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Judy and Grant took Raj and I to Costa Rica as our Christmas present. Awesome! It was a trip full of eating, drinking and seeing cool stuff. Wednesday 1/2/08 - Judy, Grant, Raj and I met up at Raj's office then flew from SFO to LAX. Raj used the layover to run to the Apple store to get a new charger for his laptop. We took an overnight flight from LAX to San Jose, Costa Rica. Thursday 1/3/08 - We arrived in Costa Rica around 6 in the morning. We got our luggage, made it through customs, rented a car and Grant drove us to Brittania Hotel, our hotel in San Jose. Navigating in San Jose is challenging - there are very few street signs. We got an accidental tour of the neighborhood then found the hotel. We had breakfast (fruit, toast, jam), checked into our rooms and napped, then we all got up and wandered around town. We had a tasty dinner at Manolo then headed back to the hotel for more naps. We had dessert at the hotel.
Friday 1/4/08 - We had breakfast at the hotel then Grant drove us to the rainforest and Braulio National Park. We had lunch, then rode the Atlantic Rain Forest Tram. It was cool - we saw all kinds of critters on the tram and during our guided walk. Grant drove us back to the hotel for naps. Dinner was at Tin Jo (fantastically delicious!).
Saturday 1/5/08 - We had breakfast at the hotel then Grant drove us to Poas Volcano. The principal crater was foggy, but cleared up while we watched. No luck with the lagoon though, it was completely fogged over. We stopped for lunch at Freddo Fresas on the way home. We took naps at our hotel then walked to dinner at Bakea. Dinner was tasty and Grant finally got chocolate for dessert.
Sunday 1/6/08 - We got up for breakfast, showered, then packed up our things and headed out. It took about 4 hours of driving to get from San Jose to Arenal and an hour stop for lunch. We checked into our rooms at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort and went to the hot springs. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant. After, Raj and I had drinks at the bar and borrowed a movie (Farce of the Penguins - fantastically awful) from the front desk.
Monday 1/7/08 - We had breakfast at the hotel buffet (soooo many choices!), were entertained by the pizotes begging for waffles, then went met up for drinks at the hot springs at the bar in the pool. We splashed and soaked, then went back to the rooms, got dressed and met up for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Tuesday 1/8/08 - Raj and I got up early and went on a volcano hike. The Arenal volcano was clouded over but we could hear and see rocks tumbling down the sides - pretty cool! In the afternoon, we met Judy and Grant and went on a boat ride down Pinas Blancas and San Carlos. We saw birds, iguanas, toucans and monkeys. Dinner was at the Volcano Lodge. After dinner, we went to the bar for mojitos.
Wednesday 1/9/08 - We met for breakfast, packed up our stuff and hit the road. It took about 5 hours to drive from Arenal to Jaco with a quick stop for beer and bathrooms. The drive was beautiful - lots of cows, goats and green. We checked into Hotel Club del Mar then went to the market to pick up necessities (wine and water!). We drank a bottle of wine on our balconies then went down to the beach for the sun set. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant. Thursday 1/10/08 - We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant then went on the Pacific Rain Forest Tram. We saw an anteater, toucans, monkeys and snakes. We had lunch on the beach at El Hicaco. After lunch we took naps then Judy and Grant went swimming and Raj and I checked email and drank pina coladas. We watched the sun set, drank champagne and wine then had dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Friday 1/11/08 - We got up at 8, had breakfast then went on the Jungle Crocodile Safari on the Tarcoles River. We saw lots of crocodiles, birds and iguanas. Lunch was at Caliche's Wishbone. We did a little souvenir looking, then Judy and Grant drove back to the hotel and Raj and I walked back. After naps we watched Jon Stewart and drank wine. After, we went down to the hotel restaurant for snacks and dessert.
Saturday 1/12/08 - We had breakfast, packed up our stuff then headed to Quepos. Not a long distance but we traveled mostly on small roads with several one lane bridges. We checked into the Hotel Parador in the hills above Quepos then headed back to town for gas, a liquor store and food. Lunch was at Marluna. We hit another liquor store on the way back to the hotel. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant.
Sunday 1/13/08 - We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at our hotel then took the shuttle to Manuel Antonio. We passed on a guide but still saw all kinds of critters, monkeys, and even a deer that made friends with Grant. After the park we stopped at a restaurant for iced tea then took the shuttle back to our hotel. We splashed around in the pool for a bit then had lunch and drinks by the pool; two squirrel monkeys came up on the patio to check things out! We took naps, checked out the beach by the hotel, played in the pool, then met for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Monday 1/14/08 - We had breakfast at the buffet, did some work (Raj's work servers were on fire) then took naps. We went on a sailboat ride with three other couples, saw dolphins, snorkeled, ate dinner and watched the sun set.
Tuesday 1/15/08 - We packed up our stuff and drove to San Jose for our last night in Costa Rica. Wednesday 1/16/08 - Off to the airport and home!
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