Las Orquideas Hotel, Santa Elena.

Well, two things are for sure. One, we had certainly ruined a section of the lawn at the hotel and for sure Nidia and Danny are one of the most delightful and charming couples we have met. As we all perused the gouges and ruts that now make up part of their landscape, Danny and Tom came up with a plan to extricate the RV from it's present location and they didn't kick us out. They had already came up with another location for our second night here. As Tom twisted and turned the steering wheel following Danny's instructions, it became obvious to both of them that we would not get out without help. "I'll tow you out" said Danny as he went to get his SUV. He attached a chain to the RV, Tom got into the driver's seat and again following Danny's instructions started slowly steering the RV as Danny towed. "Whoa" he yelled, Tom braked but not in time. Now we had taken out a few flagsones that made up a walkway. Finally, after two more starts and stops, Danny pulled us clear of the garden and had us located in our new spot. Still grassy but with better drainage. Now we could see the extent of the damage in all it's glory or goriness as the case was. "We are so sorry", we kept saying over and over to Danny and Nidia. "We will pay for any repairs or help out". They kept assuring us not too worry. Tom asked if they had a rake. They found one and we spent the next hour or so raking the deep ruts until they were at least flatter and putting the broken flagstones back in place. Just as we were finishing, the rain started again in earnest and we were glad we were on safer ground. We had wanted to go into town for dinner but the rain just kept coming down. Since we have decided to come back here to stay once Danny and Nicole arrive, we knew we would have other oppotunities to see the town so we contented ourselves with a dinner of salami, cheese, barbequed chicken and crackers with a glass of Chilean red wine. As the rain peetered out, I walked Winston and Tom chatted with Nidia. We learned that she is Italian, her father was from Naples and she and Danny have been married 42 years. Besides the hotel, they have other property in Costa Rica, a farm which we had passed on the way here from Tilaran and a house in Puntarenas. Their farm grows the coffee that they serve at breakfast, some cattle and pigs and 4 horses. The next morning we go in to breakfast and Nidia sits with us and chats. A little later, Danny arrives and we talk about their farm and home. Since Danny is going to the farm after breakfast, we agree that we will stop and visit on our way to Lake Arenal and the volcano. Also, after he finds out that we plan to stop in Puntarenas on our way to San Jose, he insists that we make use of their home there. He says we can't get onto the property because our RV is too tall but there is parking to the side and we can hook into power. He gives us the contact information of the housekeeper who lives on site and says we can use the house to shower etc. Their kindness is overwhelming to us, particularly considering our less than auspicius start but if ever you are in the Santa Elena/Monteverde area of Costa Rica, consider a stay at their hotel. It is beautifully maintained with amazing views and extremely reasonable. At present it is $25.00 per person which includes breakfast. As we prepare the RV for moving, I once again visit their mirador that overlooks the canyon. With Santa Elena, the jungle and the three waterfalls clearly visible, it is a stunning view and a reminder of the diversity that makes up Costa Rica.

Samara to Santa Elena/Monteverde. 114 miles. August 23rd, 2010

We had looked at many maps and guidebooks and one thing was clear, the road to Monteverde is without doubt the worst they had ever driven and now both Tom and I concur. First of all, there is no "good" road up here. Whichever route you take, you end up driving the last 25 to 30 kilometers on a rocky, gravelly road. This entails driving at a speed of about 5 - 10 mile an hour, if you're lucky. We elected to come via Tilaran which is supposed to be a little longer than the road direct from the PanAmericana but with less of an incline and mountainous turns. In other words, easier for the RV. It took well over 5 hours to do the journey and we were completely tired of the jarring and bumpiness of the road by the time we arrived into the small connected towns of Santa Elena & Monteverde. We had the name of one hotel located just outside of town that another RV had stayed at and that was going to be our first stop. After a couple of missed turns in town and asking a few different people for directions, we eventually found the hotel. The owners, Nidia and Danny are delightful and suggested we park right on the lawn one one side of the hotel. Also, they have internet and do not charge RVer's for parking, breakfast, if we want it is $5.00 each. Fabulous even though both Tom and I have an agreement that if we use someone's facilities we try to compensate them in some way. As Tom drove, I got out and with Winston, were chatting with Nidia. Suddenly there was a sound of wheels spinning and I saw the RV slipping. I yell and Tom got out. Cripes! Nidia then told us there had been more rain than usual for this time of year. We were stuck and not only stuck but had managed to tear up and put deep gouged ruts into their beautiful lawn. It was getting dark and even though we were not quite lined up properly, decided to deal with it in the morning. We got our power cord and Nidia plugged us in. The hotel is a B & B, with no bar and serves only breakfast. No matter. We got ourselves a couple of beers and walked Winston around the property, trying not to look to closely at the damage we have done. At the back of the hotel is a walkway that bridges out over a canyon. Although we can't see anything due to the clouds, we can hear a waterfall and river in the background. As night comes, we see the town lit up as it spreads into the surrounding hills. It is a beautiful sight. We discuss dinner and decide to keep it simple and microwave some taco meat we had done a few nights before, chop up avocado, grate cheese and with salsa make our now famous "gringo tacos". As we chat and get back into the RV, we grimace at our parking job and the lawn and hope our hosts, Nidia and Danny will be as delightful and friendly in the morning.

