Costa Rica Adventures, Day 2, Part 1

 About 2 days before we left home, I booked the One Day Adventure Pass tour for the family to do. It includes horseback riding, river tubing, lunch, zip lining, and the hot springs. Hot Spring access was available to us free of charge as guests at Hacienda Guachipelin but if you were staying elsewhere and doing the Adventure Pass it's part of the package.

We ate breakfast Friday morning and then met our tour guide at reception around 8:30am. First on the list of activities was horseback riding to be followed by river tubing on the Rio Negro so we wore our swimsuits under our long pants. Those of us that had sport sandals (the girls...2 in Chacos and 2 in Tevas) wore those while the guys wore their sneakers.

B and C

L to R:  K, J, M, C, P

The two youngest, M and B, have never ridden a horse beyond pony rides. K and P did a little when they were very young. J, last time he was on a horse was on our honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, 23 years ago. And while I definitely have the most experience, it's been a very long time since I sat on a horse. But like most horses used for trail rides, they were quite content to go along. We went up and down some hills and through some rocky and rough terrain. My horse was a little ornery and had it's ears pinned back quite a bit, especially when the other horses got too close. After our ride, we waited by the road for a bus to pick us up and take us to our next activity...river tubing.

The bus ride was an adventure in of itself and we even drove through a river? stream? creek? some kind of water at any rate. Once we arrived, we stripped down to our swimsuits and lathered on the sunscreen. Our guides got us outfitted with helmets and life jackets and showed us how we were to sit on the tubes.

And off we went in the Rio Negro for some fun!

We have been river tubing as a family before on the Shenandoah River. But it was nothing like this! There were lots of rapids to navigate and you wear those helmets for a reason. I was so busy worrying about catching my feet/legs on a rock that I forgot all about my head and cracked it good. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet, I would have probably ended up in the hospital. There were multiple guides that went with us...I want to say at least 4. They helped us when we got stuck and assisted those of us (J and P) that flipped their tubes. As you can see in the pictures, they also helped us navigate the more dangerous parts. They were all really nice and kept complimenting our family and saying how beautiful our family is. They also said I look like the older sister, not the mom. My new best friends!😊

I did ask one of the guides how they had been affected by COVID. He said that they were used to having hundreds of people each day visiting the Adventure Center to go on the different tours. And the tour that we were on would be run 4 times a day. But since COVID they were pretty much only running one a day. Thursday, the day we arrived, they had done two. Our group was very small, only the six of us and a very sweet couple who were on their honeymoon. Great for us as visitors but devastating for those who work in the hospitality industry.

At one point near the end, we beached our tubes and were able to jump from a rock into the river (about a 20 foot jump). Everyone did it with no hesitation and got out and did it again. A short float and then it was time to get out and walk back up to the bus. We were given towels to dry off with and then rode the bus back to Hacienda Guachipelin to change into dry clothes and eat lunch.

After lunch came Zip Lining! But that deserves its own post so I'll continue Day 2 another time.

Costa Rica Adventures, Day 1

7 years later and there's been many adventures but no blog posts about them. Instagram and Facebook have pretty much been my default for posting about trips. But since the trip to Costa Rica was such a big trip, I'm going to resurrect the blog.

We flew out of our local airport on December 17 at 6am and landed in Costa Rica around 1:30pm. Our temperature was taken after getting off the plane and we headed to immigration. While standing in line, Cruz Roja (Red Cross) workers were scanning the QR codes for the mandatory insurance that is required in order for non-residents to enter CR. We purchased ours about a week before the trip from Sagicor as their website was more user friendly than INS.

We grabbed our one checked bag and headed outside to find the rental car representative from VAMOS. It's a little chaotic as there are all kinds of people trying to get your attention and your business. The scene is the same as when we've traveled to Mexico and the Dominican Republic in the past. We found our guy and boarded the shuttle to the office. Once there, J (my husband) and K (oldest kid) went in to fill out the paperwork. After about an hour, the 6 of us loaded up in the Mitsubishi Montero and headed out to Liberia which is approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive. 

*You may be wondering why we didn't fly into Liberia. If I had planned the trip first and then bought the airline tickets, I would have. But when I changed the flight date from June (a completely different trip/itinerary) to December, we weren't even sure if we'd be able to go in December. I picked dates that worked for our family of 6 and even then waited a bit before planning where we would go.*

I'd read repeatedly on various blogs and the TripAdvisor forums that drive times in Costa Rica are most definitely suggestions. And guess what? Our 2 1/2 hour drive to Liberia took over 5 hours. There was construction on the main road and we also ended up accidentally taking a more scenic twisting, mountainous road at one point. We quickly learned what a "reductor" is. A speed bump!

We arrived at our destination, Hacienda Guachipelin a little before 8pm. Prior to entering the building where the front desk is located we washed our hands in the outside sink then applied hand sanitizer. The front desk staff was very helpful. It was explained that due to COVID most communication would be done via WhatsApp. We would need to reserve a time for our meals and we could preorder our meals. Shortly after checking in I was sent details plus a map of the property, restaurant menu, etc. 

After checking in, we headed to the restaurant to grab a meal before settling in for the night. Some of the family stuck to the familiar and had pizza and chicken strips while others had Tacos Ticos and Arroz Con Camarones. The servings were substantial so there was a lot of passing around and sharing. A great meal had and then we headed to our rooms to rest up for the next day.

