Scarlet Macaws, Caffeine Bliss, Centro Mercado, and Butterfly Town

RAWWWRRKKK!!!

These past few days have been extremely eventful! We've been doing day trips from our cozy abode in San Jose and we want to share some highlights and fill you in on our haps! Having a car allows us to find spots that are not so easily accessible by bus and this part of our trip is taking us to some really unique places.

Feeling a little confident with driving after our trip to the botanical gardens and the hot springs, we decided to have our next day trip be our longest journey we planned to do. We woke up early and set off for Carerra National Park which supposedly was over two hours away. Our search for scarlet macaws inspired us to go to this park which is frequently visited by the magestic birds. About half an hour of smooth sailing in the right direction, we decided to stop and fill up with gas. Used to being able to take any exit and finding a gas station, we pulled off the freeway and found ourselves in a little cow town...no gas station in sight. Luckily, we found a kind man who told us that the nearest gas station was 15-20 minutes away, up the road by the airport (we were imagining a small airfield in the middle of the farm towns). He drew us a basic map and we took off. It sounded like the gas station was a little bit out of the way, but we were making such good time that it really didn't matter.

We drove along, passing through small towns bustling with energy and soon started feeling like we might be getting seriously off track. We were already too far on this wild goose chase to turn around and head back to the freeway, though. (Besides, we didn't have enough gas for that). We kept following signs for the airport and we suddenly turned a corned and found ourselves at San Jose International Airport. Shit. Not only were we shocked to be that far off course, but there were so many turns and freeways and fast cars that our sense of direction (if we even had one to start out with) was now in a blender. UGH.

After, again, asking directions from some locals, and getting even more lost, we pulled over to the side of the frreeway and changed our plans completely. In order to see scarlet macaws at Parque Carerra, it is recommended to get to there early, and after such an extended detour, that was definitely no longer going to happen. Still trying to get the most out of the driving we've done (because while we were off track, SJO is still somewhat of a drive from our home) we decided to go to an animal rescue center that we had read about in our guide book. A woman and her sons rescue animals from zoos, illegal pet trades and domestic settings, help them recooperate and eventually (when possible) assimilate them back into the wild. Its kind of like a halfway house for wild animals. Now, with a tank full of gas, we began our journey, again.

The drive took us through fog filled mountains and intensely narrow roads but we eventually found the place (after 2 1/2 hours!). We got out of the car and immediately heard the sound of scarlet macaws!! We looked up and there were...not one...not two..but five scarlet macaws perched in a tree above us. NO WAY!! What a good sign! How curiously amazing that we had set off for Parque Carerra in hopes of seeing this bird, changed our plans and still ended up seeing them? We were able to see the two kinds of macaws over and over again, sometimes having them be just a few feet away. It was really an incredible place. The park turned out to be one of our best experiences here in Costa Rica. Small paths lead you through the park where there are hundreds of exotic birds freely flying around you, deer crossing your paths and other strange, Costa Rican jungle animals suprising you in all directions. They had jaguars, tapirs (crazy pig-bear animal), monkeys, alligators and lionesses (a gift from BBC England) in slightly more restraining habitats. We left there feeling satisfied about our crazy day and realized that although things don't always work out the way you expected, most things happen for a reason.

Grant, buying some roadside coconuts.

Tawsh, the monkey.

THE INFAMOUS SCARLET MACAW!!!

Once again. Look at those beautiful colors.

They even had ostriches!!

The next main event on our list was a down day...or so we thought. After jetting around all over town, we realized that we were pushing our car and ourselves to the limit. Not wanting to stress out over too much driving, windy scary roads, and getting lost, we thought we would just take it easy and stay close to home. Taking our time to get ready in the morning (that's when we posted our last blog) and just doing what you do when you're relaxing, we decided to check out the Centro Mercado in downtown San Jose. As the crow flies, this market is only a couple of miles from our apartment, but in reality, there is the typical traffic that haunts any metropolis and it was no straight shot getting there. By now comfortable(ish) with the lack of any painted lines separating the lanes on the streets, we honked and squeezed through narrow spaces (aka drove like Ticos) and eventually made it to our downtown destination.

Talk about sensory overload. The market and downtown in general are completely on the other side of the spectrum from the many of the picturesque, serene landscapes that we've been enjoying. After getting out of our car, we became part of the pedestrian hordes that make it challenging for drivers to get where they were going. These people are fearless! Drivers and walkers alike. Orientating ourselves a bit, we made our way to the huge indoor market where you can find anything from bulk spices to live animals. The narrow walkways and constant commotion made it really difficult to navigate through. After about an hour of this downtown hustle, we took a break at a bakery and discussed our next plan of action. We decided to head home, exhausted, and with a whole new view of this energetic city. Little did we know, our energy levels would shoot through the roof on the next day when our travels took us to a Costa Rican coffee company.

