"Shelter from the Storm"

Adventures in Southern Costa Rica - Part 3

We ended our week in Corcovado and Drake Bay exhilarated, but tired, and looking forward to our next lodging located on the Southern Pacific coast, between the towns of Uvita and the nearby surfer haven of Dominical. We picked up our next car after disembarking from the water taxi in Sierpe and headed for our new home on the side of a mountain right on the ocean. The road to this place was the steepest we had ever driven and had necessitated that we switch over to a 4X4 for the next month. Four wheel drive notwithstanding, even though we would climb and descend this road at least 20 times over the next several weeks, it always caused Kevin to clutch the steering wheel a little more tightly than usual.

Travelling during Covid has meant a variety of things for us on this journey. Many of them on the negative side, like the exorbitant costs of extra insurance, the restrictions that we faced in terms of curfews for businesses to be able to operate, and perhaps mostly, the ‘back-of-the-mind’ psychological worry that has been a periodic travel companion, especially in the first few weeks of our time in country.

But there have been occasions where we’ve been able to make some lemonade out of the ‘Covid lemon.' Fewer crowds to compete with is certainly one of the biggest benefits we’ve had resulting in more wildlife sightings and a greater sense of peace and quiet. Another of those benefits certainly has to be our time with Daryl and his wife Donna at their Villa.

While researching places to stay after Drake Bay, Bo stumbled across a beautiful place called ‘’Shelter from the Storm." After reading some reviews and looking at it dreamily, we didn’t see how we could afford it. But Bo, having learned that Covid meant that the posted price could sometimes be negotiated if you can speak with the owners, decided to reach out to “Daryl, Benevolent Overlord, SFTS” (his actual sign off on all emails). The timing couldn’t have been better as he had recently received a cancellation from some guests waiting for their vaccines before travelling. Daryl gave us a deal that was hard to refuse and it didn’t take us long to agree to his offer based on a one month stay.

There was some initial trepidation on Kevin's part as taking the deal meant tying ourselves to only one place for an entire month, but Bo pointed out that this location afforded us plenty of things to do and see that were within a day’s drive and we could even do an overnight trip somewhere, given the rate he was offering. This and the stunningly beautiful nature of the Villa made it pretty easy to say “yes” and so we found ourselves arriving early on a Sunday after picking up groceries in Uvita.

The picture on the left (above) was the view from our bedroom. A beautiful pool and deck were mere steps away and became the main place we’d hang out on most days

Right off the pool area was the ‘rancho’ which was a communal play area complete with it’s own bar, home theatre, library and tables and hammocks. The deep fryer and barbecue and popcorn maker all got plenty of use over the month. But most importantly, this was the site of “Beer and Jazz hour” and many fantastic conversations with Daryl.

And so our time at ‘the Villa’ as we came to refer to it, began with some eye-popping scenery which never really got old. It also meant we got to properly meet this Daryl fellow, who had been amusing to talk with on the phone and by email and someone who seemed both gruff and interesting in those early, short exchanges. He came down (from his house further up the steep hillside) to say hello as we were unloading the car and got right down to business with a short speech: “There are only two rules here, Number One - no glass around the pool deck area. Number two - Around three or four in the afternoon is the start of 'Jazz and Beers hour' in the rancho… that’s the one time where you are not allowed to listen to that 'teenage music' on the stereo system in there”, he said, looking pointedly at Sophia. Kevin was starting to like the man already.

Although Daryl may have started out playing the role of resident curmudgeon, it soon became apparent to us that this was mostly a front. Beneath a gruff exterior lay a thoughtful and considerate man who had lived a varied and fascinating life. He most certainly tried to test us with his periodic ranting and provocative declarations, but we soon got the sense that most of it was more theatrical than real. One of the most memorable was within the first few nights there when he took a look a Sophia who was sitting at her computer, minding her own business in one corner of the rancho, and said: “I’m not a fan of teenage girls… they’re too whiny and air-headed… “ and Sophia looked up calmly with a bemused look and assured him that she felt similarly. Suddenly a grin appeared on Daryl’s face and he seemed to know that he had met someone who was made of tougher stuff and from there on, the two of them could be heard chatting periodically about various topics which left Kevin and Bo marveling. Daryl was charmed by the fact that Sophia was both a guitar player and song writer and author of a nearly completed novel. One of the most touching moments of our time together was an evening near the end our month there, where Daryl presented Sophia with a collection of stories from his favourite author, Ernest Hemingway, and the two began a conversation about various literary elements and writing styles with Daryl imploring her to read Hemmingway while she was still forming her own voice.

