Month: August 2026

Today started early, 6 am pick up for the.birding tour with me, Jen and Zoe. We had an excellent guide who took us to Curi cancha preserve. Jen wanted to see a quetzal and we saw a couple in addition to a 3 waddle bellbird, owl, many species of hummingbirds and other birds native to costa rica. The guide showed us the short trail that he and a few other guides had asked permission to create, just for guides, in order to see the quetzal. He showed us the wild avocado trees where they perch, the fruit is what the birds eat and seeds are all over the forest floor. Zoe had a hard time with the early hour but got herself up and at the gate on time. The rains let up and it turned into a decent day.

We ventured to the Monteverde town center. small with a few restaurants and gift shops. Robert, Zoe and I had Costa Rican food, much cheaper than the hotel restaurant. Lots of rice and beans! The rest of them went to the playground. The hills we had to walk up to get back to the hotel on the return trip were killers.
The town is small, and poor, reminding us of the street stalls and shops in China’s small cities over 30 yrs ago.

We made it back in the afternoon for our sugarcane, coffee and chocolate tour which was a huge hit. We learned about sugar processing – after squeezing the canes, the juice is boiled until the hard ball stage and crystallizes when cool. Molasses is extracted first white sugar. I later read that commercial sugarcanes are often sprayed with large amounts of roundup to ripen them. Then the canes and pvc tubing are all burned. In this small farm operation, it is mostly natural and the canes are used as fuel for the stoves in boiling sugar. We learned so much about coffee production- migrant labor picks the beans which are then shelled, processed in one of 3 ways then dried . The beans are sorted, separated, and roasted. The roasting goes from light to dark and acidity decreases as bitterness increases. The different varieties have diff levels of floral and fruitiness which also changes with the type of processing. Coffee is graded similar to wine. It’s a complex process. Coffee production and chocolate making at El fiche, is a family operation. We sampled coffee beans, sugarcane juice, cacao, chocolate and had some treats at the end including fresh coffee. He told us “tourist” packages of coffee are often made using junk beans and people should not to buy them. I Great tour!

Dinner was in town at Taco Taco, delicious food! It was the best fish taco I have ever had.

We had a bit of an adventure getting back. Ray, always super conscious of safety, wasn’t sure we should walk back in the dark since the road is windy. Zoe said her foot hurt so Jen called a cab for her, Nina, Kira and Zoe. Robert took off walking with Ela and Isaac. Ray, Czarek and I followed with Czarek rushing to catch up with Robert- we weren’t sure Ela could make it up the hill. Jen couldn’t get the carseat to buckle in so she ended up walking. Kira and Zoe got a taxi ride. Ela walked up the hill just fine on her own. When the girls told Czarek that Jen was walking up, he went back down to meet her but she just missed him and arrived soon after. We should have all just walked!!!

Traveling is unpredictable especially when transportation is involved. It’s even more so with a large group and with kids. Through no fault of our own, our drive yesterday from the Peace Hotel to Monteverde, scheduled to be 4 hrs max turned out to be 6 due to road construction. Poor Nina who hates to be in the car seat, was miserable and cried and cried. The older ones fortunately had devices and were happy to have all the extra screen time. Unfortunately Namu who arranged our travel, didn’t take the construction into account and we ended up being late for our 5pm night walk. The tour group they used was totally inflexible and even though Namu said they would wait for us, they did not send a bus. I was so angry at them that we went ahead with the hotel’s night walk instead. It was cool walking sround in the dark with the guide showing us venomous snakes, tiny frogs, sleeping birds, a sloth and many bugs. It ended up being a good ending to a frustrating day.

Today we got everyone up early for Selvatura Park. The hanging bridges was nice but a bit long, made more difficult by the rain. There are 8 bridges in all and the tallest is above the tree canopy.

After our walk, Czarek, Robert, Zoe, Kira and Isaac went zip lining for 2 hrs in the rain, 16 lines and Isaac even did the Tarzan swing at the end! That was the highlight of their day! Soaking wet but very happy. Isaac said he would definitely do it again but would wish it was not in the rain

The butterfly garden was very cool. The guide showed us all the different chrysalises and everyone got to hold butterflies. Did you know butterflies mate and then die within 20 hrs? Some of the larvae like thst of the owl butterfly are huge. It only takes a few minutes for the butterfly to emerge and 3-4 to dry their wings. We saw sloths sleeping, eating and very slowly swinging from the structures.

It rained all night and all day! Not a misty rain but real rain that never let up. How do you entertain 5 kids? Jacuzzis! There is not much else to do when it rains this hard so we played a few games and the kids splashed in the jacuzzis. Later in the evening, we went to watch the large cats being fed, wandered in the reptile and frog rooms and ate. Robert bought lots of tropical fruits which we all enjoyed- ranbutans (lychees with hairy skins)., mangosteens, plums and bananas. Hopefully the rest of the trip isn’t as wet!

I didn’t fully realize how many of us we are until we were on the Park SFO shuttle with all of our luggage and kids. We filled the bus with excited chatter and drew laughs from a guy traveling to NY – he left the kids with grandparents! This trip took a lot of planning time and I hope it all works out. The kids were very excited and full of energy!

The plane was half empty and many passengers had rows to themselves but we were with kids and I was between Ela and Zoe so couldn’t move and leave Ela alone. The 2 youngest had some trouble falling asleep, maybe a red eye wasn’t the best idea? The other alternative was early morning with a 3 hr layover in Houston. Isaac and Robert slept the entire way. Ela had this blow up airplane bed someone had given them which worked pretty well but Ela doesn’t fall asleep easily even at home so it was a struggle.

We were greeted and whisked off through San Jose up the lush jungle hills to the Peace Hotel up at 5,200 ft. The clouds lifted and the scenery at this eco hotel is serene and pristine. The staff is so kind and friendly. Our rooms were not ready since it was early morning but they greeted us with drinks and had our rooms ready quickly. We were entranced by all the hummingbirds feeding at the feeders, the beautiful bromeliads and the misty clouds floating by. The setting is truly heavenly.
Our room had a garden jacuzzi inside the oversized bathroom which Ray said was our “ghetto jacuzzi” with 6 in it. It was too cold for the outside one. I am beginning to think we packed incorrectly. The guidebooks didn’t mention waterproof shoes but said insect repellent. We brought so many insect proof clothing and were told there are no mosquitoes because it is too cold!

Costa Rica is located in Central America between Honduras and Panama straddling the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west.. The cloud forests are basically in the middle where the 2 weather systems meet, resulting in rain almost all the time. This area in Costa Rica was developed early on for its access to quinine, medicinal in treating malaria. Not many crops can grow in this climate so small dairy farms are more common.
At the registration balcony, Ray spots an owl butterfly. The staff said they have been waiting 3 weeks for it to come out of its cocoon.

Zoos are not permitted in Costa Rica and the property serves as a sanctuary for animals-birds, butterflies, frogs, snakes and large cats. The aviary has several colorful toucans, peacocks and parrots. The butterfly garden is amazing with so many varieties.

We walked the grounds and the kids got to milk a cow. Carmela and Carmelita were patient cows. The cart was the type used in the olden days.

Fishing on the trout fun was fun for the kids! Isaac was so excited in catching a big fish and had to use both hands to pull it in! Maybe Ray has a budding fishing pal?

An end to the first day and kids are all getting along and enjoying the place. Ela wants to do everything and eat exactly the same things as Isaac. Isaac is excited about any new knowledge. Kira and Zoe just love being with Ela and Nina. Nina wants to be a part of the kids and has pretty good attention span at mealtime.