We decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and went to visit a local pumpkin patch, Sinkland Farms.  We took Kali and she had a blast foraging around and trying to eat hay, smashed pumpkins, dropped popcorn, etc.

Kali, Queen of the Pumpkin Patch

My husband and I started our first round of IVF earlier this month.  It has been the hardest thing I ever gone through physically, emotionally and let’s not forget financially.  I’m pretty sure an IVF cycle without OHSS would be much easier to take. My embryo transfer ended up being canceled because I came down with Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).  I was not prepared for this.  I didn’t think it was likely for me to get it and therefore I didn’t know much about it.  OHSS was really rough and at times scary, so I wanted to share with other women what I learned about it by going through it myself, talking to doctors and others and from many hours scouring the web for information. These are some things your doctor may or may not tell you.

Important Things to Remember about OHSS:

• OHSS is probably not as rare as your doctors would have you believe.
• If you are responding well to the stimulation injections and producing lots of follicles, you could just be responding too well.  There’s a fine line between a high number of follicles and risk for OHSS.
• You are at danger to develop OHSS immediately after your egg retrieval.  Big shocker for me.
• Be prepared to have your embryo transfer canceled because your symptoms can get much worse if you get pregnant and last much longer.  I was very upset when mine was canceled because I was feeling better at the time, but I didn’t know that OHSS is like a yo-yo where you can get better and then even worse.  I did get worse and was glad it was canceled after all.  (We froze 8 embryos.)  Get educated on Frozen Embryo Transfers.
• If your transfer is canceled, know that not all embryos that could be transferred to your body are able to be frozen.  There are different qualifications for freezing.  Talk to your embryologist.
• OHSS will probably last around a week.  You can get better, then worse.  Be prepared for that.
• Stay in touch with your doctor frequently about what’s going on and inform them of new symptoms.  Demand answers!
• You will have multiple ovarian cysts.  They should go away on their own, but you should go back for an ultrasound several weeks later to make sure.
• OHSS can be VERY SERIOUS and life threatening if severe.  Treat it as such.  There is mild, moderate and severe.  I had moderate.  Severe will land you in the hospital.  If you are not urinating very much, have extreme weight gain, are having trouble breathing or are really dizzy, these are all cause for greater concern.  I had trouble breathing in some regards, but never had fluid in my lungs, but did have it around my diaphragm causing bad symptoms.

Here are the risk factors:

• High estradiol levels (from taking gonadotropins)
• Age under 35
• Being thin
• Producing lots of follicles (eggs)
• Trigger shot of HCG

I met every one of these.  My estradiol started getting too high on day 8 of stimulation at 1100 and more than doubled overnight to be 2740, even though my dosage was cut.  It went down a little on day 10 though.

Egg Retrieval

On day 13, I had my retrieval and they retrieved 22 eggs.  I immediately came down with OHSS right after the retrieval.  I was not expecting this at all, but I think that this is probably pretty common.

What happens?

• Your empty follicles, from where they retrieved the eggs, fill with fluid.  Your ovaries are already swollen, but this causes them to swell even more. Your ovaries become fragile and painful.
• The fluid leaks from your ovaries into your abdominal cavity, creating the discomfort and bloating.

Immediate Symptoms (Mild OHSS):

• Hard to move
• Abdominal discomfort / pain
• Extreme bloating (what a cruel joke – I actually looked 4 months pregnant.)
• Extreme gas-like, acidy, indigestion, heartburn type feeling
• Weight gain (2-5 lbs.)
• Frequent urination
• Hard to stand up straight
• Hard to lay on your side – too painful

I was experiencing these symptoms in the recovery room and some later that night.  I complained of the bloating/heartburn during recovery, but nobody warned me that this could be the reason.  I talked to my doctor the next day and he confirmed that this is what I had.

Symptoms that came later (Moderate OHSS):
(*Note: Most of these are associated with difficulty breathing and fluid around diaphragm and some might be just me.)

• Same as original symptoms
• Trouble breathing – tightness in chest (sometimes I would unconsciously take a big breath or sigh and it was like I got half way and then it was curtailed – a weird feeling)
• When lying down and trying sleep, I would feel tightness in my chest and then a little hitch like a jolt in my breathing (sort of like a hiccup, but not)  This was kind of scary.
• Inability to sneeze and yawn
• Painful to cough
• Extreme pain to cry -  I cried for a few seconds and got the most awful pain in my chest, felt like I was suffocating and immediately started hyperventilating.  Very scary.
• Painful to laugh – pain and tightness in chest (even with barely a chuckle)
• Cramps in waves (up high above belly button) – most likely diaphragm cramping
• Painful to lay down at all (due to fluid) / Inability to sleep – stay propped up and try to sleep on couch instead with lots of pillows
• Nausea
• Feeling light-headed / dizzy

How to get/feel better:

• You need lots of sodium intake because this will help draw the fluid back into your veins where it belongs.
• Drink plenty of liquids to not get dehydrated.  (Gatorade/sports drinks – for electrolytes and sodium, tomato juice – sodium)
• Eat salty foods – my favorites were chicken noodle soup, saltines, country ham biscuit, gravy biscuit
• Drink Pedialite for lots of electrolytes
• Take Tylenol
• Use a heating pad on your stomach (this seemed to help me with pain and discomfort)
• You can probably only sleep on your back.  Use more pillows than normal.  Stay propped up to keep the fluid at bay.
• See if someone can be with you at all times.
• No lifting
• Stay in contact with your doctor!