Playa Samara, Costa Rica. August 23rd, 2010

Samara worked out just fine for us. There is a reef offshore which made for some nice breaks for Tom to boogie board in. In addition, it is not crowded so he doesn't have to compete for waves with surfers and other boarders. Winston was allowed to roam free and made good use of his time by wading through the swamp area, playing on the beach with other dogs and digging in the sand to find the perfect spot to take his naps. It's a dog's life! I walked the beach and caught up on my reading. The only drawback is no internet, hopefully at the next stop. We hung out in Samara for four days mainly because of the weekend and driving anywhere in Central America on Sunday is awful. Everyone, it seems, takes to the road and goes to the playas. On Monday we have decided to go inland to the rain and cloud forest area of Santa Elena/Monteverde. We have eliminated this spot for bringing the kids. There is cabinas but I don't think even Winston would sleep on the beds, it is just too rundown. Too bad because we love places where we are right on the beach wih an unobstructed view of the horizon. However both Tom and I agree, we would come back only for those reasons. It was fitting that our last morning here ended the way it began when we arrived. The group of wild horses came through our camp, grazed, hung out and we got to admire them up close as both them and us checked out the view.

Tamarindo to Samara. 59 miles. August 19th, 2010

Our second day in Tamarindo was great. We relaxed, played at the ocean and the maid/cleaner at the cabinas did all of our laundry for us. After filling our RV with water, we bid Johann (the manager) adios with the possibilty that we will be back in a couple of weeks with Danny and Nicole in tow. Samara is another beach town headed south towards the gulf and once again there were no references in any of our literature of places to stay. The driving was uneventful but a couple of notes. The roads are terrible, full of potholes, cattle and other hazards. However, the countryside is clean and free of trash. After Mexico and the rest of Central America, this was easy on the eye. It is plain to see that Costa Rica and the Ticos take the eco (as in ecology) very seriously. There are plenty of trash cans around for disposing of garbage and even, in some places, recycling containers requiring you to separate recyclables from trash. Being Californians this is a welcome sight. Samara is bustling with tourists when we arrive but the streets are narrow. We head out of town towards the north. Cross a river and drive towards what looks like small cove. But, nowhere to park the RV. As we turn around and go back down the street, we pass an American couple walking their lab. They wave us down. "Did you come all the way from California?", they ask, checking out our license plate. "Yes and we are going all the way to Argentina". This always invokes similar responses of mostly enviousness at our adventure. We ask about a place for the RV and they direct us back the way we came, cross the river, take the first right and at a fork in the road, turn right again. They said there was a campsite there. As we approached the campgrounds we thought they were closed. Huge piles of dirt were piled on both sides of the road but as we pulled up on the beach, we saw a restaurant area, albeit closed and two men in their twenties. We chatted with them and they were open but not the restaurant and directed us to an area where we were able to park the RV so our door opened towards the ocean and still able to hook into power. This was all we needed. The campsite itself was seedy and a little trashy but with our unobstructed views of the water and beach, we knew we would be happy. As we settled in a group of horses appeared on the beach and as the sun was setting they looked as though they were enjoying the view as much as us. Tomorrow Tom is going into the water to board.

