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Debra Kooy
Debra Kooy

Debra Kooy

viajou para 13 países Leia mais🇨🇦Abbotsford
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  • Debra KooyPortugalViajante
    Made from one piece of wood21Not a very welcoming Triton, looks more trollish

    Day Tour Stop 2: Pena Palace

    8 de maio de 2024, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The ride and remaining walk up to this Palace was steep. The horses back in the day had their work cut out for them pulling carriages and supplies. The people who had to walk would have been in great shape. It is a beautiful Palace and the views were fantastic. We could see across to the Moorish Castle that we were looking up at from Sintra. The triton over the entrance to the Palace was sure interesting. Many of their animal portrayals on the outside of the building were quite funny. The lion looked like a monkey and the snakes were cartoonish, not daunting at all!! The colors on the Palace are not original and were done without permission of the government, a no no. There is some interesting history if you look up Pena Palace in Sintra.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyPortugalViajante
    National Palace of Sintra
    Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site3Into the well we go...1The practice for what was to come in the inverted wellThe aquaduct2The start of our day meeting spot

    Day tour to Sintra Stop 1: Regaleira

    8 de maio de 2024, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We had a great sleep and were up at 6:30 to get breakfast and Uber to the meeting spot for our tour day. We found our guide easily and we had two guides b/c one was training. We were a small group of 8. One of the couples was from Quebec City. We had a nice lunch of tapas with them and learned that they both work in Cancer Research🥰
    Our tour centered in Sintra, the location of the Moorish Castle Sintra National Palace, Moorish Castle, Regaleira (inverted, initiation and inverted well) and Pena Palace.

    On the way to Sintra, we saw the Aquaduct which survived the big earthquake b/c it was newly built.  It was used until 60's. A story shared was about a
    serial killer who threw btwn 50-70  people over the aquaduct. The police thought these people committed suicide.
    But police saw him commit the crime one day. He threw a person over the side of the aquaduct.  He was the last to be executed. They kept his head to study his brain. His head is in the Univ museum. The aquaduct is now a museum.

     A castle is a fort to protect something
    A palace is considered a house,  like a mansion

    Sintra is the location where the Royal Family came to their summer Palace. This made it a popular place for people to travel to.

    Sintra is Unesco World Heritage Site

    9 gates in 1999 with Johnny Depp. The movie takes place inside Beister House in Sintra

    Dante's Divine Comedy poem describes how one goes through hell, pergatory and paradise.

    The inverted well reflects this and has 9 levels of hell. Each level representing a different sin.

    There was a Secret Society of free masons. To belong one needed 3 things.

    Luigi Manini, one of the well creators, wanted to be part of the society and needed 3 things to belong:
    Proof of importance, $ and ritual (well). Antony, his partner, who was very brilliant creatively, had the $ (millions from gold, silver, coffee) which was why Luigi paired with him on this venture.
    Their goal, together, was to build a perfect society

    9 is close to perfection which is 10, but you can never reach it. Everything they did relates to the #9

    9 levelsx15 steps = 135 (1+3+5=9)

    27 m deep (2+7=9)

    9 floors in well

    3 tunnels exits

    Steps on water at the end, to prove you could walk on water.
    The free masons saw this well as a rebirth going through 9 months of birth then finish on the water and emerge reborn.
    It starts with an entrance in the North on the dark side and emerges in the South or light side

    There are many nautical symbols in the architecture because of the proximity to the sea ( port holes for windows, knotted rope, shells, fish, etc)

    We walked the 45 minutes back to our Airbnb and on the way found a nice restaurant to eat and enjoy a drink.    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyPortugalViajante
    2Beautiful tile on many buildings
    2The entrance to our Airbnb alleyway1Textured mural2Unique tiles21Oh, hello!!3First Gelato and Custard Cream Pastry treats😋😋The bustling city center near our Hotel

