Costa Rica Part 1

We have been in Costa Rica approximately 48 hours & are having a blast! The plane ride here was uneventful. We left a cold 30 degrees Fahrenheit Dallas & arrived in Costa Rica, where it is about 30 degrees Celcius (85-90 degrees Fahreheit). It is absolutely beautiful.

Charlotte has been a world class traveler so far. I think she wants to be included on future vacations. We got situated on the plane and she fell asleep before take off. Take off was delayed by about 20 minutes due to some mechanical issues (we flew American, there are always issues). She slept throughout ascent and woke up happy when we were cruising. The flight was about 3 hours, 45 minutes. She was an angel the whole time....I didn't even have to resort to the Tylenol in my bag. And she left the patch on for the flight. :) Descent was fine. She was awake and we just kept her pacifier in her mouth.

We arrived in Costa Rica and quickly shed our sweatshirts. A bus picked us up at the airport. We brought C's car seat & fastened it in the bus. We were really glad that we checked the car seat & the stroller. Thankfully, international flights get 1 free bag per person, so we checked 2 bags, the car seat, & the stroller at no cost. We carried on 2 bags, the diaper bag, a backpack, and my purse. All gratis, thanks American Airlines! We were definitely a traveling circus.

The bus ride from the airport to the hotel took about an hour. The roads are paved so the ride was not nearly as bumpy as I had feared. We arrived at the hotel around 4, quickly sunscreened up, and headed to the beach. Our room is very close to the pool (maybe 30 feet) and the beach is just beyond the pool. It is absolutely beautiful...lots of lush vegetation, flowers, birds, iguanas, etc. We grabbed a few pictures before sunset and then headed into town to find dinner. Our resort is just down the beach from the main village of Tamarindo. You can walk there on the beach or on the road. So, the stroller has not been very handy but the Baby Bjorn is a definite lifesaver.

Charlotte has woken up with the sunrise each morning so far (around 6:15). While Wilson snoozes, the two girls explore the beautiful garden. The first morning here, we found the monkeys!!! There are 4 howler monkeys that reside at the resort. Alice and Lolita are our favorites. Alice is Major if Major was a monkey. She sprawls and asks for belly rubs. You can even pet the monkeys. We haven't let them get too close to Miss C yet, though. Lolita is a 6 month old Howler Monkey that is precious. She curls around your foot and is adorable. We have some good pictures...Wilson unfortunately can't get the digital card reader to work here at the hotel, so you'll just have to take my word that it is beautiful. The hotel website is www.hotelcapitansuizo.com I think there are pictures on it that will do more justice than my words.

So far Charlotte has prefered the pool to the ocean, as I predicted. The ocean would be fine if that darn water didn't lap up on her. :) Wilson is bound and determined for her to like it, so we're going to try again in a bit when her eye patch gets to come off for the day. I better run check on my peeps....more to follow.