HOLA!
On Monday, March 12th, Dawn and Jeff arrived for a 12 day visit to Paradise. We were looking forward to spending time with them as we haven’t known them for that long. They are the parents of our wonderful daughter-in-law Alyssa. Erik and Alyssa got married exactly one week before we left for Costa Rica, and the two days we spent in Bemidji for the wedding was the most amount of time the 4 of us had spent together. The time with them here was great and we really blended well. Jeff and I have a similar sense of humor, so our poor wives suffered a lot. I apologize to both of them.
Deb put it best when she said that we were really good roommates! We all found time to ourselves as individuals and couples. The time we spent together was fun and relaxing. Both of them quickly realized what a beautiful country this is, and how truly friendly the people are. Deb and I say that the real beauty of Costa Rica are it’s people. They are so open and helpful. All of our visitors experienced this, and understand what we mean. Dawn and Jeff I’m sure agree.
We spent the first 5 days here in Santa Barbara, taking them to many of the same places that our previous guests had enjoyed. Sibu Chocolate tasting tour, visiting Grecia and Sarchi, and taking a scenic drive through the mountains around us were all on the agenda. We also went to The Toucan Rescue Ranch. They enjoyed the tour and seeing these rescued animals close up. Deb and I sat down and talked to a woman named Carol from the TRR and have basically set up our volunteering with the TRR when we return in November. YEA!!!! We will be volunteering at the Minnesota Zoo this summer, and then at the Toucan Rescue Ranch when we come back. We are really happy and excited about this. We feel that we have received so much from our time here, and this is a way for us to give back. Feels good.
After 5 days here we left for 6 days in Uvita. The town of Uvita is located on the Pacific ocean in the southern part of Costa Rica. Dawn and Jeff had arranged to rent a house for 3 days, and then an apartment for 3 more days. This was a part of CR we had only spent a few moments in, so this was a new experience for us too.
The house could only be described as “rustic”. I will include a photo or two of the house in this blog, so you can get a feeling for what I mean by rustic. It had no doors. No windows. No screens!!! Mosquito netting over the beds. Bats in the rafters. (Bats were not exactly Dawn’s favorite!). Bird nest in the rafters. Cold showers. And it was really perfect!!! We were about 250 feet from the beach. When we were on the beach we could see for about 3-4 city blocks each way and we were the only people there. Secluded, blue water, palm trees, sand crabs, heaven. It was hot, too much for Deb and I to spend a lot of time on the sand. Dawn and Jeff loved the heat, so it was perfect for them. Deb and I spent mornings in and near the water, and then went sight seeing and doing a little shopping. We would hear the howler monkeys and parrots every night as the sun set, and every morning as the sun rose. That was really neat. We saw monkeys in the trees around the house, toucans flying from tree to tree, and dozens of blue morpho butterflies. And parrots. Lots of parrots. Noisy, chattering parrots. When the parrots weren’t chattering, the song birds were filling the morning air with their melodies. It was wonderful.
The apartment we spent the last 3 days in was not rustic, but it was air conditioned!!! It was nice to sleep in air conditioning. The temp was in the upper 80’s by 10AM, with the humidity making it feel like it was 100. It wasn’t nearly as close to the water as the house, but the pool was cool and refreshing. Dawn and Jeff went down to the water to watch the surfers in late afternoon, and stayed to catch the sun slowly setting. Thanks to Dawn and Jeff for this experience in Uvita. Nice memories for all of us.
Like all of the visits we have had here with our friends, the time with Dawn and Jeff went way too fast. I guess that means we enjoyed not only the experiences we shared, but the time we spent together. They enjoyed themselves so much they are hoping to return next year. We both understand. We do consider this Paradise. They both referred to Costa Rica as Paradise. They understand.
A few pictures from our time together.
Jeff and Dawn. Smiling. That was what they did a lot of!!
A souvenir shop we found in the hills about an hour or so from our house. The owner was very interesting. Looked like an old Hippie hangout inside. We talked about the Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Buddy Guy, and more musicians from the 60’s and 70’s. It was a “trip” back in time. Enjoyable for sure.
A beautiful blue songbird near our house. The sloth was sleeping in a tree across from the apartment in Uvita.
The “Rustic” house. Bedrooms were on the 2nd floor. No doors. No windows. No screens. Bats. Birds. Howler monkeys, parrots, butterflies, and birds surrounded us. No worries.
Flowers are blooming year round. Everywhere. Color abounds. Gorgeous.
Dawn and Jeff. This was at the Aracari Restaurant. Organic food, smiling faces! We ate there twice and had Miguel as our server both times. He had a great sense of humor and added to our experience there. We found a waterfall on our travels through the Central Valley, and had to share a kiss in this romantic setting.
Greenery from around the rustic house. It was very lush there. No snow. No wind chill.
The tide coming in early one morning on the Pacific. On the right is a fresh water stream that feeds into the ocean. The water in the stream was very cool while the ocean is warm enough to take a bath in! The ocean down here is very warm compared to either of the coasts back in the States. It is very soothing to walk in.
Two different views of the same islands out from the beach near the rustic house. The pic on the left reminds me of a Corona Beer commercial! A couple of bottles with lime wedges sticking up from the necks. Am I right or what?!?!
A typical view from driving through the hills and mountains of Costa Rica. This was taken near Uvita, but could have been from anywhere in the southern 2/3 of this country. We have never taken scenes like this for granted, no matter how many times we have driven through the countryside. On the right is a pic of the beach near the rustic house. It was taken around 10AM, and we were the only people on the beach for as far as the eye could see.
Coconuts near the beach. Hundreds of coconuts around, palm trees everywhere. On the right side, a beautiful sunset on the Pacific.
Our waiter took this picture after our last meal together. Dawn and Jeff would be leaving the next morning. The time together went by way too fast. Before we knew it we were saying good bye at the airport. Thanks to both of you for a wonderful 12 days.
The smile on my face says it all. Costa Rica. Here with the best woman I ever met. Paradise.
Pura Vida.
Deb & Tim.
Deb & Tim's Adventure 