Welcome to 'Life in a Hammock', a capture of Gayle's daily 'real time' eBlogs of our travels.
Shorter than our Travel Blog but more literary with somewhat of a different perspective.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
February 07 - 08, 2023 - Halifax to Toronto to San Jose (Hampton Inn)
Back by popular demand, lol.
We landed in Costa Rica 7 Feb at night so we chose our #1 closest chain hotel to our liking … The Hampton Inn. Nothing fancy, great comfortable sleep, good breakfast with rice and beans, scrambled eggs with green onions(!) … yum!
Then off to take a couple free shuttles to the close by car rental … probably should have just taken a cheap taxi. But all went well until the long wait at the car rental. Eventually got our car with no problems. Nice 4 wheel drive large vehicle ... essential for our travels here. Not necessary perhaps for everyone but definitely for us. I would like to forget the drive to Las Nubes, long drive … three accidents along the way (not us), lots of traffic and people and unmarked roads.
So here we are in Las Nubes Natural Energy Resort, living the life! Sure worth the drive! Just in time for sunset and a glass of wine, followed later with dinner. Wonderful Asian Eggplant stuffed with tofu, flavoured with a coconut lentil tomato sauce and a side of Basmati rice. Yum!
Great sleep despite the intense sound of the insects. Woke up on the late side, 5:45 am … the early morning nature show already in progress. Toucans flying overhead, screeching like broken squeaky gates, bees noisily leaving their hives, nearby hummingbirds soaking up the nectar from the purple blue flowers. Alas no monkeys!
Las Nubes offers open air cabins but the design is such that it seems to offer extra protection than many other open air places. But of course there will always be a bug or two that enters. A super fantastic sleep under a fully draped mosquito net listening to the incredible insect noises until day broke.
Happy Birthday to me!
Stayed tuned for lots more in Eblog heavy
We landed in Costa Rica 7 Feb at night so we chose our #1 closest chain hotel to our liking … The Hampton Inn. Nothing fancy, great comfortable sleep, good breakfast with rice and beans, scrambled eggs with green onions(!) … yum!
Then off to take a couple free shuttles to the close by car rental … probably should have just taken a cheap taxi. But all went well until the long wait at the car rental. Eventually got our car with no problems. Nice 4 wheel drive large vehicle ... essential for our travels here. Not necessary perhaps for everyone but definitely for us. I would like to forget the drive to Las Nubes, long drive … three accidents along the way (not us), lots of traffic and people and unmarked roads.
So here we are in Las Nubes Natural Energy Resort, living the life! Sure worth the drive! Just in time for sunset and a glass of wine, followed later with dinner. Wonderful Asian Eggplant stuffed with tofu, flavoured with a coconut lentil tomato sauce and a side of Basmati rice. Yum!
Great sleep despite the intense sound of the insects. Woke up on the late side, 5:45 am … the early morning nature show already in progress. Toucans flying overhead, screeching like broken squeaky gates, bees noisily leaving their hives, nearby hummingbirds soaking up the nectar from the purple blue flowers. Alas no monkeys!
Las Nubes offers open air cabins but the design is such that it seems to offer extra protection than many other open air places. But of course there will always be a bug or two that enters. A super fantastic sleep under a fully draped mosquito net listening to the incredible insect noises until day broke.
Happy Birthday to me!
Stayed tuned for lots more in Eblog heavy
February 09, 2023 - Matapalo (Las Nubes)
"Happy Birthday to me"
Woke up this morning in the dark … just perfect … listening to the changing sounds
of the jungle. Went for an early morning walk, listening to two owls hooting
back and forth. Always looking down … just in case of the slight possibility of
an early am slithery character. The sound of the insects is almost deafening
now … it’s cicada time. Always background daytime ‘insect’ music instead of just
at night. But really loud at certain times … you can’t hear yourself think, lol!
