Saturday, July 14, 2012

Costa Rica


 We just got back from the BEST vacation we have had together in our almost-9-years of marriage! I've never had more fun, done more adventures, and still relaxed so much in all of my life. We spent 7 nights there. 3 in La Fortuna (right at the base of the volcano) at a resort with hot springs, 3 at a resort on the beach in Guanacaste, then 1 night at a hotel by the airport, ready to leave the next day. (then another bonus night in Charlotte when we missed our connecting flight home)
I took almost 300 pictures, so making this post is hard!

STUFF WE DID...

Ziplining
I may or may not have shed a few tears when I pulled out my doctor's note saying I could zip line and they basically told me "too bad!". All for baby's safety, so it's all good...just another reason to go back
 Hanging Bridges Tour of the Jungle 


 
 Jungle River Safari Float
 Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall
400-something rocky steps to get down and then 400-something rocky steps to get back out
 
 
Exploring La Fortuna
  
All Inclusive 3 night Stay in the Gulf of Papagayo
The view from our room
 Nightly entertainment (ALL in Espanol)
 Bottom Fishing, Snorkeling, Cave Exploring, BBQ on the Beach Excursion

No snorkeling pics. We saw eels, starfish, Sea Urchins, beautiful fish, and an octopus. 
This is one of Drew's two fish he caught. 
The other was a delicious tuna that they BBQ'd for us right on the beach!
 
 
 I got a LOT of looks (glares) for all our time spent in the bar. We lost count of how many Coke's Drew drank and how many Virgin Frozen Margaritas I got. People couldn't see that they were virgin...it was a bit entertaining!
 Just before leaving the beach and heading into San Jose, Costa Rica.

ANIMALS WE SAW...


MORE STUFF I WANT TO REMEMBER...
  • The 3 days we spent in La Fortuna was our favorite. It rained everyday, but the rain was more like a mist and didn't stop us from doing anything we had planned
  • All the restaurants are practically outdoors, you sit and eat in the open air. 
  • Casados was my favorite food. Grilled fresh fish, white rice, black beans, and a small salad. I got it a LOT. Punto Fusion in La Fortuna was our favorite place to eat. We went a few times.
  •  The roads were not as bad as what we had read about. The drives were crazy, with twisy roads and a TON of dogs and people on the roads, but it was actually a fun adventure. 
  • We still don't understand the joy people find in bird watching.We saw a lot of birds and neither of us cared what kind they were or to sit for hours looking for more. :) 
  • The first language is Spanish, most people assume you speak Spanish until you tell them otherwise. Thank goodness I had Drew! 
  • Nobody there is in a hurry. EVER. It's so great, unless you are in a hurry. 
  • The people of Costa Rica are the absolute friendliest people I have ever met. Nobody honks, everyone says hello, and they are just NICE!
  • We had some seriously great people watching
  • Things we want to do next time we go: Zip line, white water rafting, mountain bike up the volcano, waterfall hike, snorkel, fish.
  • I missed the kids like CRAZY, but it's not a place we will vacation with them. We saw plenty of people trying to have fun with their kids. 
  • CAN. NOT. WAIT. TO. GO. BACK.