To blame the poor for subsisting on welfare has no justice unless we are also willing to judge every rich member of society by how productive he or she is. Taken individual by individual, it is likely that there's more idleness and abuse of government favors among the economically privileged than among the ranks of the disadvantaged. -Norman Mailer, author (31 Jan 1923-2007)
Wow what a vacation ! As I sit here listening to the howling wind meditating! The bug bites don’t interest me but all the rest of your vacation sounds great!
We had a great time in the Baha attending Gordon’s daughter, Holley, wedding.
Now we are looking at this: The black dots are seals. Winter is gorgeous, but it is definitely a test! Enjoy your vacation -I’m going to get out a map and figure out where the hell you are vacationing-lol. I hope to see you in around March 17 ish! Love Ski
Frank said tent village was Corcovado. Aranal was volcano place. Green Valley was where we arrived in night & left from. Other place you mentioned we were at. Can’t recall name now. Didn’t do much suntanning nor dipping in a pool. I don’t swim & definitely not a sun worshipper, burn actually!! For me, perfect temp-75 or betwn 70-80! We ate & drank well!! Thx for the pix. It does help. Nice enjoying fellow tourists! Hi again, Maggie! Trust you are well, other than your hip. How proceeds recovery? Fondestos to you and Frank and rest of family, from Lady Dar. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi James! Trust you are well, other than your knee!. Arrived today, in Manuel Antonio, our last stop in Costa Rica before flying back to Tinsel Town this coming Sunday. Since being here we have been treated to monkeys galore. After checking in, we strolled down to the beach, to scope it out and nearby clutch of stores, as we needed supplies, aka hootch, cold Sauvignon Blanc for Lady Dar and local white rum, Cacique, and fruit juice mixer, for me. Back to hotel to the a dip in pool to cool off, entertained by the family of Howler Monkeys, about ten, in tree canopy above hotel. Once they had headed off into deeper jungle we were delighted to have Titi Monkeys visit. Smallest species of monkey here in Cost Rica. Fondestos to you and Carol and rest of hiking gang, from Lady Dar. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Two Capuchins on way to beach today; Horse-back rides, anyone? Lady Dar dips her toes; I'm sending her aloft tomorrow! Titi monkeys who live in trees around our hotel, this afternoon.
Hi Patrick, Great to hear from you. Man, have you been busy! Life here is a little less hectic. We went to Miami for Christmas. It was quite wonderful, warm and balmy and very friendly. It was not what I was expecting in some ways; it was less glitzy and more neighbourhood based. Altogether a great experience. We went from there to San Francisco to meet up with Penny's brother and his family for New Year. A great time was had by all. Enjoy the rest of your trip; say Hi to Peter and Lynn for me. Cheers, Robert. Hi again, Robert! From the sound of your Christmas travels, you and family have been very, very busy as well, especially since you are "cloistering" yourself, working away on your Magnum Opus! Buona Fortuna!!! Will certainly pass along your regards to Lynne and Peter as we will be staying with them for two nights, day after we return to Tinsel Town. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Wow! What a day indeed! Up at just
before 6:00 am to put on a pot of java. Had everything ready to go,
before I went to bed so all I had to do was flip a switch. While I
waited for drip to finish I packed up the laundry I had left outside
overnight and had most everything ready by the time I hopped into the
shower. Lady Dar used upstairs shower and we we both stepped out the
door to leave our bags at Reception at about 6:50 am. Nico, the owner,
bade us goodbye and said shuttle would come up graveled driveway to
collect us. When van had not arrived by 7:15 am I asked his wife, Vagge,
(short for Selvaggia, she informed us!), to call local tour operator.
Turned out earlier pickups were not ready, hence delay. Thanking her, we
trundled our bags to road to be ready when shuttle arrived. First time
it has ever been late as it has always been earlier, sometimes by as
much as half an hour.
Anyway, we eventually collected everyone leaving Santa Teresa, (Mainly Canadians from Montreal and Calgary so we had fun chatting with them, in particular, giving the Calgarians a hard time! Funnily enough, we had seen them the night before, on the beach, waiting for the sunset.), going to Montezuma, a small town in the southern part of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula where we were to collect a speedboat taxi from there to Jaco, (Bruno and Carol were there a few weeks ago as it is fairly close to San José.), on mainland, the fastest way to get from this southern peninsula to the mainland. Once we were checked off speedboat list we made our way to the beach where we waited while our lugagge was loaded aboard the fifty passenger craft. Wading into the surf,, shoes in hand, we clambered aboard, as crew held boat as steady as possible.
