La Catarata and Rio Fortuna!

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During our stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge our guide Kevin took us on a dayhike in La Fortuna to a spectacular waterfall! This invigorating hike took us down 600 meters, 480 stairs, to the base of this natural wonder. Water spills forcefully 70 meters, 230 feet, to a swimming hole where Rio Fortuna dumps into another tranquil spot for swimming! This hike was not for the faint of heart. We received several “warnings” from other foreigners that we should not venture down due to “my condition.” (As if pregnancy had its limits)! We pressed on and did get quite a workout but if you know me I am always up for a physical challenge. :)


Cool Hammock shop on the drive in!


Wasps!


For my equine-loving friends! :)


Aspen…you can see the waterfall in the distance!


It was extremely windy at this lookout…


The girls took an adventurous route with Kevin!


La catarata!


Mark and the kids being extra adventurous, (safety was never sacrificed). :)


The Fam!


Cool emerald pools below the waterfall are perfect and safe for little ones. :)


Beautiful yet powerful.


Havana and I cooling off!


Rio Fortuna


If there is sand…let there be castles!


Dakota and I

La Catarata
A quick video of Mark and the girls!

It gets very steep!


This hike was fabulous! Our 4yr. old did the entire hike alone. Bring plenty of water, your camera, bathing suits, a couple of quick-dry towels, bug repellent just in case, a first-aid kit and some dried fruit and spend a couple of hours here!

Information regarding park entrance fees:
We found that for a family of 6, entrance fees, water, snacks and souvenirs always ended up being around $100. We had a wonderful connection prior to our departure that sent us a link to every possible adventure in each area. As a family we sat down and decided ahead of time which of these adventures were most important to us and saved accordingly. :)

Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

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Our second day in Monteverde was spent hiking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. This Preserve consists of 6 ecological zones, 90% of which are virgin forest and is home to over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects! There is something to see and discover on every plant, step, and tree!


Wake up!


Fuel for the trail! The ladies here took very good care of us. :)


Kevin helped us identify around 30 species of birds on this day alone including the prized and sought after Quetzal!


We also spotted the elusive Black Guan!


Lots of interesting fungus!


Orange-knee tarantula!
He was right on the trail trying to eat a millipede (unsuccessful)


Tarzan swing!


This trail is a loop, the pinnacle being the lookout over the Continental Divide!


We made it! Kevin and the girls admiring the view.


On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Nicoya!


Cool flora!


Aspen kept track of every living creature we came across!


Aspen found a centipede!


We hit some rain on the way out. Kevin found himself a “poor man’s umbrella.” :)


An incredible day despite the rain towards the end!

Hummingbird Garden and Stellas!

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After a stellar hike through Selvatura and the hanging bridges we stopped briefly to check out the Hummingbird Garden, home to 15 species of hummingbirds. This was a fabulous place to experience these tiny wonders up close and personal. We would have stayed longer but ended up getting caught in a downpour…not to mention four ravenously hungry bellies.

Mangos (left), Rufus Tail (in flight), Purple-Throated Mountain Gem (right)

Gray-Tailed Female Mountain-Gem

Green Hermit

Male Green-Breasted Mango

Violet Saberwing

With rain pummeling and children “dying of hunger,” we piled into our vehicle and headed out to a sought-after bakery called Stellas! This local fresh eatery served the most incredible tortilla soup and veggie burritos! We highly recommend it if you are in the area! :)

The girls found a new favorite fruit…perfect for dessert! Lychee!

And one more for the road…a scenic view from our car window!

Selvatura and Hanging Bridges

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Our guide and driver for 7 days was a 23yr. old naturalist and bird expert who did a phenomenal job teaching all of us about the beauties of Costa Rica. His name is Kevin, a handsome, green-eyed bilingual Costa Rican who also answers to El Gato-the cat. He arrived on the morning of our first day in Santa Elena ready to explore. Our entire day was spent in awe soaking in Selvatura Park and its surroundings which are located in the expansive cloud forest of Monteverde.

Selvatura is home to 8 different suspension bridges ranging between 150 to 510 feet in length and 46 to 180 feet in altitude. These five-foot-wide walkways hover over the rainforest canopy giving you an expansive view of the top of the world. Stunning would be an understatement. Here are some pictures of our experience:

A well-groomed trail system leads you into the rainforest.

There is nothing small about this place!

A view from the top!

These bridges are massive and will cure any fear you have of heights or send you packing.

Havana was a real trooper throughout the hike despite the heat and heavy humidity!

With over 100,000 varieties of insects in this country we are calling this guy a green beetle…haha. Havana found him on the hanging bridge. Everything here is an opportunity for enrichment.

Is he cool or what?

Our green friend has perhaps had enough of our gazings.

Always on the move and ready to experience!

Kevin was able to call and spot several species of birds that we would have otherwise missed.