    Arrival in Lisbon

    7 de maio de 2024, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We had a great flight from Montreal to Lisbon. Anthony's milestone passes afforded us the comfort of the Business Class Pods, though neither of us slept!!
    We got as far as the customs lineup and Anthony realized he left his bike helmet on the plane😱Back he ran and luckily was able to get back on the plane to retrieve it. We got through customs and on to the Uber/Bolt pick up area and had a comfortable, albeit, long ride in a luxury Chinese brand electric car. We got stuck in an area of one-way, narrow and very steep streets with a backlog of vehicles. That was easily an hour of just sitting and slowly easing a few inches. We found our Airbnb in the Moorish area of Lisbon just off the city center. It is quaint and cozy. We had a quick power nap then walked to explore our area and locate our Hotel for the 9th-11th. As we walked we located the Santa Justa Lift. It connects the lower streets of Baixa with the higher and the site of an abandoned Convent, an invaluable part of Lisbon's public transport network. In 1882 its construction was approved. It was built from an age when wrought iron was not just a construction material but also an elegant art form. The exterior structure is decorated with neo-gothic arches and geometric patterns. We did not want to wait in line to pay to go up so we walked up the streets to the platform at the top to take photos of the city landscape and convent building. We had some great music by 2 musicians while we looked around. We walked back down to the center below and found the Portuguese Custard Cream tarts, a local Pastry and we enjoyed some Gelato. We easily found our way back, stopping for a few breakfast items to eat as we take in a tour to Sintra, Pena Palace and Regaleira tomorrow.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    Our last night in Costa Rica. Love the mountains and our mountains at home are calling🏔 ski time🤞1Getting some exercise and charging his iPad before the flight!!This one came home with us. We loved the wood and saw these all along our travels.So long Costa Rica. Pura Vida 🇨🇷He skunked me in crib😜2We are in the Business Pods on the last flight home 😴

    Toronto to YVR - last leg of our journey

    2 de fevereiro de 2024, Canadá ⋅ ⛅ -2 °C

    We had a great sleep and went down for breakfast. We had a hearty breakfast and a coffee. Then we sat poolside and a latte and 2 cappuccinos later we went up and got ready in no time🤪🤭 Not sure what got into us, but I was shaky all the way to the airport!! We had a few hours before our flight so we got some reading in. The flight was good to Toronto and then we decided to stay in the airport until we could check in our bags at 4am. We took turns sleeping, listened to music, read our books and played crib. Anthony skunked🦨 me!! I have not seen high hands like he had in a long time. We checked our bags for our flight to Vancouver.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    It's a bit moody this morning. We never did get rain, just a light spritz at times
    The steep grades on these roads are unbelievableA Quetzal, the King of the Forest. A very special bird to seeA hummingbird nestA Kawati eating fruit from the forestAt the highest point of the falls, even with the log in the water was the hummingbird and nestA rare type of avocado the animals eat in this areaAnother cute and colorful bird1Can you see the 2 babies in this nest?Us and our guide, MarioA howler monkey. They are so dark for photos, hard to see detail2A wasp nest. Last night on the night walk our guide shared how some wasps can get to 1-4 in long🫨2 beauties in the hummingbird gallery2Momma hummingbird came back to feed her babiesThe howler monkeys only howl in the mornings. You will see a momma with her baby in this video

    Monteverde Cloud Forest Tour

    31 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    After a poor sleep of under 6 hours for both Anthony and I, I got up and showered at 5:45am. Our hosts are incredible and woke up early to have breakfast ( which is included every day) ready for the guests that have the early morning tours. They had fresh papaya juice, papya and watermelon with eggs and/ or pancakes. We got on the road with a full stomach and ready for another adventure. The guided day tours are at 7:30 am or 1pm. The best time we were told is the morning so we reserved that time. Our guide, Mario, was very friendly and found some special wildlife for us. We saw 3 Quetzal birds which are considered the King of the Forest. The males have a beautiful red breast and aqua and green feathers with a cool crest on its head and yellow beak. They eat small avocados specifically grown in this forest region, fruit, small frogs, insects and berries. We saw a Kawati and a big agouti rodent. We were lucky to see two very small hummingbird nests and one had the babies in it and we lucked out as the momma came back to feed them. We saw another type of hummingbird from afar that nests on the sides of the creeks. It has the longest beak of the hummingbirds. At the end of the hike we saw two more types of birds and some howler monkeys and a huge gathering of army ants that we had to get through quickly or they climb onto you and can bite as we found out with just one bite each, luckily😬 The reserve has a hummingbird gallery where they feed the hummingbirds so visitors can see the many different varieties of hummingbirds in the forest environment. Their colors are spectacular. Again, these guides are amazing to spot these animals. Sometimes they know where things are from the day before or if some habituate to an area, or they just share information and make the best experience for all guests. Anthony was the driver today and got to experience these rough, hilly roads. We stopped at a viewpoint looking to the Pacific ocean (also for sunset viewing) on the way back to the Ecolodge. We had a short siesta, used up some of our food, fruit and beer for lunch and now just enjoying our last afternoon and evening here. We love listening to the winds moving the trees as we are so high up and the sounds are amazing.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    1Our pura vida $5 rings which were $2 down the street🤭😂 we won't make it as hand models🤣
    2 fisted drinker!! Kombucha on left, gin & tonic on the right.1Green side-striped palm pit viperA plate of fruit was the first course for breakfast.3 of the dogs accompanying us on our walk. They all love to play and playfight.Our CabanaA bees nest Anthony spotted on a tree bordering the propertyOur guide says this is so rare to see these vipers open their mouth. It was hunting.2

