On our next day in Costa Rica, we went white water rafting. We went to the office around 7:00 AM and found some brochures describing the different rafting options. The owner was at the desk and said he would have his secretary call us when she got in around 7:20. In the meantime, he showed us the toucans that were right outside his windows. It was a treat to see these magical birds. They sat on his window ledge as he worked. When Dorit got in, she arranged for a rafting company to pick us up at 8:30. We were off to our next adventure. I had been rafting twice before, so I knew what to expect. We drove about 45 minutes to our rafting spot. The walk from the van to the river was treacherous. I hoped things would get better as we got on the river. When we got to the edge of the river, the guide gave us a huge speech on all the safety things we needed to know in case we tipped over. It could have scared you out of the trip, but I had been rafting before, so I wasn’t freaked out.
We got into the river and #3 rapids came quickly. Soon we were at a #4 rapid. There were huge boulders in the rapids and the guide had to get out of the raft to maneuver around them. I couldn’t wait to see what was ahead: a couple of fairly calm rapids and then another big one. At one point I thought our raft was going to tip, but our guide helped maneuver us without tipping. We usually stopped after we got through large rapids to wait for the other raft that was with us. Only one tip by the other raft and nothing scary. It was definitely the highlight of the trip.
After rafting, our driver set up a picnic of pineapple, cookies, juice, and plantain chips. It was a good way to end the exhilarating experience. When we got back to the shop, they had pictures for us. One of our crew was a photographer and kayaked around us to get good pictures. I’m glad I documented that I had made it through the rough waters. The other couple that was on the trip with us, had been sailing for two years. They started out from San Francisco with another couple and took their time in the Pacific Ocean. They invited us to see their boat at the marina. Before we went, we had lunch and did a little shopping.
There was a lot of security at the marina in Quepos. We finally got security to let us on the boardwalk to get to their boat, but they were not home. It’s hard to believe that you could live on a sailboat for two years. We decided to stop at the Marina Bar for a quick drink to cool down. As we were leaving, we noticed they were blowing up a huge movietron for a 6:00 movie. We thought we might stay for the movie, but then decided we didn’t have time.
It was 3:30 and we walked through the farmer’s market outside the marina. We bought a bunch of different fruits to try at breakfast. Walking back to our hotel after the market, we found a fabulous bakery. People were standing in line for the fresh bread and rolls. We couldn’t pass this up. We had a raspberry Danish that was fabulous. Then off to our hotel.
We didn’t get back until 4:00, so we thought we’d missed the monkeys, but when I went for a swim, the monkeys came out. One was poking through the banana trees. I wasn’t sure he would show his face, but it wasn’t long before he started strutting on the edge of the pool. He picked a banana and started eating it. Pretty soon, he was hanging off the side of the pool, in the water. Then came another one, also strutting his stuff and taking over the show. They were out about 10 minutes and then went back into the trees.
After the monkey show, we decided to get ready for dinner. We tried to take the bus, but there wasn’t one that stopped. We ended up taking a taxi to Barb Rosa. It was a restaurant at the top of the hill in Manual Antonio, overlooking the ocean. We barely sat down when the sun was going down. I had a salad and Jan had an eggplant sandwich. The food was very good. Our guide told us that we could drink the water in San Jose, Tamarindo, Monteverde, and Arenal. I was very careful at first to only drink bottled water, but everyone was drinking tap water, so it seemed safe. I drank the water in Costa Rica at most places and didn’t have any trouble. However, there were a few people that did get sick. After dinner, we took a taxi back to our hotel. The next day we were being picked up at 12:20 PM to go to our next place.
We got into the river and #3 rapids came quickly. Soon we were at a #4 rapid. There were huge boulders in the rapids and the guide had to get out of the raft to maneuver around them. I couldn’t wait to see what was ahead: a couple of fairly calm rapids and then another big one. At one point I thought our raft was going to tip, but our guide helped maneuver us without tipping. We usually stopped after we got through large rapids to wait for the other raft that was with us. Only one tip by the other raft and nothing scary. It was definitely the highlight of the trip.
After rafting, our driver set up a picnic of pineapple, cookies, juice, and plantain chips. It was a good way to end the exhilarating experience. When we got back to the shop, they had pictures for us. One of our crew was a photographer and kayaked around us to get good pictures. I’m glad I documented that I had made it through the rough waters. The other couple that was on the trip with us, had been sailing for two years. They started out from San Francisco with another couple and took their time in the Pacific Ocean. They invited us to see their boat at the marina. Before we went, we had lunch and did a little shopping.
There was a lot of security at the marina in Quepos. We finally got security to let us on the boardwalk to get to their boat, but they were not home. It’s hard to believe that you could live on a sailboat for two years. We decided to stop at the Marina Bar for a quick drink to cool down. As we were leaving, we noticed they were blowing up a huge movietron for a 6:00 movie. We thought we might stay for the movie, but then decided we didn’t have time.
It was 3:30 and we walked through the farmer’s market outside the marina. We bought a bunch of different fruits to try at breakfast. Walking back to our hotel after the market, we found a fabulous bakery. People were standing in line for the fresh bread and rolls. We couldn’t pass this up. We had a raspberry Danish that was fabulous. Then off to our hotel.
We didn’t get back until 4:00, so we thought we’d missed the monkeys, but when I went for a swim, the monkeys came out. One was poking through the banana trees. I wasn’t sure he would show his face, but it wasn’t long before he started strutting on the edge of the pool. He picked a banana and started eating it. Pretty soon, he was hanging off the side of the pool, in the water. Then came another one, also strutting his stuff and taking over the show. They were out about 10 minutes and then went back into the trees.
After the monkey show, we decided to get ready for dinner. We tried to take the bus, but there wasn’t one that stopped. We ended up taking a taxi to Barb Rosa. It was a restaurant at the top of the hill in Manual Antonio, overlooking the ocean. We barely sat down when the sun was going down. I had a salad and Jan had an eggplant sandwich. The food was very good. Our guide told us that we could drink the water in San Jose, Tamarindo, Monteverde, and Arenal. I was very careful at first to only drink bottled water, but everyone was drinking tap water, so it seemed safe. I drank the water in Costa Rica at most places and didn’t have any trouble. However, there were a few people that did get sick. After dinner, we took a taxi back to our hotel. The next day we were being picked up at 12:20 PM to go to our next place.