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Pura Vida-Only in Costa Rica

By : Jessica and Bryan Kaschube
Trip Begins May 24, 2010
Trip Ends May 31, 2010

Our honeymoon adventure learning about a new country and learning about each other!
See my photos : Pura Vida-Only in Costa Rica

Want to go? Pura Vida

I went to: Costa Rica, San Jose, Arenal, Hotel Arenal Manoa, Rios Tropicales Lodge, Pacuare River, Le Bergerac Hotel
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May 24, 2010
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Our journey together begins: Sunrise & Sunset

Le Bergerac Hotel, San Jose

2:30am: It's been two days since our wedding, and now for a full day of travel. Our flight leaves Spokane at 6:15am and we arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica at 9:30pm. What a journey it's going to be!!

By 4:30 am, we made it through security and waited for our flight. We both sat and watched the sun rise over the Spokane Mountains into a soft pink and blue sky highlighting small wisps of clouds.

After many hours of flight and layovers, we were on our last flight to San Jose. Night began to approach and about 45 minutes away from landing the sun began to set. From our airplane window, you could see the most beautiful horizon line as the sun went away for the day. The earth was black creating a harsh line against the sky which bled out into a deep burnt orange color and then blended into a rich sky blue. There was one dominant star in the sky. We made a wish!

We landed and immediately joined the bustle of a busy airport. We made it through customs, found a taxi and prayed that US dollars would really be okay.

We made it to the Hotel LeBourgerac which was a lovely little hotel that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere within the city because of all of the turns the taxi took in the dark, and it wasn't busy in that area.

May 25, 2010
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Cafe, Hydrangeas, Volcan, Fresas, y Alajuela

Le Bergerac Hotel, San Jose

7:30am: We are leaving for our first tour in Costa Rica!!!! We are prepared for rain with our ponchos in hopes of keeping the rain away!

Just as a little side note! The fruit and juice here is amazing. For breakfast we had a small fruit plate and the pineapple is the most juicy and flavorful pineapple you will ever taste in your life as well as the mango, watermelon, papaya, and strawberries.

In this area of Costa Rica blue hydrangeas seem to grow everywhere whether domestically or wild. Our main wedding flower was the blue hydrangea so we both determined that this was the perfect honeymoon destination.

After picking up everyone on our tour for the day (out of which we were the only two who needed the guide to speak English), we were on our way to multiple destinations around the San Jose area. The first stop was a small coffee shop right off the side of a coffee plantation. Rows and rows of coffee plants lined the side of the hill with orange, lime, plantain, and banana trees popping up throughout. We tasted the Peaberry coffee made at the Doka Estate coffee plantation that we would be visiting later, and we both decided it was a coffee that was different from any other coffee we had ever tried. We walked around the coffee shop and viewed the coffee plantation from a small balcony!

Then we headed to the Poas volcano crater. A small pool of acidic water filled the crater as smoke steamed into the already cloudy sky. It was difficult to differentiate between fog, steam, and clouds, but when a gust of wind breezed by, the teal pool was revealed against the rusty brown rocky walls. After 30 minutes or so of viewing the volcano, we went on a quick hike through the forest that led back to the parking lot. There were gorgeous trees, small and large plants, and birds galore! It was slightly treacherous due to the wet weather, but it was paved for the majority so that made it easy.

Back on the bus, we headed to Doka Estate. We stopped at a small market called Fresas del Volcan where we bought some snacks and the most marvelous strawberries ever. You could taste them simply by smelling them. That was how fresh they were!

At Doka Estate, we learned the process it takes to produce QUALITY coffee not QUANTITY. The roasting room was our favorite because that is where you could really smell coffee the second you walked by. And who could resist the smell of coffee? There were great overlooks to see the landscape of the plantation. Many flowers, birds, and butterflies called the plantation home as well.

Back on the road which was windy and narrow, we headed to Grecia and Sarchi. We appreciated the skill of our bus driver! His ability to make narrow turns and stop as other cars hurtled around the corners coming down the hill impressed us a lot!

