We can't write about Curacao without a mention of our trip here. Travelling on the day we did meant that we had to fly through Venezuela to get to Curacao from Panama City. That or Columbia which was a lot more travelling. At the time we booked there was a lot of general unrest in Venezuela but nothing in Valencia where we flew through or any warnings to not go.... continued below
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Travelling and eating through new countries is something we love. Strangely enough trying completely new foods isn't top of our children's list. Their favourite food if they get to choose is probably pizza (and pretty much only Hawaiian) or hamburgers with chips. Though when I think about it, as much as I love trying new cuisines I am also quite particular about what I do and don't like...continued below
I can already look back at our photos from Costa Rica and Panama and feel nostalgic. We are having such an amazing adventure and I am really glad we made the decisions we did to be able to do this. At the time it made me feel very uncertain and unsettled. Probably because of the huge amount of unknown, leaving all the things we put in place to feel settled and secure. Literally once we were through NZ customs though it felt strangely liberating and there was nothing we could do, we were on our way! If we had forgotten anything we'd have to buy it. If something went wrong we'd have to fix it. So far the only thing we have really had to buy is an extra t-shirt for Rob and a sun hat for Olivia. We also wish we had brought Rob's SLR Camera. iPhones are great but we are seeing such amazing things that it would have been so worth better capturing...continued below
On August 4th we packed up at Bocas and flew to Panama City. This was a complete transport contest to getting to Bocas. Instead we got to catch a taxi into the airport that is literally in town, check in (walk back the 500 meters to Bocas town to grab some breakfast/coffee) and then fly straight into an airport in Panama City that was 10 minutes drive to our hotel. I could imagine living in Panama and flying to places like Bocas so easily for a weekend. Our first stop after checking in was a visit to the large new shopping mall filled with brands from Zara to Hermes. I indulged in a few new t-shirts from the first of these two, Day two though it was straight up and to the Miroflores lock to see the amazing Panama Canal in action. It was unbelievably impressive and it was nice to think that 70 odd years ago by grand parents went through on their way from the UK to NZ...continued below
Touch down Panama. A new month and a new country. Each time we move places it is often a mammoth effort. We have packed light to try and make that part easy, but the simple process of getting to and from somewhere, especially with a border crossing thrown in, is tiring no matter what. Our taxi, taxi, border crossing, taxi, boat, and final taxi to get to Bocas was worth it. It certainly felt like we had hit the Caribbean with its dirt roads, chilled people and water outlook from everywhere. We had heard Bocas del Toro was a bit dodgy and the hotel reviews we had read in NZ made me think it was sketchy.... continued below
Our move from La Fortuna back to the coast but the Caribbean side this time, was long to say the least. Amazingly the girls travelled really well. Our 240km drive took 6 hours and they helped pass half of it by counting 1,218 trucks between the San Jose highway and Limon. We passed three pretty significant truck accidents on the way and saw these mammoth trucks in various stages of being righted or towed back out of the ditch. It made driving quite a tense exercise for Rob.
It was great to pull into 3 Bamboo just before sunset and settle into our home for the next four days. We had a kitchen so ate two meals a day at home. As we were 5k from Cahuita town this was very handy and meant we could enjoy the pool and the shade in the hot, humid afternoons. While in Cahuita we toured the Sloth Sanctuary and saw some of the sloth adults and toddlers that had been rescued but would not be able to be returned to the wild. We also took the opportunity to book a guide and walk the Cahuita Reserve park. This was by far our best walk and we saw everything from a sloth to a raccoon and even a bright yellow poisonous viper. Carlos was great so if you are ever here make sure we pass on his details. We even finally saw a Toucan. I thought it would be interesting to share everything we packed. Living from one suitcase for 105 days means packing light and packing tight. Ziplock bags are a godsend, they keep things seperate and water proof. The girls have one large one each with clothes and one small sandwich bag for underwear and socks. I have three large; one of tops, one of bottoms and one underwear.
We then have; One large bag swimwear shared, one large bag medicines, one large with beach shoes, one large bag raincoats, one large bag art, crafts & travel journals one pair of shoes and one pair of jandals (plus an extra dress sandal and sneaker for me - yet to wear either) one bag toiletries pack of cards and travel monopoly cards ipad Then I have Rob's snorkels and flippers on top. Will recap after the holiday on what we didn't need, what we needed to buy (I expect warmer tops and new leggings in USA). What it does show is what little we can live with if we wash clothes every 4 days. It's what I typically take on a one week holiday so I look forward to seeing how it goes. Our transfer to La Fortuna and the foot of the Arenal volcano was a bumpy drive down to a very beautiful boat crossing. As we came around the bend in the lake the volcano rose above us. It was an amazing experience and looked exactly how you imagine a volcano to look. We were lucky to get some great views as the almost constant cloud did clear a couple of times. In Arenal we enjoyed some amazing meals out and a great day at the Arenal Observatory lodge. Here we saw a huge variety of bird life, our first coati and spider monkeys. We also had a majestic view from the swimming pool and spa.
We had a fantastic four days in Monteverde enjoying a break from the tropical weather and putting on a long sleeved top for the first time. We explored Monteverde National Reserve our first day and the also squeezed in a great night tour on day one. We saw a huge tarantula, green viper snake, bats and a large stick insect with our rather eccentric(being nice) guide. Day two we explored Curi-Cancha Reserve and spotted an animal we are yet to name. On our third day we then went and explored the suspended bridges at the Selvatuna Adventure Park. We also discovered a lovely bakery with a coffee machine like my old work one and lovely pastries for breakfast.
In Samara we were lucky enough to be able to travel up the coast and see hundreds of turtles come ashore as part of an arribada. These occur every month on the new moon, mainly from August until November. In some peak months as many as 500,000 have come ashore in the few days they occur. They certainly were streaming onto the beach when we arrived, very intent on their mission. Continued below...
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