Today is our last day in Puerto Viejo and it’s also our last day in Costa Rica. We arrived 37 days ago and spent our first two weeks in school. We swam in the Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and in a few waterfalls. We were all amazed by the green sea turtles and the horsebackContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 6”
Category Archives: Costa Rica
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 5
A short post for a quiet day. The adventurers stayed close to home with the kids reading and making up games with their cuddles. The plot included many paper snowflakes so we are enjoying a bit of pretend winter here in the tropics. We did a little shopping. It’s amazing how fast clothes tire outContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 5”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 4
Today’s main adventure was a morning Chocolate tour – an activity where you see the process from the cacao bean to the chocolate we know and love. Or at least that’s what we tried to sell the kids. Cacao was one of the major crops in Costa Rica until the 1970s when a fungus killedContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 4”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 3
We all enjoyed the horseback riding adventure from a couple weeks ago and wanted to try it again. Perhaps this time on the beach! We had seen some beach riding in Tamarindo but didn’t want to pick some random horses offered to any gringo walking on the beach. Tiffany did some research and we pickedContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 3”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 2
After yesterday’s travel day we relaxed a little this morning. We all found the sleeping tolerable with no air conditioning. Still more hot and humid than we prefer but we got some sleep even with the howler monkeys doing their thing close by. We added a picture showing our two part house. Kitchen/living room/bath andContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 1
Today was primarily a travel day as we left Tortuguero by boat and then car for the town of Puerto Viejo on the Southeastern coast. This is our last destination in Costa Rica. It’s reputation is that it has a Caribbean vibe, great beaches, great food and good weather in September, not an insignificant factor.Continue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 3
We woke up still excited about last night. We watched a Green Turtle lay about 100 eggs in the sand on the beach – That was AMAZING!!! We all agreed one of our favorite parts was watching the turtle go back over the beach to the Sea. She was so heavy and awkward on landContinue reading “Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 3”
Tortuguero, Costa Rica Day 2
Today started at 5:15am. We were supposed to be waking up to a 6am canoe adventure in the rivers of the National Park. Instead, we were greeted with thunder, lightning, heavy rain and no power in our hotel. We considered rolling over and going back to sleep, but weather changes quickly in Costa Rica soContinue reading “Tortuguero, Costa Rica Day 2”
Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 1
We do have Wi-Fi access! We were pleasantly surprised our family hotel room has Wi-Fi access, it was advertised as having three full sized beds, air conditioning (a luxury we splurge for) and a shower. Hot water is still TBD and wifi was supposed to be a no, yet here we are. Today was aContinue reading “Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 1”
La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 3
This was one of our Costa Rican days where the adventures were wonderful, diverse and may not fully translate to the blog (but we will give it our best shot). We took all these great photos today. Costa Rica has fully embraced environmentally conscious attitudes about many things. For example, the country has relied onContinue reading “La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 3”
La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 2
What a day! This is the first time visiting Costa Rica for the 5 Adventurers. It’s a popular destination because it’s natural ecology is appealing (volcanos, beaches, tropical forests, waterfalls) and also because it has built a reputation for outdoor adrenaline activities. Ziplines, horseback riding, rappelling, ATV riding tours, hiking, scuba and snorkeling etc etcContinue reading “La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 2”
La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 1
We left Monteverde today after another nourishing farm-fresh meal prepared by our hosts and set off for La Fortuna. We also learned that the farm gained a new calf overnight so everyone was cheery this morning. This was a 3 hour drive over winding roads (both paved and unpaved). The weather was pleasant enough forContinue reading “La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 2
Today started a little earlier than most (we actually used an alarm clock!). We had a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, milk, fruit, papaya juice and the best tasting Fruit Loops the kids and Dad ever tasted. The cook was very gracious and the owner explained all the food, coffee, marmalade and jamContinue reading “Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 1
Today we went from sea level at the beach to 1500 meters (~5000 feet) elevation in the Cordillero de Tilarán mountain range. The area is named Monteverde and regularly draws tourists from all over the world visiting the Cloud Forest. This is a unique landscape that only exists in tropical areas with tall mountains andContinue reading “Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 7
Today was our last full day in this location and the kids were again in charge of the adventures. It was a blue sky morning so they decided to head into town – back to the main beach in Playa del Coco and the place we went to on our second day in Costa Rica.Continue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 7”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 6
By day six Brian and Tiffany had pretty much completed our modest beach/pool ‘to-do list’ so we decided today the kids could pick our adventures. What would they pick? Pool? Beach club? New beach? Repeat beach? Turns out their choice was none of those. Early morning started with a classic card game of War thatContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 6”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 5
We thought that we would drive down to Tamarindo to see how a Costa Rican surf town compares to the surf in our beloved home town in CA. As we talked about the beach, CreeperKitty pointed out if we walked north and kept going for a long time, we’d find ourselves at San Clemente PierContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 5”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 4
I’m so excited on getting to write a blog post! I’ve never done something like this before! This morning was a small breakfast before heading out to the store. In a previous post the kids were interested in buying more cuddles. But we had to go back again because CreeperPuppy changed his mind and CreeperKittyContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 4”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 3
Today was a fantastic day relaxing by the pool. It was warm but just enough overcast so that the sun didn’t bake us all day. The water was also warm and the rain held off until after 5. What could be better? The snack bar was open so drinks and food were easy and broughtContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 3”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 2
