Sun, Surf, and Shopping

Yesterday, when the hubby got back from surfing, we decided to just hang out on the beach. While the kiddos and he were playing in the ocean, I decided to go for a run. The entire beach is about 1.5 miles long. That's it in the picture above. Running on the beach is much harder than I thought but how cool is it to say that I ran 3 miles on a beach in Costa Rica. I likey! Also, I rewarded myself with one of these afterward:

We went into town for lunch and a little bit of shopping. For those of you that don't like "Mexican style" food, there are franchise restaurants down here, like Subway and KFC. We ate a local restaurant. The food was really good. Here's a pic of the girls outside of the restaurant:

While we were eating, locals would walk into the restaurant off the streets selling stuff. The restaurant owners didn't say anything to them. In the states, they would be ran right out of the restaurant and the cops called! Anywho, this one guy was selling these really cool whistles. The girls both bought one. Here's a pic of the girls playing their whistles with the guy selling them (I was LOVING the Billy Ray Cyrus hair!!!):

Of course, after eating lunch, we needed a dessert. We had ice cream from a place called Pops. If you ever come to Jaco, you HAVE to have a milkshake from Pops! Braums and Baskin Robbins (even Reeves-Sain for all of you 'Boro folks) can't even compete with Pops!!!

The girls did a little more shopping. They found these cute little coconut monkey purses. They brought some of their Christmas money on the trip and it was burning a hole in their pockets. Here's a pic of their "finds" for the day:

The rest of the day was just a relaxing hang by the beach and pool day. We didn't do anything super exciting. However, this is what we saw at the end of the day:

A girl could get used to this very quickly!!!

(P.S. Hubby is surfing again this morning. Hopefully, he can blog something later.)

¡bienvenido a Costa Rica!

by Tamara (the mom)

This is a picture of us landing in Costa Rica (literally)! We're finally here!

Once we landed, we had to go through immigration. This was quite an experience for the kids. Of course, as luck would have it, the line was crazy long.

Then it was time to get the rental car. This is a picture outside the airport.

People literally show up everyday to help tourist "find their way" once they are outside of the airport. They work for tips..and that's their "job". We were talking to the guy that was helping us. He told us that he worked in Manhattan for 4 years but hated the American lifestyle. He said that we "lived to work" and that everything was just "go,go,go". Hmmm...I may have to agree with him.

Things have changed dramatically since the last time that we came. As we drove into Jaco, I was saddened to see high rise hotels and people EVERYWHERE!!! We drove around for 2 hours trying to find a hotel with vacancy. The girls and I walked up to the "recepcion" desk at one hotel, and the lady informed me that it was "an adult only" hotel. What does that mean? Then she handed me a brochure. Uhhh, yeah, "clothing optional"...NOT a place for kids! However, she WAS very helpful and called around to surrounding hotels to help us find a room. We finally found a room at a place called Morgan's Cove. It definitely has a Costa Rican flavor to it. The restaurant is outdoors under a tiled roof area that over looks the beach. VERY COOL! (For those of you that prefer "clothing optional", that place is called Copacobana. They were so helpful that they deserve a plug for their business!) Here is a picture of our hotel:


I truly cannot believe how "technologically dependent" that we have become! If you choose to come here and have to have cell phone service, be sure that your phone is a global one. Ours are not, so we have NO cell phones for 8 days! Most hotels have WiFi but that doesn't mean that you will be able to get access in your room. I am sitting in a common area outside the office right now. It's the only place that I have been able to get access. So, if you choose to come here, be ready to UNPLUG! I mean, really...why else do we get away on vacation anyway??? Gosh, we Americans are soooo spoiled! :o)


by Lauren
When we first got here, I wasn't very excited and it didn't look at all like my parents described it. It was scary but fun at the same time...until we had to get in the car! I was tired and stressed because we had to drive 2 hours AFTER flying all day. Then we finally got to Jaco. Then I was excited again UNTIL...we figured out that most of the hotels were full. We finally found a hotel and it is awesome. Oh, by the way...on the way to Jaco, we were crossing a bridge and saw all of these people looking over the side. Our GPS told us that there were crocodiles in the river. So we parked our car and walked over the bridge. This is what we saw:

HOW COOL IS THAT!!!

by Lexie
This morning when we woke up, we heard a noise outside our room. My dad, my sister, and I came out to see what was all the commotion. Then...we saw a beautiful Macaw bird. He was eating his snack. Then, when we were walking back to our room, we saw wild Macaws flying around the trees. They had pink heads and black bodies. I wondered why that one Macaw was in the cage and not free. So, we went into our room and got our mom to see the Macaw. When we walked back to the cage, there was a man feeding it. I thought he was messing with it and taking its food but he wasn't. He was feeding that poor little bird. I asked why he was in the cage and none of the other birds were. He said "This one is blind. This keeps him safe." I thought that was good. Here is a picture of me with the Macaw:

THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERYDAY!!!