We went to a unique church in Grecia that is covered in metal and has a Belgium Gothic Design. It is not the most impressive Catholic church we have ever seen, but the fact that it is made of metal made it worth seeing. In Sarchi, we shopped at a souvenir market, and we saw the WORLD's LARGEST OX CART!

We made it back to our hotel, and we thanked our guide for speaking Spanish and English on all occasions, and we thanked our driver for his attentiveness and skill!

It was a simple day, but we learned a lot about Costa Rican culture and economy.

May 26, 2010
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Day 1 of Rafting the Pacuare River: AAAAHHHHH!!!

Rios Tropicales Lodge, Pacuare River

6:25am Pickup for a 2 day whitewater rafting extravaganza!!!

We both were looking forward to this part of the adventure! We were grouped with 3 other people! Two that were on the same Adventure Life tour as us! They became our family for the next two days as we risked our life and limbs on the waters of the Pacuare river! Our guide Raynaldo also became our Costa Rican buddy along the way!

After breakfast, we headed from the Rios Tropicales base onto the our starting point at the head of the river. Our journey would consist of approximately 20 miles of class 2-4 rapids. The first day would be approximately 9 miles with class 2 & 3 rapids, and the second day would consist of the following 11 miles and class 2-4 rapids!!! So this first day was more like a warmup for the second day.

On our way to our starting point for our journey, we got a very extensive safety lesson basically assuring us that we would fall into the water, and when that happens, we should not panic. We should simply open our eyes, close our mouth, and look for the raft! It was all very comical, but serious at the same time.

After waiting for a few moments waiting and listening to Cicadas which sounded like a giant chainsaw ripping through the rainforest, we grabbed our positions of the raft. We were both at the front which at first seemed intimidating, but in the end turned out to be the most secure position on the raft. We were given a brief lesson on how to row and what the direction calls would be, and then we were off!!!!

Right off the bat we hit larger rapids than either of us had ever been on. We got into the swing of things, and we rowed through the rainforest with the tall tropical trees surrounding us. Our guide pointed out trees that we would possibly see sloths in. We spotted Tucans and Yellowtail birds. The Yellowtail birds make sack nests that hang from tree branches. There were some trees with over 10 nests on their branches.

We came to one of the largest rapids we would be seeing this day, and Bryan and I locked into position always trying to look at each other and keep in sync with our strokes while water sprayed and splashed in our eyes. We hit a wave that felt like crashing into a solid wall. We were okay, but we felt the back of the raft fishtail and one of our more experienced rafting members was thrown from the raft. We quickly were able to get him back in the boat with no injuries, but it was definitely an eye opener to how easily one could be thrown around on these rapids. The excitement and relief was overwhelming at that moment. The rapid we had just hit was one of the smaller rapids we would be hitting on our rafting adventure and that was the one we lost a comrade on! It got most of us thinking about Day 2 of our adventure.

The rest of the rafting experience was fairly calm. We were able to pull the raft into an eddy and jump off a rock into a moving rapid. It was very thrilling! We jumped, the water hit us and turned over us, but soon we popped up and swam to the calm eddy. Another highlight of the day was lunchtime. We stopped and our guide led us to a small swimming pool in the middle of the rainforest where we swam and explored for a bit while lunch was prepared. This happened to be our first sighting of the largest Blue Butterfly we had ever seen. It was larger than your hand!!! Our lunch was wonderfully prepared! Sandwiches, fresh fruit, hearts of palm, and CREMAS (a cookie that energized our group and became a fun joke along the way!).

We were only about 45 minutes away from our lodge when we started rafting again. In this small amount of time, we learned how to surf on a raft which basically seems like you are stuck in the the rapid just floating over top of it and occasionally getting bogged down with water.

