Out of the Moleskine

RESTAURANT: Lava Lounge in La Fortuna

2009-07-22T09:14:00.005-06:00

For lunch one afternoon, The Dog and I decided on Lava Lounge in La Fortuna. It's right on the main drag of the town near the middle. They're open from 11am - midnight. They bill themselves as "International Flavor, Costa Rican ingredients". The building is rustic with benches and tables and a bar. It's open air, as many of the buildings in Costa Rica tend to be. If you visit their website, you can see some cool shots of the place. Click on the title of this post to get to their site.

We ordered a bottle of Sangria, Ensalada Lomito, and the Lava Lounge Burger. The burger was served with fried yucca, which our server said was a "Costa Rican french fry". We requested the fried yucca with the garlic option, but it was served without garlic. The yucca came out on The Dog's plate as four large logs of fried stuff. Other than their large size, they were completely unremarkable.
That being said, everything else was scrumptous! My salad involved mixed greens and grilled veggies topped with local grass-fed steak and bleu cheese with house dressing. The dressing was a vinagrette of sorts - not too overpowering and added the right notes to the bleu cheese and steak. In a nice change from the standard salad layout - greens on bottom, then the "good stuff", this salad had a layer of the grilled veggies on the bottom, a layer of the mixed greens, then more grilled veggies, steak, and the bleu cheese. $10USD

The Lava Lounge burger was divine. Juicy and drippy, loaded with melted cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, plus bacon, mushrooms and grilled onions. As you know, a good burger is hard to find, but we found one! $8 USD.

The menu also offered various wraps, pasta, and some sushi rolls, ranging in price from $7 - $10 USD. There was a daily specials board posted with some interesting options - tenderloin medallions in sangria, tuna steak with ginger pineapple soy salsa, and coconut shrimp with mango salsa. The sushi rolls were the standard offerings.

Let me write for a moment about the sangria. Simply perfect. It was slightly thick because it had been made earlier and the fruit was well-soaked with wine. They also served it cold without ice. We quickly consumed the whole carafe. $12 USD.

Total cost - 18975CRC or $33 USD. The prices on the menu DO INCLUDE the 13% country tax, but do NOT include the 10% service charge. And these taxes are a definite thing to consider when looking at menu prices....

TOUR: Hanging Bridges of Arenal

2009-07-22T06:47:00.010-06:00

Looking for information about Costa Rica on the www would lead one to believe that toucans are simply everywhere in Costa Rica. This is not true. By the ninth day of our trip, I still had not spotted a single live toucan.

I had high hopes during our zipline tour, but no such luck. However, at the very end of our ziplining, one of folks in our group mentioned she had seen TONS of toucans at the Hanging Bridges.

Frankly, I had read in passing about the Hanging Bridges and they seemed like a boring and benign sort of activity, so we hadn't even considered visiting there while we were in the La Fortuna area. But now.... now that I knew there a definite possiblity of spotting a toucan, we had to go.

We drove there in the morning, arriving around 8:30 or so and paid $22USD/each to head on in. I'm not sure entirely what I was expecting - other than toucans - but this was a TERRIFIC day of light hiking and critter spotting. The trail is well-maintained and made up of these open weave brick things, nice for walking. (*Note: do not wear high heels for this particular activity.... of course, you probably wouldn't want to wear heels for most activities in Costa Rica.)

There were around eight or ten actual hanging bridges and the rest was the trail. The bridges are in good condition and not too wiggly or bouncy when you're crossing. Overall, this was one of the least physically demanding things we had done - well, save for lounging on the beach or drinking in a bar. We chose to just go on our own without a guide and wound up spending around four or so hours there. The ticket person told us it would take around an hour and a half or two hours, but we were welcome to take as long as we wanted. I believe the trail is 3km or about 2 miles.

And the things we spotted! Tiny pit viper (they seem to like to curl up on leaves), Crested Owl sleeping in a tree, lots and lots and lots of howler monkeys, SKINKS, a mot-mot, and YES, a couple of toucans. I could hear them laughing in the trees and we finally got up close to spot them. Chestnut manibled toucans. It was lovely moment.

Due to our kinda crappy quicksnap camera, I didn't get a good pic of the toucan, but we did get lots of cool pics of the mot-mot. You can see him on the left. There's a HUGE cicada in his beak. Notice his "racket" feathers on his tail. Legend has it that a big storm was coming and all the animals of the forest were supposed to help prepare. The motmot was lazy and decided to hide in a hole in the ground, but his tail was left sticking out. As they worked, the animals walked on his tail and broke off all the extra bits of feather except at the end and so now the motomot has to live in the ground instead of having a nest in the trees and he is missing part of his tail. Depending on where you read this from, this story is sometimes attributed to the Mayans and other times to the BriBri, an indigenious population on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Regardless, it's a REALLY cool bird to see.

Overall, the Hanging Bridges were completely interesting and lovely. Take your binoculars and a camera. There's also a waterfall you can walk down to see. However, either pack a lunch to enjoy or plan on eating elsewhere. The restaurant onsite is pricey and without anything interesting on the menu. In fact, you could plan to go to La Fortuna proper after the Hanging Bridges and go eat at Lava Lounge... I've got a review here on the blog of our experience eating there. DELISH!

Click here to visit the website for the Hanging Bridges.

RESTAURANT: Bread & Chocolate in Puerto Viejo

2009-07-07T09:18:00.004-06:00

Bread & Chocolate is a charming coffeehouse offering homemade desserts and sandwiches and breakfast. They also offer lounge-about visiting cats for your pleasure. ** They're located about 50 m west of the main drag in Puerto Viejo.

The Dog and I - well, really it was just me - wanted an afternoon bit of cake and coffee. We were overwhelmed with the choices for cake (and coffee, too, but I wasn't looking for anything fancy for coffee - just a regular cup). The Dog ordered Queen of Sheba cake - a dark chocolate almond torte and I had the Quintessential Chocolate Cake. Both were 1600CRC/each and frankly, an EXCELLENT deal. The torte (The Dog almost ate it all without even sharing a bite with me!) was silky and rich and indulgent. My cake was moist and perfect with just the right amount of icing - not overloaded and not too thin. I would have shot pics of the desserts, but dang it, my battery died right after I shot the interior of the restaurant. Suffice to say, they looked like something out of Gourmet magazine.

