Day 18 - Dia Por Los Ninos

Elliot and I were up early as usual and we were playing a new game on the iPad together until the girls got up. The fiesta provisions were still be dismantled in front of our building. Downstairs at the restaurant, we enjoyed the free buffet breakfast. Then we grabbed a few things from our room before heading off to the Museo de los Niños. We arrived just after 8 am and were told it opened at 9 am, but in fact it opened at 9:30 am. While we waited I had Tegan perform her Irish dance video in front of the Museum. The crowds slowly grew as we waited including a Scout troupe of Castores (Beavers). I would say there were at least 300 people waiting to get in when the doors opened.

Inside we spent time dressing up in various costumes, playing games and puzzles, exploring space, the body, the environment, history and agriculture among other things. The hours quickly went by and without any real food comida on site we had to eat a couple of small bags of corn tortilla chips and share a pop. It was a pretty exhausting day and by 1:30 pm we were outside hailing a taxi for the hotel. On the way back, we asked to be taken to the Walmart instead. The Walmart was guarded by security gates which right away suggested this was not like home. The other differences were the food court inside as well as the aisles of liquor. We were here to get something to eat and some things for on the bus to Nicaragua.

Immediately outside we stopped the 3 wise men for a photo and then proceeded to go in and do our shopping. After buying our things, Tegan and I ended up eating at a Chinese food comida while Elliot played it safe with McDonalds. We Should have done the same, the Chinese food was rubbish. Outside we hailed a taxi and went back to our hotel. The kids went again with Mom for a swim while I worked on some blog updates etc.

The rest of the night was dinner at the restaurant, the Smurfs movie, popcorn and packing again for the next day.

Day 11 - We've got wheels

I woke up to my alarm at 6:30 a.m. and quietly got ready to leave and pickup the rental car this morning. Elliot woke up while I was getting ready and he said he wasn't hungry enough to go get breakfast, so I set him up with Disney Jr. on tv. I too didn't feel too hungry so I passed on the breakfast and instead asked for a taxi.

The taxi driver picked me up and drove me down to the Budget rental car, which was suppose to be open at 7 a.m. Only I didn't know that the time had changed as we crossed the border with Panama. It was actually 6:10 a.m. and I was standing in the middle of San Jose. Even McDonald's wasn't open, so I sat on a step outside of a Wendy's and played on the iPad a bit.

I experienced some Costa Rican culture with the Friday night bar stragglers that coped with previous nights celebrations. When decided on going to the Quiznos for a little breakfast and kill a little more time. They were suppose to have wifi but it wouldn't connect, bummer. I suppose I should have just played a game or something to kill more time but I was afraid if I stayed away too long, Correen would worry. So on I strolled back to budget to get the vehicle. Originally I was suppose to get the vehicle at 10 a.m., it was now 7:20 a.m.

With the little SUV in hand I tried to place my phone with gps on the dash so I could get satellite signals for the gps while viewing the navigation, only it kept falling down by my feet while driving, shutting off because the power button was being pressed or it would fall over on the dash. For the first 15-20 minutes I was driving by my gut feelings as to the direction of our hotel. On Paseo Colón, I drove a ways down it, hoping the gps would start to function. I passed by a huge central square where loud dance music was being played by a DJ and some kind of celebration was happening. When I tried follow the gps at one point, not sure if had a signal, but I drove directly through the center of a street market! I wasn't the only one, but there were hundreds of people crossing the street and I had to work a SUV across it. The other thing is that the SUV was a standard so having a free hand to hold the gps wasn't an option. With satellite signals restored I was slowly navigating back to hotel, passing by familiar sights from the earlier drive this morning.

I found Correen and the kids at the hotel pool and I decided to go pack while the kids played a bit more. We loaded up the SUV and were on our way by 10 a.m. In the San Jose traffic at a set of traffic lights we saw teenagers walking up to the windows of cars looking for donations, likely for a school or club. I wondered briefly if the parents of Tegan's Irish Dance school would consider this for a fundraiser. Likely not, It was 8 lanes of traffic at that set of lights. Shortly after that we were passed on the inside by 2 men on a motorbike, the passenger carried in each arm 2 car tires wrapped in plastic wrap. So that's 4 tires, 2 men, 1 motorbike at 80 km/hr! It was about another 1/2 hour until we caught up to them and snapped the photos.

We were on our way to Tamarindo so I could get some dental work done and then off to Playa Grande our only booked stay in Costa Rica for the week. PGI or Playa Grande Inn was very inviting with its pool, lounge area and surfer vibe. We had a large room with 3 beds and A/C, the Internet was working. We arrived at dusk and the dirt road the gps had us on was a 10/10 for kid size fun bumps! Correen didn't like the Dakar rally feel of this trip. We immediately were introducing ourselves to others at PGI, enjoying some beverages, kids were playing in the pool and then we were eating some delicious food like chicken burritos and shrimp salad rolls.

