beckyandrick

[beckyandrick]

Cycling lately…small towns, big churches and crazy hills!

I’ve done much more cycling in Costa Rica than I did in Boston thanks to the Stamina triathlon team (and the weather of course!).

I love seeing more of where we live on 2 wheels, even if it means climbing some crazy mountains (1.5 years and haven’t found a flat route yet!).

Some weekends I’m with the team, others I’m solo and it’s often those solo rides where I notice life going on in the small towns, the panaderías, the soccer games and the beautiful landscape.

The cute town signs are one of my favorite things:

And the views make those climbs worth it!

Thanks to the Stamina team and here’s to many more climbs, views and adventures!

[beckyandrick]

Best friends…keeping the connection alive countries apart ❤️

Kai and Eliza became close friends soon after we moved to Boston and she started school. As both are the ‘only child’ in their families they seemed to bond in a special way and it was the hardest goodbye as we moved to Costa Rica. We have been planning for a while a way to get them together and let Kai show Eliza her new life with monkeys and sloths in Costa Rica. So soon after my college friends flew out in January, Eliza’s family arrived and we took off again for La Fortuna but this time with a kid friendly itinerary.

First stop…zip lining. A must do in Costa Rica. But instead of the longest, highest zip line in Central America that I took my college roommates on we opted for more of a family friendly option. Still plenty of adrenaline for this crew!

After the zip line we checked into The Springs in Arenal and didn’t leave again until the weekend was over. So much to do on the property which makes it super easy for families! The girls loved the hot springs, monkey slide, river tubing and horseback riding.

We couldn’t let them leave CR without seeing a few sloths so we wrapped up the weekend with a sloth tour.

So happy these two got to make new memories together!

[beckyandrick]

Zip lines, hanging bridges, sloths, waterfalls, river tubing, hot springs and a volcano…New Year, New Adventures with old friends. ❤️

The day my parents flew out after Christmas, a group of college friends flew in. After a relaxing holiday with my family, this adventure was fast and furious! We packed in as much Costa Rica as they could handle in about 4 days and it was amazing!

I was the official tour guide for this adventure so we took off from our house in San Jose and headed 3 hours to La Fortuna where the Arenal volcano and all the adventures were waiting.

We headed straight for the highest zip line in Central America. I promised the girls amazing views of the Arenal Volcano and the Arenal lake as they zipped through the trees…but all we got was rain and clouds. Ah, the unpredictable rain forest. At least that gorgeous lake and beautiful volcano showed themselves a bit as the sun set.

After a fantastic dinner in La Fortuna and a good night’s sleep we were ready for day 2 of adventures…a drive to Rio Celeste for a hike and river tubing. Rio Celeste is absolutely magical. The water is this amazing chalky blue and local legend is that God washed his brushes in the river after painting the sky. We had a blast tubing, rope swinging and leaping into the chalky blue river with an incredible guide.

Day 3 was waterfall rappelling, hanging bridges and a relaxing evening at the hot springs. We adored our guide for the waterfall rappelling and had a blast!

Evening hot springs after a packed 2 days of adventures…just what we needed!

And on day 4 it was time to head back to San Jose. But not before a sloth walk!

We stopped along the way at a local ‘soda’ (small restaurant serving local food) and had an incredible view!

So thankful for more than 2 decades of friendship with these girls. Loved being able to share our new home with them, have an epic adventure and make new memories. ❤️

[beckyandrick]

Christmas in the Sand

Colbie Calliat is one of my favorite musical artists but somehow I only recently heard her 2012 Christmas song ‘Christmas in the Sand’…and I’m a fan. As she says… ‘I love Christmas in the snow…but Christmas in the sand is where it’s at’. ;).

This year our holiday season was a mix of sun/sand and a classic NYC Christmas.

Our annual Thanksgiving trip with great friends to Turks & Caicos always kicks off the holidays. We have stayed in a house on the same bay for the last 5 years (except that darn 2020 year) and love what has become a tradition creating memories as the girls have grown.

It’s also my favorite place in the world to open water swim. So much flat, shallow, warm water!