Once we arrived at our lodge which was tucked away in the rainforest we immediately got ready to go zip-lining!!! We had to hurry because it was about to rain, and we wouldn't be able to go if the lines got too wet. There were four lines, and it was rustic, rustic, rustic!!! The platforms were mostly secured to only large trees and swayed as people came in and landed. Also, we had to use our gloved and padded right hand as a brake instead of using some sort of friction from the pulley to slow down. It was a blast, but another point in the day when we felt that maybe we weren't doing something that was super safe!

We were able to explore the lodge area a bit, and the solidarity was amazing. There were under 20 people in the entire place in the middle of the rainforest. What bliss! And what a better place to enjoy some time as a newly married couple?! The butterflies flew around all of the hundreds of different types of flowers, and the sound of the river calmed us after our adventurous day. We had appetizers and drinks while we looked out over the river and watched the Tucans across the river. Night came and dinner was ready. Candles were lit, and we ate our most delicious meal of the entire trip! Jungle Chicken!!! and Watermelon alcoholic beverage!

After dinner, we sat and listened to the river on our very own private balcony!! Adrenaline and Tranquility brought us close together on this day and taught us what a good team we are!!!

May 27, 2010
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Day 2 of Rafting the Pacuare River: WOOOHOOO!!!!!

Hotel Arenal Manoa, Arenal

Oh the pain! Muscles aching and the most exciting and endurance ridden part of the river is ahead of us! Luckily, we had the morning to relax and explore a little more of the lodge.

After breakfast, we went on a short hike to a small, gorgeous waterfall. We saw yellow, green, orange, and blue butterflies. We had to be sure to watch for snakes as we walked! It was a beautiful, sunny morning. The pathway was narrow and a bit slippery, but as we turned the final corner there was the waterfall coming down a rocky cliff with the sun glistening over the mist it was creating. We would see more waterfalls in passing on our rafting adventure later in the day, but this one was a treasure because it was like a small hide-away for us to find. We swam for a while and crawled behind the waterfall into a small nook and jumped through. After some picture taking, we had to go back to the lodge to wait for more rafts from the company to arrive because the rafting ahead of us would be too dangerous to do as one boat. When I was told this, I pretty much mentally prepared myself to fall overboard on this leg of the journey. (To assure readers: No one actually fell overboard on this day...we had some close calls, and most of us almost went, but were able to save ourselves or each other)

Back at the lodge, we walked across a hanging bridge to the other side of the river. There was another larger waterfall on that side of the bridge. We saw an amazing colorful grasshopper. It was checkered blue, yellow, and black with a green head and thin red legs. The most amazing thing about all of our hikes is how visually stimulating the rainforest is. From the miniscule flower or leaf cutter ant on the ground to the grandiose trees and multitudes of birds above, there is never a dull moment! We still had time until the rafts arrived so we relaxed in hammocks next to the river always on the lookout for yellow rafts!

The yellow rafts arrived and we ran down the rocky slope to the river to jump in our raft. As a team, we paddled much better than the day before. Bryan and I took the middle of the boat, and we put the two more experienced and strong rafters at the front in order to set a better pace. We were slightly unprepared for the first Class 4 rapid we hit. We didn't quite paddle as a group, and we hit the wave hard. I flew into the person in front of me while he flew slightly forward. We almost lost two people, but we were able to get it under control and continue on. The next two Class 4's went smoothly. They bounced us around a bit, but we all dug in hard and made it through like the fierce rafters we were! On the final Class 4 rapid (unbeknownst to me) our guide asked me "Jessica, would you like to do something crazy?" I wearily replied "Okay!" after he assured me it was safe. I sat at the front of the raft, held onto the ropes, and went face first into rapids as they blasted up my nose and over my face. Apparently, there was a moment when I completely disappeared under a wave! It was extremely awesome!!

Day 2 of rafting was by far the most exciting, and also had the most awe inspiring scenery. Every loop of the river brought us to more amazing views of the rainforest. After rafting crazy rapids, and standing up on the raft as a group while going down a smaller rapid we entered a canyon that the river cut through. The river was calm, and we jumped out of the raft and floated along looking up at the high cliffs on either side of us. Our final rapid of the day was called "Graduation" and it was the easiest of them all, but we could appreciate that at that time. Our muscles were sore and our butts were numb, but each one of us surely took away some unique memories of our 2 day adventure together.

