An Adventure at La Montana
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to participate in a men’s retreat adventure at La Montana near Arenal. We decided early on that since this event was strictly for men, the word retreat must be replaced with adventure. Perhaps a bit of a self- fulfilling prophecy.
Don testing out the bed, and practicing for soccer.
This coffee was stiff,cooked all day, black and awesome, welcoming us to camp.
our small group meeting
Mo happy we got some sheets and showing it!
Morning coffee, Mo, Mike and Dwayne
Pastor Lyle and Mo
The adventure started early, turning a normal 4 hour trip into a 7 hour adventure. The adventure peaked as darkness slid in on us near the end of our drive, accompanied by a thick wet fog. The kind of fog that sparkles and dances off your headlights putting the driver (me) into a trance. This was made even more perilous because we were venturing up a thin road unknown to all of us, a tiny windy road up the side of a mountain. At least we assumed it was a mountain because I couldn’t see past the side of the road. To make it even more adventurous, we were following a giant bus, who had to stop each time an oversized semi truck meet them in the road to ensure that neither would sustain fatal damage. Although we were slightly encouraged by the ” Viajamos con Dios” written on the back of the bus. Our average speed during this portion of the journey, about 10 km per hour. Doesn’t sound scary,but when you consider speeding semis, being passed on blind corners by motorcycles, scooters and cars, and the constant peril of hitting a cow or sliding of the edge of the mountain, I think I forgot to breathe for about and hour and a half.
Mike and Mike enjoying the morning view as the fog begins to lift.
The view as the fog clears.
Breakfast
Lyle and Dwayne dominating the archery tent
I gave a good effort, at least.
Finally after one wrong turn, several scary switchbacks we pulled into what we believed was our destination, Camp La Montana. The bus we followed, pulled into the same location. A group of twenty men all arrived at the same time to check into the camp.
Dwayne with arrow in flight
The lake area
rider in the sky
outdoor theater near the lake
Upon arrival we scurried off to find a room. We found two rooms upstairs right across from each other, perfect for our group of eight. The rooms had two bunk buds, and two lower beds adorned with the thinnest foam mattresses available in all of Costa Rica. Also staring us in the face was the fact that there were no sheets or no towels in the room, and no one in our party had bothered to bring any of the aforementioned. A detail that apparently escaped all eight of us. Next time when they tell us to check the website, I will check the website. But in this case the adventure continued.
don't know, but it was big
flora
more flora
on my way to the top! Looks like the pants are about to split.
After a dinner, which included beans and rice, some kind of meat and something else, we had some worship music, a message and met in small groups. The theme of the adventure was hearing God’s voice. Our small group, the only group from Guanacaste met outside in the evening fog. We were adorned in our shorts and t-shirts, and to a man we were chilled. Sure it was probably 65 degrees our there, but when you live in 90 temperatures, a wet 65 can be a little frigid.
disco ball in the gym, now that's what I am talking about
John and Don on a hike
Why do I always have to be on skins?
Don participating in the soccer match.
Upon retreating to our rooms, and completely exhausted from a nearly 8 hour trip, we thought sleep would be easy. We were fortunate that they were able to dig up fitted sheets for us to use as bedding, and a couple of pillows. Although damp, they were welcomed.
Lyle in action
If I hurry I can kick the ball once!
Mo looks mad, and dangerous. Note Angelo in the back, I think he was a little winded.
Looks like the world cup
Lyle getting jiggy with it.
Dude, are we done yet?
Sleep, at least for me, was intermittent and fitful at best. Every move made on the mattress echoed throughout our room, and the rough cut lumber lining my top bunk kept digging into my back and hip, leading to many adjustments throughout the night. Looking forward to a hot shower to kick-start the day, I was surprised to find that unlike the water in our area region of Costa Rica, the water actually gets cold, very cold here in the mountains. The best part, there was not a lick of hot water to be had. There was a handle for hot water, but no hot water. So my shower was very cold, exhilarating and quick.
View from the field
Mo and John
That day included three more meetings intertwined with some basketball, frisbee, hiking, water slides, water swings, archery and a two-hour epic soccer battle on a field pitted with ankle busting holes. Adventure sprinkled with danger, everything a man could want.
