Have List, Will Travel

Where Do We Go From Here????

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer."
Unknown

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and instead celebrate the journey"
Fitzhugh Mullan
 

On my list - Zip-ling in Costa Rica

 

As soon as I finish one vacation, I start planning my next.  There is no down time between planning and going and then planning again, except enough time to unpack and wash the clothes.  I'm 67 years old, and who knows how many more years of good health my husband and I have to travel.  So my philosophy is - go, go, go.  And my list of places and things I want to do, is there to help me decide what is next. 



Sea Turtle At Totuguera NP

So our next trip is booked, and the deposit is paid.  Still have a few loose ends to tie up.  Airfare for one.  We have looked at what the company we have booked through charges for airfare, and now I am looking online and into consolidators, to see if I can get it for less.  Since I have most of my mileage with United I was trying to get my flights through them, to add on some miles, but it looks like American Airlines is going to be best for this trip, so will sign up for mileage with them, and may even get their credit card for the year, to get their bonus mileage, and then drop it before the annual fee comes due.  I have United's card already, and I refuse to pay two fees.

 

So, where are we going now?  We've decided to head south.  First stop is Costa Rica.  We will fly to San Jose, spend one night, then head to Tortuguera National Park, which is on the Caribbean side of the country, and is famous for the sea turtles.  We will spend 2 nights there at the Mowamba Lodge.  Our stay there will include several canal boat tours into the Tortuguero canals, and also a trip over to the Butterfly and Frog farm.

 

Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake

From there we go to Arenal, which has an active volcano and Arenal Lake.  It is also famous for its hot springs, and I have opted to upgrade and stay at the Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs Hotel.  This will give us access to the hot springs for our 2 night stay.  The resort is just below the volcano, with views straight up to the volcano.  We will be able to go on a nature hike through the jungle there, which includes hanging bridges.

 

Monteverde Cloud Forest is our next stop, and this is where I plan to go zip-lining.  If you check my list, you will see that it says - Costa Rica, go zip-lining.  So this is where I will zip-line through the forest, with eighteen platforms suspended above the ground, I will be able to glide through the forest experiencing what it is like to be an inhabitant of the Cloud Forest Canopy.  We also have a hanging bridges treetop walkway tour set up.  We spend 2 nights in Monteverde.

Walking on a hanging bridge through the Cloud Forest

 

Resort we will stay in Tamarindo

Then on to the Pacific coast.  We spend 3 nights in Tamarindo at a resort right on the beach.  This is our time to relax and hang out at the beach.  Do some snorkeling, take a sunset cruise, and just refresh ourselves for the next part of our journey.  Because from here we go back to San Jose, and catch a flight to Manaus, Brazil in South America.

 

Amazon Clipper on the Amazon River

Manaus is the gateway to the Amazon River.  We will spend two nights in Manaus at the Tropical Hotel which is on the banks of the Amazon.  We arrive late the first night.  The next morning we will have a city tour which will include the famous Amazon Opera House, which was inaugurated in 1896. And we will have time to explore the area and enjoy our resort. The next morning we will depart on the Amazon Clipper for a 3 night Amazon River Cruise.  The cruise includes canoe trips into some of the tributaries as well as guided hikes into the jungle.  The Amazon Clipper only has 15 cabins, so we will be a small group on board.

 

Rio de Janeiro

From Manaus we head to Rio de Janeiro.  We actually spend 2 nights in Rio, but since we are arriving fairly late at night the first night, and leave early the 3rd day, we actually only have one full day in Rio.  That was okay with me, it will be interesting to see, but it is a big city and was not high on my list of places to see.  I have set up a tour for the day which will show us the main highlights of the city and will take us up to Corcovado and Sugar Loaf mountain, for views of the city from above.

 

Iguassu Falls with a rainbow

Our final destination is Iguassu Falls (also known as Iguazu Falls).  On my list of things to do is a visit to these falls during the full moon and take the Moonlight Walk.  The walk is only on the two nights prior, the night of the full moon and the 2 nights after the full moon.  I have timed my arrival to coincide with the full moon, and plan to take that walk while there.  We are actually spending 3 nights here.  Our first two nights will be at the Sheraton on the Argentine side.  The Sheraton is the only hotel inside the park, and we have a room with a falls view.  We plan to explore the different paths around the falls, and to take a boat trip below the falls.  We then transfer back to the Brazil side of the falls and stay one night at the Das Cataratas Hotel, which is the only hotel inside the park on that side.
 



Iguassu Falls

From the falls we fly home.  It will be a long trip - 23 days.  Its a long time to be gone, but I'm looking forward to another adventure.  We aren't leaving until early 2015, which really isn't too far away.

 

So, how are we getting from place to place, and how is the trip set up?  I have booked almost the entire trip through a company called Avanti Destinations.  This is an independent trip, we will not be with a group. 

 

In Costa Rica we have transfers set up from destination to destination.  Some are private transfers, which means they will have a car and driver take us to our next stop.  Some are shared transfers, which means we could be on a small bus or in a van, and there will be a few other people going to the same destination, but maybe staying at a different hotel.  Once at each destination I have set up activities, which we can easily get to from the resorts, but we will be on our own.  Breakfast comes with the hotels, but in most cases we will be on our own for other meals. 

 

Manaus, Brazil, on the Amazon River

We do fly from place to place in Brazil.  But we will have transfers set up to take us from the airports to the hotels and then back to the airport.  Once at our destination, we will be on our own, but again I have things set up  though Avanti, for us to do, such as the city tour in Rio, and a guided tour of the falls, and the boat trip up to the falls from below.  I have not yet set up the Moonlight walk, will do that with a direct booking through the internet. 

 

We did opt to book our own hotel in Rio.  The hotels they offered through the package were around $400 a night, and I have Best Western rewards.  I was able to get a Best Western hotel right on Ipanema Beach for a lot less.  The hotel looks nice, I'll get the points, and save a little money.  Since we are splurging on hotels at the falls, I felt this was a good plan.  

 

So now we have a new adventure to look forward to.  I'm reading up on both locations, through the internet and also with tour books that I have purchased.  I make notes of places that look interesting, to check out, restaurants to eat at, and things that I might want to purchase.  And I get excited about going.  I almost want to pack my bags now.  Planning is part of the fun.

 

And already in my mind is, where do I go next.  After this trip I'm thinking Australia, New Zealand, or maybe instead, Viet Nam and Cambodia.  Who knows, its a big world out there, and I only have so much time left to explore it.