The hubby went surfing at Hermosa Beach this morning so, needless to say, he won't be blogging just yet. However, if I know him, he will have LOTS to say when he returns!!!

Adios for now!

'Twas the night before Costa Rica

by Mo (the hubby)


As we lay in the hotel in Nashville, I am feeling anxious and restless. I already want to be in Costa Rica. Winter in TN has come early and come on hard. The trip tomorrow is a much needed respite. For weeks on end, I have been looking at a live cam of Hermosa Beach. It seems surreal that I could actually be on that camera tomorrow afternoon! Adding to the excitement is that I haven't been there in about 14 years. I can't wait to share the beauty and serenity that Costa Rica offers with my daughters. At the same time, the responsibility of it is daunting. Costa Rica and all of its beauty is still a third world country.

For those of you that know me with my "ADHD tendencies", I am trying to map out a plan for our trip that enlightens, without overwhelming, everyone! One part of me is scared that it could be 14 years before I get to go again so I need to show my family 2 months worth of stuff in 8 days. The other part of me, the more mature Mo, says "Take it one day at a time and live in the moment".

Let's hope that "Mature Mo" prevails! No expectations...but I hope that my family gets hooked! I have been to Costa Rica almost 25 times. There has always been a part of me that wants to stay there. Maybe......lost in Costa Rica.

Hasta Luego y pura vida!!!
Mo

2 MORE SLEEPS!!!

Can you tell that I am so excited? Tomorrow night we will stay in a hotel near the airport. This is a tradition that we started awhile back. There is a Hampton Inn right beside the airport where we can leave our car while we are gone...and they shuttle us to the airport and back! Love it! AND...it only cost $15 to leave our car there while we are gone. Our flight is at 6:30 AM on Wednesday. By staying near the airport, we get a little extra sleep too! NO BRAINER for me!!!

Murphy came to visit today but we kicked his little butt right out the door!

First, I realized that the kids had outgrown their Summer clothes...and it's Winter here! I spent quite a bit of time today trying to find Summer clothes to fit the girls. Thank you, Justice and my sweet friend Cindy! (Too cute that my 11 year old can wear Cindy's clothes. BTW, Cindy is a grown almost 30 year old woman!) So, now everyone has clothes and no one has to run around Costa Rica nakey! This is good!

Next, my throat started hurting and I started feeling achy! Please no! Hopefully, this is nothing that a little Theraflu won't knocked out. I refuse to be sick. We have saved and planned all year long for this trip. Unless I have the Bola Bola disease, I am getting on that jet plane on Wednesday!

Well...time to go drink the Theraflu and get my beauty rest! Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day!

Tata for now,
Tamara

Costa Rica...here we come!

We are getting very excited about the Costa Rica trip. The last time that we were there was in 1997 when we got married. We are learning that the area has changed dramatically. I fell in love with the place when we were on our honeymoon. It felt "undiscovered" then. I am keeping my fingers crossed that some of that character is still present. I hope that it hasn't been ruined by commercialism.

What is making this trip even more "interesting" is that we have made NO hotel reservations. We did this on our honeymoon also, and it worked out gr-8. We were able to move around more without the constraints of reservation commitments. Luckily, the hubby speaks fluent Spanish from growing up in Panama (the one in South America, not Florida! LOL). I hope this doesn't bite us in the butt...or freak the kiddos out!

We are landing in San Jose on the 29th and immediately heading to Jaco. Hubby wants to surf as soon as possible. Our plan is to stay there for a day or two, then head to the Arenal Volcano.

The Arenal Volcano is one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world. There are numerous facilities that have encompassed the hot springs in pools. It is so relaxing to sit in these hot springs pools and watch the volcano erupt. The girls are a little nervous about this, but I can't wait for them to experience it. The volcano was one of my favorite experiences.

From there we are heading back down to Jaco, then to Manuel Antonio National Park near Quepos.

This place reminds me of Gilligan's Island. The girl are most excited about this place. In our honeymoon pictures, there were a lot of pictures of iguanas and monkeys from the beach here. Of course, they will be so disappointed if the monkeys are not there anymore. (Please God, let there be monkeys!)

From there, we are heading down to Dominical.

I have never been here before but it appears to be more primitive than the others areas that we will be visiting. The hubby says that there is a gr-8 place to go zip-lining here. I have also read that this is a good place to go whale watching and snorkeling. Hubby doesn't realize that I also know that this is a popular surf spot! He has worked hard to sell this place to me...now I know why! Tricky guy!

All of us will be adding pictures, videos, and posts throughout our trip (as long as we can get internet service). Feel free to post comments or questions. We are hoping to share this wonderful land with all of our friends and readers.

Thanks all for now,
Tamara