Our First International Mini Reunion
The Republic of Costa Rica
May 20-26, 2015

Hosted by Rick Carpenter and Diane Smith

A Quetzal -- what would have been the national bird of Costa Rica if Guatemala had not claimed it first.

PURA VIDA!!!*

* A phrase that you will hear and see everywhere in Costa Rica is “Pura Vida”. The term “Pura Vida” has been present in Costa Rica's vocabulary for over 50 years.
It's English translation means “pure life” or “simple life", however its more then just a phrase - it is a way of life.

In addition to it being our first international Mini Reunion, it was the longest Mini in terms of duration and distance traveled by most attendees. More over, our muy gracious hosts (Rick Carpenter and Diane Smith) created the most event-filled Mini to date with outdoor adventures and dining experiences that were over the top in terms of quality and quantity. The location of Ojochal de Osa on the Pacific Coast in the southwestern province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica was totally captivating. The views from Rick and Diane's casas on the mountain side (they own two and are building a third casita) were incredible.

Who attended?

Rick Carpenter & Diane Smith (The host and hostess with the mostest) Jane Benson
John & Betsy Davis
Craig & Karen Kennedy
Dee Gleason Stinson & Bill Evans
Penn & Margarida Williamson
Phil & Carol Wright

"Officially," the Mini started on Wednesday, May 20 and wrapped on Sunday, May 24th. However, Jane Benson arrived the Friday before (exploring and birdwatching in the northeastern area of the county), some of us were still in Ojochal on Tuesday morning, and Craig and Karen Kennedy were continuing to explore the country for a week afterwards.

PRELUDE
Sunday, May 17 to Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Unofficially, the author considers that the Mini began on Sunday night, May 17th with the Davis, Kennedy, and Williamson couples all checking into the Pura Vida Hotel in Alajuela near the San Jose Costa Rica airport (that's SJO, not SJC, for you aviation geeks). At the recommendation of Bernie, owner and our host at Pura Vida, we took a taxi to a unique and fantastic restaurant called C-Vichito y Mas. Regrettably, TripAdvisor says that as of January 2016, it is closed. Nevertheless, here some pix of the remarkable vitals in which we indulged:

At 8 AM the next morning, we all hopped into a very comfortable van for a guided day trip to see the Poas Volcano National Park

and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

That evening we took Bernie's recommendation for another of his favorite restaurants, but regrettably we were not any where near as impressed.

The next day (Tuesday) , after managing to stay as much out of central San Jose as possible, we all headed down the Pan American highway for a night at about 8,500-feet altitude in the Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge in the lush San Gerardo de Dota area.

The next morning, we all continued down the mountain roads to our respective accommodations in Ojochal.

Wednesday May 20th
The "Official" Kick-Off Dinner

With all attendees having arrived in the area, Rick and Diane started the festivities by hosting a bounteous and delicious kick-off dinner at their original mountainside home, Casa Ylang Ylang.

It seems we were all too busy chatting, eating, and drinking to take any pictures that night. So, you will just have to use your imagination to visualize 13 people all around the fantastic surroundings shown above. Not to worry. Many people-pictures follow.

Thursday May 21st
Beach Party Lunch; Hotel Cristal Ballena for dinner

The day started leisurely with us heading to the Villa Leonor Restaurant at the Ballena Beach Club for lunch and an ocean swim. Rick talked his buddy Cliff into opening this closed-for-the-season restaurant just for our motley crew. After placing our lunch orders, we took the short walk to the beach where we enjoyed the bath-water-warm Pacific Ocean for an hour or so. Then it was back to the restaurant for lunch, consisting of local specialties such as Pescado Ballena (whole red snapper steamed in Banana Leaves on the BBQ), and Pinchos (Shish Ka-Bobs) of either Calamares (squid) or Camarones (shrimp).

After lunch, a former-flower-child friend of Rick's described her experiences after relocating from Oregon to a much more primitive Costa Rica back in the 70's and 80's. Fascinating!

Although barely having recovered from the massive quantities at lunch, we had dinner at the Pura Vida Restaurant (not to be confused with the Pura Vida Hotel ... but it was confusing) in the luxurious Hotel Cristal Ballena . It was after dark when we arrived, so we regrettably missed the exquisite view shown below ...

