"Gone - flitted away, Taken the stars from the night and the sun From the day! Gone, and a cloud in my heart." Lord Alfred Tennyson

Days 7 & 8--Saturday & Sunday in Costa Rica


Saturday, Day 7: "SCUBA Steve and Sally"

As our trip came to a close we didn't get lazy and stop taking pictures, we were just underwater. I have "borrowed" a few pictures to help illustrate the day. Our dives held sightings of four white-tipped sharks and a HUGE manta ray. Af first I had no clue as to what our dive guide was pointing to (I thought it was a rock) then it moved and I forgot to breathe for a bit...not a good thing when you are 40 feet under water.

After the dives we just spent some time relaxing and enjoying the amenities of the hotel. Tomorrow holds a journey home, one we were both reluctant to take.

The place we did one of our dives was just on the other side of this "island" of sorts.

The only dive shop in the area. The dive masters were knowledgeable and fun. They had yummy snacks, too.

I wish I had an underwater camera so that I could have snapped a shot of the manta ray that was about 12 feet wide.

These guys are shy creatures who just wanted us to leave them alone. After petting his tail, I was happy to comply.

Sunday, Day 8: Our Final Day

As we made our way out of town, we snapped a few pictures of the resort since it was so beautiful. . .Los Suenos attracts those seeking relaxation, fishing, and golf.

“There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.”--Steven Wright

Days 5 & 6: Thursday and Friday in Costa Rica

So, after sleeping in and not diving (thanks Tsunami), we decided to get back on these crazy roads and head to Manuel Antonio to see the jungle and all its lovely animals. Once there (after another harrowing ride in which I thanked God for gravity--CRs are not afraid to put you on a 30% grade road!) we went on our tour and saw monkeys, sloth, and a few crabs and other interesting creatures of the jungle.

We stopped at a restaurant called El Avion on the way back and enjoyed breathtaking views from atop a high mountain. Oh, and we were sitting next to a gunned-down airplane (hence the name of the place).

Here's one of the bridges we crossed. Cars and cars would wait to pass...no police to monitor and control the traffic. Just a bunch of patient people.

The main entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park.

Our first monkey sighting. They're so cute!

The sloth has the life. Live slow, eat slow...poop slow (once a week!) Interesting facts we learned on our tour.

Did I mention that the jungle nestles right up against the beach?

On our walk, we encountered a big bamboo "forest"...pretty cool.

Enjoying a cocktail and the view at El Avion.

The next morning...rise and shine...we went fishing again. This time I loved it because not only did I have a great time fishing, but because the 50-footer we were on had an air-conditioned salon so I read a whole book. By the way, The Glass Castle is a great read.

All in all it was a very successful day topped off by eating our daily catch at the restaurant in the hotel. The chef there is a phenomenal cook and we enjoyed it all so much.

My first sail fish. Catch and release him to swim another day!

In the chair...this is for serious reelin'!

Lil'Harcher's big catch of the day.

He is so happy when he's a catcherman, not just a fisherman.

The day's eatable catch: three Dorado.

On the menu: fresh Mahi Mahi.

He's so serene...I better take a picture because he won't stay like this for long.
The sky is so awesome...

A beautiful sunset on a beautiful day...

"Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths." --Jimmy D Moore

Tuesday and Wednesday were a fun time in CR. On Tuesday, Lil'Harcher and I drove to Quepos to do some fishing. The drive was harrowing in tht lanes really don’t matter to the ticos (locals). There were a few times that we would come to a bridge and have to stop because there was only one lane and the on-coming traffic had the right-away. Once we arrived in Quepos and jumped on the boat, we were off to do some “in-shore” fishing. It was on some of the early casts that we really had luck; I caught my first salt water fish. The morning held all the bites and the afternoon was spent running up and down the pacific coast looking for better bites and some bait. The highlight of the trip was when the steering wheel stopped working and we had to manually steer the boat back to the marina. Needless to say, this is the exact moment Lil'Haracher and I experienced our first CR downpour. I loved it. After spending too much time in the sun the day before, I was welcoming the change in the weather. All Lil'Harcher and I could do was laugh at our slow progress to the marina.

As for Wednesday, we hung out at the pool. The resort has a really nice pool with a “river” running through the whole place and we spent the day just soaking up the rays (this time I was slathered in SPF 30—no more burns for me!). We met a nice couple from North Carolina and chatted with them for a significant amount of time. We finally abandoned the pool to head in to Jaco for some sushi. It was going to be a short night because we had SCUBA diving planned for the next day. As soon as we arrived at Tsunami, we knew this was not going to be a short night. The owner walked in…applause and drinking followed…and after a few casual exchanges we discovered that we knew someone in common…the brother to the main reason we were even eating there…she shall be named G-Dawg since she starts talking with a “sista” accent when she gets spicy. Anyway, Josh knows G-Dawg's older brother and with that connection we were guaranteed at least two free shots. It was great fun, but it meant no diving tomorrow...sleeping in was now the only thing on the agenda.

On my first cast in the ocean, I caught a fish. He was a fighter and rather than take on a face of consternation, I was laughing the whole time I reeled him it in.
Here it is...my first saltwater catch. It's a 15-17 lb Pargo, aka Red Snapper...aka my dinner. Yummy!!!
The Pacific Coast near Manuel Antonio. A view from sea.
It may seem silly, but yes...we did take pictures of our sushi... for our friend G-Dawg. The place we are eating at is in Jaco and is called Tsunami. Significance? The sister restaurant is in Huntington Beach. If it were up to G-Dawg, we would have Crunchy Rolls from Tsunami for dinnner every night...I miss G-Dawg as a roomie!
Lil' Harcher is displaying the array of yummy sushi. (I have yet to figure out how to rotate pictures on my blog...so rotate your head.)

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.” Robert Orben

Days 1 and 2: Sunday and Monday in Coasta Rica

We spent Sunday acclimating to the place (the heat and humidity, really) and Monday was Zip lining in Primary forest canopy.

To use a dear friend's (and more experienced blogger's) idea...I will give people in my life (and pictures) nicknames to protect their identities...just in case they are wanted by the authorities.

See below for some pictures. You can click on them to make them bigger.

This is Los Suenos from the Harbor. It was our home for a week.

Before zip lining! I joked with Lil'Harcher saying that if we did Christmas cards, this would be a contender because nothing says Christmas like helmets and harnesses! The woman behind us might need to be PhotoShopped out. She, by the way, is someone who we met on the trip and lives about 30 minutes from Lil'Harcher. She has two adorable little boys (I called them Precocious and Shy Guy) who we spent a great deal of time chatting with at various points.

Contender #2. More smiles on the Zip line Tour--some at 110 feet in the air!!!

I'm going so fast I'm blurred...

Lil'Harcher enjoyed going very fast on the lines. He even did a zip while upside down doing 360s. Look at him go!

Some people Zip line the normal way...not me! Upside down it just about the way to see the Costa Rican jungle.