Costa Rica travels

Costa Rica -
One of our favorite places to visit is Costa Rica.  If you live in the southeastern United States, getting to Central America is inexpensive and quick.  We have traveled around Costa Rica on a tour bus, with a private driver, by train, taxi and local bus.  We have seen volcanoes, snorkeled, rappelled down waterfalls, kayaked, white water rafted, walked on hanging bridges, zip lined, and many other activities.  We can share many ideas and ways to get around. We go for dental work, to get furniture and just to relax.  I am going to do a week long project on places to go, things to do and how to get there. I will gladly answer any questions anyone has about how to travel in Costa Rica and give you connections we have.  Let's make this a fun entry and see how many people will get the information needed to take this awesome trip. 

Today, let's start with travel to Costa Rica.  Of course, everyone flies there from the US.  There are 2 major airports, San Jose (SJO), and Liberia (NCT).  San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica and centrally located.  Liberia is in the state of Guanacaste, which is the northwestern part of the country.  The flight into Liberia is more expensive and longer than the one to San Jose.  We normally fly into San Jose and then use trains and buses to travel around the country.  This is partly due to the fact that our dentist is in San Jose,  but also because it is cheaper to fly into this airport and more flights are available.  The express bus service is normally around $50 each way for the 5 hour drive to Guanacaste and can provide door-to-door service.
 
Another option when you fly in, is to have your activities pre-arranged.  Many of the activities will include transportation from your hotel to the site and then a return to your hotel.  Sometimes, our activities move us around the country, so we may start the morning at one hotel and get returned to another hotel in a different town or state. 

Renting a car is an option.  We have talked to people who have rented a car and used a GPS.  The roads are well maintained and the GPS seems to work very well. I can definitely say, we have never driven in this country.  I don't know if I would ever even try only because in the cities the traffic just moves in a giant wave.  There seems to be no logical direction, you just go with the flow.  Once outside the city, things are much easier. We also chose not to drive because it is such a beautiful country, and I would rather spend my time in the vehicle enjoying the scenery and wild life then watching the traffic. When you are not the driver, you have a local driving you and giving you points of interest and a lot of information about what you are seeing around you.

Spirit Airlines is currently the least expensive airline to Costa Rica. But they add baggage fees they do not even serve complimentary water on the flight. Regardless of which carrier you use, there is a $32 country exit tax to be paid at the airport when leaving Costa Rica.  So keep these fees in mind when comparing other airlines to see if they exceed the amount you are saving.  The last trip we took to Costa Rica was only $300, round-trip for two.  Including the $25 baggage fee each way and the $32 exit tax, the entire trip $235 each.  This was still cheaper than the next lowest air fare.

I'm going to leave the blog to Costa Rica at this point.  Feel free to ask questions so I know what you want to know next.  Tomorrow I will talk about activities in and around the San Jose area. I can give travel options and prices to the different activities. 

New Braunfels, Texas – How many people have heard of this town? A Prince from Germany purchased the land this town is on in 1845.  He then allowed German immigrants to settle and build up the town.  Today there are many street signs and business that represent the German heritage. 

Why would you go to New Braunfels, Texas?  Well they have the oldest dance hall and the oldest bakery in the state of Texas.  This town also has Wurstfest, a 10 day festival of sausage.  There are also 2 rivers that go through this town, the Guadalupe and the Comal, so tubing is a big event.  There is also the water park Schlitterbahn.  We went to a different Schlitterbahn in South Padre Island, Texas.

Schlitterbahn, why drive to Texas for a water park?  In this park, everyone is given a tube that you stay in.  There is a lazy river to float around and then the conveyors that take you to the top of the water slide and then DOWN you go on a thrilling water ride.  You never nave to climb stairs or stand in long, hot lines waiting your turn.  But BEWARE, the sun is extremely strong and even with sunblock, you are guaranteed to leave with some color to your skin. 

Then the crème de la crème – The New Braunfels Animal World and Snake Farm.  Anyone who knows me can only guess that the Snake Farm was my favorite.  The Animal World has birds, primates, wild cats and lemurs to mention a few.  They have a petting zoo and animal education shows.  The Snake Farm boasts a large selection of venomous snakes such as the white lipped viper, black mamba, cobras and copperheads, among many others.  But the rattlesnakes, wow, there was a pit with a den of rattlesnakes.  You name it, they have it.  I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to stand by while they fed the cobra. 

One last stop, the Natural Bridge Caverns – go underground and explore the cave system.  While there don’t forget to go to see the Bracken Bats fly.  It is the largest bat population in the world.  

Great little town with plenty for everyone no matter your interest or your age. This town is south of Austin and north of San Antonio.   

AUSTRALIA:  How many people want to go to Australia?  Most people want to go but find it difficult to do, especially if you have children.  Well did you know there is an Australian park in the United States.  In a town called Horse Cave Kentucky is a park called Kentucky Down Under.  It is part of the Mammoth Onyx Caves. Imagine taking your children to a place where they demonstrate and teach how to throw a boomerang, play a didgeridoo, and milk a cow.  There are also demonstrations with the sheep herding dogs and animal shows.

There are Rainbow Lorikeets, Laughing Kookaburras, and Umbrella Cockatoos to name a few birds. Or maybe you would like to see a Coatimundis, fainting goats, or Patagonian Cavy.  But what is the most know animal of Australia – why the Kangaroo of course. They have the red, albino and eastern grey kangaroos. Unfamiliar with any of these animals? Good thing we have the internet.  

