The Caribbean Coast and a (very short) trip to Panama

After finding out on relatively short notice that the kids would have some more days off school at the end of the week, we decided to swing into adventure mode again, celebrate Madeleine's 13th birthday and take a trip to the Bocas del Toro in Panama.  This area is purportedly stunningly beautiful, laid back and offers endless opportunities for secluded beaches and any water sport imaginable.  Maybe one day we'll actually make it there.

One of the numerous banana plantations in Limón Province, Costa Rica

We were all pretty excited to venture to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, our first journey ever to the Caribbean Sea anywhere.  We chose to avoid the route through San Jose in an effort to enjoy the backroads and not fight traffic.  The drive, scenic and occasionally completely unobservable thanks to fog and rain, took about six hours.  We were warmly greeted in Limón Province by sun, blue skies and what seemed to be thousands of container trucks hauling pineapples and bananas.  About an hour south of Limón itself, we came into Puerto Viejo and located (with the help of one of my new favorite apps, Trip Advisor) a really cool hotel just across from the beach at Playa Cocles.

Bienvenidos al Mar Caribe

We settled into our bungalow, replete with mosquito nets.  It's pretty common in this neck of the woods to have houses and buildings open to the outside and to use nets to thwart the biting critters.  Our kids were a bit concerned about being bitten after hearing of malaria-carrying mosquitos in this province.  As if mosquitos themselves aren't nasty enough.  The last time we checked, the CDC recommended antimalarial prophylaxis only for stays in Limón Province of longer than 7 days.  Hopefully our decision to roll the dice for our five day trip won't come back to haunt us.

The troops settling in for the night

We set out the next morning for the Costa Rican border town of Sixaola, down in the far SE corner of the country.  The trip was uneventful and we cleared Costa Rica immigration without difficulty and without having to pay a fee.  Fortunately we were able to drive our car over the border river on a vehicle bridge that appeared a whole lot safer than its pedestrian counterpart.  Little did we know that the true adventure began after we crossed.

Pedestrian bridge between Panama and Costa Rica over the Sixaola River

We managed to navigate the mandatory (but very cursory) $1 car fumigation, find our way to pay for the entry stamps ($3 each) and successfully locate the immigration office.  We were feeling pretty good until we tried to obtain the proper permit to drive our car into Panama.  It turns out several forms are required including copies of our passports, the registration, title of the car, proof of insurance and a couple of others.  We'd read online about what we thought we needed and gathered up all the documents we could locate.  We made some copies in a nearby shop and went back to the customs office.

As luck would have it, we were missing one:  a certificate required from the Costa Rican government allowing us to take our car out of the country.  The customs officer came with me back to our car in an attempt to locate the form in the car.  I was wondering whether an opportunity to pay a "fee" at that time would arise so we could be on our merry way.  No such luck.  At his suggestion, Madeleine and I trekked back into Costa Rica by foot to visit the Costa Rica customs folks.  They said that we could get the form, but that we had to travel back to Limón, an hour and a half away, to get it.  We crossed the border for the the third time back into Panama.  Asked again if there was any way for us to drive our car in without this form, again waited unsuccessfully for a chance to pay a "fee" to make everything good and finally gave up on our plan of driving through Panama to get to Bocas del Toro.  Instead, we ate lunch and went shopping in the not-so-stunning border town of Guabito.

Sully surveys the scene before lunch

Found plenty of sharp machetes for sale but struck out on nice Panamanian baseball bats

Fortunately for us, we'd made absolutely no reservations in Panama, had been smitten with the Costa Rican Caribbean coast and were completely free to do whatever we wanted, so long as it didn't involve us driving our car into Panama.  We briefly considered trying to find a secure parking lot for the car and some kind of bus or shuttle to Bocas but instead opted to hang out for a couple of hours and head back to the Puerto Viejo area.

