On our last day in the South Georgia Islands, we were given a choice. We could either replicate Shackleton’s route to the Grytviken whaling station, starting from Fortuna Bay, OR we could take a zodiac ride. You’ve probably guessed which one I chose, but in case you didn’t, here’s a visual.
Climbing into the zodiac
Boris, our cruise director, was quite specific in his description of the hike: “ It is about 4 miles long, and VERY steep. You will be ascending about 1000 feet. You can take water with you, but no food. And there are no bathrooms, so control your water consumption. Once you get dropped off, there is NO turning back, so be absolutely sure you can make it. The boat will pick you up at the whaling station”.
My interpretation, although he didn’t specifically SAY it, was “you could die”. And I probably WOULD have.
The start of Shackleton’s trail. The hikers are the orange and blue dots.
Despite his dire description of the event, 30 people signed up for the hike. After sleeping on it, six people changed their minds, so 24 of my cruise mates, including my hero Paul, (who helped me up when I fell, on an earlier hike,) and my kayak buddy, Marc (who is my age) made the trek.
They made it!
As for me, I went on an absolutely fantastic zodiac cruise, where we saw waterfalls,
Macaroni Penguins,
Here’s a close up of these adorable little guys
fur seals,
Equally cute, so they get a close up too.
and elephant seals
No close up for THESE guys
It was a perfect zodiac cruise. Once again, we were blessed with ideal weather. But wait, there’s more…
While at the Grytviken whaling station, we toasted Shackleton at his gravesite,
visited the museum,
Baby albatrossArtifacts outside
and were able to send postcards from the only post office we had encountered, so far.
We set sail for the Falklands in the afternoon, and spent the next two days at sea.
I’m not going to describe the seas as rough. Let’s just say I was extremely grateful for my patch.
As the young ‘uns would say, “O.M.G., the South Georgia Islands are AWESOME”!
Lucky me. I got to spend FOUR whole days there.
I had expected rain the entire time we were there, because I believed the weather reports, but we lucked out.
Yes, I DID get up at 4:45 AM, on the first morning to ensure we beat the drizzle. It was SO worth it. The King Penguins are also early risers, so the welcoming committee was out in full force to greet us .
As a bonus, we also saw elephant seals tussling. We later learned that it was because they were roughly the same size. Usually, they can visually determine which one is bigger, ( and thus the winner, who will get all the “girls”) so no need for contact sport. As Ella, our seal expert explained, elephant seals are lovers, not fighters.
Mostly, they like to “wallow” next to each other.
Some of us opted for a two hour, two mile hike, with about a four hundred foot elevation.
That it took two hours to cover two miles SHOULD have been the tipoff that this was not going to be a stroll in the park. But as Elvis once famously sang “ fools rush in where angels fear to tread”.
Those that know me, will instantly know which term applies to me. My reward? Seeing little guys like this one hiding out along the way.
We started at the beach, way, WAY below. Though the grassy part looked pretty benign, it wasn’t. It was very spongy, but looked deceptively solid. Then you stepped on it and SANK varying degrees. Still, I was glad I did the hike. Not bad for a soon to be 77 year old!
The hardest part, by far, was the descent. Let me tell ya, the next day my thighs were screaming “ What were ya thinkin”? This was an ARDUOUS hike. (My friend Jean will get that reference!).
Our afternoon zodiac cruise was equally spectacular. the photo below just doesn’t do it justice.
So, when we were offered the opportunity to do ANOTHER hike on day 3, this fool ignored the pain in her thighs and continued to “rush in”.
Although the second hike was definitely not as “arduous” as the first, it was not without its challenges. We needed to cross a glacial stream both coming AND going.
Once again, it looked deceptively simple. Once again, it was not. You see, the glacial melt randomly deposited many different sized rocks in the stream bed. Some moved unexpectedly when you placed your foot upon it. That’s why members of the crew were standing in the stream to help us across. I was happy to “volunteer” to perform a VERY important safety drill. When I stepped on one of those moveable rocks, I pitched backwards, almost pulling one of the naturalists into the stream with me. Fortunately, the crew member behind me grabbed my butt and shoved me upright. Sadly, that memorable event was not captured on video. Instead, I offer some photos as an alternative.
