costa_rica_manual

We are on the move today traveling to Manual Antonio in a van with 8 others.. The dirt road was very bumpy for the first 20km then turned into a windy paved road. I would not recommend traveling in Costa Rica if you get car sick.

The van ride took about 4 hours with one rest stop. As we descended from the mountains it got warmer and warmer with clear skies and no rain in sight. About 5km from our destination, as we were going uphill, around a corner, another car was coming down the hill too fast, tried to brake, lost control, came across the center line and hit our van right in the side where I was sitting. Since this was a narrow curvy road most cars were going pretty slow. It caved in the side of the van but no one was hurt. The offending driver speed off. Our driver turned around and gave chase but as soon as we got near town (Quepos) there was too much traffic to continue the chase. He stopped a policia to explain what happened but the cop didn't seem very interested and continued on his way. The driver then dropped us off at our respective hotel

This is our rest stop. Pretty nice but I wouldn't eat any of the food. Coconuts are everywhere. The coconut milk is used but the coconut meat is discarded.

Our resort is called Si Como No meaning "Yes, Why Not". It's on a hill, very isolated, over looking the ocean about a mile away. We have a bungalow with a veranda and spectacular view of the ocean.

After lunch and a nap we lounged at the pool, took advantage of happy hour, read our books and watched a spectacular sunset. Then watched a movie in the resort's theatre.

Our activities today may be limited since Barbara has a touch of Montezuma's revenge. I bet it was the fruit which is hard to resist. At least we were able to find some medicine. In fact the drugstore would sell u anything including antibiotics. Viagra was only $5 a pill. Good thing to know for future reference :-)

On our walk to the drugstore, we saw a realty and looked at property for sale. One was a modern villa, 6,000 sq feet, on an acre, 4 bedrooms, new appliances, etc. For $625,000 USD. Apparently, the only thing it didn't have was a view. If you decide to buy it, please invite us to come stay for a month.

By noon, Barbara was feeling better so we walked across the street to the butterfly gardens.

This butterfly was most beautiful. On the left, the wings are closed. On the right the wings are open and you can see the bright iridescent blue color.

We got up early to take the short van ride to Manuel Antonio National Park. This is a very popular park. On the weekends, they only allow 800 people in; hence, our early arrival. When we got there we found a pretty long line. We had to stand in the heat for about 45 minutes but we finally got in

This monkey is in danger. These are bare wires and if his tail touches one, he will be toast.

On the way to the park, I had to take another picture of the electrical wiring. Guess it's my engineer fascination.

Then we started our walk through the park and finally saw some animals and beautiful beaches.

A monkey taking a siesta.

Two monkeys very relaxed in the afternoon sun.

Raccoon looking for scraps from the beach goers.

Outside the park was another large public beach. Of course, the prolific souvenir shops line the street.

On our last night, we had a little excitement. About 2:30am, I felt a bug on my side near my arm pit and flicked it off. Sometime later, I felt a bug on my neck. Again, I reached up to flick it off but this time it felt like a worm and didn't come off easily.

I turned on the lights and looked for more bugs. I didn't find any in the bed but did find the one I flicked off on the floor making his escape. It was a centipede about 1.5" long. Needless to say it was hard to get back to sleep. I have some pretty ugly welts but so far I haven't lost consciousness. Now, all I have to worry about are the eggs growing under my skin.

Update: It's now five days later and the surface has turned to open sores. They are sensitive to the touch but don't itch. I think they will scab over soon.

The shuttle to San Jose was exciting also. Going over the mountains, we were following a bus with diesel fuel gushing out the back. After signals from passing drivers, the bus driver finally pulled over just as we crested a hill. It was raining as we started down the hill. When we came to the first curve and our driver braked, he lost traction and the van started to swerve. Fortunately, he regained control without hitting another object or going over the cliff. The combination of rain and fuel oil on his tires made them very slippery. It happened again and he finally slowed down some. When we stopped at a rest stop I inspected the vans tires and discovered one back tire was bald. The rest of the trip I was on pins and needles as we traversed the hills in the mountains.

I was relieved when we arrived in San Jose alive. San Jose is a poor city and capital of Costa Rica. I did not feel safe or that it was a pleasant place. Our hotel, El Presidente, was in the heart of town. It was clean and adequate and a good bargain at only $100. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant right on the sidewalk of the main street with only foot traffic. Talk about your el primo people watching location.