Pura vida - a Costa Rica birthday

The birthday tradition in our family is as follows; the birthday boy gets to invite as many guests as he is years-old, and pretty much has free reign over a theme, within reason. So when the almost-6-year-old decides he would like to have a Costa Rica party I started the ball rolling on a rainforest/beach/tropical party to celebrate Lauris turning 6!

For decorations we kept it simple as the majority of the party would take place outdoors: balloons and streamers. Cutting out a few ‘leaves’ from green construction paper and combining with green streamers to form palm fronds, we added brown balloons for coconuts to create palm trees in the dining room. The boys had fun sorting through their Toobs and figurines for animals that live in Costa Rica, and these paired with mini palm trees from a dinosaur set and sea shells helped set the tone. We used these paper plates for dinner and dessert - the set includes a sloth, green tree frog and toucan all in super-bright colors.

While we waited for everyone to arrive we snacked on tropical fruit: mango, papaya, pineapple, kiwi and oranges, and of course strawberries – who could forget the fresh strawberries we had on the side of the volcano in the middle of winter!

I had set up a drink station with lemonade for the kids, featuring these ‘pick your nose party animals cups’ from amazon – a big hit for the goof factor, but also helpful in identifying which cup belonged to which kid. These bamboo-print biodegradable paper straws made for an extra little bit of a tropical feel.

Once all the guests arrived we set off on a treasure hunt. As I told the tale of the strange bearded fellow who had run through earlier with a treasure chest tucked under his arm, I handed the kids a scroll that had supposedly fallen from his pocket –directions to the snake pit!

The kids braved the snakes to find the second clue – a map of crocodile creek. Hidden in the kids’ pool among a giant inflatable alligator and dozens of brightly colored frogs were letters that spelled out ‘beach’ once they had arranged them in the correct order.

Once the explorers had scrambled over to the sand box they immediately dug in, quickly finding the hidden coconut. I had thought of drilling a hole in the coconut or cutting it in half and hiding a map on the inside, but considering as I have zero experience opening coconuts I opted to write ‘bridge’ on the outside in permanent marker.

Our playset had been transformed into the cloud forest, and after crossing the hanging bridges and flying down the final ‘zipline’ slide, the kids found the final stage of the treasure hunt – the piñata.

Once again we got lucky in finding a piñata that wasn’t animal-shaped; we opted for a flip-flop, the universal symbol for the beach. Filled with life-savers, an assortment of colorful plastic frogs and snakes, rainforest animal-shaped fruit snacks and other treats, the piñata was pretty hardy, and all the kids got some good whacks in before we let the birthday boy smash it open.

little brother takes his turn: safety first!

Once the goodies had been picked up it was time for some fun in the backyard. Between the pool, a slip-and-slide, the sandbox and the mud kitchen, the kids had a great time until the burgers and hot dogs were ready. After inhaling the food the kids jumped back into the games they had been playing, reappearing again only for the cake.

As Lauris specifically requested ‘an island in jello water’ for his cake, I borrowed from the pirate party cake with only a minor deviation in toppers – the pirate was replaced by animals.

It was a wild afternoon, but Lauris declared the party a success. The treasure hunt/šķēršļu gājiens is proving a favorite part of our recent parties, and I foresee them requiring more effort as the kids get older. There are also various decorations making repeat appearances at the various parties, although this was much simplified for this specific party by my loose interpretation of the theme. I had a lot of fun in our little ‘Costa Rica’ – happy birthday Lauri, and pura vida!

La Paz Waterfall Gardens of Costa Rica

We had one final adventure awaiting us in the mountains of Costa Rica: La Paz Waterfall Gardens. The morning excursion up to the rim of Poás volcano had ended in foggy (non)views and I was worried that the cloud cover and rain would make for an uncomfortable afternoon at the famous attraction. To reach the northeast slope of the volcano from the Poás National Park we had to drive south all the way to Poacito, then east, and then north. The gardens opened in 2000, and are adjacent to the Peace Lodge, deluxe accommodations complete with Jacuzzis, fireplaces and waterfalls in room; they are also booked months in advance. We made the short trip back up the slope of the volcano and entered.

The main attraction of the 70 acre park is the series of five waterfalls connected with a 2.5 mile trail, but there is no shortage of amazing exhibits and museums. We started at Trout Lake, walking behind the man-made waterfalls and admiring the view.

