Costa Rica – 3

Posted on March 16, 2011 by erinparker75

Next stop: Monteverde. Hooty hoo!

We wake up at an ungodly hour after dancing all night at the discoteca in order to wheel our suitcases (yes, suitcases) down a muddy road in order to hop on a boat (with T-Pain) that will cross Lake Arenal and take us to Monteverde. This is the fastest way to go y’all. Will only take about 2.5 hours instead of by car or bus which is 4-8 hours. Yikes. It was on this trip where I learned that you go to the bathroom, no matter what, before embarking on a journey. Valuable lesson, people.

See the prettys below:

Did I mention that my second day in Costa Rica I had completely lost my voice? Like, completely. I wasn’t even able to whisper. Felt completely fine, of course, just no voice. Thanks a lot, body. So that means that I was using my own version of sign language to communicate with all of our cool new friends. You never realize how much you talk, or how many smart ass comments you make, until you aren’t allowed to anymore.

Anywho –

We get into Monteverde, the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica, plop down our stuff at the least seediest hostel and go on a walk. There’s a group gathered by the side of the road and they flag us down to look at a sloth in the tree. Just doing his thang. Then one of the blokes hears my voice and scoops me up to go see his first aid kit. He insists on giving me half his supply of meds, insuring me that I will feel better in no time. I’m always so touched by tiny gestures of generosity from strangers. To go all Paulo Coelho on you, it really lets you see the Soul of the World.

Monteverde is the best place in my opinion for zip lining. Not for the weak of heart, either. It’s high and it’s fast. And perfect. Then we did this one Tarzan jump at the end of the day that I swore was going to separate my torso from my legs, but…turns out it didn’t.

That night we hung out in a treehouse. Really! It was the coolest coffee shop built up into the trees. There, we met a rowdy bunch of Israelis with whom we partied with for the rest of the night. It was that night that I discovered my affinity for Israelis. If you’re baffled by this, rest assured – many of my (male) friends are too. But here’s the curveball: I’m baffled that YOU’RE baffled.

I did not doctor the following sunset picture. Costa Rica IS that perfect.

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Costa Rica – 2

Posted on March 14, 2011 by erinparker75

Arenal is brilliant. First, there’s the volcano. Fact: it’s one of the world’s top 10 most active. So chances are pretty good that while there, you will see an eruption of liquid hot magma. What’s even better are the amazing hot springs – Tabacon and Baldi – where you can bob in piping hot water while watching the fiery orange rivers trickle down the side of the volcano. However we totally got gyped – there was no eruption the nights we were there. I was inconsolable.

Let’s talk some more about these hot springs. They’re elaborate, lush, landscaped, and like a little slice of tropical heaven. Tabacon has a resort attached and is definitely pricier than Baldi, which is where the locals tend to go. We checked out both. While Tabacon was definitely more aesthetically pleasing, I wouldn’t be mad at ya if you forced me to go to Baldi.

We ended up meeting a trio of Bostonites on the bus from San Jose to Arenal. They were great fun and we played with them our first day upon which they took that time to convince us to stay and go waterfall rappelling with them the following day. Done.

We sign up with their tour company and take a 4×4 out to La Fortuna. They drive us into the thick of the jungle where the sunlight can barely push through the treetops. Everything is cool and damp, and so green. I couldn’t get over how green it was! Waterfall rappelling can be a bit intimidating. I didn’t know what the hell I had gotten myself into as I stepped over to the edge and was told to descend in the falls. We did about 7 falls that day. DO THIS. You won’t regret it. One of the best things, with the best scenery, that I’ve ever done.

 

apologize for the bluriness

and back to Tabacon…

 

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Costa Rica – 1

Posted on March 11, 2011 by erinparker75

*Take a journey back in time with me, eh? It’s about time I get around to telling tall tales of my travels of yore…join me on this series where I’ll be covering travels from years ago when blogging was but a tiny speck in my mind, and I chronicled my adventures on paper. So archaic.

My first trip to Costa Rica was totes Amateur-ville. This was back in 2005, when I was just a young and spritely little lady. The original vacay was supposed to take place in India, with a friend of mine who lived in Florida and was going with her extremely possessive and bipolar boyfriend. I was invited along, and who doesn’t want to go to India on those circumstances?