I found out they are kinda like us tourists … they love the sun and sing
loudly … but when it rains ... they are much more subdued. Up here in the mountains
the weather seems to change from early morning sunshine to clouds even a slight
shower. But at the beach it is apparently sunny and hot hot hot. We will see
tomorrow as we are only about 20 mins or so down the mountain at La Jardin de Los Monos. The garden of the monkeys … just heaven for you Bill! But I promise
you they don’t come in to visit and there are four walls, with a door and a
roof.
Yesterday was super relaxing. Enjoyed a fresh Pina colada, cava, and a BBQ with so many salads! Another family was supposed to join us but they arrived full, but shaken after their drive on a tiny treacherous mountain road in the dark. Unfortunately their tour operator really screwed up booking them here and they now have left for a closer accommodation near their early am tour. So tonight it’s just us at dinner, Phillipe the owner, and the person he has hired from Belgium to help. So nice that they sit down to eat with us every time! Vegetarian tagine for dinner!
Yesterday was super relaxing. Enjoyed a fresh Pina colada, cava, and a BBQ with so many salads! Another family was supposed to join us but they arrived full, but shaken after their drive on a tiny treacherous mountain road in the dark. Unfortunately their tour operator really screwed up booking them here and they now have left for a closer accommodation near their early am tour. So tonight it’s just us at dinner, Phillipe the owner, and the person he has hired from Belgium to help. So nice that they sit down to eat with us every time! Vegetarian tagine for dinner!
Maybe a swim this aft if it doesn’t rain.
February 10, 2023 - Matapalo (Las Nubes)
Last night before supper we were thrilled to see a new animal, a Kinkajou up in
a tree its eyes sparkling like diamonds. A kinkajou is a relative of a raccoon
and a coati and is rarely seen as it is more nocturnal. Dinner was fabulous, a
huge tagine with other Moroccan influenced side dishes. Bill … although the
ambience might be a little too close to the jungle for you and Linda … you would
so appreciate Filip’s fine cooking!
We finished the birthday Cava before sunset! Can you believe we didn’t drink all the bottle on my birthday! A beautiful orange red sunset it was. Tapas was a superb watermelon gazpacho! Amazing! Watching the vultures whiz through the trees at close range, and swooping and soaring over the valley below.
No toucans this morning to watch. But I did see a beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly at close range. Must be one of the most difficult things to photograph. No photos.
Today is moving day. It will be interesting to see if the bugs are as loud at sea level. Our internet is wonky today, so it may be later until I can send. Yes indeed it was! Saw our first sloth! Not well, looks like a blob …but it still counts, right?
We finished the birthday Cava before sunset! Can you believe we didn’t drink all the bottle on my birthday! A beautiful orange red sunset it was. Tapas was a superb watermelon gazpacho! Amazing! Watching the vultures whiz through the trees at close range, and swooping and soaring over the valley below.
No toucans this morning to watch. But I did see a beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly at close range. Must be one of the most difficult things to photograph. No photos.
Today is moving day. It will be interesting to see if the bugs are as loud at sea level. Our internet is wonky today, so it may be later until I can send. Yes indeed it was! Saw our first sloth! Not well, looks like a blob …but it still counts, right?
We arrived yesterday to Los Monos … but ... Donde esta los monos???🐵🐵🐵 Hoping
they may show up as the day cools down. A no show this
morning … disappointingly. Although there was a guy on a bike who wanted to show
me ‘monkeys’ on my beach walk this am, lol. Norm … you really should join me!
🐒🐒🐒
Was up at 5:45 this am but too late for much nature tv. 🌴 Some chattering green parrot flocks, a white ibis with its dangling legs flew by, and a colourful toucan squeaking in a nearby tree. An early walk on the deserted beach. The waves are large but the water temperature is amazingly warm! Not a soul in sight for most of the walk.
A late delicious breakfast, with a quick view of a sleeping sloth on a nearby tree. 🦥 Of course some might say the true sloths are those Canadian tourists that come down from their upstairs perch for a swim, a drink or a bite to eat. We did chat with a lovely young couple from Uruguay … not somewhere we have met anyone before. In true sloth style there was also a daytime nap involved, lol.
