Costa Rica Here We Come

On April 1 we will fly to San Jose, Costa Rica to spend 10 wonderful days in this beautiful country. I've been there before but Kerry has not. Originally our friends Einar and Susan were going to go but there schedules are a lot more hectic than ours. They simply couldn't get away. I had enough miles on United for both of us to fly First Classs. That will be fun. We land at 7:25 p.m. so will stay at the Hampton Inn right across the street for the first night. Next day we pick up our Suzuki Vitara and head out for adventures. One place we want to make sure we go is Montezuma. It's located near the tip of Peninsula de Nicoya on the west coast. I didn't get there when I went ten years ago. We discovered Montezuma thanks to a blogger: http://doyouknowthebakingfairy.blogspot.com She owns and operates a cafe called "Organico." Montezuma sounds pretty funky and bohemian, which is fine by us. Lots of birdwatching opportunities in the area. I have 395 birds on my life list. About half of those were seen on my first trip to Costa Rica in 1997. The bird on the left is the Resplendent Quetzal. It lives in the cloud forest near Monteverde. I saw it on my first visit. I think it's the national bird of Costa Rica. It lives on avocados, small ones. The bird swallows the avocado whole, digests everthing but the pit, which is regurgitated all warm and wet; the perfect beginning for a new avocado tree.

The bird on the right is one of many Hummingbirds that make their homes in Costa Rica. I've been close enough to hummers in Costa Rica to actually feel their wings beat against my face. Amazing creatures. This is a violet-winged Hummingbird. The one below is a Snowcap Hummingbird.

Costa Rica is definitely a place to go when you are not in a hurry. Besides the roads are so bad that you really can't get around very fast. If you think you've seen potholes, then I invite you to visit Costa Rica. I think they invented the pothole.

We are very excited. Too bad it's two months away.