Needless to say, after all my diligent planning, the trip fell through. I was lamenting my plight to a friend at a bar, complaining about the disappointment of it not working out and the time I had already taken off, when she said that she would go somewhere with me. Why had I not just assumed to take a trip regardless? Why was I so dependent on my friend’s schedule? Told you. Amateur-ville.

Within about 10 seconds, we decided on Costa Rica and she was going to let me plan the 8-day trip. I shrieked with delight. Little did I know that when planning a blitzkrieg tour of a country, you rarely stick to your plans.

I bought my Lonely Planet guide and set about making rezzies at the respective hostels and B&B’s that appealed to me. And packed my suitcase. Suitcase, people! I still shake my head and laugh at the visions of us dragging our suitcases along these muddy, gravely roads to get from point A to B, while the backpackers hopped merrily along, never getting their bags dirty. We must have looked so silly, but no one made us feel that way 🙂

cabinas, not hostels

NEVER believe the “hot water” bit. All lies.

ah, the classic "hands on hips" pose

Anywho, our first night: San Jose, then on to Arenal for a little volcano and hot spring action… Pura Vida!

2 Comments

Vieques to San Juan to Houston

Posted on February 9, 2011 by erinparker75

Our last morning in Vieques, we wake up at 5AM to catch the 6:30AM ferry back to Fajardo. This was my [brilliant] plan. I made these plans thinking that we should get back into San Juan as early as possible so as to not waste the day. We were feeling particularly ambitious and wanted to hit up El Yunque and El Morro. We get into San Juan and check in at the hotel to miss the El Yunque tour by literally 8 minutes. Literally. And the next tour wasn’t leaving until Thursday. Today is Tuesday, and we fly out tomorrow. Plan fail.

Here’s my gripe with San Juan: public transportation is minimal and leaves something to be desired. And after Central and South America, I come with pretty high expectations for Latin America. There were absolutely no local buses that go to the rainforest, and to take a cab would have been $80 one way. We inquired at several places and even considered renting a car for 12 hours just to drive out there, but it all ended up becoming too much of a hassle.

So we make our way to Old San Juan to wander around El Morro and El Castillo de San Cristobal.

Here’s a small tip: don’t take for granted the fact that tours run every day. A simple inquiry or, I don’t know, an actual plan (which is not my strong suit) would have come in quite handy at this time.

So we entertained ourselves with clever shots instead.

We strolled through the streets southwest of El Morro that are paved with cobblestones and massive over hanging trees. It felt so European and cozy. Except with brighter colors. And there were cats. Lots of cats that wander the streets. Too many cats. It was eerie. Why were there so many? Where did they come from? Who fed them? Why is their presence in multitude acceptable? These were questions we muttered out loud as we grimaced and jumped out of the way of the dozens that lounged on the sidewalks or hopped up next to us on a bench. We quickly left Cat Alley when Mr. Mistoffeles made an appearance. We don’t want any part of his black magic.

Tina was this cold the entire time

We celebrated back at our fave place in Plaza de Colon – Toro Salao – with a bottle of Cava and our first champagne toast on the trip to the new year. Let’s face it – Vieques doesn’t bother with champers; it was rum all the way on that tiny, wonderful island. The night was low key – we were exhausted, sunburned, and dehydrated. Or maybe the old gray mare just ain’t what she used to be.

In other news, I got all caught up on Dexter on the plane from San Juan to Houston. Fingernails = gone. And now I feel a little empty. Why Lumen – why did you have to leave?!?!?! I think I’m bordering on obsessive. Am I alone? I think not.

You didn’t think I’d end a post without a snorg tee did ya?

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Vieques – day 5

Posted on February 3, 2011 by erinparker75

the first time we had coffee all week! was so good

Vieques in December is freezing! Ok. Maybe I am being a bit dramatic. I’ve been called a “weather wuss” a time or two in my life.

We went snorkeling this day at Blue Beach. The highlight of that trip was seeing a group (family?) of squid gliding merrily along, until they were interrupted by my curiosity. When squid are “alarmed” they don’t scamper away like most fish. They stop and hover. Hover! Like a UFO. I saw that as a challenge, naturally. Their beady eyes never left mine, as I slowly inched closer and closer. If I could just touch one….