Glenn and John
Dwayne, Lyle and Mike & Mike getting ready to hear the word.
There were a few minor injuries, a lot of sore muscles and more sweat than an episode of The Biggest Loser. The good news is by this time the hot water was working and the spittle that dripped out of the shower had at least blasts of heat.
More flora
Mo and Lyle discussing the days message.
The meetings were great and effective. We got to do a lot of soul-searching, deep conversation and learning helping us all to grow. The meals were an adventure, to keep with theme of course. There was always rice and/ or beans with every single meal. Then a meat product and something else. I say meat product because at least two times we were unable to identify what we were eating. But what’s an adventure without a little mystery. We did not go hungry.
Ben our young worship leader
Sleep was certain for night two, especially after the lack the night prior and the two-hour soccer game. Sleep I did, for about an hour, and then it was back to toss and turn throughout the night, even though I moved my mattress to the ground. The last day began with breakfast, some praise and worship, a short message and testimonies given by attendees sharing what they got out of the conference. The ride home was in the daylight and other than me cutting off a guy in an intersection in San Ramon, and being pulled over for no reason other than to be extorted, it was peaceful. In fact we turned the 7.5 hour trip into a 4 hour trip, and that included a stop for ice cream and gas, and a friendly conversation with a local police officer, and I use that term loosely.
Even had a visit from a coati.
Where's Waldo?
In reflection, perhaps the trip revealed to us that no matter our surroundings, no matter the circumstances or how uncomfortable we are, we can and should always seek out to hear God’s voice. To understand what he is telling us and where he is guiding us. After all, Paul, in Acts, lived in a world of discomfort, adventure and peril and was perhaps the most effective messenger of Jesus of all time. So perhaps it is good for us to have adventure or suffer at times to bring us back into the world of others that suffer daily and still maintain their faith in the midst of it all, and as a result bring us a little closer to him and increase our ability to hear his voice. Which can call out even in the midst of the night and over the din of the mysterious mountainous snorer in your room. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
Golden Grandmas
Now that mom and grandma have left us, life is returning back to normal, even though we have not yet determined what that is. It was great having them here, they are feisty, up for anything, great cooks, great company and simply fun to be with. They filled our house with love and also filled it with the sweet aroma of fried bread, sourdough, brisket and much more. We ate well and we ate much. They even helped cook for youth group, life group and a church potluck. They made it much easier for us to transition through our first holiday away from the states, and again we ate well. They got hot often, but complained little. They reveled in the simple things, such as Fox News in english and Pops ice cream parlor.
wedding cruise
Dr. Doolittle making new friends
Grandma slept well, in the car, but not in her bed. Mom swam in the pool pretty much every day and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the exercise. Grandma flourished at the beach and on our adventures despite burning her back to match the flesh of a spawning red salmon, and peeling much the same way. Mom was in her element packing for the beach, lunches, snacks, and making sure we never ran out of sun tea. She also made sure there was always some kind of fresh baked goods close at hand: Cinnamon rolls, bread, fried bread, cookies, cakes, it was all there.
Nana, Livy, Dorian walking Avellanas
Grandma never went anywhere without one of her cameras and took pictures of everywhere and everything. Then she would upload them to her Facebook page faster than Mark Zuckerberg ever dreamed possible. Yes, my 82-year-old grandma has a Facebook page and she owns that thing. Posting picture after picture, commenting on statuses and reading posts from her grandchildren and friends upload throughout the day. My kids discovered a fatal flaw in Facebook because of her, there is no great grandma relationship available. In the evenings, after helping in the kitchen she would check her Facebook, play solitaire and wait for us to let her watch Fox News. One thing is for certain, I never worked up enough courage to drive by a Pop’s ice cream shop without stopping, because I am too scared to know what would’ve happened if grandma could not get her mango ice cream cone.
The 70's gals ready to party
We miss them already and can’t wait until they return for another visit. And perhaps by then we will all be able to follow my grandma’s tweets as she travels the country searching for pretty flowers, monkeys, cows and critters worthy of an upload. And if Pop’s ever gets free wi-fi, I guarantee you will see about a dozen pictures of a double scoop mango ice cream cone being devoured on Facebook.
