Costa Rica — Family Christmas
Christmas in Costa Rica — the hardest hike we’ve ever done, the blue water of Río Celeste, and a wet season that wouldn’t quit. In Laura’s words.
Today we hiked the hardest hike we have ever done. I wish we took more pictures. Olivia will never look at cows the same. We had to walk through those cows in the picture and they followed us to a barbed wire fence. Luckily we were able to get the posts out to go under. I think we were all a little scared. We hiked for a while and Karen Good Hamilton quit on us so we left her with some food, water, and a little log to sit on. At one point a nice man with a shovel, machete, and hammer stopped to talk to her. We still aren’t sure what he was doing. We finally made to the lake inside the volcano. Pictures don’t do it justice. I really hope the highlight of Stephen Baughn and Evan’s Christmas vacation are not the boobs they saw when the sweet woman stripped right in front of them to go swimming. My legs hurt, we all have scrapes, and I have dirt in places I shouldn’t but what an experience. I am so proud of the kids for completing this hike. Tomorrow we rest.
Howler monkeys came to visit us this morning at our new house. The ☀️ came out today 🙌. Went to the Pacific Ocean and had some piña coladas.
Today we saw the gorgeous blue waters of Río Celeste. While we were there we saw a tapir. On the way home, in the middle of the road, we saw a cow with the biggest cajones I have ever seen and yes he has a hold of them. We picked up fruits and vegetables from the side of the road and spent the afternoon exploring the place where we are staying. Everyday we have seen monkeys and so many birds. We watched the sunset from our backyard as it disappeared behind the volcanos.
More gorgeous blue waters
Today didn’t quite go as planned. We left our favorite place to head to Monte Verde. It was a bumpy winding road. Before we left we were able to see some animals. We finally made it to our next place. After contemplating if we could handle it we made the decision to get a hotel. Olivia was crying sad tears because we were leaving and Karen Good Hamilton and I were crying happy tears. We just weren’t prepared. It was on a sustainability demonstration center and the “living” arrangements were not something we were ready for. It was cheap, it was accurately described, it would have been an experience, and they use all their profit to help animals and the earth. They felt terrible but it wasn’t their fault. We told them we would not ask for a refund and they invited us back to visit the farm and tour the center while we are here, which we will. So we thankfully brought in the new year with a candlelit dinner and a hotel. Feliz Año Nuevo!
Today we hiked in the cloud forest. It was very uneventful. We did a coffee/chocolate/sugar cane tour. Karen Good Hamilton and I were very skeptical. It ended up being pretty awesome. We learned so much, had an excellent tour guide, and just happened to bump into Don Juan himself.
We started our day with hummingbirds. They loved Karen Good Hamilton. Her shoulder, her head, her face, and her ears. I took a video and you can hear their wings. It’s incredible. We saw a Capybara and a Coatí today. We saw lots of butterflies and went into an exhibit where people try to catch the butterflies and can’t. Two of them went right to Evan. The tour guide was shocked. We went to say bye to the place we were supposed to stay and the kids got to see the animals and say bye to their favorite dog. We tried to watch the sunset and ended at my favorite taco place.
It was our last day 😭 I really like Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Karen Good Hamilton is sore and done. Today we drove. Stopped at a creek to explore to give our stomachs a rest after a rough ride. Took a chance on seeing La Ecovilla. The gate opened but didn’t think we should try to make a run for it. We stopped for some Starbucks at their farm. Made it to the hotel and tomorrow we ✈️ home. Stephen Baughn is most excited to see his cat 🤣 We still have Christmas decorations up and we will have lots of laundry but what a trip. I truly hope my kids remember all the trips we take as a family and look back and smile.
🌤️ Weather we had: Highs around 65°F, lows around 58°F, with 11 rainy days (4.9” total) — the wet season made itself known.
🥾 Trails we hiked
- Rio Celeste Waterfall (Volcán Tenorio NP) — the surreal sky-blue waterfall where two rivers meet and turn turquoise.
- Mysteries of Tenorio (3.1 mi) — “fun little jaunt but so many people.”
- Lake Cerro Chato (Arenal Volcano, 3.6 mi) — “our kids 8 & 10 did phenomenal. Parents are exhausted. Once you reach the hut it’s straight up from there.”
🍽️ Eats & places
From our Google Maps “Costa Rica” list — Arenal, Tenorio & Monteverde.
- Don Juan Tours (Monteverde) — the coffee / chocolate / sugar-cane tour where we “happened to bump into Don Juan himself.”
- Monteverde Cloud Forest & Hummingbird Gallery — the misty cloud-forest reserve; hummingbirds that landed on Grandma’s head and ears.
- Hacienda Alsacia (Starbucks Coffee Farm) — Starbucks’ working coffee farm; “we stopped for some Starbucks at their farm.”
- Cabure Restaurante & Chocolatería — Argentine-Costa Rican spot famous for handmade chocolates.
- Baldi Hot Springs Resort & Spa — the big thermal-springs complex at the foot of Arenal volcano.
- The Original Canopy Tour Monteverde — the zipline tour that pioneered canopy tours.
- Restaurante Nene’s (La Fortuna) — local típico restaurant; likely “my favorite taco place.”
📷 More from our camera roll
