Costa Rica: December 4-11, 2010
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Jaco Beach
 On the way to the beach
 On the way to the beach
 On the beach at sunset
 Joe, Daniel and Kari Surfing the Pacific
 Daniel Young Surfing the Pacific
 Surfing the Pacific
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Birds, Critters and Flowers
 Two Toucans
 Great Kiskadee
 Sloth
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El Toucano Resort
Rio Pacuare (photos by Tico's River Adventures)
 Fabio and us
 Our Crew at the put-in
 Our Crew at the put-in
 Having fun!!
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Rio Pejibaye
 Getting ready
 Juliet with her Toucan
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 Lots of Smiles
 The takeout
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Hotel Torremolinos (San Jose)
Do we really have to go home??
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Nancy's Trip Report
We left home on 12/3 to drive to Charlotte. We were able to save almost $500 in airfare by flying from Charlotte instead of Charleston. Since 12/3 was my birthday, we went out for a special dinner at Carrabba’s. We stayed at the Microtel near the airport. It is a “Park and Fly” motel so they do a shuttle to and from the airport and we leave our car there, saving parking fees.
12/4: We got a 9 AM shuttle for our 11:20 flight. We were through security by 9:20 and were able to check our paddle bag without additional cost. We passed uneventfully through Costa Rica security and were met by Miguel, the driver for our trip. We are traveling on a class 2-3 whitewater trip with Endless River Adventures http://www.endlessriveradventures.com/. There were seven customers, plus Juliet Kastorff, and two guides, Joe and Daniel.
We all met at the Hotel Torremolinos in San Jose before dinner and walked to a nearby restaurant for food in the Mexican style. They serve all kinds of different fresh salsas that are exceptionally tasty.
12/5: We left the hotel after a buffet breakfast to pick up our boats at Miguel’s house. Chuck and I paddled the same model Diesels that we paddle at home. They are easily outfitted to fit us comfortably. From there we piled into the 12 passenger van for the drive to Jaco Beach. There is a new highway heading towards the beach and it cut an hour off the previous time required to get there. The new highway was cut through the mountains.
The first day’s paddling is on the Pacific Ocean at Jaco Beach. The waves seemed to be 3-4 feet high and to me somewhat intimidating. I did however surf them in twice before quitting. We then walked into town and found a grocery store to buy lemon-lime sparkling water and Coca Cola Light. We returned to walk over to the beach again to enjoy the sunset. Dinner for Chuck and me was Sea Bass with shrimp in a cream sauce on top. It was the best meal of the entire trip. Chuck liked it so much he ate the same thing the next night.
12/6: We drove over to the Savegre River south of Jaco Beach. It is a fast running river with strong “wall shots” especially in the first mile or two. What is a wall shot, you ask? The river makes a sharp turn either left or right. The water hits the wall and then runs down in the new direction. All around it the water is rushing down and is very airy and unstable. One has to ride up on the wall and turn towards where the water runs down steam all the while tilting your boat into the wall. The wall shots are a characteristic of new rivers that constantly change. There is no way to practice them before leaving home. I flipped over three times this week on a wall shot and actually swam once.
12/7: We ran the Rio Balsa into the Rio San Carlos today. Before leaving Jaco Beach we packed up all our things as we are moving to a different hotel. This river was easier than the Savegre and we had a slower day. We did some roll practice and surfed a few waves. That night we stayed at the El Tucano hotel near Arenal Volcano. Close to the volcano there are hot water baths and hot rivers. El Tucano had several hot tubs and we all enjoyed them before dinner. For dinner I had an avocado and palm heart salad with my main meal. Others had a delicious soup.
12/8: We got up early and went out to photograph the nearby creek. There were spots where the steaming hot water was flowing into it. We are enjoying the Costa Rican fruit available, especially at breakfast. We’ve had plantains, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and bananas. We packed up and drove to the Sarapiqui River. We paddle different sections of this river almost every time we come to Costa Rica. The wall shots are stronger here than on the Savegre. High water also changes the rapids on these rivers and there had been high water the week before. Our guides were scouting ahead so everyone could safely run and not encounter anything dangerous. I had my swim on this river but I also had my most successful wall shot run here. There were also some pretty big waves. It reminded me of the big waves on the lower Gauley. I felt like my boating was better than it has been since 2007. I had some excellent cervichi and garlic chicken for dinner at the Wagelia Hotel.
12/9: We were picked up by Tico Rivers for our raft trip on the Pacuare. It was at a medium high level. Six of us paddled the raft with Fabio Coto, our river guide. He appreciated our skills and we were able to do all kinds of moves. We thought it took more energy than paddling kayak. Juliet, Joe, Daniel, and Mike kayaked. We stopped for a Tico lunch on the river. At the end of the day, we were somewhat sore from sitting on the raft.
12/10: We packed up and went to paddle the Pejibaye today. It is more like an eastern river with eddies and not so many wall shots. I think I loved kayaking this river best of all. There was a small alcove behind some rocks and we did some roll practice. I had wanted to try an off-side roll with Juliet so was glad for the opportunity. She gave me some tips and then asked if I wanted to try it myself first so I did…and came up like a pro. She suggested that when I practice rolling I roll once on each side. I did another successful roll, two sloppy ones, and then ended with a great roll before we left.
Then it was time to drive back to San Jose and share a good-by dinner. The entire trip was a raging success and we had such a good time. I think as a result of this trip our boating will be better at home too. It was a real confidence builder. In two years Chuck will have a major birthday. Maybe we can go back…