... but dining on the veranda was a most memorable experience.

Friday May 22nd
Seirpe River Tour; Cocktails at Casa Tusca; Dinner at Exotica

In order to arrive in time for the 8 AM start of our Sierpe River and Mangrove Wildlife Tour, we had to leave Ojochal by about 6:30 AM (!). But it was well worth it. During the unhurried tour, we saw a macaw or two, families of three different types of monkeys, a type of boa snake, a few caymans (small crocodiles), a huge crocodile, iguanas, and much other flora and fauna.

After the boat tour, it was time eat ... AGAIN!!!

Based on a recommendation from Rick, the Davis, Williamson, and Wright crews decided to band together and rent a three-bedroom casa through VRBO with en-suite bathrooms plus two half baths ... and a fantastic swimming pool on a HUGE chunk of beautiful land: Casa Tusca. The Australian owner lived next door, and was a most accommodating "landlord". The setting was so fantastic that the ladies of our group decided that they just HAD to host a happy hour at the casa prior to that evening's dinner.

The local flora practically arranged itself. Actually, it did take a little effort from the ladies ... but the results were remarkable, as you can see.

Courtesy of the Kennedy's, one of the highlights of the gathering was being treated to a specialty cocktail for the evening: Craig's Grapefruit Martini

And here is the recipe: Craig's Grapefruit Martini

• Superb Vodka *

• French pink grapefruit liqueur from Vom Fass

• Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice to taste

• Grapefruit twist (for garnish)

• Ice

* Yeah, the picture shows Belvedere vodka. But John & Betsy's daughter works for Campari America, who owns SKYY Vodka. Buy SKYY!!!

From Karen:

"We had just made up this drink when we acquired the grapefruit liqueur a few weeks before the Mini. I don't measure the ingredients, and in CR we had to substitute grapefruit soda for juice and an orange twist for the grapefruit twist."

(No instructions as to whether it should be shaken or stirred.)

Dinner that night was at the Exotica Restaurant, the #1 restaurant in the Ojochal area (according to Trip Advisor). It definitely lived up to its reputation. According to Rick, the restaurant only has two burners on its stove, so they could only prepare food for about a half a dozen people at a time. Hence, we had split our group in two "shifts". The late shift kept themselves well occupied with adult beverages so the wait was never even noticed.

Saturday May 23rd
Nauyaca Waterfalls; Dinner at Casa Los Loros

Again, reveille came quite early in order to make the 6:45 AM departure to our next adventure. This day the event was a Horseback Tour to Nauyaca Waterfalls.

The horsemanship experience of our group covered the range from pure novices to horse owners. As expected, the trail and the horses were well suited to the less experienced (thank goodness!).

Stopping for lunch, about halfway to the falls

The multi-tiered waterfall was amazingly beautiful ... with a 1,000 square meter natural pool at the bottom ... quite suitable in temperature for swimming and depth for diving. However, no one in our group quite got up the nerve to do any "cliff diving". Rick Carpenter and Karen Kennedy claimed they were just ready to go do it when the guides said it was time to leave (that's what they said, and they are sticking to it).

For dinner that evening, the location shifted to Rick and Diane's other property: Casa Los Loros. Like Casa Ylang Ylang, this venue featured an exquisite view of the Pacific Ocean from even larger veranda. In a move where Rick topped all the preceding events, he managed to extort renowned Chef Alfred Hoffman (of White Plains, NY, and Dusseldorf) out of retirement especially to cater our Mini Reunion. He and his wife, Donna, prepared a tantalizing assortment of antipasto for cocktail hour followed by a three-course dinner (all in accordance with the printed menu provided at each place setting). We were further entertained by a magical night-time lightning storm out in the ocean. What a magnificent evening.

Sunday May 24th
Boruca; Dinner at Bar y Restaurante Terraba

This morning we luxuriated in being able to sleep in a bit. That is, we did not have to depart for the day's adventure until the more reasonable time of 8:30 AM. And here are some of our ladies gathering for departure.

As Carol is so tactlessly pointing out, someone didn't read the memo on ladies' uniform of the day. Or was it that the Call Boy didn't announce it loudly enough???