Everything I have described relates to mild and moderate OHSS that I experienced.  Severe is so much worse and usually requires hospitalization, draining of the fluid and getting an IV.  OHSS is bad enough, but being informed can make if less scary.

We went to UVa’s Scott Stadium for a U2 concert, but when we got there, it looked like we had arrived for an alien space launch instead.  The stage was absolutely amazing, an engineering masterpiece.  The 360 degree screen was really unique and made it easy to see all the action from farther away.  It was our first trip to Scott Stadium and I actually thought it was nice.  Our seats were on the hill, and were good seats for way less than what some people paid per ticket ($250 +).  Suckers!

Muse opened and I really, really enjoyed their set.  Very cool band and different.  They remind me a little of another band that I like from Puerto Rico called Circo, but in English.

U2 was amazing, of course.  At times, I was a little unnerved by the fact that Bono looked like Robin Williams’ twin.

They played new songs and old songs, gave Charlottesville and UVa some shout-outs, and brought up social/political issues.  He talked about detained Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and sang a song to her.   It was a great show and they did 2 encores.

Main Set
1.   Breathe
2.   Get On Your Boots
3.   Mysterious Ways
4.   Beautiful Day (Hands That Built America snippet)
5.   No Line On The Horizon
6.   Magnificent
7.   Elevation
8.   Your Blue Room
9.   New Year’s Day
10.  I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
11.  Stuck in a Moment
12.  Unforgettable Fire
13.  City of Blinding Lights
14.  Vertigo
15.  I’ll Go Crazy (Remix)
16.  Sunday, Bloody Sunday
17.  MLK
18.  Walk On

First Encore:
19.   One (Amazing Grace snippet)
20.   Where the Streets Have No Name

Second Encore:
21.  Ultraviolet ( Light My Way)
22.  With Or Without You
23.  Moment of Surrender

We had dinner at Pomegranate a couple of weeks ago with family and friends.  Erick and I had been once before and were excited to go back, but this time the experience went south.

My dad ordered a mojito (which was actually on their drink menu), but was informed that they were out of mint.  This happens at a lot of places, and I never understand it.  It’s summer, people – keep the mint stocked up.   Several of us ordered the pomegranate lemon drop and I have to say that it was quite good.

It took forever to get our food and when it looked like it was coming out, it was only a tease.   They brought food and set it down in front of my dad and for nobody else.  He did not dig in, as he politely waited for the rest of us to be served.  Several minutes later, they came back and took his plate and said it’s the wrong thing.  Then, they came out again with a couple plates this time, and the plates come across the table like a false landing, because as soon as they are about to set them down, they pivot and turn back around.  It was quite ridiculous and a bit like musical plates and happened at least one more time.  So, this makes 3 false food appearances at this point.  Meanwhile, I’m wondering, did they serve someone else the plate that they first gave my dad?

Clearly the kitchen was having MAJOR issues.  Also, to add to the confusion, we had like 4 different servers.  There were 2 for our table (kind of weird for only 7 people, but ok), but during the musical plates, there were others bringing food out, which only added to the confusion as they weren’t our servers.  Also, keep in mind that there were only a couple of other tables of patrons.  I felt bad for our main server as she was very apologetic and seemed very embarrassed, and from what we could tell, she was doing her job.  Also, consider that one of the owners was dancing while all of this was going on.  (We didn’t know who she was until later.)  Clearly she should have been figuring out what was going on in the kitchen, instead of twirling around to a bad Jimmy Buffet cover.

So, we finally got our food after having waited for a really long time and reviews around the table were all over the place.   Some good, some bad.

And, the kicker.  For all of our trouble, we got an extra dish of mashed potatoes.  You see, my parents had ordered a side of mashed potatoes to share.  Well, they brought another for free.  First of all, for all of our trouble, we got one side dish for the entire table?!?  Something extra that nobody needed.  And, secondly, I don’t think they brought it as an appeasement.  I think someone brought it by accident (because, you know, they have no idea where the food is supposed to be going) and then decided to tell us…”Oh, that’s on the house.”   Wow, thanks!  Don’t knock yourself out.  Had they actually made a decent attempt to correct their mistakes, we might not have been so upset.

We didn’t dare order dessert for fear that we would never get out of there.

Well, it really stinks that this was our experience because it is a really nice place with a good atmosphere.  I expect and get a better experience at almost anywhere.   And, when you’re paying the the prices they charge (which are some of the highest in Roanoke), you expect WAY better than that.  Whenever I’m looking to spend that kind of money again, I’ll be going to Frankie Rowland’s for a first class all-the-way-around experience.   I might go back to Pomegranate again just for drinks, but not for dinner.

Here are some photos from our recent trip to the Cascades in Pembroke, Virginia.  The trail is easy and very scenic as you follow the creek the whole way to the falls.  This was Kali’s first hiking expedition and she was a little trooper.  We learned our lesson though, and have since bought her a harness that is easier on both of us.

