.August 2011.
Hola Chicas!
Welcome to the bumper August 2011 edition.
We've only done about three things of note this month, but they take up a bit of space, or at least one does.
And just to keep you on your toes, we are doing it in reverse order this month. Mainly because our graphics editor put all the pics in backwards. But I guess it doesn't matter that much.
So, this month we have some beach time, some fitness stuff and a bit of a holiday with pics included.
Beach Time
So, we ended August with a few trips to the beach. One day Michelle and a friend took the kids out to Rum Point for the day where they spent their time playing the water, in the trees and generally having fun. Meanwhile Michelle worked on the tan and kept the fluids up using the occasional Mudslide.
Another day we all headed to Governor's beach and had a relaxing day watching the kids run around and make lots of noise annoying the odd unsuspecting tourist who had ventured out looking for a nice quiet afternoon in the caribbean sun.
A new form of beauty treatment
Dave went in all three races last year when Michelle and the kids were back in NZ. Both Michelle and Dave entered this year but only for the 2nd and 3rd races.
Luckily for Dave, the first leg of the swim was downhill.
Michelle being a better than average swimmer blitzed Dave in the swims and pretty much kept the same pace in the runs, so the chances of Dave catching her were slim to none.
Still, they both enjoyed the event and improved on previous years times. Michelle even placed in her age group, which was a fairly competitive bunch. Dave placed as well...near the back!
Pre-race nerves. Someone dropped a clanger...
Phew!
Michelle clocks in after the run
More pics from around Cayman Click here!
Touch Rugby
The Summer Touch League draws to a close shortly.Just last night our team managed to convincingly thrash the top team (8 - 5) and secure 3rd place in the league with finals day being the end of the competition for 2011. Michelle currently leads the table in the Women's Top Try Scoring stakes, but there are others lurking who could overtake her given the opportunity.
The finals are being held in a week's time so we'll bring you the results of that in September's offering.
Sam dragged Dave out for a dive last weekend. They headed across the road to Don Foster's and did a shore dive from there. It was a nice quiet dive with plenty of fish about. Sam was a bit wary of the big crab that they spotted
To see more cool dive pics - click me!
Travel ReportCosta Rica!
(sdrawkcab)
Lo and behold, this guy found us! We were sitting at the pool drinking said beer(s) when this dude rocks up looking for Michael and Dave (this was a common theme during the tour). We corrected him regarding Michelle's gender and made plans for him to pick us up the next day and take us surfing. And that he did, in his rickety old piece of.... (you know what I mean) with surfboards strapped on.
He took us to a beach where the waves were relatively small, and the noise of the Howling Monkeys in the trees was relatively loud.
Amit was very good and had us all standing up in no time. Next we took the boards to the water and tried to do the same there... with mixed results.
He called each one of us 'Lovely' e.g. "Lovely Sam, your turn!", "Lovely Michelle, lean forward!", "Lovely Jake, great work!" and even "Lovely Dave, you're awesome!"
But he soon had us getting up for most waves, even though they were in the wash and we had lots of fun.
Jake had chicks falling all over the place
After lunch we went out again. The sea was a bit rougher by that stage and our successes of the morning were soon a distant (wiped out) memory. We'd all had enough for the day so headed back to the pool for the requiste number of cervesas by the pool.
Sam shows us how its done
Hola Chicas!We've only done about three things of note this month, but they take up a bit of space, or at least one does.
And just to keep you on your toes, we are doing it in reverse order this month. Mainly because our graphics editor put all the pics in backwards. But I guess it doesn't matter that much.
So, this month we have some beach time, some fitness stuff and a bit of a holiday with pics included.
Time to get on with the show!
Beach Time
So, we ended August with a few trips to the beach. One day Michelle and a friend took the kids out to Rum Point for the day where they spent their time playing the water, in the trees and generally having fun. Meanwhile Michelle worked on the tan and kept the fluids up using the occasional Mudslide.
Another day we all headed to Governor's beach and had a relaxing day watching the kids run around and make lots of noise annoying the odd unsuspecting tourist who had ventured out looking for a nice quiet afternoon in the caribbean sun.
A new form of beauty treatmentActive Stuff
Over three wednesdays in August, the Annual Stroke and Stride series is held just down the road from our house. It's a series of Swim/Run races - hence the name, Stroke and Stride. The first race is a 400m Swim and Two Mile run. The second is a 600m swim and a two mile run. The third and final race is an 800m swim and a two mile run.
