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Too hard to park?
2007-02-08 21:43:00
I just went to Oregon (downtown) this weekend for a drive and it was just another crazy day and it was just so hard to park. After tiringly somehow found a spot, I've found this sign. Instead of getting irate, I'd just laughed out loud. Pretty neat stuff. I have to have that sign and I found a website.CrossroadSigns
More About: Hard , Park

Will be missing Costa Rica
2006-11-10 20:05:00
Those of us who had later flights were able to mingle after breakfast. Some of our new friends had already left, but our flight left in the afternoon, so we got up to say goodbye to as many as possible.I had so many memories I was able to bring home. Not only did I make new friends, but also I’d seen animals in their natural setting. It was weird seeing animals loose rather than caged or fenced behind zoo bars.The trip appealed to the nature lover in me, and I felt I’d experienced so much! Plus many photographs would keep my memories fresh.Caravan was great about transporting boh us and our baggage to the airport for our lengthy journey home. We arrived in plenty of time to go through customs and catch our flight.Caravan Tours calls their trip “Cost a Rica Natural Paradise.” I’d have to say that after this trip, I totally agree! I cannot wait to return. In fact, a few of us made plans to reunite on another tour! I cannot wait.
More About: Costa Rica , Miss , Will , Sing

River of Crocodiles
2006-11-09 00:36:00
Day nine brought us to the Carara Biological Preserve. Apparently, “carara” means “river of crocodiles”, and that must have been true because I saw a number of them. I also was in a group that was lucky enough to see the rare scarlet Macaw. Pretty exciting for us! After wandering through this park, we had lunch, and continued onward.Our next stop was a place called Sarchi where we saw handpainted ox carts and other crafts. I’m not much for crafts, so this part didn’t impress me as much as it did others. My new friends seemed to love it!Grecia, a metal church, was next and made for some interesting photographs. We got a number of good shots of all of us standing in front of it. Great mementos for now when we are all at home.The Costa Rican coffee plantation was next. We got to pick some beans and sample the delicious coffee. I have to say that part of the trip was great. I love coffee!Finally, we returned to San José. We were back where we started at the Barc...
More About: River , Crocodiles , Croc , Dile

Costa Rica's prettiest park
2006-11-06 16:59:00
After a delicious breakfast, we were taken to Manuel Antonio , acclaimed to be Cost a Rica’s prettiest park. I think I would agree. We spent most of the morning hiking and swimming in the ocean.The hike was most memorable as the trails were frequented by spider monkeys. They did not seem to show fear at all. According to our guide, this area is the last natural habitat for these monkeys. I found that quite sad.After lunch, we were taken back to our hotels were we could spend the day doing whatever intrigued us. We got rides into town and spent the day doing some shopping and sightseeing on our own. Jaco is a pleasant area.After our afternoon out, we returned for another satisfying dinner and then enjoyed some time on the beach watching the tide. All in all, I think this was perhaps my favorite area of the trip.
More About: Costa Rica , Park , Costa

More parks and forests
2006-11-06 16:57:00
Day seven was neat. We got to drive past the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, a portion of forest purchased by children around the world. It brought a tear to the eye thinking about how these kids did such a kind thing.Our next stop was the Cloud Forest Reserve where we got to walk around and see a lot of the local plants and animals. Our guide explained to us how the cloud forest is more humid than a rainforest, but it doesn’t rain as often as it does in a rainforest. Strange!We had lunch at the Cloud Forest restaurant, and got to see some hummingbirds eat. The rest of this day was spent on the bus heading to the Pacific Ocean. The town we were headed for was called Jaco.In Jaco, our hotel Terrazas del Pacifico turned out to be another great surprise. The hotel offered a huge adult-only swimming pool with a swim-up bar. And, best of all, the hotel was all-inclusive, so our drinks were included!While the hotel wasn’t in the downtown, we were able to stroll up and down th...
More About: Park , More , Rest , Parks

Caño Negro wildlife
2006-11-03 23:16:00
After breakfast, we headed north and were able to see orange, teak, and sugar plantations. Our destination was Cano Frego’s wildlife preserve where we were able to cruise down a river while viewing wildlife. I spotted a crocodile, only to be told it was really a caiman, and did see some monkeys, birds, and even a few weird lizards that walked on the water.After stopping for lunch, we returned to the hotel and had plentyh of time to explore Fortuna. My friend and I joined the other girls on the group for some shopping. We found a few neat things and then headed back to the hotel for dinner. Dinners had been good so are, though my friend did say she was getting tired of chicken all the time. I’d learned before hand that poultry is common, as seafood in Costa Rica is mainly exported to other countries.The weather allowed us to view the lava flowing from the Arenal volcano and we all indulged in the offer to bathe in a hot spring! We also took the opportunity to head to town ...
More About: Life , Wildlife , Wild , Negro

Rainforest in Costa Rica
2006-11-02 21:42:00
Day seven was neat. We got to drive past the Children’s Eternal Rain forest, a portion of forest purchased by children around the world. It brought a tear to the eye thinking about how these kids did such a kind thing.Our next stop was the Cloud Forest Reserve where we got to walk around and see a lot of the local plants and animals. Our guide explained to us how the cloud forest is more humid than a rainforest, but it doesn’t rain as often as it does in a rainforest. Strange!We had lunch at the Cloud Forest restaurant, and got to see some hummingbirds eat. The rest of this day was spent on the bus heading to the Pacific Ocean. The town we were headed for was called Jaco.In Jaco, our hotel Terrazas del Pacifico turned out to be another great surprise. The hotel offered a huge adult-only swimming pool with a swim-up bar. And, best of all, the hotel was all-inclusive, so our drinks were included!While the hotel wasn’t in the downtown, we were able to stroll up and down th...
More About: Info , Cost , Costa Rica , Rest