The next excitement for the day was when a fur seal charged at me, with teeth bared. No video of THAT exchange either. But I DO have a photo of me with my two new friends, Dorothy and Karen.
I have so many fantastic videos, I could easily make your eyes glaze over and have you mutter “enough, already”. I’m a wildlife nerd, and for ME, I can never have enough of these charming creatures.
I LOVED watching these penguins “porposing” through the water:
One more video and then I’ll stop.
We encountered a bit of a “traffic jam” while waiting for the zodiac to return us to the ship.
I’m at the point in my life where if I think I’m not going to enjoy the experience, I’m not going to do it. Our last day in Antarctica ( before heading to South Georgia Islands) was one of those days. Riding in a zodiac when the sea is choppy, the sky leaden, with the wind blowing is definitely not my idea of a good time. Especially when I can watch the action from a warm, gorgeous ship. If this had been my first trip to Antarctica, I might have made a different choice. But it wasn’t, so I didn’t.
Unfortunately, Ernest Shackleton’s crew had no choice. After their ship, the Endurance, (that’s also the name of MY ship) was crushed by ice, they slowly made their way to Elephant Island. Most of the crew waited patiently for almost 5 months until Shackleton and his 5 companions could reach South Georgia to find help at one of the whaling stations.
That’s the reader’s digest version of Shackleton’s voyage.
Needless to say, their cuisine didn’t look quite like what we’ve been eating.
But I digress…back to Elephant Island.
I took the above photo from the ship. Those white dots that you see on the shore are penguins. They are certainly cute to watch, but I’ve already done that, and with another two weeks left on the cruise, I’m sure I’ll be seeing more.
It might not look rough, but remember, that video was shot from my balcony on deck 5. Why can you see two zodiacs containing only 1 passenger, you ask? Well those are members of the crew, standing ready to pluck someone from the frigid waters, just in case the seas started to REALLY rock n roll.
Compare that to the day before, taken from my kayak.
Now THAT experience was absolutely wonderful. What is not obvious from the photo was there were patches of surface ice. We had to break thru it with our paddles, which was a bit of a workout. A very NECESSARY workout, given the way I’ve been eating. Thank goodness for elastic waistbands!
I was very lucky to be paddling with an experienced kayaker, who was steering us through the icebergs.
Was kayaking the origin of the term “back seat driver?”
Marc was able to get us close enough to the nearby island so that I could get my first shots of Adélie penguins.
I was NOT as enthusiastic about the next activity, the polar plunge, but many of my shipmates were.
I figured once was quite enough. When Greg and I did it in 2011, we had to walk into the water, then return to the beach, and ride a zodiac all the way back to the ship. The 2026 version looked to be a whole lot better, given that the hot tubs and sauna were just a short elevator ride away.
We didn’t have a ship photographer capturing our moment, but Mike chose not to participate, so he was able to do the honors. My mother’s comment? “Mike’s the only one of you that has any sense”. Thanks, mom.
So let’s get back to 2026.
You don’t need to be on shore or in a zodiac to see wondrous sights. As we were traveling to Point Wild, we came across a massive pod of blue whales. Unfortunately, they stay mostly underwater, so the only way to know of their existence was spotting their “blows”.
This was as good as Icould get, but undoubtedly those with powerful lenses did a whole lot better.
I liked this photo because you can see the tiny penguins swimming alongside the blue whales.
The weather alongside Elephant Island changed yet again from the brief sunny interlude during our whale watch,
to a progressively cloudier and foggier setting.
That didn’t stop some of my more determined cruise mates from getting into zodiacs to see what they could see at the historic Wild Point. Me, I decided to hear about it at the evening recap.
Our flight to Ushuaia took off at 11:20, an hour and a half late. Okay, so maybe we got off to a bit of a rocky start.
