View of cascada from balcony of our room~Close up view of cascada 100 ft from it!!
Saturday: 3-7-09
Up by 7am..worried about sophie. She didn't jump up when she heard her daddy and just layed beside me when I awoke. Thought something was wrong. I think she was just at peace in the bed beside me tho and was fine once I got up and c took her out.
We still had not heard from Richard from the Villas Pico Bonito so we decided to just go with the original plan. Adonai picked us up at marina at 9am and we went to the mercada. So. Much. Fun. Saturday is a big day at the market and it was really fun walking thru the sidewalks. We saw sacks of rice, beans, we strolled thru grocery stores. We saw the fish sellers swatting the flies from their wares. We saw the meat shop...butchers cutting meat and pork and lots of organ meats!! Whole sides of beef hanging in their cubicles. Fruit. Veggies. Tortillas. People.....old, young, babies nursing.
Stopped at a cool "eat in" restaurant. Burritas. Baleado con carne=beans, cheese and meat wrapped in a tortilla, taco style. Mine was a tortilla with frijoles, carne, avacado, egg and cheese with an onion salsa. Man, oh man. YUMMY! Sat at blue picnic tables in their open air shop with many locals. Superb lunch and c could read the whole menu!!
Next, to the tamale stand where c bought some type of custard bread. We saw her yesterday, late in the day, swatting flies off her bucket. But this morning, there was a new batch and not so many flies!! So he got some ......!!
Met Andonai's daughters in the park and then back to the marina to get our stuff and pick up sophiejane. I was apprehensive because we had no reservation and since the place has only been finished for two weeks, I was sure they wouldn't let us take sj in. But c just went to talk to Lile and told him that we could never get in touch with Richard, the owner who was in Dallas, and he gave us the perfect room for two nights WITH a discount! We never said anything about sj and just drove straight into our villa. So nice. This place is gorgeous......bar, restaurant, pool right on the river with a perfect view right across from our balcony of the cascada. Lounged on the porch for a while and then went to pool. Inifinity pool. C visited with Lile at the bar and went down to the river. We then walked 12 minutes to the tourista information center to find out about a tour to the waterfall. We will go at 9am and have a 'gig'(guide) with us. I have volunteered to walk across the swinging bridge!! and then it will be a 2 hr hike to the falls and 1 hr back down. Hope I make it!!
Saw Kent and Heather at the Jungle rafting place and then came back to hang out at bar. Sweet spring break couple from Florida here, a guide from Omega Tours and an older couple. We then walked down to the river again and came back to hang out on the porch and watch the river..........c set up the camera to get a long exposure night shot of the cascada and then we will go to dinner............
Will add more tomorrow after the hike!!
It is now Sunday night. Sitting on the porch of our villa listening to the water thru the rocks in the river, watching the cascada fall in all its glory and looking at birds thru the binoculars….toucans, it looks like! Will look them up when I get back to internet but they were really neat.
Last night we had dinner on the porch of the bar in the palapa. Mauhi-mauhi and ribeye! Bruschetta that was killer. Up and off to the ~swinging bridge…more on this later~ by 9am where we began our hike. Mammma Mia…….oh wait, wrong country….however you say Holy Sh-t! in Spanish. Man, oh man. Literally a two hour hike waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up a mountain thru rocks, around trees, into the jungle. Can ya feel me here when I say my thighs are like mush tonight? And me, being totally out of shape, had to stop mucho times just to breathe. But when we got there? Breathtaking! Absolutely breathtaking. I’ve never seen such a huge cascada nor been so close to one. Adventure of a lifetime!
It took an hour and 15 minutes to get back down but at least most of the way was downhill…..and I stopped in some of the smaller lagoons to do a little cool down in the waters. I was never so happy to see the end of that trail tho only to then have to cross the “swinging bridge” again. Now just as much as I love tamales is exactly how much I HATE bridges. Just driving over them makes me creep out and I never thought I’d ever walk over one that swings this way and that and is held up by cables. Just as I knew before……..I could never be a candidate for the Amazing Race. Nu-uh…no way jose. (Which was also the name of our ‘gig’…guide –14 yrs old and never lost his breath once….hmph, youth!)
Once back on solid ground, we then had a 12 min walk back to the Villas and all I could focus on was that pool. If I could just make it back to the pool, I’d live. Believe me, I truly did not think I would make the last 10 min…..but I did and made a beeline for the water. Shucking shorts and shoes as I walked and slid right down into the water. Cannot remember the last time my body said, “Thank ya Mama”!!
Now, ya’ll should know also that the cap’n walked the whole hike in his flip flops carrying a backpike with mostly all of my crap on his back. Yet, he was so gentle with me the whole way, always asking if I needed to stop and rest. A winner, that one is!! And my hero!!
Pool time, a burger that was so rare that in usual time, I wouldn’t have been able to eat it…..but I did. Sorry, Rachel! And I was good to go. We just chilled the rest of the day away and are planning to have dinner on the porch again. We’ve met a few people and really enjoyed the time here.
Up and back to the boat at 8am…………headed to Utilla!
ADIOS TILL NEXT TIME!!
It is now Monday afternoon and we are anchored at Utilla. Internet access is not very good so I will have to post pics later.....but boy, do I ever have some pictures to share with you!!
And kids...as in our family peoples....we are not on daylight savings time so we are now one hour behind ya'll. FYI.
