San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica - Days 36 & 37
Monday, March 18
This morning Brad and Nikki, the owners of our airbnb, invited us on a tour of Finca Milagros— their 15 acre organic farm. Andi, Tory, Aden, and I followed them around as they showed us their art studio, metal shop, woodworking shop and the second airbnb house on the property. As we walked, they shared stories about living on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula where they ran a successful wellness retreat, and then sold it seven years ago to settle here in the foothills of Mount Chirripo.
Brad and Nikki also gave us a tour of their home and most notably, the “artifact room” with dozens of ancient artifacts they’ve discovered in Costa Rica in the past 25 years. The artifacts were incredible! It’s interesting to imagine communities of people who lived here long ago.
It’s hard to believe it, but our time in Costa Rica is nearing an end. During our conversation with Brad and Nikki this morning, they asked about the plans for our remaining time here and honestly, we don’t have a concrete plan. We have four days of lodging booked in the beach town of Uvita after we leave San Isidro, but after that our travel plans are flexible. “You should visit the Osa!” Nikki exclaimed. “It’s unlike anything else you’ve seen in Costa Rica.”
After our walk around the property, we returned to our airbnb and Andi did some research about the Osa Peninsula. Only 2% of tourists visit the Osa because it’s quite a distance to travel (six hours from San Jose) — it’s literally the end of the road! It’s also home to Corcavado National Park which is considered one of the world's most biodiverse regions.
Andi and I talked it over, and decided to spend the last leg of our trip in the Osa. We may never again have the time or the opportunity. Nikki gave us a few recommendations for lodging and activities, and then Andi spent the next few hours booking the last 10 days of our trip. Meanwhile, Tory and I did some school on the computer and then the kids and I took a dip in the spring-fed pool.
That afternoon, we drove to the next town on the other side of the mountain, San Gerardo. We planned to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant in town, and then hike in the cloud bridge nature preserve. Shortly after we ordered our food at Cafe Roca Dura, it started to rain. So much for our hike! At least Aden had fun playing with the waitress’s son in the restaurant. The little boy didn’t speak English and Aden doesn’t speak Spanish, but that didn’t stop them from becoming fast friends.
It was still pouring rain after we finished lunch. Andi and I turned to each other and said, “Should we just go back to our airbnb?” I felt guilty doing that — we should be out adventuring! — but it’s just so cozy at our airbnb.
Dinner was 100% from the farm — a whole chicken Brad and Nikki gave us and Andi roasted, plus cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, and salad greens. Delicious!
Tuesday, March 19
Over breakfast this morning, Aden asked our plans for today and we told him we’re leaving San Isidro. “I don’t want to leave this place,” he said with a solemn face, and Tory agreed. I think we’re all feeling a little sad this morning. We’ve really enjoyed our time at Finca Milagros.
Nikki stopped by during breakfast to say good-bye, and to ask about our future travel plans. She invited us to stay on the farm in their second, smaller airbnb property (the one we’re currently staying in is rented to another family after we leave). Andi and I considered her offer and decided to come back to the farm for our last two nights in Costa Rica. It’ll help us break up the six hour drive to the San Jose airport.
After we packed our things in the car, we said good-bye to Brad, Nikki, and Ali the masseuse who happened to be over at their house. Brad and Nikki are the type of people who make you feel like you’ve known them your whole life, and Andi and I felt fortunate to have met them during our travels. Our time here won’t soon be forgotten!
It was a short, uneventful 90-minute drive to Costa Rica’s southern pacific coast. We stopped for lunch and groceries in the beach town of Dominical and after traveling the past seven days in non-tourist towns, it was a shock to the system to hear people speaking with American accents. There were loads of tourists all around. For lunch, Andi ordered an empanada from Cafe Mono Congo and I had a quinoa bowl w/ egg. The kids split an order of banana bread. Then, we popped next door in Mama Toucan’s Natural Foods store to see if there was anything we needed. (There wasn’t; we left empty-handed).
From Dominical, we drove 15 minutes to Uvita, our new home for the next four days. We stopped at the BM grocery store in town and loaded up on fruits, veggies, and meat. This was a really nice grocery store with a big selection. They even had Tory’s beloved Eggo Waffles — for $10 a box! Sorry, kid, you’re not getting those. I strategically diverted Tory’s eyes from that section of the cold food case.
After groceries, we drove to the Uvita Information Center to pick up the keys to our new airbnb. Unfortunately, the house wasn’t ready yet so we had some time to kill. Tory and I went inside the information center to buy stamps and mail off postcards to the grandparents. Then, we went next door to a gelato shop for a sweet treat. Andi ordered a lime & mint gelato flavor that was terribly sour tasting! Aden and Tory each went with the safe bet — vanilla. I love how Costa Rican gelato shops serve their treats in glass dishes.
After gelato, our airbnb keys still weren’t ready, so we drove around Uvita for a bit to get a lay of the land. This town is closest to Marino Ballena National Park, home of the famous “Whale’s Tale” which is a giant rock and sand formation.
Around 3:00pm, we finally received the keys to our new house and drove over there to get settled. Our new airbnb is nice! Finca Milagros reminded us of the comforts of the cabin, and the airbnb in Uvita reminds us of our condo in Minneapolis. It’s clean and new with all the comforts of home.
Once we unpacked the car, we all put our swimming suits on and jumped in the pool. It’s hot here! It was close to 90 degrees at 4:00pm. After a quick swim in the pool, we drove down to the beach at the end of the road. This was the first sunset we’ve seen since we left Montezuma on the Pacific side of Costa Rica and there is no better sight! Once again, we marveled at how different the beaches are on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. They’re much longer and wider than the ones we saw on the Caribbean side.
Rookie mom mistake for dressing the kids in regular clothes to go to the beach. Tory and Aden were covered head to toe in sand within minutes of our arrival.
Andi wanted to take a pretty sunset photo, just the two of us, and asked Tory to snap a picture with the camera. Aden decided he wanted to be in the photo, too, even though we couldn’t pay him five million dollars to take decent family photo any other day! So, Andi and I took a photo with Aden, but he still wouldn’t move out of the shot so Andi and I could take one alone. Andi was getting frustrated. “I just want to take one nice photo with your mom, can’t you move?”
It took about 10 minutes and to finally put Aden on time-out in the sand - ha! - but we finally got one before the sun went down.
After sunset, we drove back to the house and grilled burgers for dinner. We have a nice outdoor patio table at this house, and a brand new grill. We’ll definitely be taking advantage this week! Tomorrow, we explore Uvita.