As you can imagine, a trip to a coffee factory, for two consistently over-caffeinated individuals is like when a stray sock finally makes it to that place in the drier where all the other solitary socks disappear off to. After our routine driving pattern of making several U turns and asking directions of different people, we finally make it to the spot. A greeter slaps a couple of stylish stickers on us and we walk into caffeine heaven. There are eight different roasts all brewed and ready for sampling, with descriptions of the tastes and aromas of each, egging on your snobbery. "Oh yes, I'm getting a sense of the plum after taste....Do you smell the burnt cedar wood?" The funny part about the descriptions is that each also gave a suggestion for when it would be best enjoyed. Apparently, they all function as good morning eye-openers. (What a shocker!) To top it all off, Cafe Britt, which makes chocolates as well as coffee, offered us samples of their huge range of chocolate candies! After, in between, during, or before tasting all the great coffees on tap, one could munch on chocolate covered coconut, peanute brittle, or white chocolate covered coffee beans. So much to try and so little stomach!

After sampling all the coffees, but before enduldging in the chocolates, we decided to calm our excitement and sit down to enjoy a french press coffee at their cafe. Selecting our favorite roast (Tres Rios), and enjoying a nice game of cards, we continued to zazz on this beuautiful liquid while jubilant music echoed in the background. The sound of the scene matched our emotions perfectly. Up-beat salsa and jazz consistently beat on our eardrums, in time with our quickening heart beats. We loved it. When we'd had our fill of the French press, and before letting loose on the chocolate samples, we went for stroll around the grounds. Though we weren't on the official tour, we still learned plenty about the coffee we'd been drinking. For example, like cocoa, coffee beans are fermented before being dried and roasted. The garden path we walked upon snaked through an ideal example of what "shade-grown" coffee plantations look like, and we discussed the ways in which labeling doesn't always reflect reality. By the time we left, we were excited about coffee and chocolate like never before, and hoped that we would someday make it back to this caffeine wonderland.

Our delicious coffee

Coffee beans before being roasted

Now, if you're asking yourself what else could two young kids with a car in San Jose, Costa Rica get up to, with only a few days left before they return to the States, the answer is PLENTY! The clock might be counting down, but the adventure continues. The best part of our next day was a trip to the Butterfly Farm.

When we first arrived in San Jose, one of our first day excursions was a visit to the National Museum, where we first spotted some of Costa Rica's amazingly beautiful butterflies. This time around, we went to the place where the national museum probably got their butterflies from. As we were driving, we knew we were getting close because many of the buildings had butterflies painted on them. We arrived and signed up for the next tour which was in half an hour. We were allowed to sit in the garden while we waited, and we entered not knowing what to expect. What we walked into was a butterfly's paradise. Little trails led you through an enclosed garden filled with all different types of flowering plants and native Costa Rican trees. Hundreds of butterflies flew around enjoying the warm morning sunlight that shone through. Some butterflies were the size of your hand, others were the size of a quarter and all were painted with beautiful irridescent colors.

Tawsh with a butterfly hanging out on her backpack.

Our tour was small, just us two and another woman, which added to the calm, peaceful feel of the place. In two hours we learned all about the butterfly lifecycle and even witnessed a caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis! Given that this transformation happens in just a two minute window during a caterpillar/butterfly's life cycle, we knew we were lucky to see it occur. Even our tour guide was taken back by the spectacular event. To make it even better, we also watched butterflies hatch from their chrysalis! (Although, this process takes much longer, so we only watched part of the action unfold.)  Along with the scientific jargon, we also discussed how people have used butterflies in art and related human life to the transformative life cycle of the butterfly. The farm itself actually exports butterflies around the world to museums, botanical gardens and other exhibits (they transport them while they are still in their chrysalis phase).  So, we even got an explanation of how they go about this business side of it.  Similar to how the Monteverde cheese factory buys milk from local farmers, the Butterfly Farm employs nearby families as butterfly breeders.

The guide was showing us the "owl face" on the wings which acts to ward off predators.

The chrysalis phase (these ones look like dead leaves)

Leaving the mariposa metropolis at midday, we scurried off home to shower and get ready for dinner.  As luck would have it, the father of Tawsh'z best friend Jeff, lives right outside San Jose.  Manolo, whom we dined with on Wednesday, invited us to his family's Shabbat dinner, and we wanted to look at least somewhat presentable. We had a wonderful home cooked meal with his family (over 25 people!) and we left feeling not so far away from home.

Our bellies were full and we were exhausted by the end of the night. What another wonderful string of days. We have had a few more since then but we know that this is a lot of reading for one sitting. We miss you all and are looking forward to seeing you soon!



