternative is the bumpy coast road. Its about a 3 hour drive but before getting into Nosara we make a small diversion to check out Playa Samara. It is a great little beach town with several hotels, restaurants and a few shops all within walking distance to the beach. But, this is a surf trip, and there is no real surf break (that we know of), so we hop in the car and make our way to Nosara. Nosara does not really seem to have a town center, everything is pretty spread out and development has remained low-level so many places blend into the jungle. Nosara is really comprised of three different areas, Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada and Playa Nosara. There is a maze of dirt roads and getting around without a map is almost impossible. Luckily there are intermittent signs for various hotels and the proprietor of one of them had a supply of hand drawn maps for dazed and confused tourists like us. We looked at several places but most were out of our price range.


Eventually we found a little place in Playa Pelada called Seekretspot, it was also an internet café and was run by a very friendly French guy who made you feel right at home, opening his kitchen to us and inviting us to surf with him in the morning. We met him out at the river mouth in the morning The waves were head high (or more), peeling left with decent shape and together with Stefan and his 2 friends we were the first to get in the water I sat on the shoulder for set after set trying to get my nerve up. There was an offshore breeze which is great for the shape of the wave, but also adds to the intimidating nature of the wave by sending spray up and over the backside of the wave as it is forming. Finally after a little encouragement from the guys, I moved into the sweet spot and catch the first wave I paddled for. John, although a little tentative to start, had quickly moved over to the “spot“ and enjoyed some great waves. The best thing about this break was that the lack of a crowd - it was like our private break courtesy of Stefan.

Ok, by now you may be wondering how come there are no pictures of us actually surfing, or for that matter any pictures of the surf itself. Well, first that would require one of us to stay on the shore while the other was out having fun - neither of us are that self-less. Second, unfortunately petty thief is a bit of an issue here. We leave nothing in the car except maybe a jar of peanut butter & jelly (PB&J sandwiches are life savers!) Likewise its recommended to take nothing to the beach that you value - just about anything left unattended has a chance of disappearing...camera, sunglasses, even flip-flops. So ... we are left with undocumented memories and stories that can grow grander with time uninhibited by pictures reflecting reality.

Classic Costa Rica

From a light mist to a heavy downpour, rainy season has arrived. Its actually a welcome sight in the afternoons as it brings relief from the heat. Of course, since the majority of the roads in Tamarindo and the other surf areas are dirt, that means it also brings mud, ruts, and wholes in the road.




Endangered sea turtles nest on several of the Pacific Coast beaches. Playa Grande is one of the most important nesting sites in the world for the baulas (leatherback turtle that can weigh 450kg!) who lay their eggs on the famous surf beach from October to March each year. Had we timed it better we could have spent an evening trying to keep our eyes peeled on the empty beach awaiting the turtles who come from the sea at night to lay their eggs. Oh well, maybe next year. Signs like these are in front of several of the beaches in hopes that the turtles will be protected.





Sharing the road. This is a common site - cowboys, herds, surfers heading to the beach.











This is a typical "soda" located on the sidee of the road. Essentially it is someone's house with a few tables put out on the patio. The menu has a couple of items, casada de rez, or casada de pollo. Casada is the typical meal - rice, beans, a little cabbage salad or vegetable, fried plantains and your choice of meat. Cheap, filing and tasty!

Tamarindo Rivermouth, Playa Marbella, & Playa Avellana

For the next 9 days it’s was more of the same … when is high tide, what is the direction of the swell, which break will be working? We starting asking several of the surfshops for beta; turns out most of them are happy to talk “surf” and we got great tips on which breaks would be working each day. We can highly recommend CR Surf owned by Diego who also owns the Hotel Mamiri and Matos Surf, where I rented my board - Pablo was great with tips on where to go. If the tide was working to our advantage we tried to make it out twice a day. We had a few fun days at Grande. Then one afternoon we paddled out at the rivermouth in Tamarindo where we unintentionally did a little night surfing as we were having too much fun surfing and watching the sunset and before we knew it we were paddling back in the dark, across the river (where the alligators are known to hang out especially at low tide), and into shore where John kept yelling at this guy – who he thought was me (I was still far behind him). All in a day's fun, luckily no alligator spotting!

One early foggy morning we joined some other people we had met at our guesthouse and made the trip out to Playa Marbella, a pretty beach with a strong beach break known to be working when there is little elsewhere. It was a little over an hour drive, mainly on a bumpy dirt road. The surf was rough and the wind was not cooperating, but we still had a great time.









