So now we are in the final week of vacation-going up to the mountains in the center of the country. After having such a great time the past two weeks, we couldn't help but wonder why we were leaving the Osa. Yes, Keith had a white water kayaking adventure planned, but that was only a day and half out of a week and we really didn't have anything else planned. And after 2 weeks of guides and tours and tourists (like we're not!), I just wanted some time to myself.
It took a little more time than we expected, but eventually, and in the dark we finally found the Airbnb that we booked in Aquiares, a little outside of Turriabla. Aquiares is an interesting place; this small town is essentially a big coffee farm with almost everyone in town connected to the coffee farm somehow.
We woke up to a beautiful view of the farm and Keith enjoyed sipping Aquiares coffee. Eventually I did have a cup of this coffee, but it wasted on me! As far as I'm concerned it smelled terrible and tasted even worse-just like all coffee.
We briefly said hello to our Airbnb hosts Bob and Helen, gingos from California. We told them we were just going to take a walk, but they called their friends who run the corner store and found out their family was going on a hike to the waterfall. We were going with them and they were waiting for us-OK!
So Keith and I met Arianni, a lovely 16 yearly girl, and her mom, Fernanda at the shop. Fernanda was staying to mind the shop and we took of with Arianni and her adorable dog Angus. She spoke a fair amount of English-that is, more English than I speak Spanish, and while I understood most of what was said, thankfully Keith can actually speak Spanish. We met up with her nieces, aunts and cousins on the walk down to the waterfall. The whole time I'm thinking, I REALLY need to learn Spanish!
The waterfall is beautiful and on this beautiful Sunday morning, it is full of families playing in the river. For me this was such a refreshing change from the preplanned, preset tours with guides, it was just a fun Sunday morning. While everyone else played in the pools at the base of the waterfall, Keith, Ari, Angus, and I climbed up to the top of the waterfall. This is clearly where the cool kids hang out, since it was just a bunch of boys smoking and drinking and playing in the natural waterslide above the cliff of the waterfall.
Keith did a day and half white water kayak trip on the Sarapiqui river, about 2 hours from where we were staying and while it turns out I could have gone and boated some of what he did in an inflatable kayak, I'm still glad I stayed in Aquiares. And hopefully we get pictures or video of the kayaking-while Keith had the waterproof camera, he did not take a single picture! But his guide had a GoPro, so hopefully!
I wasn't sure how I was going to fill up my time, but I did very easily. The Turrialba area is know for their cheese, so of course I found a dairy and cheese making tour! I booked the tour and Bob, one of our Airbnb hosts came with me, to both give me a ride and it was a tour they hadn't heard about in the area. It was a great tour-it's been years since I've milked a cow, but after years of milking goats and sheep, it was pretty easy. We also go to see how their cheese is made and make a little cheese to take home to!
I also spent part of the time hanging out with Fernanda and Arianni. I stopped by the shop just to say hi and ended up spending a lot of the day in the kitchen, making bread and chatting (I really need to learn Spanish!) with Fernanda, with Ari singing along to Adele and her other kids playing video games-it was such a fun day!
When Keith got back, Volcan Turrialba was smoking! We had to get up there! Since it is technically actively erupting, quite a bit is closed near the top of the volcano, but we got as close as we could. And it's not really smoking-the white coming from the volcano is steam and the grey is ash and no lava, just in case you were wondering!
After a couple more days in the mountains, it was time to drive back to San Jose and fly back home. But not before we stopped at the Toucan Rescue Ranch and met a bunch of sloths...and toucans!
The Toucan Rescue Ranch is in the suburbs of San Jose. They receive sloths, toucans, monkeys and loads of other animals that have been orphaned or injured, and they work to try to rehab them and return them to the wild.
This is a pile of baby two-toed sloths. They all hang out in these rocking chairs because it simulates the unsteadiness but relative safety of tree branches.
By the end of the tour I was almost in tears, thinking about these animals with their mama's get killed by dogs or electrocuted by power lines. It was such an overwhelming last day of vacation, but I'm so glad we got to spend some time there!
Now we're home and I'm staring out at a grey day with some snow still on the ground and am so ready to go back! I guess I feel like this after just about every vacation, but this time it feels different. Like we should go back and seriously buy some property in the mountains different.
No comments:
Post a Comment