What's Better Than Paradise?

I am sitting alone in the open jungle in the middle of the night as I write, while my family is locked in the room. That....seems weird to write, obviously, but it's true. Our stunning suite at Casitas Tenorio doesn't have Wi-Fi (none of them do) and the lock on the front door is key-controlled from both the inside and out. We only have one key. There is Wi-Fi in the common space of the central "rancho" which has a roof but no walls. 

This is strange.

However, this is a different part of Costa Rica - more remote than La Fortuna or the area around Mount Arenal - and so we need to manage our expectations, I suppose. We came here in pursuit of a different experience, after all!

(UPDATE: We later discovered that our casita has another exit that was accessible to Mindy and the kids. More importantly, they didn't need an emergency exit!)

Wait, what is that noise? I look with my flashlight to see what animal is bouncing along underneath the roof just above me - I can hear it's wings. A small bat? That's a hummingbird! Wow! Oh....that's NOT a hummingbird. That's an enormous bug of some sort with a big, fleshy body! (I did not get a photo.) Less "ick" factor - the gecko on the underneath of the roof above me. 

While I may be sitting alone in the dark here, the Wi-Fi restriction - only in the main rancho - is intentional. Casita Tenorio is cultivating inclusion and connection among their guests by drawing them (us) out of their (our) casitas. (Over the next few days as we stayed here, we had the absolute pleasure of interacting with other families here, including "travel friends" for Everest and Lauren who were close enough they warranted hugs when our paths diverged.)

Here is the rancho in daylight:

...and here is the mosquito suppression equipment! (Bats roosting under the roof - that returned to this spot each day.)

We are here for tapirs. I mean, we'll "accept" more views of monkeys and other incredible Costa Rican wildlife, but the northern, more remote area that we are in now is home to this elusive cross between a pig and an ant-eater (not really). They are rare and hard to spot, so....fingers crossed!

Whether or not we see tapirs, I was ready for a change from La Mansion and La Fortuna region, generally. Beautiful vistas, lovely people, toucans and oropendolas(!!) but....Mindy and I travel aggressively, and two nights in one place is about our limit. Good bye, La Mansion, hello adventure! (Quick games of pool and chess before leaving La Mansion. It was raining, but we were more drawn to indoor activities than the pools, so - again! - the persistent rain here has had no real limiting impact on our activities.)

In her extensive research for this trip, Mindy found Cafe con Amour and put it on our agenda for today. Slight problem - it was closed when we arrived. On a Saturday morning. Ookaay...seems like a questionable business plan, that. Let's check out the highly-advertised German Bakery across the street.

This has been a landmark of the area for many years (though is now reportedly for sale). Honestly? Mindy and I were underwhelmed. It was...fine. The pastries were sweet and satisfied hunger. Next stop, impromptu, the Costa Rican version of Healthy Planet!

Wait, what is this being advertised in the store??? Tempting! According to AI, it would cost about $50K per year for a family of four to live in Costa Rica with our own wells, fruit trees, etc.

 

And finally the coffee that we intended to get from Cafe con Amour, now from the highly advertised (and very touristy) Cafe & Macadamia. Great views and sustenance to make for a happy family.

There's a saying in Costa Rica that the shortest distance between two points is rarely a straight line. We learned that as we turned off the primary highway for the "direct route" toward Bijagua de Upala.

(Don't take the 927 if you want easy driving!)

Started off being a little bumpy. Fine, we got a 4WD for that reason. Steep gullies and no shoulder. (Glad I'm not driving!) At least the rain was spotty and light - in a bad storm one could slide right off the road! Pot holes big enough to swallow a car. Well...um....ok, this is not what we expected! There is no way for me to really convey the lurching and rocking of the car as we drove over head-sized boulders and dipped into 8-inch potholes! I've been on safari in Africa in a 6-wheel ATV and the conditions we drove over there were no worse than what we're tackling in a car here.

We later read that the 927 route we took is a known "trap" for tourists who rely on Google Maps for directions; it is the most direct route, after all. HOWEVER, that same article noted that the breathtaking views from that route are unavailable elsewhere, and - as we weren't trapped in a storm, waylaid by a landslide, or stuck in a ditch - worth every moment of the white-knuckle drive! (Says the one who wasn't driving.)

The photos do NOT do it justice.

Next time we'll take the longer, less direct route. One flat tire or a sudden tropical storm and our takeaway from that drive would have been very different. 

Back on well-maintained highways, we finally found ourselves in Bijagua de Upala and to Casitas Tenorio. A stunning luxurious hideaway in rural Costa Rica. I thought Eden was my new home, but maybe I judged too soon?