We also ordered one of their handmade truffles. The Hot Damn - dark chocolate with cayenne pepper. This was a bit of a disappointment to us. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't anything dynamic. Good, but..... the truffles are 600CRC (about 1USD) each. They offer several other flavor combinations, but we were so satisfied after the tasty cakes, we didn't try any other truffles.

The coffee was served individually to us in French press pots for 700CRC/each with cup and saucer. Nice body on the coffee, not too light and not too heavy.

Bread & Chocolate is a fine place to duck into and lounge with some fine coffee & cake and ponder the greater implications of early sunsets and toucans.

** There are many wandering cats and dogs in Costa Rica. These pets hang out on tables, near couches, on porch steps, wander purposefully down the streets, and so on. If you are allergic to cats and/or dogs, you should probably not come to Costa Rica or if you do, stay at one of the internationally-owned mega-resorts.

RESTAURANT: CariBeans in Puerto Viejo

2009-07-07T08:50:00.005-06:00

Coffee and chocolate are part of the Costa Rican Caribbean and CariBeans offers both, plus tasty ice cream and WiFi. They're located about 50m off the main drag in Puerto Viejo, overlooking the beach. It's a tiny walk-up place that usually has a large crowd clamoring for ice cream and coffee and chocolate.

It is hot in Puerto Viejo so The Dog and I ordered shakes. I got a Crazy Monkey and he got.... dang. I can't remember, but it was delish. While trying to decide what to order, we both got samples of their dark chocolate that they make right there. Ooo-wee - tasty! I bought four bars of it - 1000CRC each. The chocolate is dark and rich and formed into these little logs, wrapped in tinfoil and pastel paper with a CariBeans paper label pasted on.

As we were waiting for our shakes, I wandered back into the WiFi and store area. They offer a small selection of locally made herbs and potions and coffees, plus this amazing soap made by CariBeans. We bought the Orange Chocolate and the Coffee Chocolate soaps - 2500CRC/each.

So just beyond the store area is a little room that says Factory. I peeked in and one of the guys working back there motions me back and I got to see the raw coffee beans waiting to go into their big roaster and then a smaller machine busily humming as it spun the chocolate into this thick delicious liquid. He even let me have a direct taste of the chocolate as it was mixing! The picture to the right is a handful of the raw coffee beans just before they go into the roaster.

CariBeans is a lovely little spot to cool off with some ice cream or satisfy your deepest, darkest needs for chocolate or both! To see their website (and you can also order their Fair Trade coffee and chocolate for delivery), click here.

ZIPLINING: SkyTrek in Arenal

2009-07-06T15:19:00.008-06:00

Among the tons of things to do in Costa Rica, ziplining (often called the more easygoing sounding "canopy tour") is everywhere. Whilst slumming about in the La Fortuna area, we decided to go ziplining. There are at least three zipline companies around La Fortuna and we chose SkyTrek because they had the longest ziplines. The cost was $66USD per person.

SkyTrek was a terrific choice. We had two killer guides - Joshua (though it had some crazy Spanish pronunciation) and "Mr. Lopez". (We suspect Mr. Lopez is not his real name, but that's how Joshua introduced him, so....) Mr. Lopez was actually one of the builders of the ziplines when they were put up about five years ago. All the equipment was from some Austrian company and everything seemed sparkling new.

We rode up on the SkyTram gondolas after being outfitted with Swiss seats - this is the strapping that you wear to get clipped onto the zipline. They tell you that if you spot something interesting in the trees as you're riding up on the SkyTram, they can stop the gondola for you to take pictures.

After arriving at the top, we were greeted with fruit juice with little paper fancy straws. (Most tourist places in Costa Rica seem to want to offer you fruit juice...) Anyway, we get off the SkyTram, swig down our juice and then Joshua explains how the ziplines work and what to do when you "land" and so on. There is a short - maybe 25 feet - line for everyone to try out and get the hang of ziplining. This is also the last place you can chicken out.

No one in our group chickened out (and one of the people in our group was a 60+year-old grandmother), so from there, we zipped a short length to another platform and off we went! I think there were a total of eight or nine lines. The longest was more than 2,500 feet and one of them was 450+feet high... very cool.

There are two guides for each group. One would zip first to the next platform and be there to "land" us and the other would be the last to go and could also tandem you if you didn't want to zip by yourself.

So below is The Dog's video he shot from one of the lines as he flew over the jungle.

You can see Lake Arenal in the above video. I don't recommend ziplining as a way to see nature in Costa Rica, but you do get to hang out in the trees. I imagine at times you can spot some cool birds while being in the trees, but we didn't see any. However, the adventure of ziplining was definitely cool and SkyTrek was very professional. To check them out online, you can click here. I believe they also have a zipline operation in Monteverde.

HOTEL: La Posada Jungle Bungalows in Manuel Antonio

2009-07-06T13:03:00.009-06:00

OVERALL: We loved La Posada Jungle Bungalows!

DETAILS: La Posada Jungle Bungalows is literally right next to the entrance of Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. The picture to the right shows La Posada and then the main entrance to Manuel Antonio (and in the bottom left corner you can see the Jimny we rented). There are four or five "bungalow" rooms, plus three other suites. All are air-conditioned - the only place we stayed in all of Costa Rica that offered a/c. They offer a full breakfast each morning, along with a $6 dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The rooms all have WiFi, DVD players, cable TV, and a fridge in room. There is a pool and small Jacuzzi on the property, too. The Posada room that we stayed in also had a full kitchen. Rooms range in price from 50USD to 225USD, depending on season and room.

La Posada is a family-oriented property and most of the rooms accommodate several people. Lots of families were there during our stay with kids playing board games in the common area and borrowing DVDs from the video library to watch in their rooms.

La Posada has an extensive library of books - fiction, non-fiction and travel books about Costa Rica - along with a computer in the common area if you need to check email or scope out your next destination. We did have some trouble connecting to the WiFi from our room, but this old Apple is picky about connecting when it's more than about 30 feet from the router. When I went to the common area to connect, it was a clean signal and it was password-protected for the guests.
The staff is truly exceptional at La Posada. Hands-down, these were the most SPOTLESS rooms we've stayed in during our time in Costa Rica. The "desk" staff (the main desk is also part of the kitchen!) was helpful in finding out tour times and recommending restaurants and things to do.

