COSTA RICA BLACK SAND

BLACK SAND BEACH, COSTA RICA

VOLCANOS

The composition of a beach depends on its location. Most of the beaches throughout the world are ground up brown colored quartz, but the white sands of tropical beaches are actually calcium carbonate which comes from shells and skeletons of marine life and coral reefs. Black sand which is mostly found in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast comes from volcanos and is actually volcanic glass that has been ground up by the waves.

 

ARENAL VOLCANO, CR

Costa Rica is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire where much of the active volcanos in the world are located. Currently Costa Rica has five active volcanos and over 100 dormant. They are found in the northern and central highlands of Costa Rica and they are all popular tourist destinations..

Here at the Fiesta Resort in Puntarenas the beach is wide and the sand very fine and its color is black.to gray. It doesn’t have the shiny pure volcanic glass of beaches in say Punalu’u or Kalapana, where recent Kilauea eruptions have added to the girth of the Big Island. Nonetheless it is striking. Across the bay is the rocky horizon of the Nicoya Peninsula where the sand from there is washed ashore in Puntarenas to give it this unique color. In the surf the water looks murky as the fine, soft sand is swirled about,   

BEACH AT FIESTA RESORT, CR

THE TWO SEASONS OF COSTA RICA

HIGH AND DRY and GREEN ON THE PACIFIC COAST

In the Northeast we have four seasons…winter, spring, summer, fall. Here in Costa Rica there are two, summer and winter. Although Costa Rica is in the Northern Hemisphere, the seasons here in this tropical Central American country are still reversed. We are enjoying the peak summer here on the Pacific coast where nearly all the beach communities are located. Summer lasts roughly from December to April. Winter, which is from May to November is their rainy season here and called the “Green” season. Although the rain during this time can get bad enough to hamper travel especially on the Osa Peninsula, often it will rain a few hours in the afternoon with brilliant sunshine at before and afterwards. 

NOT A SANDALS                                                                 

We are spending three days at the all-inclusive Fiesta Resort in Puntarenas Costa Rica before we set sail on Saturday. The place is brimming with families with many children tossing sugar packets to the floor while at breakfast. Perhaps they are on a summer holiday?  It’s definitely different than our recent stays at a Sandals resort, but the Fiesta resort covers a lot of area and despite the ninos splashing about the pool we are enjoying the black sands and Mai Tai’s nonetheless.

Breakfast at Fiesta Resort

There are two restaurants that require reservations at the Fiesta Resort. One is seafood and the other specializes in latino-flavored cuisine, but as we are only here for three days, we are only eligible for one reservation. Another reminder that we are not at a Sandals. Plus, we are required to wear a plastic wrist-band that denotes our “status”. The room itself is pleasant, although the beds are smaller than we are used to.

THAT’S A LOT OF COLONES

Although Costa Rica can be higher priced than the rest of Latin American countries it is still relatively inexpensive. Costa Rican currency is called the Colon and is currently set at .0018 per USD. So, the price of a keychain at the resort’s gift shop is listed at 4,000 Colones… which is just $7.05… HEY…. We’re not buying everyone trinkets.

Thanks for reading.

LATIN LOVE

ADVENTURERS’ PARADISE of COSTA RICA

Truthfully, central America was never on Team VFH’s radar. Europe, the Caribbean and places in the United States held our interest as travel destinations but, serendipity has altered our travel plans. When we saw a half-priced passage from Costa Rica to Panama available with Unforgettable Cruises, a small luxury ship company, suddenly Latin America was a viable destination.

We have traveled with Unforgettable Cruises before in Croatia and the level of attention and luxury was appealing enough to return to the company. Coupled with the half-price passage and a modest discount they offered us as returning customers made widening our horizons to include this new area of the world an easy choice.

UNFORGETTABLE CRUISES

OCELOT

As we gear up and do research for this trip it seems more-and-more we have a great trip ahead of us. Of course, sailing on the M/S Panorama, a three-masted motosailer will be enjoyable enough, but there will be plenty to see and experience on land as well. Right about now Janet and I are wishing we were spending more time before the trip in Costa Rica and afterwards in Panama. There’s so much to do. We have just three days in Costa Rica before we sail.

 

SKY WALK, COSTA RICA

Between canopy or sky walks, literally in the treetops of the rainforest, to zip lining like tethered Tarzans, to white water rafting to visiting coffee plantations to hiking volcanos, to birdwatching to espying the plenty of unusual animals that are only found in Costa Rica, like ocelots, white headed capuchin monkeys and Chestnut-Mandibled Toucans as well as sloths lazing about, we're wishing we had more time to explore. Although we're staying at the all-inclusive Fiesta Resort, we may not simply want to lounge about pool-side. There's so much to see before the cruise ship's people transport us to the Panorama. Although, if we decide to linger at the beaches there's a good chance we'll be able to swim with sea tutrles!