I happened to sit next to a woman from Chatsworth, in LA, a neighbourhood I know fairly well as it is on my route to Santa Susana Pass and Simi Valley. She told me about a wonderful dedicated bike path from Ventura to Ojai so I hope to explore it at some point. Spent a little more than an hour on the boat, stopping the first time to free a large green turtle from plastic fishing line tangled around its poor neck. Was very impressed at how Eco-conscious the crew were although it is terrible to know how many of these gorgeous creatures are drowned as a direct result of this activity. Captain jumped into water and brought turtle to the back of the boat where other crew members hauled it aboard, on its back, onto the small, low loading platform, so it was easier to handle untangling. Still, took three attempts before the line was cut and then removed. Everyone cheered their effort and we watched it slip away, along with another, smaller one, which had been near-bye but not entangled in line, when we first crossed paths, beneath the surface.
Shortly thereafter, we were treated to a pod of dolphins who put on quite a show, leaping out of the water, on each side of the boat, crossing in front and continuing to delight us with their speed and sleekness. Probably about six or seven. Reminded me of when I was a young lad and we traveled by a small Italian liner, between Cyprus and Genoa. I would often stand in the bow and watch dolphins do the same, as well as numerous flying fish, keeping up alongside. What magic!
Once at the beach near Jaco, we disembarked in the same manner as we'd boarded and when our luggage was delivered we took it to the appropriate waiting shuttle for the next leg of the journey. Not quite sure why but we were put aboard one for Jaco and once everyone else had been dropped off at their hotel or hostel we met another driver who collected us for drive to Manuel Antonio. Took about an hour and a half but it was quite interesting to drive through the various beach communities along the way. About forty-five minutes into this last leg, near the town of Quepos, we drove past endless, and I do mean endless, groves of African palm, introduced to this area by "The United Fruit Company, (Chiquita), as an experimental response to the Panama banana plight which was decimating crops during the 1940’s." Further along, our driver pointed out quite a substantial oil processing facility. I assume this and maintaining/harvesting the palms provides most of the employment, other than tourism, in this region.
Was quite surprised at how hilly Manuel Antonio was when we first hit outskirts. Felt a bit like going into Napa from Williams, as the road was steep and just as narrow. Once we arrived at our hotel, The Jungle Beach, we discovered it is very close to the beach so not too, too much of a taxing walk to and fro. We arrived close to noon but couldn't check in until 3:00 pm. Young man at reception was very helpful and we left our bags behind counter to go and explore. He told us about a short-cut to the beach and we followed it to encounter two Capuchins in a tree at the bottom of the path leading down from the road. We could see the beach from there and after crossing a small stream we were on the beach itself. Perhaps one of the smaller beaches we've been at but simply lovely, nonetheless. Reminded us a tad of beach in Guayabitos, particularly large island off shore, although sand is much whiter here.
Dipped our toes and then had lemonade, sharing a plate of shrimp and rice, with fries, at spot with a lovely view of surf, before walking to small shopping area close by. Since our reusable bags were back at the hotel I asked for a cardboard box to carry home a bottle of white wine, a large bottle of water, a large bottle of Cacique and even larger bottle of fruit juice, for mixer. I set off for the hotel while Lady Dar looked at a few souvenir shops. Back at Jungle Beach, our room was ready so once we moved in we changed into our swimming suits and took a most welcome dip in the pool. Water was much, much cooler than in Santa Teresa but deliciously refreshing.
Enjoyed watching the Howler monkeys cavorting in the trees above the pool before going back to our room to pour each of us a tall drink of Cacique and fruit juice and by the time I was back with cocktails they had been replaced by Titi monkeys, the smallest species here in Costs Rica. Most of the people there were snapping shots of these amazing creatures and I happened to bump into a couple, from Argentina, Emilio and Sophia. Offered them a drink so went back for another glass. We chatted amicably until they had to leave to catch a bus as they were off to San José to catch their flight back to Argentina that evening. Exchanged email addresses as they hope to visit Canada at some point. She is a lawyer and he is a Managing Partner in a company called Universal Group S.R.L., offering business services, of some kind, I gather. They live in Chaco, about an eleven hour car ride, north of Buenos Aires, I believe.