The girls have gotten more adventurous as they’ve gotten older so cliff jumping and tubing has now become favorite activities…for all of us!

Once we got home, it was time to get the tree up. I love lights on the tree at night during Christmastime. ❤️

Our next adventure was a New York City Christmas weekend. First a good friend was getting married in NYC and then Kai made her Christmas list this year with a request for ‘experiences’ from mom and dad (while of course still keeping some toys on the list for Santa). One of her experience requests was to go to the American Girl store in NYC. Perfect…two reasons to go so we booked it!

Such a fun surprise when we told Kai only two days before we left. 😁 I have never been to NYC in the holiday season and absolutely loved running through Manhattan to check out the sights!

Grandma came along too and helped to make it a fun ‘Christmas experience gift’ for Kai and all of us with the American girl store/doll salon, the slime museum, and a Cirque du Soleil holiday show.

And of course our friends’ wedding was beautiful! Gizem and I met while we lived in Nigeria back in 2011 and have had great adventures together in Nigeria, Turkey, California, and Boston so I was super happy to be able to be there for her big day!

New York weather was pretty mild for this time of the year but after a rainy chilly last day in the city we were ready to get back to warm Costa Rica! My parents arrived for their second Christmas here and Kai was super excited to be with her grandparents. At 75, I really appreciate any time I get with them and am so grateful that they have been able to experience two Christmases here with us.

After Christmas in our home we drove out to Guanacaste for a few days at the beach. Morning mountain bike rides, beautiful sunsets and lazy days. Just how I like my ‘Christmas in the sand’. ;)

It really was a special holiday season. We are so lucky to get the time with great friends, adventures in so many wonderful places and time with our families. Love to all!

[beckyandrick]

Thankful.

With all that is going on in the world, this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the opportunities we have had as a family to live in and appreciate different cultures, countries and experiences.

I am especially thankful for the international community that our daughter is getting to be a part of through her school here in Costa Rica. Each year they celebrate ‘United Nations Day’ with a parade in traditional dress from the countries they were born in or have connections to.

Such an incredible opportunity to see the world through your friends at such a young age.

They give me faith that they really will make the world a better place. (Sound on) ❤️

[beckyandrick]

2nd Halloween in Costa Rica

Last year we had just moved into our house and weren’t sure what Halloween would look like in our new neighborhood and country. Halloween decorations are hard to find as most shops are already decked out for Christmas so we assumed Halloween wouldn’t be a big thing. But we learned that some neighborhoods go all out and ours is one of them! After running out of candy too quickly last year we stocked up this year!

But first Kai had a Halloween family night at school. The schoolyard was all decorated, the high school kids put on a haunted house (which Kai wanted nothing to do with after trying it last year and bailing in tears halfway through..) and the teachers gave out candy. Super well done.

Kai went as Kai Brightstar, a character from the Young Jedi Adventures and I decided that since my hair is looking more like Cruella Deville every year I might as well embrace it! ;) Rick went as himself and our photographer. ;)

Halloween night started out super rainy (Sept-Oct is the peak of the rainy season) so we weren’t getting many trick or treaters initially. So we went for a drive in our neighborhood and she happily hopped in/out of the car to trick or treat in the rain. Surprisingly there were many families braving the rain with umbrellas and rain gear. Anything for candy on Halloween!

Our housekeeper, Lilliam, said she hadn’t seen a Halloween night like the one in our neighborhood and happily took over candy distribution while Kai did her own trick or treating.

The rain slowed down and the stream of trick or treaters became constant. So much fun! Even Ashe loved it! Except for the kid dressed as a shark who wanted to pet him…Ashe backed away as quickly as if it were a real shark. 😂

After 3 hours we gave out our last piece of candy and called it a night. Guess we will need even more candy next year! Thanks Costa Rica for great Halloween memories #2!

[beckyandrick]

10 years later and across an ocean…watching a solar eclipse

The shadows of today’s eclipse diffused through the leaves of the trees. Super cool.