The scenery is very beautiful, but unfortunately we didn’t see any signs of wildlife…nothing.  No butterflies, spiders, nothing.   We’re just spoiled now.  I wouldn’t even mind seeing snakes.

We are just back from our amazing, un-freaking believable trip to Costa Rica for 10 days to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  We covered a lot of ground and went to La Fortuna (Arenal), Uvita and the Osa Peninsula.  I am so sad to be back.  Usually I am ready to go home, but not this time.  The people, wildlife, activities, food, lodges, etc. were all absolutely incredible.  El Remanso Rainforest Lodge in the Osa Peninsula turned out to be our favorite part of the trip.  This was the most remote with the most wildlife, and the people really made it special.

Costa Rica is certainly the most wild, exotic, unspoiled place I have ever been and I will never forget our magical time there.  Everything seems exaggerated in Costa Rica–the bugs are bigger, the colors are brighter, the forest is more dense, the waterfalls are taller, the waves are more powerful, the sounds are more intense–all of which made it seem like we were on some dream-like planet at times.  On the flip side– nighttime is scarier, the spiders are bigger, the snakes are more poisonous and the roads are poorer.  All together, it amounts to an exhilarating, captivating and adventurous experience.

I discovered a new side of myself while we were there.  I love to travel to new places and experience new cultures and so I’m adventurous in that way, but I’m not a dare-devil and I’m usually the type that is deathly afraid of spiders and stuff like that.  But, in Costa Rica, I found that I was just as fascinated by the snakes, spiders and scorpions as I was by the prettier creatures.  It was like being a kid again where you’re so enthralled with something seemingly mundane to others.  But, just to be clear, I don’t care to see these things in my room.  I also found that I really enjoyed the thrill of some of our adventures, like ziplines and hiking the second most active volcano in the world!

Pura Vida
We certainly tried to embrace the spirit of “Pura Vida” while we were there.  Pura Vida literally translated means pure life.  It is something that the Costa Ricans (also called Ticos) say for just about anything – a greeting, a departure, or as an answer to “How are you?”  It’s a state of mind and a way of living that in my interpretation means something like “Live it up!” or enjoy your life because you don’t know how long you’ll be here. It’s a celebration of life and good fortune.

The Itinerary and the Hotels/Lodges:
I spent months planning this trip researching where to stay, what to do and how to get there. I wrote about different parts of the trip and here are the links to the posts and photos:

• Arenal (Nayara Arenal) | Photos
• Uvita (Rancho Pacifico) | Photos
• Osa Peninsula (El Remanso) | Photos

The Food:
A wonderful souvenir from our trip is that we feel great!  We’ve been eating homemade, mostly organic food and getting plenty of exercise every day. And Erick got a nice tan, while I got more freckles.  Also, Erick lost his cough and we both ceased to have allergy problems.  Thank you, mountain air!

The Sounds:
We miss the sounds of the rainforest.  There’s always a certain low-level hum throughout the day of bugs, frogs, geckos and who knows what, but then there are distinct sounds at certain points of the day.  At 5 a.m., you wake to the the loud calls of the howler monkeys.  This is not the cute monkey sound that might spring to mind.  This is a deep, gutteral, angry almost bark-like calling of the alpha male.

Later in the morning, you hear the loud rise and fall hum of the cicadas, the jittery call of the toucan, the whine of the collared forest falcon, the loud squawky sounds of the scarlet macaws.  At night, you go to bed shrouded in complete darkness to the sound of tons of insects and frogs, wondering what’s really out there, and then sometimes the sound of the rain mixes in, giving it a peaceful or more powerful feeling depending on how hard it’s raining.

The Activities:
We did so many amazing things — waterfall hikes, rainforest hikes, hanging bridges, ziplining, volcano hikes, beach hikes, swimming with dolphins and last but not least, driving in Costa Rica.  Ha!

The Wildlife:
We saw SO many different types of animals, frogs, insects, snakes, birds, etc.  The Ticos told us repeatedly how lucky we were to have seen everything we saw.   I’m going to attempt to list everything…

Animals
Howler Monkey
Squirrel Monkey
White-faced Capuchin Monkey
Spider Monkey
Tamandua Anteater (Oso Hormiguer0)
Sloth (Oso Perezozo)
Coatimundi (Pizote)

Frogs
Parachuting Red-Eyed Leaf Frog
Bluejeans Poison Dart Frog
Masked Tree Frog (Smilisca phaeota)
Cross-banded Tree Frog (Smilisca puma)

and many others that I’m not sure of the names

Snakes
Eyelash Pit Viper
Coral Snake
Fer de Lance Pit Viper (Terciopelos)
Chunk-headed Snake (Imantodes cenchoa)
Racer Snake
Lora Snake

Reptiles & Lizards
American Crocodile
Caiman
Iguana
Basilisk (Jesus Christ Lizard) – he walks on water
Gecko

Birds
Chesnut-Mandibled Toucan
Scarlet Macaw
White Hawk
Collared Forest Falcon (This was a several day hunt to find.)
Crested Caracara
Bare-Throated Tiger Heron
Boat-billed Heron
Slaty-Tailed Trogon
Woodcreeper
Green Heron
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
White Ibis
Rufous Motmot
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Gray-necked Woodrail
Parakeet
Woodpeckers
Roadside Hawk
Various Hummingbirds

Insects / Other
Golden Orb Weaver Spider
Scorpion
Tailless Whip Scorpion
Peanut-Headed Bug (Machaca)
Leaf-mimic praying mantis
Morpho Butterfly
Swallowtail Butterfly
Windowpane Silkmoth (Rothschildia orizaba)
Dysdaemonia boreas
Small Postman Butterfly, Heliconius erato
Red crab
Blue crab
Hermit Crabs
tons of other unidentified things

The Osa Peninsula was our favorite part of the Costa Rica trip.  You are right in the middle of the rainforest with nothing for miles around and the lodge is perched on the side of the mountain.