At one point, one of them spread out their tentacles, which I took as a ‘baring of fangs’, if you will. I was about to proceed further, driven by my insatiable compulsion of ignoring warning signs, when I looked around me. Tina was far away and the boys had left my side and instead backed off. I looked back at the angry squid and decided that just maybe I would turn around too.

The water was cold! When I get cold, I warm myself up with vampires 🙂

awkward hands

We spend the day here, then head home and get ready for dinner. Here are a few photos from our last night. Sniff.

We go to Bili every night for a passion fruit vodka cocktail to jumpstart the night. The boys are convinced it is because Tina and I find the bartender extremely handsome and charming, but we just love the drinks. That only he can make. Swear.

not amused

We eat early, cause we have our Bio Bay tour later and we don’t want to get the cramps. The last thing anyone wants right now is an unnecessary drowning.

We go with Abe on our Bio Bay tour. Vieques has the brightest bio bay in the entire world! Wow! We are so lucky to be here. Did I mention it’s cold, and we’re kayaking at night? It’s okay though – because there are millions of stars to gaze at, and I am quite happy with those circumstances.

We kayak out to the middle of Mosquito Bay, which doesn’t get any deeper than 14 feet (and didn’t have any mosquitos, ironically), and park it, looping all of our kayaks together. We get a brief bit of history from the guide. Did you know that the Spaniards thought the bay was cursed by Satan and built a “dam” in order to prevent it from leaking into the ocean? What fools.

Then it’s time to swim in the hot mess. Not everyone dives in, which I can’t wrap my head around. The majority of the group stays INSIDE their kayaks instead of swimming. I don’t grasp how they could give up this opportunity. We frolick along, letting the bioluminescence bounce off our skin, and search for shooting stars. They claim the water stays a warm 80 degrees year round but my goosebumps that night beg to differ.

We walk home to change, which is always my favorite part of the night. The sky is black, painted with thousands of shimmering diamonds. And there is always this forceful ocean breeze that follows us home, rustling through the trees as we close the gate (so the horses won’t get in) and walk to the front door of our little blue house. It always makes me slow my step; linger just a bit more so that I can feel it on my skin, hear it in the trees. It’s like music to me, and I can never bring myself to go right inside. I love ocean breezes more than any other breeze. They’re so heavy and sweet, laden with substance and desire. And this one was definitely a keeper.

What quirky thing will I miss the most? All the locals driving by with their music blaring so loudly it’s a wonder there isn’t blood spewing from their ears. Like each car is having a contest. It always makes me smile. It is SO Latin America. Love.

Tomorrow we head back to San Juan.

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Vieques – day 4

Posted on February 1, 2011 by erinparker75

Due to clouds, this day was pretty low key. How the island likes it, I suppose.

We went to check out secret beach, which was definitely a treacherous path in the wee Yaris, then you had to climb down a rocky slope to get to the rocky beach.

After the solitude of Secret Beach we headed to Blue Beach.

For me, there is nothing as transcendent as the feeling I get with that first glimpse of the ocean, its vastness unfolding before me and spilling into the horizon, the initial sweet inhale of fresh air riddled with salt, and the thundering hiss of the waves crashing in and pulling out. There in that moment is where I find that zenith of peace. Call it the crab in me – my July birthday confirming my Cancer characteristics – but whatever it is, there I am most home.

We watched a movie that night instead of going out. Scoff you may, sneer you might, but we were tired! We thought we scored big with Envy, since it had Ben Stiller and Jack Black. But we didn’t score.

Back to drinking at night.

 

 

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Vieques – day 3

Posted on January 27, 2011 by erinparker75

the requisite sand shot. original, I know

The first day of 2011, Raul and I peeled our selves off the bed sheets in the early morning hours (10am) and headed off to Red Beach. O. M. G. This beach is what dreams are made of: balmy breezes, lush palm trees billowing in those balmy breezes, crystal clear water that sparkles aquamarine in the dazzling sun, pillowy white sand sloping gently down to those beckoning waves – this is why we came to Vieques. This beach right here.

