Always choose the path less traveled…..

……..Especially if its in a rental car.

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That little tiny white dot on the other side of the river is OUR RENTAL CAR….. Where I am standing? Where we need to be.

4wd ONLY vehicles allowed?  No Road Signs?   No Map?

NO PROBLEMO!  

CLICK HERE:

http://wyattworldtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/P2140152.mov 

From Santa Teresa heading North to Nosara it was a 4 1/2 hour journey via dirt roads, hair pin turns down narrow mountain passes and 3 river crossings.  All successfully completed with our Budget Rental Car.  We may have not seen many cars attempts what we had that day….. Stupidity?  Perhaps.  But I suppose we just chalk it up to

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The “WYATT WAY!”

the ‘Wyatt Way.’

Here is our theory in life:  When you pull up to a river with cars on each side and you know that they have been ‘contemplating’ the perfect route for the past hour, do you hesitate??

NO!!  You take one look out your window, lick your forefinger and hold it proudly up high to check the wind speed (this is only to indulge onlookers of your madness)- make sure everyone is watching ……….. GUN IT and give them all the proper thumbs up & head nod once you cross the other side and drive on.  Of course, basking in the looks on their faces of pure and utter shock.

Sunday- February 14th, Valentine’s Day:

Once we finally arrived to our destination of Playa Guiones in Nosara that day- you could say we were on cloud 9. Not because we managed to keep the rental car ‘afloat’ through all the river crossings or plummeting off the edge of the mountains passes….. but that we actually didn’t flip the car over on the very last few meters into the ‘Jungle Lodge’ hostel.

I guess they do say that accidents happen closer to home.  Research even states ‘”that the type of accidents people most commonly have close to home happen at lower speeds.  In fact, these accidents could involve people simply maneuvering in or out of their driveway!”  (Oh Mamma Jode, does this remind you of anyone?) :)

So perhaps it was the ‘comfort’ factor that we had made it to our destination when we pulled in….. or our OVER generosity as we we moved just a bit too far to the right hand side onto a concrete edge for another car to pass and before we knew it, there was a small Tico boy with wide eyes running towards our car thinking that he was going to stop the 1 1/2 ton rental of tipping like a cow.     ……  It seems that we somehow misjudged the height on a steep edge and the rental car had had just about enough of our ‘Wyatt Way’ for the day.  But Ray kept calm (as I assumed my FRANTIC POSITION) and somehow – someway we righted ourselves like a water buoy in a storm.

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Our Valentines Tent at Jungle Lodge @ Playa Guiones

……But then, I suppose it’s always about ‘the entrance.’  Right??

We had 3 nights in Nosara, which is compromised of 3 separate beaches called: Playa Garza, Playa Guiones & Playa Pelada.  Each one so very different from the next.  Ray and I had made arrangement that morning for our Valentine’s abode in Playa Guiones.  It was pretty class’…..  it was tucked back into the jungle & only cost us a mere $50 a night.

(& this was AFTER negotiating the rate, mind you.)

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Our favorite beach of the three: Playa Pelada

A TENT.   I shake my head in wonder on how people get away with the prices they do……  & don’t get me wrong, I am a massive fan of camping.  HUGE.  (like break out the pom-pom’s!) Especially when the literally ‘roaring’ of the howler monkeys wake you up in the morning and the breeze lull’s you to sleep at night….. but YOWZA, by far this is no elegant flycamping on the plains of the Chyulu’s in Kenya!

So we moved into our V-day Tent with our heads held high …. sat down on our air mattress and slowing starting sinking into the wood planks and con-caved inward towards each other.   Well, at least the tent was bound to bring us together this Valentines.

Out of all the beaches on the Guanacaste coast, we must admit- this was not our favorite area on the journey.  (I know what you are thinking!  BEACH SNOBS!)  Although still incredibly beautiful, the town was teeny and set up in

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Our Epic Gas Burner.

a very confusing interlocking grid system of rutted earth roads and lacked that charm of the Santa Teresa area we had just come from.  I suppose we were most disappointed that it didn’t supply the ‘budget traveler’ of many ‘budget dining options.’  (Like the Soda’s that we could always come to rely on for their tasty tico cuisine and inexpensive dishes).

But like wherever we travel, we find a way to make those surroundings work- and before we had left, Ray talked me into purchasing a small gas burner that I was very apprehensive of spending our money on.  But it paid for itself 10x over on this adventure, and the first night we used it was our last night in Guiones…..

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Our ‘grill-out’ on Playa Guiones with our driftwood fire.

The beach was a perfect place to have grilled sausages with caramelized onions on our burner & a fire made with driftwood in the sand as we took in the dazzling sunset and slowly became the last 2 people on the entire stretch of beach as we let the flames fade down low……  Perhaps a place is what you make it, you create the soul and charm- because this was still one of my most favorite evenings in Costa Rica, yet.

Wednesday, February 17th:

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Pete and Sarah! Celebrating their 10yr reunion in T-town!

We outght’ to really thank two people for getting married 10 years prior in Tamarindo, CR for the journey that we were embarking on.  It pushed us to see more of Costa Rica then we would have otherwise and it also gave us a sensational reason for the best pit-stop ever with some truly tremendous people…… Pete and Sarah have been friends of ours for over a decade & when they let us know they were going to be here in CR over the time we were here working in Jaco, we couldn’t pass the opportunity up to celebrate with them and their family in the very lively town of Tamarindo on the North portion of the Gaunacaste coast.  It was undeniably the most developed beach on the peninsula with no shortages of hotels, bars and restaurants but a welcome change to the atmosphere of Nosara, we were even more ecstatic to wrap our arms around our friends…….

ALL OF US

Laurie, Aaron and Photo Bomber Sarah!

I have to admit, there is something very surreal about turning up at a far away land and your friends and family ‘being there.’  This has happened a few time in our travels, and without a doubt- the most fabulous feeling.  To be able to share such a unique environment, with such special people….  new and old; it was heaven.   In fact, the 3 days we were in Tamarindo almost seem as though it was a blur (nothing to do with too many Pilsen Beers, I swear!) but because its something that you don’t get to experience often.  If sometimes….. ever.

To experience new wonders & cultures of a destination in a different country with ‘familiar’ people that you adore, well…..   This chica’ is happy.

Thank you again Pete and Sarah for inviting us to ‘invade’ your celebration.  If you couldn’t tell, we loved every second……

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Our next stop……

Saturday- February 20th:

Have you ever opened up a magazine one morning and just said….   ‘Yah, why not- lets go there!?’   And then were experiencing the pictures in those pages that afternoon?

Welcome to the rest of our Journey.

Stay Tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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