El Remanso
The lodge is casually elegant and rustic and consists of a large open air restaurant, seating areas, bar and pool.  Believe it or not, but from right here you could see lots of wildlife.  Remember, you’re already in the middle of the jungle.

Here’s a rundown what’s what.  Yes, there is electricity, but it’s used sparingly as they generate their own.  Therefore, there’s no air conditioning.  Who wants to hear air running when you can hear the sounds of the forest anyway?  Also, no hairdryers.  I’m a girly-girl, so I was worried about that one, but I got my hair permed with a light body wave before we left and adopted the “Pura Vida” attitude and it was all good.  There is hot water, though ours sort of came and went.  I just waited a few minutes and it would come back.  And, the water tastes great, is safe and drinkable right from the tap.

For me, it’s like this wonderful marriage of luxury and roughing it.  (More on the luxury side though…)

Our Cabin, La Guinda
Our cabin was one of the two deluxe cabins and was very nice with a large deck with a view of the ocean.  It had large “windows” that are just screens all around.

It had a nice bathroom with 2 sinks, a shower and a gorgeous tile soaking tub.

Remote Location in the Rainforest
For our first night here, I have to be totally honest and admit that I was thinking “What I have gotten us into?”  I think we were a little scared after hearing about the deadly pit vipers that are all over the place,  we were realizing how deep in the forest we were and the sounds were creepy probably because it was darker here than anywhere we had been.  There are no lighted paths here – you use your flashlight to get from your cabin to the lodge.  Did I mention it’s really dark here after 5:30 p.m.?  Really dark.  Welcome to the equator!   I remember laying in bed that night thinking, “Can I survive four days here?”

Well, we had nothing to fear, because El Remanso turned out to be an incredible, magical, beautiful place and it was our favorite part of our trip.  When the end came, I DID NOT want to leave and cried on the way to the airport.  But, we still were a little wary each night before bed.  We performed thorough flashlight checks of the room every night before going to sleep. (Yes, under the sheets, too.)  Day time here is beautiful and fascinating, but nighttime is very dark and loud and your mind wonders what creatures might be in your room. But, aside from some moths, beetles and a few cockroaches, everything was fine.  Our imaginations were much worse than anything that actually occurred. Until our last night, when I revealed a scorpion in our curtain when untying it.  I didn’t even scream, thank you very much!  This is the price you pay to truly get away from it all and you have to remember that you are a guest in the wildlife’s home.  It was completely worth it to us.

El Remanso Staff
The people here made the place.  Everyone in Costa Rica is very nice and very welcoming, but the difference here was that the people were more personal.  They seemed like friends, rather than just staff.  I imagine they take their cue from you and respond accordingly as to how personal to get.  For me, I love that!  Others might prefer more formal, more removed.

Angie was so sweet and nice to talk to.  Maikol immediately introduced himself and was super nice to us and made the best drinks.  Elyer was charming and cool to talk to. He had a hard time with my name, but gave it lots of effort and finally got it, as I did his.  haha!   Charlene is a sweetheart.  Adriana, Daniel and Joel all made us feel like we were friends that were staying at their house.  And, Gerardo (the resident naturalist) was amazing.  We called him the Steve Irwin of Costa Rica.  He knows EVERYTHING!  And, his passion for what he does shines through every conversation you have with him, whether it’s about a rare bird or an ant.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Today we arrived to the Osa Peninsula…the wildest, most bio-diverse place in Costa Rica and one of the most bio-diverse in the world.  We are staying in the secondary forest outside of the Corcovado National Park at a lodge called El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge. We drove here from Uvita and had to cross some really sketchy bridges to get to Puerto Jimenez.

At times the roads were paved, at times not and our favorite was the caution tape to block off one lane where half of the road had just fallen off the mountain.  But it wasn’t that bad, and we arrived in the town of Puerto Jimenez to drop off our Daihatsu Bego and then Alex picked us up to take us to the lodge in the forest.

The drive consists of a 45-minute to one hour drive through the forest on dirt/rock roads.  There are several creeks to drive through and several small bridges to cross.  It was a nice drive and we got to see some monkeys and tons of birds along the way.

Alex told us that June is the month when the snakes are out in droves and the deadliest of all of Central and South America is prevalent around here. It is called the Terciopelos, or Fer de Lance Pit Viper in English.  Evidently they have a fast acting hematoxic venom and they inject more venom than most snakes.  Also, they like to swim, so I decided waterfall rapelling was probably out for me, even though, one of the 2 guides’ only job is to watch for snakes.