After a couple of hours, we scoop up the kids for lunch at Duffy’s, then trek (literal trek) to beach Media Luna – which is a crescent shaped beach that doesn’t get any deeper than your waist. Gorgeous. And a bit precarious to get to in the Yaris. Damn you Coqui Car Rental and your lofty promises of Jeeps!

our lunch time view

He had hiccups the entire time.

Jersey Shore!

We come home and shower and drink wine. They get ready while I sit down and write about our days so far. We drink more wine. And jam to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch while we leave all the doors and windows open and the funky island breezes sashay in and dance around us. We don’t want to ever leave. Austin is convinced he is moving here and talks to every expat he encounters, trying to find 5 reasons not to. Did I mention it’s lovely?

We vote to have dinner at Next Course. I was a bit dubious considering it is at the interior of the island and therefore more than a stone’s throw from my beloved ocean. But I’m not one to nay say so we’re off. And it’s amazing. All bamboo and greenery and you feel like you’re dining in a tree house. And Tina and I ordered the lobster with crab risotto. Enough said.

I mean, just LOOK at that.

Have I mentioned that I am like, crack-addicted to passion fruit? I can’t get enough of it, and I drink my passion fruit cocktails like they are water and I’m dying of thirst. It’s quite alarming, since I’m not really a huge fan of liquor. Beer – yes. Wine – totes. But liquor?? Today I tried an island special – Parcharita. Like a margarita, but made with passion fruit instead of lime. Shut the front door. I’m becoming a well-rounded drinker, y’all.

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Vieques – day 2

Posted on January 24, 2011 by erinparker75

Due to hangovers and my illness we woke up super late, like 12 NOON (gasp), and tried to swap out our Yaris for a Jeep. You can guess how this story ends. We stayed in that Yaris the whole time.  Gas only arrives twice a week on the island, and it happened to come in that day, so we wait in line for about 30 minutes then pop over to the black sand beach we were told about.

this is how the car stays fresh

Don’t come here looking for a “true” Latin American experience. Everyone speaks English, and there are Americans and expats everywhere! It doesn’t matter though –  the vibe here is SO cool. Seriously. Chill and friendly and groovy and I’m just completely wrapped up and intoxicated with it. So many people have visited here and just….stayed. It pulls you in. This island is magic.

Anywho, back to our day: we wanted to go check out the “black” sand beach. I love Latin American directions: take this road all the way out until it ends, take a left, then park when you see the mailboxes. Follow the dry creek bed (walk in it) all the way until it dead ends at the beach. True directions in case you go: take 996 west until it dead ends at 201, go left and stop when you see the mailboxes on the left. Park there and continue…

walking to the beach

careful of their tails!

The beach was disappointing. I hate to leave less than stellar reviews about my trips because in my idealistic and lofty state of mind I picture nothing short of perfect. However this black sand beach was simply brown sand streaked with obsidian ore, weaving in and out and leaving much to be desired. We stayed for about 30 minutes then headed out to Sun Bay, a public beach on Vieques that was voted the #7 beach in the Caribbean. Hooty hoo!

After such strenuous activity, we head to Lazy Jacks for some beers. We start chatting with some locals, one whose mother happened to work at Trade Winds, our NYE swanky dinner spot, and I asked him if we could bring our own wine to dinner. He wasn’t sure, so he offered to pop down to the restaurant and simply ask. So nice! Everyone here is SO nice! (we could, by the way) Virtually no crime besides petty stuff, and you walk everywhere. Our house is on Calle Orquidea which is (literally) a 20 second mosey to the Malecon, the main street where all the boho restaurants and bars are.

Jacks famous shrimp pesto pizza

A word of warning: Puerto Rico in December is not super hot. It’s comfortably warm and breezy, but don’t come expecting a blistering sun and bathwater temps in the ocean.

