Goodbye beach...until next time

I did sleep better. A great night.

I turned on the TV for Alex and Bella in order to get a little more sleep. I turned it to college gymnastics, which captivated them (kids don’t always need kiddie TV). When I got up to make pancakes, Sofia was up too, and they all excitedly pointed out that the Gators were competing. So we had breakfast watching the UF gymnastics team compete for the National Championship. They weren’t doing so well by the time we turned it off.

I drove Cristina and the kids to the beach. It turns out the beach near the hotel, the one Cristina went to for the past two sunsets, is also part of the Marino Ballena National Park. When she went at sunset, she didn’t get charged. But when we went this morning, we had to pay to get in (except Alex and Bella). I was only dropping them off and taking a few pictures, but I still had to pay. I shouldn’t complain, though. At least the money is going to the National Park system. Hopefully.

I drove to the grocery store to get some hot dogs for lunch. I got a few other items: some organic salsa (like the kind you dip tortilla chips in…the word salsa means so much more here, so you have to be specific), some gum for the trip home, a box of “Coffee Flakes,” a cereal where the corn flakes are coated with coffee. That was just too bizarre to pass up. I spent a lot of time at the meat aisle. I was having a hard time buying plain old hot dogs. I’m a little picky when it comes to hot dogs. We don’t eat them very often in the States, but when we do, I prefer all-beef hotdogs. I’ll take it a step further: I only buy Nathan’s or Hebrew National. So I was debating whether to buy the crappy Cinta Azul hot dogs made with pork, beef, and chicken parts. I finally splurged and went with the imported Johnsonville brats. I paid an arm and a leg for them, but at least I felt a little better about their contents (I know they’re not all-beef, but at least they won’t have chicken feet in them and stuff). I also got a package of Monteverde brats, so we can compare USA brats to Costa Rican brats.

The time went by quickly and soon it was time to pick them up from the beach. I drove over and walked to them. Bella and Alex were playing in the sand and Cristina and Sofia were out in the waves. They had a ton of shells and sand dollars and each one carried their stash in their hat for transportation back to the hotel. A man was selling sno-cones near the park entrance. We got one to share. Bella liked watching him shave the block of ice.

Cristina and the kids sat in the back of the Blue Bomber and hung their legs out while I slowly drove back to the hotel. When you’re getting ready to be in the car for at least four hours, you don’t want to get the seats all wet and sandy.

While they showered, I made the Johnsonville brats and French fries. The fries took so long I didn’t make the Costa Rican brats. So one brat had to be enough for each of us. They were tasty. Even Cristina ate one.

It was a sweltering morning. The previous two days had been incredibly nice and mild, especially compared to our Puerto Viejo beach trip from 2006, which I like to call “The trip to Hell which convinced me to always stay in a hotel with air conditioning…no matter the cost.” But this morning was hotter than the previous two days. I was drenched in sweat as I loaded the car.

Before we left, Cristina wanted a pipa, or chilled fresh coconut, to drink. So we went back to the park entrance and bought one from the sno-cone man. She downed it right there and was gushing about how good it was, so I told her to buy another one and get in. Anything to get moving and get some air flowing (remember, the Blue Bomber does not have A/C). I’m always amazed at how these old guys can hack those coconuts with a small machete and not chop their hand. He holds the cocnut in one hand and just hacks it with the machete right there in his hand. I’d be all putting it in a vice and holding the machete with two hands, one eye squinted, tongue out. And I’d still probably make a real mess of it before I whittled down a hole big enough for a straw. When she was done drinking the first one, he hacked it in half for her so she could eat the meat. How sweet.

Finally, we hit the road. As we approached San Isidro, a gigantic statue of Jesus stands at the top of a steep mountainside. Cristina said “Oh! Look at the Jesus up on the side of the hill!” As we got closer and Cristina was taking a picture, Bella strained to see up the hill. She said, “Where’s the cheese?” Another funny moment of Bella mishearing something.

We passed an overturned tractor-trailer, which is always a sobering sight. We also passed through fog so thick I had to slow way down and I still could barely see the road. And no more than 1 minute later, we were in broad daylight (see photos). Such is the variation when driving through cloud forest. And the third thing is we stopped at a little restaurant at the top of THE MOUNTAIN OF DEATH!!! to have some hot chocolate and use the bathroom. And it was so chilly we had to put on our jackets, which, yes, Cristina had brought (Girl Scout? Remember?). Such an extreme change: sweltering, dripping with sweat at 1 pm, and 70 miles later we’re drinking hot chocolate and wearing jackets.

Especially fun when the idiots coming at you don't have their lights on

And then...boom...it's all clear

We got to Pavas just as dark descended. Good timing. We got unpacked, made soup for the kids, parked the car up the street, and got the kids to bed. I was really in the mood for a taco from across the street, but for some reason, the taqueria was closed.  So I had soup too.

I spent the rest of the evening getting four days uploaded. It takes a while with the photos. Not because Wito’s connection is slow, which it isn’t, but because Cristina takes so many pictures I have to figure out which ones to put on the blog. Hmm, I need to choose about 12 photos out of…700. That’s why it takes so long. But it’s worth it. My faithful readers who have read all my Costa Rica journals remember the days when I would just email the journals. Blogs with photos and video are so much nicer.