This was a very different trip to us as we generally visit museums, castles, historic sights, sit in cafes..... We usually visit several countries and cities. This trip was nature, nature and more nature. A month in one country. Many people go to Costa Rica to do zip lines, white water rafting and other adventures. Neither of us likes to sit at the beach either. We knew that we weren't going to do those things. Frankly, I worried that we might be bored or that I would be freaked out by the creepy-crawly things.
But, it was a wonderful vacation, exceeding our expectations. For one, we were in four, quite different climate environments which made it interesting. The central valley was spring-like, the cloud forest was cold and remote, the northern Pacific coast was hot and dry and rather 'touristy' and the southern Pacific coast was hot and wet.
This was probably one of the most relaxing vacations we have ever had, but we were NOT bored. The birds were interesting every single day of the trip and we frequently consulted the bird books we brought with us. (Thanks to Willy) We hiked, but never too strenuously. (With the exception of Santa Elena, I guess) We ate well. We did a lot of reading. (The Age of Acquiescence and Richard Ford's Bascombe Trilogy) We met incredible people, some of whom, I think will be friends forever. We hope so. The Costa Ricans were unfailingly friendly. When we first arrived, it felt incredibly foreign, but, by the time we left, it felt familiar. The roads were a challenge, but Mark rose to it. I was a coward and "let" him drive the entire trip. I guess it would be more accurate to say that he let me be a passenger!
There were some creepy-crawlies, but they were not an issue. Mark said that I stepped over a tarantula, but I never saw it. We did not see any snakes, nor did we look for them! We saw one dead scorpion. We heard and saw monkeys, but they kept their distance. My fears were completely unfounded, although Mark did kill some pretty good-sized spiders at the house in Monteverde.
We were cut off from the internet a lot which was both good and bad. We were frustrated not to be able to do the blog daily or keep up with the news, but it was also nice to be unattached. We did not miss television at all.
Both of us were very relaxed by the end of the holiday and both of us wanted to stay a little longer, a very good sign.
We are both open to a return visit, although there are SO many wonderful places in the world to see that I don't know whether we will. Life is short. But, getting to Costa Rica is not a long trip, especially from Florida, so maybe we will. We do want to see some of the friends we made again, that's for sure.
If we go again, we might consider using more taxis and maybe even going without renting our own vehicle.
We were very pleased that we chose to stay in a lot of bed and breakfasts because you meet people at them especially if you stay for a number of days. People do not mingle nearly as much at big hotels and resorts, nor do you meet as many people if you rent an apartment. We will definitely continue to stay at bed and breakfasts.
I was worried about the food a little bit because I don't really eat rice and beans, although Mark loves them and did eat quite a few of those dishes. But, it was not a problem for me as there was almost always good fish and fresh vegetables and fruit. Neither of us put on weight which was also a nice surprise.
Taking up birding made the trip have more dimensions to it than it would have had otherwise. Hiring guides was wise as they spotted things we never would have seen and also identified them. If we had gone to Costa Rica before taking up birding, it would have still been a good vacation, but birding has opened up a new world to us. Birding people are almost unfailingly nice to know, so birding has also meant meeting a lot of great people.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Home, April 6, 2015 - Right into Town Meeting!
We got home on the 2:45 boat after doing some typical shopping along the way. The car was filled "to the gillens" as Jecca used to say when she was little.
We arrived home to a wonderful new bathroom upstairs! We are thrilled; it doesn't feel like it's our house. After being agog at the bathroom, we hauled our weary bodies to Town Meeting where there was a vote to see if funding for a new school could be on the ballot. Surprisingly, it passed without even a discussion! But, it was a very personal and intense town meeting with a lot of zoning articles that mean a lot to the people in the various neighborhoods. Most discussed was the proposal to develop the land known as Glowacki's Pit. It failed. The result will probably be more development which is too complicated to explain in our travel blog. The town also voted to put a new firehouse on the ballot. We went for all three nights of Town Meeting, quite grueling. The second night was important because it had to do with the town tampering with the pensions of town employees. Town employees were out in force and the article was defeated. Another emotional discussion concerned the banning of lighter-than-air balloons which threaten sealife and the beaches. It was very personal because it is the livelihood of Tammy Bunting King, a former student, who has delivered balloons since she was a teen. The article, however, passed. And, the other very personal issue concerned a nonprofit funeral home, proposed by Catherine Flanagan Stover. She proposed it be built next to Newtown Cemetery on land that the Cemetery Commission wanted for new burial sites, which made it a complicated vote for me as a Cemetery Commissioner. At any rate, it passed.
The next week the town voted to override proposition 2 1/2 so that a new school and firehouse can be built.
At any rate, it is good to be home, although we are both COLD!
We arrived home to a wonderful new bathroom upstairs! We are thrilled; it doesn't feel like it's our house. After being agog at the bathroom, we hauled our weary bodies to Town Meeting where there was a vote to see if funding for a new school could be on the ballot. Surprisingly, it passed without even a discussion! But, it was a very personal and intense town meeting with a lot of zoning articles that mean a lot to the people in the various neighborhoods. Most discussed was the proposal to develop the land known as Glowacki's Pit. It failed. The result will probably be more development which is too complicated to explain in our travel blog. The town also voted to put a new firehouse on the ballot. We went for all three nights of Town Meeting, quite grueling. The second night was important because it had to do with the town tampering with the pensions of town employees. Town employees were out in force and the article was defeated. Another emotional discussion concerned the banning of lighter-than-air balloons which threaten sealife and the beaches. It was very personal because it is the livelihood of Tammy Bunting King, a former student, who has delivered balloons since she was a teen. The article, however, passed. And, the other very personal issue concerned a nonprofit funeral home, proposed by Catherine Flanagan Stover. She proposed it be built next to Newtown Cemetery on land that the Cemetery Commission wanted for new burial sites, which made it a complicated vote for me as a Cemetery Commissioner. At any rate, it passed.
The next week the town voted to override proposition 2 1/2 so that a new school and firehouse can be built.
At any rate, it is good to be home, although we are both COLD!
Friends and Family, Easter Weekend, April 3-5
We had an uneventful, but long drive, from Washington, D.C. to Westport, Massachusetts where we stayed with good friends, Ted and Bev for a night.
