Disculpa, guapa. ¿Quisieras Acomañarme a Una Siesta?

May 11 through May 21, 2001 (oh, one!)

May 11, 2001 6PM

Wow. I sit here on the flight to San José and I am not going to bitch about delays, problems or other nightmares. Why? Because, I have nothing to complain about. Our flight left Seattle: On Time. We arrived in Dallas: On Time. Our flight to San José left a bit late, but that's fine. I'm so relieved! Finally, I get to start a vacation without a shitload of stress and bullshit. Woo Hoo! Third time's the charm! Goober and I had a lot of fun on the Seattle/Dallas flight; played cards, had a pillow fight, booooze....

I think we are going to have a lot of fun. Can't wait to get to the cabina!

The last time, by the time Jen and I got on this flight we were so stressed & tired from our problems. So, we drank a lot. (Remember the pictures?) This time I ordered a double Gin & Tonic. But she would/could only bring them one at a time due to 'air rage'. WTF? No problem, but air rage? Have we degenerated that far? If you are on a flight with free booze, I fail to see where any 'rage' would come in. Sheesh. I'd say, "people are such animals", but that would be an insult to animals. Oh well. I think I'll read some of Arthur C. Clarke's 2061. Expect Entry #2 from Los Cocos!!

<<After returning from this trip, it came to my attention that Douglas Adams had died from a heart attack on this day. It's very sad, and he will be missed. I mention it here because I read the entire "Hitchhiker's Guide" books last time. Spooky.>>

May 12, Noon? Los Cocos!

Woo hoo! We're here! The flight to Golfito was bumpy but otherwise ok. We booked a tour of Costa Rica for when we return to San José.

Anyway, this place is just as I remember it. We are staying in the big cabin right next to where I stayed last time. I like this one a lot. A huge deck, nice chairs, big bed, & lots of hardwood. Much nicer than the banananananana ones, and I liked those as well! :)

Just like I remember: Very humid. It is cloudy today, so it will probably rain later.

Anyway, we've been here maybe 30-45 minutes and everything is unpacked and set up. This place has an odd way of relaxing you. Sunny is asleep! :) Me? I'm on the porch. Beer. Journal. Oh yeah... I'm here! Maybe I'll wander down to Sol y Mar....

5 minutes later....

Yep. Went to Sol y Mar. I had hoped to find Cristophe, but he's not here. Oh well. They have cold beer and I don't. The place is exactly like I remember it. No changes, except now they have Direct TV! Maybe I can catch The Simpsons or something! And, there are 2 new restaurants in town. Wow! The bustling metropolis of Zancudo is growing! Ooh! A bus! Wow! Ch-Ch-Changes!

I feel a little bad about leaving Sunny, but I want her to sleep and relax. If I stayed there, I'd end up waking her. Oh! One thing that is missing: Bugs! No bugs yet, though it is kinda breezy and I'm sure that helps. I hope that since I'm here 3 weeks earlier than last time that there will be fewer bugs anyway.

50 Minutes later....

2 beers, 12 games of solitaire, and no Sunny yet. Sleepy Goober.... The radio here is playing shit I haven't heard in 15+ years! Quiet Riot? Hall and Oats? Wow. I did hear Marilyn Manson cranked at a pub near the airport in Golfito, although it was an old one. "Sweet dreams are made of these...." Anyway, I think I'll finish my beer and head back and check on sleepy butt.

2:22PM Sunday.

Ahh.... Another action packed day at Los Cocos. After leaving Sol y Mar yesterday, I woke up Goober-Girl and we played cards for, oh, ever? Then we went swimming. I forgot how warm the water was here. It's much warmer than Ilha do Mel. And I think Sunny likes this place a lot. She's relaxed and happy and not talking about work. May be because I said "No work talk!", but I don't think so. Anyway, after swimming and playing we went over to Susan & Andrew's to inquire about the Pizza Night at the Zancudo Beach Club. We stayed and chatted with them, as well as Pat & Mike who just bought property down here. Later, we all went to the place and met up with 2 others, Paula (from Chicago) and, uhh.... Someone else who's name I forget. Had fun. Yummy pizza.