Up by 7am..worried about sophie. She didn't jump up when she heard her daddy and just layed beside me when I awoke. Thought something was wrong. I think she was just at peace in the bed beside me tho and was fine once I got up and c took her out.
We still had not heard from Richard from the Villas Pico Bonito so we decided to just go with the original plan. Adonai picked us up at marina at 9am and we went to the mercada. So. Much. Fun. Saturday is a big day at the market and it was really fun walking thru the sidewalks. We saw sacks of rice, beans, we strolled thru grocery stores. We saw the fish sellers swatting the flies from their wares. We saw the meat shop...butchers cutting meat and pork and lots of organ meats!! Whole sides of beef hanging in their cubicles. Fruit. Veggies. Tortillas. People.....old, young, babies nursing.
Stopped at a cool "eat in" restaurant. Burritas. Baleado con carne=beans, cheese and meat wrapped in a tortilla, taco style. Mine was a tortilla with frijoles, carne, avacado, egg and cheese with an onion salsa. Man, oh man. YUMMY! Sat at blue picnic tables in their open air shop with many locals. Superb lunch and c could read the whole menu!!
Next, to the tamale stand where c bought some type of custard bread. We saw her yesterday, late in the day, swatting flies off her bucket. But this morning, there was a new batch and not so many flies!! So he got some ......!!
Met Andonai's daughters in the park and then back to the marina to get our stuff and pick up sophiejane. I was apprehensive because we had no reservation and since the place has only been finished for two weeks, I was sure they wouldn't let us take sj in. But c just went to talk to Lile and told him that we could never get in touch with Richard, the owner who was in Dallas, and he gave us the perfect room for two nights WITH a discount! We never said anything about sj and just drove straight into our villa. So nice. This place is gorgeous......bar, restaurant, pool right on the river with a perfect view right across from our balcony of the cascada. Lounged on the porch for a while and then went to pool. Inifinity pool. C visited with Lile at the bar and went down to the river. We then walked 12 minutes to the tourista information center to find out about a tour to the waterfall. We will go at 9am and have a 'gig'(guide) with us. I have volunteered to walk across the swinging bridge!! and then it will be a 2 hr hike to the falls and 1 hr back down. Hope I make it!!
Saw Kent and Heather at the Jungle rafting place and then came back to hang out at bar. Sweet spring break couple from Florida here, a guide from Omega Tours and an older couple. We then walked down to the river again and came back to hang out on the porch and watch the river..........c set up the camera to get a long exposure night shot of the cascada and then we will go to dinner............
Will add more tomorrow after the hike!!
It is now Sunday night. Sitting on the porch of our villa listening to the water thru the rocks in the river, watching the cascada fall in all its glory and looking at birds thru the binoculars….toucans, it looks like! Will look them up when I get back to internet but they were really neat.
Last night we had dinner on the porch of the bar in the palapa. Mauhi-mauhi and ribeye! Bruschetta that was killer. Up and off to the ~swinging bridge…more on this later~ by 9am where we began our hike. Mammma Mia…….oh wait, wrong country….however you say Holy Sh-t! in Spanish. Man, oh man. Literally a two hour hike waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up a mountain thru rocks, around trees, into the jungle. Can ya feel me here when I say my thighs are like mush tonight? And me, being totally out of shape, had to stop mucho times just to breathe. But when we got there? Breathtaking! Absolutely breathtaking. I’ve never seen such a huge cascada nor been so close to one. Adventure of a lifetime!
It took an hour and 15 minutes to get back down but at least most of the way was downhill…..and I stopped in some of the smaller lagoons to do a little cool down in the waters. I was never so happy to see the end of that trail tho only to then have to cross the “swinging bridge” again. Now just as much as I love tamales is exactly how much I HATE bridges. Just driving over them makes me creep out and I never thought I’d ever walk over one that swings this way and that and is held up by cables. Just as I knew before……..I could never be a candidate for the Amazing Race. Nu-uh…no way jose. (Which was also the name of our ‘gig’…guide –14 yrs old and never lost his breath once….hmph, youth!)
Once back on solid ground, we then had a 12 min walk back to the Villas and all I could focus on was that pool. If I could just make it back to the pool, I’d live. Believe me, I truly did not think I would make the last 10 min…..but I did and made a beeline for the water. Shucking shorts and shoes as I walked and slid right down into the water. Cannot remember the last time my body said, “Thank ya Mama”!!
Now, ya’ll should know also that the cap’n walked the whole hike in his flip flops carrying a backpike with mostly all of my crap on his back. Yet, he was so gentle with me the whole way, always asking if I needed to stop and rest. A winner, that one is!! And my hero!!
Pool time, a burger that was so rare that in usual time, I wouldn’t have been able to eat it…..but I did. Sorry, Rachel! And I was good to go. We just chilled the rest of the day away and are planning to have dinner on the porch again. We’ve met a few people and really enjoyed the time here.
Up and back to the boat at 8am…………headed to Utilla!
ADIOS TILL NEXT TIME!!
It is now Monday afternoon and we are anchored at Utilla. Internet access is not very good so I will have to post pics later.....but boy, do I ever have some pictures to share with you!!
And kids...as in our family peoples....we are not on daylight savings time so we are now one hour behind ya'll. FYI.
Pool that saved my life after hike!Beautiful room overlooking the river. 
Cap'n in the river below the villa! 
WOW! Could you be having a better time??
ReplyDeleteI am sooo excited to see you, and all this!