    Venturing into Monteverde & Santa Elena

    30 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Today was action packed and the worst and steepest roads I've ever driven on. Our little rental car is the little engine that never quits. No flat tires so far on these roads is a miracle🤞🤞We had an incredible breakfast at our Ecofarm then took a walk around the property to see what they grow. I found out this morning that the tilapia fish I had for dinner last night was from the ponds on the property. They have so many fish in the ponds. The 6 dogs came with us on our walk. The littlest one we discovered this morning had to be picked up from one of the family because it just wanted to follow us, but it's just too tiny!!
    The family owns a lot of land here and grow lemons, oranges, guava, bananas and have cattle, chickens and likely a lot that we are not aware of. After a walkabout we drove into Monteverde and Santa Elena. We found our Night Tour location, then drove out to the site of the Tigre Waterfall. The tour was too long so we had a coffee and drove the very narrow, steep roads back to town to the main town center and shopped around. Anthony and I bought PURA VIDA rings to renew our vows to live a content, happy and pure life!!!! ❤️❤️ Then we went for coffee because some of the best coffee is grown here in Monteverde. Following coffee, we drove to a restaurant at Belmar Hotel that one of the guests at the Ecolodge recommended. It had such great views to the ocean. We could see the cloud moving in, then clearing, continually. I had an amazing kombucha, locally made with strawberry, watermelon and ginger. It was so good. Then I also had a gin and tonic which was different than how ours typically taste. Anthony had a flight of craft beers. The fish tacos, nachos and snacks with the beers were all really flavorful. Our last adventure of the day was the Night Walk at El Refugio in the cloud forest. This was an incredible experience and the pictures our guide was able to get with our phones was amazing.
    We saw two types of birds that were sleeping and don't move at all when the lights shine on them. We saw a bright rainbow toucan, a tarantula, a 🦂 scorpion that glows with a black light on it, 2 green side-striped palm pit vipers, a sloth, a porcupine, a hummingbird that visits 2500 plants for the nectar as well as fruits and seeds to feed its high use energy to keep warm in cooler temperatures here, army and leaf cutter ants ( saw the massive nest), and a 500 year old strangler fig tree that has another tree that grew inside it and choked the outer tree. It was a giant. We then had to drive these crazy roads in the dark back to the Ecolodge!    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    3The Barbie doll the dogs were all fighting over!! She's a weird Barbie now🤪
    1

    Rancho de Lelo Ecolodge

    30 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We love the family-run sustainable farm. The farm was started by the parents and named after the mom. The daughters and their husband's run the restaurant, reception and work the farm. They have 5 dogs that are so friendly and accompany us wherever we go on the property.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    Our Authentic La Fortuna AirbnbOur smoothie bowl22No luck seeing the aqua blue today, but we made it to the end of the trail👍12The yellow eyelash viper. Check out those eyelashes😱1