After viewing the zoo, take a tour down under, literally, underground to the Mammoth Onyx Cave.  This cave was discovered in 1799 and opened to the public for tours in 1922.   It is still an active cave, so water flows through the roof to form Stalagmites and Stalactites. This is a smaller cave system, but pleasant and informative. 

This was a great day for our family in the RV.  Full day of entertainment and fun activities and a world of education.  You should take your family and check it out.

Stone Mountain

Trip to Stone Mountain.  Remember back when there was no internet.  We had to use maps to route our trips. Thanks to our parents, they had AAA and we got trip-guides from them.  We would tell AAA our destinations and they would print maps out for each leg of the trip. 

To get from Summerfield, Florida to Stone Mountain in Georgia is about a 5 ½ hour drive.  This is not do-able with five pre-teens.  We had to make a point to stop at 2-3 hours. This trip took us to Valdosta Georgia for our first stop. When we stop for gas, we don’t get anyone out. But the State Welcome stations and rest stops are a great place to get out and throw Frisbees, footballs or just stretch legs.  Of course, every rest stop is enjoyed with a picnic lunch.  Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Chess and Rummikub were well used during this trek.

Our arrival at Stone Mountain was awe inspiring.  If you have never been there, it is a natural wonder of this great planet. Stone Mountain was formed underground from molten rock that solidified, when the Appalachians were as high as Mount Everest.  Over millions of years, erosion exposed it to what we see today. It isn’t a mountain; it is a dome – just sitting there 850 feet above the area.  There is a monolith on the north side of the dome with a carving of 2 Confederate Generals, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, and the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. On this side of the dome they have a laser show with music every night, along with a firework display. 

After arriving at Stone Mountain, the children were set free to find the play grounds and activities around the camp ground facilities, while James and I diligently set up camp, prepared dinner and then relaxed looking at the natural beauty around us.  After dinner, we did as all tourists do, and went to watch the laser show.  It was lively with music and depictions of Georgia history and songs about Georgia, like “Georgia On My Mind” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.

The next morning, we did the trip to the top of the dome.  There is a sky ride that takes you to the top.  What a breathtaking view.  When you step out on the dome, you are the highest object there, and it rounds off to a steep drop off.  The children were ecstatic, running around and looking at all the different viewpoints. I, unfortunately, stood frozen in one spot.  I could not move. A sudden wave of agoraphobia swept over me. I patiently stood in one place, while I watched everyone going around enjoying the many different vistas.

 When the viewing was complete, we decided to hike down the mountain instead of taking the sky ride back.  Now mind you, I could not move. The solution to this situation, the family stood in front of me so I could stare at the back of their heads. Once we reached the point on the trial that the tree tops could be seen at eye level I was back in a safe zone, I enjoyed the hike, 2 miles down the trail. 

The evening ended with dinner and a restful night as it would be the last one at this location.

This trip got us hooked on travel!

We started our traveling years ago.  But let’s go backwards and give a brief history of our family so as I blog you are part of the family I am sharing about.  James and I met and joined families in 1996.  We are a combined family with 5 children, yes you heard that correctly, five!!  Our joined family consisted of 4 daughters, and 1 son.  The youngest, Christine had just turned 8, Erica was 9, Alex was 10 and Brittany and Kristen were 12.  I don’t need to say; conventional travel of flying, renting a vehicle and staying in hotel rooms would be quite an undertaking.  We did what any family of this size should do, borrow the parents RV. 

Can you imagine putting 5 pre-teens into an RV together.  Careful planning went into each trip, starting with a menu.  If we were to travel for 1-2 weeks on the road, meals had to be carefully planned.  Then came the daunting task of fitting everything each person intended to bring along.  We organized each child with necessities and entertainment and gave them a space of their own.  But the most important part of the trip was “the itinerary”.

The trip had to be planned so you have interesting activities and don’t spend hours just driving to nowhere.  Our first trip was to Stone Mountain in Georgia.  We also visited Look-Out Mountain, Ruby Falls, Chattanooga and the Inclined Railway.  What an exciting trip we had.  The trip was mapped out so we never stayed in the RV more than 2-3 hours. 

The most memorable part of our travels, was the time spent together.  Trust me, we had our moments when someone was not happy about something and pouted and tried to be miserable.  And those spats that all children have.  But those are not what we remember.  It is the games played while the RV was on the road. The camp fires and roasting marshmallows.  The happy, away from responsibility, uninterrupted time spent with the family.  The wonderful parts of our country we got to visit.  The historical, geographical and cultural education that was obtained from each trip. The fun times while learning, respect, empathy and understanding.  What more could you want for your family to share.

Introduction

Cohutta Wilderness, GA

My name is Sandra, and I love to travel.  I spend every free moment searching for the best trip.  While others are watching television, reading or playing on their smartphone, I am researching our fabulous world. 

What constitutes as "The Best Trip"? Any trip you can take.  Travel gets you away from everyday life: the work, the daily grind, the routine.  Travel allows you to immerse yourself in other cultures, beliefs and ways of life.  A trip can be a camp out in your own back yard or a cruise around the world. 

Because I love to travel, I want to share my experiences and the preparations that go into a trip. I hope to encourage others to learn to love to travel.  I will be posting about past trips, current trips, and trips being planned.

We are budget travelers. The budget traveler learns how to vacation often and not have to work overtime to pay for the travel.

The above picture was taken with my awesome sister-in-law and husband at Cohutta Wilderness, Georgia (USA). I will tell you about this place another time.

Happy Travels.