Woke up this morning jut past 6am. Coffee. Mango. Pineapple. It's like coming home! So, Goober-Girl and I played a lot of Uno today and I got whooped! Bratto! Bitcho! Damn. We play a lot of cards if given 1/3 of a chance. We went beach combing, then came back and I cooked Rice and Beans for Sunny, her favorite food. More cards.

It's been cloudy again all day. Thunder is off to the left/southwest towards Panama. It'll rain again later. And the power keeps going off on for 2 seconds and coming back. Which makes Led Zeppelin interesting. CD is on batteries, but the speakers are not. "Hey hey momma said-...-move, gonna make you-....-groove..." I think ol' Rob's voice is going out... :)

On tap for the rest of the day? Swim, molest crabs, Sol y Mar (if Cristophe is working) boogie boards? Cards, beer. That's about it. Gonna go read now.

7:15AM Monday

Ah... Monday at Los Cocos. I had to get up super early this morning to beat rush hour traffic to the beach! Oh..... Wait. Never mind.

Anyway, I did go for an early swim, or a 'wade out and get pulverized'. I've showered, and now it is breakfast & coffee time. Goober-Girl is sleeping. She had a hard time sleeping last night. <nudge nudge>

Oh wow! The sun is finally out! Speaking of which, it's been cloudy but yet I've still burned a bit. That just seems wrong. Stupid UV rays.....

"Yes, it's a man's life in England's mountain green..."

Bugs? Honestly, not too bad. They get you mostly at night. They manage to find their way into the netting, the miserable bastards. During the day, you can defend yourself. But at night, they play dirty!

Goober's up! (The bugs really like her.) We'll, I'm off to start my action packed day!

7:52AM Tuesday, Day 04 at Los Cocos.

A while back when Susan was building their new website www.loscocos.com, she asked if she could use some of the pictures I took last time. I said 'of course', of course, (and no one can talk to a horse, of course). But she told me that I never mentioned Los Cocos by name! A complete and total oversight! So, I'm making a point to mention Los Cocos a lot this time. Besides, maybe I can act as an advertiser for them! Hell, I've already told most people I know how wonderful Los Cocos is and that they should go. But, most are either saddled with kids & job or are more broke than a 13th century vase dropped from a B-52. Who knows? Maybe I can earn points towards free rental! :)

Mmmmm.... Mango and Top Ramen for breakfast. Anyway, yesterday was finally sunny! We put on some sunscreen and went for a long walk on the beach. We didn't intend on beach combing since we had quite the score the previous day, but we found tons of sand dollars! Last time I found maybe 4, one of which I crushed accidentally. Sunny got a little red in spots, and I didn't. Nothing like the nasty burns we got at Ilha do Mel. And since it is cloudy and rainy looking again today, I doubt that we'll even tan, let alone burn. Oh well.

So, what's different about this place? Well, more sand dollars. Less hermit crabs, but that may have something to do with the cooler weather lately. There are sardines and catfish in the water, all the plants are noticeably taller, and the bugs are fewer. And, my old cabin doesn't have the 'mango bench' anymore.

Thunder already? It's only 8:15am! I was expecting the weather to be nicer, but I'm not shocked. Now, if this was November, I'd be shocked. Oh, which reminds me. Next time, I have to come here during November/December or January, during the season. That'll be in, oh, 2003? Every 2 years sounds good. Gives me enough time to go to all the other places as well. Europe, Australia, Alaska, et cetera.

Sunny likes it here. She said that this is how she imagined Ilha do Mel to be, and understands that this is what I expected it to be. Sure, there are bugs, but Ilha was worse. I'm very glad she likes it.

Yesterday, we went to Sol y Mar to meet Cristophe. He's cut his hair. His new-ish wife doesn't seem very friendly or happy (I never saw her smile). But, his baby is cute. And I don't say that sort of thing. But she was cute.

Sunny hasn't been taking many pictures; so I think I'm gonna go do some. Bye!

Lemon Curry?

Just pass 2pm, on location at Sol y Mar

You know, for someone who supposedly works here Sunday through Thursday, Cristophe sure isn't here much. But soft, I'll sit here anyway. Today's activities? Not much cards, although I finally won a game of Uno! No swimming, no beach walks. Just reading, mostly. I took a bunch of pictures of plants, flowers, vultures, etc. We went to Riccardo's & picked up some milk, cheese, taters, and other assorted bits. They have an adorable brown puppy, and he's not even a foot long. He's vicious! He was chewing on my Teva straps and my toes! Big nasty mean cute little puppy, er, I mean, vicious killer canine!

