February 11. Day 2. Getting to the Pacific Coast.

I know I was first in to Costa Rica yesterday, but by the time I had finished exploring town I had expected to find a few other people here.  Not so.....  Shortly after 6, though, as I was getting ready to head out to dinner, two other people had arrived.  Pat and Kathleen, both from California, had arrived at the hotel.  There are 10 of us on the trip.  Four I don't know yet - a couple from England and a couple from Chicago.  Six of us, though, met on Ride Idaho last year.  Three ladies have known each other since college - Pat, Kathy and Vicky.  Pat & Kathy are from California and Vicky is from Arizona.  Jean & Mary are from Utah.  Vicky, Mary & Jean arrived on the same flight and got to the hotel around 9.  Looks like a fun group!

Today's Description:  The day starts with a transfer to Quepos, a fishing village on the Pacific Coast.  You have time to relax, chill out on the beach or visit Manuel Antonio National Park, which is famous for its abundant wildlife.  After a few hours of hiking, swimming and exploring the hidden coves of this unique park, we'll meet in the later afternoon to get sized for our bikes and then have the evening to discuss the details of the trip and tend to any necessary prep-work.

We enjoyed a lovely buffet breakfast at the hotel before meeting Fez at 8 for the 3 hour bus trip to the coastal town of Quepos.  Just one brief stop along the way to look at some crocodiles hanging out below a bridge.

Our hotel rooms were not yet ready so we stowed our luggage and hopped a local bus to the seaside town of Manuel Antonio.  Lunch at an open-air restaurant (note to self - find someone to split lunch with next time; the portions were huge!) across the street from the beach.

Then a short walk to Manuel Antonio National Park, said to be one of the most picturesque bits of tropical coast in Costa Rica.  The park itself is the country's smallest national park at 16 sq km.  It is known for its lush tropical vegetation and outstanding wildlife.  Some of the folks had the foresight to hire a guide, and I'm so glad we did!  Our guide, Wilbur (aka Raccoon), carried a portable stand-up telescope that he quickly set up for us several dozen times.  We saw lots of stuff - two types of sloths, two types of monkeys, iguanas, chameleons, bats. spiders, birds, crabs, venus fly trap, etc., etc. Here are some of the pictures from the day:

So..... by 3:30 I'm just drenched from walking around.  A quick dip to the knees in the ocean and then back through the park for the return bus trip.  After check-in and a shower we had a nice dinner at the hotel tonight and met the final two members of our team - driver/cook/right-hand-man Memo and shiny new assistant guide Graham.