When we arrived at El Remanso, we were tired and hungry and a little scared after hearing about the snakes.  Then, we met Angie and she was so nice and sweet and showed us around and took us to our cabin, La Guinda.

Erick spotted a family of bats hanging out on the outside of our cabin.   On our way to dinner, a coati crossed our path and that was our first time seeing one of those.  Before dinner, a conservation group called “Friends of the Osa” came to give a presentation about conserving the big cats – pumas, ocelots and jaguars- in this part of the country and in Panama.   The presentation was great and it was amazing to me how much good work they are doing.  Right now, they are running the largest camera trap project in the world.  All three of these cats have been spotted on the lodge property here!

Before dinner, Gerardo, the naturalist here, found a baby Fer de Lance Pit Viper (Terciopelos) and put it in a glass case for us to see.  I was happy to be seeing it through glass as we earlier during our trip, we saw other poisonous snakes in the wild up close and personal.

We had a nice dinner and then went back to our room and we were both a little scared.  When we arrived to our cabin, we saw a big gecko, which is good because hopefully he’s eating the bugs.

Friday, June 19, 2009 (Our 10th Anniversary)

We survived the night and slept well and woke up this morning at 4 am thanks to the howler monkeys on our tenth wedding anniversary.  As we were walking down the trail to the lodge for breakfast, we finally saw the toucan! We had been waiting for that.  We know the sound now, so we know when to look for them.  We had a wonderful breakfast and then took off to Puerto Jimenez for a dolphin tour in the bay (Golfo Dulce).  We saw a group of around 100 dolphins that were all swimming around our boat, jumping, and chasing.  It was truly amazing to see that many together.  Then, we jumped in and decided to join the fun.  The boat pulled us behind the boat so that we could swim with them.  They didn’t come within touching distance, but they swam underneath us.  It was really special.

On the way back to the lodge in the forest, we saw the squirrel monkey and the capuchin monkeys.  The driver stopped the Land Rover on the side of the road, and we got out to take pictures.  This was our closest encounter with monkeys so far.  They were so close to us and they were eating.  Now, we have seen all 4 species in Costa Rica — 1. Howler  2. White-faced (Capuchin) 3. Spider  4. Squirrel.   Also, Erick saw a white hawk, but I missed it.

We got back to the lodge and they had lunch ready for us and we had chosen the cheeseburger option for today.  I think I inhaled mine.  It tasted particularly good.  After lunch we went to the pool, where we ran into Gerardo where he explained the Golden Orb Weaver spider to us as we watched her hunting and rolling insects, which was cool to see.   He was like, “Oh, you like stuff like this?  I have something in my room to show you.” and came back with a scorpion.  Very cool to see and then he let it go.  After that, we saw a bunch of scarlet macaws in the trees and then Elyer called us over to see an anteater in a tree that was really close and before we could finish taking pictures of him, a coati was walking on the pool deck.  This place is absolutely incredible, literally teaming  with wildlife very close at hand.   We feel honored to have seen so many different species today.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

This morning we slept in.  We got up at 5:30 and I never even heard the howlers.  We had a lovely breakfast of eggs, bacon, homemade toast and jam.  This morning they had fresh pineapple juice.  While we were eating, we were hearing the call of the collared forest falcon.  Later Gerardo came in and said he had finally spotted it and that it’s very rare as he’s only seen them 3 times in his life.

Since we’ve arrived, we have wanted to go to the beach.  We have a small view of the ocean from our room and even though we are up on the mountain, we can hear it very loudly.  The ocean is like everything else here – wild and powerful.   So, we hiked down the beach trail this morning, which wasn’t bad, but all the while thinking it is not going to be fun going back up.  When we arrived to the beach, I knew immediately why the ocean sounds so loud – the waves are enormous.  I would say 10-15 feet.  The beach is beautiful, with dark sand and the jungle spilling out over the sand.  We first saw lots of hermit crabs and other spotted looking crabs.  Then, I decided to make an impromptu beach art piece.  We spelled out “Pura Vida” with bamboo, coconuts, shells, crabs and palm leaves.  I have to say that it turned out pretty cool.

We walked down the beach, where we spotted a little lagoon.  It was beautiful with clear green water and so cold.  We immediately saw several Jesus Christ lizards walking across the water.  It seemed like this little oasis in the middle of the wild beach.  We continued on to see the tide pools, but it was high tide, so we could not see them.

Once we got back to where we started, I went to the water’s edge to get wet.  You can’t swim here – it’s very dangerous due to the riptides, not to mention the horrifying monstrous waves.  It’s magnificent to see, but scary to think about as well.  I stood in ankle deep water and splashed myself and at one point, I was completely knocked  off my feet.  In ankle-deep water!  I could feel the current really strong.  I have lots of respect for the ocean.

We hiked back up the steep trail and saw a family of coatis along the way – a mom and two babies.  They are so cute.  The hike was a little taxing and hot.  When we got back, I jumped straight into the freshwater pool and water has never felt so good to me.

At 3:30, we went with Gerardo on a bird-watching tour.  Before we ever left, we saw the toucans up close beside the restaurant.