Random thoughts:

It's been cloudy all day. There's a bunch of Canadians here at Sol y Mar. Jerry Rice is considering playing for the Raiders? Nooooooo! Well, at least he wouldn't have to move... The owner of this place reminds me of the Bitter Beer Face guy and the sergeant from the Police Academy movies. Now, if I could just get him to say "MAHONEY!!!!" I'd be tickled pink. My skin is all slimy from the bug/Deet lotion I put on before coming here. It's stuff we bought at Ilha do Mel. I think when I order my next cervesa, I'll get a shot of tequila! Mmm... tequila... Good thing I ate earlier. Sunny made a yummo tuna melt.

3:15PM, Still at Sol y Mar

This place is bustling! There's 17+ people here! Junior is working the bar, Mike "Mahoney" the owner is around, Clint and Pam just showed up. Canadians, 6? Cristophe, on guy who was here last time 2 years ago. Plus Dax (Mike's kid), some other guy, Mr. Ponytail, and me. I think the Canajins leave tomorrow.

4PM - Ted and Rene show up in a golf cart. They're from Cali-freakin-fornia, near LAX.

4:25 - Ok, Mike is not the owner. Just a guy who helps out and has been around

Wednesday, 8:10AM

Back at Sol y Mar. It's Mike's birthday, and he was supposed to be making sammiches, but I haven't seen any yet. Oh well. I got a Fresca.

I keep forgetting to mention that Monday afternoon as the tide rolled in it brought in a bunch of dead sardines or something. Buckets of them, which did 3 things: It made us go "Eeeewwwww!" It brought in a swarm of vultures, and the next day made the beach smell like Tacoma. It's good that the vultures came to eat them up because now there are less fish parts to smell up the beach.

Mariners & White Sox are tied at 3 in the 7th. Wonder how they've been doing.

11:45PM

Just had a bit of excitement! I'm here by myself because Goober-Girl went for a beach walk after waking up seriously grumpy. I'm sitting here reading 3001, listening to John Lee Hooker, and the power cuts out. Ok.... No biggie. Then I hear this crack, Crack, Crack, CRAACK! WOOOOSH! CRAAACK WOOOOSH! The big tree next to the last banananananana cabin broke 1/2 way up. Luckily it missed the cabin by a couple of feet, no one was hurt, and the power lines were ok. I guess they have been expecting it. Kinda neat!

I hope Goober put on some sunscreen. Last thing she needs to be annoyed with now is a bad burn.

4:45, Still Wednesday

So, after awhile I had to go find Goober-Girl. Stupid me left with only residual sunscreen on my face and shoulders. Now I am burnt. So far, not too bad, and my face and shoulders are OK, so I'll survive. Besides, It'll give me something else to focus on besides the bites I am still getting! :)

Goober is in a better mood now. We were just out molesting crabbies. We found this really tiny one, and then as we were coming back we found a rather large one! Note to self: When you rotate back to society, check up on hermit crabs.

The weather has been the nicest today of all the days so far. Windy, but sunny. Clouds are all around, but nothing is really congealing into storms just yet.

We are here for 2 more days, then back to San José on Saturday. And, oh darn! I'll have to go to the Don Carlos Gift Shop! Rats! Sunday we have a tour planned. We were going to go see a big volcano, but someone saw a pamphlet with waterfalls, so needless to say....

Thursday, 3? 2? 4?

First entry today. I had a good night's sleep and woke up 'round 7:30. Goober got up too, so we sat around for most of the morning, playing cards. Elisabeth wanted to clean up, so we went to Sol y Mar for burgers and played yet more cards. Later, I stayed back to pay the bill while Sunny went back. Mike told me there was an NBA Playoff game tonight at 7-ish, so I think I'll go and hang later. He then bet me a beer on which game it was, which I won. Then he wanted to bet on what time the 5:15 bus would be by. (An old joke. They'll bet on anything.) I said 5:25 (been that way for 2 days), he bet +/- 5 minutes. We'll see! (I won.)