We had the most up-close animal experiences here at La Posada on the property. A deer or two wandered over from the park, two large iguanas hung out on the property, capuchin monkeys, and then loads of spider monkeys! The picture above is one of the iguanas who liked to hang out in a porch rafter; his buddy would hang out in the other rafter, but he kept his head "in" and you could only see the last four inches of his tail. There are also two darling lovebirds (I forget their names) who live in a BIG cage near the pool. The picture below is of a mama spider monkey and her baby hanging out on a big piece of bamboo near the pool at La Posada. There were about ten other spider monkeys that came hopping and swinging onto the property that afternoon. They're quite noisy and active.

When Mike said La Posada was right next to the entrance of Manuel Antonio Park, he wasn't kidding. NO PLACE is closer. In fact, the guides you can hire to take you through the park hang out right outside the parking area of La Posada and sometimes, they would come onto the property to buy a water or Coke and shoot the bull.

To get down to the beach and all the vendors, there was a nice footpath that took about three minutes to walk down to the beach. There were TONS of vendors on the beach, mostly selling the same thing. The Dog did buy two Imperial beer (oops - cerveza) shirts for about 15USD after bargaining. There was also this cool guy who was selling 8-in-1 ocarinas. Because he was so demonstrative about these little ocarinas that most everyone else was selling, too, we bought from him. Check out the video below. We paid about 8USD for the ocarina...

In summation, we loved La Posada, but we weren't that crazy about the Manuel Antonio area itself. However, if we were to go back to Manuel Antonio, we'd absolutely stay at La Posada. Great staff, excellent location, and I forgot to mention - the BEST beds we'd slept in during our travels in Costa Rica.

HOTEL: Arenal Observatory Lodge La Fortuna

2009-06-27T18:54:00.003-06:00

HOTEL: Arenal Observatory Lodge, La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Overall: We’d stay here again ONLY for the lava flow view.

The details: Arenal Observatory Lodge is located on the lava-flow side of Arenal Volcano (at least it is currently – the lava flow shifts from time to time). We stayed in a “standard” room located on the second floor for three nights. AOL is remote. To get here, we drove 10km off-road… well, it was technically on-road, but many parts are tooth-rattlin’ bumpy and lumpy. We paid $ 94USD/night, including breakfast buffet and taxes.

As mentioned above, the ride here was bumpy and part of that was due to someone at some point thinking it was a good idea to install a sort of speed bump every 20m up the last five km of the ride. That, coupled with the potholes, made this the worst road yet in Costa Rica. And, all things considered, really not that bad – just a pain in the ass. Literally. The Jimny is not kind to my bones.

So we get here and check-in is easy enough, but the $50 lost key charge and $20 lost towel charge sign posted prominently behind the counter aggravates me a bit. Allan (who is quite charming and nice) suggested we drop our bags in our room, head to the bar & grab a couple drinks to take to the Jacuzzi and soak for a bit. So we did. We checked out towels and had to sign for them and show our room key. We picked up two high-priced drinks from the bar ($8 and $9). The Jacuzzi and pool are located across a hanging bridge and up a small path and near the Smithsonian rooms. It’s a BIG Jacuzzi and infinity edge pool with a kiddie pool, too. Nice enough.

The room is Spartan. Two wooden chairs, a small stool at a tiny desk, and two double beds. Sliding glass doors led to a small porch with two chairs that you can see both the lake and the volcano from. No A/C, no TV, no radio, no clock, no phone, and no WiFi. The lack of internet at this place is quite maddening because the nearest internet connection is 20+ km west in La Fortuna. Also, this is one of those joints that you can’t flush the toilet paper.

The grounds are HUGE with lots of trails throughout and an offered 8:30am hike for free. Lots of birds and monkeys and creatures all over. There is also a small “museum” on site about the Arenal Volcano and tectonic plates and so on. The seismograph monitor is also located here in the museum. AOL claims to be associated with the Smithsonian (and supposedly was built for the scientists from there to use when studying Arenal), but I have a hard time believing that line because this is quite the pathetic museum. A bunch of mimeographed newspaper articles - some in English, some in Spanish – were framed on the walls, but funny enough, most of them were just the first part of the article. If the article continued onto another page, that page was not there. A copy of the well-known National Geographic map of the tectonic plates and some explanation of the plates was there on the walls, four or five tiny samples of lava rock, some volcanic ash, and that was about it. Thank God there was no admission charge to this.

Other points of aggravation:
You MUST be back through the main gate by 11pm because it is locked at that time and doesn’t open until 7 in the morning. What the fuck? A curfew? I mean, I think that if I’m a paying customer and paying US prices here, I should be allowed to come and go as I please.

Breakfast is only served between 7am and 8:30. Given that it’s light out by 5:30am, I don’t understand why they can’t offer breakfast starting around 6:00 or so. This isn’t some little five-room B&B – they’ve got loads of staff and tons of guest rooms. Our last day, we arrived for breakfast at 8:10am. By 8:25, the staff was pulling up the chairs and putting them on the tables even though there were at least seven tables still having breakfast and a sign saying Cerrado was placed outside the doors.

The laundry service is by-the-piece and it's 3USD for a shirt, $1 for underwear, $3 for shorts or pants. At Banana Azul, it was $7 for an entire load to be washed, fluffed, and folded.

While their prices on AOL t-shirts and hats were reasonable enough (10USD/each), I was grossed out by the addition of the phrase "An Explosive Destination" on all the apparel. Why is that necessary? I mean, there's already a volcano depiction in the logo. And are they so hurting for cash that they can't give away the hotel logo postcards? Those were 33 cents, USD each. I'm not paying to mail your friggin' logo somewhere. However, a lighter for 1USD with the phrase "An Explosive Destination" was kinda funny....

The staff is not super-attentive at the front desk. When we were trying to arrange an early morning tour, the staffer spent almost 12 minutes ignoring us – checking the answering machine, scribbling things behind the desk – and then seemed annoyed when we asked if there was enough time to drive to make an 8:30 tour. We wound up just driving to SkyTrek without reservations and it worked out fine. When checking out, again, we were not even acknowledged for at least five minutes even though no other guests were at the desk besides us.

And the lack of WiFi is truly outrageous at these prices.

On the good side, The Dog and I were super-pleased with the active lava viewing and we saw a few cool birds, too. Our room was approximately 1.7miles from the actual volcano crater. We were also quite lucky in that there was no cloud cover on Arenal for the first two nights so we got a decent show of lava & red-hot tumbling boulders. On our last night, the clouds rolled in on Arenal around 5pm and stayed there for some time. When I awoke at 4am, I went outside and looked up and the sky was perfectly clear and The Dog and I saw more stars than anywhere else in the world… and he’s been to Turkey, Afghanistan, and lots of remote places.