We saw so many birds in a short time span.  We saw the Crested Caracara, Scarlet Macaw, Tiger Heron, Green Kingfisher,  Parakeets, Blue-gray Tanager, Red-lored Parrot, etc.  We also saw the Pearl Kite, which is yet to be recorded in Costa Rica.

Walking to dinner here requires a little bravado.  It gets dark at 5:30 pm – pitch black actually and there’s no trail lights.  So, you have to use your flashlights and check everything very carefully, especially looking for the deadly viper.  So on our way to the lodge at 6:30, it was already pitch black.  I saw some things moving around, first a lizard and then there was something else too.  It was a really nasty, scary looking thing and I wasn’t sure if it was a spider or scorpion.

I took pictures and when we arrived at the lodge, Gerardo said it was the tailless whip scorpion.  I had to will myself to not think about it when we went to bed last night.   After dinner, we walked around the pool and main lodge and saw several types of frogs, a praying mantis, another green bug that looks like a leaf, and Erick found a small semi-poisonous snake that sort of looks like the Terciopelos.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

This morning I heard movement in the trees and sat up and saw squirrel monkeys swinging around our cabin.  Then, we heard the call of the collared falcon and quickly got up to go look for it.  We spotted one of them for just a second on the trail on the ground.  After lots of patience and good eyes, Erick finally saw it again and captured it just for a couple seconds on video.

We decided to hike the Carablanca trail by ourselves today.  After about 5 seconds, we saw a snake slithering around in the leaves right by the trail.  (Later, Gerardo told us it is a racer snake.)

We didn’t hike for very long and then decided to take it easy and actually relax since it was our last day.  So, we went and hung out at the pool, got drinks and watched the macaws flying around.

We came up for dinner early tonight to just hang out and chat with Maikol and Elyer and have some drinks.  Lucky for us, because although we’ve had beautiful weather the whole time, the rainforest finally decided to make itself known.  It absolutely poured.  I have never seen and especially never heard anything like it.   It gives a new meaning to the word downpour.  For me, it was an amazing experience and I’m glad it rained.   After dinner, the downpour stopped and it was just raining normally.  Elyer and I were talking by the bar and he said now is a great time to find frogs.  He knew that I really, really wanted to see the red-eyed tree frog, so he got a flashlight and went to find one. He called to it and it would call back to him.  After a couple of tries, he actually found the little bugger and called me over, which required scaling a wall in a white dress and flip-flops and stepping onto a steep slope in the slippery clay-mud in the middle of a large plant in the dark where snakes could be.  But, what the hell, I didn’t care, so I did it without thinking about it.

And, sure enough, there was the frog.  It probably seems silly to be so excited about a frog, but I was and it was so amazing to actually see it.  Elyer asked me to hold the flashlight and then he caught it and put it on a leaf so we could go back to the lodge with it to take pictures and show the others.  A big thank-you to Elyer for that! =)

As it turns out, he’s only seen this frog 3 times in his life and he was born in that very rainforest.  The owner, Adriana, has only seen it 1 or 2 times and couldn’t believe Elyer didn’t wake her up to see it.  =)  Very special.

Later, we went back to our cabin and listened to the rainforest symphony of noises, along with the rain this time.  A perfect ending to a magical vacation.

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Sunday, June 14th

Today we left the beautiful Arenal Volcano and headed to the airport for our first flight on Nature Air.  I started getting really nervous and my stomach was doing flips.  The airport was an old lechería (milk factory) and was essentially a bar.

There were no airline employees present when we arrived either.  So, I decided to take advantage of the bar and got a ginger ale and rum.  Perfect, right?  Ginger ale to soothe my stomach and rum to relax me.  It pretty much did the trick.  The flight ended up being really smooth and the plane was really nice.

I especially enjoyed the very large plane windows so that you could see everything below you.

We arrived in Quepos and Solid was there with our rental car.  Also, “The Amazing Race” was filming 2 girls and they came and asked us if we were a taxi.  Umm…no.   The coastal “highway” (Costannera) south to Uvita ended up being a dirt/rock road, which wasn’t what I was expecting.  70 kilometers per hour, bumping around like crazy, dust flying everywhere, bulls walking on the side of the road, 20 vultures devouring a poor dead animal…made for an interesting trip actually.

We arrived with no problems and then started heading up the mountain to Rancho Pacifico.  We didn’t have any problems, but they weren’t kidding when they said a 4×4 is essential to make it.  It was 15 minutes straight up a very bumpy rock road, and a couple small bridges to cross, but they were in great condition.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by the lovely Adriana with a fruit drink and then shown to our villa, which is called the TreeHaus.  It was magnificent.  Completely secluded from the rest of the hotel buildings in the forest perched on the side of the mountain.   It’s so secluded that there are no locks on the doors, nor any need for curtains for the windows.  Only the animals can see…

We showered and came up to the restaurant for dinner.  We had drinks at bar, served by Vianney, and wonderful appetizers.

We then had a lovely dinner, I think we had filet mignon that night, so Erick loved it.  After dinner, we enjoyed talking to Ivan, the night security guard.  Security here takes on a different meaning – at home, it would be to keep criminals or theifs at bay; but here what sends Ivan running is a random scream in the night, due to a possibly unwelcome guest in someone’s room – a spider or who knows what else.  We really enjoyed talking to him and he would walk around the grounds with us and help us find frogs and bugs and warn us of more dangerous rainforst dwellers.