Dave went in all three races last year when Michelle and the kids were back in NZ. Both Michelle and Dave entered this year but only for the 2nd and 3rd races.
Luckily for Dave, the first leg of the swim was downhill.
Michelle being a better than average swimmer blitzed Dave in the swims and pretty much kept the same pace in the runs, so the chances of Dave catching her were slim to none.
Still, they both enjoyed the event and improved on previous years times. Michelle even placed in her age group, which was a fairly competitive bunch. Dave placed as well...near the back!
Pre-race nerves. Someone dropped a clanger...
Phew!
Michelle clocks in after the run
More pics from around Cayman Click here!
Touch Rugby
The Summer Touch League draws to a close shortly.
The finals are being held in a week's time so we'll bring you the results of that in September's offering.
Sam dragged Dave out for a dive last weekend. They headed across the road to Don Foster's and did a shore dive from there. It was a nice quiet dive with plenty of fish about. Sam was a bit wary of the big crab that they spotted
To see more cool dive pics - click me!
Travel ReportCosta Rica!
(sdrawkcab)
Si! We managed to slip out of the country and make a break for the unchartered hills, lakes, volanoes and beaches of Central America's Costa Rica.
During the last few days of our trip (told you it was backwards) we visited the surf village of Mal Pais. As part of the deal we had Israel's ex-National Surfing Champ Amit Londner to give us a bit of a brush up on the ins and outs of surfing.
Trying to find him was a challenge because when we did the booking, we were never told who he was or what company he worked for. Our Hotel Manager had no idea either. So we did what most people would do, sat by the pool and had a beer.
During the last few days of our trip (told you it was backwards) we visited the surf village of Mal Pais. As part of the deal we had Israel's ex-National Surfing Champ Amit Londner to give us a bit of a brush up on the ins and outs of surfing.
Lo and behold, this guy found us! We were sitting at the pool drinking said beer(s) when this dude rocks up looking for Michael and Dave (this was a common theme during the tour). We corrected him regarding Michelle's gender and made plans for him to pick us up the next day and take us surfing. And that he did, in his rickety old piece of.... (you know what I mean) with surfboards strapped on.
He took us to a beach where the waves were relatively small, and the noise of the Howling Monkeys in the trees was relatively loud.
Amit was very good and had us all standing up in no time. Next we took the boards to the water and tried to do the same there... with mixed results.
He called each one of us 'Lovely' e.g. "Lovely Sam, your turn!", "Lovely Michelle, lean forward!", "Lovely Jake, great work!" and even "Lovely Dave, you're awesome!"
But he soon had us getting up for most waves, even though they were in the wash and we had lots of fun.
Jake was in his element.
Jake had chicks falling all over the placeAfter lunch we went out again. The sea was a bit rougher by that stage and our successes of the morning were soon a distant (wiped out) memory. We'd all had enough for the day so headed back to the pool for the requiste number of cervesas by the pool.
Sam shows us how its doneThe next morning we went out again. The conditions and tide were much better and we had a pretty good time practicing what Amit had told us. In fact he had come down and sat hidden in the trees watching us. We met him on the way back and he said we were all doing pretty well.
Michelle shows off by riding one all the way in
Dave shows everyone how the pros dismount
We had to take a ferry to get to Mal Pais. The trip over was fairly non-eventful until we got to the destination Port to see one of the older ferries looking a bit worse for wear.Funnily enough, when we came to go back a few days later, we were sitting in the ferry terminal waiting for the ferry, with the sunken ferry in full view while they played "Titanic" on the TV! Luckily we had a few cervesas to calm the nerves before getting on the ferry when it arrived (a storm was brewing as well). By that stage Kate Winslett and Leonardo Di Caprio were dangling from the vertical ship just before it plunged back into the icy sea below.
And once on the ferry, the electical storm kicked in...
Hmmm...this is right next to the ferry terminal
There was plenty of excitement on the Ferry trip!
We were recommended a resturant while in Mal Pais. Las Piedras, as the sign says, was the sh*t! It was a very relaxed and laid-back BYO place that cooked all of the meat on racks over a big open fire pit. The food was awesome - both in quantity and taste. Dave and the kids went for the ribs while Michelle had beef. It started hosing down outside while we were there, so we battened down the hatches, opened the fridge a few more times and rode out the storm. If you ever happen to visit Mal Pais, eat here. You won't be disappointed.