the views weren’t only spectacular during the day

Another occasion which could have gone sideways quickly, involved Bo chatting politics with Daryl. At some point, Bo ventured a generalization about Trump voters and MAGA hats (without really knowing who Daryl voted for) and Daryl (thankfully) declared that if we’d have shown up wearing those, he’d have thrown us out of the villa. Their conversations got even better after that. And so it was that ‘beer and Jazz hour’ often turned into two hours+ of varied and stimulating conversation about everything from politics and global affairs to Costa Rican culture and history to music to… well you get the picture. It’s fair to say that Kevin and Daryl spent the most time together, chatting about Kevin’s experiences in education and Kevin learning about some of the variety of interesting experiences and events that Daryl had faced over the course of his life. Daryl, was charmed by us too. Not only could we take his crankiness in stride, but he liked that we never made a mess and contributed to the cleaning of the pool and deck area whenever possible (his stories of demanding and frustrating previous guests over the years were hilarious). As he learned more about what we had seen and done to date and what we still had planned in our journey, he became a great source of info on what we would likely find most interesting while in this part of the country and also where we were headed next. He (and his wife Donna) took us under their wings and gave us information on everything from where to listen to live music, to where to buy the best fresh fruit and fish and we really did feel like we were a part of the family by the end of our time together.

One small example of this occurred when he overheard Bo and I were having trouble finding the kind of limes that we’re used to back home (many limes in the stores here were actually hybrids of limes and oranges) and Daryl declared that we should come to see his ‘retirement home’ that he had recently built nearby. He had owned this other property for 15 years now and had nurtured a small orchard with a wide variety of fruits growing on it and he mentioned that while it wasn’t easy to reach some of the fruits, “if you can pick ‘em, you can have ‘em… you shouldn’t be paying for citrus fruits while you’re here”. And so we went with him to a lovely piece of property just five minutes up the highway and after collecting all sorts of fruits, we ended with a swim in their infinity pool. It was a lovely example of the way our relationship with Daryl and Donna had evolved and also of the lazy, meandering days that filled up that month.

Although many of our days were indeed lazy ones, in retrospect, our time at the villa really did fly by. The first week, we mostly just relaxed around the pool by day and joined Darryl for Jazz hour that often trickled into the evening. Apart from the first few days of our stay, we had the entire place to ourselves and we luxuriated in our new home and the surroundings. Sophia’s days were often spent in a mixture of guitar, singing, writing and watching stuff on TV, usually with friends back home over the internet. Kevin reestablished his habit of running and weightlifting, combined with lots of reading and catching up on the travel blog (something that takes much more time than we'd imagined). Bo had signed up for an online course and there seemed to be no better place to take part in the classes than under a palapa next to the pool, while overlooking a million-dollar view of the ocean below. The pool was our friend on the hot sunny days and it often felt easier to simply lounge around it as opposed to getting in the car and heading out to one of the beaches in the area. All in all, it was a very relaxing time and just what we needed after the more arduous experiences in Corcovado.

The view from one of Kevin's runs

After an alarmingly fast first week with not much to show for it, but deepening tans, we decided to head out to explore a local waterfall that had been on our to do list from our time in Uvita a few weeks earlier.

Kevin’s texts to family can take it from here…

“We went to a local waterfall today, called Uvita Waterfall. My research indicated that one could scale the cliff to the side of the waterfall and once at the top, it was possible to ‘ride’ off the top of the waterfall and fall down the cliff with the water, to the pool below…. Sounded like a dare to me.

“I started out scaling the cliff freehand but switched over to the recently installed ladder when it got hairy…once at the top, I took in the view, waved at my family, swallowed hard and remembered my new mantra on this trip ...”

