Fire and Water

Today was our first full day of fun and sightseeing and what a terrific day we had! We were awakened by monkeys screaming and birds singing.

Thermal Springs

We started our day with breakfast in the Tabacon restaurant. My mother-in-law thought it was over the top to have heat lamps to keep the plates warm and ceiling fans to keep the fruit cool. Breakfast was a combination of continental items (bacon, eggs, bread) and Costa Rican dishes. I loved the wild rice, stewed chicken, smoked salmon and fresh fruit. The papaya was incredible -- sweet and fragrant. My brother Alex flew in this morning and joined us for breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed back to the thermal springs. It turns out that morning is a good time to visit the thermal springs since there are few people around. We practically had the run of the place. CJ and I explored the hot springs by climbing up until we reached the highest waterfall we could find. It was really steamy up there. Then he and I proceeded to try every pool. He didn't like the hot pools, so we spent most of our time in the big pool, which had warm water. CJ got a kick out of swimming to the swim-up bar and ordering some water.

CJ just loves the water. He wears a swim vest and with it, he can dog paddle, do a modified crawl, spin around, even do a short backstroke.  I loved the hot springs; the water was very hot and I particularly loved the waterfall.

Arenal Volcano

After lunch, it was time for our hike to see the Arenal volcano. Costa Rica is part of the ring of fire; there is a lot of volcanic activity in this part of the world. Costa Rica alone has over 100 volcanos, several active. Arenal is the most active. The volcano spews smoke and ash most of the time, and huge lava flows occurred as late as 1992.

We were part of a tour that includes over 35 other people and several guides. After a 15-minute ride, we set off to hike to the base of the mountain. It was a pretty easy hike and we saw a baby tarantula, a couple of monkeys, a termite mound, and lots of birds. The highlight of the hike was the very last part. We visited the lava flows from 1992 which produced a huge mound of rocks and boulders. We had to climb up a rock staircase, then clamber over a field of rocks. CJ got help from one of the guides in a couple of areas, but he insisted on "doing it himself." CJ takes after Maki in this area. I swear, Maki climbs across a field of boulders like he's crossing a lawn.

From the rock field, we had an amazing view of Arenal above, and the fields and Arenal lake down below. We even saw some boulders falling down the side of the volcano, and some smoke and ash spew from the side of the volcano. We were close enough to admire the volcano, but far enough to be safe.

Massage Time

CJ was pooped after two hours of hiking (he was such a trooper and only had to be carried for a short 5-minute stretch on the way back), but he fell fast asleep on the bus. So we let him nap for an hour, then headed back to the thermal springs for some pool time and dinner.

Me, I booked a Swedish massage. The Grand Spa at Tabacon has got to be the nicest spa I have ever visited (not that I have visited many). My massage took place in an outdoor hut with no walls, just a thatched roof, surrounded by tall bamboo groves, lit by candelight, with some new age music piped in. My masseuse did an amazing job, especially on my chronically stiff shoulders and upper back.

We leave for Monteverde in the morning. I'm sorry to be leaving such an amazing place, but I'm sure the next adventure will be just as fabulous. Love Costa Rica so far!

Tabacon Grand Spa and Thermal Resort

We will be in a total of three hotels during our stay in Costa Rica. While I'm normally not a big fan of moving around a lot during vacations, the travel agent recommended it so we could get a taste of the varied climate, geography and sights of Costa Rica.

Tabacon Thermal Resort

Our first destination is Tabacon Grand Spa and Thermal Resort in Arenal, La Fortuna. It takes us about three hours to get to Tabacon from the airport, not including a stop we made to a darling, local restaurant called Cloud Forest restaurant where we discovered the fabulous Lizano salsa. CJ and I just loved this mild, green sauce. CJ had it on his rice and I had it on my shrimp.

The ride to Tabacon was full of switchback turns; at time, the road was full of potholes. Maki got a little carsick, so he moved to the front passenger seat, while CJ and I napped. I guess we could have flown, but we find driving to be such a terrific way to see the local countryside and sights. At one point, we were driving through some mountains and it was very foggy (forests in the mountains are called cloud forests). CJ said, "mama, it's very foggy, but I guess we have to deal with it."