In summation, the only reason to come to Arenal Observatory Lodge is for the lava view and if the lava flow shifts again (as it does), don’t waste your time or effort to come here. There are loads of other choices in the La Fortuna area.

PUERTO VIEJO: General Comments

2009-06-27T18:29:00.012-06:00

Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast is a perfect place. Not too many people and those that are here are interesting to watch. The community is honest and open with good nooks and crannies to discover. The breezes are frequent and the streets are clean.... in fact, while we were out one night downtown, a couple of kids threw some glass bottles onto the street where they promptly shattered into thousands of shards. Within minutes of this happening, two of the shopkeeps came out into the street with brooms and dustpans and swept up all these little bits. (Contrast this with Manuel Antonio where the garbage was overflowing from the trash cans and old cans, bottles, ice cream wrappers, and other trash was just everywhere - on the beach, in the gutter, on the sidewalks...)

After a week in Puerto Viejo, it was only the next adventure's promise that drew us away... we were heading to La Fortuna to see the volcano.

Beaches are truly deserted most of the time, though Playa Negra does get some folks as does just south of Puerto Viejo, but only on the weekends.

In spite of the standard souvenir fare from each vendor (and all at the same gringo prices), I liked seeing the stands with bead necklaces and t-shirts and bootleg Bob Marley CDs. The local dogs cruising about on their short legs (why do all these Costa Rica dogs seem to have short legs?) wove in and out of the bicycle and foot traffic, pausing to greet another dog or just have a rest.

I like that the road to get there is bumpy and rough. Maybe it will keep the hoards from running over the quieter life on the Caribbean coast. They were paving the main road down to Puerto Viejo while we were there, but Boi-Boi said, "That's not real asphalt. It will be gone before they're done."

Other notes about Puerto Viejo:

Lulu Berlu, located a block or two west off the main drag, has many cool items, though many of them are imported from Mexico. They have a large selection of bathing suits and I believe the suits were made by the owner. I did not purchase a bikini there (in spite of their cool designs) because no one needs to be subjected to my white fat ass in a bikini during their vacation. I would have taken a picture of her place, but there was a prominent NO PICTURES sign.

When the sun goes down, there's a Kabob Lady on the corner of the main drag in PV. Delicious kabobs in beef or pork, loaded with some sort of spicy sauce if you so desire. TASTY!

While there are a number of "street vendors" here, there aren't as many as Manuel Antonio.

Puerto Viejo is flat - meaning you can comfortably walk or ride a bike for miles and miles. Bikes are available for rent at several places.

Several of the restaurants offer VEGAN and vegetarian fare, including Bread & Chocolate. I did not notice vegan food in many other places in Costa Rica. That being said, I don't care about eating vegan food and am quite fond of all meats, but having been raised vegan, I know many folks do like the vegan lifestyle.

There were many folks we met who asked where we were from... but none of them asked, "What do you do?"

As we drove down one of the streets of Puerto Viejo, we passed THREE random horses just wandering down the street - no bridles, no halters - just horse.

Everyone we met there, we liked right away...
Liam - the Cafe Mango bartender, who has the coolest custom bike in all of Costa Rica with two seats, but it's not a tandem bike. Notice the picture to your left.

Dutch - the poker dealer and general roustabout.

John - who keeps those crazy hippy kids at Rocking J's in line.

Boi-Boi - the lady from Jamaica who made Puerto Viejo her home many years ago, but continues to bring the real Jamaica to your dinner plate.

Mister Big J - up in Cahuita, but close enough!, and all the staff at Banana Azul. I know there's more we met and chatted with, but you get the idea.... or maybe you don't.

A go-your-own-way vibe permeates the whole southern Caribbean coast and the mix of Spanish and island Caribbean and English jingles through the slow minutes of the days. It was my first introduction to life in another world from the United States and a fine place to start my passport stamp collection.

If you want to learn a bit more about this lovely little spot, click here to visit a great website about the local area.

HOTEL: Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo

2009-06-26T21:22:00.007-06:00

HOTEL: Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, 1.5 hours south of Limon

OVERALL: We’d definitely stay there again.

DETAILS: Banana Azul is located approximately 1.5km north from the edge of Puerto Viejo. It is right on the beach and all the rooms overlook the Caribbean. There is both English & Spanish speaking staff on the premises. (The owner is from Canada and a Canadian flag flies out front next to the Costa Rican flag.) There is a full-service restaurant and bar. Breakfast is included in the room rate. Free WiFi is available on the property.

We stayed in the Apartment at Banana Azul for a week. The Apartment was the owners’ residence until they finished their home just a few meters away from the property. As a result, their pets would often wander up and sleep on the furniture in the Apartment. We had two cats who regularly visited and Benji the Dog. All were polite and lovely pets and it really made it feel like home for us because we have three dogs and two cats at home. There was an amazing open-air bathroom with a deep tub and shower that faced out into the forest. The apartment is on the second floor so no one was “looking in” while we showered. Also, Banana Azul has American plumbing with toilets that you can actually flush toilet paper down. (Most toilets in Costa Rica have smaller plumbing or some such thing and you cannot flush the toilet paper; it goes into a small wastebasket by the toilet.)

We ate dinner at the restaurant the first night. We had grilled mahi-mahi and beans & rice and veggies, along with a salad and pineapple cake. Simply excellent. 10USD/per person, plus 10%service and 13%tax. The menu offering changed each evening and included steak, tuna, and fajitas, but the price stays the same. They also have a small lunch menu of sandwiches and the like. Most of the bread they serve is made by a Jamaican woman down the street named Boi-Boi - she also serves a wicked good jerk chicken dinner at her house on Fri, Sat, and Sun... 4500CRC or so, including beer.

The pool and cool-water Jacuzzi had just been finished before we arrived and it’s the coolest pool – fully tiled with these cool natural rocks for steps that double nicely as spots to sit in the pool.

Colin and his staff are actively working on continuing to improve the property. However, it is immaculate as it is (save for those bugs, but such is life in Costa Rica!). There is a night security staff who opens up the gate if you come in late and everyone there is simply wonderful and sweet. There are loads of birds in the trees on the property and crabs and turtles and all sorts of interesting things to see. A couple of wild horses were wandering next door in the field some of the mornings we were there.