Another place we ate at was Cafe Zula, an Israeli resturant in Mal Pais. You may notice a bit of an Israeli theme here. In fact all over Costa Rica there are plenty of Israelis settling there. Most of them in the tourism/hospitality industry. It is so common that a lot of the menus and signs are written in Hebrew, Spanish and English. Again, another lovely mediteranean style meal.
Sunset in Monte Verde
Before heading off on our three hour drive to catch the ferry to Mal Pais, we spent a few days up in the mountains. Monte Verde was the destination. It was a lot cooler up in the atitude, but still comfortable.
One thing you miss when living Cayman is the hills. Costa Rica has plenty.
While in Monte Verde we did plenty. Quad biking filled in one afternoon. Probably not the most environmentally friendly thing to be doing in a rain forest, but lots of fun! In fact we didn't really spend much time in the rain forest at all. It was mainly farm land on the outskirts. We did have fun tearing it up in the mud and stuff though!
Look out!
We did a night tour while in Monte Verde. A guide took us into the forest and showed us lots of animals, insects, bird, reptiles, arachnids and amphibians.There were a bunch of us creeping around in the dark with our guide seeking out the various critters for us all to see and take photos of.
This is a Viper
(coming to Vipe your vindows!)
Sam wasn't especially pleased to meet this guy
This is a Rhinoceros Beetle (funnily enough).
(Megasoma elephas)
We found a Hummingbird 'area' in the Rain Forest. There were hundreds of them all hanging about the little feeding stations that had been placed there. There were pretty cool - and very tiny!
Humming Birds (they didn't know the words)
At the end of the Zip Lining at Monte Verde they have a Tarzan Swing. You get strapped on and then leap out into the air and swing way out over the trees. It was quite a hair raising event but a good one to finish the zip lining with. See the video at the end!
We had dinner in the "Tree House" resturant one night in Monte Verde. It actually has a big tree in the middle and the resturant part is upstairs in the branches. We had quite a good time there sampling their wares and keeping the cocktail waiter busy.
Speaking of food. There was a little Cafe just along from our hotel that we popped into one day to see if they would be open for breakfast the next day (as the breakfast in our hotel was pretty average at best). The lady who ran the place was very nice and said no they weren't but would open up for us if we wanted. We wanted. So we did and it was very nice. She just cooked whatever we wanted. We got her to open up on the following day as well. So there's another place we recommend - The Orchid Cafe (close to Jardin de Orquideas) , Monte Verde.
Prior to Monte Verde we were in our first main Port of Call in Costa Rica, Arenal. Sitting at the bottom of an active volcano was always on my top ten list of things to do. And that's exactly where our hotel was. It was very nice though. Nice views, resturant, bar, hot pools, cold pools, water slides, frog enclosure, Butterfly cage, Ant farm, crocodiles, turtles, horses and Howling monkeys in the trees out the back. The volcano never erupted while we were there.
Some of the Howlers that seemed to hang around making lots of noise.
Yeah, well...enough about that.
While in Arenal we had our first taste of Zip Lining. Up we went on a cable car to a spot several hundred metres up in the sky (see photo below). From there we were hooked on to little flying fox type contraptions and sent out into the wild blue yonder. The first line had a drop of some 600 feet and certainly set the scene for the rest of the morning. Jake went first - strapped to a guide. Then Dave went, clinging on for dear life, but made it across unscathed, and even managed a peak out to the left, and the right...and then down. Holy toot, that was a long way down!
We were hoping to get some videos uploaded so you can see what it was like. We will continue to try and get those to you. If we don't, there is one on Dave's Facebook. Link is:
Sloth Impression
The Volcano at Arenal with a bit of steam coming out
A couple of trendy looking frogs
The Three Fingered Sloth (Bradypus infuscatus)
They even stopped halfway down the river for a break where we were treated with fresh Pineapple, Watermelon and Papaya. Then it was back onboard for the final hour or so of the ride.Once finished we were offered a cervesa which was duly accepted and then bussed to a resturant for lunch, which was a nice touch.
To see all of the rafting pics, click here!
More evidence of the Israeli influence in Costa Rica
The Toucans were huge!
OK, we are almost at the start of our Costa Rican Holiday! It's cool in rewind aye!
After arriving at the airport in San Jose ("Do you know the way to San Jose?" Just imagine Burt Bacharat or whoever it was playing this tune in the background) we were met by a Driver and a mini bus/van who drove us to our destination. We did have to have a comfort stop en-route to stock up on Cervesas and vino.
