The Long and Winding Road... With Detours.

The day had come.  The day we needed to head back to San Jose so we could prepare to go home the following morning.  We were all very sad to say goodbye to Playas del Coco.  We tried to sleep in but I don't think any of us wanted to waste the time of sleep while we could be up enjoying more hours in Costa Rica.  Either that or we just couldn't sleep at all.

We packed the car and said goodbye to Leo at Toro Blanco.  We pet the dogs goodbye and we were off to pay our bill with Rich Coast.  Kat was going to stay a couple more weeks (lucky girl!) so she was getting more suggestions from Brenda.  Seriously, if you ever go to Playas del Coco for diving, be sure to do it with Rich Coast Diving.  They definitely know their stuff!  We definitely trust Brenda and her suggestions of places to go and eat!  She knows her stuff!  I was so jealous that Kat was going to be traveling longer in the beautiful country!  Anyway we hung out for an hour or so trying to figure out what happened to my booties.  I decided to tell Brenda and Juan not to worry about it.  If they show up, great.  Perhaps somebody else could use a new pair?  We said our goodbyes and were off to our next adventure.

The next adventure included a few U-turns and a very bumpy dirt road.  We were off to Congo Trail!  This was a recommendation from Brenda so we knew it would be worth it.  we finally pulled up and decided that 2 of us should stay with the car and luggage due to past history of thiefs in the area.  Kat and Jen went first while Risa and I chilled in and around the car.  When the girls came back they warned us to take everything out of our pockets and hair because the monkeys will try to steal anything they can get their hands on!

(The snuggle bug.)

(It's like he's telling her a shocking secret!)

Marisa and I paid our entrance fee and was greeted by a young Tico.  He was shy and very sweet as he let us into the cage.  We were immediately greeted by 3 White Faced Monkeys and 2 Spider Monkeys.  These monkeys were once pets and when they tried to release them into the wild, they would just keep coming back to be taken care of.  The male Spider Monkey came right up to me putting his arms up to be picked up and cuddled.  He was the sweetest thing ever!  We were handed sunflower seeds to feed the monkeys and the White Faced monkeys were all over us, playing, inspecting, grooming and eating.  It was hilarious!  After this experience, we decided it would be best to never ever want a pet monkey.  They're worse than children!  We were finally done after the monkeys looked under Marisa's dress and down my shirt.  We checked out the rest of the animals, which included various snakes, a Barn Owl, a Pheasant, butterflies and more.  The Congo Trail was definitely worth the $10 entrance and tip we gave the young Tico!  Next we checked out the souvenir shop, purchased our goods (including cold Cokes) and we were on our way to San Jose.

(They went down my shirt, up Marisa's dress...  They wanted to see it all!)

Time was running short as we drove the one highway that lead us back to the city.  We wanted to make it to the hostel by nightfall since Juan (aka, the Spanish Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords) had told us not to drive in San Jose at night.  We were all falling very tired and decided it best to just stay at the Holiday Inn Express that was next door to the car rental place.  We ate dinner at Denny's since it was within walking distance and then it was shower and bedtime.

We woke up early and were so sad to leave such an amazing country.  We left Kat behind as she decided to stay an extra 2 weeks.  We are all very jealous of her and the adventures she'll be experiencing without us as we return to reality.  Thankfully, she's still emailing us when she can and will be photographing her pictures and sharing with us later!

So now I need to try to convince my boss to let me work from home so I can move to Costa Rica!  Hmmm....

I call Bull.

We woke up early feeling more exhausted than we had the whole trip.  Seems all of our adventures were catching up with us finally!  Not to worry, it did not slow us down!  We made like sloths and got ready for one of the best dives we've ever done.  Today, we were doing Bats Part 2.  We needed a do over since we didn't see any Bull Sharks the first time.  This was Marisa's brilliant idea and one we will never forget!

We made way to the beach to meet up with Rich Coast and made our way to the Stray Dog (our dive boat).  The sun was shining down on us with blue skies, which made for a very warm day.  We were ready.  We went out for our hour and a half boat ride, talking story getting to know the dive staff more.  Let me stop right here.  I cannot tell you how cool most divers are!  They all have such amazing stories to tell and are all such amazing people.  The kind of people you keep in your life for good.

