Costa Rica Pictures Now Online

We laughed, we cried, we scratched our bug bites. Here's a link to the pictures from our trip to Costa Rica, with a running commentary by yours truly. The pictures include this one of a funny mistranslation of "SK8 or die." Hasta!

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Costa Rica - Day 8 - Con Mucho Gusto!

It is with great sadness that Nazzy and I leave for the aeropuerto de San Jose. We've had such a wonderful time that it is very difficult to leave. Here, the weather is beautiful and work is something that seems intangible. In Philadelphia, it's cold, possibly snowing and work begins manana. But we should be thankful for having this week at all. And we are. It seems like we've been here more than a month. My father y Maria have been so kind and welcoming, almost catering to our needs, as well as Maria's daughter Melissa. I will post all the pictures and videos this weekend, after I return from a business trip in Las Vegas. Until then, Adios!

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Costa Rica - Day 7 - Arenal Volcano

Unfortunately, you're looking at the best view we ever got of the Arenal Volcano, or any volcano for that matter. Despite three days in Lake Arenal, the clouds never cleared to a point where we could see the whole mountain, let alone clear up at night so we could see some of the lava flow down the active volcano. We left Lake Arenal to return to San Jose and got to meet mi abuela nueva, my new grandmother, by marriage, who made me laugh by encouraging Nazzy and I to drink tequila as soon as we walked in the door. She made us an excellent, authentic Mexican meal. We finished off the day by getting massages at the spa and taking Dad, Maria and Melissa out for sushi.

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Costa Rica - Day 6 - ATVs and Eagles Victory

Lexi, Nazzy and I went on an ATV 4x4 tour of some of the back roads in Lake Arenal. Afterwards, we went back to the house to watch the Eagles beat the Giants, 23-20. OK, I watched the Eagles game. Nazzy and Lexi laid by the pool. We finished the night with my dad's world famous pasta sauce and a game of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Sorry, forgot to take video today. May have had something to do with the non-stop margaritas and pina coladas.

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Costa Rica - Day 5 - Canopy & Tabacon Hot Springs

We spent the better part of Saturday riding cables along canopies hundreds of meters from the ground, flying 70-80 KPH along 750 meter cables. The first few cables were pretty scary, not knowing what to expect. Uncle Greg was the only one of us to have done it before so he took to it like a fish to water. The rest of us got the hang of it by the end and then it was off to Tabacon Hot Springs, the single biggest resort in all of Costa Rica. It was filled with more than 10 hot spring pools and a wet bar - yes, you get your drinks without leaving the pool.


Nazzy, riding one of the higher, faster cables.

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Tabacon Hot Springs

The wet bar at Tabacon Hot Springs. Why would you ever leave the water? We didn't for quite a while.

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Costa Rica - Day 4 - Zoo Ave

Today, Uncle Greg and cousin Alexa arrive and we take the three and a half-hour journey to Lake Arenal with Nazzy and my father. But before we do, we visit Zoo Ave, which is not the name of a road, but means literally, in Spanish, Bird Zoo. I thought this might be a lame visit because walking around and looking at birds for two hours doesn't seem like my idea of a fun time. But this zoo had a lot of other mammals, as well as lizards too, including monkeys, jaguars, iguanas and tortoises. It turned out to be nearly as fun as La Paz.

Monkeys playing in Zoo Ave.

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Costa Rica - Day 3 - INBioparque

This was the second of the two sloths that we stumbled across at INBioparque, a non-profit research center just outside San Jose, Costa Rica, which conducts research on the local plant and animal life, studying its biodiversity and discovering new ways to protect it, as well as utilize the data for the improvement of human life, resulting in new drugs, cosmetics and other products. What was so cool about this preserve was that it was filled with animal life in a natural habitat, rather than in a zoo where everything is behind a cage. In this case, we walked along the path and just stumbled upon this sloth, climbing up a tree about 10 feet away. Wow. As you could imagine, Nazzy really got her geek on, as the guides were asking her questions, when it came to the insects and plant life. I also have a lot of pictures that I will share later when I have a chance.

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A Better Look at the Sloth

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Costa Rica - Day 2 - La Paz Waterfalls

Today was a trip to the La Paz Waterfalls, butterfly farm, frog farm, snake farm and Poas Volcano. Everything was excellent, except for the volcano, which was so foggy, we couldn't really see down into the crater. Otherwise, the sites were breathtaking, as you can see from the photo. The waterfalls were great, too ;) Hasta Luego!

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More From La Paz

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Costa Rica - Day 1 - Meet the New Extended Family

Meet my new, extended family, Maria, my step-mother. Her daughter, and my new step-sister Melissa is behind the camera. Say cheese!

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We Made It to Costa Rica!

Today we got off the plain and had a nice day walking around the city of San Jose. We're staying with my father and my new extended family in Escazu, CR. More to come...

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