Anyway, the destination was the village of Boruca inhabited by an indigenous tribe with roots back to before the Spanish conquistadors. The drive to the area made clear why Rick had recommended we all get 4WD rental cars. At one point, the route took us along a ridge line with incredibly steep drops to either side of the rocky road (and we’re not talking about ice cream).

Once at our destination, tribe member Harol Frasser and his mother Lourdes gave us a demonstration of the mask carving and the weaving for which the tribe is so well known. We all did our share of supporting the local economy with the souvenirs we purchased.

As a thank-you gift to our hosts, Rick and Diane, we all chipped in to buy this mask for them.

For dinner, we headed to yet another "roadside attraction" (the Bar y Restaurante Terraba) for a casual evening of food and beverage. (Come to think of it, saying "casual" and "Costa Rica" is redundant.) Hmmm ... can't find any pictures. Guess our forefingers were totally worn out from all the previous pictures taken.

Monday May 25th
Canopy Tour (for two); The Greatest Left-Overs Dinner ever!

At Sunday dinner, Rick advised John Davis that the nearby Osa Canopy Tour (a/k/a zip line) that Rick thought was closed was in fact open. Based on the need to depart for the tour at ~7:15 AM, Betsy firmly declined joining her husband. But Karen Kennedy was definitely up for the adventure ... but Craig was not. As it turned out, John and Karen were the only two people signed up for that morning's tour. So there were two guides for two guests ... navigating the 9 zip lines, 2 suspension bridges, 2 repelling stations, and a "Tarzan" swing. Spectacular!

That evening, Rick and Diane invited all those remaining back to their casa for prodigious quantities of leftovers from Thursday and Saturday nights. Also, Diane was adamant about depleting the over-supply of vino that had accumulated ... much of it from the bottles contributed by the attendees. (Doing so was NOT a problem.)

...Rick and Diane breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to enjoy a reduced level of chaos and cat herding ...

Tuesday May 26th
Back to San Jose (for many)

With the Wrights and Dee/Bill already departed, the Williamson and Davis crews (with Jane as a passenger) headed back to the Pura Vida Hotel near SJO for one "last night in the wilderness". On the way, they stopped for lunch at the El Avion Restaurant in Manuel Antonio. The restaurant is unique in that it is the current home of one of the two Fairchild C-123 cargo planes bought by the CIA during the Iran-Contra Affair. The fuselage of the plane is now a bar/pub for the restaurant.

The Kennedys set off on their further explorations of Costa Rica ... which began with white water rafting on Rio Sevegre with Rick, a visit to a remarkable waterfall and pool along the Portalon River, and dinner the Citrus Restaurant in Ojocahl. (Oooo ... wish we had not had to leave so soon!)

Shortly thereafter, as Craig and Karen headed off for further adventures ...

EPILOGUE

Although our time in Costa Rica was technically in the "Green Season" (a/k/a the RAINY season), we lucked out in that rain did not significantly interfere with any of the activities that Rick and Diane planned. Mornings were typically gorgeous, with occasional showers in the late afternoon or evening. (On the other hand, those of us who stayed at the Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge and/or drove back to San Jose through an incredibly intense (though typical) afternoon "monsoon" might have a slightly different viewpoint.)

It was quite impressive to watch ourselves come out of our comfort zones and adjust to life with only ceiling fans instead of air conditioning, long (sometimes slippery) paths with major changes in elevation, driving on some roads that stretch the definition of unpaved, navigating a country without street numbers and few road signs, driving up/down hills that seemed almost vertical, etc. In spite of these challenges, the Mini was an absolutely extraordinary cultural adventure.

If you think you see a lot of references to restaurants above, you are RIGHT! Our gastronomic experiences were epicurian delights.

Again, multitudes of thanks to Rick and Diane for all of their efforts which made this first international Mini such an incredible experience.

PURA VIDA!!!

ADDENDUM

In 1963, Craig Kennedy and 2 college buddies drove from California to Panama City in a '49 Chevy. As they drove into San Jose, they saw the Volcano Irazu erupting. In Craig's words:

"Three 'extremely stupid' college students decided to drive up to the top and walk down into the volcano. Why we survived must have been an act of God, certainly not attributable to any intelligence on our part." Here are some of the images from the event.

So as the sun sets, we say hasta la vista to the gorgeous and splendiferous Costa Rica ... and a truly great Mini Reunion.