Waved goodbye and after another couple of snorts, we showered and changed and walked down the road to Wave, closest restaurant to our hotel. Enjoyed a lovely meal and chatted, towards the end, with a young Danish couple, from Copenhagen, and their three sleepy children, tired from sun and sand. Toddled home and I was so sleepy, myself, that after brushing and flossing I feel into bed, leaving Lady Dar to watch a bit of CNN coverage. Had absolutely no idea how day would unfold when we left Santa Teresa this morning and certainly wasn't disappointed, Dear Reader!
Patrizzio, Thanx for the offer of the "7’s” tix, but I will pass on that. I used to be a very good rugby player in High School, but am not much of a fan. Nice of you to think of me. I have not heard anything about Ted, but you would be more likely to hear before me [ I am not really in that “contact group” ]
Sorry to hear about your near “Alien” experience! I bet it was a spider bite, because he little suckers are poisonous! I had a spider bit once on my ankle and it took forever to heal It didn’t swell up, but was just a patch of angry, red, dead skin with a hole in the middle that just would not heal over. In your case, I would have popped it, kill anything that moved, then pour some hi-test on it and light it on fire. Not worth taking any chances! Sorry about the weather down there. Here it as been lovely and depressing gray, only a bit less gray in the middle f the day. Lots of rain, and the Sun God is truly a myth.
As for me, I live in envy of my friends, who are free of the bongs of responsibility. Dennis is just back from a ski holiday and doesn’t even have time for a beer before taking off to New Zealand! I would kill tp go on the bike trip, but my big summer break will be to visit a friend in Portland for a few days and take in a soccer game. Hmmm … the Whitecaps will probably lose! O, and I haven’t heard anything about my Nexus pass renewal, so I am hoping it won’t be a full cavity search at the border. I’ll leave my “Long Live Free Trade” t-shirt at home! Be sure to book some time for a chat on your way through Rain City. I’ll make you dinner. //bjp Branko
Hello Weasel Bridge Convenor, et al! Have you Costa Rican sloths managed to arrange a game yet? Our Bridge Club is next playing on February 7th but we'll be headed to Sun City then. A couple of night there and then on to Sedona to stay with Spiller Road Folk whom Ragin' Bull knows. Sorry to hear that the Sun God is truly a myth in Rain City. Not so here, tee tee! If it turns out that Ted Keating is still alive when we are making our way back home we'll certainly drive to Penticton, via Vancouver, to see him and Elaine. If this transpires, I'll be in touch, beforehand, and perhaps we can organize an evening of bridge. Ragin' Bull has already volunteered to make dinner! Cheers, Patrizzio/Il Conduttore!
Hello Emilio and Sophia! Lovely to meet you two, if only briefly. Glad you enjoyed the Cacique. Trust you made all your connections and are now back home! We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Wave, just down the road last evening. Keep in touch. Stay well and take care of each other. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Boarding speed-boat in Montezuma; fishing line removed from turtle; Lady Dar safely ashore; unloading baggage; African palm plantations; beach; Titis on roof of breakfast patio and swimming pool sign; Arrivederci Chaco!
Hi I’ve met someone today that wants to say hello! Jenny! (She is in a shop up on tenth avenue now by the Safeway.) Small word. Stop by and say hi if you are through town. Hope you are having a fabulous trip! Certainly looks like it. I’m just in van on my way to La Manzanilla Mexico. Michelle D Hi Cousin! Lovely to hear from you. Terrific that you bumped into Jenny. If we return to Penticton, via Vancouver, we'll certainly stop by to see her as we will both need pedicures, although we each had one in Tinsel Town before we left for Costa Rica. Where did you fly to in Mexico? Lady Dar just left, out to explore more shopping possibilities. Must away, myself. Cheers, Patrizzio! Wow small world indeed!!! I wonder how it even came up!!!
