Costa Rica: N P & T F Day 1
Costa Rica: N P & T F
Day 1 - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - Drake Bay; Fly to San José; Afternoon on Our Own; Begin Main Trip
The departure time from the resort was not until 8:45 which gave us an opportunity to sleep in until 7:00. We had a leisurely breakfast and thanked the staff in the kitchen.
Most of our gear was packed and at 8:30 we went up to the lodge to say goodbye to the owners of the Drake Bay Resort. Gennie wrote one last email to our son and then we walked to the other side of the resort.
The tide was still low and there was no way our small boat would make it out of the marina with all of our bags on board. We walked out on the sandbar and then waded into the knee high water to get into the boat.
The crew took us back to the Village of Drake Bay and we were met by the Land Rover. The driver retraced our route on the narrow dirt road to the airport. We were weighed, as were our bags, and then we joined five other passengers scheduled to be on our flight.
The plane arrived and as soon as the three passengers got out, our luggage was loaded and we were able to board. At 10:00 our Cessna Caravan C208B left Drake Bay.
This model had twelve seats so we were almost fully loaded for our flight back over the Pacific leaving Osa Peninsula. We again crossed the Cordillera de Talamanca Mountain Range and then back into San Jose.
We landed safely at 10:50 after a 40 minute flight. With eleven passengers we were not able to fly as fast nor as high as we did coming to the resort. Our maximum altitude was 8,440 but after talking with some of the other people who drove to Drake Bay; this was the way to travel!
Our OAT driver, Ronaldo met us and loaded our bags and then we were greeted by our Tour Director Eddie. We had traveled with Eddie on our first OAT trip to Costa Rica and it was reassuring to see he was as organized as ever.
Eddie gave us a booklet about our adventure and a sheet of paper to fill out our personal information and preferences. He also told us more about the purity of the drinking water at our destinations, exchange rates for currency, tipping procedures.
He made several suggestions for places to have lunch and dinner as well as a great museum to visit during our free afternoon in San Jose.
Our luggage was brought to our room and we started to organize our belongings. A dark cloud covered the sky so we thought we should go out for lunch and a walk before the rain started.
As we walked to a city super market, we passed a Brasilian Rodizio that Vic had found in his research of the neighborhood around our hotel. We had planned to have a light lunch and then go back there for dinner.
The Fogo Brasil Rodizio was pricey, but as our 39 anniversary was December 1 and we did not do anything special, we decided to splurge and have a nice lunch. Two hours later, we left having met some very nice Brazilians and very friendly Ticos (Costa Ricans).
From the steak house we went to the Mas X Menos (More for Less) supermarket and got a few essentials for our next two weeks in Costa Rica. Eddie had recommended the Museo de Arte Costarricense which was also very close to the hotel.
Not far from the Parque Metropolitano La Sabana, the museum is home to modern art of local artists. A display of the sculptor Paco Zuniga was showing while we were there.
The highlight of the museum is the Salón Dorado (Golden Room) that is a bronze-plate bas-relief mural depicting Costa Rican history, created by French sculptor Louis Feron.
We met Frank and Jan at the museum and walked back to the hotel with them at 4:00. After our Brazilian lunch, we opted out of dinner and worked on the journal and photos.
The big task for the evening was separating our things to use on the main trip from the jungle clothes and other gear we would leave at the hotel for the next ten days. As we usually bring way many more clothes than we need, we really tried to pare down our possessions this trip.
We have another early morning with our luggage out at 6:30 so we showered and got to sleep.
Accommodations: TRYP San Jose Sabana Hotel --- Meals: B
OAT's Costa Rica: National Parks & Tropical Forests
To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062
Comments
Will you get out to beaches on Nicoya pennisula or up to lush hills in Guanacaste coast area? Have great memories of Tamarindo and coast...
Post a Comment!You look and sound like you are having such a good time. Love reading about your adventures and didn't even know you were going. Such busy people!
Pre-Trip Group
Cessna Caravan C208B
TRYP Sabana Hotel
Maracuja Caipirinha
Salón Dorado (Golden Room)
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