We had lunch and then headed to Arenal Manoa which was approximately a two hour van ride away. We arrived there at night, and the staff was very hospitable. They took us in golf carts to our rooms. This hotel was very isolated as well, but it was much more like a gated community than a jungle retreat. We were both pleasantly surprised at the luxuriousness of the resort. The room was large and beautiful, and we could lay on our bed and have a perfect view of the Arenal volcano. Our first night we even heard a small thunderous eruption!!! One of many for the 3 nights we would be staying here. Yo amo a Costa Rica! Y tu?

May 28, 2010
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Ziplining near the base of Arenal & Bartering in Spanish!!!

Hotel Arenal Manoa, Arenal

Today we awoke (literally, the second we opened our eyes) to a picturesque view. Our bed faces directly to Arenal. The sky was crystal clear backing the brown and green volcano wonderfully. Arenal erupted once at breakfast, and then we were off to zipline with Sky Adventures.

We got our gear which was much more padded and professional looking than what we had worn two days earlier which made us laugh. We rode a skytram up to the main platform and saw the view of what we would be zipping through! The lines were arranged so that one way you would be going towards Arenal and others you were facing Lake Arenal. The whole time you were surrounded by Arenal Forest. At the top viewing platform, you were given the option to turn around. The view was to amazing to turn around and go back, and it was too good of an experience to pass up. The pulleys had handles, and we were informed that we wouldn't have to brake because their zipline design made it so they could stop you. The platforms were also very secured to the ground and not just hanging on a tree. There were a total of 8 lines-3 short ones and 5 long ones. It was amazing just to lean back, let the harness hold you and let yourself go careening at 30-40mph over the tree tops with amazing views all around you. On our last line, Arenal erupted and a small plume of smoke arose into the sky while we were on the platform getting ready to go. We saw more Tucans, birds, hawks, vultures, and a Coati.

When we were finished, the driver dropped us off in La Fortuna so we could get some lunch and do a little souvenir shopping. Most people in the areas of high tourism in Costa Rica speak English, but being able to go into a normal town was amazing. It still definitely was geared towards tourism, but I was able to barter in Spanish for a beautiful sarong, and we got a delicious lunch at a local cantina that was suggested be a local. Even though I'm not the most fluent Spanish speaker, it is still wonderful to try because the citizens of the country your in appreciate it when you try to be part of their life rather than just coming in and taking what you like of their life and leaving. Bryan and I will always have a part of Costa Rica to take with us throughout our life together. We didn't just experience the touristy aspects of Costa Rica; we appreciated everything that we saw and learned to love this tiny little country in Central America.

May 29, 2010
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Arenal Manoa Farm & Hiking in Arenal National Park

Hotel Arenal Manoa, Arenal

Today we had a free morning so after breakfast we decided to go to a small farm that is owned by the Arenal Manoa. They use the milk, eggs, fruit, and vegetables that they get from the farm in their restaurant. We thought it would be a self-guided tour because it was free, but to our surprise we had a guide from a local company named Pablo (he would also be our guide for our hike through the forest in the afternoon). We went on a twenty minute walk through a small forest where we saw blue jean dart frogs, more birds, and we learned about specific plants from our guide. He was quite knowledgeable.

Upon arrival at the farm, we stopped at their fruit and vegetable garden which had pineapples, mangos, squash, and many other delicious items growing. The highlight of the farm was the cow barn. Bryan and I were both able to try milking a cow. The teet was very rubbery and soft feeling, and our guide made it look so easy. We were both able to get a little milk out after a little coaxing, but we definitely were not professional cow milkers.

After the farm, we were able to relax a bit until our hike in Arenal National Forest. We ate lunch at the hotel restaurant bar. We had more delicious rice and beans, coke with real sugar!!!!, chifrijo, and a tasty chicken sandwich of which we appreciated because we had seen the hotel chickens earlier in the day.