The Aviary is a sanctuary for rescued birds that cannot be released back to the wild, similar to the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary we had visited on the south coast. Wildly colored macaws, grosbeaks and tanagers flitted about in the enclosure, and Lauris and I even had the pleasure of meeting a toucan, face to face.

The butterfly observatory contained over 20 different species and included a station allowing visitors to follow the lifecycle of a butterfly. Although beautiful, I found it sad that these outrageously colorful creatures were enclosed, and there seemed a disproportionate amount dead. I would much rather visit the Roper Mountain Science Center butterfly garden…

In the monkey exhibit we met spider monkeys, white faced monkeys and white tufted eared marmosets.

The hummingbird garden was rather unbelievable. The brochure boasts that “this is the only documented place in the world to find 26 hummingbird species” and although I can’t say how many different species we saw, I do know that despite the rain and cold the garden was alive with the humming of tiny wings and the chirruping as they chased one another around from feeder to feeder.

It was a quick glance at the Serpentarium with its thirty snakes before entering the jungle cat exhibit. It was depressing to see these cats pacing their enclosures, although interesting to see animals we will never see in the wild: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, jaguarundis…

There was a beautiful orchid garden – I found my photographs did not do the display justice.

The frog exhibit was pretty cool, with poison dart and leaf frogs hiding throughout the house. It was actually pretty tricky to find them, although we did spot a handful.

One of the most interesting exhibits was Casita de la Paz. The reproduction of a rural farm was built using only tools available to the average farmer a century ago, and actors in period costume were on hand demonstrating various farm chores. A hand-painted carreta was the tool once used to transport coffee beans; it was in the 19^th century when the custom began to paint the cart in bright colors with geometric designs. Metal rings were added to strike the hubcap and chime when in motion, and the spokeless wheels are bound with a metal belt.

And then it was on to the waterfalls. The five waterfalls are El Templo (85ft), Magia Blanca (120 ft), adjacent Encantada (65ft) and Escondida (15ft) and finally La Paz (110 ft). The trail is constructed in such a way that there are multiple viewpoints for a majority of the waterfalls, and with Templo we took in the view from in front of the falls before crossing the river and having a look from a different perspective.

The usually unimpressive view of a waterfall from the top (in this case Magia Blanca) was rendered indisputably astounding with a backdrop straight out of the movies.

Each waterfall seemed more breathtaking than the previous, and as the sun came out for the last portion of our hike, the experience became simply magical.

Magia Blanca waterfall (look for the boys for scale)

The area gets on average 14.5 feet of rainfall per year. Because of the change in elevation and aspect, the trail covered both cloud and rainforest. I thought it interesting that the La Paz river flows east to the Caribbean, but rainfall on the other side of the volcano flows west, towards the Pacific.

Encantada & Escondida with Magia Blanca visible in the background

One of the most ingenious design aspects of the trail construction is that it is mostly downhill, and a shuttle takes you from the end of the trail back up to park reception. (That way you can save your strength for other important things, like 40^th birthday celebrations.) We opted to retrace the shuttle bus route once in our rental car in order to drive all the way down to the bottom of La Paz waterfall, as the only view afforded by the trail was from the top.

The La Paz Waterfall Gardens were an incredible addition to our Costa Rican experience. The opportunity to see five such magnificent waterfalls in such close proximity with the ease of a paved trail and stairs connecting the lot was not one to be passed up, especially when combined with the chance to see more native animals close-up with the facilities at hand to make the rainforest a little more comfortable for a family with small children. On our trip back to the cabin we reflected on the previous week and realized that despite the end of clean/dry clothes to wear and the wet/rainy weather, the gardens were the crowning event of our Costa Rican adventure. 

On the rim of the Poas Volcano

Our first Costa Rican volcano experience was with Arenal – the 5,358 foot giant that was among the most active in the world until 2010. The lodge we stayed in those first days boasted “the best volcano view” in the region, and this might have been the case, but we never saw it as the rain and fog had us socked in for our three night stay. I can’t complain too much as it did clear up enough to see Lake Arenal, the 33 square mile reservoir which is the largest lake in Costa Rica. But I also should have known better than making plans to stop at Poás Volcano during the last days of our trip.