“There is no courage without fear”

Despite his entreaties, Bo and Sophie were happy to stay at the bottom and so Kevin went up a couple of more times to chase the thrill a bit more. And we were home in time for Jazz hour.

Another adventure that had been on our list since our initial stay in Uvita was to walk out and explore the famous “Whales Tail” that is the centrepiece of Parque Nacional Marino Bellena, where we had enjoyed surfing and boogie boarding a few weeks prior. The Whales Tail is actually the nickname of a piece of beach / reef that juts out from the point at the centre of the park and during low tide, actually looks a lot like it’s namesake. It also is a lot bigger once you’re out actually walking it. The first time we ended up going, we timed our arrival for low tide, afraid that once the water started to rise, we wouldn’t get a chance to fully explore the whole thing. It turned out that it takes hours before the high tide waters actually cover that entire tail and so rather than wait around for the water to come up enough to enjoy that part of the experience, we elected to go get some lunch and try again another day. It eventually took three tries before we timed it so that the waters of the Pacific were just starting to wash over the tail allowing us to appear to ‘walk on water’ even though we were hundreds of meters from shore.

Source: photographercostarica.com

Kevin trying not to get sun-baked

Not everyday was an adventure, however. In fact, most were pretty low-key. A typical day would involve waking up at around 6:00 to the beautiful sight and sound of the ocean below us and then an hour or two of catching up on the news or reading. Then Kevin and Sophia would share some chores of sweeping the walkways and stairs around our place to clear the crazy amounts of leaves that would fall over night; water the plants on our patio, sweep the pool deck and scoop out any leaves / seeds from the pool, while Bo would whip up breakfast that almost always included fresh fruit smoothies of some sort. Kevin would go for run and lift some weights (actually, bags with rocks in them). Sophia would do some Spanish lessons or writing or reading. We’d all end up on the pool deck by late morning and depending upon how much work Bo had, Sophia and Kevin might head out to buy some fruit from a nearby road-side seller. Or we’d all head into town for some more substantial groceries. Afternoons might include a walk on the steep roads around our place which had stunning views or along a nearby beach.

The waves at Dominical Beach, a surfer haven

Most often though, afternoons included more time around the pool where we’d often be visited by some sort of wildlife that would have one of us reaching for a camera and before you knew it, Daryl would come down and start jazz hour by 3:00. Sophia and Kevin would often join him in the rancho and chat away the rest of the afternoon and early evening. Daryl had a dart board in the rancho and Kevin taught Sophia how to play, early in our stay. She was a natural and it gave Daryl a chuckle to see the teacher become the student so quickly. By evening, the geckos would come out of hiding and watch Sophia and Kevin continue to battle on the dart board while Daryl popped something yummy into the deep fryer for us to share while we listened to a different jazz musician each night. Sometimes we’d go out for dinner but often, Bo would utilize the well-stocked kitchen and we’d eat on our patio while listening to the cicadas come alive in the jungle around us. By 7:00, Sophia and Kevin might watch a show or two up at the rancho and often, we were all in bed reading by 9 and, uncharacteristically for Kevin, asleep by 10.

Kevin was just fixing himself a rum and coke at the bar and turned to put away the ingredients when this little guy came up for slurp. He appeared to be happy with the few drops of lime juice the missed the cup. He seems too young for rum anyways.

On Wednesday’s and Sunday’s in the mornings, we’d often take in the Uvita community market where we’d stock up on whatever food we needed while listening to some incredibly good live music that would not be out of place at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. They always had a brunch special that left us full for the rest of the day. And once in awhile, we’d see some art or jewelry or spices that caught our eye and we’d make a local seller happy. The fruit and vegetable stands were amazing!

“Shelter from the Storm” is the name of a song by Daryl’s favourite musician: Bob Dylan. And this villa literally lived up to it’s namesake many a time, over the course of the month. Unfortunately for us, rainy season started a few weeks early on the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica this year. What this meant was that by our second week at this place (just as we were starting to get a little restless from the days around the pool and were starting to pine for different excursions again), the skies started to open up on a fairly regular basis. Some days it rained the entire day but mostly the rains would come in the early to mid-afternoon. Often, when they came, it was in buckets. Having been years since Kevin and Bo had travelled in the tropics during rainy season, it reacquainted them with the concept of ‘torrential downpour’ and opened Sophia’s eyes to how much water can fall from the sky in a short time.