On the bad side, the mirrors in our bathroom were hung too low for me to see my face in. I'm all of 5'11" so maybe I'm just a bit too tall for Costa Rica. Also, in the mornings, there are a LOT of birds chirping and making tweets early in the morning.

We had an excellent time in the Puerto Viejo area and enjoyed the Banana Azul. The Puerto Viejo area is not for everyone, but those who like to travel without a group and discover things for yourself, this is a great place. Would we stay again? Absolutely without a doubt.

RESTAURANT: Gecko Gourmet in La Fortuna

2009-06-24T15:54:00.004-06:00

In downtown La Fortuna, we needed a place to log-in and have a bite to eat, too. Gecko Gourmet hit the spot! They offer a nice selection of ciabatta bread sandwiches, tasty salads, beer, coffee, and a salad bar. The Dog ordered a meatloaf sandwich (3500CRC) and I had the grilled vegetable sandwich (3000CRC). Both were served with our choice of deli salad - I got the heart of palm salad. It had a bit much mayonnaise for my taste. The Dog got his with a potato salad - nicely done and a good complement to the meatloaf. Both sandwiches were served with chips and they were those stale cassava chips that we had in Puerto Viejo, but these came in three colors. Still, not delicious.

Gecko Gourmet is 50m off the main road in La Fortuna, up the road from Hotel Fortuna (a five-story great looking hotel with a lovely open air restaurant that was packed with a tour bus of kids - we had planned initially to have lunch here). It is owned by the same folks who own Lava Lounge in La Fortuna, another great place for lunch but with a larger menu and a bar.

We sat outside, but there are also tables inside. We hung out, surfed the web, ate lunch and shot the breeze with a couple of young gringos and the staff. I also ordered a brownie (1500CRC) and the guy behind the counter asked if I wanted it heated. Sure, I replied. And it was delicious - slightly chewy, deep chocolate flavor and drizzled with a chocolate sauce. I had a cappuccino (1500CRC) on the side and it came dusted with nutmeg.

Our total bill came to 16610CRC. Prices on the menu include the 13% country tax, but not the 10% service charge. In addition to everything listed above, we also had two Cokes, two bottled waters, and two Imperials. Use of the Internet was free because we were ordering food and drinks.

We liked this place very much and it was located next to an EXCELLENT art gallery - Indigo Gallery. Indigo Gallery has a large variety of art from local Costa Ricans at a good range of prices - from 12USD to 800USD. Many items are in the 22 to 80USD range and they ship to the US. They will also "break down" the painting and wrap the stretchers and roll the canvas for you to carry yourself. Have a stroll in after your lunch at Gecko Gourmet...

SNACKS: Chip review II

2009-06-23T18:19:00.005-06:00

While at the Super in Puerto Viejo, we purchased several bags of chips of various sorts. Today, I will tell you about the chips pictured above: Jack's Mejitos Fiesta Extra Grande - tortillitas de maiz amarillo con sal (yellow corn tortillas with salt - translated for all y'all gringos)

Size 300g OR 10.5oz
Price 940CRC

These were hands-down the tastiest yellow corn tortilla chips I've ever put my lips on. Very, very light and extra crisp. They were beautifully with the guacamole I made (using fresh avocados, cilantro, dash of Lizano, fresh limes, and mayonnaise from a SQUEEZE BAG - they don't sell mayo in regular jars down here. It comes in a squeeze bag with a nozzle at the top-left corner.) They didn't crumble into nothingness, in spite of their light texture and they were salted just right.

In fact, they were so tasty that I wasn't excessively disappointed when we ate all the guac because there was still half-a-bag of chips left to enjoy. However, we were not hawgs that night and we put away the delightful Jack's Mejitos to eat later.

Today, we uncurled the bag (folded up without any "chip clip" or other nonsense) that had been riding along with us for three or four days now. The chips were remarkably fresh and just as tasty as they had been the first time we opened them up.

We highly recommend Jack's Mejitos to anyone in Costa Rica needing a fine chip for snacking or other purposes.

RESTAURANT: Chile Rojo

2009-06-21T19:24:00.014-06:00

Last night, we went upstairs to Chile Rojo and had Tequila Sunrises. Tasty (they drink down so easy) and both came decorated with a piece of starfruit on the rim; 25000CRC/each. There was a cat there playing acoustic reggae and other requests; he strolled around from here to there in the restaurant. It was around 10pm or so when we were there. They were still serving dinner, but we were stuffed from tasty pasta from @t E's down the road.

Chile Rojo has been in business for 6.5 years, according to the owner Andrew. Andrew is an expatriate of some sort with a British-y accent. I didn't think to ask where he was from exactly, but he ain't no Tico. Nonetheless, he seems quite hip and actively participates in the business - we walked up to Chile Rojo because he himself was handing out fliers on the street below.

The current location is new for Chile Rojo and they've only been there since December (six months or so). I don't know where the old one was, but this is gentrification in all its glory. Neon signs on a big new building also housing a real estate agent, high-end furniture & home decor, and your requisite souvenir shop or two. Chile Rojo has a "satellite" spot downstairs that is in the main hall (this is all open air) and they serve sandwiches and other quick goodies down there. The restaurant has the nicest chairs I've encountered here in Puerto Viejo.

The Dog and I sat on the barstools overlooking the main drag of Puerto Viejo and swigged our drinks. The view is groovy, I must say. However, after we finished our cocktails, we headed out.

We returned there today for lunch after Andrew again "flier'ed" us on the street and drew us up with 2-for-1 sangrias. Oh so tasty! We drank several rounds of these icy fruity delights. They were fruited with pineapple and watermelon.

We started out with an order of chips & guacamole. 2000CRC. The chips were deep-fried flour tortillas, fresh from the fryer and the guac was chunky with bits of tomato. Very delicious, though I wish there had been more! Of course, I do love me some fresh guacamole, so....

The Dog ordered the Pita Sandwich with beef kofta; it came with a tahini sauce (which was very similar to many tzatziki sauces I've had) and cukes and tomato chopped up on the pita. It was a traditional unleavened pita. 2500CRC. It was good, but the beef kofta wasn't anything special.

I chose the special of the day - fresh fish chimichangers (that's how they spelled it on the sign outside). Very crisp, lots of fish and it was two huge chimichangers in the order. A hefty dollop of that tasty guacamole sat between the two and it was all artfully zigged with a sour-cream type sauce. These were right-fine eatin' in Puerto Viejo and near as I could tell, really the only Mexican-type thing** offered on the menu... but these weren't even part of the regular menu. Nonetheless, if you see them offered, get them!