<3 T&G

From Boat, Bus and Boot to the Road Ahead...by car!

Hola!
 Sorry we haven't posted in a while. We have been extrodinarily busy with all the surfing, eating, sleeping and beach loungin' these past few days. Mal Pais is truely an extrodinary place and although we endured another painful travel day to get there, it was all worth it. The town is primarily filled with surfers from all over the world who were sucked into the less crowded but beautiful surf spots that line its coast. We woke up every morning early enough to double check the clock and make sure that we weren't dreaming (ever since Mastatal we've been waking up weirdly early for us post-college bums), which allowed Grant to catch some tasty waves. Tawsh rented a board and returned it because the waves turned out to be a little too big while we were there. Instead, she borrowed a boogie board from our hotel. But, she still shredded the gnar with Grant one afternoon, when we traded boards every few waves.

Tawsh big chillen'

Enjoying the sunset in Mal Pais.

G$, big chillin in the hammock 

 Leaving Mal Pais, we once again endured another 8 hour travel day. We were lucky though because we caught a bus that went directly from Mal Pais to San Jose, which made the shlep a bit easier. We were heading back to San Jose to check into a timeshare condo for a week (a generous gift from the Meirs!). The night before, we reserved a rent-a-car at Avis which we were going to pick up after we got off the bus. When we finally disembarked we found ourselves at the same location we began the trip (and where we'll be heading back to again, oh so soon)...outside the airport. Ok. So how do we get to Avis? As luck would have it an Avis shuttle drove by just as we were hailing a taxi. He pulled over and took us to the Avis office, even though we weren't on "the list". Phew! This was all working out so smoothly.

 We get there and after talking to the guy for a short period of time, we find out that our reservations never went through, and they don't have a suitable car for us. Oh man, what were we going to do now? Just like that, as quickly as it took you to read those last few sentences, our day's smooth journey started getting bumpy. We could either take a taxi to another rental car establishment, or go find an internet cafe and make some phonecalls in hopes of finding the car we wanted. It turns out that while we were contemplating all this, the guy at Avis was calling other companies looking for the car we wanted (automatic mid-size 4x4), for the amount of time we wanted (1 week). In no time at all, he found us the one we wanted, and not only that, he was going to drive us back to the airport to meet the other company. What a generous guy! We really felt lucky at this point; things were back on track as quickly as they had been derailed. Well, that's when it all started to get a little bit strange.

 When we get back to the airport, riding in style in the well advertised Avis shuttle, the guy from the other car company is waiting for us in an unmakred regular looking car. Our luggage and our bodies move from one car to the other and off we go. The first thing he tells us is that we need to stop for gas, switch cars, and then we'll head to the store front. On our way there he hands us his business card for "SAFE CAR RENTALS". We get to the gas station and after he fills up, we hop out of the car and load our luggage into another parked car. Our man trades keys with a couple of other ticos, a big wad of bills changes hands, and now, with our stomachs in our throats we get into the new car and go to our supposed destination. By this point, there had been enough questionable activity to make us 100% nervous: moving from the high key, well recognized Avis shuttle to the plain looking car; the "self-employed travel agent" look of the business card; the exchange of a big sum of cash; and of course, the shady car switch. We drove for what felt like a long twenty minutes until arriving at a small barrio that had no signs of tourist activity. We began turning corners and once again, we felt funny not having seen a single sign for "Safe Car Rentals" this whole time. We finally turn down a small dead-end street, headed for a compound/fortress. This moment is right about when we both thought we were going to be kidnapped. Luckily, we pulled into a parking lot lined with about 5 cars, with plenty more down another driveway, and a small "store-looking" house. Strangely enough, we realized that the only thing that made us feel more comfortable was the Visa/Mastercard stickers in the windows, and the family portraits in the friendly office that we were led into. We began talking to the guy and worked out a deal to rent the exact car type we wanted. We are now equipped with a small, white, automatic KIA 4x4 (and its really quite nice!). We were relieved to drive away from the situation feeling great about our car and happy that we supported a small, local business.

OUR CAR!!! 

However, driving in this city is a whole nother story. First of all, it doesnt help that there are no rules whatsoever. People are constantly honking their horns (sometimes at nothing too!) and pedestrians just walk through the streets without paying any attention to the drivers. Not only that, add in the dare-devil motorcyclists and crazy taxi drivers (that all know each other and stop at random times to chat through their windows) and you really feel like you are...

 Tash: Grant, how would you describe driving in San Jose?

Grant: It's like trying to make a sphere out of water using ONLY your hands

Tash: As opposed to what?

Grant: As opposed to using some sphere making device.


