Pura Vida! Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017!

We're back! Just in time for one last blog post of 2016.

In my last post I mentioned we'd be travelling. Glosette Girl, Margot and I were, in fact, enjoying an eco-adventure in beautiful Costa Rica.

This was our first trip to Central America so we originally thought about going on an organized tour to simplify things. However, after doing some research we realized that most North American and European tour companies don't actually run the "experience" portions of their trip (e.g. like zip-lining or horseback riding). Instead, they hire local companies to do it for them. Once we figured this out we decided to book all the hotels ourselves and contact a Costa-Rican company, Anywhere Costa Rica, to book the adventures. They are also a middle-man but because they're a local company  the prices are much better.

We focused on two areas: Monteverde and Manual Antonio. Both are hot-spots for eco-tourism but they couldn't be more different.

Monteverde

Monteverde is in the cloud forest. It's at a higher elevation and so is quite cool. I'd guess it was maybe 17-18 degrees while we were there, although it felt cooler because of the constant rain. And when I say "constant rain" I mean "constant rain". It was actually sunny when we first got to our hotel in Monteverde. However, that turned out to be a clever ruse as it started to rain only a few hours after we arrived. I asked one of the attendants how long it would last. He said "between 10 minutes and 2 days".

He wasn't joking.

The rain is why this part of Costa Rica is so lush so I can't complain too much. We also didn't feel it too much while traipsing through the cloud forest on our guided walks. 

We did, on the other hand, feel it while taking an open-air gondola up a mountain in gale force winds.

I am very curious to find out at what point this ride is considered too dangerous?!

...and when zip-lining through the forest at break neck speeds!

One of us got stuck on the zip-lines. Hint: not Margot.

It's hard to believe but Margot did all of these adventures and with a smile! My tough little cookie.

Manuel Antonio

After 3-nights in the forest we booked a shuttle and headed to the Pacific Coast village of Manuel Antonio. The temperature there was probably 25 Celsius or so. In a word: perfect!

Our hotel: the Falls Resort

We swam. We read. We visited the nearby rainforest national park of Manual Antonio, which is what the area is famous for. We swam some more.

Actually, we had just as many adventures in this area as Monteverde. Margot didn't skimp out on these adventures either, no sir!

Margot the Cowgirl had her own horse

I'm still absorbing the experience. It wasn't all roses of course. We saw a lot of garbage on the side of the road. That surprised me given the importance of tourism to the Costa Rican economy. Also, the "typical" Costa Rican towns and villages we passed through were poorer than I was expecting. But overall I found the trip interesting, fun and enlightening.  It reminded us that Canada is just one small part of the world and how lucky were are to live here (even with the snow).

Sigh... 2017, we're ready for you!

Sunset over Monteverde

Anticipation

It's the calm before our latest adventure: a trip to Costa Rica!

After a year of craziness and stress due to our move to Hintonburg Glosette Girl, Margot and I are off to spend a few nights tramping through the rain forest looking for monkeys, zip lining above the cloud forest in Monteverde and strolling the beaches of Manuel Antonio. We booked all the hotels ourselves and the various day trips through Anywhere Costa Rica. We just need to show up!

OK, let's go over the list of things to bring:

• "Guilty pleasure" book full of swashbuckling and sensationalism. Check.
• Bird-watching book to help identify all the cool birds I'm going to see. Check.
• GPS transponder so Santa can locate us even though we're at home. Check.

Things not to bring:

•  Winter clothes, even though we're not in Costa Rica just yet (OK...maybe I'll bring the sexy snowpants).
• Laptop or cellphone or anything else electronic (OK, I'm not a total Luddite, I'll bring a cell for emergencies).
• Spanish-English dictionary (because Jen is fluent in Spanish - ask her about it sometime if ever you meet her). :)

Mother nature isn't quite done with us yet though. Eastern Ontario is being walloped with 15-20 cm of snow today. We saw the writing on the wall (er, forecast) a few days ago and so got ahead of the storm by driving up to my parents' house (which is closer to the airport we're flying out of) on Friday night. I'm not a fan of driving at night but, to be fair, it was smooth sailing last nigh. We took Highway 7, my drive of choice between Ottawa and Newmarket, which was actually quite pretty due to all the houses lit up with Christmas lights. We arrived just before the snow. This morning our car was covered with a light dusting of the white stuff.

So that's it for me for a week or so! Have a Merry Christmas, a happy stress-free holiday, and talk to you when we return!

Snow Storm Walk

A couple of nights ago there was a snow storm. Big fat flakes filled the air and obscured everything more than 50 feet away.

So that meant it was the perfect night for a walk!

Our street when the storm hits

Glosette Girl, Margot, and I put on our sexiest snowpants and wandered down to Fairmont park, which is the second closest park to our house. It is a nice park in a slightly more gentrified neighbourhood - about 5-10 minutes away.

Tennis, anyone?

Fairmont is definitely a great park to wander through in the winter as the trees give it a magical aura. I think elves live in some of them.

Although it was only 6:30 pm or so, we were almost the only people walking around. I liked that. It felt like the storm, as fierce as it was, was a present just for us.

Oh that Christmas Season!

I love the build up to Christmas! There is a tangible joy in the air. I love all the traditions, from putting up Christmas lights....

Margot and Simon Christmas Light Installers, Inc.

...to watching for (putting up with?) the first snow of the season...

Only 4 months of winter to go

...to the folksy, quirky, small town Christmas parades.

"What the #$! is that?!" you're probably thinking. I have no clue...but I want one!

Actually, this year Glosette Girl, Margot and I are taking an eco/sun holiday over Christmas. I'm looking forward to it, but one of the downsides is that it distracts a bit from all the fun Christmas stuff. The timing of our holiday also forced us to get a bit creative in order to let Margot feel the full Christmas experience. For example we started eating our advent calendar 7 days early (not a single advent calendar chocolate will go to waste on my watch, damnit!)

We debated on whether we should get a Christmas tree but ultimately decided that you gotta have a tree. So we picked up a super small one (by Canadian standards) in Ottawa's Byward Market.  It's less upkeep than a big tree and should be OK if we have to leave it for a few days.

By the power of GRAYSKULL...!

Now that it's decorated it adds a nice a friendly glow to the house.

A joyful tree for the season!

Living in a Neighbourhood

"Hi Simon!" - a friendly greeting that I sometimes get while walking to work from my friend R's daughter, E, who lives just a few blocks away from me. It always brings a smile to my face even when I'm half-asleep at 8 am in the morning.

It's nice living in an area where I am within walking distance of friends. It really adds to the sense of community. Since graduating University, I don't think I've lived anywhere where I have known anyone other than my immediate neighbours. 

Mostly I have Margot to thank for this. As she gets older and gets to know more local kids, I imagine I'll get to know more and more local-area parents.

Who knows? Maybe one day some local-area Kimmy Gibbler will start barging in uninvited. Ahhh... that's when I know we' really belong in Hintonburg.

Anyways, for now I'll just appreciate what I have. This past Saturday Margot went to R's house for a playdate with E and her brother A. It was just for an hour and a half but from her smile she had a world of fun.

A, E and Margot

Small beginnings!

Their street