Bridge at My House -1056 Littlejohn Rd, February 7th! Hi Bridge Convenor, et al! I'm most impressed with calendar! Pleased to know you'll be handling bookings from now on so I can concentrate on cycling/hiking. Maybe you should take over Book Club as well! Anyway, lovely to hear from you even though we'll be headed to Sun City when you will be playing. A couple of night there and then on to Sedona to stay with Spiller Road Folk. Looking forward to seeing them and playing bridge, of course! Cheers, Patrizzio! Thanks Pam! Ollie, can I get a ride with you? Judy Hi Michelle thanks for passing Jenny’s greetings along. I will try and see her when I’m next in Vancouver.
How long are you in Mexico? Corinne
How long are you in Mexico? Corinne
Anyway, we eventually collected everyone leaving Santa Teresa, (Mainly Canadians from Montreal and Calgary so we had fun chatting with them, in particular, giving the Calgarians a hard time! Funnily enough, we had seen them the night before, on the beach, waiting for the sunset.), going to Montezuma, a small town in the southern part of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula where we were to collect a speedboat taxi from there to Jaco, (Bruno and Carol were there a few weeks ago as it is fairly close to San José.), on mainland, the fastest way to get from this southern peninsula to the mainland. Once we were checked off speedboat list we made our way to the beach where we waited while our lugagge was loaded aboard the fifty passenger craft. Wading into the surf,, shoes in hand, we clambered aboard, as crew held boat as steady as possible.
I happened to sit next to a woman from Chatsworth, in LA, a neighbourhood I know fairly well as it is on my route to Santa Susana Pass and Simi Valley. She told me about a wonderful dedicated bike path from Ventura to Ojai so I hope to explore it at some point. Spent a little more than an hour on the boat, stopping the first time to free a large green turtle from plastic fishing line tangled around its poor neck. Was very impressed at how Eco-conscious the crew were although it is terrible to know how many of these gorgeous creatures are drowned as a direct result of this activity. Captain jumped into water and brought turtle to the back of the boat where other crew members hauled it aboard, on its back, onto the small, low loading platform, so it was easier to handle untangling. Still, took three attempts before the line was cut and then removed. Everyone cheered their effort and we watched it slip away, along with another, smaller one, which had been near-bye but not entangled in line, when we first crossed paths, beneath the surface.
Shortly thereafter, we were treated to a pod of dolphins who put on quite a show, leaping out of the water, on each side of the boat, crossing in front and continuing to delight us with their speed and sleekness. Probably about six or seven. Reminded me of when I was a young lad and we traveled by a small Italian liner, between Cyprus and Genoa. I would often stand in the bow and watch dolphins do the same, as well as numerous flying fish, keeping up alongside. What magic!
Once at the beach near Jaco, we disembarked in the same manner as we'd boarded and when our luggage was delivered we took it to the appropriate waiting shuttle for the next leg of the journey. Not quite sure why but we were put aboard one for Jaco and once everyone else had been dropped off at their hotel or hostel we met another driver who collected us for drive to Manuel Antonio. Took about an hour and a half but it was quite interesting to drive through the various beach communities along the way. About forty-five minutes into this last leg, near the town of Quepos, we drove past endless, and I do mean endless, groves of African palm, introduced to this area by "The United Fruit Company, (Chiquita), as an experimental response to the Panama banana plight which was decimating crops during the 1940’s." Further along, our driver pointed out quite a substantial oil processing facility. I assume this and maintaining/harvesting the palms provides most of the employment, other than tourism, in this region.
Was quite surprised at how hilly Manuel Antonio was when we first hit outskirts. Felt a bit like going into Napa from Williams, as the road was steep and just as narrow. Once we arrived at our hotel, The Jungle Beach, we discovered it is very close to the beach so not too, too much of a taxing walk to and fro. We arrived close to noon but couldn't check in until 3:00 pm. Young man at reception was very helpful and we left our bags behind counter to go and explore. He told us about a short-cut to the beach and we followed it to encounter two Capuchins in a tree at the bottom of the path leading down from the road. We could see the beach from there and after crossing a small stream we were on the beach itself. Perhaps one of the smaller beaches we've been at but simply lovely, nonetheless. Reminded us a tad of beach in Guayabitos, particularly large island off shore, although sand is much whiter here.