We left Washington before 6 a.m. as we did not want to hit traffic around NYC, especially as it was Good Friday. We made amazing time. Thanks to the directions of the Garmin, we avoided two traffic jams, one just before crossing the George Washington Bridge and one shortly thereafter. We pulled off the highway to get gas and, by sheer good luck, wandered into Branford, Connecticut (Exit 54) where we found an excellent delicatessen, Shoreline Deli, which we intend to remember for future trips. (Hence, writing it down in our blog!) They had a great salad bar and sandwiches made to order, too.
We had a nice late afternoon with Ted and Bev who are recovering from having to put their beloved Scottie dog, Molly, to sleep. We went to the Bayside for dinner, a tradition with us and had yummy fish dishes.
The next day, we drove to Concord to be with Jecca, Willy, Otis and Henry for Easter. We were amazed to see how frozen the ponds still are and the heaps of dirty snow that are still very evident. Jecca and Willy went out to dinner with a friend, so we got to hang out and make dinner with the boys, which is always a treat. The next day, Easter, we all went into Cambridge to go through Harvard's Museum of Natural History which has the amazing glass flowers collection. Afterwords, we walked to a vegetarian restaurant in Cambridge. Then, we split up. Jec and family went to a nice playground the kids had memories of and Mark and I got lost going to Newton in hopes of finding the museum where I gave a talk in January and where I left some copies of my Cyrus Peirce book which need to be picked up. After wandering lost, we did eventually find it, but it was closed, no surprise it being Easter.
Later we had a great Easter dinner made by Jecca. Steak on the grill and ratatouille made with a lot of the vegetables they are getting through their CSA. Then, after dinner, Willy treated us to a slide show of his amazing trip to Peru. Wow. His shots of birds were amazing and his tales of the adventure were entertaining. Macchu Pichu looked very impressive. His journey was way too rugged for us, that's for sure. Long, long hikes in high altitude, roads closed due to landslides, boating down a tributary of the Amazon, fairly primitive lodging.....fascinating. A trip of a lifetime, really.
Then, we had a real treat. We went with Willy and Otis to watch the woodcocks doing their quirky courting displays. We went to a field at dusk. Luckily, Willy has sharp eyes and picked out the woodcocks and was able to shine his flashlight so we could see them. They also make interesting little hiccups during their process. It was very special as Mark and I have never seen them do the display.
We left Washington before 6 a.m. as we did not want to hit traffic around NYC, especially as it was Good Friday. We made amazing time. Thanks to the directions of the Garmin, we avoided two traffic jams, one just before crossing the George Washington Bridge and one shortly thereafter. We pulled off the highway to get gas and, by sheer good luck, wandered into Branford, Connecticut (Exit 54) where we found an excellent delicatessen, Shoreline Deli, which we intend to remember for future trips. (Hence, writing it down in our blog!) They had a great salad bar and sandwiches made to order, too.
We had a nice late afternoon with Ted and Bev who are recovering from having to put their beloved Scottie dog, Molly, to sleep. We went to the Bayside for dinner, a tradition with us and had yummy fish dishes.
The next day, we drove to Concord to be with Jecca, Willy, Otis and Henry for Easter. We were amazed to see how frozen the ponds still are and the heaps of dirty snow that are still very evident. Jecca and Willy went out to dinner with a friend, so we got to hang out and make dinner with the boys, which is always a treat. The next day, Easter, we all went into Cambridge to go through Harvard's Museum of Natural History which has the amazing glass flowers collection. Afterwords, we walked to a vegetarian restaurant in Cambridge. Then, we split up. Jec and family went to a nice playground the kids had memories of and Mark and I got lost going to Newton in hopes of finding the museum where I gave a talk in January and where I left some copies of my Cyrus Peirce book which need to be picked up. After wandering lost, we did eventually find it, but it was closed, no surprise it being Easter.
Later we had a great Easter dinner made by Jecca. Steak on the grill and ratatouille made with a lot of the vegetables they are getting through their CSA. Then, after dinner, Willy treated us to a slide show of his amazing trip to Peru. Wow. His shots of birds were amazing and his tales of the adventure were entertaining. Macchu Pichu looked very impressive. His journey was way too rugged for us, that's for sure. Long, long hikes in high altitude, roads closed due to landslides, boating down a tributary of the Amazon, fairly primitive lodging.....fascinating. A trip of a lifetime, really.
Then, we had a real treat. We went with Willy and Otis to watch the woodcocks doing their quirky courting displays. We went to a field at dusk. Luckily, Willy has sharp eyes and picked out the woodcocks and was able to shine his flashlight so we could see them. They also make interesting little hiccups during their process. It was very special as Mark and I have never seen them do the display.
Back to the U.S.A., March 25, 2015
We had breakfast at our hotel, the Hampton Inn. We felt like we were already back home as the hotel is just so American. We got the shuttle to the airport which was a short ride. Our flight was slightly delayed, but it was no problem. Once again, we were happy to have paid a little extra for roomier seats, plus it meant that we boarded early, also nice.
The flight was smooth and we got great views as we flew over Cuba which looked very green with barrier islands. I hope that we get to visit and to go birding there some day.
The airport scene in Fort Lauderdale was TERRIBLE. We waited in useless line after line and the staff seemed as confused as the passengers were. The first long line was passport control. As usual, we were questioned longer than most people because Mark lost his passport back in the 90s when it flew away when we were in Exmouth, England. The next snafu was getting our luggage. There was confusion which carousel it was on because another plane landed at the same time. We actually went back and forth between two carousels as the airport personnel also had no idea which one our flight was using. It took well over half an hour to get our luggage. It turned out that the bags from our plane were sitting in the middle of the floor. We gathered that and waiting in an even longer line to go through customs. All of this took longer than the entire almost-three hour flight!
Finally, we were outside. I called the hotel (Cambria Suites) where we left our car. They said it wouldn't be long. Well, it was about an hour before we got our car and headed toward Lake Worth to stay with Michael and Nancy. Our plane landed around 4 and we got to their house after 9. Not impressive.
But, it was nice to be at Michael and Nancy's and it was great to have them both feeling much better health-wise than when we last saw them.
The flight was smooth and we got great views as we flew over Cuba which looked very green with barrier islands. I hope that we get to visit and to go birding there some day.
The airport scene in Fort Lauderdale was TERRIBLE. We waited in useless line after line and the staff seemed as confused as the passengers were. The first long line was passport control. As usual, we were questioned longer than most people because Mark lost his passport back in the 90s when it flew away when we were in Exmouth, England. The next snafu was getting our luggage. There was confusion which carousel it was on because another plane landed at the same time. We actually went back and forth between two carousels as the airport personnel also had no idea which one our flight was using. It took well over half an hour to get our luggage. It turned out that the bags from our plane were sitting in the middle of the floor. We gathered that and waiting in an even longer line to go through customs. All of this took longer than the entire almost-three hour flight!