Anyway, since I am a bit pink in spots, I've not ventured out to the sun yet. Although, I think I need to go get a picture of the water. It's soooo green!

I just made mango & papaya smoothies, but they were a bit bland so I dumped in a packet of maracuja (passion fruit) Tang and they are yummo!

8AM Friday

Last full day here at Los Cocos. WAAAAH! While I'll be glad to leave the bugs, I know I'm gonna be sad to leave. Again. Overall, I think I have enjoyed my vacation here more this time than last time. Why? Reason #1: The company. 'Nuff said. Also, this time I didn't have other mental crap to deal with. Plus, the bugs are fewer, the cabina better.

Last night I went to Sol y Mar to watch the Bucks/Hornets game 6. I was looking to cash in my 2 free beers from Mike, but he didn't show. The punk! :) So, I had to pay for (BRAAAAP!) all 6 myself. Then we watched this really stupid movie with Rob Lowe. Which, should say enough right there!

Ooh ooh ooh! I was leaving to meet Sunny on the beach at sunset after I finished 3001 (too bad, mankind got a reprieve) and on the cement pre-porch area I could have sworn I saw this big shell move. I realized I didn't put it there. So, I picked it up and turned it over, and sure enough, there was a red monster hermit crab in it! He was HUGE! His big claw was as big as most of the other larger crabbies I torment. Although, one did fight back and take a chunk of flesh out of my palm. Needless to say, this guy came no where near my palm. But he was COOOL! He was about the size of, um.... I dunno. A small lime? He was 10+ times the size of the other crabbies. We played with him a bit, took pictures and then set him free.

I was just looking over the Los Cocos guidebook and saw that there is a new gift shop just down the street! Joy! Today's purpose: Gift Shop!

I think I'll go let the "Sweet Gulf" beat me up.

Friday afternoon, sometime

Went to the gift shop. They didn't have too much, but I did get a ceramic pot, an actual Zancudo shot glass (Score!) and a magnet. Plus, I got a rare cinco colones bill! Very colorful and no longer made. There's a large wooden carving of it at the Don Carlos. I think it's been called the prettiest currency ever printed. Face value is about $0.0153. I think I'll laminate it.

Came to Sol y Mar for the beer Mike owes me. No more back at the cabin. They have a cute baby toucan here, and I keep forgetting to grab the camera & get a picture.

Note to self: You brought too much food.

I keep thinking that vacation is over tomorrow, but we don't head home until Monday. Woo Hoo! San José should be fun. That tour will actually show me more of Costa Rica, considering that I haven't ventured anywhere different. Both times have been pretty much the same, so this should be good. And Sunny should be stoked with the waterfalls. And I'll get to see a volcano! Woo hoo!

Think I'll head back now. Time to go play cards with Sweety-Goober!

Saturday, May 19. 7-ish AM

We leave Los Cocos today at noon. :( I've been up since 6:30, Goober is still snoozing off in Pumpkin Land. I'll wake her up in an hour or so, since we have to pack & be up at the house by Noon. So, in the meantime, breakfast and coffee! Yummy Costa Rica snacks? Yep. "Chiky" sammich cookies, and "Bizcochos Doritas", little round corn cracker type things. Yummo! They look like Funyuns.

Yesterday we were sitting here on the porch and as I got up to inside something fell from the treen next to the outside shower. I thought it was just another coconut (watch your head!) but Sunny had a better view. It was a lizard! A huge green lizard! All others around here are small and typical reptile colors, but this guy was bright green and about a foot long. He was a fast little bugger too. I hope my pictures turn out.

Wow. This coffee is really strong. I think I ended up making espresso!

Note to self: Pick up a bag of coffee for Sheila, and a bottle of hot sauce for Lisa Jo.

OOOH! Don Carlos! Gift shop! Pre-Columbian lounge! Yay! I wonder what I'll end up buying this time. I won't be getting 20lbs of coffee, but I will get a few bags. Magnets, pencils, something for Ma, new shirts, who knows? Oh yeah! I wanted a new towel and a newer big coffee mug like I have at work. And, and, and....

This will probably be my last entry from Los Cocos. I really like this place, and I expect to be back here in 2003. Maybe we'll go in February for Sunny's birthday, since we went in May for mine this time!