Grand views on our way up to the Poas National Park

Poás is 8,884 ft tall, part of the Poás National Park which encompasses 14,000 acres of the Central Valley Mountain Range. Easily accessible from San José, the park is Costa Rica’s most visited park; most of its visitors probably like us, making the trip, paying the fee, hiking in and seeing absolutely nothing due to the rain and fog!

From the little town of Poasito where we were staying it’s an incredibly scenic 6 miles to the park. Views appeared and disappeared, coffee fields and dairy pastures providing beautiful views along the winding road. A rather steep entrance fee later we parked in the lot and walked ten minutes along a paved path to reach the rim of the crater. 

According to DK Eyewitness Travel “a viewing terrace grants visitors an awe-inspiring view down into the heart of the hissing and steaming caldera, which is 895 ft deep and a mile wide. It contains an acidic turquoise lake, sulfurous fumaroles, and a 245-ft tall cone… On clear days, it is possible to get magnificent views of both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.” After sticking around in the wind and rain for over thirty minutes, the clouds parted for about 7 seconds for this view…

I’m curious as to the ratio of clear to cloudy days on the summit of Poás. Of the two days we attempted both were cloudy, as is to be expected in the cloud forest, despite it being morning and the dry season - as suggested by all the guide books. As a comparison, here is the view on a clear day as seen on Wikipedia.

source: here

The park is well known for the 80 species of birds that reside within its forests, among them the rare resplendent quetzal. Overheard on the rim of the crater was a group of tourists whose bus driver had stopped on the road to the park “because there was some bird on a branch, a pretzel bird – it was pretty cool.” We did not see the elusive pretzel bird, but did stop at the visitor center to learn more about the region, the volcanos and the history of eruptions.

On both trips up the volcano we stopped at the same restaurant, one with fantastic views (despite the clouds), delicious milkshakes and friendly staff. I highly recommend eating lunch at Quieres? instead of the Poás National Park cafeteria.

Finally, strawberries. The slopes of Poás are famous for their rich volcanic soil, supporting numerous coffee plantations, flower farms, dairy pastures (Costa Rica’s famous white farmer’s cheese is from the region) and strawberry farms! For a foodie post on all the regional delicacies to be had you can read this post, but we can attest to the strawberries; they were juicy and fresh, as luscious as they were red and beautiful, and you have your choice of vendors on the roads leaving Poasito.

Although disappointed in the cloudy view of the crater, our trip to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens later that afternoon turned out more memorable than we could have hoped for. The day was a wonderful 40^th birthday celebration for the husband, and the final hoorah on our Costa Rican adventure. 

Playa Hermosa (Jaco) Costa Rica

We couldn’t stay in paradise forever.

After a tour of the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary the rest of the group packed up the van and departed for San Jose, from where they would fly out the next morning. We had decided to stay a few more days in order to celebrate Roberts’s birthday in Costa Rica, but we only had one more day on the south coast. So after saying farewell to the brother-in-law, his fiancée and the rest of the party, we spent some time in the pool and relaxed, saving up energy for the days to come.

When scouting out a stopping point on our return trip we had settled on Playa Hermosa, the beach south of Jacó. Where Jacó has evolved as a party-oriented beach resort, the strip to the south is less so, with sand bars providing consistently good surfing but only a few hotels and hostels catering to tourists, and therefore little of the nightlife typical of further north up the shore.

We had little interest in anything other than the beach and pool, with plans to arrive in the early afternoon and leave before noon the following morning. Our hotel was directly on the beach, and after a quick lunch we headed out for a few hours in the sand and sun. Surfers were bobbing up and down beyond the break, sunbathers stretched out in the sand watching. The riptides made swimming unsafe and so we stuck to the sand, searching for treasures washed up on the beach.

In addition to the little crabs scrambling to escape our curious boys we saw pelicans flying their formations, skimming across the waves. The highlight was the sight of two scarlet macaws, birds that mate for life and are usually seen flying over the treetops, not cruising by a dozen yards away. Parque Nacional Carara is nearby, and the macaws fly back and forth between the forest and the coastal mangroves, but the sight of their spectacular plumage took our breath away.

With Vilis getting heavy in the carrier and the sun slowly setting we chose to spend the rest of the evening in the pool. The next morning after a traditional breakfast of rice and beans it was back to the beach for one final au revoir before piling into the car and continuing north. We had one last stop after leaving the coast to head inland, the bridge over Rio Tárcoles. The American cocodrilo makes its home in rivers throughout the Pacific lowlands, but at the mouth of the Tárcoles River populations of more than 200 crocodiles per mile have been counted. We preferred a vantage point from veeery high above.