Adventures in Florida

Blogs are great things, aren't they?  A few months ago, clicking through a new to me sewing blog, I came across a post about a State Park in FL that looked liked a neat place to visit.  Looking it up on the map, I saw that it was about a 2 hour drive from where we would be staying over Spring Break.  So, we added it to our list of things to do while in Florida.:)

 

Myakka River State Park

 

A quick PSA:  If you're headed to Myakka River State Park make sure you look up it's location on the website and follow their directions to the south entrance.  We followed our GPS which took us to the north entrance that is closed during the week.  Luckily, someone let us in otherwise we would have had a long drive back to the south entrance.

 

 

Want to get up close and personal with some alligators, go canoeing on the Upper Myakka Lake!  I didn't get many pictures and certainly none that showed how close we were to the alligators because I was too scared.  Seriously!  My heart was pounding the entire 30-40 minutes we were in the canoes.  But it was a lot of fun and well worth the potential heart attack.;)

 

The canal where you put the canoes in at (also where the air boat tours depart from) isn't very wide and had at least 4 alligators (that I could see) in it.  One of these gators was fairly good sized, around 9 feet long.  I couldn't get over how unfazed they were by all the activity going on around them. 

 

Out on the lake the wind was pretty strong which made paddling a bit hard.  At one point, I'm pretty sure our canoe (P, BK, and I) ran over an alligator.  We were trying to go around, far around the gator but the wind blew us right where it was.  The gator sank down under the water but there were plenty of bubbles coming up underneath our canoe.

 

 

After the canoe ride, we did the canopy walkway.  The walkway is suspended 25 feet off the ground and approximately 100 feet long.  It leads to a tower that is 74 feet tall.  The view from the top of the tower is amazing!

 

I would have loved to explore the park more but the kids were ready to hit the road.  On the way back to the house in Kissimmee, we took a scenic route:  I-275 and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay. 

 

You can see the bridge behind K

 

We pulled over after crossing the bridge to get a closer look at Tampa Bay.  The girls had a lot of fun wading around and picking up sea shells.  P...not so much. 

 

So what else did we do on vacation?  We kept it pretty low key this year.  We didn't go into any of the Disney theme parks but we did ride the boats around the lagoon, stopping at the Boardwalk for a little bike ride.

 

 

We also checked out the newest Disney resort, Art of Animation.

 

 

 

 

The kids really enjoyed the Cars theme area.:)

 

Just like in previous years, we visited the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve.

 

 

And enjoyed fishing in the lake behind the house...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone caught multiple fish, with the exception of BK.  She was more interested in whacking people with the fishing pole than actually fishing.;)

 

And last but not least, the kids enjoyed the pool despite the heater being broken and chilly water temps...

 

 

 

Big thanks to my in-laws for letting us crash at their rental house!

 

Dismal Swamp Bike Ride

It's a beautiful spring day today, so with no commitments on a Saturday (for once) we took the kids on a bike ride along the Dismal Swamp Canal.  The bike trail is 2.75 miles and located just north of South Mills, NC. 

We parked at the south end of the trail and rode our bikes to the welcome center.  All the kids did fabulous...even the little girls who haven't ridden their bikes anywhere but around our neighborhood.  BK, MG, and I waited at a picnic table as John, K, and P rode their bikes back to the truck to drive back up to the where we were.  Poor BK wasn't going to make it another 2.75 miles!

MG playing peek-a-boo

BK

After the truck and the rest of our crew arrived we had a little snack and checked out the welcome center that details the history of the Dismal Swamp.  Then we headed out onto the boardwalk trail (.5 mile). 

MG had a little visitor!

We didn't check out the logging trails that were also there for hiking as the little legs were tired.  But we'll definitely go back.  There's plenty left to explore!:)

Best Part of Florida?

The Pool!

P and K didn't join us until Wednesday because we didn't want them missing too many days of school.  The little girls were happy to see their older siblings.  And K and P were happy to see the pool (and the family).

Volleyball in the pool is a fave

BK started off not wanting to put her face in the water.

By Friday, we had convinced her to wear goggles and she started submerging her face. 

She also started jumping off the side into the deep end.

And then it all clicked...

BK can SWIM!

Fishing in Florida

The sleeper hit of our vacation in Florida has been fishing. 

John and MG with her first catch

The beauty I caught

P's big catch

K cast and cast hoping to land a big fish.  But what popped up instead?

An ALLIGATOR!

The 2 pictures above were taken earlier in the day.

When K went out to fish after dinner, Mr. Gator popped up about 5 feet away from her.  Dad kept fishing much to my dismay!

The next night, K was back at it with no alligator in sight.  However, the conditions weren't the best.  P had another monster catch...

Grandpa M and P

The biggest fish so far!

M caught another small one but after that the fish stopped biting.

But K was bound and determined to catch a fish.  So, early this morning...

...she was out fishing.  And if you know K, mornings don't come easy for her.  Especially if she's on vacation!

But giving up a little sleep was worth it.

 

And who says you can't fish in your pajamas?


Certainly not Molly!

fish #3

fish #4

Molly is leading in numbers but Patrick has everyone beat with size.  There's still time though for Kayleen to catch up!