Did we really need to leave the hotel at 7AM, to spend over 3 hours in a domestic airport that only had unappealing snacks? After we landed in Ushuaia, I realized it was truly a minor inconvenience, soon to be forgotten.
The above photo was taken on our 2011 trip, but the experience hasn’t changed at all. It was every bit as harrowing as the first time. We popped through dense clouds, in between the mountains, to make a bumpy, rather exciting landing.
But enough about the downside of travel. The Endeavor, our ship is exquisite!
While it was being cleaned and readied for our arrival, we had a late lunch, while we cruised thru the Beagle Channel on a catamaran.
I didn’t take any photos, because I knew I couldn’t top the ones from 2011. Today, 15 years later, I didn’t see a single seal, which made me sad. I hope climate change didn’t do them in—perhaps they were just frolicking elsewhere.
Everyone that I have met so far, both in the hotel and on the ship, is really friendly, interesting, and well traveled. I am delighted that I will have time to get to know many of them over the coming weeks.
The ship’s management very thoughtfully arranged for us single travelers to meet for dinner. Marc from Boston is the only man traveling solo. He doesn’t seem to mind being outnumbered.
So many people have asked me “ what do you do on a trip like that”?
Well, there is no shortage of activities. So far, I’ve missed the 7AM stretching class, and I haven’t made it to the gym or sauna, but I plan to take advantage of all of them really soon.
I HAVE attended the very informative lectures, such as this one on Seabirds. This lecture focused on petrels and albatross. Quite honestly, I don’t really care about the 126 different species! Fortunately, meither did the lecturer.
I won’t bore you with the details, other than to tell you that the way to differentiate between those two species is by the number of nostrils they have. If you want to know more, you have to either come on an Antarctica cruise or ask me yourself.
Tomorrow we expect to be clear of the Drake, and will be able to enjoy our first landing on Antártica.
When we traveled to Antarctica in 2011, we went via Santiago. This time, I am flying to Ushuaia through Buenos Aires.
My journey started in Newark. I was amazed at how empty Newark’s airport was. I left home slightly before 11 AM; by 11:50 I had checked my bag, been through security, changed into my Houston/Buenos Aires clothes in the Polaris lounge bathroom and was enjoying the excellent buffet.
My first flight was to Houston. Because I used miles and points to book my flight, I traveled business class for both segments. Let me tell ya, domestic business class isn’t worth it. International business class, however, DEFINITELY is!
I normally sit on the aisle, but for the Houston flight, I had a window seat. Sadly, when the flight attendant attempted to pass me my lunch tray, I managed to knock a full glass of red wine over myself and the very gracious man sitting next to me. But in my defense, the passenger in the seat in front of me had his seat all the way back, so the clearance was really tight.
As luck would have it, my friend Sharmon’s younger daughter, Sol flew from San Francisco to Buenos Aires and we both had a stop in Houston around the same time. We were on the same flight from Houston to Buenos Aires, so we hung out in the United Club. The time went by MUCH faster because we spent the two hour layover catching up.
I almost didn’t recognize Sweet Sol, because the last time I saw her, she had long blondish hair, no glasses, and wasn’t wearing a mask. She pretended not to notice I smelled like the frat house the morning after a wild party. But then again, stale wine doesn’t smell as bad as stale beer.
Because Sol holds dual citizenship, she was able to whisk thru passport control WAY ahead of me. It took over an hour for me to get thru. HELPFUL HINT: if you’re coming to Argentina, visit the bathroom BEFORE getting in the passport control line. Don’t ask how I came to that conclusion. Let’s just say I was jiggling a lot.
I’d been to Buenos Aires twice before, so I didn’t feel compelled to see Evita’s grave or the Opera House. Instead I figured I’d enjoy the beautiful hotel, and I certainly did.
Check out the rooftop pool:
The view was so spectacular, and the pool was so glorious, I used it on Friday AND Saturday.
