XShot Photo of the week

Standing on the rim of a smoking volcano. Volcan Masaya, Nicaragua.

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Leaving Dominical

As we headed back down from the mountains to pick up the trailer that we left at the casita on the beach, we got a call about some tandems. Fred had 4 people that wanted to fly in Dominical. Grampa Ninja comes through again! We scheduled two rounds of tandems for the afternoon and decided to squeeze in a flight at Fox’s Leap with Nick in the morning. 

Fox’s leap was beautiful, with a high cloudbase and some nice thermalling. We soared around and played in the clouds until we had to spiral down and head back to work in Dominical. We had two great rounds of tandems with a nice family from Minnesota—great soaring, touching the clouds, and a huge low-tide beach to land on. We even saw toucans from the air! After our flights we had one last casado and licuado de piña at our favorite local joint—El Coco. We decided to head for Grampa Ninja’s in Caldera that night. We said goodbye to Jorge and Randall, our new friends that run El Coco, and promised to remember each other. 

There was one last thing to do before we left town—grab the trailer from the casita and drop off our keys with Julia, our abuelita landlord. Carlos came over to say goodbye and help us pull the trailer out of the driveway and get it hooked up to the van. As Cade was trying to reverse the setup to straighten out and pull out of town, his foot slipped off the brake and rammed the wheel well of the trailer into the side of Julia’s car. F. What followed was heavily reminiscent of the “Matador de Gallos” event back in Northern Mexico (for those of you just tuning in, refer here: ). Everyone felt terrible, no one knew what Julia’s bumper was worth, the sun was setting, and we needed to get on the road. We left Julia with some cash, many apologies and made her promise to get an appraisal and let us know if we owed her more. She was reluctant to take anything and just kept telling us “pero yo les quiero.” We pulled out of Dominical a little embarrassed, a few dollars poorer, and decidedly ready to get back on the road. 

We drove up to Caldera in the dark, fueled by the remaining organic chocolate from Canaan, and arrived at Grampa Ninja’s just as dinner was being served. Jenny, a Swedish volunteer schoolteacher and world traveler, has been spending her weekends learning how to fly with the Grampa crew. In the mean time, she’s also been cooking amazing meals at the B&B. This one was no exception. The following day, the strong East winds blew hard and made Caldera unflyable. A few pilots chased the sea breeze down to a site South. We forwent the backtracking and spent a relaxing afternoon catching up on interwebs and beating the heat in Fred’s awesome pool. Thomas kept us fueled on snacks, including Scorpion Pepper Chimichurri to complement Skip’s Moonshine (all the way from Colorado!).

 

We said goodbye to Grampa Ninja’s B&B and half the crew the next morning and hopped the ferry to the Nicoya Peninsula with Fred, his wife Giulia, and visiting pilot Matt. Rok was not very excited about his first ever ferry ride, but was easily distracted by all the seagulls that were soaring the side of the boat and catching cheetos thrown overboard by the local kids. I’m just about as easily entertained and took about 200 photos of seagulls and big black frigate birds on the one-hour ride. 

The site on the Nicoya is on private land (as most sites in Costa Rica are), owned by a friendly farmer, and accessed via a super gnarly 4wd track (almost all sites in Costa Rica are). Grampa Ninja was characteristically unfazed, and we’re hoping he bought the walkaway insurance from the rental agency after the drive up in his rental car. We had a fun thermalling flight, climbing up above the arid landscape with Zopilotes (black vultures) and more frigates. I flew a few kilometers down the range and happened to land across the road from a ceramic studio and hospedaje owned by a lovely Tico/British couple that invited me in for a tour. The rest of the group was already headed my way and we stopped in for fresh lemonade, a tour of their organic gardens, their ceramic studio, and fresh chocolate made from their very own cacao tree. Que Rico!

As we left the ceramic studio, it was also time to say goodbye to Grampa and Giulia. These guys have been incredibly helpful and generous during our time in Costa Rica. Fred is still flying strong despite being well into his 60’s and having Parkinson’s. His sense of humor and strong will are inspirational. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about flying in Costa Rica and can hook you up with great accommodation, transportation, and guide service. We would recommend his services to anyone wanting to see the country’s many sites and maximize airtime in Costa Rica.

We waved goodbye and headed across the Nicoya Peninsula towards Sámara. We found vegetarian restaurants and great beachside camping at Coco’s. Oceanfront property for reals. We backed Chomo in under a palm tree, said hello to our neighbors, a couple from BC in a Ford pickup with topper, and settled in for some relaxing beach time.

XShot photo of the week

Justin and Cade sharing a thermal with his dad and Becca, high over his house in Rivas, Costa Rica.

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Rivas

As we packed up in Dominical and prepped Chomo to get back on the road, we decided our first stop would have to be Rivas. This sweet spot in the mountains was pulling us back before we head North. Over the past few weeks, Wendy and Alex have been our incredibly gracious hosts whenever we stop in for a visit. They have offered us their home, cooked us countless amazing meals with fresh local ingredients, and showed us around their little slice of paradise. Their sons Justin and Joshua are some of the nicest and best-behaved kids we’ve ever come across.