The sushi chef came in about 45 minutes after we arrived and at that point, we were stuffed and satisfied so we passed on ordering sushi. I did look over the sushi menu and it offered a fairly standard selection of sushi rolls ranging in price from 2500CRC to 3800CRC. The only two of note were the Natty Dread Roll and the Puerto Viejo Roll, both of which involved plantains.

The rest of the menu is a mix of Greek, Thai, and other Mediterranean fare, with a "Chile Rojo" burger thrown in for good measure.

Would we eat there again? Sure! It's an eclectic menu, comfy chairs, and attentive staff, plus lots of specials on drinks.

** The Dog and I had figured since the name was Chile Rojo and there were chili peppers on the logo and the paper lamps, there would be lots of Mexican and spicy food.

RESTAURANT: Rocking J's

2009-06-21T10:29:00.009-06:00

It's not just a restaurant, it's "Costa Rica's one & only Hammock Hotel". In fact, the restaurant is actually called @t E's. The Dog and I cruised in twice to check it out, once on a Thursday night, once on a Friday.

Thursday's visit was laid back and quiet. We pulled in through the gate and easily found parking (most backpackers don't have cars while traveling). The surrounding wall for the property has a mosaic & metal dragon-type creature that winds his (or her!) way across the top. Two lovely dogs greeted us - Manuel & J's Dog as we parked. We went right up to the bar & got an Imperial and a mojito. The mojito was just right. 2500 CRC for the both. Not too many folks there as we strolled around the grounds. This place is expansive - as in large... just to wander about and look at all the mosaic work everywhere at Rocking J's was a treat, especially with the sound of the Caribbean in the background. Rocking J's is right on the beach. Hammocks for the night cost 5USD - yup, that's FIVE dollars American. Other options are available for bedding down for the night, including pitching your tent or renting one of their tents on the second floor. Really, you have to see this place to believe it.

If I was in my younger days, this would *THE* place to stay for me. Artful grounds, hip & beautiful people lounging about, cold beer, WiFi, and a top-notch kitchen.

Manuel or Manny, a marvelously well-behaved Boston Terrier, is owned by John, one of the staffers, and we got to chatting with John for a bit. He directed us to go down the road a bit south to Mango Cafe for the poker game later that night. We had a few more drinks there before walking down to Mango Cafe.

We returned to Rocking J's on Friday night for dinner. The best dinner thus far in Costa Rica and for the best price, though the wait just about killed us. The bar was hopping with all sorts of folks, young and old, local and visiting. A local band, Pantalones de Acciones (Action Pants) was due to play later that night.

We ordered the bruschetta on focacia bread. It came out loaded with cheese, fresh basil & tomatoes. 2000CRC or so. It was a huge portion, more than enough for both of us and could have sufficed for dinner totally, but we had ordered more.

I ordered the Catch of the Day with pesto. It came with coconut rice (lightly flavored and not sweet) and loads of grilled veggies of all sorts. The fish was marlin. Simply divine for 3500 CRC.

The Dog had the Pesto Cream Dream with grilled chicken and it arrived with another tasty piece of the focacia. The focacia, when by itself, had almost a flavor & texture of a great homemade biscuit. Perfect. The Pesto Cream Dream (approx 3000CRC) was rich with garlic and loads of creamy pesto. I thought perhaps there was cilantro in the pesto for this; very delicious.

The entire menu was loaded with tasty-sounding foods, and all the plates I saw come out of the tiny kitchen were artfully presented, for instance, the Chicken in Sauce special for the night had four mounds of mashed potatoes on the edges, each with a "tree" of parsley sprouting out. The skewers were served in a large bamboo "cup" of sorts and so on. Truly high-style dining for a pittance.

The wait was due to ordering right after a party of 12 and the waiter seemed quite apologetic about the whole thing.

@t E's is truly an exceptional dining experience and not to be missed while in Puerto Viejo. And if you're young & hip, consider shacking up for a night or ten at Rockin' J's Hammock Hotel.

WORM BITE SPECIALIST: An explanation of sorts

2009-06-21T10:11:00.009-06:00

In a previous post, there is a picture of a building with the words "Worm Bite Specialists" from downtown Puerto Viejo. Curious about these worms, we began to inquire here and there about them. After chatting with Luis, our guide from the Cahuita Nat'l Park walk and with Liam, our terrific British bartender from Mango Cafe, this is the deal.

They're not worms, per se. They are caterpillars, but sometimes called Fire Worms. They fall out of the almond trees onto either you or the ground and then you can step on them - accidentally, of course. What then transpires is a dull pain for a moment where the caterpillar touched you. After a few moments, a searing pain shoots up your appendage and then stops at the top, i.e., you've brushed against one of these fiendish caterpillars with your hand (this happened to Liam) and then the pain travels straight up your arm, but stops at your shoulder and does not spread. Or you step on one with your foot (like Liam's girlfriend) and then pain rushes up your leg, but stops at your hip.

The pain is reportedly wicked and intense. Should you want to go spend 20USD or so at the Worm Bite Specialist, you can get a shot to alleviate the agony within 30 minutes or so. Should you want to go spend 20USD on a really good bottle of rum, you can fight it out for about four hours and the pain will disappear. Or if you're a bit masochistic, you can just suffer through it for the four hours or so.

As of this writing, neither The Dog nor I have had a direct encounter with these Fire Worms.

LUNCH: At Maxi's in Manzanillo

2009-06-18T14:53:00.007-06:00

Today we drove as far South as we could along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. At the almost end of the dirt road, a large building loomed in front of us - Maxi's. We could hear the reggae before we even really saw the place.

It wasn't quite open when we arrived around 1130, so we strolled around Manzanillo for a bit and found the old cemetery and hoped to spot a toucan. No luck with the toucans.

When we got back to Maxi's, we were seated near the front with the Caribbean fully visible. It is grey out today, so the view wasn't anything spectacular right now, but the food certainly is!

The Dog ordered the chorizo plate and I had the fish plate. The fish today was marlin - yummy! The fish was topped with a good collection of red peppers & onions & celery and a yummy yellow sauce and served with beans & rice plus some fried plantains on the side, plus some slaw.

The chorizo was definitely the best of the two (though the fish was damn fine!) It was served as four "whole" pieces with a mess of grilled vegetables. It was the best chorizo I've ever had. The Dog noted it was a different style of chorizo that he was accustomed to (more of a "hard" versus a loose chorizo), but it was certainly was most delicious.

