A Lesson from Manuel

Often trips are more about the people you meet then the places you go.

On our second day in Costa Rica, we were wandering around the condo wondering where dad was. When we looked across the street we saw him sitting on a log talking to the guy on beach who rents surf boards. We went across the street to join in the conversation and talk to the man about surf lessons. He introduced himself as Manuel. He wasn't pushy or forceful with trying to sell us stuff, just simply offering up the information we had asked for. I've been intrigued watching Manuel daily as he goes about his work. Like clockwork he rolls in with his push cart of surfboards and lawn chairs, sets up, takes down and repeats. 

Over our time here we have learned a lot about Manuel and he has become more than the guy just renting surfboards and more of a friend. He is originally from Nicaragua, but has lived in Costa Rica for the last four years. All his family (including mom, two sisters, niece and nephew) still live in Nicaragua. Despite Nicaragua not being more than a couple hours drive away he doesn't get home to see his family much because of work. Upon hearing this, mom invited him for Christmas dinner. 

Tonight Manuel joined us for our family evening of Christmas food and fun, which also gave us a chance to get to know him even more. Manuel is currently taking English classes to try and get a better grasp of the language. Despite this his use of the language is very good and he tries hard to always try and find the right words. He hopes to go back to school within the next year or two and find a career path for himself. He aspires to have a home of his own one day. 

He was very intrigued learning about our Candian culture asking questions about everything from our house size to our food to our wildlife. Canada and England are the two places he would most like to visit some day. 

We were sitting at dinner when he said one of the most heartfelt things I have heard in a while "I'd rather have a million friends than a million dollars". He went on to talk about how good of friends he has here in Costa Rica in lieu of his family. 

I think we can all take something from Manuel, especially on Christmas. Here is a man that has very little but yet has so much fulfillment out of life. We should all take a step back and put the things we have into perspective every once in a while. When we're having a bad day at work or are upset about the present we didn't get for Christmas be grateful. Be grateful for the family and friends that are always there with you, as they're more precious than all the things. 

Manuel ended the evening stating this was the best Christmas dinner he'd ever had and gave us all a hug. Before he left we had to remind him that Santa didn't forget him and gave him a soccer ball and flip flops that we had bought at the local store. Dinner and a few presents lightened his day, which is all we could ask for this Christmas when we are already so blessed being in this gorgeous location. 

Screw Malls! My Favourite way to spend Christmas Eve

After the adventures of the last few days we decided to take it easy today (or as easy as the Nicoll's can). 

We went out for breakfast at taco bar, where they offer $3 morning meals. We once again enjoyed the swing seating. 

Then we were off to the MaxiPali to do some grocery shopping. MaxiPali is like a condensed Walmart where they have everything from computers to produce. It's always an experience grocery shopping in a new country! 

Dad especially liked MaxiPali because of their beer selection. 

After our morning outings we finally got a chance to enjoy our condo pool. 

After a cool down swim we took a walk to the north end of the beach (again), which is covered by large volcano rocks. 

Dad went into survivor man mode cracking a coconut to drink the water and eat.

We celebrated Christmas Eve this evening, with a dinner at one of the finer resteraunts in Jaco; Lemon Zest. What a great meal with great company! 

A beach day on Christmas Eve is my favorite way to spend the lead up to the holiday!  

Curled up in the condo now watching Christmas Vacation! That's all those who can stay awake. 

L

It's not a Nicoll vacation without a little bit of puke

Yesterday we woke up bright and early as the rooster crowed in the farm next door. It may have been early but it offered a great view of the volcano out of our hotel door.

After a Costa Rican breakfast we drove to Sky Adventures where we took on  three activities for the morning. We started off with three zip lines through the rainforest. 

We had our first monkey sighting, spotting a pack of spider monkeys in between the zip lines. The final zip line ended at a huge platform a top of the tree. Mom asked how do we get down? The guide answered, jump... He wasn't kidding. Although it was less of a jump and more of a controlled descent to the river below. Mom was still freaking out and had to get the guide to basically push her over the edge! 

Watch Lauren on her descent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIkTsasrdMg 

Once we reached the river below we got suited up to ride the rapids down the river in tubes. 

This was the most fun of the day and also the funniest at the same time. While Lauren and I enjoyed every moment of the ride, Mom looked petrified and like she was about to hurl. Dad on the other hand was enjoying the ride while puking over the side of the tube. In his words, "that was the best thing ever, even with the puking". 

You can watch some of the ride (minus the puking) at: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9pjlsUdlVE 

We would highly recommend Sky Adventures to anyone who comes to La Fortuna! Definetley a must do!! 

Along our way home from the adventure packed morning we got another wildlife encounter along the side of the road. 

http://youtu.be/L9pjlsUdlVEThese little critters are like Costa Rican raccoons. They use there long nose to dig into the dirt to find stuff to eat. They also graciously accept food from passing by cars, although it was frowned upon to do so. 

Our last stop before leaving La Fortuna was the natural hot springs. As you drive around the volcano there are at least 50 signs of hotels offering springs, which cost upwards of $50 to get into. With a little bit of research we found a free place through a little walkway in the forest that you can take in the natural hot springs. 

Imagine you are sitting in a river, that is natures hot tub, the current the jets massaging your back surrounded my a rainforest... That's what this was! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLpC5YBt_OM

After we were relaxed from the hot springs it was time to drive home. We took a different route to avoid the death roads we took on the way there. We got a great view of Arenal lake on the way back to Jaco. 