The nerves began to hit as we geared up and got ready for our back roll into the water.  Our guide, J.P., was sure to make us aware that he will only be pointing out sharks and not making noise so they didn't swim off.  We descended to the bottom and after only a few minutes, the Bulls appeared.  It was incredible, to say the least.  These sharks are very big.  Much bigger than the White Tips we're so used to.  The biggest female was about 14 feet long.  That's a couple feet longer than we even knew Bull Sharks got!  we knew they were big but we thought it was just girth and not length, but WOW!  After hanging out with 8-10 Bull Sharks, we can now dive anything!  What an amazing dive!

(One of the only pictures that turned out on my camera.)

We surfaced and debriefed a bit, just in awe at these gorgeous sharks.  The nerves had turned into excitement and we now have an even greater appreciation for our most feared shark.  We enjoyed another boat ride out to Ranger's House, which is this beautiful bay-like area.  Kat and some of the crew swam to the island and hiked up the hill, checking out the view.  Jen, Marisa and I jumped in the water and lazily swam around, doing a little bit of sight seeing under water.  Just a nice lazy time in the warmest water I've ever been in.

(Risa, Jen and Kate with Tom "hiding" during our surface interval.)

(Me in a rental wetsuit.  Poor Xcel wetsuit, may it rest in peace.)

Next stop was Black Rock.  This dive was definitely more chill and just beautiful.  We could not believe how many schools of fish we swam with!  There were several different kinds just schooling and enjoying the water like ourselves.  In the midst of them, a couple of Spotted Eagle Rays hung out and we were able to take more photos and videos.  We also came across a couple of Nurse Sharks along the way!  This was our first time spotting these sharks as well!  Not bad at all!  This was a very relaxing dive and a nice way to end our week of diving.

(Risa caught some gorgeous shots of the schools of fish surrounding us.)

(Me, completely stoked after a very successful day of diving.  Look at how gorgeous Costa Rica is!)

We sunbathed on the way back and then took our daily dip in the Toro Blanco hotel Pool.  Martin, the other owner of Rich Coast Diving, stopped by and enjoyed a quick dip as well and invited us to lunch.  We obliged and went along, picking up Brenda on the way.  We had delicious food (Seafood Rice, Chicken Rice, Shrimp Rice, french fries and salad) and lovely conversation.  Martin had taken some footage with his camera during the dives and even got close enough to get smacked by a Bull Shark!  They invited us to their home so we could view the footage and continue the pool session.  It was a fantastic evening just chilling in the pool and getting to know each other.  We enjoyed a lightning storm from afar and as the lights went out, the fireflies came out.  A perfect way to end out time in Playas del Coco!  Kat and Risa are now talking about doing the Dive Master Program here in Costa Rica with Rich Coast!  Who knows?  Maybe I'll join them... ;)

(One of the amazing shots Martin from Rich Coast Diving got of a pregnant female Bull Shark.  She was about 14 feet long and all scarred up from mating.)

Terrestrial Time.

Our dive package included only 5 days of diving so we decided to take a break.  Now when I say take a break, I don't mean take a break from being as active as we'd been.  After all, this is Costa Rica and we needed to be sure to explore whatever we could!

(The first step?  Climb up the ladder to the zip line.)

(Jen braved the zip line going first.)

(Marisa with excellent positioning followed.)

(Kat went next while I brought up the rear.)

Adventure Tours it was!  This was recommended by our new friend Brenda, one of the owners of Rich Coast Diving.  Seriously, the best way we could experience one full day of land adventure.  For the price of $80, and an hour and a half car ride, we got 2 1/2 hours of zip lining, 45 minutes of tubing down some rapids, and then a horse back ride down to a waterfall.  Oh!  AND it included a buffet lunch as well!

(After the zip lining, the repelling.  Jen, Kat and I all chose to do this upside down.)

We would like to announce that Marisa took on her fear of heights and conquered all 7 zip lines, 2 Tarzan swings, repelling, suspended bridge, and some rock climbing!  Not bad for a girl on the verge of a panic attack.  Poor thing.  But she did it and we have the pictures to prove it!

(Risa amazingly conquered the repelling.)

(Kat shows off.)

(Risa waiting to climb, Kat Tarzan swinging, Jen climbing.)