Back to our restaurant again tonight, Matapalo Supper Club. Where the glasses of wine are large, food portions enormous, where the food variety is vast but there is no formal menu, where the atmosphere is laidback and the prices, never listed, are reasonable. 🍷 Pura Vida!
Right: Fire in the sky at sunset.
Below: Beautiful flowers by the pool.
"eblog lite or E-Lite for the Elite (that’s you three)"
Our sloth friend at breakfast turned out to be two friends … which have now moved
on, but where? 🦥🦥
A scrumptious Dutch pancake for breakfast individually
decorated … mine hearts and flamingos, Norm’s a monkey and palm trees. I had
forgotten how delicious they were from last year. 🦩❤️🌴🐵
It was an
early morning awakening to darkness then to a slightly ruby red sky. The
transition brought faint insect noises to a halt and flocks of birds singing as
they flew through the sky or rested on trees in the nearby jungle. The Scarlet
Macaws are apparently new visitors to this area over the last few years. So
beautiful to see them glide by … almost always talking to each other. What are
they saying … like two old married couples bickering, lol? Or is it just love
talk that just sounds like nagging. Then there are the green parrots of
different sizes that fly in bigger groups and chatter incessantly! There are
many other birds as well, today some beautiful pure white elegant
ones!
🐒 Then all of a sunny sudden a rustle in the trees and a glimpse
of a little white face and a long tale. The monkeys had arrived! They had a
blast jumping from tree to tree, even one balanced on our deck railing until
jumping on a nearby roof. They probably stayed for about an hour or so on the
property in different places.
🐒🐒🐒
Last night we went back to the
Bavarian/Costa Rican restaurant because it is that good.
Norm had pasta with
shrimp and me a pizza … veggies like eggplant and pepper and onions! with a touch
of gorgonzola cheese. So good!!! Of course we brought home half our meal.
Tonight will probably be a light salad for me.🍆🫑🍷🍷
Stay tuned for our
visit to a tiny CR one room school ... six students oh so happy with their beanie
baby choices.
Another wonderful day in Costa Rica! So glad we can enjoy
it slowly and just let the day unfold until it’s time to take the routine walk
at 5:00 pm to the beach for sunset in vibrant jewel tones.👣🌅🏝️
In bed
asleep before 10:00 pm.
Monkey friend jumping on a roof from our deck. Monkey friend before he jumped on our roof.
Sunset. Norm awaiting dinner.
"E-Lite for the Elite"
Woke up to darkness this morning. By 7:30 am I had already seen a few
monkeys, several green parrot fly pasts, saw scarlet macaws soaring overhead, had
my first coffee, gone for a 40 min walk on the beach as well as an unproductive
sloth ‘hunt’. By 10:00 am I needed to press the refresh button … but it was time for
the big blog production. Then zzzz.
Dinner once again at Matapalo Supper Club last night. For me I had an
antipasto plate with salad instead of meat. Norm … Bavarian Pork Schnitzel,
sauerkraut and potatoes. So much food but we are getting the hang of ordering
less.
I asked Lettika this morning how her dog got along with the monkeys.
Yesterday there was at least a dozen monkeys running all over her property.
Stealing from the fruit trees may be, definitely eating a few flowers. Yet the
dog was completely quiet. She said it took a tremendous amount of training to
have her dog remain quiet and still when they are around! I can only imagine!
But well trained her dog is!
Going to the beach a little later to test out the water. Maybe chase a few
butterflies for a photo! Pura Vida!
No one around. Beach walk. Pounding surf.
"Happy Valentine’s Day!"
Norm is ‘under the weather’ since last night. Feeling a little better now.
