Arenal Hike to La Catarata

La Catarata = Waterfall. This is one of the only new words I still remember. Most were lost due to sleep deprivation and car sickness on bumpy roads.
Danny and Kaya were excited to wake up and see the "cano" on our first morning at Arenal Observatory Lodge. After a pretty tasty buffet breakfast, we went on the free, guided hike at the lodge. Anyone going to Costa Rica - pay the extra to stay at this lodge. It was phenomenol and had tons to do right at the place! We didn't pay any money to take taxis anywhere because all the hiking and cano watching was right there.


We tried out the backpack we borrowed from Billings and Danny did pretty well as long as we were moving. The guides pointed out a lot of different birds, frogs, & lizards and also told us about the plants and flowers we were seeing.








I took over the pack about halfway through the hike. It only got tricky a few places. Finally we arrived at our destination - la bonita catarata. It really was beautiful and we all enjoyed the cool mist after a hot hike. The hike was labeled "easy," but it was still a pretty good one. Especially when we are used to FLAT, FLAT sidewalks.










Danny was not happy to leave the waterfall. He went in the pack screaming and continued to do so unless I held his hand. This proved to be a little tough climbing back up from the waterfall. In the end he got his paci . . . and finally he got to walk on his own at one of the hanging bridges. I think he would have been happy to stay at that bridge and skip the end of the hike. Throughout the hike, since he was such a trooper, other guests kept calling him "tough guy" and "Mr. Energy" and stuff. Kaya was named "the most beautiful girl at the lodge" and most people thought the two of them were twins.











This was the only hike throughout the trip that ended with a wagon ride back to the lodge. We were happy to take it and wished we had a ride back on a few other excursions. Danny liked sitting with Uncle Lance and pointing out the "moos" and "he-ee-ee-ees" on the ride back. Before lunch we also managed to fit in a quick swim. Nothing says relaxation like soaking in a cool pool surrounded by jungle with a volcano rumbling right behind you. It was fantastic!

Costa Rica Day 1 & 2

So here's my quick warning. I did not write extensive journals on our trip, and I don't plan to type a blog explanation and then write in my journal separately . . . so if you aren't interested in reading, skim through the pictures. This might get wordy. I'll probably post one or two days at a time.

Friday night we arrived in Costa Rica. Alicia and her husband picked us up at the airport. It was a little nerve wracking - we'd been communicating by email, but I had NO CLUE who I was looking for. It was a busy airport too. Fortunately Alicia had a sign, so after a couple nervous moments, I saw the sign and Alicia. We drove an hour to get to their house. The guide books were right. Roads in Costa Rica, even the good ones, are much bumpier than the roads here. Her older two children, Carlos (21) and Karina (16) had waited up for us. We had some sweet water and pastries while chatting. Alicia's English was outstanding, and Carlos Jr. and Karina also spoke quite well. By then it was 11 or so and we were all exhausted. Alicia and her husband generously gave up their room to Matt, Danny, and I. Once again I felt humbly overwhelmed by the kindness of people I hardly knew. They had just moved into the house the week before and it was beautiful.

The next morning Danny arose bright and early. We thought we were in the same time zone, so were happy he slept until 6:15 AM. After we'd been wandering around the house a while we found out we were in Mountain Time Zone, so it was actually not even 6 AM. We felt awful for waking the whole family up so early! The morning was filled with "ball" on the soccer field in front of their house, playing animals with the twins (Rebeka and Erika - 10 yrs old), and eating our first pinto gallo - rice and beans - made by Alicia. Turns out hers was the first and best of much more that we ate throughout the trip.

At 9 we picked up the rest of our group to head to Arenal. After a very short stop in Surchi to see the world's largest ox cart, we made our way to the volcano. We enjoyed catching up and hearing all about their adventures the week before. I'm glad I asked Alicia to take this photo - it's the only one of our whole group!

It was exciting to drive into La Fortuna and catch our first glimpses of the volcano. We were so happy to have a clear day . . . the first of many. Some people are there several days and never see the top of the volcano, but could see it perfectly. Shortly after checking into Arenal Observatory Lodge (AWESOME) the rain started. We were too excited to let that stop the fun though, so we went to the pool anyway. I think I should have let the rain cancel Danny and my fun . . . we got soaked en route and on the way back. Our room was about 3/4 mile from the main lodge and pool so it was a bit of a trek every time we needed something . . . like dry clothes. The main problem was the second hand rain jacket I got Danny was not actually a rain jacket. Or at least not one that repels water. To save a trip down to our room we ended up buying him a souvenir t-shirt. It was a wet, wet evening. Fortunately our lava views at dinner made up for any headaches I had gotten earlier.

The lodge we stayed at is the only one on the lava side of the volcano, so at night you watch this amazing glowing show. Mindy got some great pictures, which I'll post sometime. It's unreal though - your sitting there eating your fajitas and then there's a rumble, rumble (or as Danny says - "boom boom") and you watch a fiery explosion right out the window. Then you see the glowing rocks as they tumble down and you hope the lava doesn't flow too much further towards you down the hill. It was absolutely amazing!

Wordless Wednesday . . . you make the caption

Staying Cool with Popsicles and friends

Turns out water is not the only way to stay cool here in Houston. Another option is to strip down and eat a popsicle. Works every time. :) Thanks for sharing your popsicles Allison!