From the crazy suspension bridge you drive across to get to their property in Tirrá to their amazing stilt tree house on Alex’s private launch, this place is rad. We have had many fun flights here, with strong thermals and fun wispy clouds to play in. Wendy is nice enough to drive the car down and retrieve everyone, take photos, and look after Rok while we fly. And she’s a killer cook. Someday I want a wife like her.

From the landing area in Rivas’s futbol field, it’s a short walk to Tule’s Bar. Any establishment with a paraglider painted on their sign is alright by me. The surrounding area is beautiful—green ridges and valleys dotted with farms of every type. Within a short walk of Alex and Wendy’s house, you can find limes, oranges, mandarins, papaya, banana, guineo, mango, goiaba, chayote, coffee, chili picante, and all kinds of vegetables. There are also local Swiss cheese and chocolate makers just a quick drive up the valley towards Chirripo National Park. If you haven’t noticed yet, we haven’t found much that we don’t like about Rivas.

 

Unfortunately, right before we left Dominical, Chomo’s water pump developed a pretty serious leak, in addition to the power steering pump that has been leaking for a couple weeks. Ruh Roh. We limped it up to Rivas, and with Alex’s help we found a local mechanic who was willing to work on our Chevrolet. After a few hours and a couple phone calls, he found a replacement water pump and had us back on the road. He refused to swap out the power steering pump, however, so for now we’re stuck dumping lots of fluid in and keeping an eye on the levels. The further you get from Mexico, the harder it gets to find parts and willing mechanics that know Chevy’s. We’re thankful to be in as good of shape as we are at this point.

While we were in Rivas, we also wanted to check out Canaan. Our friend Zion, another young local pilot, lives in the cool little community there. Wendy and Alex needed to go down to San Isidro, the nearest city, to take care of Wendy’s mother. So we volunteered to take Justin and Joshua over to Canaan for the afternoon. For those of you who know us well, we’re not exactly the most frequent babysitters, but these kids are pretty rad. First stop: ice cream. Then we loaded up in Chomo and headed towards Canaan. The boys were awesome guides—they led us right to Zion’s house and gave us the tour along the way.

We were amazed as we entered the property—an open-air mixed material cement/bamboo/wooden house surrounded by a gorgeous garden, all set on a hill above a clear mountain stream. We wandered the yard and checked out all the plants—some ornamental, some medicinal, many edible. We met a few more folks from the community and Rok made a few new friends too. Across the road from Zion’s, we stopped in at the local Swiss cheese factory and felt like we’d died and gone to heaven.  We also paid a visit to Jose Lobo’s house, another impressive construction, built in to the rocks above the gorgeous river. One more stop at the local gourmet chocolate factory (died and gone to heaven squared) and it was time to head back to Alex and Wendy’s on the other side of the valley.

That evening, we managed to cook a vegetarian dinner that was suitable to Justin and Joshua (Costa Rican kids that like lentils!?) and didn’t burn the house down. We showed the boys lots of paragliding, speedflying, and BASE jumping videos and filled their heads with all kinds of bad ideas. They picked fresh limes and mandarins and chile picante from the garden for us and even washed the dishes after dinner.

Our final day in Rivas was perfect—and we don’t use that word lightly. Cade flew tandem with Justin and I cruised solo, playing paparazzi. The conditions were great—strong thermals, light wind, and just enough clouds. Wendy cooked a few more delicious meals and Justin even borrowed some Scorpion Peppers from a neighbor’s garden for us to try. They are among the hottest we’ve tasted anywhere. Kapow!

It’s not easy to say goodbye to Rivas, but we’re sure we’ll be back. We’ve found another home away from home with our new friends here in the foothills of Cerro Chirripo.

X Shot Photo of the Week 2

Enjoying a day of rest at Grandpa Ninja's B&B

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Dominical 2

El Abuelo y mi familia in happier times

 My week away from our Central American adventure was challenging. I won’t get too much in to the details, but I am really glad that I went home to spend a week with my family in California. Mi abuelito is one of the best human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and when I got news that he wasn’t doing well, I knew immediately I needed to be there.

El Golfo de Fonseca

The trip home was bizarre. After months of SLOW travel—winding our way down the narrowing continent towards Costa Rica, being in close contact with local people, the smell and feel of the places, I felt really connected with where we were. Traveling over land roots you to the place. You use the same paths that the trucks and buses and cars and cows and horses use. You see very few tourists. I knew exactly how far from home we were—and that was pretty damn far. But when I got on a plane in San Jose, it tore me right out of that world and threw me high up in the sky; my face pressed against the plastic window, staring down at the landscape below. The people around me were Americans. They were excited to get home—to familiar restaurants and English and dollars and road signs. As we headed North, I picked out each landmark below—volcanoes, beaches, and lakes. In minutes, we cruised effortlessly over mountains that had taken a day to drive around. It took a mere 10 hours to get from the San Jose airport to my grandparents’ house in California. Never before have I been so aware of the surreal nature of airline travel.

Montana de Oro, CA

As my week in CA came to an end and I prepared to get back on the plane to return to San Jose, I knew it would be difficult to jump back in to the rhythm of Central America. I left a little piece of my heart in California, but it was time to get back to Cade and Rok and Chomo the Chalk Van.