Finally, we were outside. I called the hotel (Cambria Suites) where we left our car. They said it wouldn't be long. Well, it was about an hour before we got our car and headed toward Lake Worth to stay with Michael and Nancy. Our plane landed around 4 and we got to their house after 9. Not impressive.
But, it was nice to be at Michael and Nancy's and it was great to have them both feeling much better health-wise than when we last saw them.
Friday, June 26, 2015
The Trip Home, March 30 - April 3
We had a good trip home, although the weather got colder and colder!
Our first stop was in Savannah where we stayed at a mid-town hotel. We got in early enough to enjoy the city. We tried to contact Nicci Aguiar who is a junior at SCAD, but we didn't give her enough advance notice. (We didn't know how long it would take us to get there). Mark checked out Trip Advisor and we went to Sweet Spice, a little Jamaican restaurant to eat as it had such a high rating. It was a little hole in the wall with just a few tables. But, wow, was it delicious. We both had jerk chicken with a bunch of sides. (I had plantains, having gotten very fond of them in Costa Rica.) And, they had a delicious lemonade with ginger. We had time to then stroll the waterfront which was a lot of fun. We bought the grandchildren in Concord some chocolates from the candy store there. We really enjoyed our visit to Savannah, brief as it was.
Our next stop was Emporia, Virginia - just a stopover. But we had a very delicious late lunch in downtown Emporia at "The Bank" restaurant, converted from an old time bank. As we were between meals, we were the only customers. The food was fantastic. I had a seared ahi tuna salad which was as good as we had in Costa Rica. It had a cucumber sauce made with a touch of wasabi. Mark had .....
It is a good idea to go into the towns off the major highways and not just eat at the standard Denny's or Cracker Barrels.
Next up - two days in Washington, D.C. We stayed in Alexandria at a dreadful Days Inn. All that can be said for the tired, dingy place was that it has a good location. We had to stop in Washington because the digital copy of the Cyrus Peirce petitions that we got at the National Archives on our way to Florida got destroyed. Mark left the flash drive in a pocket and I washed it. But, going back to Washington is never a hardship for us as we love the city. The cherry blossoms were in bud, but only a few were blooming.
The first night we met Meaghan Lynch, a former student and now an employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency. It was a very special evening. We went to Willow Restaurant in Alexandria where Meaghan has worked since her undergraduate days at Georgetown. Meaghan picked us up at the hotel and also insisted on picking up the tab. Dinner was excellent. I had ahi tuna again - I sense a pattern here and a lingering vacation feeling from Costa Rica. Great conversation and just an overall wonderful time. It was just so nice to see such an accomplished and wonderful young woman.
The next day we got up early and went to the Archives. Mark parked right across from the Natural Science Museum in the smallest possible parking space. He had onlookers, it was so amazing. We easily copied the petitions and then we wandered for a while in the Art Museum. Then we drove to G Street where we at at Absolute Thai for lunch, the same place we ate on our last trip as it was so delicious.
Then, we tried a new museum to us - the National Building Museum. The building is amazing. It was built in the 1880s to house the records of the Civil War Veterans. It has a huge middle area with four stories of balconies and has been used for many inaugural balls. The stairs were made very wide and short to make it easier for all the disabled veterans. (The money ran out before they could add elevators, although the shafts were put in.) As everything was paper records, they had ingenious ways of moving paper in baskets along wires and dumbwaiters. The exhibitions were interesting, too. We saw prints by architects of the Art Deco age which envisioned buildings in cities. They were full of social commentary about the rise of cities, railroads.... Very striking. We also went through an interesting exhibit about buildings being able to surviving disasters such as floods, storms, earthquakes, fires. And, we saw models of fanciful buildings, some built, some not, from around the world, many from Copenhagen, interestingly.
That evening we picked up another former student, Lizzy Skokan. She is doing an internship with Senator Jeanne Shaheen of N.H. and really enjoying it. We went to a restaurant in her part of the city, called Dumku, a Scandinavian restaurant, although the food seemed more Hungarian to us. It was another very good meal and another delightful evening with a competent, intelligent young woman. Her descriptions of what she has learned and who she has met were wonderful. She said that a lot of familiar politicians are so much shorter than they look on television.
The next day, we drove back to New England, having had another nice trip home, one with good driving weather, although it was a bummer to abandon our shorts and sandals and have to dig out long pants, jackets and gloves.
Our first stop was in Savannah where we stayed at a mid-town hotel. We got in early enough to enjoy the city. We tried to contact Nicci Aguiar who is a junior at SCAD, but we didn't give her enough advance notice. (We didn't know how long it would take us to get there). Mark checked out Trip Advisor and we went to Sweet Spice, a little Jamaican restaurant to eat as it had such a high rating. It was a little hole in the wall with just a few tables. But, wow, was it delicious. We both had jerk chicken with a bunch of sides. (I had plantains, having gotten very fond of them in Costa Rica.) And, they had a delicious lemonade with ginger. We had time to then stroll the waterfront which was a lot of fun. We bought the grandchildren in Concord some chocolates from the candy store there. We really enjoyed our visit to Savannah, brief as it was.
Our next stop was Emporia, Virginia - just a stopover. But we had a very delicious late lunch in downtown Emporia at "The Bank" restaurant, converted from an old time bank. As we were between meals, we were the only customers. The food was fantastic. I had a seared ahi tuna salad which was as good as we had in Costa Rica. It had a cucumber sauce made with a touch of wasabi. Mark had .....
It is a good idea to go into the towns off the major highways and not just eat at the standard Denny's or Cracker Barrels.
Next up - two days in Washington, D.C. We stayed in Alexandria at a dreadful Days Inn. All that can be said for the tired, dingy place was that it has a good location. We had to stop in Washington because the digital copy of the Cyrus Peirce petitions that we got at the National Archives on our way to Florida got destroyed. Mark left the flash drive in a pocket and I washed it. But, going back to Washington is never a hardship for us as we love the city. The cherry blossoms were in bud, but only a few were blooming.
