Jan 23, 2020 - Still Chillin'

It's been overcast for the last few days which is really unusual for this time of year. The good news is the clouds helped create some beautiful sunsets. Today the sun is bright, no clouds, and a great day for a walk on the beach. All is well and we're enjoying our time in paradise.

Jan 19, 2020 - Relaxing

We've spent the last several days relaxing and enjoying the Pura Vida lifestyle. Sitting on the beach or standing in the surf we've been watching the crazy pelicans as they dive for their dinner. The fly about 20' in the air, tuck in their wings and do a head down corkscrew dive into the water. Invariably they surface with a fish in their mouth which they swallow whole and then get airborne and do it again. They don't seem fazed by swimmers as they will suddenly dive only a few feet away while you are standing in the surf. We also watched a...

Jan 15, 2020 - Snorkel

Tuesday we had a very nice lunch at the Beach House Restaurant in Potrero before our planned boat trip and snorkel adventure. We were picked up on the beach by Jaume and ferried out to the It's Better at Sea for our trip. It's been quite windy the last couple of days but Jaume and Rene, the captain, were very careful that we were all comfortable and not too wet on the trip to a snorkeling cove. Jaume swam with us as we floated around viewing fish and sea urchens in the clear water. We moved to a second spot where the water was even clearer...

Jan 15, 2020 - Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Another country today!!! Costa Rica!! Christopher Columbus became Costa Rica's first tourist when he landed on this stretch of coast in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World. Expecting to find vast mineral wealth (read gold), he named the region Costa Rica (rich coast). Imagine the Spaniards' surprise to eventually find there was none. But it is rich in natural beauty, beaches, volcanoes, rain forests and diverse animal life packed into an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Our excursion today was to be...

Jan 13, 2020 - Arrived

Arrived on schedule on Saturday, picked up a car and drove to Tamarindo. Stopped at a "soda", a typical small Costa Rican restaurant for lunch. Arrived at the condo without difficulty and after looking around emailed the owner to get a few issued squared away. A maintenance man fixed most items on Sunday so now all is good. Erik rented a golf cart to tear around town while Christine and I more leisurely enjoy the beach and the pool.

Jan 4, 2020 - Costa Rica......Plays Ocotel

On Dec 28th we flew into Liberia after uneventful flights from Vancouver, BC to Denver Colorado, USA and on to Liberia, Costa Rica. After spending $35 for 2 coffees, 2 waters and a croisant, we were picked up by Sixth and taken to their car rental agency where we rented a small economy vehicle for the 10 days we are here. We headed west to Coco Beach where we met the property manager at the Subway, did a minimal shopping in the extremely expensive automercado and were taken to Vista Ocotal....at the bottom of the mountain with no view! We...

Feb 26, 2019 - San Jose

Sorry for the delay. Too many late nights and when we returned home Hugh came down with a wicked cold. All is well now and hope this blog will encourage you to go south some time soon. Our Caravan Tour to Costa Rica. Day 7: Cruise the Tarcoles River Day 8: Visit Mamuel Antonio National Park Day 9: Walk the streets of San Jose, Costa Rica Day 7: We had an early start to head south to Mamuel Antonio NP on the Pacific Coast about the middle of the coastline. First we cruised on the Tarcoles River which was full of crocodiles and the banks...

Feb 22, 2019 - Fortuna, Costa Rica

We are behind due to poor Wi-Fi and little time to do our blog. Our Caravan Tour to Costa Rica. Day 4 Rio Frio Cruise, Baldi Hot springs Day 5 Hanging Bridges Day 6 Guanacaste Beach Resort Day 4: We headed north to the Cold River (Rio Frio) and the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge passing by fields of sugar cane, mango orchards, teak groves, and pineapple and orange plantations. We cruised along the riverbanks of the Rio Frio loaded with a jungle of various trees and ligneous plants. Being the dry season birds, and animals migrate to the river....

Feb 20, 2019 - San Juan

Internet has been week the last 4 days,so have gotten behind in sending this. Our Caravan Tour! Day 1: Welcome Briefing Day 2: Visit Oxcart factory, Coffee plantation, and a Butterfly garden. Day 3: Tour downtown San Jose, visit Wildlife Rescue Center, leisurely bus ride through the mountains to La Fortuna We made it to San Jose Sunday afternoon in about 5 hours for a 150 mile ride from CoCo Beach. It is the dry season here, so not as green as would have liked, but was interesting with unbeknownst vegetation. We stayed at a nice hotel...

Feb 16, 2019 - CoCo Beach 2

We are enjoying being here in Coco Beach with picture perfect weather and the yin yang of the place. The time share-compound is fabulous. Our apartment is big and spotless like no one has ever lived here. The grounds are pristine and the office and restaurants are modern and up-to-date. Then there is the town. There is little or no trash, but everything looks old and run down. There is little or no need for weatherproofing buildings, so the restaurants are open under corrugated metal, rusty roofs, as are most of the shops. The grocery store...

Feb 10, 2019 - CoCo Beach

Coco Beach is an unrefined beach town on the Pacific. It is not yet a tourist town, but it is a place with many timeshare living accommodations. We were invited by our Boise friends, Karlene and Tom, to spend a week with then in one of their time shares. It is top notch with fabulous, manicured grounds, swimming pools, shops, and restaurants. We also got access to the timeshare Beach Club. One of the first things we did was rent a golf cart to tour the town and check out the Beach Club. It was warm, and in the afternoon, almost hot. We are...

Dec 16, 2018 - Sea Day

Sea Day 83, sunny & humid We turned the clocks ahead again this morning and lost another hour. With the change we didn’t get up and going until about 9:00 this morning. Mostly a lazy kind of day with time spent at The Sanctuary for the afternoon. Seas have really been calm all trip. The kind of calm that feels like the doldrums when the wind is dead and the seas are almost like glass. It has been very comfortable cruising. However, we do miss the gentle rocking one can feel at night that lulls you to sleep. It’s formal night but we both...