How
did we end up in Costa Rica?
We hadn't
flown anywhere since our Honeymoon in 1993. So for our 10th
Anniversary we wanted an amazing adventure. One of my dreams was to
swim with dolphins in their natural habitat. So a search on
the internet began. A link to Delfin Amor Eco Lodge
in Drake Bay Costa Rica came up. We didn't know much about Costa
Rica, but after a few days of net research we were hooked! This
county offers SO many amazing sights, from rain forests, palm treed
beaches, rare flora, amazing animals, several active volcanos. Our
Anniversary was Sept. 18, but this is Costa Rica's VERY wet season, we
preferred to go in their dry season. So we planned our trip to be over
Valentine's Day! Feb. 10 to Feb. 19th 2004. We created our own
itinerary from the numerous tourism
websites on Costa Rica. By doing this
ourselves we got to see and do things we were interested in. I
began emailing our first choices of where we wanted to stay and when. I
was 8 months ahead of myself! So there was availability.
Everyone should feel comfortable making
arrangements themselves for the places you are interested in. I'm not a
"all inclusive
resort" kinda girl. Mainly because I want to see as much of a
country and experience as many new adventures as I can squeeze in. I
feel a bit restricted just staying in one location. I know there
are plenty of lay on the beachers, not move for a week type people out
there and that's fine, I'm just not one of them. 
Mark's
only request was to have others drive us around in Costa Rica. Which is
very easy to
arrange thru van shuttles like Interbus. We only needed a vehicle ride
from
Alajuela to Arenal (Tabacon) and back again to fly home. Tabacon
actually arranges this shuttle, which is 3 hours one way. After reading
people's complaints of CR roads we didn't know what to expect. This
stretch of road is great, new paved highway the whole way. The road is
very twisty, so a slow travel speed is required, but it was a smooth
journey. Delfin Amor arranges your Sansa flights, Land Rover drive to
the
beach where a boat meets you to take you to their Eco Lodge. Photos of Costa Rican life
Our Experiences / Advice...
- No need to exchange money into the Costa Rican currency Colones. U.S money is widely accepted. Make your own little conversion chart and keep it in a calculator.
- As of Feb. 2004 the departure tax is $26 U.S. You pay this at the airport BEFORE you get in your airline line. There's at least 6 people at desks ready to take your money so its not too long of a wait.
- The main Juan Santamaria International Airport appears to be relatively new. Its clean and nice with a few food options like pizza. About 4-5 large gift shops with great stuff. We didn't have many opportunities to souvenir shop during our trip (too busy admiring nature to be in stores and in Drake Bay they are NO stores!) So we did most of our shopping last minute at the airport! And got great stuff :)
- Volcano areas seem to be clouded over frequently, but the areas are still beautiful and worth the tour. A rain poncho will be handy, we got ours at our local $1 store.
- Weather
varies across Costa Rica. Check the weather sites to get an idea of
what to expect and pack.
- Do use guides, they know where the animals are and can find the smallest things like tiny frogs under leaves. Their knowledge is great.
- Costa Rica gets dark by 6 pm every night, every day, year round! Really cuts into sight seeing time, its light by 6 am so early starts are a must.
- Spanish not required for most things, but is appreciated if you try, so bring a book.
- At the
suggestion of our local travel immunization clinic, we got vaccinations
for Hepatitis
A, Typhoid Fever and a Tetanus shot. We took 2 doses of
stuff
for travelers diarrhea and cholera 2 weeks and 1 week before we
left. We also took Malaria
pills, we started
those a week before we left, took them while we are away and for 4
weeks after we
returned. 2 pills at once BUT just once a week.. All our medications were
covered from Mark's work so it wasn't a big expense. We had no side
affects from any of them.
- Mosquitoes were not a problem during our visit in the areas we were in. But the pills were only $11 for 12 pills, so taking them to be safe might be wise.
- Do try to pack light enough you can bring your luggage on the plane as carry on. Airlines accept quite large bags now and not having to wait to collect luggage is great. Plus no fear of it getting lost during a plane transfer when its by your side! We flew with Continental, Detroit to Houston, Houston to Costa Rica, about 7½ hours with plane exchanges.
- Digital
cameras - don't go without one they are amazing! However they have
been known to just stop working in the more humid
areas such as the Osa Peninsula. Ours is a Canon G3 and it was
fine, thank goodness! But we did meet people who had their camera quit.
We brought a regular 35 mm camera and lots of film just incase.
Be
sure
to bring a few digital camera cards and extra batteries. Of course
remove your film and digital cards from your bags to be hand
inspected at all airport scans so they do not get damaged!
- Read
what others have to say from travel websites such as Fodors
message board, you can get answers to your questions from people who
have been. Great for info. on places to stay, things to see etc. Click
on "next" at the bottom of this page to get links.
Costa Rica
flowers, some Heliconias and others
(Pura Vida Hotel) (Highlight Tour) (Sansa Air) (Delfin Amor Eco Lodge)
( Dolphin Tour) (Corcovado National Park)
(Cano Island) (Tabacon Resort & Hot
Springs) (Arenal
Volcano) (CR
Links)
(Main CR Page) (Home)
Email - Send Comments or Questions to
Carla
and Mark
All
photos by Carla or Mark do not reproduce without permission.
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