A River Runs Through It. . .

Wow. Okay, Costa Rica is definitely a great place to go. Non-rainy season would be better, but as long as you pack a whole bunch of activities into the morning (and it’s not an all-day rain), that’s okay. It would be nice to have one whole day here without rain, but then we probably wouldn’t know what to do. Especially around dinner time. Every hotel room has multiple umbrellas to be used by the guests.

If you decide to go to Costa Rica, this area is a must. The Cloud Forest and Volcano areas were neat, and Punta Islita is a stunningly beautiful (when dry) remote getaway (and I mean REMOTE). However, Quepos/Manual Antonio is where the action is. It’s both an adventure sport paradise and a natural paradise. I got give our travel agent huge props for the order in which we went to the three locales – because if we had come here first, the other areas would have been a letdown. However, they

Last night, we walked to a nearby restaurant, Avion, which is built around a C-123 cargo plane that had been used by the CIA to help get arms to the Nicaraguan Contras. That fell apart when a sister plane was shot down by the commies (Sandinistas) and they captured Eugene Hasenfus. That propelled Ollie North to fame, which kept Chuck Robb in the Senate for six years longer than it should have, which then got George Allen elected to the Senate, until he macaca’d the GOP into the minority. Anyhow, recent history lesson aside, the food was definitely the most underwhelming dinner we’ve had here. So, if you come to the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area (and you should), skip that restaurant, despite its impact on American history.

Side note on restaurants: every Costa Rican guide/person/driver we ask for suggestions around here tells us a different list of restaurants. You would think that through pure random chance there would have been at least one place mentioned twice. . .but nope. And everyone has three or four places to suggest – as well as pooh-poohing the suggestions other people have made. Tonight, we’ll be going to place recommended by our shuttle driver this morning. We’re also investing in three stocks he recommended (just kidding). Fortunately, choosing a restaurant is a minor life choice, not a major life decision. And, the driver didn’t smoke, so we’ve got that going for us.

Anyhow, today was white water rafting day – and, as it turns out, four wheel drive excursion day too! The 25 mile drive took nearly two hours. The roads started out bad, and went to worse, and then nearly impassable, as we got stuck once.

There were also plenty of what they call “oh my God” bridges. And it’s not because you say, “oh my God, that’s an impressive bridge.” Instead, it’s because you say, “oh my God, we’re going to die.” Dear reader, you are not seeing the little ticker on Fox News (or CNN for some of you readers – yes, I’m talking to you John Passacantando!) that 19 American tourists and four guides died in a tragic ravine crash, so obviously we made it. But it was hairy for a bit.

On the way, we passed through a huge palm oil plantation. Originally it had been a banana plantation, but those grow better on the Carribean side – on the Pacific side they got hammered by diseases and pests. Then, we bounced our way through a teak plantation. Finally, we started climbing. On roads not fit for man nor beast. When the description of the tour said their 4x4 vehicle is a must, I was skeptical. Turns out that another tour company does not have a 4x4 vehicle, so they put in seven miles sooner – and miss some of the best parts.

If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair. But, if you’re going to Manuel Antonio (Quepos), be sure to use Iguana Tours for your rafting trip (also used them for our Manual Antonio nature tour that was fabulous. In Italy (read the March/April blog entries), we had great guides – but compared to Costa Rica, their job is easy. In Costa Rica, everything changes constantly (life in nature is nasty, brutish and short), so they really have to work to spot wildlife.

Once we finally got there (after a brief rest stop to order lunch at a cooperative restaurant in a mountain town of maybe 30 families), we were in the back of beyond as the Aussies say. There was a nice honeymoon couple from Oklahoma in our raft, along with our guide Josh, who grew up near the wild river (the Rio Savegre, known as the cleanest river in Costa Rica) and taught himself English so he could guide rather than work on the palm oil plantation. (Side note: remember my quote – “Capitalism works”? Well, it turns out the palm oil plantation workers all come from Nicaragua because the pay is better and Costa Ricans won’t do that dangerous, hard work any more. “Like Mexicans in the US,” one guide noted).

