Our first days in Costa Rica

OK--this is my first blog and I never thought I would do one, but a few of you asked, so here we go. I apologize that this post is kind of long as I am catching up for our first 10 days of the trip, but will make future posts much shorter! I am learning as I go so bear with me.

Lake Arenal - Probably our last cool weather of the trip

We arrived safely in Costa Rica and had a great three days exploring the volcano region to the East of the capital. We went to Volcano Arenal, which is a cloud forest (rain forest with lots of clouds and mist and fairly cool) and got to see the volcano (no longer active, just steam).  We did an amazing zip line adventure, going on 7 different zip lines, each hundreds of feet down over the rain forest. Lusijah, Robert's Mom, is with Ella, Harlan and me for the first few weeks of the trip and it is wonderful to have a fellow adult and bold traveler with me!

Volcano Arenal--we never saw the summit due to fog

Our Coati friend on the road

We are all having a ball together. Everyone is traveling so well with no complaints, just going with the flow of each day, enjoying the moment – or sometimes not- as in the case of the 4 hour drive through incredibly winding roads to our volcano hotel, after night fall, when everyone felt pretty car sick. After some wrong turns, going to the wrong side of the lake, we found our way at night on a long dirt road to our little hotel, Arenal Vista Lodge.

After a long sleep, we drove our giant rental SUV (the only one that Ella's new surf board and our 5 bags would fit into) to the volcano area, covered in rain forest. Once at the volcano, we hired a guide to take us on a rainforest walk over several suspension/hanging bridges. We saw three poisonous snakes —all far enough off to be of no danger to us—but sufficiently close to bring on a snake-filled night mare for Harlan last night. He seems just fine this morning.  It was neat to see the thin yellow “eye-lash” vipers as we have not seen snakes on our other trips to Costa Rica. Harlan wanted to do a night walk to see frogs and lizards, too, so we did that as well, again with a guide, and were able to spot the amazing electric green, red-eyed tiny rainforest frogs that are blazoned on posters throught the country, and several other poisonous frogs as well, including a tiny red one with "blue jean" legs. We found a few lizards, too. A good reptile fix for the boy.

After the new year's weekend Spanish school was calling, so we left our cool, misty volcano getaway and drove 5 hours down the mountains to the coast, to the tiny town of Dominical, which is on one of the best and most consistent surfing beaches of Costa Rica (on the Pacific side). This is where our Spanish school - Adventure Education Center- is. With a name like that I was a little concerned that we might not learn much, but a friend who had studied there with her son raved about it, so I signed us up for 2 weeks of intensive Spanish--with lessons in the morning and surf instruction in the afternoon. How bad could that be?

Our little pool at Arenal Vista Lodge

We dropped off our rental car in nearby Quepos and are now on foot—which means it is harder to explore on our own, but we are happy enjoying the environs within walking distance.  It is a gorgeous place with a beach several miles long, rimmed by lush rain forest and very little development.  Happily for us there are a few little organic food cafes with very healthy juices, smoothies, salads and burritos and a sushi restaurant which gets fresh fish daily from the neighboring fishing village.  Harlan has subsisted mostly on rice and black beans, with some fresh fruit, smoothies and the occasional carrots and broccoli with dinner. But he is happy as is Ella, if she gets to surf enough, and happy kids make happy Mom.

Diary of aWimpy Kid Fix

We are having a homestay, living with a Costa Rican family. Nuri our host mother is about 50. Very sadly she lost her husband just one month ago in a fishing accident in the ocean. We are are trying to provide some understanding, good cheer and conversation (albeit in imperfect Spanish) but there is nothing to be done for a broken heart after losing someone so special.  Nuri's daughter and brother live right nearby, and we are speaking lots of Spanish with them as well.  Our Spanish school is great. Tiny little classrooms raised a foot above the earth (presumably to keep out snakes and other pesky creatures) with screened windows and fans blowing to keep us cool. We are learning a lot, studying from 9 am to 1:30 pm, after which we get lunch and fruit smoothies in a nearby organic restaurant called Café Mono Congo (howler monkey) and then try to do some kind of excursion that involves cooling off in the afternoon. This involves quite a bit of surfing.

Near Dominicalito beach

Ella is LOVING her new board, a 5 foot 10 inch Hayden Shapes hypto crypto, THANK YOU UNCLE WILL for helping us with picking it out. After a few tries and a bit of practice on a 7 foot board she has been surfing her own board ("tabla" en espanol), and the teacher is now calling her “avancada” — advanced—maybe this means advanced beginner?  Still she is doing great and about to graduate to green water.  Ella caught some green waves on the Dominical beach but tomorrow is going to go to Dominicalito beach further south, apparently a bit better for green water (the color of the waves before they crash--the bread and butter of real surfers) and easier to get out to the big waves. I am loving my surfing too! Had my best teacher ever here—still firmly in the intermediate-beginner category though and will likely stay there for the remainder of this trip!

Dominicalito -- one beach south from where we are staying...love the vines