Doggy Walk

This morning we took part in a walk with our dogs as a fundraiser. It was 2.5 km but in the end we walked 3.6 km to get back to where we had to park our cars. It was a lovely way to spend our Sunday morning and get some excercise!
Everyone got a number, t-shirts and a cute pouch with dog poopy bags.

My beautiful girl excited for the walk

3 Times during the walk they had spots with tables where they handed out water for both people and dogs as well as bowls for the dogs to drink from.

Afterwards there was 'n big tent with fruit for the humans and dog food samples for the 4 legged creatures. Also lots of coupons on dog products, veterenary care and grooming.

Mother's Day Costa Rica

Even though we celebrate Mother's Day on the 2nd Sunday n May, my husband decided to surprise me. We got up early, had to get dressed comfortably and got in the car. Since it was a public holiday the traffic was very calm. We drove towards Limon for about 45 minutes.

There we stopped at a local restaurant for breakfast, Rancho Roberto's in Guapiles. It was a really nice typical buffet breakfast, with options like rice and beans, chorizos, grilled white cheese and local fruit juices. Nothing fancy bur delicious and filling. At 9:30 they already closed the buffet so be sure to be there nice and early.

The restaurant has friendly service and is very clean and tidy. It is on the corner opposite a gas station, with a big grass roof.

Then we made a U-turn and drove back for 5 minutes till we reached Rainforest Adventures. And here we got tickets to go on the Aerial Tram! Since I am 6 months pregnant, this is the only safe option of adventure for now...

It was great!! Before, when I saw advertisements, I always thought of it as slightly boring. Especially compared to canopy. But what a nice surprise. Since you travel slowly through the top of the jungle, you get to see the most amazing creatures!! Insects, birds, animals. Things you never see when you race by doing canopy, neither when walking on the ground, since the creatures up there and down below are so different.

Before we started on the Aerial Tram we watched a short movie on the history of the area. We had an extremely friendly guide, called Alan, and he was very nice with our 2 year old. It was a little long for the little one, since she couldn't always find what we were looking at and sitting still for 45 minutes is a bit much for her.

Afterwards we walked a trail of 800m. Nice and easy, with toddler inher stroller at times, since the trail was built with wheelchair access in mind. Again I saw some crazy insects, including a giant wolf spider running past my foot with a big purple egg stuck to it's behind. As well as a tarantula the size of my face, with her babies in their tunnel, right next to the pathway!!

It was a lovely outing and i would recommend it to anyone, especially families with young children.

http://www.rainforestadventure.com/costa_rica_atlantic_tours_excursions/

Here are just a few of the things we saw

 

Princesses and Peacocks

We woke up to a beautiful summer day, so early morning I decided to get out of the house with the family and go visit some wild life at ZooAve.

I really like going there with my toddler for varius reasons:
It's only 30 minutes outside of San Jose
Cheap
And it's not too big, so she can run around and look for animals without getting bored or too tired. It takes about an hour.
And afterwards we have a snack (or picninc during dry season when the grass is not muddy).

There is parking right in front, but I prefer to park in the parking lot, 60 m from the entrance, so I can safely take out strollers and kids without worrying about the traffic.



My little one wanted to dress like a fairy princess this morning...why not?








Where the turtles play



Great access for wheelchairs or strollers



How cute is this?!



There is a small shop that sells drinks and snacks with some tables. Mom and Dad can sit here and relax while the kids do their final run around.



Lovely picnic area



Peacocks everywhere!! The kids love running after them and looking for feathers.





Saturday morning downtown

My husband decided to surprise me with a wonderful morning at downtown San Jose.

It started with breakfast on the 5th floor of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica. It has a lovely view over the older part of the city. It has a cozy atmosphere inside with antique furniture and old photos of the city.

www.grandhotelcostarica.com

We then went for a stroll around, admiring some of the old buildings, like the National Theater.

We ended our morning with a visit to the museum. The Gold museum and a feline exibition as well.

This was a great visit with the toddler since there were some interactive things for her and it was small enough that we could finish within an hour.