Monthly Archives: August 2018

Dad, Kimberly and I at Hermosa Fresh Market

Visit to the States: Part I

What? 6 months since my last visit to the States.  My journey to the States was a lot easier than in January.  A 3.5 hour public bus ride, 30-minute taxi, 5-hour flight to MIA, 5-hour flight to LA.  Easy Peasy – 20 hours later.

We had a jammed packed schedule with lots of activities and errands.  I saw my good friends Ed and Wendy, Kathryn and Gene, and got to see my sister show off her jumping skills.

Sis jumping her horse and Ed, Wendy and I

Sis jumping her horse and Ed, Wendy and I

Cole performed in a high school “Spring Sing” and was the only kid with a solo – he’s so amazing!  As a matter of fact, he made a select men’s singing group for next year.

Cole singing solo at Spring Sing

Cole singing solo at Spring Sing

Kimberly had a fundraiser at the Spring Sing concert and raised over $250 for the Mira Costa Choir.  Equally important, we had fun working side by side.

The family at Cole's Spring Sing

The family at Cole’s Spring Sing

Kimberly put together a last minute girls happy hour where my friend Deborah joined us.  Always good to see a fellow Texan enjoying the California lifestyle.

Girls Happy Hour

Girls Happy Hour

We see lots of weird fruits and veggies that we cannot identify in other countries, but this is a first for me. I could  not identify this huge jack fruit in California.  Evidently it’s  a huge source of protein for vegetarians.  It was heavy!

What the heck? It is a vegan source of protein.

What the heck? It is a vegan source of protein.

One of the main reasons I went to LA (besides seeing my family) was to see Cameron, my youngest nephew graduate from middle school.  Notably, graduating with all “A’s.”

The cast below:  Cameron, my dad, Troy, Kimberly, Vicki, Uncle Matt, Diana and Mark. Bottom row: Reese’s PB Cup/Chocolate Chip cookies

Family celebrating Cameron's graduation

Family celebrating Cameron’s graduation

Cameron rocked the front row of his 2018 graduating class.  Under these circumstances, it was no surprise as he did a jig exited the stage, cracking everyone up!

Cameron's Middle School Graduation

Cameron’s Middle School Graduation

It’s always good to get the family together, but even better when it is a celebration.

Family at Cameron's Graduation in the States

Family at Cameron’s Graduation in the States

In addition to being a rock star student, Cameron also rocks the volleyball court!  We got to see him play in a tournament.  He is a power house on the court like his mom and dad!

Cameron at Volleyball Tournament

Cameron at Volleyball Tournament

We celebrated Father’s day early as I was traveling to ATX on the actual day.  We took my dad to brunch then walked the Hermosa Beach Fresh Market.  As can be seen, it was a beautiful day.

Dad, Kimberly and I at Hermosa Fresh Market

Dad, Kimberly and I at Hermosa Fresh Market

Had a fabulous time, even though we packed a lot in a short amount of time during my visit to the States:

  • Cameron’s graduation
  • Cole’s Spring Sing
  • Kimberly’s Horseback Riding Lessons
  • Visit with a few friends (Ed & Wendy, Kathryn & Gene, and Deborah)
  • Father’s Day
  • Errands, errands, and more errands
View from Unit 7 at Manuel Antonio Estates

Manuel Antonio Estates: Short-Term Rental

How did we end up living with the monkeys at Manuel Antonio Estates?  Well, Sugar Shack was struck by lighting (a story we will share once the boat is repaired) and had to be hauled out. Once she was hauled out, we became homeless because Marina Pez Vela does not allow live aboards on the yard.

The marina arranged a room for us at the Best Western Kamuk at a discounted rate for the first couple of nights.  This was great for the weekend, as they were close to the marina.  But at $68 per night , for 3 months, it would break the already broken bank.

The first three nights we stayed in a small room over a crowded street, but the last night we moved to the top floor which notably had a great view of the beach.

View from Best Western Kamuk Hotel

View from Best Western Kamuk Hotel

The marina connected us with real estate guru, Alvin who showed us a few short term rental properties.  We ended up at Manuel Antonio Estates which offered  AC, wifi, a pool, and a full kitchen. Remarkably, most apartments don’t have ovens.  I have grand plans of baking for our boat workers so an oven was a must have.

We negotiated a lower rate which included all of the utilities, maid service twice a week, and moved in the next day.

Nestled in the trees are 9 apartments overlooking a pool and the dense foliage below.  Once you pass the guard gate, you walk up a hill, past the Rain Drop Spa (top left), to the main reception area (top right).

Then you climb up another hill to the apartment units (2nd row, left) which overlooks the pool.  We have lots of wildlife, including iguanas, geckos, monkeys, toucans, and tons of birds.

Manuel Antonio Estates

Manuel Antonio Estates

The hike up the hill in the heat often requires a dip in the pool to cool off.  With this in mind, it is not a hardship to get home.

Crazy Neighbors

The apartments are located near the Manuel Antonio Park and are nestled in the trees.  So, we have lots of wildlife around.  We’ve seen scarlet macaws fly by and one toucan sighting.  Tons of other birds, lizards, geckos, iguanas, Capuchin monkey family, squirrel monkey family, and even a few dogs and cats.

We get visitors around sunset – they are a playful bunch of monkeys.  Crawling, leaping, jumping all over the place.  The monkeys are so curious, they kept peeking over the roof and hanging from the rain gutters to look at us.  Generally speaking, they are more afraid of us then we are of them.  These are Capuchin monkeys but we also get squirrel monkey family as well.

