Christmas and New Year in Belize was the plan — inspired by a friend's sun-drenched-travel-photos along with Robert’s familial connection as the birthplace of his abuelo. We chose Caye Caulker with the draw of unrivalled snorkelling and some incredibly idyllic beaches. Then the actual logistics, accommodation searches and budget gave us a reality check. We would be coming from Mexico with no direct flights, having to practically fly back to Australia just to get there in the middle of one of their busiest tourist seasons. Okay, a tad bit dramatic, but it was completely out of the guidelines of the Excel sheet that gets a workout when choosing a stop on this 11 month adventure. Back in Woolloomooloo planning days, we’d discussed exploring Costa Rica but it never moved from plan to reality. No better time than now to re-visit that option.
Friends of friends have the perfect accommodation in Manuel Antonio and we immediately settled into our Cuarto Escarlata two story refuge in Villa Vista Eden. Calling it a refuge isn't an exaggeration. Picture this: lounging in a hammock with tree-top views of jaw-dropping sunsets, all while being serenaded by the local wildlife. What more could you ask for? Well, apparently, we forgot to ask for endless sunshine. Ay mierda! We totally spaced on checking the weather. La Niña was settling in just as we cracked open our first Imperial from our picture-perfect balcony vantage-point. She stayed. We played. And found our own El Niño - adapting a certain “there’s nothing you can do about the weather” mindset for the entire leg of the trip. We turned into those kids splashing through mud puddles in the neighbourhood, and honestly, we loved every muddy minute of it!
“Wild” Life
The wild life is everywhere in Costa Rica from the exotic animals that hang out in the canopy to the thrills-and-spills that our inner niños were counting on. Since it was the festive season, we opted for a sunset sail to bring a little bit of party to our time in MA. Of course we were also hoping for a break in the weather, but La Niña is not one to miss out. As we headed out of the marina, it was a downpour. We huddled under the scant cover of a party vessel with the other 20 guys on board and quickly made friends. Misery loves company. In the end, the drinks flowed, the sun broke through for a shower-free snorkel and we had enough laughs to snub our nose at La Niña, now known as la puta.
“Tour the Jungle with Tarzan!” That’s marketing gold - appealing to anyone finding the joys of being a kid again, and fortunately we fell for it. There were plenty of vines, a leopard-print-speedo-wearing tour guide named Tarzan (AKA Alejandro) and stops for secluded beach swims, local history and amazing views along the jungle path. It was our best workout since our PV spin classes so we were happy to get a sweat on. Tarzan's backpack was like a tropical treasure chest filled with fresh coconuts (complete with lesson on how to open), pineapple and a banana-leaf-wrapped gallo pinto for breakfast - a Costa Rican staple. The sun shone for our trek – la puta be damned. Combined with that boyhood fantasy of being in the jungle like Tarzan, we finished on an absolute high.
“. . . way up high. Suddenly here am I - I'm flying”. Maybe victims of the syndrome but Peter Pan was really taking hold. We took to the air, first on zip lines and then a parasail. Canopy Safari put on a great day. We zipped, rappelled and dropped through the trees, including a final Super Man glide face-down, arms extended. Surprisingly there was no fear factor for these two novices and thanks to this very professionally run outfit, we felt safe and secure. Our parasailing was a different story. Excess wind, not much explanation on anything (including take off) and a boat-tether our only lifeline, left some active nerves hidden through plastered grins. The views and the into-the-water landing were a trip - a once in a lifetime experience (literally, as neither one of us is too fond of heights!)
At the slightest glimpse of sunshine or a smidge of blue sky, we dashed straight to the beach. Just a hop, skip, and a jump—or a quick bus ride—away, Playa Espadilla's waves were calling our names for some epic body surfing, staring into the jungle as you ride the crest towards the shore. We even came close to booking in a surf lesson but ran out of time — guess that one's going back on the Excel spreadsheet! La Playa is also the social heart of Manuel Antonio for locals and tourist alike and Sunday is the day to be there. Our Villa Vista hosts introduced us to new friends, plus we caught up with fellow travellers from our boat cruise and some great guys we met through the local gym and it was just like a Sunday at Bondi or Tam back in Sydney. Sometimes the world feels like one big happy beach party — if only!
But the reality was, the rain was relentless and at the same time, we didn't let it dampen our spirits (pun intended). It was the holidays, and we were determined to celebrate, come rain or high water. We squeezed in a Christmas Eve viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life" on our tiny screen, savoured some fresh pineapple gifted by our host Mike on Christmas morning, had a proper restaurant meal that night and on New Year's Eve made a mad dash to the balcony (after snoozing through midnight) to catch the fireworks from neighbouring Quepos over the canopy.
A "casual six-hour bus ride" from MA lies Arenal, a volcano that's still technically active and one of Costa Rica's top tourist magnets. The main town, La Fortuna, is where we decided to cozy up in a brand-spanking-new Airbnb for our soggy stay—because, surprise, La Niña was making quite the splash here too (get it?). When we weren't binge-watching Netflix and Apple TV, we squeezed in an afternoon at Paradise Hot Springs between downpours, took on our own version of a Tuff-Mudder by hiking around Arenal, and went on a hilariously drenched rafting adventure down the Balsa with Desafio Tours—definitely a niño's dream come true!
And then there’s the other wildlife! Manuel Antonio is a jungle theme park with monkeys swinging by for a balcony breakfast, lizards doing push-ups, and a whole lineup of exotic creatures ready for their close-up. Our first venture into this leafy wonderland was a stroll through Manuel Antonio National Park, led by Roy, the local guide who was basically the jungle's social butterfly, knowing and spotting everyone from the humans to the sloths. With Roy’s super-powered scope and his knack for spotting the unspotable, we saw and heard things that usually make a David Attenborough documentary. Monkeys, lizards, and sloths - Oh My! — even a frog so tiny it could fit in a raindrop. After that, we were on high alert — scanning the trees from our hammock HQ, turning our heads like owls on beach walks, and playing detective with jungle sounds on our market runs. The wildlife bounty was epic: birds, butterflies, frogs, crabs, beach turtle-hatchings, leafcutter ants, snakes, crocodiles... we're basically in training for our future careers as professional retirees, binoculars in hand.
So we really did soak up as much of Costa Rica as we could considering budget, weather and time. Our last stop was a few nights in San Jose: a chilled stay at a budget hotel with mandatory pool and unexpected sunshine. We strolled around the capital, hit up the museums, and even had time to dry our clothes. This has been our Costa Rica experience, La Niña didn't get the best of us niños!
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