Our good friends Renee & Rob came to visit us here in early February. Renee, like myself, is a retired bus driver. We have known each other for over 35 years, and have spent many hours together on the golf course, celebrating birthdays, and just sitting and talking with our spouses and friends. Rob is quieter than Renee, but as we found out, has a wonderful sense of humor and can give a zinger as well as anyone we know. They were here for 16 days, and the time went so quickly that we were genuinely sad to see them go. They both have huge hearts and, as most of their friends know, have opened their house to many people who needed a place to stay for a while. So it was fun to open our house in Costa Rica to these two. Karma came around and thanked them.
We went to many places that I have written about in previous blog entries. Tram ride over the canopy of the Rainforest. Britt coffee tour. Sibu chocolate tour. Toucan Rescue Ranch tour. Manuel Antonio National Park tour with our favorite guide Ricardo. Wonderful meals at one of our favorite restaurants, Raphael’s Terrazas in Manuel Antonio.
All of these were fun to explore with them, but we did go to a place Deb and I had only heard about, but never had visited. Monteverde, located northwest of where we live, in the province of Puntarenas. It is over a 4 hour drive to get there, and the scenery is beautiful. One thing Deb and I had consistently heard about the drive was the terrible road conditions leading up the slope of the mountain to get to the city. Terrible road? That doesn’t begin to describe what we experienced. It was 11 miles of the worse road I have ever been on. Anywhere. Any time. Summer. Winter. The worse. If I was a Chiropractor I would have my office there and never run out of patients.
That being said, we enjoyed our time there, once we arrived! We walked through the Selvatura Park with a tour guide. We crossed over 8 hanging bridges, some over 500 feet long and 180 feet over the floor of the forest. That alone was worth the terrible road conditions. You will see pictures from that tour on this blog. The four of us really enjoyed that tour. It was the first real adventure for Renee and Rob in Costa Rica, and we could tell how much they loved it. That, for Deb and I, made it even more special. They had come for their trip after having temps back in the Twin Cities of -25 degrees and worse! And here they were, walking through a Rainforest in Costa Rica, dressed in shorts and t-shirts, just a few days later. What a difference a couple of days and a couple of thousand miles makes!
We rented a house in Manuel Antonio for 4 days, celebrating Renee’s birthday while we were there. It was perfectly located for our needs, and allowed us privacy from other people that we wouldn’t have had in a hotel. We did have visitors one afternoon. A group of about 7 or more capuchin monkeys decided to play and romp around in the yard in front of the house. Renee and Rob couldn’t believe this was happening in front of them. I think Renee must have taken a dozen pictures, maybe more. Welcome to Costa Rica!
The two ladies celebrated Renee’s birthday in a very special way. They went parasailing! Off the beach in Manuel Antonio! They were up for about 15 minutes, and the smiles on their faces said everything. I will include a couple of photos from that so you know I wasn’t hallucinating! They actually did it!! Happy Birthday Renee.
And now, pictures.
Hummingbird at a feeder in Monteverde.
Tarantula on our walk in Selvatura Park, Monteverde.
Deb and our guide in Selvatura Park. Notice the enormity of the tree trunk!
Butterfly on Rob’s shoulder at Selvatura Park. Look how big the wingspan is!
Casa Bella, the house the four of us rented in Manuel Antonio.
Yep, that’s Deb and Renee parasailing, just after lifting off the ground!
After landing, Deb being brought back to shore.
Can you tell she enjoyed the experience?!?!
Renee and Deb, think they were discussing their wonderful husbands!
Sunset from the beach at Manuel Antonio.
A visitor to Casa Bella.
This guy was just “hanging around” in Manuel Antonio!
Both Renee and Rob took part in the tour at Britt Coffee. Renee was interviewing for a job as a coffee bean picker. Rob was trying his hand at being a professional coffee taster. Both of them volunteered to be part of the demonstrations. Renee may look better in her outfit, but I’d prefer Rob’s job!
Baby sloths from the Toucan Rescue Ranch. Dios, son tan lindos!
One final photo, a sloth from the Toucan Rescue Ranch, that will soon be released back to the wild.
To Renee and Rob, thanks for the wonderful visit. Touring, dining, playing games, your company. The porch seems a little empty without you both.
Pura Vida.
Deb and Tim.
Deb & Tim's Adventure 