Honeymoon

While the majority of our accommodations during #fosteradventure will be a combination of hostels, backpacking lodges, budget hotels and the occasional hut or treehouse, the past two days were a small indulgence. (I heard about the deal via Jetsetter, which I would highly recommend to find smaller, boutique hotels at a major discount). We have enjoyed the unique aspect of every place we’ve stayed so far but being at Oxygen Jungle Villas truly felt like a honeymoon.

The infinity pool view never gets old.

On Friday, we started early with a hike that led to a waterfall in the jungle near our hut. The trees were huge and everything was so lush – we have seen so much green in Costa Rica! We were able to see a lot of different birds, spiders and other bugs but could not find the famed howler monkey though we could certainly hear them!

Crystal clear waterfall from our morning hike.

Checking out the creek and looking for creatures.

After a pretty sweaty hike, we headed back to the hotel for some coffee and relaxation. As an aside, I am amazed that we have yet to encounter iced coffee anywhere! It's so hot in the rainforest but everyone still drinks hot coffee all the time. Last night I dreamt of Dunkin Donuts but I'm hopeful we will find a South America replacement soon.

We stayed by the pool for most of the day to read, swim and take in the view. We've been pretty lucky with the weather so far - the rain has been mostly limited to late afternoon and overnight even though it's the rainy season.

Obligatory infinity pool shot. (In fact, almost identical to the one shown on the hotel website!)

After a light lunch by the pool - my first salad since we've been in Costa Rica (not a hugely popular menu item here it seems) - we were lucky enough to spot some pretty amazing wildlife. We caught the below video of what appears to be a goldfinch (I am reading The Goldfinch so obviously I decided that's the type of bird we saw) taking a cue from the humans and cooling himself off in the pool.

The highlight of my day (and maybe the trip so far) came unexpectedly as we headed back to our hut. I'd been half-joking to Alex that I wasn't leaving Costa Rica until we saw some monkeys and finally my wish was granted. After catching some movement in the trees, we grabbed our cameras and started looking upward. Suddenly we realized there were 3 monkeys all jumping from tree to tree and practically putting on a show for us. Alex was quick enough to snap some shots and even got a video so I can relive this moment over and over again.

Don't mind me.

Checking us out.

MONKEYS!!! I can now leave Costa Rica without regrets.

After our exciting monkey viewing interlude, we continued our day of relaxation with a wedding gift from our friends Ali and Caleb - a couples massage before dinner. What a perfect end to our "honeymoon!"  

Surfing

Ok, before we get to the surfing, we had to post one more photo of the beautiful beach in Uvita that was only steps away from our tree house. The perfect setting for a day in the water.

Panoramic of the beach.

We set up our surfing lesson through the Flutterby House - they have a close relationship with a surf instructor / general surfer dude named Rama. As we would later learn, Rama moved down to Costa Rica to teach surfing full-time in 2007. He had previously lived near Lake Tahoe, California making a living building houses. As the financial crisis loomed, fewer vacation homes were being built in Tahoe so he decided to pack up and hang ten full-time down here. In addition to surf lessons, Rama still builds homes in the area when needed. The Flutterby House needed his help building some of their compound over the years and he now enjoys VIP status there. As he put it, "I included a lifetime of free meals in my price quote" - so needless to say, he hangs around a lot.

Anyway, enough back story on Rama. We grabbed our boards around 8:30am and headed to the beach. Low tide was around 7am and apparently (according to Rama) surfing as the tide is coming in is ideal. We went over some safety and practiced with Rama on the beach, then headed out to give it a shot. For those that have never been surfing, trust us that it is harder than it looks. Sarah had taken a lesson before and actually got up on her first run in; it took me a lot longer to get the hang of it, but eventually I got up!

Practicing on the beach with Lori, another Flutterby House guest and first-time surfer.

Sarah had the get-up-on-one-knee move down cold.

Almost...

Nailed it! (after many, many attempts)

By mid-day we were exhausted and ready for a break. We said goodbye to Rama and the Flutterby House and headed to town for lunch. We couldn't turn down the opportunity to get two more delicious sandwiches at Bob's Roadshack Deli. Both of them were amazing, again.

I got the Gringo 4x4 and Sarah got a sandwich quite accurately named The Fat Bastard with BBQ pulled pork, ham, bacon, cheese and various sauces. If neither of us can find a job when we get back, I think we would have great success opening a deli like this in NYC...

After lunch, we set out to find our next hotel, the Oxygen Jungle Villas. We thought it would be a simple drive down the road from Bob's...but it turned into a little bit of an adventure. Google Maps sent us back toward the ocean, in reality this place is up in the mountains...

You can see the route Google tried to take us - down to the Pacific - which would have included fording a river. The red star is where the hotel is actually located. I've never seen Google Maps fail this completely. 

The "detour" toward the ocean was all on dirt roads, one of which was washed out by a river. For half a second we considered driving across, but then figured it would be better to ask someone at Bob's how to get there. They were very helpful and pointed us in the right direction. The back roads to get up to the hotel were very steep and totally unpaved / not well maintained. I was very glad we rented a 4x4 SUV for this drive.

