The
rainforests and beaches of Costa Rica are already a dream; the sunsets, warm
waters and animal life we experienced on our recent trip only lingering in our
thoughts and on our hard drives.
The
trip was a result of a combination of factors: the New Year and a big birthday
to celebrate, co-travelers from Latvia,
the US and Canada, the longing for warmer temperatures and a lifelong wish to
visit this eco-tourism capital of the world. Shortly after our tour of
Michigan, Chicago and Ohio where we had passed the holidays and celebrated our
son’s christening with family, we were on a flight to Houston. (And by shortly,
I mean just over twenty-four hours to unpack and repack… I don’t suggest this
and have put a note in the file. One tends to forget important things, for
example raincoats for the rainforest.) A brief layover, then another tiny seat
with no leg room with yet another passenger choosing to recline into the lap of
mother with baby. (Another note for the file… don’t fly United, for a dozen reasons that I don't care to review.) Four and a half
hours to San José, plenty of time for me to question the wisdom of traveling to
Central America with three small children, and calling it a ‘vacation.’
But we
arrived in Costa Rica, emerging in warm temperatures and a dusty chaos to find Roberts’s brother Matīss and friend Krišs waiting for
us. A windfall, really, as the rental car company had not sent anyone to greet
us, and navigating the bedlam outside the airport might have proved rather expensive. The shuttle
to pick up the van was located and we were quickly ferried to a gated compound
where Līga, Krista and the baby Mīla awaited us.
Eventually
the last members of our party arrived, and we were off! not really knowing what
lay ahead. Navigating the complicated rental car arrangements proved just as
difficult as finding our way out of the city, and multiple stops for food,
directions and pictures meant that darkness overtook us while not even halfway
to our destination. As we headed north each road was sequentially smaller and
zigzagged more, the darkness masking the magnificent views (and steep drop-offs)
as we progressed north into the mountains.
Costa
Rica has an interesting system of addresses, indicating location in relation to
another place; for example the address of our lodge is ‘2 km north of’ an adventure park, whose
address is ‘on the road to Monteverde Reserve,’ which actually encompasses over
40 square miles. Not helping the situation was one carsick little boy, a dense
rain, and the two-vehicle caravan which had no means of communicating with one
another. Add to this our unfamiliarity with Costa Rican road rules, the lack of
signage for roads and towns, the condition of some of those roads, and it is
remarkable we made it to the lodge before midnight, despite having arrived in
the early afternoon.
Total
distance – about 140 kilometers, or 87 miles. The first 100 km took about 2 ½ hours,
the google maps estimate for the entire trip. The last 40 kilometers took something
like three hours. Is it possible we averaged only 8 mph those 25 miles?
But as
we (or rather Roberts) unpacked and battled with the mud in the cold rain, it
sunk in – we were in Costa Rica! In a rainforest next to a volcano, furthermore!
Despite the hectic events of the past two days, it was clear our adventure had
only just begun. On that first night in Costa Rica, we snuggled under the
layers of comforters and blankets and immediately fell asleep, the sound of the
rain whipping and howling around the mountain a strange lullaby to our tired
selves.
Wow---you all are really getting around... It's hard for me to keep up with you... Being in a warmer climate has to be nice right now... I'm sure you will enjoy being in Costa Rica... Keep sharing gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Thanks Betsy! We're actually home, but I have several more posts planned, as we managed to visit a ton of places while there. And truthfully, today it was warmer outside here in SC than those days up in the rainforest!!!
DeleteI love the last sentence - a strange lullaby!
ReplyDeleteI am continually in awe of how you travel with the kids... when you and Anna were their age, a trip to Paw Paw for a week seemed almost unsurmountable... I envy your energy and cheer for you all the way - I think it's supergreat that the kids are used to travel and exposed to so many new and different places and cultures. They'll grow up thinking that's how life should be lived, and they're right!!!!
Paldies mammīt!
DeleteI'm in awe, as well - I really don't know many people who'd travel to a place like the rainforest with 3 little kids in tow. And - oy - does that drive sound painful!
ReplyDeleteNow is that because the people you know are smarter? ;)
Delete