My son Greg clued me in to the wonders of ChatGPT. So, when I was unable to find any cafes full of people having lunch outside near Alvear Art Hotel, I asked ChatGPT.
I ended up choosing a delightful cafe about a mile away, which allowed me to stroll thru some very interesting streets.
Waiting for the elevator before tonight’s information session, I met Leslie, another solo traveler. Like me, she’s a widow who is comfortable traveling alone. Her cabin will be across the hall from me.
We had a lovely cocktail “hour”. I’ll admit that our table was having so much fun, we had to be asked to leave! And yes, we closed the place down.
Probably a good thing because we have to be on the bus by 7AM tomorrow. I had hoped for a later departure because Buenos Aires is much closer to Ushuaia than Santiago. But nope. Same departure time as it was in 2011.
Who knows whether I’ll have connectivity once I board the ship, so I’m sending this off now.
Yes, indeed, I’m excited and thrilled that I have already discovered such congenial travel mates.
The first time I went to Antarctica was in January of 2011. At that time, my friends thought Mike, Greg and I had completely lost our minds. “WHY in the world would you want to go THERE?” was the most frequent comment we received from friends and family.
Although Mike was retired, Greg and I were employed, so we were limited to a 15 day journey, 10 days with the National Geographic tour and 5 days on our own traveling to and from Santiago via Lima.
THIS time I’m retired, going solo, so I am able to spend 24 days traveling beyond the Antarctic peninsula to the South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. Instead of meeting the group in Santiago, I’m traveling to Buenos Aires. As with last time, however, we are flying to Ushuaia where we will board the ship, then sail through the dreaded Drake Passage. (Yes, my doctor gave me an adequate supply of seasickness patches. They worked well last time for me and Greg, not as effective for Mike.)
Photo from 2011, taken at the end of our voyage Another view of Ushuaia
So why in the world am I going again?
Where else can you experience creatures so unafraid that they follow YOU?
Where else can you see so many different shades of blue and white?
Or learn about the different seals and penguins living in this frozen wonderland?
But won’t it be cold?
Yes, sometimes it is cold, but National Geographic’s trip cost includes matching parkas for those times. (Laura,one of my trip leaders said “there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing choices”.)
Sometimes it’s warm enough to have a cookout on the back deck wearing just a sweater (and a smile) over your tee shirt.
The best part was traveling with National Geographic experts: Photographers, naturalists, geologists, penguin and whale experts. We would gather in the bar every evening for presentations by those experts, showing us how they spent their day.
The walls of the bar/lounge were covered with big screen TVs so no matter where you sit, you still would have a great view.
Fifteen years ago, our ship was the Explorer. This time, I’ll be sailing on the Endurance, a newer ship serving 126 passengers, with 8 cabins for us traveling solo. I’m not sure how effective the internet is at the bottom of our planet. 15 years ago, I didn’t have a smart phone or a blog so it wasn’t an issue.
I hope you’ll join me on this adventure; I’ll be posting when the spirit moves me and the internet grants me connectivity.
Our farewell dinner took place at L’Olvio, the Italian restaurant around the corner from our hotel. The food was great, but this is definitely not a restaurant to frequent if you are in a hurry. It was an hour before our food started to arrive, one dinner at a time. But the food was very good, and luckily, we were not in a rush.
Randy managed to get everyone (except himself) into one photo,
so I fixed that by taking this photo of him with his lovely wife,Cindy. I’m so glad that they are coming on the post trip, along with Mike and Jo-Lynne, Jolene and me.
The start of OAT’s post trip was a little sad, because we had to say goodbye to Esther, Cindy, Edwin, Lee Fa, Phil, Marianne, and Lester.
We will miss them all greatly, but especially Edwin’s superb translation skills, and Phil’s excellent photos. At least we still have Malo, who is an amazing photographer. I’m sure he will miss Edwin the most, because Malo will now have to do ALL the translations…no breaks for him!
Before we posed at the airport, I told Randy I’d hang all over him so he looks like he travels with TWO chicks. Is it my imagination, or does he look a little worried? Cindy was rightfully unconcerned.