Here are a lot more pictures from their trip.
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- Nana
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- didn’t ask, don’t know
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- We could’ve had a lot of these pictures
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- camera ready to roll
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- If Jake can do it, I can do it.
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- more camera time
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- Jungle woman
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- what did you say?
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- camera in hand for a critter shot
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- grandma enjoyed resting in the back yard
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- Love this one because her white hair blends in with the froth of the wave
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- Don’t know didn’t ask.
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- Livy and grandma
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- The oldest grandson
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- I said Coca Cola, not Coconut.
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- waiting for our boat
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- camera in hand ready to ride
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- nana and Wolfy looking for fishes
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- mom playing the bongos on the cruise
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- a wee bit breezy
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- star gazing
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- Dr. Doolittle making new friends
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- Los Lagos at Arenal
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- wedding cruise
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- Mom preferred this over the zip line.
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- She don’t go anywhere without a camera.
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- Enjoying the Fortuna waterfall
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- Nana, Livy, Dorian walking Avellanas
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- The 70′s gals ready to party
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- This took about 17 takes
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- See Alli this is how facebook works.
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- Are you sure this is safe? I mean really really safe.
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- Mom zipping
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- good times
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- Grandma in her new favorite mode of transport
Costa Rica Pura Vida le segunda parte ( part two)
I think I got the video issues worked out, finally. Now I must pre-worn you, if you don’t like monkey’s, you probably won’t like part two. For some reason, when I was making this, I went particularly heavy on the monkeys. I like monkeys. I call my kids monkeys. So I am not apologizing for the amount of monkeys, I am just warning that you will see quite a few monkeys. There are also some sunsets, sailboats, beaches and all that stuff. I was also able to upload the whole video in its entirety onto Dailymotion, so I have included that on here as well. So sit back relax and allow yourself to be swept away to the land of beaches, sun, rain forests and monkeys, lots of monkeys.
This is part two from the previous post
This is the whole video, both parts 1 and 2 combined.
PURA VIDA
Costa Rica Days 6-7 The grass is greener
You may have noticed that we have been missing in action for the last couple days. Well we made a bit of a road trip inland to Arenal, home of an active volcano. I guess we figured since redoubt didn’t blow, that maybe we would get to see one here in action. We had no internet access in the abyss, I apologize. So this will be a long one.
Tree on the way to Arenal
The road to Arenal, view of the lake
Lots of wind equals wind power
Bamboo next to the road
The first thing we noticed, the farther inland you go the greener it gets. It also gets quite chilly, I mean we had to put up with temperatures in the low to mid 70s, it was quite torturous for Playa Flamingo residents such as ourselves. The drive itself was about 70 miles and 4 hours. You drive much slower here, and the last 1/2 of the drive was through windy roads with about a dozen one way bridges, similar to the road to Hana in Maui.
Begging critters, they wait for cars to show and mob em for food
they are called Coati, thanks to Joe K. for that. The locals have another name for them, but i forgot what it was.
We had a great time there and stayed in a place recommended by our host, known for its hot springs, Arenal Parasio. It was a full fledged resort based on the volcano Arenal, with a myriad of activities available to all. We chose to participate in three, the mineral hot springs, the canopy tour, and little horseback riding.
Volcano Arenal from our room
Me relaxing in the rocking chair waiting for volcano to blow
Wet bar in mineral spring
We started with some time in the hot springs, and that was extremely relaxing. There were about 15 different springs you can sit in, and the farther up you went, the hotter they got. They are said to offer healing and rejuvanation to the skin, and I think they greatly helped progress the healing of my scarred noggin. We enjoyed they peace and quiet and view of the volcanoe, and they piped in music to each spring. There were very few people and we had each spring to ourselves.
working the hot springs
Oh where is my hubby?
enjoying one of the pools
These were some hot springs, shower like
Enjoying the springs
You can see the water is darker thatn normal water, but revitalizing
The next morning I scheduled a canopy tour, which to expatriats, is a zip line through the jungle. Unfortunately it rained all night long, the first moisture we have seen since we have been here, and it rained hard. So we cancelled our early tour and scheduled a later one. The one we did had 11 zip lines. We were in a group of 6 tourists. It was funny, I noticed as we walked up to the staging area, gear on, the line was very quiet and somber, almost like a funeral. By the end, we were all buddies, laughing and goofing off, funny what a life experience will do to a group.