So, there's driving in San Jose in a nutshell. It truly feels as though all our years of training, driving in L.A. rush hour were just barely sufficient to prep us for this experience. But, we wouldn't have it any other way. For the next week, we'll be jetting around the areas nearby San Jose to check out some of the spots that we wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. In our down time these last few days (as though we have any shortage!) we've been thumbing through all the guidebooks we can get our hands on, writing down ideas for day trips. 

We decided to plan our first day trip south of San Jose to two different locations. We chose to go to botanical gardens and then visit some hot springs in the afternoon. Using a map given to us with our rental (a far stretch from the GPS/navigation/online mapping tools we've become accustomed to in the States), we set off. But let it be noted, this map merely highlighted where every Best Western in San Jose is, giving only the most bare-boned sketch of the surrounding city streets and freeways. Although the driving made us nervous, we were able to stay calm because of our thoroughly flawless...not...cartography skills. We quickly figured out that the tourist map we were using was not "detailed" enough (although I don't know how detailed a map can get of a country that doesn't really have any street names) so we decided to stop and get a new map and make sure we were on the right track. Somehow, we were already on the right road, and we ended up at the Lankester Botanical Gardens in no time.

 The Lankester Botanical Gardens, run by the University of Costa Rica, is an absolute gem. There is a path that snakes around the property bringing you to eight different gardens. We enjoyed strolling through the gardens, in awe of the fabulous plant life Costa Rica has to offer: ferms, heliconias, bamboo, palms and epiphytes to name a few. Of the eight sections, one is a peaceful Japanese garden and another is one of the largest studied collections of orchids in Costa Rica (with over 18,000 orchids from around the world!). Though they house such a vast array of orchid species, orchids bloom at all different times of the year, so the selection of flowers each visitor chances upon is dependent upon the season in which they visit. The less consistently changing Japanese gardens, with a wooden zig-zagging bridge, countless stones, and over 40 species of bamboo, makes for a relaxing and entrancing visit any time of the year. We spent some time relaxing in the Japanese gardens, enjoying the peace and quiet. All in all, walking through the botanical garden's numerous different zones, we were thoroughly impressed and enamored.

Inside one of the orchid greenhouses!

 After perusing the garden for a couple of hours, the next stop on our list was the natural hot springs of Orosi. Only a stone's throw away from Cartago (the city where the garden's reside) we hopped back into the coche and enjoyed a scenic ride down into the valley. Based on what we read in our trusty travel guide, we were excited for a lovely afternoon of bathing in a scenic hot water paradise while sipping on Pina Coladas. When we arrived in Orosi, we enjoyed a quick lunch of black bean soup and arroz con pollo, did some bird watching from the restaurant patio, and then headed up the road to one of the two baths.

 We walked through the small entrance into a large outdoor room with 30 empty tables and a long bar that lined it's far wall. We tried to scope out the springs but all we saw were two large swimming pools filled with children. We were both thinking that serene springs were nestled somewhere more relaxing, so we paid the $3 to go inside. We quickly changed and soon learned that the relaxing hot springs we dreamed of didnt't actually exist; the two pools we saw in the beginning were our only options. Suited and ready to go, we got into one (expecting at least a little warmth). But, as it turns out, they were thoroughly luke warm. It was that kind of medium temperature that makes your body feel uncomfortable. We finally found a little hole in which "hot" water from the thermal springs would slowly leak into the pool (only to dissipate in its large size) and remained glued to that location. We stayed in for about half an hour but definitely could not relax due to the temperature and the incessant children jumping in and out of the pool.

Tawsh in the corner of the "hot spring" 

 Needless to say, we left feeling a little dissapointed but with that kind of ironic amusement that accompanies a poorly delivered joke (Grant's specialty!). But, in no time at all, our frowns were turned upside down when we found a quaint little coffee shop on the corner down the street. We got our afternoon fix, played a good round of cards, and even came away from the place with a free book! Like many hostels and coffee shops in Costa Rica, this joint had an book exchange, but when we were there, we were bookless. Kindly, the owner offerred to give Grant The Picture of Dorian Gray, on the condition that he'd "pay it forward". Thank you sweet book owner, he shall!

Looking down at the Orosi Valley

 We arrived home before dark and attempted to make Gallos Pintos (a traditional Costa Rican rice and beans dish). We failed and settled with a big warm plate of pasta and a cold beer. What a way to end the day. Our trip is gradually coming to an end but the car and the house have invited more adventure and exploration than we could have imagined (plus a lot more room for funny stories). So you will be hearing from us again soon.

 XOXO
 Tawsh and Grant

PS Scarlet Macaw SIGHTING CONFIRMED! More to come later!