Looking Down on the World

Strenuous climbs, precarious ledges, a healthy dose of fear, and awe-inspiring views - and that was all still in the car ON THE WAY to Mistico Park Hanging Bridges! Oh, and for the second day in a row I saw a toucan from the car as we were driving! (Pretty incredible when that glorious bird is perched beautifully at the side of the highway. Not conducive to photos when the highway is narrow and twisty with a soft muck shoulder.) Of course, the morning vistas out to Lake Arenal from La Mansion Inn were a picturesque start to the day.

Another day that the weather was very much in our favour! It teemed rain through the night - right through the early morning. Lauren and I went for a little walk while my 7-year old "teenager" Everest sprawled in a heavy sleep, but Lauren wasn't loving the rain (or the act of walking...again I was carrying her). Anyway, we wandered by some coconut trees and through the little hamlet along the highway and by then she was insistent that we return to the suite. It was still raining as we went to breakfast (tasty but strange to have a vegetable omelet filled with broccoli and cauliflower) and raining enough that we delayed slightly departing the resort. (Everest was thrilled to find another pool table and played a game with Mindy while Lauren and I played chess.)

Eventually we loaded into the car, and the skies cleared by the time we arrived at Mistico. (Up some steep climbs and through rough roads that fully utilized the 4WD function on the car!)

Brief glimpses of the volcano when it was less shrouded in clouds... (Almost always at least partly covered in clouds at this time of year.)

Everest knows how to flip the camera from front view to selfie view...and was having fun after taking our photo...

16 bridges - including 6 major suspension ones - traversing the high and deep rainforest-covered ravines in the foothills around Arenal Volcano. Hoping to see some monkeys when we're so close to the treetops! (Spoiler alert: we didn't.) Mindy and I got the kids ice cream and ourselves some iced coffees, and then....discovered that there's no food or drink permitted on the path. Gulp that drink down! (Everest and Lauren needed no encouragement to eat their ice cream quickly. Mindy and I later learned - with no toilets on the trail - that guzzling iced coffee was a poor bit of planning.)

While we didn't see monkeys, we tried to focus on other Costa Rican fauna, starting with the important pollinators (including stingless bees)...

...and a tribute to the patron saint of Costa Rica "La Negrita" or Our Lady of the Angels.

Mindy managed to keep Lauren occupied - walking - for the first little while. After that, my daily strength training ("bear hug carry" in gym terms) began...up steep hills and stairs through the humid jungle.

This is an enormous fig tree! I don't know what I expected a full-sized fig tree to look like, but not a towering mass like this!

Admittedly, we saw little wildlife in the trail. A lizard (iguana?) up in a tree, various birds - far away, a mildly venomous (not a concern to humans) brown vine snake...

...and another bullet ant! This time on my neck!! I brushed it off and it landed on Everest's back! (Father of the year moment...) Ugh!

Never mind all that, we're here for the bridges!

The first major suspension bridge!

Lauren started off in my arms in the bridge...which didn't make me very comfortable as that put most of her body above the side fencing. Thankfully, she quickly decided - before I forced the issue - that she preferred to be on her own two feet on these. (Strictly on the bridges, though. For the most part, she still wanted to be carried...)

You may notice Everest way ahead in the photo above. He wasn't struggling with the height or sway of the bridges at all!

Bridges and climbs and dips and twists all through the jungle.

We did NOT traverse this bridge!

Lauren was brave, but not loving the movement on the high bridges.

A side path - only another 100m but all of it down stairs that we then had to climb again - brought us to a magical waterfall.

A tough 3+ kilometre walk up and down in the hot jungle. Mindy and I loved it, and the kids tolerated it well enough. (More acknowledgement to Everest who actually walked the whole way, compared to Lauren who mostly tolerated my warm and sweaty arms carrying her! 😆)

Lauren gained her confidence by the end...

Hummingbird garden! (Lauren's hands weren't fast enough!)

The kids wanted a moment on a little playground while we waited for the shuttle back to our car - in the company of a local.

The main event as far as Everest was concerned wasn't the coati, the climbs, the bridges, or the views. The Costa Rican tooth fairy is coming tonight!

Driving away from Mistico, we were treated to more breathtaking views.

Tomorrow we are going to more remote Costa Rica, so we stopped at a local farmer's market to stock up! We went nuts for "My Nut's Rica" - granola and nuts! A French ex-pat who moved to Costa Rica some years ago, she was encouraging about our thoughts of an extended stay here. (Also nice to be able to chat with someone in a language where we are both fluent.)

We bought some bananas (60 cents for a handful, plus a couple of free ones from the merchant "for your babies").

The rains returned in the afternoon and we were tired. Restaurante Cafe Mediterraneo is not Costa Rican food. Delicious (familiar) foods and an indoor playground made this a highlight for Everest and Lauren.

When we learned that our waiter is Cuban, I was sure to clarify that we are Canadians! To his credit, he immediately differentiated between American people and their government.  

It was a dark, rainy, windy, nerve-wracking drive for Mindy back to La Mansion. (Thank-you for getting us here safely!)

Waiting for the tooth fairy....