Costa Rica - Day 3

As usual in the tropics it rains almost every late afternoon or evening - although it did not yesterday. We actually welcome it because it cools the temperature!

Today was an adventure like no other! Our customized jeeps - we needed two - picked us up at the villa at 8:00 am for a rain forest and waterfall tour. OMG - what an experience! Our guides were great - they stopped along the jeep trail and pointed out a lot of interesting local flora and fauna. We saw, tasted and smelled: cinnamon bark; allspice leaves; a plant that smelled like licorice and one that smelled like root beer; vanilla beans; African palm oil trees; Brahma cattle that can tolerate the heat here and gorgeous views of lush green mountains.

Typical terrain in Costa Rica

A "rainbow" eculyptus

Louis, our guide, took special fern leaves and pressed them into the girls forearms and made white tattoos. He picked me a flower with a gardenia type fragrance. We saw "Jesus" lizards that walk on water and industrious leaf cutter ants that are "farmers." They cut hunks of leaves that are three times their body size and carrying them back home where other ants chew the leaves into a mucous that grows mushrooms that they eat!

Louis and Dopper, our other guide, also told us about living in Costa Rica - taxes, buying property, the school system, medical care and all the American investors!

There are waterfalls and rushing rivers scattered all through the forest and we went swimming in pools at the bottom of two of the largest falls! This is how we got to one of them:

At the end of the tour, we feasted on slow smoked pork, chicken, roasted plantains, yucca, rice and beans. The sauces were spicy and delicious. The yucca is similar to a baked potato. A wonderful typical Costa Rican meal!

Costa Rica - Day 2

Our chef cooked us a delicious meal last night - grouper, shrimp, risotto, green beans and chocolate lava cake! Our special drink was pineapple juice with basil - really refreshing!

See how he presented the fish and shrimp!

While sitting on our balcony with our morning coffee we glanced up and saw a whale swimming by! The hump back whales come here to have their calves in the warm, calm water. Couldn't get a picture but it was awesome to see it breach the water!

There are ropes strung all around Tulemar's property for the sloths and monkeys to travel through the trees. We saw three monkeys this morning.

We packed our lunch and took a short taxi ride to a gorgeous beach and spent the day playing on the paddle boards. The water temperature was perfect!

Dinner was at Ronnys - known for good food and a beautiful sunset views.

Costa Rica - 2019

We are in Costa Rica celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with the kids! Life is so good and we are so blessed!

After a grueling travel day - left our house at 3:00 am (in the dark) and arrived at our villa in Manuel  Antonio, Costa Rica at 6:30 pm (in the dark) - 8:30 Michigan time. We had dinner delivered and went to bed early. So tired of sitting all day!

The house is magnificent and this is the view from our bedroom this morning! Welcome to paradise!

Front door

The front door is around the corner!

This is the view when you walk in the front door! An infinity pool - no walls!

Dining and kitchen with back deck

The stairs leading to our bedroom!

Lounge area off the living room - from our balcony

Living room from our balcony

L

Back yard

There are live flower arrangements throughout the house

Megan and Carlos - life is good!

We hired a chef to come and cook breakfast and dinner for us today so we could totally relax after a long travel day yesterday. We feasted on fresh fruit, banana pancakes, toast and a Costa Rican dish of black beans, rice and cilantro this morning. We are looking forward to him preparing grilled grouper and shrimp tonight!

Heather and Megan, along with their interpreter Carlos, are at the grocery store while the rest of us are at the resorts private beach. I said I didn't want to sit in the car  - Megan said your sitting in a chair now - I said no I'm lounging, there's a difference!

The tree line is about 20 feet from the surf at the beach so you can enjoy the shade and the waves equally! They have boogie boards and kayaks to borrow so the girls had fun riding the waves. It is a short walk down steep inclines to get to the beach but all you have to do is call for a shuttle to return home!

Everyone but Roger and I are on a "sloth tour" around the property right now but we have one in the tree right next to our driveway so we are back in our loungers enjoying the view!

July 2019

I haven't posted in so long I have a lot of catching up to do!

It was cold and rainy in April and May when we returned to Michigan. Thought spring and summer would never arrive - it finally did! Skipped spring and went directly to hot, humid summer! We asked for it and we got it!

Most of Roger's time is being consumed by the building of his barn/workshop. It was delayed because of the weather but it is coming along slowly but surely. He will be glad when they get the garage doors on and the insulation in so he can turn on the AC! We have had two big trees fall down on our property with all the storms. A mess to clean up but one of our neighbors heats their house with wood so he is very glad to come and get it! Guess we have to expect this when we live in a forest!

We spent last week-end in Charlevoix, Michigan with Ray, Mel, Judy and Marilou. A nice "mini" vacation. We took the ferry out to Beaver Island - a bucket list item for all of us - the weather was beautiful but the island was a disappointment. Not much there!

Us girls toured a lavender farm near Boyne City - came back very relaxed! - while the guys checked out battery assisted bikes in Petosky and then we met for dinner. The guys had so much fun we went back the next morning and all of us rode them on the beautiful bike trail along Lake Michigan. They sure make biking fun for us old folks!

We celebrated Ray's retirement from Kellogs!

We are excited about our trip to Costa Rico with the kids - leaving on Saturday!