A couple of observations about this experience and our brief time in Panama.  First, our kids like to ask a lot of great questions at the most inconvenient times despite the fact we sometimes just don't have answers.  Why can't we take the car across?  Why do we have to have that form?  What happens if we can't drive where we want to go?  What will we eat for lunch?  What will we eat for dinner?  Impressively, even though our plans for the next several days changed abruptly, they were able to roll with it.  Maybe some life lessons?  Second, people in Panama really seem to like baseball.  At the lunch counter we chatted with a few different guys about Major League Baseball.  Impressive with their knowledge and passion, the fans we talked with seemed to know a lot especially about the careers of players from Panama like Mariano Rivera, former Yankees pitcher.  I look forward to catching some games in Panama in the future.  Also, food seems really, really cheap.  Our lunch, including three dishes, bags of Doritos, five drinks and lunch for the guy sitting next to me was about $16.  It will be fun to come back in the future.   Finally, flying by the seat of our pants and being spontaneous doesn't always allow plans to play out as expected.  And that's just fine with us.

Fortunately, we were able to cross back over into Costa Rica without any trouble and had our passports stamped for another 60 days.  Though less than what used to be the standard 90 days for tourist visas, it wasn't 14 days.  We'll just have to travel again.

Erica lounges after a tough day of border crossing

With good fortune we found another great place to stay, this time renting a small house at Caribe Town, not too far from where we'd spent the night before.  The owners of this gorgeous spot, Jessica and Marc, are an enthusiastic and super friendly couple, she hailing from the east coast of the US and he from Barcelona.  We also chatted briefly with a guy from the UK who'd just finished the famous La Ruta de los Conquistadores (http://adventurerace.com/la-ruta-mtb/) on a fat-tire mountain bike.  Who's up for a gentle three day trek from coast to coast next year?

Our beloved Montero Diesel at our temporary abode

The next four days and nights were some of the best days ever for our family.  With an abundance of gorgeous beaches with water as clear as I've ever seen, we had a fantastic time.  Highlights at Punta Uva included sea kayaking ($6/hour/kayak), hiking out to the grave of the apparent last pirate of the Caribbean, snorkeling and chowing down on pineapple.  Our sources also told us that the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed here.

Henry at Punta Uva

The last Tico pirate, we hope

Madeleine soaks in the view

Punta Uva vista

Franklin, friendly seller of "Pattys", tasty empanada-like pastries filled with plantain, beef or pineapple

In the search of the killer snorkeling spot

We had the good fortune to visit the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica (http://www.slothsanctuary.com), an amazing and unique facility.  The tour began with a tranquil canoe trip through their forest land and an impressive array of birds in addition to sloths and monkeys.  The sloths are unique creatures in their appearance, physiology, genetics and overall habits.  This was truly a great place to visit.  We were impressed by the young tour guide's enthusiasm and knowledge.  After listening to him complain about what is felt to be true by sloth "experts", we even encouraged him to go back for more school and to start a research program at his family's facility.

One of a kind, at least in Costa Rica

Buttercup manages to eat, even while apparently in heat

Such curious creatures doing what they do best

Plying the tranquil waters of Limón Province

We visited Cahuita, another nearby town, found geocaches, planted geocaches, showered in tree showers, swam and allowed Madeleine to do whatever she wanted on her 13th birthday.  At the top of her bucket list was scuba diving.  I'm pretty confident that this birthday will not be forgotten.

Our teenager!

A great birthday in late October

Though I'd not dived since my teenage years in Singapore, our instructor was able to find my PADI certification.  After an introductory course for Madeleine/refresher course for me, we practiced our skills in knee-deep water and followed this success with a dive on the reef that we swam to.  She was hooked even before we motored out to another reef a mile or so offshore.  The visibility was great, and the highlight for me, other than hanging out with my teen on her birthday had to be a cool octopus trying to hide from us.

Sully hard at work

Just like that

Who couldn't love a tree shower with a mosaic floor?

What's up with the fuzz on this insect?

This particular area of Costa Rica is also home to several of the country's remaining indigenous peoples including the Bribri and the Kekoldi, with their unique sets of traditions and languages.  We attempted to take a tour of the Kekoldi reservation and its iguana farm but there was a big meeting on the particular day we tried.  Next time, for sure.

How can you go wrong with the trifecta on this tour?

Laid back is an understatement.

Quite fortunate to be able to finally experience some of the Caribbean flavor of Costa Rica, we overcame some preconceptions and fears about this area based on reputation and what we've read online and in guidebooks.  While exercising caution and striving to be adequately savvy, another unknown entity has been absorbed into our collective experience.  And it was fantastic.  We can't wait to go back.