PowMow

Yes, that’s right…the 7th best waves to surf in the world had Nikki’s name written all over them! On Wednesday morning, we drove into the surf town of Dominical where we had arrangements made with Dominical Surf Adventures for Nikki to take surf lessons; Nikki was visibly excited as we approached the shop. Below is an excerpt from her journal about the experience: “On Wednesday we woke up very early to go to surf lessons. When we got there we got checked in and went to the beach. The instroctor arrived with the surf board, his name is Ezekial. He showed me how to get up on the board. Then we went into the water with the board. We waited for the best wave, when it came I started to paddle. Then I got up and ... read more

We had arrangements to stay at the Mango Moon for only one night, as doing so would break up our drive to the next destination. It would also allow us an opportunity to spend some time in a particularly popular Costa Rican park, Manuel Antonio National Park, where much wildlife is known to be seen. In the morning, this was our destination. Here is where we encountered more tourists than anywhere else on our trip. Most of them were with guided tour groups delivered by the myriad of buses and vans that were stopped at the park entrance. We quickly realized how grateful we were not to be a part of the cattle herd, just not our style : ). Instead, we chose the self-guided tour which allowed us to stop and go whenever and gaze ... read more

We enjoyed a lazy day in Carrillo today: Jeff, Shae and Nikki went for a short drive south and discovered a small secluded beach area with big, black rock and crashing Pacific waves. It's here where Shae and Nik collected a couple dozen seashells; each with a unique color, shape and size. Dad spent a good portion of his day reading, while he did manage to venture off a time or two in hopes of finding the perfect subject to photograph. He was rather successful down at Playa (beach) and Puerto (port) Carrillo where he found a few native birds and some fishermen and their boats who were coming and going. Mom enjoyed the sun, laying on a lounge chair with a large glass of ice water with fresh lime, played Nikki in several rounds of ... read more

The next 5 days will be spent in a small Pacific beach town called Carrillo. We are staying in a home we found on VRBO: http://www.vrbo.com/162116 ... read more

Day three journey: How surreal it was to wake up in a canopy of trees in the heart of the Costa Rican rain forest! The many sounds surrounding us were mesmerizing; the highly vocal Howler monkeys howling, Toucan birds croaking "RRRRRRRRRRRRRK", insects clicking, and more. As a result of this "music" we all awoke rather early and excited for the day. After being served a delightful breakfast (fresh cut papaya, mango and pineapple, banana stuffed french toast and guava juice) we jaunted North toward La Fortuna, which is at the base of Mount Arenal - http://www.pbs.org/edens/costarica/breathing.html - and near our next destination, Leaves and Lizards Cabin Retreat. Along the way, we decided to stop for a visit at “Souvenir Leo”, as recommended by Mark the Tree House hotel-keeper. Mark mentioned that this particular shop is where ... read more