I’m glad the 7 of us were the only passengers because the plane was TINY! So how many times do you think I bumped my head?
Our boarding pass was almost as big as the airplane!
Here’s what Mike and Jo-Lynne think about our flight. They were in the second row. Now how did THEY get to be in business class?
Because we were flying so low, we were able to get a spectacular view of Costa Rica, starting with the arial view of San Jose,
and ending with the Caribbean Sea.
We still had another leg of our journey, because you can only get to Tortuguero by boat. No cars or buses are allowed on what is essentially a sand bar and yep, I bumped my head yet again climbing into the boat.
We had just enough time to watch a short video about the efforts to save turtles from extinction and walk into town before we checked into our lodge.
One of the walls of the local school
Where did our group end up? In a bar, overlooking the river, of course.
Mike and Jo-LynneRandy and CindyMe and JoleneOur very cute waitress
Malo told us that Tortuguero’s nickname is “the little Amazon” because of the abundance of wildlife along the river. That was also the case by our lodge’s pool. For those of us willing to get up early, (Jolene and me) Malo offered to take us on an optional tour starting at 6 AM. Our reward? Rare footage of a spider monkey pooping,
There guys were EVERYWHERE! Yes, that’s poop
and having the jungle (and pool area) all to ourselves.
The pool at 6AM The pool at 3:30PMGorgeous treeOne of the jungle paths
Because weather has always been somewhat unpredictable in the tropics, and now even more so due to climate change, we were very grateful we were given ponchos for our morning cruise.
It’s impossible to show how hard the rain came down!
Despite the poncho, I still got soaked, but the wildlife we saw made the intermittent showers inconsequential.
Tonight is our last night at the Pachira Lodge. Our return to San Jose is first by boat, then by bus. We spend the night in San Jose and fly home the next morning.
My last afternoon in this paradise was spent by the river, with a tropical drink, catching up with some of the important people in my life and writing this post. The perfect ending to a wonderful trip!
It’s hard to pick a favorite location, but Puntarenas would definitely be high up there on my list.
Malo had told us to expect rain when we moved from the Caribbean to the Pacific Coast. Boy, were we delighted that he was so very wrong about the weather. Both days were perfect; not too hot, and just enough sunshine to quickly dry us off after our water activities.
For the drive to Puntarenas, I sat in the front seat. It was truly amazing how much the roads had changed since our first visit in 2007.
Typical 2007 road 2025 Highway
I was even happier to be here when I checked my driveway on the ring camera.
This is where I amThis is where I’m heading
I texted my snow plow guy, who will make sure my driveway is clear by the time I return home. At that point, I may even be ready for some cold weather.
I used to think that traveling by bus would be tedious. That was before, when I had a mind that was partially closed. Now I am able to appreciate how surprisingly wonderful some stops can be. For example, on this bathroom break, we saw an iguana, macaws, and bats.
My photoPhil’s photoI witnessed the circle of life in el baño stall.
Malo changed our itinerary, moving Friday’s boat ride on the Tarcoles River to Wednesday afternoon so that we could maximize the probability that we would see birds. And we sure did!
An unexpected bonus? we didn’t need to be on the bus till 9 AM on Friday morning to return to San Jose.
These are just a few of the birds along our “jungle cruise”. Mike and I took the very same cruise in 2007, which is when I took this photo with my Panasonic LUMIX.
At one time or another, we spotted most of the 60 birds pictured in the guide we were given. How very lucky were we! Of course, Malo had a lot to do with our “luck”. The reason he modified our itinerary was to choose a time when the tides were at the optimum level for viewing wildlife.
Phil and Malo took great photos so Iwas able to gaze at the birds thru my binoculars, knowing that one, or both of them, would capture the moment.
My cell phonePhil’s camera
It’s pretty clear why I preferred their photos to mine, although I DO like this video that I took.