Playa del Coco to Playa Tamarindo. 49 miles. August 17th, 2010

As we were getting ready to leave the soccer field area, there was a knock on the door. Police. Not the usual but some government agents. Seems things were ok but they wanted to check our vehicle permit and passports. After they checked them, they said they would fill oout a form which both they and us would sign. We would keep the form with the permit and if we are stopped in the future to show the form and it would be understood that a check was made and should save us some time. They also said to be careful where we park as petty theft is an ongoing problem. They had no suggestions on places to stay in Tamarindo but since it is a famous surf beach, Tom wants to check it out. The drive is uneventful but the countryside is lush and vibrant. Tamarindo is indeed a beach town but as we drove through town, we realized that parking was going to be a problem. The streets are narrow and most of the entrances have low arches making it impossible to pass under with the RV. We get to the end, make the loop and decide to go through the village one more time. We stop at two hotels but neither would give us permission to park. As Tom went to ask a third hotel, he noticed a narrow driveway leading to Tsunami's Surf School and Cabinas. The hotel also turned us down, so he went to chat with the surf school people. We were pointed to a small area in the back that seemed ideal to us, particularly since our options were growing smaller by the minute. For $20.00, we could park, get electricity and water for the motorhome, also hot showers and WiFi were available and the beach is right across the road. Perfect. We settle in and discover that there is a communal kitchen for cooking and checked out the cabinas. The town is minutes away, same for a grocery store and both Tom and I agree, that this is one of the places we will put on the list for possibly bringing Nicole and Danny. This is a hip, young, surf town and would be ideal for the kids as there is some nightlife plus plenty to do during the day. After we park, Tom grabs his boogie board and with Winston we head to the beach. To get to the beach, we follow a wooden bridge across mangrove swamps. Crocodiles! With a lot of rain recently, the crocodiles have headed downstream and have been sighted on the beach. We are assured that as there is plenty for them to eat, they don't bother with people or dogs. Hmm. I am not convinced and pledge to keep an eye on Winston. Don't want to do the rest of the trip with a three-legged dog. As Tom was enjoying the wave action, Winston and I were content to play on the beach and then back to the RV to prepare dinner. We had steaks marinating. Our last two from Costco in Acapulco. The beef so far has been pretty dismal. The cattle are thin and I suspect that they are slaughtered and eaten immediately, no aging process here. Just as Tom is preparing the grill, a tour bus pulls in and off come about 20 Italians. It turns out they are on a 3 week tour of Costa Rica and Panama and it is with a lot of shouting and yelling that they get settled into rooms and cabinas for the night. They watch enviously as Tom cooks the potatoes and eye our steaks. Smells good, was the general comment, envy prevalent in their voices. We smile and agree. Yes, once again good fortune was with us. We have managed to find a great place to stay, safe and secure. The owner/manager is delightful and we look forward to a good meal with a nice Chilean red wine. We decide we will stay one more night just to relax and play. Starting to get that Tico feeling.

Liberia to Playa del Coco, 31 mile. August 16th, 2010

Propane, it is the primary need of the day. We get into the town of Liberia. McDonalds, Burger King, Cinnabon, Church's Chicken etc. It is fast food paradise for junkies. After a few false starts, we found propane at a gas staion called Total. there are quite a few in Cost Rica, so I am going to mark them on our map so we don't need to look as hard the next time. Then it is on to the playas. Our first choice had been Paya Hermosa but when we arrived there, it was a very built up, upscale resort town which had no room to accomodate the RV, which was ok with us. We are going through a kind of reverse culture type of shock. The resorts, the shops and the restaurants are all geared up for the tourists. It is more expensive than we have gotten accustomed to and we start to yearn for the tranquility and beauty of Nicaragua. We head for the next beach town of Playa del Coco. A little better. There is again no place for the RV but as we drive a long the beach we think that it would be a good place to boondock. Not so. A local gentlemen came by and told us that at night the beach is unsafe and a drug dealing hangout. He led us to an area, just one block from the beach, we could still see it, and showed us a soccer field that is lit and guarded at night. Perfect. Also, the field is completely fenced and once inside with the gate closed just like a huge dog park so WInston got to run off leash and play in the grass. We decide to try one of the many restaurants that line the main street in town. It was good. The fish was very fresh and Ton tried their Chicken Parmesan which was also good. However, we decide to stay here for just the day and tomorrow will head to another beach and see if we can get into the Costa Rican (Tico, as the locals call it) mood.

Nicaragua to Costa Rica. August 15th 2010

Border crossing day and once again, true to form we arrive at the border at 1pm, just in time for the after lunch crowds of locals who cross on the weekend to visit. Nicaragua was a little confusing leaving. We had to get the RV inspected first of all by a customs official and then by the police. the 2 signatures were required before Aduana would process our exit. After a time searching, we finally had the required signatures and then waited in the long line at immigration to get stamped out. After that, Winston was the easiest at Cuarencena. The requirements for the RV permit in Cosat Rica again took the longest. Surprisingly, they didn't care about Winston. No stamp was needed and they looked at his USDA form with all of the stamps we have accumulated thus far with interest. No, they assured us we didn't need a stamp and we would have no problems leaving into Panama. Thinking we were done we headed for the exit. Not so fast. The official at the gate told us we needed another form fr the RV., so it was back to the official at the bank for another round of paperwork and some photocopies. That completed we went again to the exit. No, one more signature. This time the offiial jumped onto the side of the RV and took us to another office for a final stamp! By the time we drove to the exit for the third time, everyone was laughing. Finally, we are through with everything and again it toook that magical two hours for the exit of one country and the entrance to another. Costa Rica. We had not seen this much development in a while and it was obvious from the beginning that the country is much more geared to tourists and their needs. Our first stop was going to be overnight at an old trailer park in Liberia (pronounced Lee-be-reea) before going to the coast. Also, we are in urgent need of propane for our main RV tank and we hope we can find a place in the morning. For now, our first night was spent trying to keep dry from the torrential rain that started just before dark and went through the night.