We stayed up a little later and enjoyed some good conversations about travel and the local area. Tegan was offered a surfboard for use at the beach tomorrow by Justin; the manager of PGI. Tegan and Elliot also had their first go at ping pong and enjoyed sharing some love with the pet cat.

Day 10 - Getting to know the way to San Jose

We were up at around 6 a.m., had breakfast, a final gathering of our things and out the door to meet our arranged taxi ride. We waited in the street for a good while and finally decided to fetch another ride for the water taxi instead. We were at the dock at 7:30 a.m. and the boat was supposed to leave at 8 a.m. as scheduled and we would be able to meet our 9 a.m. bus to Changuinola. We were still sitting on the dock waiting for the boat to begin boarding at 8:25 a.m.

I was getting anxious and finally we started boarding and quickly on our way. Once in Almirante we were again quickly into a taxi for a ride to the bus station. Good news, we made it as the bus hadn't left, but as soon as we boarded the packed bus we were off for the 30 minute ride.

In Changuinola, we only had to walk around the corner and the bus to San Jose was waiting. The bus was an older styled bus and we were asked to board the bus even though it wasn't running and the air conditioning not on. Didn't matter anyway as when the engine was running there still wasn't any air conditioning. The bus had to be near 40C inside and the windows I wasn't sure opened at first but shear persistence or life endangered panic I managed to dislodge the windows for some much needed moving air.

The boarding crossing in Sixaola was something else. First we had to get our exit stamps from Panama and then pay the exit fee before walking across a foot/rail bridge to reach Costa Rica. The day before I produced a fake itinerary and used it as proof of departure from Costa Rica at the customs office. A quick glance at the iPad and the customs officer stamped our passports for entry into Costa Rica. After another 30 minutes we were again boarding the bus.

The bus only started moving when the driver in his Spanish accent warned us to close the windows. I quickly jumped to my feet and closed mine, Correen's and the kid's windows along with one behind Correen just as the bus was sprayed with some kind of insecticide or herbicide. A few people on the bus didn't react like I did and ended up get sprayed through their open window. Glad I moved quickly.

The bus was hot and sticky with its vinyl seats. We drove down the highway passing by many banana tree farms and processing plants from the common producers Dole, Del Monte and Chiquita. Reaching Limon, the bus stopped and allowed us off for 15 minutes to grab some food and a drink before taking off again. I bought a bag of sliced mangos before we boarded the bus. The bag of greenish looking mangoes came with what looked like a slice of lime and what looked like a small plastic fold of sugar. We the sugar was salt and the lime, likely it was a lime and the mango was hard and now lime tasting and salty. I managed to eat 5-6 slices before calling it quits. The kids didn't like it at all. Felt really gringo with that purchase.

As the bus climbed the mountains the temperature dipped. At the highest elevations it was even too cool to have the windows open. We saw some pretty impressive waterfalls in the mountains and the terrain was stunning. Compared to Panama, Costa Rica had far more rivers, more mountainous terrain and it was superior in cleanliness. The environment is clearly more valued in Costa Rica. Loved Panama, but feel they should get their act together.

When the bus stopped in San Jose, we were asked no less than 5 times if we needed a taxi. We already had a driver picked or he picked us. We got our bags loaded and were off to our hotel. The ride through the city was interesting and the driver shared some knowledge of the city as well as warning us of the dangers as well. It sounds more like a sales pitch than a legitimate warning; alternative to the danger is to take the taxi.

There was nothing of interest around the hotel, it was just a gated hotel complex in some neighbourhood. Everyone seemed to like the hotel though. There was a restaurant, swimming pool, jacuzzi and our room had 2 rooms with beds.

We first went for some food in the restaurant. On the TV in the next room was a Red Bull street futball competition that looked quite interesting and I told the kids they should watch the cool tricks these guys were doing with a soccer ball. The waitress also gave us a remote to turn on the TV that was above us. We were hooked on the TV and when that program ended we switched the channels and stopped on Mexican wrestling, Nacho Libre style. I don't think Correen liked it, but the kids and I enjoyed watching the drama in the square ring.

After dinner we went and got changed into swimsuits for the jacuzzi. The kids loved swimming around in the jacuzzi. It was very nice with a small waterfall that flowed into the jacuzzi and it so much warmer than the outdoor pool beside the restaurant. After our family soak in the jacuzzi we went up to our room and the kids watched some TV before bed. I instead went to get some rest as I had to wake up early to pick up our car from the rental place.