Over the course of the past few weeks we've had the opportunity to really explore the Guanacaste Province. After leaving San Jose we jumped on a shuttle bus to Tamarindo where we were staying for the month. The 6+ hour bus trip was quite the experience. We didn't realize how hot and dry Tamarindo could get but after being here for a while we've learnt a few tricks.
In my previous post I talked about ziplining being popular in Costa Rica. That's probably a bit of an understatement considering there are literally dozens of places to do it all over the country. We were really hoping to be able to go before we got to Costa Rica but realized that it would be near impossible with Jordan along. That was until we got into a long chat with one of the tour operators out here. It seems that kids can indeed go ziplining. The only caveat is that they need to either go with a guide or a willing parent. In our case, it was both. We were picked up at...
While we were in San José last week we decided that we were going to go take a tour or two. Most people that come to Costa Rica fly in to San José, stay a few days, go on a bunch of tours then get their arses to the coast and the beaches. Though San José doesn't offer much to do in the big city proper, there are some of the best sights in the country within an hour or two of the city limits. To be more exact, San José is in the center of the country and because of Costa Rica's smaller size, almost anything in the country can be reached and experienced in one day. Of course, some of those days will be excruciatingly long but they can be done nonetheless.
Since we have a two and five year old with us, a lot of the more common day trips weren't going to cut it. As much as I would have enjoyed rafting class 4 and 5 rapids, rappelling down a majestic waterfall, galloping horses through a jungle or even ziplining down a 1/2 inch wide cable a mile long while precariously hanging a hundred feet in the air those just aren't in the books for us this go around. Cole could probably do a few of them but Jordan is just too young.
This led us to going on a lengthy day trip to some quintessential Costa Rican areas. There are literally three things that pop into my head when I say the name Costa Rica: jungles, volcano's and coffee. We were lucky enough to stumble on a day trip that encompassed all three. We booked our trip..
Our story starts on a quiet flight heading to Central America. Imagine that it's New Year's Eve, only a few minutes before 2011. After 2 months of lounging around the beach on the Caribbean Sea side of Mexico it suddenly dawns on us that we were about to land in a different world. Out either side of the airplane we could see fireworks going off at regular intervals all across the valley of San Jose.
As we jump off the plane and into the SUV of our driver and hotel owner Jose we were quickly whisked through lively neighborhoods filled with young Ticos preparing for the New Year. As we checked in at a quarter to midnight we found ourselves glad to be out of Mexico. Nothing against Playa but the place was starting to get a little too busy for us and we needed something new to sink our teeth into.
It wasn't until we were unpacking our things in our room that the gong struck midnight and the city exploded in fireworks...
First things first, Merry Christmas everyone from beautiful Playa Del Carmen, Mexico!
Now that that's out of the way, here's what we've been up to these past few weeks. The last time I posted I was explaining the daily grind and the more mundane facts of life we've been living. I would love to talk about all the incredible things we do on a regular day in this paradise like setting we find ourselves in but it would only lead to your heartbreak and our self delusions.The reality is that we don't do much everyday. Between entertaining the kids and us researching our next leg of the trip, we barely have time to lounge by the crystal clear blue ocean or our pool (which we do almost daily). We barely have time to drink the 2 or 3 fruit smoothies we constantly inhale. We also barely have time to walk around in the +28 Celsius sunny sky weather we're forced to endure day in and day out.
Yup, it's a hard life we live. I say that all with a mischievious grin and a shake of my head. If only life was always like this. Please don't get me wrong. We're loving this lifestyle and to us no price is too high to live like this.
Hey everyone. Sorry for not putting up any new posts but this past week has flown by without much fanfare. It's been a little cooler here and as such we've been enjoying the simpler things in life. We did enjoy a few days by the beach though. We also spent a few days walking around town and finally got the chance to check out the shops on Juarez Street. We even went to the mall (Centro Maya) to let the kids play the arcades and did some Christmas toy browsing while we were there. In short, it's been pretty low key.
Today, I woke up with the realization that December wasflying by. I also noticed how we've fallen into a pretty set routine most days. It's amazing how quickly that can happen after only a month and a half in one place. I find that most of our days are getting pretty quiet...
With a little uncertainty and trepidation we set out for the first time by collectivo to check out the beach and turtles in Akumal. Who knew we would enjoy ourselves so much?
Yesterday we decided it was finally time to check out Akumal. We've heard nothing but great things about it since we got here. It's always been high on our list of things to do but for some reason a month had gone by and we still hadn't gone. Well that changed yesterday and I'm pleased to announce that we all had a good time. Before I get into it though, I suppose I should add a thing or two (or knowing me a hundred) about our three night escape to Tulum. I'm sure you got quite the earful in Cole's post but he only talked about one day and we all know 5 year olds can never be quite trusted. Especially when iguanas, a trampoline, cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches are involved. ;) We decided to take a bus to Tulum simply because we thought it would be easier than taking a collectivo...
Today has been a great day. So great that dad is letting me, Cole, write this blog entry. Okay, I'm only 5 and can't really read or write that well but dad said he was going to use my voice, whatever that means. He says that people might enjoy a different point of view for a change.
We got into a place called Tulum yesterday and we're staying in a neat hotel room. Me and Jordan have to share a bed but that's okay because mom and dad are right beside us. I like it when we're close. Mom must have really wanted to keep me quiet because she let me play my Nintendo DS while she surfed the internet.
They never let me play games in the morning. It's too bad because I enjoyed waking up really early and sneaking downstairs to play it when I first got it a few months ago. Dad wasn't too happy when he found out and from then on they hid it at night so I coulnd't find it...