It certainly became easy to understand why the rainforest was as lush as it was. Unfortunately, it also ruined some plans over the course of the month as the road up to the villa was not something Kevin was interested in attempting during a downpour (the ruts that the rains would cause in parts of the road were literally hip deep in places). The silver lining was the amazing lightning shows that became almost a nightly occurrence for days at a time… particularly mesmerizing when visible out over the ocean. Unfortunately, it also meant power outages with great regularity. And while they rarely lasted for more than an hour or two, the outages forced us to cook dinner or play cards by candlelight at times. Initially, it felt like an adventure, but the regularity soon got a bit depressing… particularly when Sophia lost her wifi.

Another of the highlights of our month at the villa was the chance to meet up again with our friends Nigel and Carol, whom we’d first met in Cahuita a month earlier. While we had been down south in Corcovado and Uvita, they had been exploring some of the Northern parts of Costa Rica. Now they were headed down to Drake Bay and on the way down, we were able to meet back up with them and exchange intel while they stayed in nearby Uvita. Our familiarity with Uvita allowed us to become their tour guides and over a period of a few days, we tried to pack in a few adventures with them, while they were here. Among the things we explored were the famous Ventanas caves, which they had read about in an earlier blog of ours and wanted to see with their own eyes. Our timing was a bit off though, and with the tide coming up, Nigel and I were not able to explore as much of the caves as I’d hoped, but we managed to get pretty far into one before getting chased out by a floating tree stump that was being sucked up and down the cave we were in, with increasing ferocity. Plan B became introducing them to boogie boarding using some of Daryl’s boards.

But the highlight of our time together was a visit to the breathtaking Nauyaca Waterfalls. Reachable either by an arduous hour long hike under a hot sun OR a short but bumpy ride on a tractor-pulled trailer, we elected for the tractor ride and arrived at the falls, well rested. We used our energy to climb around both the upper section and eventually swam around the more accessible lower section and Kevin and Sophia even found a way to get behind the wall of water of the lower falls and had some fun hanging out in a little overhang.

As of the time of writing this portion of the blog, we’ve probably seen close to a dozen major waterfalls during our time here in Costa Rica. Bo and Sophia and Kevin still can’t decide which one was the ‘best’ one, but we all agree that Nauyaca was definitely in the top three.

We can’t end this blog without a collection of pics and vids that showed you the terrific variety of wildlife that we were able to see and interact with during our time at the Villa. We were living what felt like a bit of the ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ in a house built into a mountainside… but the lush jungle that surrounded us held near constant surprises in terms of what we might come across next.

From howler monkeys with clinging babies to poison dart frogs and an assortment of other wild and wonderful things, this place held surprises for us on an almost daily basis.

Sometimes, we ended up going a little farther afield for our wildlife though. One such trip was a quick excursion down the highway over to a wildlife reserve called Hacienda Baru that came highly recommended. We did one trail in the morning as a family and were a little underwhelmed, with memories of Corcovado still fresh in our minds.

Still we did get to see a family of agouti up close and the babies were pretty cute.

Later that day, with Sophia bowing out, Kevin and Bo returned, determined to do the longer and more arduous trek up in the hills that lay at the far end of the reserve. This trek held more similarity to a Corcovado trail in terms of steepness and lushness. But one thing that we suddenly realized only after finding ourselves far into the trail was that we were hiking this one without a knowledgeable guide to rely on. And we knew from the parking lot that there weren’t any others on this trail… we were alone in the jungle.