Also, most of the wild horses are drunk. True story. They eat the fermented fruit that has fallen from the trees and therefore stumble about themselves. Those horses have it figured out.

it seriously was this beautiful

New year’s eve started out with dinner at Trade Winds. We then popped over to the plaza at Isabel Segunda that was less than thrilling and lacking in expectant energy. There was a salsa band playing but no one seemed interested and no one was dancing. We downed our Medallas and headed back over to Esperanza to party on the lively Malecon. We popped over to Bili first, where our fave New York transplant made us the fabulous vodka passion fruit cocktails, and then bounced over to Duffy’s, where the music was loud, the aguardiente was flowing, and the revelers were raucous. We spilled out into the street and rang in 2011 with the rest of the island lovers. Cheers to “taking advantage of people,” “easy,” and being “college drunk”.

this sign was up EVERY night

the praying mantis

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Vieques – day 1

Posted on January 19, 2011 by erinparker75

The ferry to Vieques is FREEZING!!!! Seriously, all of the locals are wearing sweatshirts and pants, and Tina and I walk on in our flimsy summer dresses. Huge mistake.

port in Fajardo, waiting to board

like what NYC does with cars!

When we arrive, this is how the island greets us…

Isabel Segunda

The ferry arrives in Isabel Segunda. We go collect our rental car – which was supposed to be a Jeep, but upon arriving they inform us that they had no more Jeeps left and would call if one was turned in. Visions of the car reservation bit on Seinfeld popped through my head. I give up on ever getting a Jeep. To make up for this inconvenience, they give us a Yaris instead. Thanks.

We drive over to Esperanza, which is the other side of the island and where our house is.

Esperanza is amazing! Totally different vibe than Isabel Segunda. One main street, the Malecon, hugs the ocean and bursts forth with life and music. But you know, in a beachy way so you can still wear flip flops and tshirts (snorg tees?) everywhere.

the Malecon

Here is our house: Casa Cielito Lindo. Isn’t she presh???

Right. On to dinner. And drinks. We head to Duffy’s first, then Bili, which is where I was introduced to the love of my life: passion fruit drinks with vodka – fresh with the pulp and the seeds floating around and intoxicating me with their magic.

The menu for the night included tostones, lobster paella, grilled lobster, conch and pumpkin risotto, and a whole coconut curry oven baked red snapper. The bartender finished our meal by bringing out some Coquito for us, a traditional Puerto Rican after dinner drink made of crème de coco. Think of it as Puerto Rican eggnog. It’s amazing.

Did you know there are “wild” horses on Vieques? They just wander wherever they damn well please, and every house has a fenced yard to keep them out. Otherwise they just march right in and eat all your grass and leave very large presents before they go. Here were some walking down the Malecon during dinner…

Like a loser, I headed home after dinner and the rest went out and got thoroughly pissed at Lazy Jacks, playing Wii and drinking more tropical libations. I hate colds.

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Puerto Rico – day 1

Posted on January 17, 2011 by erinparker75

Apparently my immune system has gone on hiatus for the time being, which would explain my 2 week long cold that began in Vieques and is just now deciding to release its death grip on my respiratory system. Time to move on, eh? Go find another host.

In the meantime, I did no writing due to my penchant for sleeping 14+ hour days during this time. But I digress…on to the adventures!

We had a 6am flight from Houston with a layover in Atlanta. I was exhausted naturally, but had loads of Dexter to catch up on so I didn’t sleep much. Damn him.

San Juan welcomes us with cloudy skies, wind and rain. Never one to be deterred, I immediately shed my clothes for a swimsuit and drag everyone beach side, ready for a tropical cocktail and ocean dip. I’m convinced that if I wear it (swimsuit), he (the sun) will come. Instead, I encounter gale force chilly winds and a grim horizon hugging a steely sea. Bugger. Our first round of drinks in Puerto Rico was a round of coffee with Baileys. Coffee! They didn’t even put the little umbrellas in there. But we were so happy to be on vacation.

We find out that their weather had been rubbish ever since the blizzards started in the northeast, and it was pushing some unpleasant systems south. We shrug it off, not bothered by the current weather and get ready for dinner in Old San Juan.

The Plaza de Colon was still lit up with life and Christmas lights. We found this bustling corner of an outdoor patio and had a lazy dinner at a Spanish restaurant – Toro Salao.

There was a long wait, so in true Latin style we go grab beers from a vendor down the street, then come back to the restaurant and sit at their bar with our plastic cups while we wait. It’s perfectly normal.

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