Hola from Costa Rica!

We are having a WONDERFUL time here! We arrived late on Friday evening and were greeted at the airport by Alicia and her husband Carlos. She was an exchange student at my family's home when I was a little girl. They took us to their home, about 45 minutes away in Grecia. Their house was beautiful and in a georgeous location nestled in her father's coffee plantation. Some of the wood in their home was from trees her grandfather had planted in the area. We had fun helping her older children, Carlos and Karina, practice their English while I tried to practice my Spanish. In the morning Alicia cooked us a delicious traditional breakfast - rice and beans, eggs, bread, sweet water - everything was so yummy. Danny had fun playing with the twins, Erika and Rebeka, on the soccer field in front of their house.
We picked up LaRue, Lance, Mindy, and Kaya and headed out of town. Carlos was our driver and Alicia joined us for the day. Every town we passed through had a church, school, and soccer field right in the middle of it. The landscape was beautiful, though the bumpy roads were not. A few hours later we arrived in Arenal. WOW!
We were fortunate to arrive on a clear afternoon. The volcano is definitely active. I can't wait to post pictures. Danny learned some new words and phrases. "Cano . . . boom, boom, boom" and at night when we watched the lava flowing down "Cano hot." IT was breathtaking. Oh, and we also had a view of a stunning lake. I can't wait to post pictures. We also saw monkeys, frogs, toucans, cootie (I can't remember the spelling, but it really sounds like this), and many other birds (sorry Chris and Stacey. I'm sure you would have been able to list the names. We want on a hike to a waterfall "splash, splash," swam in the pool and jacuzzi while enjoying a "-cano" view, hiked over hanging bridges, "high," and watched many rain showers from the comfort of our bungalow "splashy."
Yesterday Grandma watched the kids while the rest of us went on a long, STEEP, hike to the top of a dormant volcano and into the crater. It was an exciting hike and though we were too chilly at the top to go swimming in the crater lake, we had fun listening to and watching all the frogs.
After the hike we finished packing up and then had a bus-boat-bus transfer here to Monteverde. The trip was long and VERY bumpy, but fortunately our hotel, Arco Iris, is fabulous. We have a whole house to ourselves and it's very comfortable. Later today we're heading to the cloud forest for some bridge tours and zip lines. And it's only Tuesday! More later!

Staying Cool at Market Street Fountains

Katy Cherry and Danny get ready for a big SPLASH.

little kids + big shirts = fun painting project

Staying Cool

In case any of you reading are unaware, Houston is HOT this time of year. High 90s with high humidity every day. It's not pleasant, warm summer heat. It's miserably sticky, hot heat. So what do we do to make the summer's bearable? Get wet as much as possible. On this particular day I had a few extra kids while moms were at girl's camp. Mindy kindly volunteered her back yard and it was a fun hour or so of sprinklers, squirt guns, and spray bottles. Thanks Mindy! Stay tuned for more summer pictures of how we are staying cool this sumer.

Oh Baby!

I have to brag on my friend Terri. I asked her to make cupcakes for a double baby shower. It was for my sister Anne (having a boy) and my friend Jackie (having a girl). Since we were having a brunch we thought cupcakes would be a little lighter than a big, rich cake. She made these adorable baby cupcakes, using lifesavers for the pacifiers. Then my favorite part was the filling. When you bit into your cupcake you'd find either a pink or blue center. Throughout the shower people kept saying, "Oh, I've got a girl!" or "Good news, mine's a boy." I thought it was such a cute idea. Way to go Terri! And yes, you can scroll down the blog to see my sister's baby. Jackie isn't due for a few more weeks.

MEMORY LANE

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.
It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.So let's have it! Don't be shy! What do you remember? Anything funny, embarrassing, silly...

Happy 4th . . . OK 15th of July!

Better late than never. We had a fabulous 4th of July. The morning was spent at a ward pancake breakfast (GREAT JOB ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE) with plenty of friends and great food. My parents flew in that afternoon and we had Texas BBQ Brisket sandwiches and all the typical fixins. Yes, I did just type "fixins." I've lived in Texas too long. In keeping with Grandpa Couch and Hong tradition, we bought a whole bunch of fireworks. Our display didn't quite live up to Don Hong's homemade concoctions, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. Danny did his first sparklers and fortunately nobody got burned. In fact thanks to Rex's monitoring of the "white line of safety" nobody got hurt. Exxon would be proud. :) Our family show, held in the high school parking lot next door, lasted about an hour and then we had root beer floats while watching the slightly bigger Splashtown fireworks from our backyard.

Welcome Eli!

So here is my excuse for slacking on the blog lately. Pretty cute excuse, isn't he? Anne and Rex's 4th baby was born last Tuesday. Elijah Markham Billings. Everything went well and mom and baby are doing great. Danny was a little unsure when we went to the hospital. He hasn't been around littler babies very much since his younger cousin Timmy lives all the way in Utah. I think Danny's biggest concern was that the baby was coming home with us. The second trip to the hospital, when he realized the baby stayed with Aunt Anne, went much better. Now he always asks, "Where baby go? Baby? Baby?" when we are near my sister's house. I love the picture of Alex kissing his new little brother. He'll probably be teaching Eli to play Mario Kart Wii before he can even sit up. :)