Playa Avellanes was another beach break about 30 minutes south of Tamarindo, known for the great little restaurant on the beach called Lola's which used to have a huge pig who aimlessly wandered the mingling with the surfers Unfortunately, the pig died recently. We heard there was a replacement, a baby piglet, but if it was on the beach we didn't see it. The surf was pretty small the day we went here but it was a very relaxing beach spot and Lola’s served killer smoothies.

The Beach Breaks of the Nicoya Peninsula - Starting with Playa Grande

Some foam, electrical tape, and two bungee cords and we have a surf mobile. Boards safely on the roof and we are off to Playa Grande, which we hope will have some surf as Tamarindo is flatter than a pancake. You can see Playa Grande from the beach at Tamarindo, in fact if you are ambitious you can walk there although that can require a pretty big river crossing which can either be a swim or require a short boat ride from a local fisherman. The drive on the other hand takes you inland to met the main road and then back to the coast on another road - 30 minutes later we arrive. The waves were a little intimidating at first and I sat on shore just watching for awhile. Eventually I got up the nerve and paddled out to the shoulder of the break where there were plenty of waves for me to get thrashed about in, and occasionally catch a ride or two too! One really nice perk about surfing in CR, no wetsuits! The water is so warm you completely lose track of how long you have been out there.

Tacos and beer at Playa Grande.

Surf Safari Begins - Tamarindo, Costa Rica

In our trusty little Dahiatsu Terio we start our journey north – destination the Nicoya Peninsula home to numerous surf breaks which line the length of its coast in Northern Costa Rica. Tamarindo, put on the map in the surf flick - Endless Summer II, is a booming surftown which has suffered by its own success in terms of over-development. Worldwide economic downturn is evident here as many developments now stand unoccupied or partially constructed. Although we are not fans of the large tourist towns, Tamarindo, with its numerous surf shops, housing options and access to various local surf breaks, was a logical basecamp. As you drive into town you immediately see the long stretch of beach, home to three different breaks, and the obvious spot for the surf lessons and polliwog surfers.

First chore: find a place to stay. Using our trusty guidebook, we stopped at a few, very basic flop houses, and then found the Hotel Mamiri Although more expensive than the others, we were offered the green season (aka rainy season) rate of $30 for a cute room with private bath. The couple managing the place was great, super friendly and helpful with surf beta and “otra cosas”. (Remember we are suppose to be learning Spanish so I feel the need to occasionally intersperse Spanish words in these blog entries)


After settling in and chillin for awhile in what will turn out to be our temporary home for the next few weeks, we head to the main street in town which is along the beach and lined with surf shops. Our initial plan was to buy surfboards with the intent of keeping them through Central America and then selling them before continuing south. But it turns out that rental prices are less than we expected – averaging $10 a day with a further discount for several weeks. The nice thing about renting is you can try different boards which could turn out to be a big advantage if the surf gets big (small board preferred) or stays small (longboard waves). Here in Tamarindo the board selection is fantastic, all sizes and shapes and great quality boards. Tomorrow we will pick up boards and go in search of the perfect wave.

Day 162 - Free WiFi at Denny's

I've never been a big fan of Denny's Restaurant, but when we arrive at 5:30 a.m.in a foreign country with no idea where or what we are doing, the familiar “Denny's” sign on the airport wall was screaming “Go Here!” So we caught the free shuttle and spent the next few hour sipping coffee and searching the web for car rentals, accommodations, and ideas of what and where to go. We decided to focus on surfing for a few weeks which meant getting a car so we could easily get to the best break at the right time (depending on the tides). We had resigned ourselves to the fact that Costa Rica was simply going to break our daily budget and was going to be almost three times the cost of Bali or Asia in general. Oh well, we are starting with somewhat of a splurge. We found a reasonable car rental and emailed them. Shortly they replied – no cars available but recommended another company. As we were highly sleep deprived, we decided to head into San Jose, get a room at a hostel, get a little sleep and then try to find a cheaper car in town. While waiting for the shuttle back to the airport where we could catch the bus into the city we noticed we were actually right next to a row of car rental agencies. So, we split up and methodically hit each place allowing only the briefest discussion “how much for 2 weeks” “sorry too much” When we were about to give up a man stuck his head out of an entrance to Poas Rental Car and made us a great offer - $250 a week including insurance. Certainly not the $13 dollars a day we got in Bali, but reasonable based on the alternatives (if booked from the States it would have been $450 a week). Its a deal, and they will pick us up at our hostel in the morning.