10 years ago we got to see a smaller partial eclipse in Nigeria. As I looked up the photos, I was surprised to see it was almost 10 years to the date, November 2013.

This morning’s eclipse in Costa Rica was more complete than the one we saw back in Nigeria. Kai was super excited and we spent the morning preparing our DIY viewing tools.

And it began! As the moon almost completely covered the sun, it definitely got darker and cooler.

I think the shadows through the trees were my favorite. Fun memory for Kai!

[beckyandrick]

A bit of Bali and Jamaica in Costa Rica for CR triathlon #3

Many people have told us that Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean beaches of Limón on the east coast of Costa Rica are their favorite. And we can see why. There is definitely a different vibe…a bit of Bali with a laid back yoga vibe and a bit of Jamaica flair.

Last weekend we took a quick trip for my 3rd triathlon in Costa Rica and the first one with the whole family. We could have picked a different beach every day for a week and not been bored. The race was on Playa Negra, a beautiful black sand beach and we spent the afternoons before and after the race on Playa Punta Uva with white sand and super warm, calm, clear water.

The race (Ticoman…the coolest name!) was my favorite yet! The laid back vibe began at packet pickup, in a jungle on the beach.

The swim was super calm and the water was 89F/32C. I think I would have overheated if I swam much farther!

I loved the bike course…flat and fast with gorgeous scenery

The run was super hot but also super pretty along the beach…with a few spots along the route actually on the sand. Tough. Thank goodness for a sweet coworker who doused me with icy sponges a couple times along the course. One of my favorite things about races in CR…the great spectator/team support!

The finish was off road through the jungle along the beach!

And then the best part according to Kai…a sloth climbing in the tree over our heads during the award ceremony, looking down on the giant replica sloth. Amazing!

I’ll definitely do this one again and hopefully stay longer next time to explore more beaches and the national parks nearby. A new favorite spot in our adopted home. Pura Vida!

[beckyandrick]

Costa Rica bucket list - see mama sea turtle laying eggs…check!

Okay, it sounds cheesy but it was magical. Truly, it was. A pitch black night on the Caribbean Sea, only the light of the moon lighting the beach as the ‘turtle spotter’ told our guide she had a mama green sea turtle nesting so we could make our way to her nest by the light of a red flashlight.

Strictly no photos allowed so this is a stock google photo but it’s essentially what we were lucky enough to see! The only difference was the light was red to better protect the turtles. Costa Rica does an amazing job conserving nature and this was no exception. We had a slot between 8-10pm, with a trained, licensed guide, had to wear dark clothing and remove all smartwatches that could shed light and scare the turtles. Once the turtle spotter (trained by the National park) confirmed that mama had dug her nest and was beginning to lay eggs we could move in close enough to to watch. Apparently as she lays the eggs, nature takes over, she is in a trance like state and observers don’t disturb her. But any strange lights, colors or movement while she is preparing can send her back into the ocean and risk the hundred or so eggs she is about to lay so the National park rules are appropriately strict. After she deposited her eggs those powerful fins covered the eggs and sprayed us all with sand even as we moved a good 10+ feet away. Part of the experience! Wow.

We just returned from a quick 2 night weekend trip in Tortuguero…on the eastern side of the country and only a short 30 min flight from San Jose. We opted for the flight vs the 4 hour drive + 1.5 hour boat transfer. Tortuguero is considered the ‘Amazon of Costa Rica’ and is only accessible by boat or plane. It was Kai’s first small plane (that she remembers…she did a couple in the Philippines) and she loved it! Said ‘I didn’t want it to end!’ It’s gorgeous to be able to watch the landscape below from a prop plane.

The landing strip was seemingly tiny between a river and the Caribbean ocean. Thank goodness these pilots know what they are doing! Loved the ‘terminal’…more like a semi-abandoned building. Our ‘taxi’ to the hotel was a boat. And that began the weekend on the water.