    Breakfast in LaFortuna, next Rio Celeste

    29 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Anthony and I packed up this morning. We had brighter skies so took a look at Arenal Volcano this morning and we could see the cone at the top. It didn't last long before the clouds moved in. We ate at Jungle Bowls and shared the best, huge smoothie bowl. Once fueled up, we drove to Rio Celeste, the site of the Blue Lagoon ( water is a beautiful aqua blue). It is supposed to rain and in that case the water will not be aqua blue, but brown. We prepaid to go into the park so we are committed rain or shine. We had some really rough roads going in with lots of potholes. It was slow going, then just 3 km from the park the roads were good again!
    It was pouring rain by the time.e we started the hike. We decided to trek in our Teva's because our runners got so wet yesterday. We hiked to the site of the Blue Lagoon over rocks, mud, streams, bridges to see the brown muddy water and Sulphur bubbles percolating. We hiked to the end of the trail then headed back to the waterfall. We walked down and back up 253 stairs. 8 km today. Lots of great exercise this week!! On the way back out of the trail, a guide was stopped with 2 people. We asked what they were seeing and there was the snake I was hoping to see before we leave Costa Rica, the yellow eyelash viper. Highly venomous. It was curled up on a low branch. You could see it's eyelashes clearly. I never thought I would say this, but it made my day.
    We got back to the car and drove to our next stop, Monteverde. The roads were winding, mountainous roads coming out of the Volcano Tonorio National Park. We had some nice highway driving with some different landscape from our previous area. It was very open with the mountains in the distance. Once we turned off the main highway following the Monteverde signs, we were in for a shock. The roads were so bad and rough. We had to drive so slow for 20km. The view once we got to the top of the climb were spectacular. We were treated to a few rainbows on the way into our Ecofarm where we are staying. This farm is an ecolodge, sustainable and family run. We are in a basic Cabana. So far the food for dinner was fabulous.    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    The Nest: 156 steps up to overlook the tree canopy
    4The muddy and slippery River Trail. The most challenging trail of all we hikedOur one and only frog sighting from two frog ponds!! They all took cover today21Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree. Each tree was like a painting. So beautiful1Kwati. It was very curious and came right up to the car. Their tails look like monkey tails12Gee, just like hiking back home in the rain😂Danta Waterfall. We could have swam in it but we were wet enough!

    Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa Trails

    28 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Anthony and I were up early in hopes of clearer skies to hike in before the worst rain at 1pm. No such luck. It was socked in and raining hard on the drive to the Observatory and hiking trails. We hiked almost 10km of trails. We saw some birds, one 🐸 frog, a monkey waaay up high in a tree and a pack of Kwata Mundi or Kwati's for short. They are pretty friendly and walked right up to our car in hopes of us giving them some food.
    The most beautiful parts were the flowering plants and my favorite, the "Rainbow Eucaluptus" tree.
    We climbed what is called "The Nest" which is 146 steps up to a platform overlooking the tree canopies. We couldn't see the volcano with the cloud cover today. We had an interesting time on the River Trail which was very muddy and slippery. We got to a point where we had to turn back because the steep trail looked like an accident waiting to happen!!
    We saw a beautiful waterfall, a few hanging bridges and a museum with the timelines and history of the Arenal and Cerro Chado Volcanoes, and the wildlife, birds, frogs, snakes and plant throughout the park. We were absolutely drenched walking through the museum!! We drove back to our airbnb and had a hot shower then headed back to Chocolate Fusion for another hot chocolate😋😋. We ate at a different Soda this evening and then it was back to pack for our last leg of the trip to Monteverde.
    Though we did not have sunshine here to see the volcano, it did not stop us from exploring the beautiful sites. What's a little rain in the midst of a rainforest and cloud forest!!😂 All the wildlife, majority of birds and frogs were under cover today in this rain.    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    11

    Relax Termalitas ( natural hot springs)

    27 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Following our hike we drove into La Fortuna to eat at the recommended Soda Ara right up the street from our airbnb. We arrived just in time as another downpour started. The food was delicious ( grilled chicken, salad, fried sweet plantains, rice and beans and small potatoes). Afterwards we drove to the natural hot springs called Relax Termalitas. Our host provided 2 tickets as part of our stay. The pools were 39 degrees. It was so nice after our hike and the 500 stairs climb👌 We stayed for an hour and a half. We were quite relaxed and on the way home stopped to look through a huge souvenir shop and then my favorite, we found "Chocolate Fusion" and enjoyed a fantastic hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. The perfect way to end a day😋🥰Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    The yellow trail was the Lava Flow and then we continued to the red Forest Hike