Sunday, La Palmas Bar, San José. 7:30PM

We made it out of Golfito in one piece. I had been a bit concerned about the flight considering how the clouds have built up over there. But, it went ok. Got to the Don Carlos & went shopping! I escaped with only spending about $150. They didn't have any more of my mugs, but they had plenty of other stuff. They re-arranged, too. So, after shopping we had some yummy Pina Coladas and dinner. We retired upstairs & watched The Simpsons in Spanish, Lakers beat the Spurs, the samn damn movie Freedom on "The Warner Channel" that we watched in Brazil, some news, then hit the sack. Woo hoo! Yay vacations!

This morning we left on the "Highlights Tour" at 6:10am. First stop was breakfast at a coffee farm. Good food, nice place. Might have to stay there sometime. There was 11 of us on the tour, plus the guide & driver. Next stop: Poas Volcano! Woo hoo! We stood at the edge of the crater! It had a laguna in it, which filters much of the sulfur gas that is continually escaping from the volcano. I was reminded of Mt. St. Helens. Duh. There was also a 20 minute hike to Laguna Botas as well, which was nice. I like volcanoes. Costa Rica has about 76 of them. None of them with glaciers, of course. :)

Next up: Waterfalls! We expected to stop for awhile at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, which has a whole plethora of them, but we only stopped to see 2 big ones, La Paz and San Bernando (?). Did I mention how bad the roads are here? I've been on better forest service roads! :) Anyway, the waterfalls were cool. We even got to walk behind La Paz.

Next stop: Lunch and a short hike. OH! Poison Dart Frogs! We saw about 10 of them, big green & black ones, and a few tiny red ones with blue legs. Afterwards, we took a boat ride up the SaraPiqui river to see birds, iguanas, and howler monkeys! They're COOOOL! They are small little black monkeys, but they have the growl the size of gorillas. They remind me of Beanie. Small, but with a big growl/cackle! That was our real last stop, but we drove through another rainforest on the way back, complete with fog, waterfalls, rockslides, and walls of ferns.

It was an 11 hour tour and for $69 each you can't beat it. We covered 270 kilometers and saw so much of Costa Rica. It's given me more ideas of what to do next time.

I will be back, oh yes... I will. Next up: Well, after visiting mah homies in Cali, I think my next big trip will be to England/Scotland/Ireland. Visit some pubs, Python sites, do a hike in the English countryside, more pubs.... I have to figure it out.

Now, tomorrow we leave. Our flight is at 9:30, so we'll leave P.F.E. Tonight we have have to finish packing all our new toys from the various gift shops. Sunny is starting it all while I am here writing.

Oh, the Indian pottery I bought in Zancudo got broken accidentally by a flying penguin incident. But, I think I will try to fix it up.

So, I sit here in the bar I came to for a beer when we first arrived in San José. Damn. It's all gone by so quickly! Now, I get to rotate back to society and my regular life. Bugger. But yet, it only 2 years, I have been here twice and gone to Brazil as well! Not too bad for an old dork farm boy turned 'computer guy'. Show's what a little work can do.

I like traveling with Sunny. We always end up having an excellent time. Although, I don't know what is next for us. She needs to go to Disneyland with the girls, and my England thing will be 1/3 tourist, 2/3 pub crawl. Which she doesn't do. Maybe Sheila?

I'm gonna finish my beer and head back. Next entry will be at 30,000 feet!

8:10AM, Monday. San José Airport.

So, I lied. I'm not at 30,000 feet, more like 800. No problems at the airport, except being confused by the Ticos standing around and confusing the line the checks your passport and departure tax info. We board in 35 minutes. Next up: Dallas customs! The Horror!!!!

8:10PM, Monday, 28,000 feet

Well, we are now just past Walla Walla Washington. In a little bit we'll be home and vacation will be over. Goober goes back to work tomorrow. I'm taking tomorrow off. We ended up playing Uno this whole flight.

Final Scores:

So, now I am a total loser. I was leading, but then she stole it all away. But, oh well. Now, it is back to normality. Damn. Oh well. Vacation was good.

This is the end. Until next time, this is Guido, signing off.....

May 21, 2001

Guido the Squid

Are you finished here? Well... where else can you go? You can go home, or you can check out my 1999 Costa Rica Vacation, my 2000 Brazil vacation, or my Hiking Empire.