One of the many stories that Kevin remembered from his time with our guide Carlos in Corcovado was his surprising warning that of all the most dangerous things that we were likely to come across in the jungle (including poisonous snakes, ants, wasps and the big predator cats) one of the most deadly things would be to stumble across a herd of smallish, tusked pigs, called pecarries. Carlos gave us explicit instructions about what to do if things went badly in an encounter (i.e. if we startled the moms and their babies and we suddenly noticed the larger males coming to the front of the pack). It involved climbing a tree quicky to avoid being gored by the charging hogs and their sharp and powerful tusks. These instructions were relayed to us with a special intensity and coming from a guy who had spent years in the Special Forces and then in the jungle tracking fearsome Jaguars, it left quite the impression on Kevin.

So you can imagine our concern when after walking silently for a bit, we suddenly came across and startled a rather large peccary that let out a massive snort and took off through the jungle (thankfully) away from us. Suddenly the dark imaginings were flitting around Kevin’s mind: Are there more nearby? Where is the closest trees to climb? What if Bo and I have to share a tree? For a brief moment, there was some serious concern and a quick conversation about whether we should turn back.

But: There is no courage without fear…

We continued on to a lovely lookout and it was nearly sundown by the time we got back to our car. We were convinced that when we returned to this country in the future, another trip to the Hacienda Baru was in order.

One of the most elusive and rarest of animals that we had heard about in our brief travels in Costa Rica was called the Resplendent Quetzal. Now any animal with the word “resplendent” right in it’s name, is setting the bar pretty high. And Kevin was a little quizzical as to why this particular bird warranted a drive deep into the mountains and into a very remote region of the country where these birds are known to nest. But he was assured by Bo and Sophia that this adventure was worth it and they were right. Although it wasn’t just the bird sighting that made this trip memorable.

This trip involved us driving up into the tallest mountain range in Costa Rica, several hours north-east of Uvita. Just driving there was an adventure that Kevin will not soon forget. It involved following a part of the Pan American Highway nicknamed el Cerro de la Muerte – the summit of the dead. Added to the winding narrow highway was the challenge of travelling through the clouds that are a near constant fixture at these elevations. There were moments when the clouds were so thick, that we could see nothing further than 50 meters out. Kevin was often forced to use the highway's double yellow lines directly in front of him as a gauge of when the road was beginning to turn. Things were tense for a while. Again, we lightened the mood by imagining how grandma Irene would be handling this drive if she were in the car.

The adventure changed when we turned off the Inter-americana and started to head towards San Gerardo de Dota, a tiny village tucked into the side of a valley down an incredibly steep and winding road that seemed at times to defy the laws of gravity as it clung to the canyon sides. Our ears were popping as we descended quickly down this winding road. It could charitably be called a one and a half lane road and so passing cars coming up out of the valley was very tricky. Suffice it to say that the road was so tortuous with its twists and turns and up and downs that Sophia and Bo elected to walk the last 700 meters or risk car sickness. The views were spectacular though with beautiful lush forested mountains surrounding us on all sides.

"The secret is not to go chasing after butterflies, it is to care for the garden so that the butterflies come to you."

The next day, we were up before the sun and met our guide outside of our lodge and spent the next two and a half hours bird watching along with a half dozen other souls who had made the same journey as us into the only other cloud forest in the country, outside of Monteverde, where this elusive quetzal lived. It was a bit rainy but we were rewarded for our early rise with multiple sightings and learned a lot from our knowledgeable guide.

We left this place with a sense of awe, not just for the natural beauty that it contained but an admiration for the hardy people who make a life in this incredibly remote place.

Despite the many weeks we spent on the Southern Pacific coast, we leave with both, a sense that there are plenty of things left to explore further, and a desire to do so. Notwithstanding the adventures and wildlife that we were able to experience in this part of the country, it was the people we met and befriended along the way that leave us with some of our fondest memories and a hope to return soon. Thanks again to the lovely Nigel & Carol, Johnny and Gretl in Drake Bay, and to Daryl and Donna who gave us ‘Shelter from the Storm’… We look forward to meeting again.

Thanks also to everyone who has shared such lovely comments and kept us connected to life back in Canada. We are so relieved that the recent trends are finally improving with respect to Covid back home. We are starting to prepare for our return home to Canada. But first, we’ve got some great stories to tell you about what we got up to over the next few weeks….

The next blog post is coming soon: Adventures in Northern Costa Rica.