In fact all of our transfers were by van with our very own driver. It was hassle free, comfortable and cheaper than renting a car - so therein lies a tip for wouldbe travellers to Costa Rica.
We should add that on the way back from Costa Rica we stopped in Miami for a spot of shopping. Well, it was more like a really large blob, not a spot. Any space in our suitcases was soon taken up with new 'essential' clothes and the like.
It was nice to finally get back home to Cayman after a very busy trip. Rice and Beans for breakfast was wearing a bit thin anyway. The only bummer was that we didn't get to catch up with Brodie & Joe and Simon, Marianne and James (all from the BVI) who just happened to be in Cayman while we were away.
Some more Costa Rica pics available here! Click me!
For more Costa Rica pics, click here!
For even more Costa Rica pics - click here!
Video
Don't forget to watch the Tarzan video below!
Michelle shows off by riding one all the way in
Dave shows everyone how the pros dismount
We had to take a ferry to get to Mal Pais. The trip over was fairly non-eventful until we got to the destination Port to see one of the older ferries looking a bit worse for wear.
And once on the ferry, the electical storm kicked in...
Hmmm...this is right next to the ferry terminal
There was plenty of excitement on the Ferry trip!
We were recommended a resturant while in Mal Pais. Las Piedras, as the sign says, was the sh*t! It was a very relaxed and laid-back BYO place that cooked all of the meat on racks over a big open fire pit. The food was awesome - both in quantity and taste. Dave and the kids went for the ribs while Michelle had beef. It started hosing down outside while we were there, so we battened down the hatches, opened the fridge a few more times and rode out the storm. If you ever happen to visit Mal Pais, eat here. You won't be disappointed.
Another place we ate at was Cafe Zula, an Israeli resturant in Mal Pais. You may notice a bit of an Israeli theme here. In fact all over Costa Rica there are plenty of Israelis settling there. Most of them in the tourism/hospitality industry. It is so common that a lot of the menus and signs are written in Hebrew, Spanish and English. Again, another lovely mediteranean style meal.
Sunset in Monte Verde
Before heading off on our three hour drive to catch the ferry to Mal Pais, we spent a few days up in the mountains. Monte Verde was the destination. It was a lot cooler up in the atitude, but still comfortable.
One thing you miss when living Cayman is the hills. Costa Rica has plenty.
While in Monte Verde we did plenty. Quad biking filled in one afternoon. Probably not the most environmentally friendly thing to be doing in a rain forest, but lots of fun! In fact we didn't really spend much time in the rain forest at all. It was mainly farm land on the outskirts. We did have fun tearing it up in the mud and stuff though!
Look out!
We did a night tour while in Monte Verde. A guide took us into the forest and showed us lots of animals, insects, bird, reptiles, arachnids and amphibians.
This is a Viper
(coming to Vipe your vindows!)
Sam wasn't especially pleased to meet this guyThis is a Rhinoceros Beetle (funnily enough).
(Megasoma elephas)
We found a Hummingbird 'area' in the Rain Forest. There were hundreds of them all hanging about the little feeding stations that had been placed there. There were pretty cool - and very tiny!
Humming Birds Before we found the Humming Birds we spent the morning Zip Lining in the Monte Verde Rain Forest. There were about 14 lines for us to travel down/across. Some short and some really long. The longest was about a kilometre across and Michelle screamed the whole way. We know this because Dave and Michelle had to go across that wire together and Dave couldn't block his ears because he was hanging on to his rope as they zipped across the gap way above the trees and even further above the ground!
They made it across unscathed however and then waited for Sam to come across. Jake had already come over with a guide. Sam eventually made it over. There were three girls all strapped together, along with a guide. They didn't quite make it and had to pull themselves hand-over-hand the last 50 or so metres.
We had dinner in the "Tree House" resturant one night in Monte Verde. It actually has a big tree in the middle and the resturant part is upstairs in the branches. We had quite a good time there sampling their wares and keeping the cocktail waiter busy.
Speaking of food. There was a little Cafe just along from our hotel that we popped into one day to see if they would be open for breakfast the next day (as the breakfast in our hotel was pretty average at best). The lady who ran the place was very nice and said no they weren't but would open up for us if we wanted. We wanted. So we did and it was very nice. She just cooked whatever we wanted. We got her to open up on the following day as well. So there's another place we recommend - The Orchid Cafe (close to Jardin de Orquideas) , Monte Verde.
