Day 18

A transition day for us, we spent, the entire morning cleaning our house, Glen Brook style.  Sheets, towels, throw rugs all were laundered, everything was dusted, scrubbed, wiped and put back how it was.  I even scrubbed off the door knobs and greasy finger spots on the doors.  The refrigerator was emptied and cleaned, leftover food was cooked for lunch or given to other Finca Ipe residents, shelves were emptied and wiped and clothing was packed tightly into bags whether it was dry, damp or soaking wet.  Line drying in Costa Rica is an oxymoron.

Samuel decided to gift his book Mother West Wind's Neighbors by Thornton Burgess to Ava, the Australian girl.  When we arrived to say goodbye and give the gift, they were on the computer buying books on Amazon.com because they only had one other book, Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  Samuel also decided to gift his homemade bamboo truck to the other family.  He warned them, "It will break a thousand times a day.  But you can glue it again."

The seasoned traveler resting on his pack

Final goodbyes to all the animals, and we walked up the steep path with all of our bags to wait for the bus.  As we boarded the bus for Quepos we waved farewell to Finca Ipe and at back to enjoy a restful 1 1/2 hour bus ride.

Adios Finca Ipe!

The bus ride was uneventful.  Being a Sunday, there were several stops made for families probably on their way to family gatherings-grandparents and grandchildren alike.   I wondered if these people were less stressed because of their rural lives.  Did they consume as much media as Americans? We passed one community which was literally centered around a large palm seed oil plantation.  It went on for a couple of miles along the highway, trees planted in perfectly straight rows as far off the road as the eye could see in all directions.  This farm must generate many jobs and establish the focus of many people's lives.  At one point, the field of towering palms was interrupted by a village;  a large school with an arched entryway, a perfectly groomed regulation soccer field, and a neat row of houses around the school grounds and along the edges of the palm groves.  Imagine working in the trees around your home, sending your children to the school next door and having many friends and family within walking distance.  Plus, a public bus passes by several times a day to carry you to nearby villages and towns.

A statue in our room wearing Jacob's hat

We arrived in Quepos in the rain and walked a tenth of a mile to see the ocean.  Then we found a restaurant and ate our fill.  We caught the next bus to Manuel Antonio which was our destination for the day.  Our hotel, La Posada, was literally at the gates to the National Park and 1/4 mile walk to the beach.  I saw two squirrel monkeys up in a tree, and the rest of the family swam for a while in the pool.   We had a swim at the ocean as well, using the hotel's boogie boards and left he beach after the sun had set.  The beach was empty when we arrived and left.  Dinner was simple but filling at Costa Linda.  We indulged ourselves with smoothies tonight.  The walk home involved some research.  We decided to stay an extra night here, and since our current hotel is not available, we need to find another place.  We looked at 3 places, and decided on the house across the street. It is a tiny room with three beds and a private bathroom for $40/night.  A room, nothing more.

We borrowed some videos from the hotel lobby, Scooby Doo: Aloha and a Carole Burnett anniversary special which made us laugh and laugh, and we fell asleep tired and ready for more adventures tomorrow.