We were rewarded at the end of our journey by a stunning view and luxurious accommodations. Quite a step up from living in a tree house!

The view from Reception.

Our home for the next two nights (this is the view looking out at the porch). A hut in the jungle...but a hut in the jungle enclosed by glass with air conditioning!

After cooling off in the pool and reading for a few hours, we got ready for dinner and ate at the restaurant here. They basically have a monopoly on your dining options because it's such a trek to get back to town! Fortunately, the hotel employs a very friendly staff and the chef knows how to cook a good meal. Looking forward to another relaxing day here tomorrow!

Summer Camp

As a Jewish girl from the Midwest, I obviously attended camp during many of my adolescent summers (I even became a counselor once in high school). Our current stay at the Flutterby House in Uvita is basically like a grown-up version of the best summer camp you ever went to.

View of a hut on the Flutterby "campground."

The day here starts when you wake up sweating from the humidity in your cabin, treehouse or hut. Breakfast is locally sourced and served from 7-9am (so far the only thing missing from my childhood memories is saying grace before meals).

Waking up in a treehouse, under a mosquito net.

Following a wholesome breakfast, you pick an activity - beach, reading, surf lessons, snorkeling or hiking – and set off for the next couple of hours. All the while you are surrounded by fellow “campers” – travelers just like you who are hoping to spend a few slow days in paradise, relaxing on a hammock.

Playa Uvita entrance by our hostel.

To give the staff a break, lunch isn’t served on premises so you either decide you are full enough from breakfast to wait for an early dinner at 6:30pm or head down the dirt road for a mid-day meal.

Then it’s time for your next activity – arts & crafts (in my former life) or sports maybe? In this case the Argentina vs. Netherlands world cup semifinal game is on, so you head to a local spot to catch the game because it just so happens the power is out for an hour at camp.

Just as the game is ending (Argentina wins in a shootout!), it starts to rain so you head back to camp to get ready for dinner. 

Lizards and other animals are everywhere - it's camp!

Unfortunately, showering basically does you no good here because you are sticky from sweat and bugspray 5 minutes afterward. But who cares – you are at camp!

Dinner is served family style – one entrée selection per night – and you mingle with current and new friends.

The biggest (and best) difference from actual summer camp? The booze, obviously! Happy hour(s) is from 5-7 with a different specialty beverage each night for approximately $3 and local beers are served all day for $2. 

About to write this blog post with a pint of white wine - today's happy hour special (shown next to Alex's 40).

With dinner served until 7:30 and last call for drinks at 9:30, you have just enough time for the required number of drinks necessary to sleep in 90 degree 100% humidity weather without AC. You head to bed excited to do it all over again tomorrow. Pura vida!

Uvita a.k.a. Paradise

Admittedly, I'm 100% confident I will call other places "paradise" along the way here, but it's hard to describe Uvita as anything but paradise so far.

Our morning started in San Jose. We ate breakfast at our hostel and, at Sarah's suggestion, walked the two miles to the local Dollar Car Rental with our backpacks. We're "real" backpackers now! Before leaving, we overheard a conversation at breakfast between the receptionist and another guest - the Costa Rican men's soccer team was having a parade in town today to welcome them home...and the streets we needed to exit the city would be closing soon. So what would've otherwise been a slower morning turned into a bit of a hustle to get across town. Luckily, we made it in time and got out of the city with no trouble - we were prepared for a hellish driving experience given all the guides we'd read online before coming down here, but it really wasn't bad at all. The traffic moves slower than in the US but there aren't any (major) unpaved roads or potholes to dodge. Plus the scenery can't be beat.

View of the Pacific on the way from San Jose to Uvita. 

Take two.

It took about 4 hours to get to our hostel in Uvita, but it was well worth the trip. Immediately upon entering the Flutterby House we were warmly welcomed and felt right at home. This place is unlike any I've ever stayed at before though - it's basically a mini-compound, with an assortment of communal buildings / areas and sleeping quarters. To be honest, I felt a little like I was Leo stepping onto the set of The Beach. We are staying in "The Penthouse," but it's really just the name for the private room on the property: we have our own tree house to ourselves.

Our home for the next two days.

The reception / bar / common area (later in the evening).

After dropping our stuff off, we headed into town to get a bite to eat. We ate at Bob's Roadshack Deli, which was amazing. If you are ever in the area, please eat here. And order the Gringo 4x4. Trust us. Bob himself was very friendly too - he offered us a bunch of samples, including some new chocolate he just got in. Like our sandwiches, it was also amazing.

Then we grabbed a few things (most importantly, Sarah's phone for pictures) and went to the beach. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the views were absolutely breathtaking. Plus, as the tide went out, it revealed the whale-tail-shaped shoreline. Really amazing sunset walk.

Walk to the beach.

Sarah made a new friend.

Then I snapped this photo of her.

Clouds reflecting on the waves.

Sunset.

We returned for a group dinner, which turned out to be fish taco Tuesday. Really good and the perfect end to the day. We're looking forward to spending more time on the beach tomorrow!