Hunted for over 400 years, the crocodile populations have made a comeback since gaining protected status in 1981. The adults can reach lengths up to 20 feet, and although weights are typically around 800 lbs or so, giants up to 2,000 pounds have been recorded. With a diet typically consisting of birds, fish, reptiles and small mammals, aggression towards humans is rare.

As the highway curved inland away from the shore my thoughts turned to our last days in Costa Rica, for which we would return to the rainforest. First we had to make our way through Alajuela, but soon we were winding our way up into the mountains; the temperature dropped by a good 15 degrees, the rain and fog once more descended, and Volcán Poás loomed ahead…

Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary in Costa Rica

As a family with small children it was impossible logistically to be in less-visited areas of the rain and cloud forest in the early hours of the day when we would be most likely to see wild animals in their natural habitat. Other than the night walk during which we saw a sloth and several other nocturnal creatures, we had seen only a few native animals for which the region is famous; a handful of colorful birds, green iguanas, capuchin monkeys and the geckos which seemed to live on the walls (interior and exterior) of our villa. Part of the allure of staying at Villas Alturas was the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary, located within a stone’s throw of the resort, where we hoped to meet a few of the animals native to the region that we had not yet seen.

With our stay on the southern coast coming to an end we were excited to tour the sanctuary with its Director of Operations, Mike Graeber. With over 40 years of experience rescuing and rehabilitating animals, Mike moved to Costa Rica in 2000 and founded D.A.W.G. - Domestic Animal Welfare Group. After 8 years he stepped down from his leadership role there and returned to working with rescued wild animals. Soon Mike was locally known as someone to take abandoned baby animals or injured creatures to, and in 2011 the opportunity arose to develop and manage Osa Mountain Animal Sanctuary, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. With animals in the region under constant assault from hunters, poachers, loggers, domestication and the illegal pet trade, the needs of the sanctuary outgrew the facilities, and near the end of 2014 Mike and his menagerie made Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary their new home.

The Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary is a facility that receives animals confiscated by the government of Costa Rica, and also abandoned or orphaned/injured baby and adult animals. Not just a sanctuary for those animals that will never be able to be released back into the jungle, Alturas also serves to rescue, rehabilitate and release as many animals as possible back to their natural habitat. The sanctuary is currently home to over 40 animals that have made it their permanent home, and although the type and number of animals at the sanctuary is constantly fluctuating, there are habitats for over 75 animals. An important goal of the sanctuary is also to educate, and a Learning Center allows large school groups to visit by providing a space for presentations and lectures.

As we met each animal we learned how it came to be at the sanctuary, and some particularly horrifying stories stayed with me: the scarlet macaw who had each and every tail feather cruelly pulled out, or the monkeys that had been found staked in backyards with only a few feet of chain, others found partially electrified by power lines and far too many permanently scarred and unable to return to the jungle. Luckily there were many success stories as well, of animals that healed and were released.

Lauris got a little too close to a friendly little capuchin who deftly removed the cell phone straight out of his pocket (a play cell phone, quite realistic looking though!) and proceeded to escape to the higher reaches of his enclosure. Mike gave chase, eventually retrieving the toy once it was dropped – I wasn’t sure we wanted it back… Turns out Lauris wasn’t the first victim, as a few weeks back a visitor lost $50 to the thieving primate.

I was especially pleased to make the acquaintance of a prehensile-tailed porcupine. A nocturnal animal, it is named for the bare tail which can be used as a fifth limb for grasping and balance. These guys are adept climbers, spending most of their lives in trees feeding on leaves, shoots, fruits, bark, roots, and buds. Unless angered, the quills lay rather flat, and I didn’t feel their sharpness at all during our visit – it was more of a tickle.

A tour of the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary is a great way to see Costa Rica’s animals up close, learn about them and support a good cause all in one. The boys happily chatted about the various things they had learned (and about the monkey’s little misdeeds) during their afternoon swim in the pool, and I gained valuable insight into the realities of the fragile balance of wildlife tourism vs. protection in a tourist hotspot that remains a developing nation. I wish the sanctuary success in their new home, and thank you for introducing us to so many of Costa Rica’s animals! Now if only I knew what creatures we had yet to meet on this trip…