Either heat stroke or he picked up a virus somewhere (guessing the school where
one student was out sick). So it will likely be a slow day … oh that’s like every
day for us, lol!🤢😎🦡
Woke up to the latest show on Nature TV and an unidentifiable loud melodic cry that although I heard it several times during nightfall then dawn, it was unrecognizable to me. I have no idea even whether it was a bird, insect or animal!!! I wish I had a recording, maybe tonight!🌺🌸🌞
Woke up to the latest show on Nature TV and an unidentifiable loud melodic cry that although I heard it several times during nightfall then dawn, it was unrecognizable to me. I have no idea even whether it was a bird, insect or animal!!! I wish I had a recording, maybe tonight!🌺🌸🌞
Lots of animal, insect noises, trees rustling, feet shuffling last night in the jungle area beside our room, in particular just before bed. My valentine was already in bed fast asleep by probably 7 pm. 🦡🐀🦝🦜🌴
My walk to the beach was slow … watching for sloths along the way, but none to be seen. Beautiful lonely beach time with just the sandpipers scurrying by the water’s edge looking for food. While sitting on a gigantic washed up log, love hearing and watching the waves as they crash in succession.
Back home, to an earlier breakfast when suddenly the monkeys arrived in the garden in slow procession swinging from tree to tree, eating flowers along the way. Such confident gymnasts! Looking so adorable with their little white faces! 🐒🐒🐒 A sloth is back too … but just a blob in a tree.🦥 Delicious breakfast as usual. Now enjoying my coffee black to get the full taste. ☕️
Beautiful sunset that only I got to see! More people than usual at sunset.
Who knows how today will unfold? But we won’t be eating at
our Bavarian/CR place tonight, it is closed. No steak for Norm
regardless!
Better late than never …
Woke up to the mysterious sounds of this elusive magical creature again. What was it?
Woke up to the mysterious sounds of this elusive magical creature again. What was it?
At breakfast I had to ask Lettika … of course I was hoping for a rare special creature of some persuasion. Was it an insect, bird or animal? I had no idea. The surprising answer … a Drunken Jungle Chicken! … well I never! Such a good laugh! Video to be sent separately.
We were able to gift ‘beanie joy’ to two Jardin de los Monos employees. Dama, the very gracious housekeeper we learned gets up at 4:15 am to catch a bus from a town about 35 minutes away or so. She is raising an adult son with some sort of disability, so life is quite difficult for her we can only assume. She arrives around 6 am at los Monos to begin her day … always so kind, cheerful, and sweet … even when she had to fix our overflowing toilet before breakfast! The smiles of Dama and the gardener were so special. See the blog for their eventual photos.
So we are waiting out our 3:00 pm check-in at a local bar, sipping a margarita and a fruit smoothie, even a bit of lunch! All checked in, but no water at first … resolved a few hours later. Yay!!!
The cicadas are back! They have gone to bed mostly now … and soon we will too!
Oh yes I almost forgot we got to play in the waves on Linda Beach … yup that’s what it was called.
3 pm check in easier.
[note February 16, 2023 eBlog was lost in the jungle]
Internet flickered, lost the eBlog lite.
So basically wake up to Nature
TV … first show in the early am is the night bug sounds, then at 5:00 am Howler
Monkeys … can’t miss that show! 5:45 am pretty birds; 6:45 am daytime cicadas. Back to
back shows … no commercials. Lots of action … story plot non existent.
Coffee
time. Internet time. Hammock time. Butterfly time. Breakfast. Swim time at
some point. Then repeat with a Pina Colada. Sunset. Dinner. Look for
fireflies. Chase cicadas out of your hair. Or sit in absolute
darkness.
For dinner it was supposed to be an easy drive up a mountain a
few kms and turn right. For an exquisite dinner with great innovative food
and good service. Scala restaurant. Eventually we found it with some
difficulty causing us to have more grey hair and be half an hour late. But
great food it was!
……..actually a Baruca tribal mask, an indigenous tribe here in southern CR
* the Boruca are an indigenous people here in southern Costa Rica
The howlers started at 5:15 am but overall they are quite quiet today … down right silent lately. Such a delicious breakfast of thick tender banana pancakes and of course Costa Rican coffee.
Another sloth day planned for today, a
day of doing practically nothing. Norm has arranged for a day trip tomorrow to
visit a Boruca village far away in the mountains where we will have lunch and do
a ‘beanie drop’. So eLite will be very delayed tomorrow.
