Day 4 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style
Last updated: Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Woke up this morning with no help from Arenal or the neighboring birds that typically greet me with their morning symphony. I was so frickin excited that I just couldn’t sleep anymore.
I actually laid in bed awake and watched the sun rise (which is at 0530 in the morning, by the way). Itching to rise to begin this day, but knowing that I needed to try to pace myself,
Today TweetFest 2008 Costa Rica style officially kicked off.
Old and new friends alike were welcomed into the loving arms of paradise…but that embrace came much later in the day.
This morning - well, I just couldn’t hold in my anticipation.
I rushed through my morning stretch, illogically thinking that if I could perform faster our friends would be here sooner. Silly rabbit…
I was apparently being a bit delusional in my excitement.
Lee finally woke up to the sounds of my shower. He and Nico were going to take the 2 plus hour trek each way to pick up the TweetFesters at San Jose airport.
Me and the kids got to…well - wait.
It was with mixed emotions that I tackled my first official task for the day: to pack up all of our gear and move to the next resort.
I was surprised at the remorse that I felt in leaving our beloved Palo Verde.
In the few days that we enjoyed this rustic and sureal peice of Tico lifestyle, I had begun to fell very much at home.
Crazy, I know - but oh so true. The lush vegetation covering our cabanna’s porch like a warm blanket on a chilly night, the amazing insight into just a taste of Costa Rican beastly inhabitants, all nestled in at the base of one of the most magical of all earthly creations…Arenal.
I know that we will still be in the folds of Arenal’s carress at the next resort. But somehow I knew it would be different.
I believe that I have begun to understand her - in her morning rumbles of welcoming the day. In her quiet times, disappearing behind a ring of solitude within the fleeting clouds. In her celebration of embers of another day alive.
So it was with a little sadness that I packed up our traveled belongings.
But to my delight, as if sensing my need for a little pick me up, Larry the Lizard made an appearance in his favorite tree to the left of our porch.
Same spot on the lush tree, only perched facing the opposite direction of his previous visit.
And it worked. A smile couldn’t help but spread across my face at his welcoming. Thank you, Larry.
A little while later, our taxi arrives to carry me and the kids to El Selencio: our next home away from home.
I was thrilled when we pulled up. About a dozen individual cabanna’s dotted the manicured landscape.
We didn’t experience the same untamed feeling that Palo Verde provided, but this place definitely had its own certain magic.
Why should I be surprised? Costa Rica IS magic.
And after all, she was still there. Arenal. Majestically holding court over this new location as well. Never leaving our site, only changing the direction of her heated breath.
The plants appeared to be chosen for both their intense flowering colors as well as their ability to attract a rainbow of different birds.
The first we saw was a humming bird. He was brilliant deep green and brown, and was the size of a cardinal. If it wasn’t for the characteristic hovering, I wouldn’t have recognized it. He was huge!
He sounded like a 747 when he flew past our small group to suckle from a luscious red and yellow bloom. Amazing.
We soon discovered that this sample was just the beginning of a much broader range of wildlife.
Birds of every imaginable color were feasting on the varied nectar.
Blue with green, yellow with red, black with orange and every other color combination you would never imagine on our feathered friends.
On down the path, we discovered the cool swimming pool. Not kewl like my sister used to think New Kids on the Block were, but temperature cool.
The day was clear blue, which means pretty darn hot in a rain forest. The kids were eagerly anticipating the possibility of jumping into this delectible find.
We pass a gorgeous tan and white horse in the field adjoining the resort. I am amazed at how peacefully two worlds such as farming and tourism can life so closely together. I guess this is part of the magic of this place.
Past several cabanna’s we near the back of the property to find a natural pond that was home to about a dozen native ducks. They were gorgeous if not a little peculiar.
They were ducks, of course, as we knew from their webbed feet and demeanor. But they each had what appeared to be a gift from a turkey hanging under their beaks.
Simply bizarre to see this decoration from our Thanksgiving Day bird on every member of this congregation of fowle.
Despite their strange appearance, they were very friendly and I was looking forward to returning to this spot with a taste of bread to share with them later in the day.
Further along the path we found the hot spring pool. It was made of dark stone, with a waterfall on the far end. To me this pool looked way more welcoming than the previous find.
It could be that I am a little older and I could already feel the warmth of the waters penetrating my tired muscles.
But the day was way too warm to consider joining this serene setting just yet.
Many hours later sitting on our new porch, I spy the TweetFest van approach. I rush to my feet and head off to great our guests.
I am soon joined by our motley crew of Tweetfesters, all lead by their temporary tour guide Lee.
Nico was off making final arrangements for the nights feast.
Each TweetFester stepped out of the van with a mixed look of exhaustion from the long journey to a new country and a complete and childlike excitement.
It was way kewl.
Lee orchastrated their removal from the van, reunited then with their luggage and sent them on their way to the private cabannas so they could get ready for dinner.
And I couldn’t wait. I had worked all afternoon and had forgotten to eat!
So when Lee pulls out a half eaten Chilean sea bass (with its had still attached) and a sampling of queso palmito, I was thrilled.
I looked past the bass’s lifeless eyes and pulled off a peice of its incredibly tasty gift. Good god, it was delectible.
Combined with a taste of queso palmito, I was in heaven.
Queso palmito, buy by the way is a Tico treat that is made with the heart of palm and local dairy supplies. It resembles string cheese and is way yummy.
It definitely hit the spot and combined with a small drink from the TweetFest gift baskets of Costa Rican Rum, Concique and chocolate, I felt like I would actually survive until we reached our first group destination: La Chosa de Laural.
La Chosa de Laural is a fabulous restaraunt in La Fortuna del San Carlos (La Fortuna for us lazy folks): Nico’s home town.
“The wooden farm house on the hill built of the Laural tree” greeted us with a much welcomed row of natural wood tables, decked out with formal settings for the entire group.
We greedily toke our seats and the women were soon rewarded with Pina Coladas served in their natural state in the form of a whole pineapple. The fruit was hollowed, except for a cone of natural meat left in the center for our snacking pleasure.
The drink itself was made from freshly made pineapple juice,
Topped with enough liquor to warm us from the inside out.
Mucho Bien.
We were then served a full course meal of roasted chicken, rice, beans, salsa and sweat plantains.
A few sides of plantain tortillas and guac, as well as fried palmito joined our feast.
We all eagerly dug in.
After our gorging, we enjoyed relaxed and warm conversations. The immediate familiarity felt as if we had been here for weeks together already.
I knew right then that this was gonna be a kick ass week.
What seemed like hours later, we waddled back to the TweetFest van and headed back to our cabanna’s at El Selencio.
Our first day in paradise together had reached its end. A good nights sleep on the comforting beds was in order.
Buenos noches, my friends. Rest well, for tomorrow brings many new adventures.
Pura Vida!
