Sunday, November 25, 2012

Coast Rica Part 3--Monteverde and back home

Day 7 we made the drive from the coast to Monteverde.  THAT was an adventure!  The road our  GPS took us up was narrow, bumpy, and turny!  But this time we made it to town well before dark.  Our hotel, Ficus Sunset Suites, was very nice with huge rooms, the best beds of the trip, and amazing views.  We had a late lunch at Morpho's, a butterfly-themed restaurant with really good food.  We walked around town and explored a bit, got the kids ice cream for the first time of the whole trip, and then hit the Serpentarium.  That was way cooler than I expected!  They had nice displays of tons of snakes, and it was nice to get out of the wind.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the local grocery store--always love doing that in new places.  That night we hit Mar y Tierra for dinner.  It was sooooo good!  The adults got a great bottle of wine and enjoyed seabass ceviche, steak with a coffee sauce, steak with local blue cheese, and surf and turf with blackberry and passion fruit sauces.  It was all so delicious!  And the atmosphere at this family-run establishment was very cozy.  This was a great start to our final stop in Costa Rica.  We started the day at the beach and ended it bundled against a cold wind!  We fought a few ants in the room, too, but it was still nice.   :)
The awesome roads on the way up.
Still not quite all the way up to Monteverde, but we can see the ocean!
Great view from our room! 
Day 8--This is what we've been waiting for!  Today we headed to Selvatura Adventure Park for zip lining through the cloud forest.  This was just amazing.  We all (even the kids and Grandma) suited up and hit 13 zip lines.  Sometimes you were completely in the cloud, others you were high atop a canopy of lush greenery.  It was so fun, and the best part was hearing my kids giggle and scream as they zipped along with the guides.  Amazing.  We even did the Tarzan Swing, which was nuts, but Trent went first (after saying, "Wait, what are we doing?" and then getting pushed out the gate!) so we all had to try it.  I was petrified!  Then the final zip line was 1 km long and Frank and I went together.  It was super fast and we were in and out of the clouds!  Even after all that hiking and excitement we walked a few kilometers along the trails and hanging bridges to look for animals in the canopy.  We didn't see much, but it was still fun.  Such an amazing day.  After coffee, naps, and an amazing sunset, we hit Rico Rico for one last dinner in Costa Rica.  It was no Mar y Tierra, but it was pretty good.  

We are ready!
The kids got to go together a few times.
Trent on the Tarzan Swing.  Ugh.  I could barely watch!
My little hiker insisted on carrying the family's bag.
 
One of the many suspension bridges.

Trent was guiding us on the hike.
And after a day at Selvatura, they are out!
Shhhh!  Don't tell the kids we're relaxing!
Final sunset of the trip.  Ahhh....
Day 9--We left Monteverde rather early to account for the roads and to make sure we made our flight.  It was great.  I couldn't stop smiling thinking back on this amazing trip.  We won't get back home until after midnight, but I don't care.  (Late add--the trip back was actually eventful!  We got delayed leaving San Jose and barely had time to clear customs and get dinner in Miami before getting back on a plane.  But, we made it!)

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