Last night we
skipped sunset … although we thought we would still see sunset from our
restaurant but we didn’t. Instead we saw an impromptu monkey show where one of
the little imps almost stole this guy’s hat left on a chair, unbeknownst to
him. It was quite the show! The restaurant was an experience where we felt
they overcharged us unfairly. More on the blog later.
Back to our
cabin … too many big flying bugs to peacefully sit out comfortably without an
occasional shriek. So for me I turned in at 8:00 pm. Perhaps because I often
get up so early this was a chance to catch up on sleep. A true sloth.
The photographer.
Another amazing dinner at Scala Sunday. Dessert was so tasty we had a repeat
performance from the other night. Dark chocolate mousse, Jamaican rose petal
reduction, squash seed powder, edible flowers and mint. Margaritas served with
a splash of roasted pineapple juice. Delicious!
Howler monkeys gave us a loud farewell early this morning … 5:05 am. And the
Blue Morpho butterflies gave us a graceful ‘fly past’ of our cabina. Pacific Edge
has a very early check out 9:30 am. So after our feast of banana pancakes and
coffee it was soon time to go. But not before saying a fond goodbye to
our hosts and making loose plans to return again next year. We had a long drive
through the mountains with a stop at a bank in San Isidro to change some
outdated bills from last year. They seem to change their bank notes quite
frequently, and the old ones become useless unless turned into a bank.
Eventually we arrived a little late at the Boruca town where we were supposed
to have lunch at 1 pm. Lunch was already prepared and waiting for us. Potatoes, squash, rice and beans with homemade hot spices and carne for the
carnivore, Norm. The beanie drop was a huge hit for the few kids around the
community centre where we had lunch. Before long a few more kids came along,
then a few more, and a few more. Lots of fun and joyful faces. Followed by a
demonstration of how the Boruca use natural materials to produce their dyes. As
much as we could understand.
Arrived at Nature’s Edge, up a mountain near Uvita, later than we planned
but just in time to catch the toucan show and a few Howler growls from a
distance. We have a fantastic view of the jungle from our casita. No air
conditioning just fans but it’s a lovely temperature for sleeping it seems. No
dinner tonight, just snacks.
Luckily we aren’t here in Uvita when the Envision Festival starts Feb 27… it
brings thousands and thousands of people! Not for us.
Chocolate mousse dessert at La Scala. Gayle's fancy Margarita.
Sunrise.
The dilemma … stay in the mountains and await the gorgeous brightly coloured Toucans and their cousins, the Aracari which may or may not show. Or check out
sunset down, way down the mountainside, at the beach.
The Scarlet Macaws just arrived at a distance, quite quietly for a change … usually they’re a raucous bunch. Mating for life sometimes their partners just get on their nerves and they have a lot to say about it. Of course that does not sound familiar, right love birds?
The new animal of the day was a coati rustling around on the forest floor. I managed to catch sight of him in a small clearing. But early in the morning … very early … it was the spectacular sound of Howler Monkeys bellowing at the top of their voice so close I could hear the rustle of the leaves as they passed through the jungle.
We had an interesting talk with Keith one of the owners of Nature's Edge. He and his partner Joe love to cruise and are planning a possible life change to Spain from Costa Rica. A ‘hunting’ trip for a new location is happening after their cruise. Their lawyer has gotten himself in big trouble and the office has shut down leaving their residency applications in limbo. As they may have to start over, the process taking another two or three years … or they may just call it quits, sell and move to Spain. They think Andalusia although they have never been there. They are originally from Arizona. Interesting chat!
The jungle coming alive with all sorts of sounds including Howlers from a distance. Will let you know tomorrow whether Tarzan shows up!
The Scarlet Macaws just arrived at a distance, quite quietly for a change … usually they’re a raucous bunch. Mating for life sometimes their partners just get on their nerves and they have a lot to say about it. Of course that does not sound familiar, right love birds?
The new animal of the day was a coati rustling around on the forest floor. I managed to catch sight of him in a small clearing. But early in the morning … very early … it was the spectacular sound of Howler Monkeys bellowing at the top of their voice so close I could hear the rustle of the leaves as they passed through the jungle.