The first night we met Meaghan Lynch, a former student and now an employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency. It was a very special evening. We went to Willow Restaurant in Alexandria where Meaghan has worked since her undergraduate days at Georgetown. Meaghan picked us up at the hotel and also insisted on picking up the tab. Dinner was excellent. I had ahi tuna again - I sense a pattern here and a lingering vacation feeling from Costa Rica. Great conversation and just an overall wonderful time. It was just so nice to see such an accomplished and wonderful young woman.
The next day we got up early and went to the Archives. Mark parked right across from the Natural Science Museum in the smallest possible parking space. He had onlookers, it was so amazing. We easily copied the petitions and then we wandered for a while in the Art Museum. Then we drove to G Street where we at at Absolute Thai for lunch, the same place we ate on our last trip as it was so delicious.
Then, we tried a new museum to us - the National Building Museum. The building is amazing. It was built in the 1880s to house the records of the Civil War Veterans. It has a huge middle area with four stories of balconies and has been used for many inaugural balls. The stairs were made very wide and short to make it easier for all the disabled veterans. (The money ran out before they could add elevators, although the shafts were put in.) As everything was paper records, they had ingenious ways of moving paper in baskets along wires and dumbwaiters. The exhibitions were interesting, too. We saw prints by architects of the Art Deco age which envisioned buildings in cities. They were full of social commentary about the rise of cities, railroads.... Very striking. We also went through an interesting exhibit about buildings being able to surviving disasters such as floods, storms, earthquakes, fires. And, we saw models of fanciful buildings, some built, some not, from around the world, many from Copenhagen, interestingly.
That evening we picked up another former student, Lizzy Skokan. She is doing an internship with Senator Jeanne Shaheen of N.H. and really enjoying it. We went to a restaurant in her part of the city, called Dumku, a Scandinavian restaurant, although the food seemed more Hungarian to us. It was another very good meal and another delightful evening with a competent, intelligent young woman. Her descriptions of what she has learned and who she has met were wonderful. She said that a lot of familiar politicians are so much shorter than they look on television.
The next day, we drove back to New England, having had another nice trip home, one with good driving weather, although it was a bummer to abandon our shorts and sandals and have to dig out long pants, jackets and gloves.
Florida - Cal's 91st birthday
We spent two nights at Michael and Nancy's in Lake Worth. We had a lovely time, including a nice bike ride at Okaheeli Park.
Then, we spent three nights in Vero Beach with Mark's parents, Cal and Alice. We had a nice birthday party for Cal. Mark made a heap of sea scallops, roasted vegetables and Cal's favorite mashed potatoes. Nancy made a delicious cake. We also invited Terry Wells, Cal's apprentice in clock making, a very nice guy from Canada who keeps a close eye on Cal and Alice and runs errands for them when necessary. And, Mark's cousin, Noreen came up with Michael and Nancy to help celebrate, so it was a nice gathering.
Then, we spent three nights in Vero Beach with Mark's parents, Cal and Alice. We had a nice birthday party for Cal. Mark made a heap of sea scallops, roasted vegetables and Cal's favorite mashed potatoes. Nancy made a delicious cake. We also invited Terry Wells, Cal's apprentice in clock making, a very nice guy from Canada who keeps a close eye on Cal and Alice and runs errands for them when necessary. And, Mark's cousin, Noreen came up with Michael and Nancy to help celebrate, so it was a nice gathering.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
From Hacieda Baru to the airport outside of San Jose, March 24
We got up early and took a nice walk to watch the birds. Then, we had breakfast at the restaurant, packed up and headed out.
The ride was pretty uneventful and Mark made good time overall. We went via Atenas as we wanted to eat there at La Carreta as we had not eaten there last time we were there. We got a trifle lost trying to find it, but were laughing at recalling how foreign Atenas felt on our first day in Costa Rica, but felt familiar and comfortable today. We had a lovely lunch. I had ceviche and Mark had a really good burrito. I had my last pineapple smoothie - made with only water and pineapple. I will miss them; maybe I will learn to whip up my own.
We also went to the Cooperative Mercado there and I got some of the peach tea that they make here which I also really like and want to take home with me. And, Mark got some more coffee, too, to take home.
We are now at a nondescript Hampton Inn. We could be anywhere in the world. I am not saying that it is not nice, but it does not feel at all like the adventurous and funky and quirky places we have been staying. And, naturally, the internet works here like a charm.
We returned our Hyundai Tucson very easily which was quite surprising. We were relieved to get rid of it because it never felt reliable and did stall on us a few times while chugging uphill.
The ride was pretty uneventful and Mark made good time overall. We went via Atenas as we wanted to eat there at La Carreta as we had not eaten there last time we were there. We got a trifle lost trying to find it, but were laughing at recalling how foreign Atenas felt on our first day in Costa Rica, but felt familiar and comfortable today. We had a lovely lunch. I had ceviche and Mark had a really good burrito. I had my last pineapple smoothie - made with only water and pineapple. I will miss them; maybe I will learn to whip up my own.
We also went to the Cooperative Mercado there and I got some of the peach tea that they make here which I also really like and want to take home with me. And, Mark got some more coffee, too, to take home.
We are now at a nondescript Hampton Inn. We could be anywhere in the world. I am not saying that it is not nice, but it does not feel at all like the adventurous and funky and quirky places we have been staying. And, naturally, the internet works here like a charm.
We returned our Hyundai Tucson very easily which was quite surprising. We were relieved to get rid of it because it never felt reliable and did stall on us a few times while chugging uphill.
Monday, March 23, 2015
What a last day at Hacienda Baru! Fabulous. March 23
What a fabulous last "real" day in Paradise! We LOVE Hacienda Baru.
We had a fabulous bird walk at 6 a.m. with 25-year-old Olman. He was our best guide yet. All the guides have been very knowledgeable, gracious and proud of their country and birds, but Olman was also joyous and had no sense of ego about it at all, happy when others spotted things first, making sure everyone got a good look through the scope. The other two couples were also great - a pair of doctors from Berlin and a pair of retired people from Switzerland. (He had been a diplomat in Washington DC for almost 5 years.)
After the walk, the doctors and Mark and I had breakfast and chatted for well over an hour.
Then, Mark and I had a lazy day of reading, reading the bird book, sitting by the pool and savoring our last full day of holiday. We had a lovely meal at the restaurant here. (Mark - rice, beans, chicken as a typical dish for tonight and mahimahi for me. Yummy.