    Arenal1968 Lava and Forest Hikes

    27 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    This was the site of the 1968 Arenal Volcano eruption. We hiked the Lava Trails and the Forest Trail which has a lake made by the volcanic eruption. We hiked approx 12 km. We saw some birds and lots of busy ants carrying leaves to their nest. The orchids grow in amongst the rocks and vegetation. They are so beautiful. We had rain off and on so this was the first day we wore our rain jackets. The viewpoint of Arenal Volcano was cool, but today was overcast so we were not seeing the full Volcano. At the end of the trails they have planted medicinal plants, fruit trees and Coffee plants. We really enjoyed the exercise today.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante

    Fortuna Waterfall - 500 stairs

    27 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    This was our first stop of the day. We walked down the 500 stairs to the 70 m waterfall. It was so powerful. We both took turns swimming in the cold water. The power of water movement pushed you to one side and it was hard to get back to the rocks because the movement pushes the water off the rocks. It was a fun experience and then we trekked the 500 stairs back to the top. We then walked around the Orchid Trail. They have so many different types of orchids growing. Their many flowering plants were beautiful.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    1

    La Fortuna

    27 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today we woke up early to go explore the amazing sites. Our weather is overcast and we have had 3 downpours before we have started. This will be a hiking kind of day. This post will show the beautiful orchids and flowering plants of this area. We posted each site we visited separately.Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    Puerto Viejo area grows a lot of bananas.
    So many single lane bridges hereRich agricultural landArenol Volcano from a distance2Getting closerSunset2Our group Breakfast🥰😋😋Our entertainment at breakfast

    Group Breakfast then on to La Fortuna

    26 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We woke by 7:30 am and had coffee together and then got packed and ready to go for breakfast with T&S, C& D to our favorite breakfast place, Bread and Chocolate. We had musical accompaniment again and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast. We said parted ways and will keep in touch to information share as we head to the areas they will go to towards the end of their trip. We had a great day of travel. We stopped to see Limon, which is a bigger center. We stopped to buy fruit and then carried on for a 5 hour drive total. The Arenol Volcano had some clouds cover near the top as we approached. We drove around and got our bearings then parked our car at the airbnb and walked through town to find a dinner spot. We did some research for tomorrow ( hikes near the volcano, the La
    Fortuna Waterfall trek down and back up 500 stairs and then on to the Relax Thermalitas ( natural hot springs).    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    2An Agouti rodent. They can jump up to 2 meters
    2This monkey was held in a cage and let out only when someone paid for a pic with it4K.D. Lang graciously had a picture taken with us.A Cayman and he loves the turtles, never tries to eat them1He is peeking. He was playing a game and kept dropping his bowl and the volunteer would pick it up!

    Jaguar Rescue Center

    25 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The Jaguar Rescue Center began when 2 biologists moved to Puerta Viejo. The locals got wi d and brought what they thought was an injured jaguar to them to help it. It turned out not to be a jaguar ( but an Ocelot). Word got around though that they were the jaguar people and soon locals kept dropping off wounded wildlife. They started the center to help these animals and now it houses many varieties. The entry fee helps pay for the rescues, food and maintenance of structures, etc. They are so passionate about helping these animals despite no ho ornament support. They are even reinsulating power lines so the animals don't get electrocuted trying to cross the wires along the roads. They also take in animals that humans have tried to keep as pets or who have abused or injured these beautiful animals. So.e may have diseases or broken bones. As we were getting set up.for the tours, I recognized K. D. Lang, the singer, right away. I made sure we got into her group!! We did not bother her or approach until the tour was over. I asked if we could have a photo with her and she was so kind and said yes. Anthony chatted with her about a friend of a friend of hers who he was aware of that just passed away. We had a bit of a conversation about our Cocoa Farm Tour as we walked back to.our vehicles. We really enjoyed the information and passionate support from this tour and the many volunteers who keep it going❤️ PS..check out Lizzie's jaguar earrings👌Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    Playaya Punta Uva BeachSomeone is talented1Later in the day,vyhia was the sloth that was trying to get back into a treeSlowly climbing away from people o to a roof of a hutThis was the most active we had seen a sloth so far, eating leaves1Poor young sloth, trying to get back to a tree