We spent our first night in Costa Rica at the Tranquilo Backpacker's Hostel in San Jose The room was Basic, with a capital “B”, but it had a bed and came with a pancake breakfast and friendly staff. We had dinner up the street at this adorable house converted into a a restaurant called Cafe Mondo and as our tradition has become, we had to start our dinner with a sample of the local cereza - Imperial. mmm bueno!

AMAZING RACE SEASON TWO – First Road Block – One Way Ticket to Costa Rica

Several times during our travels we have felt like this was an episode of the Amazing Race, either racing through 4 countries in two days, or struggling to find alterative transportation options. This leg of our trip would start out no different. First, unbelievably we were late getting to the airport. Even though this was round two of packing and should have been a breeze, having access to additional clothes and things meant rethinking what to bring. On top of that John wanted to clean up the van since we had been living in it for 6 weeks, and “winterize” her for the extended time we would be away. That, of course, took longer than expected and John was barely finished packing when the taxi arrived. But the last minute dash out the door to get to the airport was ordinary for us, the real fun was yet to come.

As we attempted to check in at the airport we were told they could not let us board unless we had proof of departure out of Costa Rica. I had read that some countries may have these requirements so I had an itinerary on hold from Bogata to Lima for sometime in July. Nice try but not good enough, turns out it has to specifically show how and when you will leave Costa Rica. Apparently this rule is to assure the Costa Rican government that you don't plan on staying indefinitely. Ok, so tell me, if you wanted to move to Costa Rica and did not plan on following the visa rules, wouldn't you just pay the additional $100 for a round trip ticket and simply not use it? Right, so the point of this rule is ....

We explained that we would be traveling by bus to Nicaragua. “Do you have the ticket?” “No.” Okay that's still a problem. Luck was with us though and it came in the form of an unbelievably helpful airline agent behind the ticket counter. She let me use her phone and I was able to put frequent flyer tickets on hold for travel out of Costa Rica in June. But we still needed proof, so we had to run over to the American Airlines terminal and get a print out of the itinerary, run back to Frontier Airlines (which by the way flies to Costa Rica via Denver) show them the proof, and check-in. The clock is ticking again and the race is on. Next stop – San Jose, Costa Rica.

Los Angeles - Pit Stop turns into Major Lay Over

Los Angeles - home sweet home. If you can get beyond the traffic and crowds it really is a fantastic place - how many places can you surf and snowboard in the same weekend? Beautiful weather, the ocean in your backyard and great state parks in your front yard. If you spend a little time figuring it out you can live in this city and almost forget its a city - night mountain bike rides and hikes, morning surf rides, beach walks and farmer's markets almost every day. Of course what really makes your "home" is people and we are blessed beyond belief with great friends, family and neighbors - many of which opened their homes to us during our stay in LA for which we are unbelievably thankful.

Our pit stop to LA was to undertake that dreaded deed of every American - taxes. So why is it we call the government Uncle Sam? Since when do you pay your Uncle 30 to 50 percent of your income? Oh, and by the way, please do it electronically because I don't want to deal with you handwritten correspondence. Well, our goal of getting back on the road in 3 weeks was quickly squashed. Taxes became a nightmare as we were missing several documents and things that were now buried deep somewhere in some box either in our garage, or maybe the shed, or ...

And then came the van issues - somehow a simply warranty service to fix a transmission leak turned into a week event. Not only is the campervan our means of transportation it is also our temporary home while in LA since we rented our house while we are traveling. So this little repair was quite inconvenient. And it gets better, 2 hours after we pick the van up it dies on the freeway headed to Santa Barbara. Luckily Ford paid for the towtruck to push us into a spot to sleep and then tow us the next day to yet another dealer. Four more days later we are finally back on the road.

Ok enough whining. Reality is that although it was a pain, we got to spend time hanging out with friends and family and that was fantastic. We also were able to go waterskiing at the Colorado River, rock climbing at New Jack, and surfing at San O. John got a few Wednesday Night Mountain Bike rides in and I even got back on my bike a few times. We spent some significant time with John's niece and nephew where John got lots of practice doing backflips on the trampoline and John was able to play pilot in a small plane when we flew up to San Luis Obispo with my cuz and her hubby. Over 6 weeks flew by before we were scheduled to head south - COSTA RICA here we come. We have a one way ticket to surfer's paradise. We will have to figure out the rest when we get there.