Our Highest Highs and Lowest Lows

Ahoy matey's!! Le Tawsh and le Grant here, writing now from Mal Pais/Santa Teresa (we're right in the middle of the two). This locale is right at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula(north west Costa Rica). It was another long day of travel for the two of us--woke up at 5:00 for a 6:00 bus, and didn't set our bags in our new spot until 4:00. Although, reporting this to you, I realize that many of you would still be willing to trade a long day of travelling through Costa Rica by bus for whatever it is you're doing. Others of you, maybe not. 8^) Since we last wrote, the two of us spent a couple of great days in Monteverde and are excited to tell you all about it.

In a word, Monteverde is marvellous. If you couldn't guess, we spent most of our time walking and exploring, drinking coffee, playing cards and eating. Oh what a life!! On one of the days we were there, we went to one of the three natural reserves in the area. Looking to save a couple bucks and to check out one of the lesser known rainforest reserves, we went for a long day hike in the Children's Eternal Rainforest. It is Costa Rica's largest private reserve, which is completely financed by the fundraising children from across the globe have done. Though we didn't see much in the way of exotic fauna, we still had great weather and the occassional bird sighting. (Still no Scarlet Macaws yet, though! Actually, Scarlet Macaws aren't likely to be spotted in Monteverde. The famous bird of this region is the Resplendent Quetzal, but unfortuately we didn't see this one either.) The day we went to the reserve, we definitely made up for any sedentary days we've spent. Between walking to the site, and hiking while we were there, we were mighty tired by the time we retired. Of course, we perked up a bit with our routine mid-afternoon cup of coffee. Yes, we admit we're fiends, but we know that many of you are too! And we look forward to chatting over a cup when we return, which is coming up all too soon.

Taking a break during our hike.

Cute little mushrooms.

Grant, the professional bird watcher.









Our legs were pretty tired from the two days of walking and hiking and we decided to do something that would take us off our feet completely. The next day we went on a zip line adventure tour called, EXTREMO. It definately was extreme!!! It had thirteen different zip lines that all connected through this canyon/jungle. One was a kilometer long, others were half a kilometer, but each goes in and out of trees, and over canyons with undistrubed views of a beautiful part of Costa Rica. A great suprise was that we were able to do a few of the zip lines together, but for the most part you we flying solo. On one of them, we even saw a person go off the bungee jump, which was crazy to witness from an aerial perspective. One of the most exciting ones we did was called Superman. They harness you so that you are laying parrallel to the ground with your feet strapped up behind you. It was the closest thing to experiencing what it would be like to be a bird. BUT! If that wasn't crazy enough, there was this other part called the Tarzan Swing. So imagine this, you are standing on a platform, with more harnesses and ropes on you than ever before, and you are 100 feet off the ground. You are then told to stand at the edge of the platform (toes hanging off). At this point your concious AND your subconcious are both telling you that this is a bad idea. Before you can do anything about it, one of the guides pushes you off and you plunge all the way down. AFter a second of free fall, you then feel the bungee/ropes take over and you swing up and over to the other side, and then back and forth a few more times...literally like Tarzan through the opening in the trees. If you're like Grant, when you get really high on a swing, it's tempting to jump off it right at the pinnacle. But on a swing like this, when you're stories above the forest canopy, just hoping you don't crash into one of the trees to your right or left--ya right. No jumping off this one (but it's not like we could have if we wanted to either). All you can do is give it a big yell and enjoy the ride. By the end of all this exhiliterating activity, we were definitely tired. We had an adrenaline pumping 3 hours and really never recovered any energy after that, so we ended up calling it an early night (which was ok because we had to catch that 6 am bus the next morning).

On the landing platform. Look at how high we are!

So HAPPY!









As we mentioned, our travel day was extremely tiring but we did not to go in to the details of it. The night before, we both packed and showered in hopes of having a smooth morning. We set our alarms for 4:45am hoping to grab a cup of coffee before hitting the road while making it to the bus stop a little early to get seats. Well, it didn't turn out quite as planned. Around 5:30, right as we were prepping to go up to the communal kitchen to grab coffee and our bag of snacks and supplies, Grant turns to me and says "Oh shit, where's my passport". I obviously had no idea where he put it. We both begin the room search scramble and he continuously huffed and swore under his breath. 5:45. No luck. Around 5:50 he finally finds it hidden in his bathroom bag and swears he has no idea how that got there. No time to celebrate, be mad, argue..nothing...we have to get to the bus. We run and get our snacks/last night's leftovers (we made extra in prep for the travel day) and then proceed to the bus. We got there at EXACTLY 6 am and thankfully the bus was still there with just a few seats left. Phew! Upon arriving at our next destination (back in Puntarenas) we scurried off the bus and into a taxi to catch the ferry on time. After we arrive at the dock, we realized we left our bags of food on the bus. We had a lot of food too: peanuts, a pound of rice, a loaf of bread, a whole pack of starburst, condiments, tea and other things we collected along the way. But more importantly and more devasting, I also lost my hat. For those of you who know, my hat meant a lot to me. So here I was, coffee-less, hat-less and food-less...so as you can all imagine, I was in a great mood.