Tabacon Resort is fabulous. We couldn't really afford this place were it not low season. The resort is made up of low, wooden buildings surrounded by rainforest. The grounds are amazing -- full of exotic bushes and flowers. At night, the cicadas chirp loudly and mom saw what looked a racoon. The rooms are very comfortable, and each one has its own balcony, 42 inch plasma TV, DVD player and spacious bathroom. Not too shabby.

We arrived around 4pm, decided to rest for an hour, then hit the hot springs. Tabacon is known for its spa and thermal hot springs. There are hot springs on the grounds; you can wade in several of the hot pools, including one that has a waterfall that you can sit under. The hot springs feed five regular pools; each one is a different temperature, ranging from hot to cool. The largest pool has a swim up bar and a waterslide. It's ridiculous how fabulous this place is.

About about an hour of swimming, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant attached to the resort. We enjoyed a great Mexican meal (it was Mexican that night, who knows what it is on other nights), then headed back to our rooms.

Terrific First Day

I normally read CJ four stories (coz he's 4), but I could not keep my eyes open after 2 stories. CJ didn't seem to mind because he was fast asleep after 2 stories anyway. Even though it was only the first day of our trip, DC seemed a long way off. I love international vacations precisely because we get away physically, mentally and psychologically.

Costa Rica, Here We Come

Well, after a couple of weeks of extra hard work and long nights, our vacation was finally here. About 2 or 3 days before leaving for any trip, I always question whether vacations are worth it because of all the preparation and planning, not to mention the extra work, but in the end, they always are.

I pulled an all nighter on Friday night to finish packing and complete some last projects for work. Since we had a 6:00am flight out of Dulles on Saturday morning, I didn't have to stay up too late before it would have been time to get up and get ready anyway. Ugh. We left the house at 4:00am.

American Airlines Sucks

American Airlines was a nightmare. When we got to the airport, the check-in line snaked past 3 other airlines. We waited patiently for about 10 minutes, but the line wasn't moving. I knew we weren't going to make it if things continued that way. So I walked over to the front of the line to check things out. I quickly realized that there was no line for self check-in, so I called Maki on his cell phone, asked him to come quickly and were checked in within 5 minutes. It made no sense to me that American was not encouraging people to use self check-in. As we walked to the gate, I shouted to our former line-mates that self check-in was available. Oh yeah, did I mention the rude ticket agent who sarcastically showed me how to scan my passport when it looked like I was having trouble? Yeesh, no wonder the airlines are going down the tubes.

The flights to Miami and then to San Jose, Costa Rica were uneventfull. CJ was a star traveler. He slept most of the way to Miami, then played with his play doh and trains, and watched a short movie on the PSP during the flight to San Jose.

Welcome to Costa Rica

When we got to San Jose, we waited to Maki's parents, then met our driver from Avanti, the local travel group used by AAA to book our trip. Nancy at the AAA office in Alexandria did a magnificent planning and booking our trip. Our airfare was $399 round trip, and the rest of the trip was ridiculously low priced, especially considering that we are staying in fabulous hotels, and our trip includes breakfast, a bunch of excursions, one dinner, and transfers to the hotels and back to the airport. It's low season in Costa Rica because it's the rainy season, but as Nancy put it, "it always rains in Costa Rica, that's why they call it the rainforest."

Is It Real or Is It Memorex?

CJ loves to read.  He asks me, Maki and the nanny to read books to him every day.  At night, he asks for 4 books ( 4 because he's 4).  He likes to practice writing and he also likes to read.

Is he actually reading or is he "memory" reading?  I have no idea.  I write out simple sentences for him and he reads them back to me.  He reads his books at night.  He seems to know the difference between single and plural nouns; he will sound out the "s"when reading.  And he is starting to sound out letters when he encounters a new word.