There was one sad note. The baby potoo that we have been watching since we arrived was killed by a predator. He did not yet know how to fly and was vulnerable sitting motionless on his stump. Olman found feathers. The reserve is sad because they have never had a potoo nest and had been watching the bird develop every day.
This is what we saw, again coordinated with the bird book so that we can look these up and enjoy them later.
A short-billed pigeon (calling, too) 86
Cherries Tanagers (frequent sightings - we LOVE this beautiful bird. And, it is endemic to
this area.
Great-tailed Grackles 317
Cattle Egrets - flying in a lovely flock. 22
Charming hummingbirds 125 (Just gorgeous!)
Variable seed eater....294
Red-Crowned Woodpecker.....157. Note: There are no red-bellied woodpeckers in Costa Rica
Chestnut-sided Warbler....258
Inca Doves (What we thought at Manuel Antonio were Inca Dolls!)....88
Great Kiskadees....all calling "Kis - da- dee!" .....210
Boat-billed Flycatchers.....210
Summer Tanagers....284
Orange-chinned Parakeets - saw some chattering and flying over, but later, finally got to see
one perched.......94
Bananaquits.....276
Clay-colored robins.....250. This rather drab bird is, remarkably, the national bird of Costa Rica. But,
evidently, it is the birds many lovely songs that have endeared it to the country.
Rufous-tailed hummingbirds......128
Palm Tanagers....290
Ruddy ground dove....I couldn't find this in the book, so may have misheard the name. It is
not easy writing them all down!
Black mandible Toucans (formerly called Chestnut Mandible) We got great looks at these birds
today and even saw one in its nest, poking its great bill out. Unbelievably, it nests by the
restaurant, so we could have seen them every day. These birds' bills are so heavy that they
do not fly long distances, but fly from tree to tree. They also keep their bills open to cool
themselves off, a behavior we got to observe closely. 154
Yellow Warblers, now called Mangrove Warblers here......258
Red-legged Honey Creepers....p 292. This was a real highlight for us and Mark got a good photo, too.
A gorgeous bird.
Roadside Hawks...42.
Spot-crowned Euphonia - endemic to the area. The Euphonias were real highlights for us, too.
p 326
Fiery-billed Aracari 155
Riverside Wrens.....240
Broad-winged hawks....42
Piratic flycatcher.....192
Yellow-crowned Euphonia...endemic and endearing.....326
Yellow-throated Euponia....326
Golden-hooded Tanager.....288. Another amazingly gorgeous bird
Streaked flycatcher....212
Tropical Kingbird....212
Brown Jays...230
Grey-capped Flycatcher....94
Other things:
variegated squirrels. There are 15 squirrel species in Costa Rica
White-nosed Coati (Wow)
Spiney Cedar Trees - prickly.
No native trees can legally be cut down in Costa Rica. They planted teak from Asia to cut.
Leaf cutter ants - very specialized. They have soldiers to guard them, cutters, cleaners, nurses etc etc. They use the leaves as compost and plant a fungus which they eat. Very impressive to watch.
We had a fabulous bird walk at 6 a.m. with 25-year-old Olman. He was our best guide yet. All the guides have been very knowledgeable, gracious and proud of their country and birds, but Olman was also joyous and had no sense of ego about it at all, happy when others spotted things first, making sure everyone got a good look through the scope. The other two couples were also great - a pair of doctors from Berlin and a pair of retired people from Switzerland. (He had been a diplomat in Washington DC for almost 5 years.)
After the walk, the doctors and Mark and I had breakfast and chatted for well over an hour.
Then, Mark and I had a lazy day of reading, reading the bird book, sitting by the pool and savoring our last full day of holiday. We had a lovely meal at the restaurant here. (Mark - rice, beans, chicken as a typical dish for tonight and mahimahi for me. Yummy.
There was one sad note. The baby potoo that we have been watching since we arrived was killed by a predator. He did not yet know how to fly and was vulnerable sitting motionless on his stump. Olman found feathers. The reserve is sad because they have never had a potoo nest and had been watching the bird develop every day.
This is what we saw, again coordinated with the bird book so that we can look these up and enjoy them later.
A short-billed pigeon (calling, too) 86
Cherries Tanagers (frequent sightings - we LOVE this beautiful bird. And, it is endemic to
this area.
Great-tailed Grackles 317
Cattle Egrets - flying in a lovely flock. 22
Charming hummingbirds 125 (Just gorgeous!)
Variable seed eater....294
Red-Crowned Woodpecker.....157. Note: There are no red-bellied woodpeckers in Costa Rica
Chestnut-sided Warbler....258
Inca Doves (What we thought at Manuel Antonio were Inca Dolls!)....88
Great Kiskadees....all calling "Kis - da- dee!" .....210
Boat-billed Flycatchers.....210
Summer Tanagers....284
Orange-chinned Parakeets - saw some chattering and flying over, but later, finally got to see
one perched.......94
Bananaquits.....276
Clay-colored robins.....250. This rather drab bird is, remarkably, the national bird of Costa Rica. But,
evidently, it is the birds many lovely songs that have endeared it to the country.
Rufous-tailed hummingbirds......128
Palm Tanagers....290
Ruddy ground dove....I couldn't find this in the book, so may have misheard the name. It is
not easy writing them all down!
Black mandible Toucans (formerly called Chestnut Mandible) We got great looks at these birds
today and even saw one in its nest, poking its great bill out. Unbelievably, it nests by the
restaurant, so we could have seen them every day. These birds' bills are so heavy that they
do not fly long distances, but fly from tree to tree. They also keep their bills open to cool
themselves off, a behavior we got to observe closely. 154
Yellow Warblers, now called Mangrove Warblers here......258
Red-legged Honey Creepers....p 292. This was a real highlight for us and Mark got a good photo, too.
A gorgeous bird.
Roadside Hawks...42.
Spot-crowned Euphonia - endemic to the area. The Euphonias were real highlights for us, too.
p 326
Fiery-billed Aracari 155
Riverside Wrens.....240
Broad-winged hawks....42
Piratic flycatcher.....192
Yellow-crowned Euphonia...endemic and endearing.....326
Yellow-throated Euponia....326
Golden-hooded Tanager.....288. Another amazingly gorgeous bird
Streaked flycatcher....212
Tropical Kingbird....212
Brown Jays...230
Grey-capped Flycatcher....94
Other things:
variegated squirrels. There are 15 squirrel species in Costa Rica
White-nosed Coati (Wow)
Spiney Cedar Trees - prickly.
