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Published: December 17th 2009
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Bienvenidos a Costa Rica!
I'm already back in Edmonton, Alberta, freezing my butt off, after spending an action-packed, fun-filled week of R & R, at the Allegro Papagayo resort, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. Mother Nature provided a record-breaking welcome back to Canada, of the cruellest kind, on the night of Saturday, December 12, 2009. The second leg of our journey home from Liberia, was interrupted over Winnipeg, Manitoba, when the Captain informed passengers that we were turning back to Toronto, due to the extreme cold conditions in Edmonton that exceeded the aircrafts minimum operating temperatures of -41 degrees C! It actually got as low as -46.1 degrees C and -59 degrees C with the wind-chill at Edmonton International Airport, the second coldest location on the planet that day, after an obscure weather station in Siberia! What a shock to the system that was, an 80-degree temperature swing , most difficult for the body to handle, never mind adjust to. Can we send this aircraft back to the tropics?! When we finally landed in Edmonton, some ten hours later, I had to dig my car out of the snowed-in parking lot and get a battery boost to start my car, before
I could finally get home to some badly needed sleep.
Our journey to Liberia began the previous Friday night of December 4, 2009 with Mother Nature dumping up to 20 cm of snow in Edmonton, as our send-off. Get me out of here! Red eye flight to Toronto to make the 0815 connection to Liberia. I almost managed to miss that flight thanks to an unannounced gate change to the other end of the terminal! Upon arrival on the Liberia tarmac some five hours later, as the cabin door was opened, we were greeted by a blast of crackling heat in the range of +35 degrees C. Half an hour transfer to the hotel, check-in, and splashdown into the pool just as the sun was setting, to cool down. What a relief. Bring on the drinks in this all-inclusive resort. The local brew, Imperial beer, is quite refreshing and a pleasant tasting lager. Of the many cocktails I sampled this week, my favourite had to be the "Volcano". Not as sweet as the other cocktails, it is made with Tequila, orange juice, pineapple juice, Amaretto, and a splash of red wine on top to simulate a lava flow. With
the free-pouring expertise of our bartenders, you don't require more than a few of these to lay you low in a chaise lounge!
The resort featured nightly shows by the entertainment staff, aptly named, The Fun Club. Local dances, songs, and brilliant costumes, were well appreciated by the standing room only crowds. I managed to close the pool bar at 2300 hours before stepping over to the disco till that closed at 0130, despite my sleep-deprived condition. Good fun partying with local "Ticos" up for the weekend, and other crazy Canucks, mostly from Toronto.
On Sunday, the 6th, most of the locals went back home, leaving the resort with a quiet, ghost town feel, giving me the opportunity to lay low after the previous nights exertions. We went down to the mangrove beach and lay under tree cover in the lawn chairs, being entertained by the White-faced Capuchin monkeys, and their food searching antics. A walk along the beach provided a sighting of a colony of sea urchins moving through the shallows. Not something you'd want to tread on for sure. One guest of the resort managed to get a handful of quills requiring medical attention.
Monday,
the 7th was an action-packed, adventure-filled day, begun with a long, three-hour bus ride to the Arenal (Sand) Volcano and lake. It was here where we signed on for the Sky Trek, 2.8 km of flying along 8 cable zip line sections, in lengths from 30 to 750 meters, and 200 meters above the jungle floor! How thrilling the ride, hanging onto the t-handle for dear life, dangling from your harness, watching the jungle canopy below, flying along at up to 45 mph! What a riot and how exhilarating. One lady backed out after the second cable, not able to continue. The braking system at the arrival platforms made for a rather violent stop from such speeds. Enough to disorientate you and rattle your teeth! Our next stop was the elaborate Baldi Hot Springs, fed by the nearby Arenal Volcano, with a series of well designed pools of various temperatures to soak away the days activities. I'm not sure what you were supposed to do with the pool at 157 degree F, hot enough to boil lobster! The 5 star Hot Springs resort laid on a decent buffet supper of chicken fajitas, tender beef strips, fried plantains, and other tasty
local morsels, before making the long drive back to the coast and the Allegro Papagayo. Even though I was ready for bed, I partied with Paul who is a spitting image of Dan Ackroyd, including his speech and mannerisms, and his girlfriend Barb. We recounted the day’s activities over plenty of never empty Imperial beers, closing the disco at 0130.
Tuesday, the 8th was another day to lay low until the morning aquasize class, which we participated in. That helped to clear the cobwebs. The Fun Club organizes activities for guests all day long, so there is no need to be bored at all. Volleyball, water polo, dance lessons, Spanish classes, are some of the planned activities. The staff got to know me pretty well, and even if I was across the resort property, they would call out to me, inviting me to take part in the planned activities, "Rene, where are you going?" I participated in the air rifle competition to test my marksmanship, which much to my chagrin seems to have rusted away! I used to be a marksman in the military, at one time a crack shot, even with the Leopard tanks 105 mm canon!
Geared Up
Arenal Volcano The snorkelling tour on Wednesday afternoon was a treat in marine ecology. On the way to the dive site, a lucky pod of dolphins sailed along beside our boat. Our guide brought to surface, a large spiny Blowfish and a volleyball-sized Pufferfish, with it's cartoon-like face, bulging eyes, tiny fins and mouth, for us to handle. The black starfish felt like caterpillars crawling over your skin. One of the highlights was the three-foot eel being chased out from under a ledge by one annoyed Cichlid. On the way back to the resort we were treated to the sight of a school of small flying fish.
On Thursday, the 10th we took the 0830 boat taxi over to the Four Seasons beach with a nice white sand beach and clear blue waters. We were greeted by a rather large Pizote, known as a long-nosed racoon, prowling around the grounds, looking for grub. I went on a long walk through the mangroves, infested with iguanas of varying sizes, and burrowing mud crabs. That night, I was recruited by the lovely entertainment hostess, Ruthy for Latin dance lessons. How is it possible for me to lose count repeating; 1,2,3...1,2,3? Ruthy is a
great coach and so patient with the Gringo tenderfoot! Thank you Ruthy.
On our last full day, Friday the 11th, we took a boat tour through Palo Verde National Park on the Tempisque River, chock-a-block full of flora and fauna. Highlights were the crocodiles circling our boat, waiting for someone to fall in, large iguanas reposing in the trees, Capuchin monkeys looking for treats, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and a large tropical cricket. Our guide pulled our boat up alongside a gnarly, old tree, and indicated that there were bats perfectly camouflaged, embedded in the trunk. As I was getting my camera in position, the boat bumped the tree, and there was an explosion of little bat wings flitting around, causing the girls onboard to shriek! I never did get a decent photo.
That night we were invited to share in a Mahi Mahi catch, by the Toronto couple, Paul and Barb, after their successful fishing trip. What a good feed. This dinner was followed by the Beach Party, organized by the Fun Club gang. They played great dance music, with no special dance steps required! The male/female dance competition was fun to watch the contestants busting
their moves. Dancing into the wee hours of the morning, we finally packed it in.
In the morning, one more crack at the pool to catch some rays, before packing up, having breakfast, on this all too brief of a vacation. As the locals say, "Pura Vida", living the good life, or as Ricky Martin sings, "Livin la vida loca!"
I found Costa Rica to be a very tourist friendly country, with fascinating attractions, amazing flora and fauna, clean streets, and a great experience. The Ticos have a good standard of living, and because of that, they have the highest cost of living in all Central America. I would like to return one day to explore further afield.
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