FIESTA RESORT, COSTA RICA

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

Costa Rica places a huge emphasis on progressive environmental policies and is striving to be as carbon-neutral as possible. Nearly all of the country’s electricity is generated from “green” sources, like hydro, solar, geothermal and biomass and Costa Rica is actively pursuing a reforestation effort to replenish the rain forests within their borders. Big on biodiversity and environmental conservation Costa Rica is a delightful eco-tourist destination. There is so much to do and thankfully the Unforgettable Cruises people have put together a list of land excursions in Costa Rica as well as Panama.

POISON DART FROG

They have a visit planned for the Manuel Antonio National Park, a Titi Forest Canopy tour, a trip to the gardens of Casa Orquideas eco-tourism to learn about all the beautiful vegetation, an Embera Indigenus Community Culture Tour, a tour of Old Panama City and a bus tour of the Panama Canal. Sadly there is a cost for each, but I feel we must take advantage of this new and glorious destination.

 

MANUEL ANTONIO NAT'L PARK

Obviously more will follow… Apart from what we've read from the ship's itinerary, we haven't even starting looking into Panama. Keep coming back as we will post more and more and more.

Also, please remember that you can show your support by not only reading, liking and sharing this blog, but you can also visit the VACATIONS FROM HOME store, for t-shirts and coffee mugs, etc. The link for the store is at the top, and, at the bottom of the blog you will see links to my two novels for sale. 

COSTA RICA AND PANAMA

UNFORGETTABLE DESTINATIONS

Your favorite traveling tandem is off soon on another adventure, this time on a sailing excursion from Costa Rica to Panama. Yeah, we know, that isn’t cheap, but we did get the trip at half-price when we saw it offered mid-December. Remember when a ship sails with an empty berth that is revenue lost forever.

We’re traveling again with the Unforgettable Cruises people. Readers of this incredibly informative travel blog may recall that we sailed with Unforgettable Cruises last July island hopping along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia on a ship that had only 38 passengers. The London based company is attentive to details and offer trips to destinations around the world. Their motto is “small ships big experiences”.

UNFORGETTABLE CRUISES

At first, we considered traveling with them on a two-week liveaboard dive excursion in the Maldives, an expensive big-ticket bucket-list item for me, especially now that I am dive certified for open water, but logistically it didn’t work out. We also considered Bali and Fiji, but we jumped on their special offer of the half-priced trip we are going on next week. Payment had to be made in full at the time as the trip was just two months later, but we asked for and received a modest discount on top of the set rate because we were “frequent” travelers with the company.

 

M/S PANORAMA

We are on the M/S Panorama, a three-masted motorsailer first launched in 1993 and renovated in 2014 and sail from Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica, to Panama City, Panama. There are much cheaper ways of traveling, but the level of luxury offered by the company makes it difficult to look elsewhere for accommodations

STOUDT’S BREWERY

BEER TODAY GONE TOMORROW

Readers of this blog know Team VFH likes beer. Wherever we go in our travels we seek out and savor the local brews.  From the Maui Brewing Company in Lahaina to De Halve Maan Brouwerij in Bruges we’ve been known to take a seat at the bar and enjoy. Fortunately, we don’t have to travel that far to slake our thirst for quality beer. Here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alone there are over 300 craft breweries. Phoenixville, five miles from my middle-class garret in Collegeville, has become a mecca for craft brewing with no less than 6 craft breweries in the town and another 5 in the surrounding area. There's even a new one opening soon in Collegeville called Troubles End... we'll see if that place will be the cause of all my troubles as well. 

Phoenixville is a former rusting steel town has been revitalized with a lively nightlife of restaurants, bars and breweries. 

 de HALVE MAAN

MAUI BREWING

HOPPY TRAILS

Sadly though, today’s story is not about pub crawls in Phoenixville but about Stoudt’s Brewery which will be shuttering their production after 33 years. One of the original craft breweries in Pennsylvania, Stoudt’s in Adamstown, outside of Reading, produces great quality, honest beer. Led by Carol Stoudt, the first female brew master since Prohibition ended, says it was a difficult decision, but “we’re not moving enough volume to justify the expense of keeping the brewery open.”

I will miss their Double IPA and their Believer Reserve Tripel aged in wine barrels.

The other entities of the Stoudt’s complex on North Reading Road will remain open. They include a restaurant, antiques mall, a cheese-making facility and on premises bakery and a lively beer garden that hosts Oktoberfest celebrations in the fall.

I’ve gone to Stoudt’s several times over the years for both lunch and the Oktoberfest and I am saddened by this turn of events, but cannot begrudge Carol Stoudt from wanting to enjoy retirement.

“We’re not closing the doors to any business opportunities that could help the Stoudt’s brand live on,” said Ms. Stoudt, but she was one of the first in the exploding craft beer world, and “now it is up to a new generation to continue the tradition of innovation that defines craft beer.”

STOUDTS BREWERY 

Given the landscape around this neck of the woods, she’s left us in good hands. The announcement for the closing came last week with an eventual shut down in early spring.

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