No native trees can legally be cut down in Costa Rica. They planted teak from Asia to cut.
Leaf cutter ants - very specialized. They have soldiers to guard them, cutters, cleaners, nurses etc etc. They use the leaves as compost and plant a fungus which they eat. Very impressive to watch.
March 22, a Day in the Jungle
We woke to a lovely day......nice and early. The noises in the night were quite amazing. At dusk, the insect noises were ear-piercingly loud and shrill.
Then, off to a lovely al fresco breakfast with our fellow French mates in our area of the reserve. All the cabins (6) are full, but the inhabitants are all on morning hikes, so we have not met them yet. It is incredibly peaceful and beautiful here - a true garden of paradise. We went to see the baby potoo this morning and he was as still as he was last night. He looks like part of the stump and quite reptilian, rather than avian. Evidently, his mother drops by to feed him, but we have not seen her.
We had planned a waterfall hike in the morning coolness, but found out that is is quite strenuous and over 4 kilometers each way. Plus, it is closed on Sundays. We could still go because the reserve here can get us in, but we opted out. There is no point in pushing Mark's knee like that.
Instead, we took one of the reserve trails and walked through the rain forest to the beach. We saw truly amazing trees and vines and flowers. At times, it was fragrant. The tallest trees are ceibos and guanacastes. We also were fascinated by a calabash tree with large fruit used by the pre-Columbians as drinking gourds. The beach is wide, sandy, huge and ferocious...way too dangerous for swimming. We saw a beautiful whimbrel, snowy egret and some brown Pelicans. We also think we saw a black eagle, but are not positive and Mark's photo may be too far away.Afterwards, we showered as we were drenched in sweat with the humidity. I think it was a 4 shower day!
We drove to Uvita, about 10 miles south. It was not much to see, rather strung out along the road. But the beach area in between, Playa Hermosa, (yes, another one), was beautiful and we stopped for a while. We met an interesting man who told us he was one of the original Italians who settled in San Vito in the mountains. About 140 families immigrated here in the early 1950s. He was only 2 at the time, but grew up speaking Italian and Spanish and holds both passports.
Then, we went back to Pescado Loco for a late lunch and had the delicious fish tacos. Again.
A sloth-like afternoon for us, after a scare at losing our room key which also has the key to the room safe where we keep the passports. After searching the car and our backpacks more than once, we walked to the office to get help, and, lo! the security guard had found them in the parking lot next to our car after we had pulled out. Whew!
The wildlife is amazing. Hummingbirds, iguanas, lizards, tanagers, flycatchers, wrens....and lots we cannot identify.
We hung out at the restaurant tonight having a pineapple drink (addicted to), doing Internet and sharing a meal when an agouti wandered by, a strange looking animal....some sort of large rodent. Look one up.
We had planned a waterfall hike in the morning coolness, but found out that is is quite strenuous and over 4 kilometers each way. Plus, it is closed on Sundays. We could still go because the reserve here can get us in, but we opted out. There is no point in pushing Mark's knee like that.
Instead, we took one of the reserve trails and walked through the rain forest to the beach. We saw truly amazing trees and vines and flowers. At times, it was fragrant. The tallest trees are ceibos and guanacastes. We also were fascinated by a calabash tree with large fruit used by the pre-Columbians as drinking gourds. The beach is wide, sandy, huge and ferocious...way too dangerous for swimming. We saw a beautiful whimbrel, snowy egret and some brown Pelicans. We also think we saw a black eagle, but are not positive and Mark's photo may be too far away.Afterwards, we showered as we were drenched in sweat with the humidity. I think it was a 4 shower day!
We drove to Uvita, about 10 miles south. It was not much to see, rather strung out along the road. But the beach area in between, Playa Hermosa, (yes, another one), was beautiful and we stopped for a while. We met an interesting man who told us he was one of the original Italians who settled in San Vito in the mountains. About 140 families immigrated here in the early 1950s. He was only 2 at the time, but grew up speaking Italian and Spanish and holds both passports.
Then, we went back to Pescado Loco for a late lunch and had the delicious fish tacos. Again.
A sloth-like afternoon for us, after a scare at losing our room key which also has the key to the room safe where we keep the passports. After searching the car and our backpacks more than once, we walked to the office to get help, and, lo! the security guard had found them in the parking lot next to our car after we had pulled out. Whew!
The wildlife is amazing. Hummingbirds, iguanas, lizards, tanagers, flycatchers, wrens....and lots we cannot identify.
We hung out at the restaurant tonight having a pineapple drink (addicted to), doing Internet and sharing a meal when an agouti wandered by, a strange looking animal....some sort of large rodent. Look one up.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
March 21 - Our first toucan and potoo In Hacienda Baru
We are creatures of habit and we often return to restaurants where we have had good meals. So, we ate breakfast again at Emilio's - good food, great coffee, fabulous views. What could be better? And, we realize that we have only eaten breakfast out twice during this entire trip - and both were at Emilio's. Otherwise, we have been at bed and breakfasts or we made our own. (With the possible exception of a token breakfast at the internet cafe in Santa Elena, but just to justify sitting there doing our internet. We had already had our own, proper breakfast)
We drove less than an hour south to a game reserve where we are in a largish room. It is called Hacienda Baru and it is outside Dominical. It is really jungle. After checking in, we went to Dominical, a little, funky surfing town where, by a stroke of luck, they were having a national surfing competition. Wow...what waves and an eclectic crowd of all ages with a surprising number of youngsters surfing. It was carnival-like and festive.
We ate at Pescado Loco, a little open air fish and chip shop run by a young American couple from Alaska. I had a fish taco and Mark had fish and chips. Then, we went to a supermarket to have dinner at our little cottage which has a fridge.
We then sat around the pool with two French couples and....saw four Capuchin monkeys in a nearby tree, plus a chestnut mandible TOUCAN! Yay! Our first. The birds and flowers on this private reserve are quite amazing. How often can a person sit Ina swimming pool and watch monkeys playing, see hummingbirds, flycatchers, tanagers....and a toucan? And, the insects are actually quite deafening! We are very, very lucky...even if there is no air conditioning and limited wifi only at the restaurant! And, just before we headed to bed in our cabin, a baby potoo was pointed out to us....on a tree stump, very still. You'd never know it was there. (It was pointed out to us by a security guard.)
