Vacation - Background
We’ve needed to get away, far away for a while. Work, LIFE, and families have really ground us down. It’s been a few years since we took a big trip. (2005 to Wine country Napa & Sonoma Valley.) In 2006 we took a couple of modest trips and a small break over the 2007 Easter holiday. Anyways, the point is we needed to get away from it all. We needed to go someplace where we didn’t know anyone AND didn’t have responsibilities or duties.Why Costa Rica?
We brainstormed and narrowed it down to Costa Rica or Greece. Then we thought “If we are going to have kids in the next few years, which of these destinations would be more kid friendly?” We thought Greece would be kid friendlier so we went to Costa Rica while we were kid free! We were both interested in seeing the rainforest and the animals. I’d read a few years back about Eco-tourism in Costa Rica, how they were trying to preserve the environment while letting people see the rainforest, and how it was the next big thing. It sounded very cool & exotic.
AND I’d get to see monkeys!! I love monkeys. I think they’re fascinating. How they move, how they solve problems, and the expressions on their faces.
Where in Costa Rica?
We decided on the Manuel Antonio area because it had a nice mix of beach and rainforest available to us without a lot of running around. HC likes to go some place and unpack. She doesn’t like to spend a few days here, then pack and go someplace else, etc.. She doesn’t feel relaxed or resting when she’s constantly on the move like that. It feels hectic to her.
Puddle jumper or shuttle van?
While making the arrangements I was debating “How” to get us from SJO to Manuel Antonio. There’s no easy way to get anywhere in Costa Rica (CR). Option #1: 20 minute puddle jumper ride OR Option #2 a 3.5 hour van/bus ride. The cost was close so I went with the van just in case we were late. The puddle jumper companies have a NO Refund policy and they “may not” re-book us on a later fight. (On further research there was also a 30 pound per person luggage weight limit. I pack pretty light but I don’t think I could have made the 30 pound limit for a 10 day trip.) I also wanted to go with the van ride so we’d get a chance to see more of CR. I figure it’s hard to tell anything apart from an airplane. But at ground level you’d see a lot. AND we’d have 3.5 hours to see it!!
Getting there:
PIT to CLT was a breeze. No issues. We had a 1 hour delay leaving CLT. Something about a malfunctioning flight attendant panel. It was worth the wait. Maybe it’s me but…I’d hate to find out the panel wasn’t working right at 30,000 feet!
As soon as they said we had to wait until the panel was fixed, I was glad I’d selected the shuttle van service. We would have missed our flight from SJO to Quepos. And been S-C-R-E-W-E-D.
Once the mechanical problem was fixed, we got to SJO, our luggage, through immigration, and to the shuttle van no problem. It was raining but that was the van driver’s problem not mine. I was glad I didn’t attempt to drive in CR because they believe in driving “guidelines” more than driving laws in CR!! Double yellow lines are kinda pretty but not strictly adhered to. (At least they use turn signals and honk politely to let you know they’re going to do something not in the textbooks.)
Lodging:
The hotel was basic but close to Manuel Antonio National Park. When we’re going on a big trip like this, I tend to spend more money on excursions, souvenirs, and meals than on lodging. I feel as long as the room is clean and comfortable we’re good. Besides, other than to sleep and to use the bathroom I figure we’re going to be out & about. NOT spending too much time in the room or on the hotel grounds.
This post is getting L-O-N-G so I'll write more tomorrow about the actual trip.
Labels: Holiday, travel, vacation
posted by ChowderHead @ 5/28/2007 10:13:00 PM
1 Comments:
Sounds awesome so far! I can't wait to hear...er...read the rest!
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