Prior to Monte Verde we were in our first main Port of Call in Costa Rica, Arenal. Sitting at the bottom of an active volcano was always on my top ten list of things to do. And that's exactly where our hotel was. It was very nice though. Nice views, resturant, bar, hot pools, cold pools, water slides, frog enclosure, Butterfly cage, Ant farm, crocodiles, turtles, horses and Howling monkeys in the trees out the back. The volcano never erupted while we were there.
Some of the Howlers that seemed to hang around making lots of noise.
Yeah, well...enough about that.We did a horse trek one day and went up the hill behind to get a better view of the volcano. Jake seemed to really enjoy having his own horse and wanted to do it all again in the next place we went. Michelle's horse was a bit of a nag and spent most of the trek at the back, which was a good thing really because man could that horse fart! I don't know what they were feeding it, but could've flown up the hill had they managed to harness that gas!
While in Arenal we had our first taste of Zip Lining. Up we went on a cable car to a spot several hundred metres up in the sky (see photo below). From there we were hooked on to little flying fox type contraptions and sent out into the wild blue yonder. The first line had a drop of some 600 feet and certainly set the scene for the rest of the morning. Jake went first - strapped to a guide. Then Dave went, clinging on for dear life, but made it across unscathed, and even managed a peak out to the left, and the right...and then down. Holy toot, that was a long way down!Sam was next (on her own) and managed to pull up short by about 20 metres. There she was, dangling like a wet tea bag with the tops of the trees about 300 feet below her. She thought it was fun and did the sloth impression and pulled herself the rest of the way.
Michelle came whizzing in next to a spectacular stop just short of the tree, and shaking like a leaf!
The longest line was 760m and the speeds we got up to over all lines ranged from about 30 to 80km/hr depending on the length and slope. It certainly felt pretty quick!
There was a 78 year old granny doing the zip lining as well. There was no way we could chicken out after we saw her!
The longest line was 760m and the speeds we got up to over all lines ranged from about 30 to 80km/hr depending on the length and slope. It certainly felt pretty quick!
There was a 78 year old granny doing the zip lining as well. There was no way we could chicken out after we saw her!
We were hoping to get some videos uploaded so you can see what it was like. We will continue to try and get those to you. If we don't, there is one on Dave's Facebook. Link is:
Brace yourself!
The Volcano at Arenal with a bit of steam coming out
A couple of trendy looking frogs
The Three Fingered Sloth On our first full day in Costa Rica, we went White Water rafting. It was mostly brown water since it was raining in them thar hills. We were picked up from the hotel and taken to the start point. We had our own raft and a guide (which was a good move) and away we went. It was a Level 2/3 river which was ideal for the kids. There were some really good rapids and the kids had a ball...until Carlos managed to tip us all out and Sam thought she was about to slam into a big rock which was coming up fast. Dave happened to be floating a little ahead of her and pulled her away from 'percieved' peril.
They even stopped halfway down the river for a break where we were treated with fresh Pineapple, Watermelon and Papaya. Then it was back onboard for the final hour or so of the ride.
To see all of the rafting pics, click here!
More evidence of the Israeli influence in Costa Rica
The Toucans were huge!
OK, we are almost at the start of our Costa Rican Holiday! It's cool in rewind aye!
After arriving at the airport in San Jose ("Do you know the way to San Jose?" Just imagine Burt Bacharat or whoever it was playing this tune in the background) we were met by a Driver and a mini bus/van who drove us to our destination. We did have to have a comfort stop en-route to stock up on Cervesas and vino.
In fact all of our transfers were by van with our very own driver. It was hassle free, comfortable and cheaper than renting a car - so therein lies a tip for wouldbe travellers to Costa Rica.
We should add that on the way back from Costa Rica we stopped in Miami for a spot of shopping. Well, it was more like a really large blob, not a spot. Any space in our suitcases was soon taken up with new 'essential' clothes and the like.
It was nice to finally get back home to Cayman after a very busy trip. Rice and Beans for breakfast was wearing a bit thin anyway. The only bummer was that we didn't get to catch up with Brodie & Joe and Simon, Marianne and James (all from the BVI) who just happened to be in Cayman while we were away.
Some more Costa Rica pics available here! Click me!
For more Costa Rica pics, click here!
For even more Costa Rica pics - click here!
Video
Don't forget to watch the Tarzan video below!
See you all soon for the September offering!!
