Carribean Knights

Our week in the sun, we are glad to report

Put us smack on the coast in our great tent resort

Sleeping on sweaters, we fought the terrain,

Which was constantly muddied through wet nights of rain

In Cahuita we surfed en el Carbe Mar

And took a boat trip to go esnorclear

By foot and beach cruiser, around town we scooted 

Munching bananas and cantaloupe ´til we were way over-fruited

After four misty days we went south to the border,

To get our last week of vacation in order

With our sights on the bridge which would lead us to Panama

The bus-walk-bus-walk-bus-boat trip truly tested our stamina

We snorkled then surfed in Bocas del Toro

´Til scuffed feet and bruised ribs made our bodies too sore...oh

We trekked muddy trails through the jungle´s long reach

To play in the waves of old Wizard Beach

Bastimentos, Carenero, and Isla Colon,

For three days we were glad to call Bocas our home

¡Pura Vida en Costa Rica!

 We have seen the real Costa Rica - at least for a short while.  Over the course of two evenings, we stayed in the small mountain-coffee-farming town of Santa Cruz just outside San Isidro De El General. 

 Our friend Corry, who has done several service projects in the town over the years, connected us with a wonderful family there.  We ate, slept,and lived  the Costa Rican lifestyle while stumbling our way through conversation - our brains are exausted. 

Most families in the area are part of a coffee growing cooperative - they are proud to say their coffee is exported to 26 countries.

A coffee tree!

Lidier and his truck

We were sent off with full bellies and happy hearts

The view from the front step

Monteverde

  

In comparison with the Costa Rica we´ve already experienced, Monteverde was altogether different.

  On our first day out, we sauntered five kilometers through the cloud forest of  the Santa Elena Reserva.

We caught a glimpse of mist enshrowded Volcan Arenal .

 Our second night led us to Finca Santa Maria for a guided night hike through the forest.

 We saw sloths, snakes, a big tarantula, 

and the biggest ant hill we´ve ever seen.

 With a non-view of Volcan Arenal in the distance, Jordan celebrates his climb up 6,072 ft. Cerro 3 Amigoes.

Oh the games we made!

 Introducing two brand new games from the creative minds that brought you, well, all the previous blog posts

I: The Human Chinese Finger Trap

INTRO: 

Inspired by memories of 25 cent toys, this game replaces shoddy woven tubes with brute human strength, technique and agility.

RULES:  

1.  Player one overlaps two index fingers, placing them in fist of player two.

2.  When fingers of player one are pulled, fist of player two tightens.  When fingers are pushed together,  the fist loosens.

3.  Using speed and aforementioned rules, player one must try and remove fingers from the Human Chinese Finger Trap.

  HOW TO WIN:

 Player one wins when he/she removes both entrapped digits in one clean swoop.  Player two wins if he/she prevents this from  happening.

II: Drop The Change Into The Change Pocket Of Your Wallet Game

INTRO:

   Combination ski ball and horse shoes, this classic requires total concentration, the steady hands of a surgeon and pure determination.

RULES:

1. From varying heights and distances, try and drop your change into the change pocket of your  wallet.

HOW TO WIN:

Drop the change safely into the change pocket of your wallet.

ENJOY!

Pacific Costa Rica

With four countries seen and our trip half-way done

we´ve whiled away this past week in the sun

Soaring through treetops, limbs dangling below

sunsets o´er the ocean, what a beautiful show

By bus, foot and ferry-we were Montezuma bound

where warm tidal beaches and waterfalls surround

Counting our freckles, splayed out on the sand

Slathered in sunscreen, yet building our tans

Amidst sandy surf beaches, we want you to know

our minds wander north to the ice and the snow

We think of the shoveling, your misery true

it dropped down to 70 last night: hey, it´s winter here too!

Alongside the Pacific, it´s time to head where they

 

spot quetzals and tucans, in old Monteverde!

~ ~ ~ ~

From the jungle of central Costa Rica, we post some pictures of our time on the coast:

A sheer face covered in lush greens, Manuel Antonio Parque National

Jordan's Mom and Aunt match their vacation with ours for a little Pura Vida rendezvous, Manuel Antonio

La Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

To celebrate Jordan's 30th birthday, we hiked Volcan Maderas, on la Isla de Ometepe in Lago de Nicaragua.  Here are some pictures from our trek- enjoy!

 

Approaching Ometepe by ferry, the volcanoes of Conception and Maderas loom in the distance

 

 The way up was wet and muddy but oh so lush

 With our guide, Marvin, at the summit

 A narrow pass

 A lagoon in a volcano?  Okay, that sounds mist-acle!

 Oh how our shoes suffered

On the way down, the mist cleared and the bueatiful Lago de Nicaragua re-appeared

 Our guide and Irish trail comrades at the base of Maderas

 Down the road from our hostel, a true pig pile!

The fresh water lake with it's fresh water waves serves as a water source for more than just the people of Ometepe.

From this beautiful island, it is time again to cross another border, as our travels take us to Costa Rica!