Jolene, Marianne and Lee Fah
But wait…there’s more! Our second day in this heaven on earth was jam packed with adventures.
We started by rowing our outrigger canoes to Limoncito Beach,
where we were able to splash around in the warm water, snorkel and enjoy lunch on the pristine beach
Our guides provided EVERYTHING! Lunch, chairs, snorkeling equipment, noodles. They even took photos of each of us.
After we returned to Agujas Beach, Malo took us to the local bar, where he treated us to Chiliguaro, a local concoction consisting of moonshine, chilies and sugar cane. Did we like it? Well, you be the judge.
But wait…there is still more!
After fortifying ourselves with what could pass as a gin and something that slightly resembled tonic,
Marianne and I got the bright idea to walk (stumble) to Playa Blanca. We were soon joined by Cindy and Edwin, who were usually up for anything. Luckily the shuttle stopped to pick us up before we got to the steep part.
Esther, Cindy and MarianneEdwin, our translator, comedian, and overall great guy! Photo by my buddy, Marianne.
While on the beach, we were entertained by the capuchin monkeys. I wasn’t fast enough to get a video of one while he was stealing food. Man, they are FAST!
The shuttle stops running at 5, so we decided to grab the 4:30 one, to be able to make a final stop before heading to dinner. That’s where we found Mike and Jo-Lynne,
who responded to Edwin’s many personal and pretty hilarious questions about their relationship. The 6 of us going on the post trip to Tortuguero will definitely miss the 7 that will be returning home at the end of the main trip tomorrow.
Up until day 7 and 8, we had been incredibly lucky. Although it rained periodically, it seemed to happen only when we were on the bus, in a restaurant, or back in the hotel. Until La Fortuna. That was where our fortunes changed.
It was impossible to see the Arenal Volcano during our morning hike,
but I took pictures when Mike, Augusta and I were here in February of 2007. Back then, it was quite active. We were even able to see the bright red lava flows at night from our hotel room.
When we walked in the National Park, it was raining so hard, even my underwear was soaked, despite wearing a rain jacket. These days, if it’s not fun, I ain’t doing it, so halfway through the hike, 5 of us returned to the bus.
Marianne got creative. She took a black plastic shopping bag and with Edwin’s help, made holes in the sides so she could stick her arms through to keep her red jacket dry.
Those of us who chose to forgo the hike DID get to see Lake Arenal from the bus as we were leaving the park. Sorta.
Here’s the 2007 view.
Some brave souls decided to go zip lining despite the rain. Having ziplined twice before, I opted to return to the hotel. Had I known about the Tarzan swing, I might have made a different decision. But probably not.
Les, on the zip line.
Marianne, channeling her inner Tarzan. Jane??
Costa Rica has micro climates, so although it was pouring a few miles away, it wasn’t raining at our hotel. I walked the grounds, where I discovered multiple private hot tubs. Oh, to be with that special someone on a sunny day!
On our second day in La Fortuna, we cruised the Rio Frio, to search for wildlife.
I briefly regretted not bringing my camera, but I was very grateful for my binoculars.
Even with binoculars, it was NOT easy to spot the wildlife.
Were you able to find the “Jesus Christ” lizard in the first photo? For the second photo, I used my phone’s zoom, which is clearly not as powerful as my camera’s.
Why Jesus Christ lizard? Because the basilisk lizard (official name) looks as if he can walk (run) across water.
Check out the difference in quality of these monkey photos. The first was taken with a phone, (by one of the other travelers); the second is from the 2007 trip with my Panasonic LUMIX, way before cellphones had cameras.
Our guide posted photos of the birds we saw in WhatsApp. Of all the birds we observed, the kingfisher was my favorite.
Before our cruise ended, we made it to the Costa Rica/ Nicaragua border, where Malo took this photo of our wonderful group.
My very favorite highlight of our time in La Fortuna was our dinner at Selva Rustica. Raul, our bus driver, offered to take us to and from the restaurant, which was a very good thing because it was raining heavily ALL evening.