Sobre Mexico

The return trip was not quite as smooth. I just barely made it on my flight from Phoenix to San Jose. The US Airways employee that was in charge of checking everyone’s passport and onward travel information at the gate demanded a return ticket out of Costa Rica and was quite prepared to stop me from getting on the flight if I failed to produce one. I had asked about this very issue in immigration as I left Costa Rica a week prior and was told it wouldn’t be a problem. She thought it was a problem. After I told her that I had asked at immigration before I left, she reminded me repeatedly that I should have asked at immigration. She would not accept my entry visa from the land border crossing or my copy of our vehicle import permit as proof that I had onward travel plans. She has been doing this for 15 years. My visa is apparently not a ‘real’ visa. It’s just a stamp that they give you at the land border that allows you to be in the country for 90 days. She told her boss on the phone that my vehicle import permit “looked pretty official.” Finally, as the flight attendants were closing the doors, her manager called back and told her to let me on the flight. As I hurried down the jetway, I could still hear her yelling after me…. “They’ll hold you for questioning! They don’t have to let you in! They can send you back!” I spent most of the 5-hour flight remembering to appreciate the very friendly people at the land borders, even if their internet and printers and computers never work and they get to sit in their air conditioned offices as you sweat outside for hours in the sweltering sun. Upon arrival in San Jose, the immigration agent spent about 5 and a half seconds looking at my passport, smiled, stamped it, and welcomed me back to Costa Rica. Pura Vida.

Playa Dominicalito

Soaring over Dominical

Cerro de la M

Cade and Rok were waiting for me just outside the airport, where I sucked a big breath of sweaty tropical heat back in to my lungs. Time to find that rhythm again. We headed back to Dominical, where Cade showed me around. Although the transition back to Central America felt a bit harsh, it was nice to have the casita to settle in to. We spent the following week flying over palm trees, howler monkeys, and loud ass jungle white noise. We swam in the ocean and our little local waterfall swimming hole, Poza Azul. We hiked to launch (sweaty stairmaster), got an unexpected visit from our good friend Orly (love!), saw a sloth in a tree, and drank many papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, and mango smoothies. We made rice, beans, and tortillas in the casita and made a few new friends. We watched many a gorgeous sunset from our quiet little beach. We shared the sky with Grandpa Ninja and friends and Nick’s crews. We chased giant green grasshoppers with red wings out of the casita at night. We crossed paths with a fellow roadtripper, Wendy from LivetoFlytoRide, who is riding her moto solo to Tierra del Fuego. Awesome! We also took a drive up the Cerro de la Muerte, the highest road in Costa Rica. You can leave the coast, ascend 10,000 feet to the continental divide, and drive back to the beach in 4 hours round trip. Definitely one of the coolest drives we’ve seen yet.

Hanging with Wendy

Baño with a view

Grillo

Sea of dreams, Costa style

Orly and Cade launching

Sloth!

Love

Birds eye view of Playa Dominicalito

On glide to Dominical

Re-united

We also had some unique and necessary stops at the vet and mechanic. It turns out Rok’s heat rash was actually a skin infection due to the moisture and all that ocean swimming. He got some antibiotics and some antimicrobial shampoo, which seems to be helping. We also gave him a fresh mohawk. He’s not too excited about all the extra baths, however. The vet was really excited about our trip and gave us his brother’s number in El Salvador. He told us if we ever need anything there….

Just another sunset at la playa

We took Chomo to a local mechanic for a routine tune-up. After 5,000 miles, he was ready for some love. An oil change, tire balance and rotation and a coolant flush were in order. I also got to learn a whole bunch of new mechanical vocabulary words, although I still don’t understand how cars work.

Costa Rican Jiffy-lube

Cade and Carlos

We were excited to fly a few of our new friends tandem in Dominical. Our neighbor Carlos has been driving for Nick’s tours for years and has always wanted to fly. His son Stewart came all the way from San Jose to join him in the air. We had a perfect day to fly with them and they were two of the most appreciative and stoked people we have flown in a long time. We love flying with happy people, and it’s even more meaningful when someone can point out their house from the air. To return the favor, Carlos took us on a snorkeling tour in front of our local beach at Dominicalito, where we saw some crazy bright tropical fish and eerie alien sea snails in their conch shells. Gracias!

La familia de Carlos

Becca and Stewart

Taking a break

Norkeling!

We’ve had a great time exploring this little piece of paradise. Unfortunately, the potential for setting up a business here for the remainder of the season has not presented itself to us. We did get some great news that Xshot has offered us sponsorship to cover our fuel costs for the trip. We are super thankful and excited to partner with this awesome company. Ebb and flow! We sat down with Rok for a family meeting and we’ve decided that it’s time to turn around and head back to Pana. We miss our Guatemalan family and the awesome flying we had over Lake Atitlan. We’ll take our time and explore some new places as we journey North. You know the old saying: “Cuando Costa Rica les da limones, vayanse a Guatemala para hacer limonada.” (When Costa Rica hands you lemons, go to Guatemala to make lemonade)

Onward!

Approach to paradise