It's about the journey not the destination

Today we departed Jaco for a two day road trip up to La Fortuna. I don't think I have the words to describe the roads we took to get here. They were basically single lane roads, but managed to squeeze two cars in either direction on them. There were first gear blind herapins which waved up and down the steep mountains. Shitbox Sally (our car) managed to get us here safely. 

After checking in to our hotel Kookomoro we enjoyed some lunch by the pool to prepare us for our big adventure. 

The central attraction in La Fortuna is the Arenal Volcano. It is an active volcano that has not erupted for 4 years. We did a 7km hike in the Arenal volcano national park. Most of the walk is hiking through forest but there were two lookout points where we got to see brilliant views of the volcano and lake Arenal. Our hike was going well until the last 2Kms when we got attacked by army ants and mom tripped over a rock. We all got out alive and with some great pictures! 

The other main attraction in La Fortuna is hot springs. The earth naturally heats the water which you can bath in. Our hotel has hot springs on site which we fully utilized. 

This evening we went into the town of La Fortuna where we were greeted with a holiday surprise. The town was having its Christmas parade along the main city street. Children (from what we believe to be different area schools) parade up the street as part of a band and played Christmas music. It was great to get a taste of the local holiday culture! 

After watching fhe Christmas parade, we went for dinner where I got the Costa Rican special. All this food and a beer cost $10... #steal 

wildlife and waves

First thing this morning we went for a walk to the north end of the beach. Along the way we found a baby turtle trying to make his way to the ocean. We lent him a hand (or a ride on a flip flop) to get him to the ocean. 

Our next wildlife encounter was with 40+crocodiles. About 10 minutes from our accommodation is a river which has crocodiles below. People line the bridge to see all the crocodiles below. They are not all that interesting of an animal, as they just lie there most of the day, but it was cool to see so many of them in one place. 

While we were viewing the crocodiles be got fresh coconut water (in the coconut) and a mango smoothie. Both deliciously fresh, especially in the heat of the day! 

The afternoon I took my first surf lesson with the Surfer Factory on Jaco Beach. I never thought surfing would be easy, but thought that I would enjoy learning... Well I was wrong. I did manage to catch a few waves and make it up on my board. But the whole experience was just not something I enjoyed. The instructor was super patient with me and helped achieve my goal of catching a wave. However, my surfing career was short lived. My sister on the other hand made her way to the big waves and was surfing home like a pro by the end! 

After watching the sunset over Jaco Beach we headed out for dinner to Taco Bar, where we got tacos and enjoyed the all you can eat salad bar. They even had swings as seats! 

We explored the Jaco strip some more and got some ice cream before calling it a night. 

Seeing with Light

It was hard to get a sense of our surroundings driving in, in the dark yesterday. Waking up and seeing our location in the  daylight today brought a new sense of excitement. Our accommodation is 10 whole steps from the beach, which is full of surfers, local merchants and stunning views of some of the surrounding mountains.

In the morning we went to the grocery store. The food selection is similar to what we have at home. One thing I have learned is that brushing up on some Spanish would not have hurt. People here are very accommodating in trying and communicate in English, but there have been some circumstances where a little bit of Spanish in the vocab would have helped. At the grocery store it took us a few minutes to comprehend that the clerk was trying to explain the beer bottles could be returned for the deposit. 

We got in the holiday spirit decorating our Christmas tree that mom insists on bringing to every foreign Christmas. We all secretly love it. 

We went for a walk down to the south end of the beach which gave us a great view of the whole Jaco beach. The water has some great wave breaks making it a popular surfing destination (hence why Jaco is a surf town). 

A great thing about Costa Rica is that beaches and mountains are in such close proximity. A 2 minute drive from our beach is Miro Mountain. In the late afternoon we pushed our little rental car up the mountain, which required 4 wheel drive the whole way. Once we reached a clearing we hiked the rest of the way to get some good sunset views. 

T

After safely making it down the mountain, we checked out our neighbouring Hermosa beach. Hermosa is home to the Quiksilver international surfing competition, which happens yearly in April. We weren't able to get a full appreciation of the beach because of the fading light, but got some great sunset pictures. 

Our day concluded with dinner of local fish, chicken and vegetables at our beachside condo. 

More adventures tomorrow, including Steph's first surf lesson... 

hello Central America

Yesterday we departed to Toronto on what is deemed the busiest travel day of the year. However when we arrived at the airport, it seemed as though the crowds had parted for us. There was no lineups anywhere in sight and our plane even departed early! 

After the 5 hour flight we landed in San Jose, Costa Rica. We were told that we were coming in during rush hour time, but we didn't expect it to be this busy! To anyone who claims Toronto traffic is bad, be thankful we have traffic lights. We were stuck in this round about that did not move. 

We eventually took a page from the local book and off roaded on the grass to take a short cut. 

After navigating the San Jose traffic, we were on our way to Jaco (1.5 drive from San Jose), in the dark. We did not get to see much along the route because of the dark but we did come across road side fruit stands where we got fresh avocado, watermelon and mangos. Couldn't ask for anything better!! 

Eventually we arrived at our accommodation which is right on the Jaco beach. Jaco is popular surf town on the west side of Costa Rica. The main strip is full of surf shops, restaurants and local stores. The town is not overly touristy, which gives you a chance to experience some of the local culture. 

We went out for dinner on the Jaco strip, which was delicious! Mom also thought that the bill was wrong when it came up to $30 for full dinners for four. Needless to say Costa Rica is extremely reasonable. 

That concluded our day 1 travel adventure to Costa Rica!