Grant, "Well, at least they sell plaintain chips everywhere we go!"

The ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera only took an hour and kept us right on course for making it to Mal Pais. Realizing what a long travel day it was turning out to be, we were quite thankful that we actually managed to make it onto that 6:00 am bus. Though we had casualties along the way, we also knew we would be equally frustrated were we in jeopardy of being stuck in Puntarenas again... After the beautiful boat right, and two more bus rides (during one, we learned how sardines must feel) we finally get dropped off at our chosen destination.

To figure out where we would stay, we had done some research online and in our guidebooks, but for whatever reason, we didn't make reservations anywhere. So off we go, in search of one of these places we read about. Passing several hostels and hotels that offered rooms, we were determined to find a decent place to stay at a decent price. But, still feeling pangs of regret at having stayed at Hotel Puerto Viejo (the last destination we chose to stay without reading any reviews), we wanted to make it to somewhere that others had vouched for. We show up at our first choice, Casa Zen, and it was absolutely beautiful. But, we find out that the last room had just been taken, and we were out of luck. HMPH. We kept searching but we couldn't find a place that was clean, and that felt like a comfortable place to unpack our bags for a few days. Exhausted, we stumbled down the road to this place called Atrapasuenos (Dreamcatcher). It is located between the two little beach towns, right up the road from the ocean and nestled in the trees. The room was a bit over what we have been paying but at this point, we were in. Also, when we told the woman who runs the joint that we are budget travellers, she significantly dropped the price and made us a deal we couldn't refuse. (Thought it also worked in our favor that no one else is staying here at the moment.) We are now in the nicest place we have stayed so far and we cannot be more happy.

After we unpacked, we headed across the street to the supermarket and the surf shop. We now have ourselves locked and loaded for surfing/eating/surfing/eating/surfing/drinking/sleeping/repeat.

Our things! (We love our cute, new hotel)






Miss you all, love you mucho,

Natasha and Grant

Goodbye Manuel Antonio, Hello Monteverde!

Well, well, well. Here we are again, coming to you from a new locale in Costa Rica. This time we are in Monteverde, up in the mountains to the North-west of San Jose. After a brief stint in Manuel Antonio, and an insanely long travel day (more on that later) we are now posted in an an incredible hostel called Cabinas Vista Al Golfo. We scored a special online deal, and ended up in an apartment style hotel room for less than we've been paying at some of our other hostels. Not only that, breakfast is included, which consists of fruits (pineapple, banana, watermelon), coffee (f***in' important), toast (with all the works--jams and butter) and eggs to make up your own scramble. So, we left for our days adventure with our bellies full and zanged on caffeine.

Since we're up at a higher altitude, the temperature is down to the Northern California briskness that we miss. And, as luck would have it, we've managed to capture another incredibly beautiful day of sunshine with relatively little rain. The only other interesting weather report is that there are occasional misty showers and a howling wind that sounds throughout the day (but really picks up at night--Tawsh even thought the sliding glass windows in our room were going to fall over when we were sleeping). But, the most important part to mention about this hostel is that we are smack dab in the middle of an amazing landscape.

The hostel, built up on the crest of one of many hills, overlooks one of those oil paiting/watercolor dreamscapes, where we see hill after hill coming face to face with the rolling clouds which make up the area's many cloudforests. We have wonderful views of the montainous regions from the huge windows that line this whole hostel (and from the huge balcony from our room!) We are on top of a hill so, what we're left with is a canyonish canopy where rolling greens and setting suns leave us breathless (in the clouds).  At the clearer times of the day (read: when the cloudsw aren't enveloping everything) you can see all the way down to the Pacific Ocean. If you can imagine all this, and then add to it the slightly chilly temperature and the rush of gusts of winds, then you can understand what it would feel and look like to be sitting here next to us.

We had spent the last two days in Manuel Antonio, a small tourist town on the central Pacific coast. The national park is what brings people from all over to this town, not to mention the white sand beaches, mangroves, dense forests and tropical wildlife. Our hostel there was recommended to us from a friend due to its cleanliness and great views. It too was situated at the top of this hill and overlooked the ocean. We spent the first day inManuel Antonio on the beach, sippin' on coconuts and reading our books. The next day we woke up early and took the trails through the park. We took a path along the peninsula in the park that took us up and up and up. We were surrounded by tall, dense plants and really had no idea where this was going to take us. We finally got to a lookout point at the top and we realized what all that hard work was for!