We all agreed that this was the best meal of the entire trip, so far. Sorry, Malo. From now on, we are going with Raul’s restaurant recommendations. Although we each ordered something different, we were all very happy with our choices. My grilled tuna atop vegetables and potatoes was heavenly.
Have you ever had a flaming margarita? With a blue Jell-O shot in the bottom of the glass? Neither had I. This was definitely a video worthy experience. Thanks to Phil for capturing the moment.
As you can see from the map, we are traveling throughout Costa Rica during OAT’s Pura Vida tour.
This means we need to move from one place to another every two days.
On day 5, we departed from Sarapiqui after lunch, which gave us time in the morning to visit Tirimbina, and walk across its quarter mile suspension bridge over the Sarapiqui River.
TWICE. Over and back.
I have to tell you, the shaking and swaying reminded me of car rides during my childhood. Even without all the smoke from my parents’ cigarettes, that continual motion almost made me feel carsick! But was I glad I did it? Hell yes.
After our stroll, we had free time until lunch, so I plopped myself in the “bird” area to enjoy the wildlife.
This gray cowled wood rail was HUGE, and unafraid. He stared right at me in between bites of papaya. He was probably thinking “ if she even tries to bother me, I’ll just peck her eyes out”.
Were you impressed that I knew the name of the bird? Don’t be. I sent that photo to Malo, who identified it for me.
During lunch, we were all grateful to be under the roof watching the torrential rainfall. How lucky were we that we weren’t rafting during the downpour. Yes, I know we were already soaked, but at least the sun was out, so we had a warm respite between rapids.
Our lodge in Sarapiqui was full of signs, but this one was my favorite:
Our next hotel, in Aguas Zarcas, had multiple pools, supposedly at different temperatures, but they all felt lukewarm to me. Still, it sure was pretty at night.
On day 6, Malo led us on an optional tour of the property, where the non-Florida natives were thrilled to watch this heron check out a potential tilapia breakfast. He looked like a human, staring into a lobster tank, trying to choose one for dinner.
This was a very educational walk. We learned that bats sleep rolled up in leaves like this one. How did Malo know? The bat makes three holes in the leaves— all in a row.
During our stay in Aguas Zarcas, we made two trips to the local grocery store—the first was on the way to the hotel, where I stocked up on wine. Hey, who knows if I’ll have another opportunity?
I know my friend Anthony is probably horrified by my choices. My criteria? It had to have a screw top. It’s times like this that I’m grateful for my unsophisticated palate.
Fortunately, we made a return trip to the grocery store the next day to buy ingredients for our home visit.
By then, I had washed my hair with the only option provided by the hotel. Let me assure you, the outcome was NOT attractive, so I was glad to have the chance to buy real shampoo.
One of OAT’S distinguishing features is the home visit, where we visit with a family, share a meal, and sometimes help prepare it. This was one of those times.
I opted for salad duty where I’m pleased to report I excelled at chopping lettuce.
As a bonus, our host’s daughter Natasha danced for us, with son Damien performing the role of DJ and boom box operator.
We ended our visit with a group photo.
Our hostess and family posing with us
Our final event was dinner in town, at a karaoke place. Sadly, the words never appeared on the screen, so we were unable to sing along.
Cynthia, Marianne, Lester, Randy, Cindy, Esther. Where was Edwin?Me, Jo-Lynne, Mike, Joleen, Lee Fa, Phil. photo by Randy
Because dinners were not served together, and the food took a looong time to arrive, we all got a free drink. My friend Phil and I got to choose another drink because we were served last and didn’t get the barbecue ribs we had ordered. My margarita was delicious, as was the small drink we all received.
After “before dinner wine” (happy hour back at our hotel), a half a bottle of beer, a frozen mango margarita and the little “mystery” drink, I was feeling absolutely NO pain.
Jo-Lynne and I were ready to “party hearty”, but the rest of the group wanted to go to bed, so we were saved from embarrassing ourselves. At least so far. We still have another 10 days.
Destination NOW 