(Not sure what's going on here but I believe it was the lazy part of the river.)

(Jen and Risa chilling before some rapids.)

(Our bums were a little sore after this horseback riding stuff...)

By the time the whole adventure was done, we were exhausted.  We climbed in the car and did our best to stay awake.  We got to the hotel and enjoyed another lovely cool down in the pool and watching the wildlife around us.  Jen and I walked to our favorite pizza place once again and got a 4 cheese with garlic to go.  We brought it back to our room and we all debriefed about the fabulous day out of water!

Channel of Sharks.

The next adventure was another big dive we were looking forward to:  Catalinas!  These are a bunch of small islands out about 45 minutes from shore in the opposite direction as Bats.  These dives are known for all of the rays that frequent the area!

This dive trip was also the very last one for my poor Xcel wetsuit.  It is no more for I have destroyed it.  Luckily, it was free ;)

We dove at the first site which was on the calmer side of the rock island.  We were down for about maybe 10 minutes when finally Spanish Jemaine (remember him from a previous post?) decided to cancel this site.  We surfaced and he said, "I refuse to dive in such a place as this.  I refuse to do only 3 meters."  That's right, the dive was maybe 15 feet deep with pretty much nothing to see.

We hopped back on the boat and went on the other side which faced the open ocean.  We dove to about 70 something feet and were greeted by beautiful schools of fish.  As we cruised around, we found a giant Red Snapper and many Eagle Rays, which we never tire of.  We saw another turtle but it was difficult to determine which type it was because the visibility was less than it had been.

We did a total of 4 dives, if you count the little "pre-dive" and they were VERY intense!  The 3rd dive was amazing!  This site was called Sharks and we found out why.  It was full of channels and a crazy surge.  In the main channel we came across a mama White Tip Reef Shark with 7 babies!  We sat and watched them forever as the surge moved us back and forth.  It was just incredible to see them all swimming in this surge and all so close to us!  Kat did super well for her first time in such a surge.  We were all very impressed!

(FYI, I did not chase this shark.  This was actually the surge helping me get this video!)

As the diving continued we saw more Octos, Eels, a couple of gorgeous Round Rays, and more!  This area was definitely worth the trip out!  And of course, we more sun while eating the delicious pineapple between dives.

(Poor wetsuit.  That was just the beginning!)

By the time we got back we were all so super tired -- the usual.  You just don't realize how much work you're really doing when you dive!  It's all so relaxing and just peaceful that it's easy not to notice!  As per usual, we took a dip in the pool to wind down and had our Monkey Time.  Then we decided to start getting ready for dinner, which was at La Caveja again like the night before with the owners of the dive shop.  Hey man, the food is good and who knows when we're coming back!  As we were about to leave the rain came pouring down!  It poured and poured and that's when the thunder started.  Let's just say I'm not so good at pretending I'm not terrified. :(  We were eating in the restaurant and the girls were trying so hard to soothe my nerves.  Let' just say I may have made myself sick after such a freakout.  The lightning was literally right over us.  It was insane.

(Proof as to how close the monkeys really are here!  That's Kat standing outside her and Risa's room!)

(Just after checking out his reflection by mine and Jen's room.)

(Sweet mama and baby.)

We made it back to the hotel, thanks to Jen's skill of driving in the snow, and got ready for bed.  Of course, the thunder storm continued and I did my best to try to get use to it.  So, I decided to join Risa in trying to capture photos of the lightning!  We didn't do so hot, but at least it helped get my mind off of it. Finally, we all got too tired to stay awake and I'm pretty sure we went to bed at about 8:00pm!  We're such grammas on this trip because we are so active during the day!  The sun goes down, we go down!  It's been so amazing though, I wouldn't change a thing!

And Suddenly, The Boat Was Empty.

Our next big day was one we were ALL looking forward to!  It was time for the epic Bats Dive!  This island is about a 2 hour boat ride so we had to be at the dive shop at 6:30am.  The thing that is so intense about this dive is that it's known for Bull Sharks.  Now those of you who know us, we love our sharkies!  But when it comes to Bull Sharks?  We tend to get a little nervous.  None of us had encountered one before so it was going to be a little anxious the whole dive.