We had an interesting talk with Keith one of the owners of Nature's Edge. He and his partner Joe love to cruise and are planning a possible life change to Spain from Costa Rica. A ‘hunting’ trip for a new location is happening after their cruise. Their lawyer has gotten himself in big trouble and the office has shut down leaving their residency applications in limbo. As they may have to start over, the process taking another two or three years … or they may just call it quits, sell and move to Spain. They think Andalusia although they have never been there. They are originally from Arizona. Interesting chat!
The jungle coming alive with all sorts of sounds including Howlers from a distance. Will let you know tomorrow whether Tarzan shows up!
The jungle orchestra was in full production as I awoke this morning. The
different sections … monkeys, insects, birds … loudly but musically competing
against one another or so it seemed … until leading to the final crescendo! And
dawn had broken.
Disappointingly Tarzan was a no show last night. Instead a beautiful toucan graced us with its close presence. As well as another glimpse of a coati … a sort of raccoon with a long tail as well as an amusing greedy squirrel. Interesting that all three like the same type of tree.
For dinner we chose take out pizza and drove the mountain road back in the dark to our place to dine under the stars. We heard from another guest that the shooting stars were absolutely amazing as well as just the amount of stars in the sky. Unfortunately we were likely fast asleep whenever that show began! Pura Vida!
Right: Bill's worst nightmare.
Below: Although rare at home there are many blue flowers here in the rainforest.
February 22, 2023 - Uvita (Nature's Edge)
The Howler alarm clock went off a little later this morning. Last night
was a late one to get to bed, about 10:00 pm so getting up at 5:00 am just didn’t happen.
Luckily the Howlers seemed to need to catch a few extra winks of sleep
too.🐵🙈🙉🙊
The backup alarm clock is the 'Whoo hoo' bird, commonly heard in these parts. “Wuh, wuh, wuh, whoo hoo” turns out to be a Short Billed Pigeon! So I guess we have pigeons too - we just don’t see them, only hear them.
After a leisurely breakfast I talked Norm into a short excursion to the Whale’s Tail in Ballena National Park, one of Costa Rica’s 28 National Parks. Amazing that such a small third world country would have so many! Roughly 28 percent of all land is designated as park or reserve land! When the tide is low, the ‘Whale’s Tale’ rock formation shows. Actually there are whale and dolphin tours of which one of the guests here was on and got to see two adult whales and a baby! We dropped in to a local restaurant with an extraordinary view of the ‘Whale’s Tale’ for a cocktail before heading home. (Norm will have a photo on the blog of the Whale’s Tail in due course.) 🐳
Last night for dinner we went to Exotica in another town, Ojochal, 15 km down the road from Uvita. We were immediately recognized by the hostess! What??? We felt like big celebrities … no free swag though! Pura vida! ⭐️⭐️
The backup alarm clock is the 'Whoo hoo' bird, commonly heard in these parts. “Wuh, wuh, wuh, whoo hoo” turns out to be a Short Billed Pigeon! So I guess we have pigeons too - we just don’t see them, only hear them.
After a leisurely breakfast I talked Norm into a short excursion to the Whale’s Tail in Ballena National Park, one of Costa Rica’s 28 National Parks. Amazing that such a small third world country would have so many! Roughly 28 percent of all land is designated as park or reserve land! When the tide is low, the ‘Whale’s Tale’ rock formation shows. Actually there are whale and dolphin tours of which one of the guests here was on and got to see two adult whales and a baby! We dropped in to a local restaurant with an extraordinary view of the ‘Whale’s Tale’ for a cocktail before heading home. (Norm will have a photo on the blog of the Whale’s Tail in due course.) 🐳
Last night for dinner we went to Exotica in another town, Ojochal, 15 km down the road from Uvita. We were immediately recognized by the hostess! What??? We felt like big celebrities … no free swag though! Pura vida! ⭐️⭐️
Our cocktails … Margarita for Norm, Pina Colada for me. Margarita at Exotica.
February 23, 2023 - Uvita (Nature's Edge)
Th