Interestingly, the tour write-up suggested this tour for beginners (Carol and I have rafted, but it’s been a while, and the kids were rookies) because it had Class II and III rapids. Except there are also two Class IVs (which were good fun).

Danny and I had the front of the boat (Danny’s the newlywed from Oklahoma). Carol and Haley (his bride) had the next row, while Julia and Maddy were third row. Torie and Josh (our guide) had the back. Torie didn’t steer, but Josh did (that’s an understatement!).

In the first rapids, right after putting in, we dropped into a hole and got hammered by a wave. Absolutely hammered, and none of us were really ready. Torie hadn’t put her foot in the right spot to lock in, so she bounced off Maddy and went spinning forward into the third row. Both Maddy and Torie had their doubts, especially since it was just a Class II and that was just the beginning.

After that baptism by fire (well, actually by water), we all settled down. Yes, we got hammered again many times, but were better prepared for it. The funny part was when Josh would yell, “forward hard” – his signal to paddle all out. Often times, I’d be paddling air, as we’d be dropping down into nothing as a wave prepared to crash over us. Good thing the river is clean, because twice I got open mouthed shots of water. Mmmm. . .fresh mountain water.

Along the way, we saw Toucans, Tiger Herons, Egrets, Turkey Vultures and Great Blue Herons in what appeared to be a canyon of rainforest. Every so often, we’d go spinning around to get great views in 360 degrees of rainforests and mountains. Josh had his patter down, and also showed off his skills by purposely nearly tipping the boat some times – scaring the heck out of us caught by surprise – or diving into the water and leaving us to negotiate rapids (easy ones, not harder ones).

There was a break in the middle for a snack of fruit (pineapple and watermelon), cookies, and fruit juice/water. The folks in all three boats wore big smiles along with their life jackets and helmets. Torie had made friends with a ten year old girl on the ride over, and her parents were quite nice – despite being Red Sox fans from Massachusetts.

After we finished the 13 mile trip, we loaded back on the bus and headed for the remote restaurant for lunch. Besides being fine local chicken or beef Casado plates, we also had great views of multiple Toucans, including one calling to others.

Carol and I had the chicken – it was free range organic, and we only felt modestly guilty as other members of the chicken’s family pecked the grounds nearby. After all, it was too late to do anything for our chicken except eat it, and so we did. I bought our guide a beer, and one for another guide who’s people weren’t smart enough to do it.

One guide led some of us – including Maddy and I – down a steep path to a wildlife rescue center, where injured wild animals are nursed back to health. They have two white faced monkeys (who are the coolest monkeys – they kept prying open our hands to see what is in them – no food for health reasons), a squirrel monkey, macaws, a toucan, some parrots, and a turkey-like bird. That bird is close to being ready for release, and its mate was hanging around in nearby trees in freedom, waiting hopefully for the other. When the caged bird saw its mate, it started jumping around in excitement. Another cool Discovery Channel moment.

Then, we hopped into the 4x4 and made it back into town, passing back over some “oh my God” bridges and getting another “Costa Rican massage” by bouncing on the “roads.”

Earlier, we had gotten out of the way of the 4x4 by lining up against a concrete barn. I had joked with Carol and others (only she got it) that it was generally bad luck to be a gringo lined up against a wall in Central America.

Well, we got the a similar taste of Central America when the bus got pulled over by police for not “having the proper plates.” The policeman wrote a ticket and pulled the license plates off the 4x4 shuttle bus. That was a pleasant fifteen minute delay. It’s Mother Day in Costa Rica, so the guides jested (or maybe not a jest) that the police needed a bribe to buy a present for their mother. Apparently, they weren’t local police, who know these guys, so the Iguana Tour company owner – who is also a lawyer – will have to straighten it out.

It rained a little while rafting, but not hard. The skies and sound of thunder now (5:30 Costa Rica time) promises more rain to come. In fact, looking out the ocean, there is heavy rain out past the rocky, uninhabited (except by birds) islands – and the effect is stunning. Meanwhile, down to our left is another hummingbird, hanging out by the beautiful “Bird of Paradise” flowers.