We also ordered cocktails; a daiquiri for me, a margarita for The Dog. The daiquiri was made with fresh strawberries and garnished with one, too. The margarita had the right amount of everything and was tasty.

Overall, Maxi's was good and had a terrific view, but the prices were a bit high for the area. There are several other smaller sodas/restaurants around Manzanillo which might be a fine option also.

DRINKS: Canned Rum & Cokes

2009-06-18T10:18:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday, we went to the liquoria (I'm so certain that isn't how you spell it, but it's where you can buy whiskey & beer to go). It was right on the beach and the old cat working in the place laughed when I made a vague attempt to speak Spanish. "You don't need any Spanish down here. It's the OTHER coast where they don't speak English." Regardless, the sign in his store was written in Spanish and said something along the lines of Please don't smoke any marijuana in the store.

Anyway, we picked a selection of various beers and then found cans of Rum & Cola. There were two varieties so we purchased both.

Cuba Libre Formula Original Ron & Cola
355ml (12 oz can), 850CRC, 8% Alcohol

Decent and it tasted just like a bar-mixed Rum & Coke, probably due to it having "jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa" - yup, even though I don't speak much for Spanish, that reads like high-fructose corn syrup to me. This drink was made in Mexico, according to the can.

Bamboo Rum & Cola
350ml (12oz size can), 750CRC, 7.5% Alcohol

Slightly better flavor and mouthfeel than the Cuba Libre above, probably due to the fact that it did NOT have "jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa" involved in it. The can's decoration/design was much more psychedelic than the Cuba Libre can. It had varying shades of red circles on the can and looked much hipper than the Cuba Libre can. Bamboo was made in Costa Rica. You can try some for yourself by clicking here.

Would we buy either again? Yes!

SNACKS: Chip review

2009-06-18T09:57:00.008-06:00

At the Super in Puerto Viejo, I purchased several bags of chips. Lay's and Fritos and Doritos were available, but I chose the local stuff.

Last night, we opened up two different bags to enjoy. One we enjoyed, the other is still sitting full (less four chips).

Here's what we bought:

Pro Yucas (the logo is PRO with a checkmark in the "O")
Hojuelas de yuca - Sabor Crema y Cebolla (Cassava Chips Sour Cream & Onion)
50g or 1.76oz (about the size of an American Big Grab of chips)
360CRC

These were completely un-delicious. They tasted stale, but the bag said they didn't expire until December 2009. The chips looked light and thin - like Lay's potato chips - but they were sorta chewy and the flavor was barely there. The Dog ate two chips and I ate two chips. The remainder of the bag is still intact.

Pro Platanos
Hojeulas de platano con ajo (plantain chips with garlic)
85g or 2.9oz (about the size of an American Big Grab of chips)
450CRC

These were amazingly tasty! Also, there was a picture of a toucan on the bag. The Dog and I ate these happily and were both crestfallen when the bag was empty. Crispy, yet a bit toothsome. We will buy these again soon. They matched well with The Dog's Imperial Silver and with my 250g (small bottle!) Coca-Cola.

Learn more about Pro Snacks by clicking here.

TOUR: From Cahuita

2009-06-17T17:40:00.016-06:00

Today, we had a scheduled snorkeling tour in Cahuita National Park. We booked it through Mister Big J in Cahuita proper. In addition to tours & transportation, Mister Big J also offers real estate info and laundry service - 3500 CRC/load, dropoff in AM, pickup in PM. Hotel delivery available.

Yup, that's Mister Big J and his place at the top here. We paid 25USD/each for a snorkeling tour from Cahuita National Park. He said there would also be fresh fruit.

We had two guides, one for snorkeling and one for the hike through the park. Mister Big J neglected to tell us there was also a hike! It worked out fine, though it was a long trek. Frankly, it was a fantastic deal for $25. We were with two other couples in their 30s- one from Australia and one from Germany. And YES! The German man wore Speedos for snorkeling. Awesome.

So the snorkeling was okay. We had a great boat with a sun cover on it and nice equipment. The reefs were a bit rough. They looked to be dying. There were cool fish and we spotted a big stingray, a shark or two, a JUMBO puffer fish!, and many, many cleaner wrasses that were yellow. We snorkeled for two+ hours or so in a couple different areas in the north part of Cahuita, then hopped in the boat and went to Cahuita Point for fresh fruit - mangoes & pineapples.

As we arrived at Cahuita Point, there was a troop of monkeys - Capuchins aka White-faced Monkeys. A bit of rolling around with each other and then.. well, we felt it best to give them their privacy.

So then began the trek back. It was a lovely stroll and our guide Luis spotted many things for us, including two-toed and three-toed sloths, vultures!, howler monkeys, many crabs, and the Capuchins.

Near the very end of the stroll, lo and behold, another sloth. No big deal at this point except it was moving AND fairly quickly down the tree. That's right, Internet Land Readers, it was coming down for its once-weekly bathroom visit. So we hung out and watched it come all the way down the tree and then rustle about in the low brush - rustle isn't quite the word here, but you get the idea - and then re-emerge to begin the long ascent back up into the trees. Check out the video Vance shot below. Okay. Never mind about the video. It's slower here in Costa Rica and won't upload right now. Check back later.

At the end of our stroll through Cahuita National Park, we were asked to sign out and then we were hit up for a suggested donation of 10USD/each. We donated 10000CRC and were given a receipt.

All things considered, we were most pleased with Mister Big J's tour - even though Mister Big J himself didn't give the tour. I'd recommend him to anyone needing tours in Cahuita. And laundry service, too!

More Jumblings

2009-06-17T07:14:00.006-06:00

553 AM MST
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Banana Azul Apartment
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

This is the trouble with a blog – you must have an Internet Connection. The WiFi here is not awake just yet, so I’ll try typing this into a Word document and pasting it later. Blog – 0; Moleskine – 1. However, I think I can embed video into the blog and will attempt this later when I'm online again.

The sun comes up early here and sets at 6:30PM – strange for summer, but nice.

Yesterday, we drove into Puerto Viejo proper. It’s about 2kms from the Banana Azul.
** Benji the Yellow Dog here at BA just woke up and crawled off the couch. It’s just like home in that many four-legged critters hang around the apartment – we have two regular cat visitors and Benji. There are two or three more dogs on the property, plus a couple more cats. Several turtles live in the long pond near the bar downstairs, plus chiclids and BIG crabs.