Manuel Antonio Park (the view from our hike up the mountain)

As you can see, the views of the ocean were amazing and they only got better and better from there. We walked all the way around and eventually got to a small white sand beach that was filled with cute hermit crabs and staggering palm trees. We ate a picnic of freshly baked bread, avocado and salami, and enjoyed the solitude for a while. We kept on going, occasionally stopping to identify a bird or eat a snack. There were a lot of iguanas and monkeys all along the trails throughout the park. The monkeys were really accustomed to people so they would just hang out a foot or two away from the people. We even saw one steal a granola bar and eat it! It is sad to see them eat human food but we realized that it is an easy way for them to forage. Some of the iguanas were about 1-2 feet long and really quite exquisite. They definitely looked like dinosaurs. After we hiked our pants off, we took a short ferry back to the main beach and headed off for a midday cup o' joe. The coffee down here rocks our socks off. We ended that night with a great dinner, some live music, and of course, some lovely conversation.

An iguana basking in the sun.

A BLUE MORPHO! A "famous" butterfly in Costa Rica!

Grant, looking fuzzy.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's A HUGE TREE!

A secluded beach we found in the Manuel Antonio park.

When we left our hostel in Manuel Antonio, we were literally out the door at 8:45am, and when we walked into our new hostel the time was right around 7:00pm. According to our online sources, a bus would leave from Quepos (a 30 minute bus ride from Manuel Antonio) at 10:30, which would put us in Puntarenas in time for the bus which would take us up to Monteverde. When we got to Quepos, we ended up having to wait an hour longer than we thought we would because the bus actually left at 11:30 (though there had also been one at 9:30). So much for our reliable online sources. When we arrived in Puntarenas, at first we were unsure what to do. As the gravity of our situation starting getting clear, our nervousness levels proportionately started rising. After talking to a few people, we found out that we might still make a bus to Monteverde if we made it over to the Pan-American highway a few kilometers a way. But, the only catch was, the bus would get to the bus stop at 4:30 and it was already 4:00! Needless to say, we hopped in a cab, and luckily we made it to the bus stop at 4:20. The bus station was really just two little benches and a little hole-in-the-wall soda (soda=small restaurant). We already felt like this was going to be pretty sketchy, mainly because it was in the middle of what felt like nowhere. So we sat there and waited.... and waited.... and waited. None of the busses that passed said Monteverde and we were beginning to lose hope. Soon enough, it's nearly 5:00 and we're considering ourselves S.O.L. Our only options at this point (so we think) are to take a cab, stay in Puntarenas, or try and rent a car. Trying to figure out what we're going to do, Grant runs over to a nearby cab and asks how much it would cost to get to Monteverde. $100. Okay, a taxi ride is not happening. But, good news; the cab driver tells him a bus is still coming to this stop. He points to his watch and shows its 4:15!!! We had our clocks set to the wrong time (aka Tawsh doesn't know how to tell time). The bus we'd been waiting for this whole time hadn't come at all. Phew. Sure enough, right at 4:30, the bus pulls up, and we're back on track to make it to Monteverde. We couldn't stop smiling the whole 2 hours up the mountain.

The BUS! WOOOOOO!

We woke up this morning at 6:30am (this has been a regular event since our stay at Mastatal). We enjoyed the view in the daytime and enjoyed a great breakfast while deciding how to spend our day. We decided to go to the cheese factory (our list of options included biological reserves, canopy tours, zoo type establishments etc...but we chose the cheese). We later found out how important and excellent this decision was. It was a beautiful day so we decided to walk 2 kilometers through the cute little mountain town that is Monteverde, to the factory and of course, stopped along the way to get coffee (twice). Eventually we made it to the tour and our guide began to tell us the amazing history of this cheese factory. We learned that this cheese company is the main provider throughout Costa Rica (we were not expecting it to be this one; we were so used to the company name being another label in the dairy section). It is huge here and throughout Central America and suprisingly, the company began with a couple of Quakers from America. They came to Costa Rica to flee from the draft set forth for the Korean War. They found an empty plot of land (now Monteverde) up on this mountain and bought the land. Back then, it would take them 3 months to get up to Monteverde but eventually they were able to establish themselves up here. They decided that they needed to somehow make money and making cheese was their best option. (High value to weight ratio, cheese is.) Eventually the business/town grew into what is now a wonderful, popular place to visit and live. It was really cool to witness the whole process of making cheese and we learned that all the milk for their cheese comes from around 150 small milk farmers. Everything the company does is local (to own stock in the company you have to either be from Monteverde, be one of the cow farmers in the area, be an employee of the company, or be a Quaker in Costa Rica). It was a really wonderful experience and it was a great introduction into this small town (we were in for the cheese but ended up getting a great lesson in history!)

The Monteverde Cheese Factory

One of our many coffee breaks

Taking a small break from walking.

What a day! Now we're in bed with some local/interesting looking beers for our own beer tasting flight. We miss you all very much.