Dipped our toes and then had lemonade, sharing a plate of shrimp and rice, with fries, at spot with a lovely view of surf, before walking to small shopping area close by. Since our reusable bags were back at the hotel I asked for a cardboard box to carry home a bottle of white wine, a large bottle of water, a large bottle of Cacique and even larger bottle of fruit juice, for mixer. I set off for the hotel while Lady Dar looked at a few souvenir shops. Back at Jungle Beach, our room was ready so once we moved in we changed into our swimming suits and took a most welcome dip in the pool. Water was much, much cooler than in Santa Teresa but deliciously refreshing.
Enjoyed watching the Howler monkeys cavorting in the trees above the pool before going back to our room to pour each of us a tall drink of Cacique and fruit juice and by the time I was back with cocktails they had been replaced by Titi monkeys, the smallest species here in Costs Rica. Most of the people there were snapping shots of these amazing creatures and I happened to bump into a couple, from Argentina, Emilio and Sophia. Offered them a drink so went back for another glass. We chatted amicably until they had to leave to catch a bus as they were off to San José to catch their flight back to Argentina that evening. Exchanged email addresses as they hope to visit Canada at some point. She is a lawyer and he is a Managing Partner in a company called Universal Group S.R.L., offering business services, of some kind, I gather. They live in Chaco, about an eleven hour car ride, north of Buenos Aires, I believe.
Waved goodbye and after another couple of snorts, we showered and changed and walked down the road to Wave, closest restaurant to our hotel. Enjoyed a lovely meal and chatted, towards the end, with a young Danish couple, from Copenhagen, and their three sleepy children, tired from sun and sand. Toddled home and I was so sleepy, myself, that after brushing and flossing I feel into bed, leaving Lady Dar to watch a bit of CNN coverage. Had absolutely no idea how day would unfold when we left Santa Teresa this morning and certainly wasn't disappointed, Dear Reader!
Patrizzio, Thanx for the offer of the "7’s” tix, but I will pass on that. I used to be a very good rugby player in High School, but am not much of a fan. Nice of you to think of me. I have not heard anything about Ted, but you would be more likely to hear before me [ I am not really in that “contact group” ]
Sorry to hear about your near “Alien” experience! I bet it was a spider bite, because he little suckers are poisonous! I had a spider bit once on my ankle and it took forever to heal It didn’t swell up, but was just a patch of angry, red, dead skin with a hole in the middle that just would not heal over. In your case, I would have popped it, kill anything that moved, then pour some hi-test on it and light it on fire. Not worth taking any chances! Sorry about the weather down there. Here it as been lovely and depressing gray, only a bit less gray in the middle f the day. Lots of rain, and the Sun God is truly a myth.
As for me, I live in envy of my friends, who are free of the bongs of responsibility. Dennis is just back from a ski holiday and doesn’t even have time for a beer before taking off to New Zealand! I would kill tp go on the bike trip, but my big summer break will be to visit a friend in Portland for a few days and take in a soccer game. Hmmm … the Whitecaps will probably lose! O, and I haven’t heard anything about my Nexus pass renewal, so I am hoping it won’t be a full cavity search at the border. I’ll leave my “Long Live Free Trade” t-shirt at home! Be sure to book some time for a chat on your way through Rain City. I’ll make you dinner. //bjp Branko
Hello Weasel Bridge Convenor, et al! Have you Costa Rican sloths managed to arrange a game yet? Our Bridge Club is next playing on February 7th but we'll be headed to Sun City then. A couple of night there and then on to Sedona to stay with Spiller Road Folk whom Ragin' Bull knows. Sorry to hear that the Sun God is truly a myth in Rain City. Not so here, tee tee! If it turns out that Ted Keating is still alive when we are making our way back home we'll certainly drive to Penticton, via Vancouver, to see him and Elaine. If this transpires, I'll be in touch, beforehand, and perhaps we can organize an evening of bridge. Ragin' Bull has already volunteered to make dinner! Cheers, Patrizzio/Il Conduttore!
Hello Emilio and Sophia! Lovely to meet you two, if only briefly. Glad you enjoyed the Cacique. Trust you made all your connections and are now back home! We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Wave, just down the road last evening. Keep in touch. Stay well and take care of each other. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Boarding speed-boat in Montezuma; fishing line removed from turtle; Lady Dar safely ashore; unloading baggage; African palm plantations; beach; Titis on roof of breakfast patio and swimming pool sign; Arrivederci Chaco!
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