Caravan Costa Rica Tour---Pura Vida!

Our Caravan tour of Costa Rica began with a flight to San Jose, where we were greeted and transferred to the Barcelo San Jose Palacio. Before dinner we had a meeting with our tour director, Karen a local Costa Rican young woman and the rest of the group. Early the next morning we headed to Poas Volcano with Toski, our bus driver at the wheel, it was cold and rainy as we hiked up to see the crater....no luck! Thick clouds covered the crater, so we hiked back to the bus. A local lunch with entertainment was followed by a coffee farm tour. Up early we packed up the next morning we were off again to Tortuguero with a stop for lunch and a butterfly farm where I met Cassandra, a little girl that became my butterfly guide. We stopped at a banana plantation and watched how they are processed for shipping, even walked out in the field to see the bunches covered in blue bags. Arriving at Cano Blanco we boarded our boat for the trip to Laguna Lodge in the jungle at Tortuguero, stopping to get a good look at a big Croc.

We found our room, but didn't get a hot shower the first night.....in Costa Rica the "C" stands for caliente-HOT not COLD! Gave us a big laugh after we figured it out! Tours of the canals the next day provided us a close up look at the creatures, flora and fauna. We walked the Caribbean beach and the streets of Tortuguero, buying a unique glass necklace. The next morning it was a boat ride back to our bus, then a tour of a pineapple plantation, in fact a Texas based company, Collins Street Bakery. We arrived in La Fortuna at the base of Arenal, but the summit of the volcano could not be seen because of the clouds. A long soak at Baldi, the local hot springs was very relaxing and a great way to spend the day. The next day after long drive we cruised the Rio Frio and even reached the border with Nicaragua where we posed for photos.

The Hanging Bridges were next on the agenda, so off we went on a long hike with breathtaking views......we were able to do all the bridges. Lake Arenal was beautiful and I wished we had more time to explore it, but we had to keep on schedule. After a long, long, long drive down a terrible road we reached the J W Marriott resort at Guanacaste......WOW! It was like living the lifestyle of the rich and famous........awesome! The next morning after a delicious breakfast I rented a kayak and went paddling in the ocean while Dale worked out in the gym, then we spent the remaining part of the day around the pool. Caravan had arranged an open bar for us, so we enjoyed a drink before dinner. On our way back to San Jose, we stopped at Monteverde for some ice cream, then lunch and shopping in Sarchi, finally we stopped in Grecia to meet Karen's mother and puppy, Lulu.

Arriving in San Jose we checked into the Aurola Hotel in the downtown area. Caravan had a special farewell dinner planned that night with entertainment.....a very nice end to a great tour. The next morning everyone was off to the airport....except us....we were ready begin the second part of our trip.

The tour was great, we saw lots, and had a great time, made some new friends.

Pura Vida!

New Fishing Rod!

A foggy drive down to the coast, a nippy 46 degrees as we unloaded the boat at sunrise. The bay was as slick as glass, the first rays of sun danced across the surface producing beautiful patterns on the water. I was eager to try out the new fishing rod Dale had bought me for Xmas. We managed to bag 5 nice red fish before heading home....a great day! On the way home we stopped at a seafood market and... bought some fresh oysters....living near the Gulf Coast has its benefits!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!!

Cayman Again

After another total knee replacement and a gallbladder operation, it was time to return to Grand Cayman for some R&R.......and diving. We packed our bags, grabbed a flight and were soon unpacking in our condo at Compass Point on the East End. It was good to see everyone and they greeted us like old friends.
Diving with Ocean Frontiers started the next morning with the boat leaving the dock at 8 am for a two tank dive....gosh it was good to be swimming with the fishes again. Dale spent the morning reading after a long walk and exploring.
Kayaking down the coastline was fun and challenging, especially having to paddle against a pretty strong wind, but the trip back was easy. We did take a break at a nice beach that we had all to ourselves.

Little did we know it was Pirate Week on Cayman and the island had lots of celebrations going on. One afternoon we drove down the East End Observance Day celebration, looking at artifacts from the island, listening to some rather loud music and sampling a piece of pumpkin cake.
I signed up for the night dive on Tuesday night, and it was terriffic! We saw octopus, lobster, a turtle, and lots of little creatures. Shortly after we surfaced we had the opportunity to watch the East End firework display.....a fitting end to a good dive.
After studying a map, we were off.....bound to snorkel the wreck of the Geneva Kathleen. Dale found the wreck and we soon spotted two lion fish swimming over the wreckage. We also spotted lobster, a ray, a flamingo tongue and a flounder......a good snorkel excursion for us!
On Thursday night the resort had a dinner for all the divers around the pool....barbecued chicken and ribs were yummy with all the sides...and we enjoyed talking with the other couples.

The week seem to fly by with two dives every morning and soon it was Friday and my Stingray Dive. Dale and I drove over to the Kaibo Marina to catch the dive boat...Dale found a hammock in the shade and decided to chill until I returned. The dive was good, stingrays all over....all looking for a handout of squid.
Saturday morning we packed, enjoyed a nice lunch, drove into the airport, returned our rental car, and caught our flight home.....another good week in Cayman had come to an end!

Paddling for Reds

Booked another trip with "Hector the Hunk" to go fishing and paddling in Port Aranasas, met up with him and we headed to South Bay to put the kayaks in the water. It was a fantastic day on the water....a cool crisp morning with a light breeze blowing. Lots of boats dotted the bay, so did that mean the fish were biting? We paddled along looking for reds, Hector standing on his kayak to get a bird's eye view of the water. I was using a gold weedless spoon with my rod and reel, while Hector was using a fly rod.
I caught a nice red, just over the legal limit and put him on my stringer......my first redfish from a kayak! We caught lots of undersize fish, fun to catch, but we had to put them back to let them grow. Hector landed a red on his fly rod, but it was just short of the legal limit. Finally I hooked a really nice red, he put up a good fight, but soon I had him on my stringer.
I sure did want to catch another fish and limit out, but since we had drifted a long way, we had a long paddle back to our cars......against the wind! We loaded the kayaks and our gear.....a great day on the water and two nice fish!

Limited Out!

Out on the water at POC early this morning.......Burrrr........42 degrees, a bit nippy! Dale and I enjoyed a day of fishing at POC with pal, Leslie. We caught a really nice 27 1/2 and 8 other nice reds, sure will be tasty on the grill. Lots of laughs, limited out, ice chest full......it don't get any better!

Wild Weekend!

It has been a hectic weekend! On Friday night, we attended a surprise birthday party at Camp Colet for Kaye. Up early on Saturday, we flew to Brenham for lunch with Jim and Jean after the fly in at Elm Creek was canceled. On the way home from Brenham, we flew over the corn maze near Moulton, Tx. Saturday night, we went over to Yoakum for Carly and Jarrod's Halloween Party, boy we saw some wild costumes. Up early on Sunday, we flew to Port Aransas for lunch at Beach Station Street Grill, then I walked the beach and took photos, while Dale took a friend, Hector flying. Think I'm turning in early tonight....need some rest!!!!