Whatever the case, CJ loves the idea the ideas that he is reading.  I hope he grows up to be a voracious reader like the rest of the family, maybe even like Uncle Alex. :-)

Packing for Costa Rica

So we're headed to Costa Rica in a few days.  I decided to take my mom's advice and start packing early.  No packing the night before and pulling an all nighter.  So, on Saturday  night, I started by making a big list.  The list is always the hardest, but if done right, I'm not scrambling and worrying about forgetting stuff.

Then I started piling stuff on the bed.  The most time-consuming part of packing is clothing.  I blogged before about packing for trips and I'm using my "pack by day" method again.  Here's the trick.  I figure out what we are doing each day, then pick outfits for me, Maki and CJ for each day.  These outfits include everything we need: underwear, socks, shirt, pants, socks.  The pile for the day goes into the suitcase as a pile.  I'm even considering putting post-it notes on the piles so that Maki can figure out who wears what.  :-)

This method is fabulous because it means you are only pulling out what you need, no fishing through piles of t-shirts, pants, socks, etc. and pulling everything out of the suitcase.

Now, of course it might rain and we need a second change of clothes. Or plans change.  Or someone gets sick and needs to change.  In this case, I have extra clothing in another suitcase; I am packing 3 sets of extra clothing for each of us, more for CJ.  The second suitcase also includes our books, CJ's toys, electronic plugs, etc.  This suitcase gets unpacked and re-packed more often.  I love this method.  It's time-consuming but I do it for every trip now and it keeps me sane.

The Funny Things He Says

Here are the latest funny-isms from CJ.

Mama, tell me a story about James and the what.

Grandma, I'm going to Costa Rica with mama. Mama, is dada coming?

When Henry the green engine was lost: Mama, Henry's on vacation.

CJ: Mama, I don't like fish.

Mama: But CJ, your favorite foods are salmon and tuna sushi. Salmon and tuna are fish.

CJ: But I don't like fish. I like salmon and tuna.

While waiting in line at McDonald's: Mama, this line sure is slow.

I supposed to do it. (This is very popular these days.)

Mama, can you turn off the music? I want to listen to the sound of the rain. (This wasn't funny, it struck me as very thoughtful.)

Mama, I want 132 trains/books/pieces of salmon sushi.

Dada: CJ, please go back to bed.

CJ: But I have something to tell mama.

CJ: Can I have more Thomas on the computer?

Mama: No CJ, I don't want you on the computer all day.

CJ: But mama, I haven't been on the computer all day! Just 20 more minutes.

CJ: Look at my drawing!

Elyse: Wow, CJ, that's something else.

CJ: What is it then?

Mama: CJ, we are supposed to wash hands before dinner.

CJ: Okay, mama, if you say so.

Mama, I got a mosquitie bite.

Mama, this strawberry is really flavorly.

A Greener Cleaner

CJ and I went to the grocery store yesterday and I came home with cleaning solutions from greenworks, a new line of eco-friendly cleaners from Clorox.  The packaging is white and green; the clear plastic bottles have a light green liquid inside; the labels feature a yellow flower. Very clever packaging.

According to the label, the greenworks cleaners work as well as traditional cleaners, use biodegradable ingredients, and are never tested on animals.  

• The all-purpose cleaner's main ingredient is a coconut-based cleaning agent, followed by corn-based ethanol and essential lemon oil.
  
• The bathroom cleaner's main ingredient is also a coconut-based cleaning agent, followed by glycolic acid and essential lemon oil.

Mind you, the label still says this cleaner is an eye irritant and to call a doctor if irritation persists after flushing with water for 15 minutes.

I haven't tested them out yet; I will report back when I give them a try.  The real test will be whether or not the cleaning lady, who comes next week, likes the products.

Now, I consider myself an early adaptor greenie who is willing to pay a little extra (but not a ton more) for green or organic products.  In this case, Harris Teeter had a pretty hefty discount on the greenworks line, so that was extra incentive to buy yesterday.  In the future, if the products work, I would be willing to pay extra.  But if the product does not work, being green won't make me buy a product and yes, I would go back to the more toxic stuff.