<3

Tawsh and Grant

PS. Thank you for all of your wonderful comments! We'll leave you today with haikus we wrote.

Blue Skies, Grey Clouds

By Grant Hartell

In Monteverde

The wind howls loudly. SNAP!

Trees just fell over ..

Haiku de Queso

By Natasha Meir

Quakers are pansies

They fled to Costa Rica

Now they make good cheese

picture diaries! (Puerto Viejo->Mastatal->Manuel Antonio)

Hi all!
We hope you had a great thanksgiving.  Once again, we wish we could give you each a warm hug, and eat a big slice of turkey or pie with you.   But, since we can't, we want to share a more visual documentation of what we've been up to.  (We realize we haven't been able to share any pictures in the last few times we've posted, due to poor internet connections.)  Enjoy these photos of the places we've been writing about, and maybe you'll feel like you're right here with us.  But believe us when we say it, you're in our hearts and on our minds each step of the way. We left Mastatal today to continue on our journey. We woke up this morning at 4:30am to catch three buses and are now in Manuel Antonio which is on the Pacific side. It is wonderful here and we will soon have stories to share.

Our room at Hotel Puerto Viejo (the one we disliked...a lot). It felt like we were sleeping in an abandoned ship.

Regardless of shady sleeping situations, there was still plenty to admire in Puerto Viejo.  Tash enjoying the evening view.

We spotted some Red Legged Honey Creepers creepin' on some bananas!!  Cool colors guys.

On our way to Mastatal! Over the hills and far, far, away. Thank goodness for the excellent public transportation system in Costa Rica. 

Geanie's Place. Our home in Mastatal. Check the bamboo ceiling! (No it didn't leak...that much.)

The long dining table at Mastatal. We filled it up almost every meal!!

The side of the main house at Mastatal. After meals we would digest in these hammocks before getting to work. Or we would fall asleep in them after a hard days labor. OR we would just not work and hide in them.

The garden at the main house. In permaculture terms (forgive me we're still novices) this is called Zone 1.  It's the closest garden to the house, where it has all the edible greens, herbs and spices we'd collect to make salads.  There is also a nursery in the background, where plenty of other magic was happening.

An example of some of the artistic touches found around the ranch.  We left feeling quite inspired about natural building (using bamboo, cob, etc.) and how aesthetically pleasing it can be.

A TOUCAN! (We also saw parrots!)

The biggest moth we have ever seen. It actually had red eyes too! (We also saw a giant cockroach...Tawsh is still having nightmares).

We hiked down to the river and found this beautiful tree. Look at those roots!

Nice form Grant!! Imagine this...and a big squeal. I gave it a 10.

Another stressful experience at the ranch. We had to walk allllll the way to the river, hauling tons of beer (OUR POOR BACKS!) and when we got there, there was this perfect little place to sit in the beautiful blue water. UGH.

An upstream view of the river. "Ever notice that you think differently when you look upstream compared to when you look downstream?" - Grant getting deep at the river.

Rain fall dance party.  Our river beer drinking escapades got shut down early when the rain stormed in.  How rude!  Here we are walking back in our bathing suits.

Tawsh was the only one smart enough to remember a rain coat.  We all knew it was going to rain (big gray clouds overhead), but we must have been distracted by the prospect of beer drinking by the river. 

Grant loved hiking back in his board shorts while it was raining. IM SO EXCITEDDDD!!!!!!!

Oh what's this? Oh, that. Thats JUST a HUGE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE! no big deal.

We went up the road to a cocoa farm, where we learned how to make chocolate (from fruit to fermentation, from cocoa bean to chocolate truffle).  Here's Tawsh pressing out some deeelicious chocolate. We have never eaten so much chocolate in our lives as when we went on this tour.

Cute factor 10. These were 2 of the cats at Mastatal just napping on eachother.

Our Thanksgiving dinner. We killed 2 chickens the day before and made arroz con pollo. We then shaped it into a turkey. We also had manicotti with homemade goat's cheese, mash potatoes and gravy and three delicious desserts.

And the cute award goes to!!! KITTENZZZZZZZZ!!!

Early morning bus stop shot.  We thought we missed our bus, but luckily we didn't. 

At least we could gaze upon a scenic view while we waited.  We've been on Scarlet Macaw watch for the last few days, and it continued here.   We'll let you know when we're successful.

WE MADE IT!!! Manuel Antonio, you handsome stud, you. 

We got coffee in a restaurant which had a great balcony. This town is pretty touristy but we have high hopes for the national park tomorrow.

The view from our hostel, Vista Serena. Right before this a toucan flew up onto a tree below and made some calls out to his friends. Notice Grant's socks in the picture.

Time for bed. More where this came from soon!

Much Love,

Grantasaurous and Tash-rex