White Faced Capuchin Monkeys

White Faced Capuchin Monkeys

Waterfall Hike on Property

There is a pretty challenging hike to a small waterfall on the property. The first 1.5 miles is up and down many hills on a paved road.  At the end of the road, make a left at the dirt pile, then right past the tree onto a “water runoff.”  The little, muddy trail down only takes about 30 minutes and you are rewarded with beautiful views, a waterfall, and a refreshing body of water.

Manuel Antonio Estates Cascadas

Manuel Antonio Estates Cascadas

Movers and Shakers

We have moved around a lot at Manuel Antonio Estates.  We started in unit 8 which is on the top floor.  After about 5 weeks we had to move to unit 5.  The top units have a better view, more ventilation and direct sun so they can rent them easier than the other units.  However, we found unit 5 to be just as fabulous.  We stayed in this 2nd unit for about a month when we decided we wanted to move to unit 2.  We had some “unusual” neighbors who smoked a lot on their patio and we wanted to move further away (plus unit 2 had a bigger couch).  As Manuel Antonio Estates busy season came to an end more units opened up.  So, after about a month we were offered unit 7 which is back on the top floor.  Sweet.  Great views from here with a cool breeze.

View from Unit 7 at Manuel Antonio Estates

View from Unit 7 at Manuel Antonio Estates

They were doing maintenance on the pool which is why it is only 1/2 full but normally it is a fabulous place to cool off.

We love our team at Manuel Antonio Estates!  Dorit is an amazing property manager handling everything from repairs, rental cars, tours, and local advice.  Giselle and Reina keep all the apartments clean and comfortable and Tariq runs a smooth operation.  Thank all for making us feel welcome and at home!

Manuel Antonio Residents

Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most popular national parks in Costa Rica, yet it is one of the smallest at only 1983 hectares.  The park has a well built hiking trail, half a dozen beaches, a variety of flora/fauna, 109 species of mammals, and over 175 varieties of birds.

Matt and I took the public bus from Quepos to Manuel Antonio which was a short 25-minute ride and cost a whopping $.75 each.  The town is relatively small, but it is packed with lots of eateries, bars, and tourist traps.   We did a quick walk around before heading into the park which cost $18 per person.

Many people hire tour guides to tour the park at $20 per person, but Matt and I decided to explore on our own.  There was a really nice wooden trail and lots of maps around so we figured we couldn’t get too lost.

We started at the top left of the map (Bahias) and followed the yellow trail to the water where we picked up the dotted pink line (Sendero Miradoras Trail).  We took this new trail all the way to the left and walked until we hit the dead end.  This was up many, many stairs, then down, then up and again, then down.  We ended up at the top of an overlook.

Manuel Antonio National Park Map

Manuel Antonio National Park Map

The overlook, Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port) is 25 meters above sea level.  During low tide you see these small bridges of sand that link the islands to the continental part of the coast.

Beautiful sandy beaches at Manuel Antonio Park

Beautiful sandy beaches at Manuel Antonio Park

After turning around, we took the same trail back until we got to the Sendero Congos Trail (left at the fork).  Then climbed to the Sendero Puerto Escondido Trail which led to a nice beach.  We back tracked again and found ourselves on the Sendero Playa Gemelas Trail which led us back to the yellow line below.

We landed at Gemelas Beach which is divided into two by a rock formation.  The waters from the creek merged with the sea currents have given life to the twin beaches providing a sanctuary for many sea and wild life.

Instead of leaving the park, we took the Sendero Playa Manuel Antonio Trail to Punta Catedral and eventually out the Sendero Perezoso Trail.

At first, we were a little put out that it was so expensive to enter the park.  But as we walked through it and saw how well maintained the trails were, we understood the cost.  If you weren’t walking on a nice wooden plank trail, you were on cement, or a very well maintained dirt road.  Check out the funny sign I posed with below.

Hiking Trails at Manuel Antonio Park

Hiking Trails at Manuel Antonio Park

There were these really strange prickly things growing on some of the uber tall trees.  At first, I thought it looked like fur, but up close, they are strong, sharp, needles growing out of the trunks.

At the end of our trail we ended on the most popular beach in the park. Most of the tourists stop to admire the monkeys and enjoy the beach.  There was a tourist eating a banana that attracted a funny pair of monkeys – they entertained us all.

Beautiful sandy beaches at Manuel Antonio Park

Beautiful sandy beaches at Manuel Antonio Park

We saw this really odd looking critter – cross between a rat and rabbit..  Never did find out their name – can you help?

We also, did not get to see the howler monkey, but we heard them throughout our adventures.

Wildlife at the park

Wildlife at the park

After our crazy long walk/hike we treated ourselves to a nice cold beverage.  As we cooled down, a light rain started.  We decided to catch the bus back so we did not get stuck in the pending downpour.

As we were waiting for the bus, my phone rang, it was a friend of ours from Texas, Tom Faulk.  He mentioned he would be in Costa Rica, but we did not nail down a meet up.  As fate would have it, he was sitting at the restaurant right behind the bus stop!

Friends from Texas at Manuel Antonio

Friends from Texas at Manuel Antonio

We had a great day of exercise.

Manuel Antonio walk-hike

Manuel Antonio walk-hike

Successful day:

  • Almost a 9-mile walk/hike
  • Climbed the empire state building (which is 101 floors)
  • Met up with some Texas friends
  • Played with a lot of wildlife