Saturday, March 21, 2015
March 20 - A lazy, wonderful last day in Manuel Antonio
We ate breakfast at Emilio's which was very good and we wished that we were here for a few more days to try a few other meals there, but settled for breakfast. Then, we read by the pool all morning. For lunch, we returned to Falafel for a repeat meal of hummus (me) and schwarma (Mark). Then, we read by the pool. (We watched the antics of Cherrie's tanagers) For dinner, we could not resist a return to Raphael's Terrazos as I really wanted to have the tuna that Mark had two nights ago, as he claimed it to be the best tuna he'd EVER had, a really big compliment.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Manuel Antonio National Park, March 19
Today, we got up early and drove to Manuel Antonio State Reserve. And, it was good we did because, when we left in mid-morning, it was mobbed. We hired a guide, Wilbur and we are also very glad that we did that, as he found things that we never would have seen in a million years, plus was knowledgable about the plants and other animals. We paid for a group tour (which could have been up to 20 people). But, as we were there before the park even opened, we ended up paying for a group, but having a private tour as it was just the two of us.
We walked (a very easy walk) for about an hour or two and then, he left us at the beach. Again, there were few people there when we arrived and we had a lovely swim.
No denying that it is hot and humid here, but there was some cloud cover today, which made it better. Mark has had an allergic reaction to sunblock and has a rather vivid red rash on his cheeks and forehead, so we are being very careful in the sun.
For those not interested in the birds, ignore the following! Again, it is paginated to the bird book we are using.
The first birds we saw on a wire, Wilbur called "inca dolls" but we cannot find them in the book.
-Band-tailed pigeon 87 (could have been short billed?)
-Cherrie's Tanager 287 (We also saw this by the pool yesterday)
-Ruff-sided hawk - I could not find this in the book and may have misunderstood him
-A flock of Crimson-fronted parakeets. (Later, we heard Orange-fronted parakeets, but did
not see them. p 95
-Tropical Kingbird p 213 (gorgeous!)
-Lesser Nighthawk, p113. This was so blended in resting motionless on a branch and is such a
small hawk, although, we understand that, in flight, the wings are long. This is one of the birds
Mark and I would NEVER have noticed. A great bird.
-Chestnut-sided Warbler, p259. Beautiful.
-Riverside Wren (lovely song)
-Great Crested Flycatcher p 209. The guides were all very excited by this sighting as this bird
has not been seen here much of late.
-White necked Puffbird, p 151. Another great bird! We were excited to see this one.What a beak...
-Hummingbirds: Violet headed, and one he called stripe throated, but I cannot find that one in
the book.
-Black-hooded Antshrike p 177 - endemic to this area
Other things we saw:
A golden orb spider in its web,
Two, very motionless blobs of hair - otherwise known as the 2-Toed Slothb
Two gorgeous, large blue Morpho butterflies
White faced Capuchin monkeys
Heard Howler Monkeys in the early morning at the apartment, plus making a racket in the park.
Wilbur heard other birds, but I will not list them as we did not see them. We really, really, really wanted to see a toucan and the closest we came was a glimpse of wings that was a Fiery-billed Arcari. Boy, did we wish we could have seen it to really see it, but it was not to be. Yet.
We were tired and hot when we were finished, so came back to 11Up, where we are living, washed our clothes, took cold showers and a rest, plus looked up the birds that we saw.
For lunch, we went just up the street to Falafel, which was the name of one of our favorite restaurants in Cairo. Mark had schwarma and I had a hummus plate; both were fantastic. We chatted for a long time with two British couples who were very interesting; they met at a hotel in Gatwick 42 years ago, both having just been married that day and en route to their respective honeymoons. They have remained close friends and travel together frequently - to China, Thailand, Australia and three weeks here.
After lunch, we ventured into Quepos to get some aloe and just look around. There was not much to see as it is a rather busy, rather poor town and, unfortunately, has polluted its beach.
Then, a dip in the pool and later, to dinner at Agua Azul which is rght by our hotel. It was very busy and we both had interesting dinners. Mark had tuna with a ginger aoili dressing and I had a "plantain tower" - which was rather like a salsa in layers. It was delicious.
For lunch, we went just up the street to Falafel, which was the name of one of our favorite restaurants in Cairo. Mark had schwarma and I had a hummus plate; both were fantastic. We chatted for a long time with two British couples who were very interesting; they met at a hotel in Gatwick 42 years ago, both having just been married that day and en route to their respective honeymoons. They have remained close friends and travel together frequently - to China, Thailand, Australia and three weeks here.
After lunch, we ventured into Quepos to get some aloe and just look around. There was not much to see as it is a rather busy, rather poor town and, unfortunately, has polluted its beach.
Then, a dip in the pool and later, to dinner at Agua Azul which is rght by our hotel. It was very busy and we both had interesting dinners. Mark had tuna with a ginger aoili dressing and I had a "plantain tower" - which was rather like a salsa in layers. It was delicious.
March 18 - from the dry to the humid - to Quepos - long day!
Then, we drove southward to Quepos. It was less than 200 miles, but took us most of the day with the two-lane roads and waiting for trucks and busses. We stopped outside of Liberia for, yes, a McDonald's, probably Mark's first big mac in 20 years! The landscape changed as we moved south - ever greener and with steep mountains to our east. It was dry in the north, but it is humid here and the vegetation got ever thicker. It is a jungle.
Before we got to Quepos, we stopped on an overlook and saw a flock of scarlet macaws by the roadside - absolutely magnificent. In addition, there were several more frigatebirds which are also awesome. They made our day!
We are staying in a funny hotel down the side of the cliff on the approach to Manuel Antonio Park, the most visited park in Costa Rica. We are in 11 UP - a "suite" with a good view. The bedroom is spartan with a double bed which will feel rather small. The other room, an unairconditioned porch, really has a refrigerator, one chair and a hammock. So, we cannot cook, but we can keep water cold. It is not luxumrious by any stretch of the imagination, but funky and it will do us for three nights.
We were really tired from the drive and went for a quick dip in the pool before heading toward the park to eat at Raphael's Terrazos. It was excellent! We split a sushi roll and Mark had seared tuna with a mushroom sauce and I had mahi mahi in a lemon sauce. The vegetables were excellent, too.
We heard from Nick; he is visiting Jecca for a night before heading back to the island. They are still in the grip of winter. We plan to get up early to go toe Manuel Antonio tomorrow; we bought some nuts and water to take in there for the day as there are no concessions in the park.
Happy St. Patrick's Day in Costa Rica!