    Playa Punta Uva

    25 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had a very rainy night with extreme downpours. We woke to sunshine. We got up and packed up then had our yoghurt, granola and fresh on-site bananas. We enjoyed our coffee and final cuddles with the cat. We drove to a new beach called Playa Punta Uva. We had about 45 minutes
    to check it out before heading to the Jaguar Rescue Center. We walked along and someone had done some beautiful mermaid sandart. Following the Jaguar Rescue Center Tour, we returned and had some serious sloth action. A sloth may have fallen out of a tree or perhaps came down for its weekly poop. Whatever the case, it was so sad. It was all wet and crawled along the beach to get back to a tree. We had just learned that they do not like to be around humans. Some can die of heart failure if they are too close to humans. Well, this poor sloth was surrounded by people taking selfies, etc ( which is illegal to do because people used to exploit the animals by charging for photos with these wild animals). The sloth eventually made it back into the trees🥰. We sat and read for a bit and decided to go back to the beach area from yesterday. We sat, reading our books and watched as the rain clouds moved in. At about 4pm, the shower lit hard. We had already made it to the car while everyone scrambled off the beach. We headed towards the main center and drove around the streets we had not yet driven down while the rain stopped. We then drove to meet Tom & Shaun, Craig& Dawn at their VRBO and stayed one night with them. I made fresh guacamole and Shaun and I cut up watermelon, mango and pineapple for snacks. We hot caught up on our adventures and shared some tours to do, watched a Netflix climbing movie then went to sleep.    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    1
    Cocoa beans1260% chocolate with anise, milk, cane sugar and was still warm1We did the 3 s's: snap, smell( get taste Buds ready) and savour2These beans were almost readyBeans dryingFermentation process of the beans which were very warm2You can see the progression of the look of the beans as they dry and become closer to chocolate4The beans closest to you are incredible tastingFrankie ( after Frankenstein) the roaster3100% cacao shots. It was incredible.3Oscar was our guide, loved his pura vida vibe, sense of humor & excellent animal spotting2The Owl logo was chosen b/c owls eat the critters that go after the cocoa beans

    Caribbean Organic Cocao Farm Tour

    24 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had such a fun tour with Oscar and 2 young women. He spotted and pointed out 6-8 sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, red poison mini frogs, agouti( rat-like rodent with no tail), big spiders, & macaw birds on the walk up to the farm. He said he was early arriving for the tour so he was slow vibing!!
    He shared so much information about the process. This is a smaller farm so they make enough chocolate to sell in their store. They have several small farms in the area that grow cacao beans and the bars are named after the farm that grew the beans. They do don't export because it's too small of an organic operation. They check for a particular fungus on the beans that turns the bean black with airborne white spores on the outside that can spread. They create other products using the cocoa butter portion of the beans. We tasted so much chocolate, all that you see in the pictures and all were 😋 delicious.
    After the tour and purchases, including the t-shirts. The shirts have a sloth wrapped around a tree with the words "slow good" which is the vibe of the 3 -toed sloths who sleep 18+ hours a day and consume the THC in the type of tree they prefer, as well as eating the cocao beans....he said they are high and can't remember what happened a few hours prior, so they keep sleeping! After the tour we headed for dinner back at Soda Mirna's and had the Cribbean chicken, plantains and coconut milk rice 😋😋 We are checking out in the morning and heading to tour an organic fruit & cacao farm and then more beach time before staying the night together with T&S, C&D. We are going to miss this very affectionate resident cat when we leave🥰    Leia mais

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  • Debra KooyCosta RicaViajante
    2Loved this👌In true Rastafarian styleGreat messages123111

    Talamanca

    24 de janeiro de 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I was up at 6:30am and watched a tailless large rat-like animal rummaging around the garden. We hear different birds each day around our place. It's very beautiful and melodic. Our clothes are still not dry from laundering yesterday!!😆 we ate the delicious bananas from the tree on the property then got ready and drove to Bread & Chocolate, a recommended restaurant. I had the avocado, egg and bacon on a grilled plantain and this was by far my favorite so far. Anthony had the Caribbean pancakes with chocolate sauce😋😋 we then drove to set up a tour at the Organic Chocolate and Coffee Farm. Our tour is at 2pm so we headed to a beautiful beach just down the road. The surf was pretty powerful again and the red flags were up. We watched a few surfers catch a few waves. It is so calming and meditative watching the waves crash and wash in. We read our books in the shade. It was 32 but feels like 36 with the humidity, but we had a nice breeze so it was comfortable. Our tour guide was Oscar and their farm has won awards with the best chocolatier in Costa Rica.Leia mais

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