 After a nice cruise out to the dive site, Big Scare, we did an immediate descent and the dive began.  The visibility was pretty fantastic so it was nice to be able to look in every direction to be sure were weren't being stalked.  We saw plenty of fish but none of us were really paying any attention to the critters before us because we were all keeping an eye out for the big guys!

Sadly, the dive was a bust.  We still have yet to encounter a Bull Shark.  But even during our 3 minute safety stop we were leery of our surroundings and Kat was teasing us underwater saying she was keeping an eye on the abyss below.

(Such a tuckered out Octopus!)

The next dive was at Black Rock.  This site is not known for Bull Sharks so we were able to breathe a little lighter.  Here we encountered for huge schools of fish that reminded us of the movie Finding Nemo where the Sardines are schooling together and change suddenly into an arrow to show them which way to go.  It was pretty cool.  We saw a couple of Spotted Eagle Rays and some more fun stuff, then it was surface time. 

(Risa and Jen enjoying the site.)

(Kat still aware of her surroundings.)

We were a little saddened at not seeing any Bull Sharks, but hey, you know what?  We're in Costa Rica AND we were diving in a place none of us have been to!  How bad can it be?  Besides, we decided we're going again on Monday. ;)

Gramma Time.

Yesterday was Dive Day 2.  We met up at the dive shop at 8:00am again and then were on our way to the beach.  We were escorted by a couple of different people this time, who then helped us on the little dingy to our boat.  This boat was a little smaller than the one the day before, so thank heavens there were only 7 of us instead of 10!  We all know what happens when a boat is rocking and it's small with a big crowd...

We were broken up into 2 groups again and our group was matched with Juan.  Now when you imagine Juan, think of Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords, but with blonde hair and a Spanish accent.  No joke!  It was awesome!  I'll try to take a pix of him the next time we dive with him.

(School is in!)

(I know this is horrible to say, but we got hungry when we saw him.)

Anyway, we headed out to L'Argentina for our first dive.  Seriously, we love Costa Rica for diving!  We saw more Eagle Rays, tons of lobster (which made us want to eat sushi for dinner -- well except Jen, who's allergic to fish), Octos, more White Tip Reef Sharks, and more!

Oh!  I forgot to mention one little, tiny incident.  Marisa decided she was way overweighted on the dives from the day before so she asked for 2 pounds less.  Well she ended up having to hold on to rocks because she was way too light!  The poor girl had a miserable time trying to stay down with the rest of us and none of us even realized it!  Finally during our 3 minute safety stop, the Spanish Jemaine realized she was underweighted and gave her a couple more pounds to help.  It wasn't until we surfaced and were back on the boat that we found out another guy with the same colored weight belt had grabbed her weight belt so she had his.  Total sad face.

The next dive was at Play Pen.  This time we were sure Risa had enough weight on her belt and we were all happy to see her the same depth as us.  We saw more of the same things we saw on the first dive along with more schools of fish and less sharks.  We also saw a couple of Hawksbill turtles!  The first one was tiny and we hung out in the surge with him going back and forth like being rocked in the ocean.  It was so relaxing!  

(Sweet baby Hawksbill.)

Let me tell you this as well.  The Costa Ricans do it right in between dives and after.  They have the freshest pineapple you can get already sliced.  It is probably the best snack ever for diving!  That and their ice cold water and delicious crackers/cookies!  Seriously, amazing!

After lounging in the pool a bit when we got back, we showered and headed out for dinner.  This was supposedly the best restaurant in town.  We realized that of course, it was the employees of the place saying that because it was definitely NOT the best.  Kat and Risa only ate a few bites of their fish because the lemon whatever sauce basically tasted like butter.  Think Thanksgiving rolls but 9 ounces of them.  Blech!  I had the red snapper with macadamia nuts and it was pretty dry.  Jen got her anti-seafood plate of pork and she said it was pretty good but not the best.  Hey, at least we tried it!  We're still into our little pizza place around the corner.  Man that pizza is good!

(Our new friend at Papagayo.  We love how they let the dogs and cats chill wherever!  And yes, she is almost in my lap.)

Anyway, we had to get an early start the next morning so we headed to bed at about 8:00pm and pretty much fell asleep as our heads hit the pillows!  What a fabulous day!!