Cano Frego’s wildlife
2006-11-01 23:51:00
After breakfast, we headed north and were able to see orange, teak, and sugar plantations. Our destination was Cano Frego’s wildlife preserve where we were able to cruise down a river while viewing wildlife. I spotted a crocodile, only to be told it was really a caiman, and did see some monkeys, birds, and even a few weird lizards that walked on the water.After stopping for lunch, we returned to the hotel and had plentyh of time to explore Fortuna. My friend and I joined the other girls on the group for some shopping. We found a few neat things and then headed back to the hotel for dinner. Dinners had been good so are, though my friend did say she was getting tired of chicken all the time. I’d learned before hand that poultry is common, as seafood in Costa Rica is mainly exported to other countries.The weather allowed us to view the lava flowing from the Arenal volcano and we all indulged in the offer to bathe in a hot spring! We also took the opportunity to head to town ...
More About: Life , Wildlife , Goa , Wild

Rainforest, Suspension bridge, Springs
2006-10-31 16:56:00
Talk about neat. My friend and I climbed onto the boat that would take us to the plantation. By now, we’d become pretty chummy with the other group of women our age, so we tried to stick together. All of us managed to get on board together and were taken to a banana plantation. It’s funny to see bananas on a tree and not just on a store display. We had a quick lunch and then got back onto the buses.Our next stop was really quite quick. I wish we could have spent a little more time at the Selva Verde Rain forest Preserve. We did have a few minutes to get out and explore the huge suspension bridge. I’d advise against it if you are even slightly scared of heights like me. I let my friends pressure me into it, but boy did I feel nauseous after taking about four steps, so I returned to land! We reboarded shortly after in our journey onward.The rest of the day was spent riding the bus to Fortuna in San Carlos Valley. Today was a little more tedious than others. Thankfully...
More About: Spring , Info , Ring , Pens

Unwinding in Tortuguero Park
2006-10-30 18:31:00
This time, my friend and I did not awaken early by our own excitement. Howler Monkeys decided most of the hotel needed a wake up call. I still think it is an experience I am thrilled to have had. We spent much of the day riding in boats through the canals while viewing the alarm clock inspired howler monkeys, iguanas, and a variety of birds. The boats took us to Cano Palma’s wildlife reserve. We ended up at the Green Sea Turtle research station where we got to learn about the turtles. I saw the tiniest little babies who had just hatched. They were so cute! Then we got to walk down the beach to see the turtles in their natural environment. I will never forget this part!This part of the excursion ended with a stop at a local school where we got to see the kids in action. Pretty neat! We returned to our hotel for lunch and then had free time. My friend and I opted to take the additional boat trip to Tortuguero Park , so that we could see more of the area’s wildlife. We ...
More About: Wind , Unwind , Winding

Rainforest Aerial Tram
2006-10-27 18:53:00
After breakfast, we hopped in to bus and drove to Braulio Carrillo Park. The bus trip seemed a little long, perhaps I was growing tired of riding the bus, but it is a necessary means of transportation, so there isn’t much that can be done. At Braulio Carrillo Park, I did see the most amazing waterfalls. They were simply breathtaking. Some birds hung around so that we could see their bright colors. The next main attraction in our tour was the tram into the rainforest. Again, wow! The plants and wildlife were amazing. We did get to walk through the rainforest for a little while, though I wish it could have lasted for hours. I loved this part of the trip. My friend wasn’t as happy with the mosquitoes, but it’s the Rain forest, what did she expect?!We stopped for lunch before entering into the next phase of our trip. We all got to view a butterfly garden, again packed with colors, before boarding boats. The next leg of this trip involved boating down rivers and canals to...
More About: Info , Rest , Forest , Rial

Wandering in Costa Rica
2006-10-26 17:30:00
Due to the excitement, my friend and I were up really early. We were able to find many television shows that provided us with entertainment while we waited for our set meeting time for breakfast. We all met for breakfast and had a nice selection of Cost a Rican foods, with an ample supply of American dishes for the fussier eaters. This was nice. After breakfast, we loaded into the bus and headed to Costa Rica ’s famed statue of the Little Drummer Boy. He is apparently a national hero there.After the statue, which gave everyone a nice chance to stretch their legs, we journeyed on to Poás Volcano. The volcano is an amazing sight! The guide told us the volcano has been inactive since the 1990’s, so we felt safe and took many photographs. We stopped for lunch after this before heading to the plaza.At Plaza de la Cultura, there was a lot to see and do. We also visited Central Park, the National Theater, and one of the area museums. It seemed that the activity never stopped. ...
More About: Ring , Wandering

1st day of the 10 Days In Costa Rica
2006-10-25 21:14:00
I have dreamed about visiting Cost a Rica for a very long time. Yet, I’d always pushed my plans back. I couldn’t afford it. Couldn’t take the time from work. Too many other plans interfered. You know the excuses tha tpop up.Finally, I broke down and agreed to join a friend on a ten-day trip hosted by Caravan Tours. I guess I can sum up my experience in just one word—Wow! The first day was really more of a travel day than anything. We flew out of Miami and landed in San José that afternoon. Caravan had us staying at a charming hotel called the Barcelo Palacio. We had plenty of time to wander the hotel grounds. One thing I liked were the range of amenities. Barcelo Palacio changed $5 for half an hour’s worth of Internet usage, expensive but great for people who need to keep in touch with work. A casino, two bars, two restaurants, and a huge swimming pool were all on site. I loved the range of activity that was available. There are saunas, hot tubs, tennis co...
More About: Costa Rica , Days , Costa