Late in the afternoon, we met at the front office to head on our final trek in Costa Rica. Pablo greeted us, and we were pleased to see him again! Our first stop was at a lookout point that had one of the best views of Arenal. Pablo explained to us about the development and growth of the volcano, and also how the town "La Fortuna" got its name. Apparently, there used to be two towns one on the west side (the current lava flow side) and one on the east side, and when the last eruption happened in 1968, the western town was destroyed while the eastern side remained unscathed so the residents changed the town name to "La Fortuna" (the fortunate one).

We started our hike, and immediately we heard howler monkeys in the distance. At first we saw more Tucans and beautiful plants, and it didn't look hopeful that we would see these howler monkeys we had heard, but then we spotted one! And then there was another! And soon we had seen about 5 howler monkeys in one area of our walk. Later in our walk, there was a vine that was cut from the ground and our guide let us swing out over it like Tarzan and Jane. The vine was very strong and it had a very rough texture. It was one of those things you only wish you could do, you never really expect that you could actually swing on a vine in the rainforest someday.

After our hike, we went to a lava flow viewing point and sat for about 40 minutes as the sun came down. We were able to see a little stream of lava after about 20 minutes of sitting and waiting. We saw a few hot rocks come down after that, but then we needed to be off so we had plenty of time to spend in the Ecotermales Hot Springs. The hot springs were very relaxing and a great way to end an eventful week.

Back at our hotel, we were dropped of at the front desk, and we decided to walk back to our room. The moon was full lighting up our path and catching the backs of the clouds in the sky. The stars were amazingly crisp and bright twinkling in the sky.

We spent the night on volcano watch to see if we would be able to see some lava flow. Volcano watch was slow and we were so relaxed that we ended up giving up on volcano watch early, but at 4am we awoke to a large boom, and there was quite the stream of lava coming down our side. It surely was quite a lot on the western side!

May 30, 2010
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Final moments with Arenal and then Back to San Jose

Le Bergerac Hotel, San Jose

We were able to see the sun come up due to being awakened suddenly by an eruption. Arenal is the perfect coloration for a sun rise. It's light brown tone picks up the color of the sky beautifully. For a moment it was a soft pink color and then switched to a vibrant orange. It erupted again at 6:30 am, and from around 9am until we left, it erupted about every hour with small puffs of smoke and low thundering sounds. We took in our last moments of serenity, tranquility, and luxury at the Hotel Arenal Manoa before being picked up from our journey back to San Jose.

May 31, 2010
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Realizations that we are headed home

Le Bergerac Hotel, San Jose

Our travel day was long and tiring, but we had some fun thinking back about how we felt about being back in the US and the differences that we were trying to get back in the groove on!

Some interesting things about being back in the US are:

1. Wanting to throw away your toilet paper, realizing there is no basket, and then realizing you're back in the US and you don't need to throw away your toilet paper
2. An airplane taking off is not the same thing as Arenal erupting even though the sound is very similar!
3. We no longer have to convert the dollar price to colones because we don't have colones anymore (seriously, we got colones and then most places had the dollar price and not the colones price...we were pros by the end)
4. We no longer need to say "si" or "gracias" as responses
5. There aren't going to be sloths in the trees as we drive on the interstate so stop looking! or Tucans for that matter!
6. The shock and sadness that we felt when we realized we would no longer be getting fresh squeezed juice included in our complimentary breakfast at hotels
7. No more delicious rice and beans, unless we make it ourselves
8. The traffic and the roads are a lot less crazy even when it's crowded
9. Our phones work now, but we don't want to use them
10. If we respond "Pura Vida" to the question "How are you?" no one would understand, but in Costa Rica they would love you for saying that!!!!

So that was our Costa Rican adventure, and there will definitely be more adventures to come, but Costa Rica will always have a special place in our hearts. It is a place where our friendship and marriage grew exponentially through adrenaline filled moments and nice relaxing romantic moments. Our honeymoon was a success!!!

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