The 6 of us…and our anti-stink, dry weave clothing. You will see these “outfits” for the next 9 days and perhaps even smell them as after about day 7 the anti-stink mechanisms began to wear off…(no laundry facilities where we were). We were lucky that our clothes didn’t get up and run away. At least there was no fear of them being stolen. However, kudos to Lululemon-the silver in my shirt proved to be a bit more worthy.

Coming up! Hummingbirds up close and personal finish out our day at Selvatura…and a photo of Kevin…ha!

For more information on Selvatura visit www.selvatura.com
For great anti-stink yoga and activewear visit www.lululemon.com

Do you have a 4×4?

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Santa Elena is a very small town in the district of Monteverde. We arrived with our driver Luis after a long 3-hour drive from San Jose. The last hour was spent on a steep and curvy dirt road covered in potholes, large stones, and crazy oncoming traffic. Keep in mind that it was primarily a single lane burrow trail with spectacular views of the Gulf of Nicoya. Luis did a fabulous job getting us there despite the conditions. Before our check-in at El Atardecer Hotel he gave us a tour of the town. After 90 seconds we managed to see all of Santa Elena! (I think it spans about 3 city blocks). Nonetheless, we were all excited to get checked in.


Our fab driver Luis

Dakota found a cute little room for her and Aspen that had great lighting…and lots of ants all over her bed…so despite our desire to take pictures in there…we moved them to the room next door. Keep in mind that we are traveling in the slow season and we were the only occupants in the entire facility.

We ventured on our own through Santa Elena and landed at Morphos for dinner. (Fabulous food)!

After dark, with flashlights in hand and headlamps attached, we dared the busy streets to tour the frog pond. (All of the cool frogs are nocturnal). :o ) This frog pond is one of the best in Central America! No flash photography was allowed so we utilized our hand-held devices to capture these images:


Red-Eyed Leaf Frog


Hyla Tree Frog


Froggy! (we can’t remember this species)


Glass Frog


Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Tomorrow we will meet Kevin, our guide and driver for the next week!

Panama City?

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Our flight to San Jose from Dallas was scheduled to be about 3 hours and 55 minutes.

After a painless experience we began descending when the pilot informed us that due to “less than minimal conditions” and an “abundance of traffic” we would be circling the city for about 30 minutes.

I only began to have a mild coronary when, after about 40 minutes, the pilot suddenly ascended at what seemed like rocket speed. Were we avoiding another plane? That is still a mystery.

Apparently the fog had settled in on the valley of San Jose like soup and nobody could get in or out. With that problem, our fuel tanks were also getting low so off to Panama City we went!

After an 8 hour flight! YES 8 hours, we finally landed safely at SJO just around midnight and our gracious driver was STILL waiting for us! (Original ETA was 7:05pm). On a side note we are grateful for the careful decision making of the American Airlines pilots and their concern for our safety.

After a long and emotional flight we arrived at the beautiful Hotel Buena Vista, www.hotelbuenavistacr.com , where we recharged for the next adventure:

…and awoke to this:

and this:

…and per Mark’s request…my 6 month belly…

Georgia and a flower she found at breakfast:

Our next stop? A 3-hour car ride to the Monteverde Cloud Forest and Hotel Atardecer, (a bed and breakfast in Santa Elena)! Pura Vida!

….Beard Party of 6?

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You can't start a family vacation to Costa Rica without a good cup of coffee and an air plane!

One For the Flight

As we sit waiting to board our flight to Costa Rica with a couple of hours to spare, we are laughing at the process in which we arrived at our gate to Dallas yesterday (not that we didn’t get to the airport in time).  After waltzing through security we took a seat at a local eatery and casually enjoyed lunch. After what seemed like eternity, I asked Mark what time it was…we had 15 minutes before our flight took off!  I can only imagine the looks we received as we haphazardly sprinted through the corridors towards gate A8. Dakota and Aspen flew ahead while Mark and Havana brought up the rear, her flip flops only flew off twice.  The intercom screamed, “Beard party of 6… Last call!”. We picked up speed (keep in mind I am 6 months pregnant). After rounding the corner another announcement plagues us, “Beard party of 6 your plane is leaving!” Aspen was the first to arrive at the “gatekeeper”. Upon seeing her I slowed down to catch my breath only to be reprimanded by the “gatekeeper” to hurry up!  As I reached the gate she began rattling off rude comments including, “WHATS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!”  “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD” YOU PEOPLE ARE LAZY”…”LUNATICS!” I thought for a millisecond to make a comment to perhaps remind her of common courtesy to the fellow human being, however, I refrained since all of 6 of us  had these fresh little cups in our possession.

Welcome and a SURPRISE!!

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Fifteen years ago I met a guy and fell in love.  A year into our marriage we joyfully discovered that we were expecting our first child.  Much to my dismay, my darling husband proclaimed  that he ‘only made boys’…Well…here is our first born:

…and our second…

…and our third…

…and our fourth…(you get the gist of it)…

Well…God has definitely delivered the right man to raise up these lovely girls…but it’s not over  yet!  Check out His latest creation!

By Golly It’s a BOY!!  (I know!…we are still in shock too)!!

ETA:  February 1, 2012

…to be continued…