After we had gone to bed, we heard a loud thud against one of our screens and checked with a flashlight and we found this huge moth with a head that looks like a lizard.  By huge, I mean as big as my hand.  I swear I thought we had discovered a new species. I just couldn’t get over it.

With a spotty wireless connection and 30 minutes on Google, I determined that it’s a peanut-headed bug or machaca.  The head is a defense mechanism and is hollow.

Monday, June 15th

This morning, we experienced the forest’s natural alarm clock, with the 5 am wake-up call from the howler monkeys.  We got up and enjoyed the forest sounds and had coffee on the deck.  Everything was beautifully clear today, so we decided we should go to the beach.

We headed up the hill for breakfast and enjoyed it immensely.  The view from the restaurant deck is gorgeous and the food is wonderful.  Coffee, fresh fruit juice (different every day), fresh fruit muffins, and your choice of a menu item: eggs, french toast, gallo pinto, etc.  I could get used to this.

We went to the Marino Ballena National Park Beach and it was stunning.  It’s a very wide, expansive beach.  And, at low tide the shallow water seems to stretch on forever.

For lunch, we headed north to Domincalito and had lunch at La Parcela, a place that our hotel concierge suggested.  It was an open-air, casual place with superb ocean views on both sides as its located on a small peninsula.  We split casado con pollo.

After a day in the sun, we came back to the hotel for an afternoon massage, which was heavenly.  Vivian is wonderful and hearing the sounds of the rainforest during the massage is fabulous.

Tuesday, June 16th

Today, we went on a river tour of the Sierpe River.  This is billed as a “Mini National Geographic” tour and it didn’t disappoint.   We immediately saw crocodiles swimming around, then saw tons of other animals, birds, etc.– caimans, kingfishers, herons, ibises, crabs, iguanas, the Jesus Christ lizard, monkeys and scarlet macaws.

Our guide pulled the boat close the the edge and then told us to look up.  When we did, it took my breath away as there was a huge pack of scarlet macaws in the tree.  They were bigger than I expected and there were like 10 of them together.  It was a stunning and colorful sight to see!  I wonder if the Ticos just shrug when they see these sights or if they too feel a flittering in the stomach upon seeing such beauty?

After we ventured further into the mangroves, we saw a crocodile on the bank and then like 5 minutes later, a caiman as well.  The croc had his mouth open the whole time and didn’t move a muscle…he almost looked fake.  But then suddenly he went tearing into the water.

After the river tour, we came back to the hotel to scout out some of Vianney’s delectable concoctions while relaxing at the pool for a bit.  I sampled the day’s special, the pineapple basil martini.  Who would think to put basil in a martini?  But, it was surprisingly delicious.

Wednesday, June 17th

This morning we awoke to the kind-of angry sounds of the howler monkey, had breakfast, then headed to Hacienda Barú for our ziplining tour. I laquered up with 45 SPF and Deet.  It made for a lovely combination as when I sat on the bench, I stuck to it.  Not that I was sticky, I actually thought my skin might come off.  Our guide introduced himself and got us geared up.

We were in a group with a girl that had attended Roanoke College…small world.  She owns a restaurant on the beach in Dominical called Tortilla Flats, where we were planning to go afterward.

I was a little nervous, but I sucked it up and tried to enjoy myself.  Along the hike up, the guide told us about lots of things in the forest.  He showed us cacao trees (where chocolate is harvested) and termite nests.  We actually ate a termite – it tastes a little like peanut-butter.  He said a few termites have more protein than a steak.  While I was still thinking to myself, “I just ate a termite.  Hmm… I wonder if I chewed it good?  Or if it is eating its way through my esophagus now?”, the guide excitedly pointed out a slowwww-moving sloth.  This was our second spotting of the trip, and we got to see it closer than the first time.  It was a really cool site to see and I quickly forgot about the termites.

We arrived to the first zipline.  It was a little scary, but fun after I knew the drill.  Looking back at the videos, we don’t seem to go as fast as it felt.

There were 8 total and I was fine until we got to one of the final ones that stopped and started on treetop platform that was high in the canopy.  They strapped us in 2 ways while we were just standing there and I could feel it move a little.  The guide went down the zipline with our cameras to be able to take this picture:

For lunch, we went to the beach in Dominical and had lunch at Tortilla Flats.  It had a very chill, relaxed vibe with reggae music playing – so we fit right in.  It was fun watching the surfer and hippie crowd.

We drove back up the mountain and then headed to the spa for scrubs and wraps.  I got the citrus one and Erick got the chocolate one.  He smelled like cocoa for the rest of the night.  For our last dinner here, they had a Costa Rican cuisine buffet.  Mmmm…Tico food.

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Two days ago we arrived in Costa Rica for our first visit here ever and to celebrate our 10th anniversary.

A very nice young man came to pick us up at the airport to take us to La Fortuna.  At first glance, everything reminded Erick of Puerto Rico. Our driver, Norman, stopped at a local restaurant for us to eat lunch and it was delicious.  It was raining pretty hard for the whole drive.  We had a slight delay when we came upon an accident between a big truck and a tour bus on a curvy mountain road, but they finally moved on.