We found this lovely resort as part of an exchange for a timeshare we’ve owned for 15 years. We’re sure many people enjoy having a timeshare and get great value from it. We are not those people. We are the timeshare people that pay our maintenance fees, pay to deposit the week in an exchangeContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 1
Today was technically a travel day, but as those go it was pretty easy. We started off the morning packing up our stuff at the Liberia AirBnB. The kids have collected some souvenirs since arrival so we had to figure out how to stow them. But the hardest part of packing were the random thingsContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 16
We have been looking forward to today’s adventures for several days. This outing was our reward for finishing the Spanish language school after two long weeks. Today was also our last full day in Liberia. Tomorrow, we move on to la playa! We awoke early and made it to our destination shortly after 9. OurContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 16”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 15
Today was the last day of Spanish immersion – we’ve done 40 hours over the last two weeks. Brian and Tiffany capped their course off with a presentation in front of the school. Afterwards we went out to dinner at a place up the street from the school. We’d walked by it several times andContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 15”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 14
Today we did something a little different. We went out for brunch and then did some shopping in the city before going to school. Brunch was at the Posada Real Cafe which was quite yummy. We’ve been asked several times if we’ve tried the traditional Costa Rican breakfast of Gallo Pinto but we had toContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 14”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 13
The Pan-American Highway runs for 24,140 kilometers (15,000 miles). Guinness World Records considers this to be the longest ‘motorable’ road on Earth. At the south it starts in Argentina and ends in northern Alaska. It’s been featured in at least two reality shows – The Kindness Diaries on Netflix (which is how we got introducedContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 13”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 12
Before escuela we had an adventure at a waterfall this morning. It’s the Catarata LLanos de Cortes about 25 minutes from Liberia. It’s a popular stop for tours going through the area but we navigated ourselves there shortly after breakfast. We’re very glad we did. This was a beautiful spot where three distinct falls occurContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 12”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 11
This morning started with a breakfast of oatmeal with a little brown sugar and then a snack of apples with peanut-butter. While the kids read, Brian and Tiffany did some logistics for the next few weeks – booking some tours, etc. After being here for over a week we’ve gotten a better sense of howContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 11”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 10
Today was a national holiday in Costa Rica – Feast of the Assumption (of the Virgin Mary)/Mother’s Day. It’s a day focused on family and most businesses are closed so we spent the day catching up with some grandparents via FaceTime and hanging around our house. The kids got some screen time like they typicallyContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 10”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 9
Today wasn’t a school day so we packed a picnic lunch and headed out for new adventures. We visited a historic location in the Guanacasta province in the Santa Rosa National Park. This National Park has two important components. One, it protects a unique ecosystem which is considered a ‘dry’ tropical forest (bosque tropical seco).Continue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 9”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 8
Graduation day! For the first week anyway. The immersion classes are structured to be 20 hours in a week with extra curriculars and practice and then you finish. We all got certificates in a little ceremony with our teachers and fellow students and now we get two days off to practice before we’re back atContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 8”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 7
This morning was pancakes and more laundry. The kids are spending a lot of time reading which is great, they didn’t get the chance much when we were cruising around the US. We’re thrilled they like to read but since we don’t have room for paper books it’s all reading on their tablets with eitherContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 7”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 6
Another day of quiet adventures for our 5 travelers along with some tastes of home. We can tell we’ve settled into ‘living life in Liberia’ mode rather than ‘vacation’ mode because we’re taking fewer photos to share. This morning the kids scratched their itch for video games with a little Minecraft and then we headedContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 6”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 5
We posted a bit about the lack of a dryer and the existence of a semi-automatic clothes washer during a post yesterday. We should also note that we are using child labor to the maximum extent allowable. This kid also pulled duty at the dishes tonight while his siblings provided maximum support. No great adventuresContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 5”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 4
This afternoon was back-to-school for the 5 of us as we have enrolled in the Instituto Estelar Bilingüe to immerse ourselves in a new language. It’s five days a week for four hours a day this week and next – all in Spanish. This is our primary reason for staying in Liberia for two weeksContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 4”
Liberia, Costa Rica, Day 3
After a breakfast of huevos, bacon and cafe con leche we decided to head to the beach again – this time in the sunny morning and with our bathing suits. Today’s destination was the next beach south from yesterday’s and much more commercial. Known as Playa del Coco, it has hotels, restaurants and souvenir shopsContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica, Day 3”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 2
Although we awoke early today, it was truly amazing to languish without a need to rise until the craving for huevos and café was too strong to ignore. The rented house has a coffee maker but Brian’s inexperience with it created a very strong pot (which wasn’t the worst thing since we pefer adding lecheContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 1
The big day arrived!! After years of saving, months of planning, a global pandemic that still isn’t over, and 5000 miles in the car – we took our adventures international! This was primarily a travel day. After a 6:15am wake up, sad little grab-and-go breakfast from the La Quinta, hotel shuttle, airport shuttle to theContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 1”
5 Adventures Together 