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Day 6 – Bijagua, Costa Rica

By on February 1, 2018 in The Pearl
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” ―Maya Angelou

We move on today to a new location, but we decided to check out the free hot springs just out of town first. We’ve really enjoyed the springs while we’ve been here, but these were a little different…we were actually in the creek. The first time either of us have been in a creek with crystal clear, warm water. It was very nice. 

Our second stop in Costa Rica is the small village of Bijagua, nestled in a lush valley between two dormant volcanoes, the Miravalles Volcano and the Tenorio Volcano. It’s most famous for being the gateway to the Rio Celeste Waterfall, located in the Tenorio Volcano National Park. The area is home to ecolodges and bed & breakfasts…no large resorts. This keeps the town peaceful, undeveloped and a great spot to connect with the local culture.

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Day 5 – Arenal Volcano

By on January 28, 2018 in The Pearl

“Collect moments, not things.” —Author Unknown

Arenal Volcano makes a beautiful backdrop to the little village La Fortuna. It looms large and ominous over the pastured green hillsides that surround its base. At the moment it’s in a resting phase, but it still remains the country’s most active volcano as it has for the past 43 years.
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Day 4 – Relaxing at the Hot Springs

By on January 27, 2018 in The Pearl

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” — Michael Altshuler

We spent our fourth day in Costa Rica relaxing in the hot springs of Eco Temales Hot Springs Resort. After two days of hiking, walking around town, zip lining and exploring, we thought we could use a down day, taking in the therapeutic benefits of soaking in the hot springs. 

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Day 3 – Sky Trek Zipline Adventure

By on January 26, 2018 in The Pearl
“The ones who go higher are those who live more intensively, influenced by the surrounding beauty.” -Guru Sloth

Our Sky Trek adventure started with an aerial tram ride up the mountain. There were amazing view of the volcano and Lake Arenal…unfortunately it began to rain as we left the platform, so the views were a little hindered. We haven’t seen the top of the volcano yet, but we’re in the rain forest, so the rain comes and goes frequently. This zip line adventure started with a practice run at the top…a short line to make sure we knew what we were supposed to do. The second line is the highest in Costa Rica at 656 feet above the ground. We zipped along from one mountain top to the other…in the rain. A little scary, but even in the rain the views were incredible. 

By the time we got to the longest run, that is about 1/2 mile, the sun was shinning and the views were even more spectacular. Friends have asked me if I’d do it again…most definitely! 

Sky Trek Facts:
Sky Tram: 4100 ft. 
Zip Lines: 7
The longest cable is 2493 ft. 
The highest cable is 656 ft. 
Duration: 2.5 Hour Tour 
Wind Speeds: Up to 10 mph  

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Day 2 – La Fortuna Waterfall

By on January 25, 2018 in The Pearl
“You don’t climb the mountain so everyone can see you, but to see the world yourself.” – Guru Sloth

Day two in Costa Rica started with breakfast at a little bakery down the street, with croissant type pastries and wonderful Costa Rican coffee. It was fuel for our first adventure of the day…hiking to the Fortuna Waterfall.

Blog followers know we love waterfalls…we can never spend too much time exploring them. The Fortuna Waterfall is one of the most popular spots to visit in Costa Rica, so it was a little more crowded than we like. The waterfall is about 230’ tall. Getting to the bottom of the falls is easier today than it was a few years ago…all you have to do is descend 530 steps. Once at the bottom you can swim in the crystal clear waters of the Fortuna River and have a unique view of the falls. A relaxing way to spend a few hours…the real workout comes on the way up!

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La Fortuna, Costa Rica

By on January 24, 2018 in The Pearl
“Travel is searching for something you never knew existed, while running towards finding pieces of your newfound self.” —Kiana Azizian

Our first destination in Costa Rica is the little village of La Fortuna, from here we’ll spend five days exploring the area, doing a little hiking and taking in a few new adventurous activities we haven’t done before.

We started our day with breakfast at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose
The further north we drove the foggier it it became, area we went through is know as a cloud forest…so it is foggy there most of the time. By the time we arrived in La Fortuna it was raining. We’re in the rainforest so we expect to get wet.

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On Our Way to Costa Rica

By on January 22, 2018 in The Pearl

“Traveling is life. It’s experiencing this world to the complete fullest and putting yourself in new situations you’ve never dreamed of before.” —Kiana Azizian

South Texas is a winter escape for people from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Canada and other places covered in snow this time of year. We call them Winter Texans, but for us we need to escape to some place a little warmer…someplace we can find a little adventure and maybe a little sunshine. So we’ve decided to take a trip to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is in Central America. It’s bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north. It’s a short, direct 3 1/2 hour flight from Houston to San Jose. 

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What is Traveling

By on January 15, 2018 in The Pearl

“To travel is to release all the fears and doubts you pointlessly carry around with you.” —Kiana Azizian

Traveling is life. It’s experiencing the world to it’s fullest and putting yourself in new situations you’ve never dreamed of before. To travel is to breathe in the air of unimaginable places, taking in all the beauty the world has to offer. 
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Baby It’s Cold Outside

By on January 5, 2018 in The Pearl

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” —Henry David Thoreau

Ithaca New York is a wonderful place to be in the summer…even spring and fall, but I’m glad we aren’t there right now. Here are some pictures of The Pearl’s summer home. It looks a little different today than it did the day we left the marina in September. I’m looking forward to it looking green again. Thanks Jean for posting these pictures.
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Baby It’s Cold Outside

By on January 5, 2018 in The Pearl

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” —Henry David Thoreau

Ithaca New York is a wonderful place to be in the summer…even spring and fall, but I’m glad we aren’t there right now. Here are some pictures of The Pearl’s summer home. It looks a little different today than it did the day we left the marina in September. I’m looking forward to it looking green again. Thanks Jean for posting these pictures.

Looking out at Cayuga Lake from the inlet to the marina.

This is the same place last September
A cold lonely marina
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