Nayara Arenal Hotel & Gardens

When we arrived to the Nayara Arenal, we were absolutely blown away by how nice the grounds are and how luxurious and beautiful our room is.   The volcano view was amazing, but cloudy so we couldn’t see all of it.  While checking in, they brought us hot rags to clean our hands and a cocktail of fresh juices.

Then they took us to our room in a little golf cart, and stopped along the way to show us 2 baby hummingbirds in a nest near our room, which we had never seen before.

The hotel is even better than I expected and more luxurious.  The place is just beautiful and no detail overlooked.

Yesterday morning when we woke up (at 5 am), the view was incredible –the skies had completely cleared and soon the sun came out.  We feel very fortunate to have seen the volcano so clearly, as it can be cloudy entirely for weeks.

We sat on our deck just taking it all in while hummingbirds fluttered around us.

Then I took the best shower of my life in our outdoor shower where you can see the sky and are surrounded by plants and flowers and stand on a teak floor.  Heavenly.

We left the hotel at 7:45 am for a full-day tour with Jacamar to include the hanging bridges, the Fortuna waterfall, time in the town of La Fortuna on your own, then a volcano hike, a visit to the Tabacon Hot Springs and dinner.

Arenal Hanging Bridges (Puentes Colgantes)

The hanging bridges hike was probably my favorite of the whole day and I never expected to see so much wildlife here.  Our guide, Antenor, was so nice and knowledgeable and I just can’t say enough good things about him.  Without him, we wouldn’t have seen anything.   The trail consists of 8 regular bridges and 6 hanging bridges.  I wasn’t expecting to be “afraid”, and wasn’t, but it was a little disconcerting walking across them.  It was hard to walk sometimes and very difficult to take pictures while on the bridges.  Between all the bridges, you are walking on a trail through the forest.

Here’s a rundown of what we saw:

• Rufous Motmot
• Bluejeans frog (poison dart frog)
• Monkeys
• A two-toed sloth
• An anteater (way up high in the canopy and hard to see)
• 2 different Eyelash Pit Vipers (very poisonous) – I spotted the second one!
• A Golden Orb Spider
• Black Vulture
• Leaf-cutter Ants

It was an easy trail that was mostly flat and about 2 miles, I think.

La Fortuna Waterfall (La Catarata de Fortuna)

Next up was the Fortuna Waterfall.  You start the trail looking down on the waterfall and then hike down.  I took 2 pictures and then the downpour started.  So, we had to put all cameras away and concentrate on not falling down a very uneven and slippery step path.  About halfway down, a very colorful snake “jumped” out near me and scared the crap out of me.  Our guide came rushing past the others and said it was a very aggressive coral snake.  I hate that I couldn’t take pictures.  When we got to the bottom, the sound was overwhelming to hear how powerful the waterfall was.  Erick decided to to swim in the frigid waters, while I very carefully extracted the video camera to keep it out of the rain.

The way back up was ridiculously steep and exhausting (if you are out of shape like me).  But we managed to get back up without passing out.

Arenal Volcano National Park

Next we had lunch and later continued the tour with a visit to the Arenal Volcano National Park, at which point it was raining pretty hard and the volcano was completely invisible.  I was very skeptical about even going due to the conditions.  This was a very flat path on volcanic sand that was easy, until the end where you actually climb volcanic rocks.  It’s easy to lose your footing and I almost took a tumble.  Once we got to this part, which is the closest you’re allowed to get to the volcano, it stopped raining for a bit and the clouds cleared so we could see most of the volcano.  You hear what sounds like thunder, but it’s the rocks falling.  They are falling all day, but it only appears red at night.  We only saw one little red explosion on the side of the volcano.  It was very humbling to be standing that close and hear the sounds and see the rocks and smoke.  Also, from this point, on the opposite side of the volcano, you can see a beautiful view of Lake Arenal.  It was definitely worth it!

Tabacon Hot Springs

Finally, we ended the night with a trip the the Tabacon Hot Springs.  They were very beautiful, but a little weird for me since it was night and you can’t see where you’re walking and there are big rocks.  So, we found the heated pool and swim-up bar and enjoyed a mojito and a virgen pina colada.

Afterward, we had dinner with two very nice couples from Spain who were both on their honeymoon.  Nobody could believe we have been married for ten years.  (We may be out of shape, but evidently we have something of a youthful glow.) Ha!

It was an intense day, but worth it since we are only here for one full day.  I wouldn’t change a thing, but I know we couldn’t have such a jam-packed day like that every day here.  I am quite looking forward to the spa at our next hotel.

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Mollie and Kali are getting along well.  Mollie still growls at her occasionally when she touches her, but they’re doing good.  Kali is 9 – 10 weeks here and growing like crazy.  Here are some photos:

Mollie and Kali playing in the backyard

Kali gets her first bath

Kali meets Ellie, my parents’ Golden Retriever

Mollie thinks she’s a lap dog:

Kali getting rid of some energy =)

Kali’s new favorite toy – the pheasant – imagine that – a bird dog liking a bird.