We had a relaxing day today at the resort.
We went swimming at the beach which was nice as there are lounge chairs in the shade. We took the little shuttle bus down there. There were no crashing waves, which was also nice. But, the highlight was the completely asleep monkey in a nearby tree. He was so asleep that his arm hung down limply.
Otherwise, we read the news, read our books and enjoyed the weather.
We went swimming at the beach which was nice as there are lounge chairs in the shade. We took the little shuttle bus down there. There were no crashing waves, which was also nice. But, the highlight was the completely asleep monkey in a nearby tree. He was so asleep that his arm hung down limply.
Otherwise, we read the news, read our books and enjoyed the weather.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
March 16.....what have we done? So unlike us.
We went to the beach here before breakfast to look for birds and were not disappointed. We saw a Baltimore Oriole, a blue-crowned MotMot, and another Oriole which we think is either the Streak-backed or Bullock's. And, we saw a beautiful, mostly yellow bird that we cannot identify and will get help on when we get back home.
At breakfast and at lunch we watched a white throated magpie jay steal food in the cafeteria, too, which was humorous.
After breakfast we had our mandatory meeting with the timeshare people as we got these five days through a promotion. We vowed that we would NEVER buy timeshare again, but.....this one is a bit different which I will not bore anyone with by explaining, but....we actually did buy. I can imagine what our kids' faces will be like when they read this. And, they will have to wait for the full explanation when we get home. Enough said. We are a bit embarrassed, but also feel like we did not make a mistake. We hope.
After lunch, we filled in our March Madness brackets in the group, called the Whalers, organized by David.
Then, another amazing coincidence...we met Ben and his baby son there! We know so few people in Costa Rica and the odds of him being there at the same time as us are miniscule. He was there with a friend to register a boat. It was fun to see him again and he promises to get the proper emails for Nina and Rhianne as mine did not go through.
On the way home, we saw an unidentified bird on a wire, possibly a chachalaca, but we will need help to identify.
We ate dinner at Heliconia's, the a la carte restaurant here as we are entitled to a meal there. It was quite good and we had a pleasant evening.
At breakfast and at lunch we watched a white throated magpie jay steal food in the cafeteria, too, which was humorous.
After breakfast we had our mandatory meeting with the timeshare people as we got these five days through a promotion. We vowed that we would NEVER buy timeshare again, but.....this one is a bit different which I will not bore anyone with by explaining, but....we actually did buy. I can imagine what our kids' faces will be like when they read this. And, they will have to wait for the full explanation when we get home. Enough said. We are a bit embarrassed, but also feel like we did not make a mistake. We hope.
After lunch, we filled in our March Madness brackets in the group, called the Whalers, organized by David.
- After that, we went to Playa Coco just to walk the street, see the beach there. I bought a few souvenirs for 2 of the grandchildren and some postcards. We saw a woodpecker briefly, but not enough to identify or photograph. We had a great view of a Magnificent Frigatebird. The photos might not be sharp enough to see clearly, but we had a great view of it with our eyes.
Then, another amazing coincidence...we met Ben and his baby son there! We know so few people in Costa Rica and the odds of him being there at the same time as us are miniscule. He was there with a friend to register a boat. It was fun to see him again and he promises to get the proper emails for Nina and Rhianne as mine did not go through.
On the way home, we saw an unidentified bird on a wire, possibly a chachalaca, but we will need help to identify.
We ate dinner at Heliconia's, the a la carte restaurant here as we are entitled to a meal there. It was quite good and we had a pleasant evening.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Ides of March in Costa Rica
Well, no Julius Caesar or Brutus in sight here; it must be the wrong year!
A lazy day in the sun.
I started my day with a yoga class by the pool.
We have our first tv since arrival in Costa Rica and cannot say we have missed it, but it was a treat to watch some of the Indian Wells Tennis last night and we hope to catch a bit more today.
We have seen a few parrots, boat tailed grackles, white-throated magpie jays, a motmot and a cute little rufous-naped wren was close to us during lunch.
We also saw about 8 iguanas have a conference on the lawn. We wonder what a group of iguanas is called collectively. Anyone?
A lazy day in the sun.
We have our first tv since arrival in Costa Rica and cannot say we have missed it, but it was a treat to watch some of the Indian Wells Tennis last night and we hope to catch a bit more today.
We have seen a few parrots, boat tailed grackles, white-throated magpie jays, a motmot and a cute little rufous-naped wren was close to us during lunch.
We also saw about 8 iguanas have a conference on the lawn. We wonder what a group of iguanas is called collectively. Anyone?
Saturday, March 14, 2015
March 14 - moving from Playa Grande to Playa Hermosa
Mahmoud and Nadia took off for Monteverde and then to Atenas, so they have a long day, but, they are young and will have a grand time. Nina and Rhianne took off to see the Monkey Farm where monkeys are rehabilitated. The place sounds interesting and we were invited to go; they do aquaponics etc etc there. But, it is in the opposite direction of where we needed to go today, so we, regretfully declined and said goodbye to them, too. But, we are sure that our paths will cross again in the future.
We did get slightly lost; we took the grey route on the map which was mostly dirt road. But, we got lost right away as the road was not marked outside of Potrero. But, we asked directions and did a little backtracking. The directions were to go around the soccer field (where we had actually turned around 15 minutes earlier!) and take the unmarked dirt road. We were happy we took the dirt road - no traffic and beautiful countryside. The photo below does not show how steep and narrow the road was; it just can't capture it. Then, when we got near the coast, we went to the wrong Villas Del Sol - the one in Playa de Coco, not Playa Hermana. Again, no harm done as they are pretty close together.
We are now in an all-inclusive large resort, not in a town, but near the beach. It is situated on a big hill, so we have awesome views. We had to wait several hours to check in, but had lunch at the buffet style restaurant. This is the first all-inclusive we have ever done, rather like what we imagine a cruise ship is like with the opportunity to eat and drink too much. We plan to do the opposite - stick to the salad bar, fruit and a little bit of meat. The alcohol does not tempt us.
We are in a single room, but it is spacious and has a little fridge. We have a nice balcony and the bathroom is great. So, although this place has mediocre reviews, we think it will be fine. And, we are close enough to the lobby that we are getting wifi in our room , something we did not expect.
We had dinner at the restaurant. It was quite good. We read a lot of negative reviews, but, the Mexican-themed dinner was delicious and the service was excellent. Overall, a very nice day.
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