DREAMING
OF BETTER TIMES
A long
long time ago the earth was clean and one could freely leave the house without
wearing a mask or slathered in hand sanitizer. Yes, my devoted cadre of readers
it is hard to believe, but Team Vacations From Home used to actually leave
their home to explore both around the corner and around the world.
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| LAKE WINDEMERE, UK |
They were
heady glorious times when our lungs would breathe the rarified air of Windemere,
or Wildwood, or Washington, D.C. and it would not bring on a cough. We ventured
forth with no fear, even from lost baggage because we carried travel insurance.
There was a time we would actually go INTO a store, or sit in a café to linger
over God’s ambrosia, and when we walked the dog, it was because she HAD TO GO
OUT.
Oh, we
were brave souls then, but that was so very long ago. When I look back on that
time now, I realize how foolhardy we were, how cavalier we were as if we were
immortal, immune to all the slings and arrows that nature could, and would eventually
throw at us.
Let me
tell you a tale of daring from your now prudent traveling tandem, Team VFH. It is
a tale from the annals of the very distant past. It is a tale of odd creatures
and strange people and distant shores. This will not be for squeamish. You may
want to hug your pillow a little tighter or slurp your Quarantini (a martini
you drink alone) to steel your nerves as I relate this tale of bravery and boldness
Before I continue though, I must caution
you please please please after reading this saga of daring-do, or brash naivety don’t attempt to replicate it because you know that whole sheltering in place
is still going on. Wait for the hi sign that the coast is clear.
COME SAIL
AWAY
Long long
ago, back in February of 2020 when the virus was just beginning to cause havoc
in China, Team VFH boarded the M/S Panorama with Variety Cruises, in Puerto
Caldera, Costa Rica for a week long cruise along the Pacific coast to Panama
City, Panama. When we boarded the proud sailing ship, we were asked to fill out
medical history forms which also asked if we were in China the past two weeks and
if needed given our health and the Captain’s discretion, would we agree to be
quarantined in our cabins. It was not a pleasant start to the trip.
Who knew
the conflagration would quickly spread worldwide and effectively shutter the
globe just after we returned home? Perhaps we should have heeded the imminent
threat when there were just 16 souls brave enough to board the proud Panorama,
a ship that could sail comfortably with 50? Perhaps we were blinded by the chance
to explore the wilds of Costa Rica, the adventurers’ spirit quickening our
heartbeats and Cacique Guaro deadening our inhibitions?
With the warm
setting sun comforting us with promises of a new glorious day awaiting the Panorama
and her intrepid mariners, we sailed that evening for Quepos. By morning we
were anchored near the busy Marina Pez Vela. Quepos is a hotspot for big-game
sport fishing, both deep and in-shore and there were plenty of Americans in the
sleek, clean marina, but Quepos is also the gateway to Manuel Antonio National
Park. We had no time to dawdle at any of the tony shops or restaurants at the
marina, and after breakfast we took one of the Panorama’s inflatable zodiac
motor launches to the marina and there boarded a van to take us to the park.
Now, Quepos
is a small town, but had a lot of shops bars and restaurants and we would have
loved to explore it. The winding road to M. Antonio NP swelled with commerce as
well. Everything looked touristed but inviting. Every curve brought another bar
or restaurant into view that had we been on our own we might never have made
the actual park.
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| EL AVION, COSTA RICA |
COME
FLY WITH ME
One place
of note was El Avion. It was pointed out by the tour guide as we flitted past. El
Avion has a C-123 cargo plane as part of its structure. This plane was a part
of the Oliver North Iran-Contra scandal from the 1980’s and now has more
success boasting fantastic sunset views. We passed it twice on the way to the park
and back. We just waved.
ZOMBIE
MOTHS, TWO-TOED SLOTHS AND TOUCANS
M. Antonio
is the most popular park in Costa Rica with both tourists and Ticos alike and
our four-hour excursion was to walk through the dense rainforest with a knowledgeable
naturalist guide pointing out the extraordinary animal life found there like
sloths and monkeys and a great variety of tropical birds and different species
of flora and fauna before getting a quick 20-minute swim at one of the 4
beaches at Manuel Antonio. It was a tight schedule for our $85 per person trip,
not including the tip to the guide.
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| ZOMBIE MOTH |
After our
bags were checked to make sure we weren’t carrying any food, for fear animals
would become reliant on humans feeding them our informative and enthusiastic
guide pointed out things and animals we would never have seen without him. First
was a “zombie” moth that had been attacked by a parasitic cordyceps fungi that
effectively liquifies its host and then uses the body to lure other insects to
their deaths.
After this
creepy start though it was all fun and games with white-faced monkeys prancing
about and sloths ignoring us and preening Toucans looking pretty before a
refreshing swim at one of the beaches. The guide had us listening to and
imitated certain bird calls. He first heard the Toucan and then trained his
telescope on the beautiful bird for us to see. Throughout the tour he patiently
answered all of our questions. Without him we would have seen nothing.
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| TOUCAN AT M. ANTONIO NP, CR |
The tour
included a very refreshing individual fruit platter and the opportunity to
purchase gifts. .
BEERS
AND ZIPLINING
Perhaps
the nicest part of Janet being my traveling companion is that we aren’t joined
at the hip and we are able to go our own ways at times. When I expressed an
aversion to ziplining and flirting with death, Janet was fine going on her own.
We had the van drop her off at Iguana Tours in Quepos for her adventure while I
went back to the Panorama for a quick lunch and then a quick turnaround to Quepos
for a walk about.
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| EL JARDIN QUEPOS, COSTA RICA |
I bought a
pachitas of Cacique and some Imperial Beers in a local market and then a couple
of cigars in a shop and then had a beer at the Restaurante el Jardin del Mar. I
was able to get on el Jardin’s wifi and sent some emails and did some writing
while sipping my Imperial.
Afterwards, with the sun fierce and my cigar guiding
me along the empty streets looking for shade, I eventually made the marina
again where I enjoyed the view while waiting for Janet’s return. She was excited
with her ziplining and described it as safe and exhilarating. I was happy she
went alone. I probably would have dashed my head against a tree. Her tour, with
the photographs capturing her time cost around $100.
Back on
the Panorama we showered and dressed for dinner and then the crew had arranged entertainment
by a traditional Costa Rican band and dancers in native dress. The colorful dresses
of the girls swirled as they danced gleefully. It made me feel we were
fortunate to be here in this far away land, despite the growing concerns around
the world over this virus. It was quite an adventurous day and we lived to tell
about it.
© 2020 by Greg Dunaj
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