getting ready for my first zip
views from the zip platforms
More zip views
me zipping along
zipping right into the greenery
The zip line was breathtaking, literally, it took your breath away. I had visions of a nice slow leisurely tour above the jungle, looking at beautiful scenery and taking pics. Alas, I was greatly mistaken. Zip means fast, very very fast, and yours truly was first up. I should have had a clue when 3/4 of our 10 minute safety briefing was spent on how to stop and “never stop with you feet, I don’t ever want you to use your feet to stop, you could get hurt, don’t use your feet”.
Mamma smiling, she is getting used to it.
Needless to say, it was an expierence of a life time . Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to hold a camera during the trip, but I tried. Prior to going they load you up with equipment including a beautiful hard leather glove, again for stopping. One side effect of the glove, when it is wet out, they leak and they leak all over you and your face, nothing like a leather juice to add to the experience. That made the whole experience exciting, the rain and fog dripping, and smacking you in the face at mach 3. Oh another thing about stopping, you are suppose to start stopping when you see the signal from one of your two guides, the trick is you have to see the signal. Some of the zips were so long and through so much greenery and rain and fog, that you may not see him until it was too late, then you were in panic mode applying the brakes. It was exhilarating. Tracy was very scared, but she did awesome and even had enough courage to keep her eyes all the way open by the last 1/2 of the trip. I even saw her smile several times.
After cleaning up and having a bite, we decided it was Tra’s turn to pick, she picked a horseback ride up the volcano. Now in my mind I pictured a nice easy horse ride, where the guide pretty much does everything and I just have to sit in the saddle. Tra loves horses and riding, me not so much. If it doesn’t have a key to start it, then it is not my thing. I have never really ridden a horse, nor have I desired so. Well I cannot say that anymore. Now let me make something clear, before each activity we sing a statement saying that we know this is dangerous and that we could die, but I have done that in the states as well. So I assumed they we would extremely safe like in the states, harnesses, pre-fabricted trails, more like the mini horse ride at the fair. I could not have been farther off. Our guide gave us a 5 minute demo of how it is done in Costa vs. the U.S. Apparently there is a difference, I really couldn’t tell.
Goucho and Gouchette
Where's the gas on this thing?
The view made all the pain worth it.
The ride was fantastic, hard but fantastic. We went down some steep valleys, and up some steep valleys, we galloped and trotted and rode, In fact a couple times Tra and I went the wrong way, our guide had to call for us. So there was no close watching or tracking. We had complete control. You could tell the horses knew where to go, but they also had their own minds and would do what we told them to do. My horse loved to eat, and he ate the whole way, and got ticked at me when I told him to move. I also had to learn on my own that when you gallop, you should put some weight on your feet, if not, they go flying out of the stirrups, just like mine did.
Beauty and the beast
Half way through the ride, stopped at volcano view
Momma and her sexy poncho
Another of the endless views
By the end I was a full fledged goucho, and I now know why gouchos walk bow legged. After the ride, we were both in pain, especially in our horseback riding regions. I apparently have a little saddle rash, not sure what that is, but I know I don’t like it. It sure would have been nice to sit in a hot spring, but we had already checked out and had to head home.
Steep hill, no problems for us pros
Elusive white hawk
Muchos Gracias Senor
this is just about right for me.
the Coati started climbing up my leg, reminded me of the critters from Galaxy Quest. they had sharp claws and viscous teeth.
What we learned:
1. Bring long pants for horse rides
2. Bring a light rain jacket for Arenal.
3. Take your time and enjoy the view.
4. Never trust sugar free ice tea.
5. Mineral springs rejuvinate the skin.
6. It is awesome to explore.
7. Sometimes, the grass is greener.
There is so much more I could write about, but this one is becoming much too long. We are still alive and loving it, and just trying to figure out how to get all the kids here with us. Here is a video of a copule of zip lines. Pura Vida!