So Puerto Viejo. It’s a tourist town, like Daytona Beach but not so many t-shirt shops. There are lots of little vendors all selling the same stuff at the same price. Many imported Indonesian-style carvings and Rastafarian gear and sarongs. In the first shop we visited, there were little wood frogs with a stick and you drag the stick across the ridges on the back of the frog to make a cool frog-like noise. Vance had seen the exact same thing in the markets in the Middle East. Ho-hum. Still a cool little item, though.

Check out the picture below.

This was the first thing we spotted when parking in PV. I’m guessing the Worm Bite took out the fellow on the sidewalk before the clinic opened. I’ll inquire today about these wicked worms.

In the Super, I discovered a terrific deal all strapped together in one handy package – buy two bottles of Coca-Cola and get a FREE tin of sardines! Yup. It was all held together with Saran Wrap. There were several of these exact deals available with your choice of Coca-Cola OR Fanta.
However, I passed up the deal. Instead, I purchased a lovely Gouda cheese with pesto embedded in it, a semi-hard goat cheese, a nice loaf of freshly baked whole wheat bread, cilantro, and many varieties of chips. I’ll review the chips later as we open and consume them. I also picked up four bottles of the Linzano Tabasco. The Gouda with pesto is EXCELLENT – A+ The semi-hard goat cheese okay – B. The bread was good.

As I was checking out of the Super, there was a display of Kinder Eggs – you know, the ones from Germany with the toy inside the chocolate? So I was thinking I would ask, “How much?” and point at the egg. Somehow, the cashier figured out what I was asking and then replies in Spanish the price. What the fuck was I thinking? I had no idea what she said the price was. This Spanish stuff is difficult. I’ll try and work on numbers today. Anyway, I bought the Kinder Eggs. I knew they weren’t that expensive in Germany so they shouldn’t break the bank here either. Total cost of adventure at Super: 12,615 CRC, or around 21USD.

Last night, we tried to get to the Sloth Sanctuary up past Cahuita. We left BA around 4:30 and drove up that way. There is a police checkpoint between Puerto Viejo and the Sanctuary. As we pulled up, we remembered neither of us had our passport, nor a copy. Hell, I didn’t have a speck of ID at all. Not even a business card. Vance had his Tennessee driver’s license and the fellows at the stop were gracious when we explained where we were trying to go and where we were staying. They waved us on. Today, we shall carry our passports.

Much to our chagrin, the Sanctuary was cerrado – hey! More Spanish – this means CLOSED. The gold-toothed fellow who was there said it would open at 7AM the next morning.

It was almost dark by now and time for dinner. We hooked a right down the road to Cahuita to find some food. The entrance road into Cahuita is bricked and landscaped. But the rest of the roads are gravel/dirt.

**I had read many places where it said the roads are terrible in Costa Rica. Highway 32 from San Jose was fine and most of 36 to Puerto Viejo was freshly paved. Sections were completely UNPAVED here and there on 36, but nothing worse than I’ve found in my Southern adventures. I guess it’s all them cityslicker gringos who have difficulty with the roads here… or maybe we’ve just been lucky thus far.

I think this will be my last post in my traditional journal format. From here, I’ll try the grouping by subject concept so singular posts aren’t so verbose.

No pen tonight

2009-06-16T20:26:00.002-06:00

16 June 2009
827PM MST
Banana Azul, Room - APT
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

The Caribbean lightly pounds the sand outside the open window here at the BA and tons of friends are chirping and croaking in the bushes & trees. We arrived in CR yesterday on American Airlines via Miami. The first class accommodations were right fine for the first leg from SF to MIA, but then there was an overnight layover. Stayed at the Wyndham Miami Airport for the night and got back on the plane in the AM yesterday. Before we boarded, we scored two cups of cafe con leche and a pressed Cuban from ... dammit. I can't remember the name of the restaurant. Cafe con leche - A+... Cuban - C+.

Switched out some USD for some CRC - Costa Rica Colones at the bank just upstairs from baggage in SJO. 572 CRC to 1 USD. The moneychanger by the baggage claim offered only 502CRC per 1USD... and MIA moneychanger only offered 480CRC per 1USD. It does pay to shop around and know the official exchange rate.

Rented a Jimny from Alamo Car Rental - 447USD - for the 15-day trip. Wish this was handwritten because I'd recreate the Jimny logo from the back of the car - the "N" is backwards. Charming. It's a tincan of a car, but fine for this adventure thus far.

The drive from San Jose to the coast was around four hours and I have no command of the Spanish language. Well, other than Bollito - this means "Muffin Top" and "fritar el berenjena" - I think is how it's spelled- which means "deep-fry the eggplant". I tried to learn "Why am I covered in vomit?" but I was unsucessful. Oh wait. I also read that llanate means car OR big belly. You decide.

Anyway, Vance drove from SJO to PV. Through the rain forest with lovely cool vistas and lots and lots and lots of BIG trucks barreling along. Then, per Colin's directions, a gaggle of ugly billboards and then flat road with a joint called El Yugo on the right recommended for lunch.

We pulled in and I discovered delicious plaintains with cheese. Whole plantain - split down the middle - with melted cheese in the middle. Ooo-wee. Tasty. Also got some arroz (wait! That's another Spanish word - it means rice) and some frijoles negros (two more! black beans). Vance got this exotic magenta salad stuff - looked a bit like potato salad - and some other stuff and some arroz. The exotic magenta stuff was beet salad. Decently good. The "other stuff" we decided was organ meats - livers and something. Okay, but nothing special. Two Imperials - the beer of Costa Rica, kinda like Budweiser - and then we doused the food with Lizano Tabasco. Tasty stuff, that Lizano. Now I feel certain that Tabasco is a trademarked name, but hey, US law doesn't apply here in CR; right? Cost for lunch = 6600 CRC.

So after lunch, we eased back out onto Highway 32 and drove into Limon. Oh yes. All sorts of interesting things to consider here. The graveyard seems FASCINATING with above-ground crypts and painted-on memorials. We will visit it enroute to La Fortuna next week.

Stopped for fuel and God Bless Costa Rica! Full-service at all pumps. They washed down the windshield and scurried about the Jimny fueling and checking.

Within minutes of leaving the gas station, the road opened up and there was the Caribbean. Open vista directly to the left, trees and bushes to the right. Simply perfect.