Mar 3, 2018 - At Sea - Ship Tour

At Sea - Ship Tour March 3 On our way to the Panama Canal, we spent a day at sea and went on a three hour tour of our ship “behind the scenes.” We started with the provisions. It reminded us of the lockers of a large grocery store warehouse with frozen meats and fish; vegetables; drinks; rice; potatoes; and every kind of goodie you get to eat while on board. The ship has a wonderful policy of recycling and keeping the seas clean. We met the ecology manager and toured the facilities. The engine control center revealed how the propulsion is...

Mar 2, 2018 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica - A Walk In The Clouds

Puntarenas, Costa Rica March 2 Tom braved the hike in the cloud forest hoping to see and photograph the Resplendent Quetzal. However the zip line noise frightened the birds away from the area. He did manage to capture humming birds and butterflies. The trail led down into a ravine with a flowing river which was crossed by suspension bridges that swayed as the climbers walked across. There was a lunch at the end of the climb back up from the gully.

Feb 23, 2018 - Coming to the End

Wow, we leave tomorrow for home. Today is hot and humid, more so than any day so far. We agree that it's time to head back and hear that Seattle is cold and snowy. It will be quite the contrast hailing an Uber at SeaTac, 2 am, wearing flip flops. I will miss the warmth of the climate and people here. They have been universally helpful and eager to show off their country (Well, except for that one taxi man). I love meeting travelers from other countries and my own, exchanging views. We have met conservative and liberal people who we've had...

Feb 21, 2018 - How hard is it to enjoy a beach and warm water?

Not hard. We wake up to birds singing and breakfast on the patio. Fruit and pancakes are are our staple. Then into a suit and taking a walk on the beach to get a start on our steps. Decisions, decisions, the red or blue hammock for some reading time. Maybe a nap. Then a swim and writing. Barb has just reminded me that we have three more days of this. How many books can we read? After the first two weeks being so intense this final down week is moving in slow motion. The water is too rough for paddle boarding but I am hopeful there will be a...

Feb 20, 2018 - Playa Samara

We had a rather grueling day yesterday; traveling from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific, but made it at last to the Playa Samara. It is a perfect way to wind down the trip; sun, sand, hammocks, palm trees and alcohol. The water here is warm, which seems wrong to me as it is the Pacific, but the nice long shallow sand helps keep everything warmed up. I walked along the beach today and came across pelicans fishing; there must have been a shoal of fish out there as they were busy diving, surfacing, flying up to circle around and repeating...

Feb 18, 2018 - Last day in Cahita

Today we hiked down to Tree of Life, an animal rescue and rehabilitation center here in Cahuita. We spent an enjoyable 1 1/2 hours being guided through the center, with its Botanical Gardens and animal enclosures. Our guide was so interesting; telling stories about how each animal came to be there and how they try to get them ready to go back to the wild. So many sad stories of people who buy cute animals as pets, not realizing how long they live and how their behavior changes as they grow... Not that it's a sad story, but I am reminded of...

Feb 17, 2018 - Cahuita Beach Hike

Today was a hiking day. The weather was beautiful, no appreciable rain while we hiked the Parque Nacional Cahuita, a 4 mile stretch of beach between Cahuita Village and Punta Vargas Ranger Station. We saw one sloth who hid in the leaves, they are very shy, a raccoon and lots of blue butterflies. At the end we caught a bus back and walked to dinner in town. Barb The 8.6 kilometer hike should not have been onerous, but somehow the heat and humidity make me feel like I am pushing my way through layers of warm sticky fluid. The layers of...

Feb 15, 2018 - Rafting the Pacuare

After getting up at 4 am for our combination boat and car ride from Tortuguera, we arrived at the Pacuare River for a white water rafting adventure. The Pacuare area is beautiful, parts of the Jurassic Park movies were filmed there. The rafting is adventurous, with many Class IV rapids, which was exciting, and at times terrifying Unlike our Grand Canyon rafting trip, we all had to paddle (at times frantically) to keep the raft in the correct position to transit the rapids. I (naturally) had two very close calls with trying to fall out of...

Feb 14, 2018 - Paddling in Tortuguero, or canoing and creepy crawly things

Barb insists that it is my turn to write, Thanks to her while I took a few days off. We have landed in some otherworldy parallel universe. How did we get here? A driver picked us up at 5:30 am (yes) and we drove to a staging area for several adventure tours. Barb and I are off to Tortuguero National Park with four Germans and two Swiss. This area is accessible only by boat as there are canals parallelling the coast with offshoots to other smaller villages. On the way to our little town we saw cayman and a variety of birds including pelican,...

Feb 13, 2018 - Tortuguero: into the rainforest

Well, it has happened again... I was just completing what I am sure was a witty and erudite commentary of the day when the computer stopped working and failed to save any of it... GRRRRR!!! Today we left La Fortuna after waking up at 5 am and were dressed, packed and out the door by 5:30 am. Why is it that I have to get up 2 hours before I need to leave the house in the morning when I am working and still feel rushed for time?... We are in Tortuguero, an area at the extreme northeast of the country on the Caribbean sea which is only...

Feb 12, 2018 - Arenal to Fortuna

We spent a quiet day around the hotel yesterday. The property abuts the National Forest, so in the morning we took a long hike down to the river and back. Beautiful jungle, and the 3 Great Danes lolloped along with us, which I am pretty sure is not exactly kosher... John, who is 82 also gamboled along, guiding us along the path. It was rather humbling, seeing him sprinting up the trail, as I was gasping along behind. Barb, of course, is also like a gazelle along the path. It is lovely here, so peaceful and filled with birds. This is the...

Feb 10, 2018 - Exploring the Arenal Rainforest

What a day. We started with breakfast here at Chateau Nicholas after arriving by bus yesterday to greeting from John and Cathy, former New Yorkers, and their three great danes. Beautiful place with native landscaping and lots of birds. We sat in rocking chairs outside watching the birds trying to catch just the right shot. This place overlooks Lake Arenal created 38 years ago when a dam was built. Balo and Emilie arrived today at the appointed hour, 9:30 and we were off to visit the Arenal Hanging Bridge Park which is 600 acres of protected...