Our first night we did a night walk, with notable sightings of a tarantula and poison frogs. This is why you go with a great guide! 😳

Day 2 was River/canal safari day. We spent hours back in the canals searching for animals and found an alligator, a caiman, toucans, a turtle, iguanas, monkeys and plenty of other birds. Our favorite part was a canal with water so black and calm it became a mirror. As Kai said ‘it looks like everything is holding hands…I just don’t want to know what is living under the water!” Same, kid, same.

Admittedly then we took a nap so we could be awake for the 8-10pm turtle tour (thankfully we didn’t get the 10pm-12mn slot!). Amazing!

This morning we got a gorgeous sunny morning at the pool before we flew back to San Jose. I think we wore her out. Sleeping through a turbulent, rainy flight on a 12-seater small plane is a skill!

[beckyandrick]

Costa Rica Triathlon #2!

Last weekend I did another solo road trip for a triathlon. This one was much more uneventful since it was only 90 min from home so no adventures in EV charging this time. ;)

The race was in Puntarenas and nearby Caldera had been in the news all week for strong waves forcing road closures. So I wondered the impact that would have on our swim … and soon found out.

The morning of the race was beautiful with blue skies after tons of rain the day before. But the race start was delayed by 45 min to wait out high tide. My wave went out and there definitely were some crazy currents but nothing swimming in New England oceans hadn’t prepared me for. But officials determined it was safer to cancel the swim for the next wave, the longer distance, so my wave was the only group to experience the wild ride. ;)

The bike and run was flat and fast with a looped course so easy for spectators and there was a ton of support on the course.

I’ve been lucky to find a triathlon team here that has been super welcoming and supportive, even dealing with my poor Spanish (working on it!). I told the team I felt like a professional triathlete out on the course as they chased me down with icy sponges and water!

Super fun day and an age group win! (Benefits of getting to the old lady division…less competition!). Looking forward to CR tri #3 in a few weeks!

[beckyandrick]

Cycling weekend, but make it family!

I’m definitely guilty of signing up for races as an excuse for weekend trips to cool places across Costa Rica. So that’s exactly what Gran Fondo New York - Costa Rica edition a few weeks ago was all about…a perfect excuse for a family weekend trip to La Fortuna which has quickly become one of our favorite spots.

Volcano and lake views, hot springs, zip lines and plenty of Rick’s favorite, Gallo Pinto. Something for everyone!

Kai even got to do her first solo ride on the ‘big’ zip lines. We have a spot with smaller ones nearer to our house that she had done alone but the last time we had been to La Fortuna she was still too small to go alone so rode with a guide. It surprised her when they sent her off alone on the first one and there were some tears when she didn’t quite make it all the way and had to be towed in on the first one, but by the time she got to the last one (‘big daddy’…the longest one in the park) she was all in. Wheeeee!

Then Sunday morning I took off with around 1,000 or so other cyclists for a 92k/57mi ride. This was the shorter route of two options and non-competitive. Plenty for these legs on Costa Rican mountain roads!

It still kinda blows my mind that on a Sunday morning, only a few hours from what we now call home, I can do a ride through a jungle with volcano and lake views. Unreal! Super grateful to be here and experience this incredible country with my little family! Pura Vida! ❤️

[beckyandrick]

Friend visits!

One of the best parts of living in Costa Rica is that it’s a great place to visit so we have gotten to spend time with good friends despite living far away.

Loved having my college friend, Christie and her family visit us on either end of their Costa Rican vacation. The kids had a ball in the pool, with Ashe and on bikes/scooters in the neighborhood.

Soon after, our Boston neighbors came to visit. Kai and Thayer had become good buds during our time in Boston, playing together in the backyard and doing pizza nights on our roof. So fun to reconnect, together with ‘baby Shep’ in Costa Rica!

We decided to go to La Fortuna together and the kids had an epic weekend with Arenal volcano views, a sloth sighting, countless runs on the ‘monkey slide’ water slide, River tubing, horseback riding and outdoor rock wall climbing. All in a weekend!

Loved making new memories and having new adventures with old friends! Looking forward to many more!!

[beckyandrick]

Rio Celeste…nature is unreal!

So the weekend after the triathlon back in April we took Grandma on an adventure. After all, she had flown down to help me with Kai so I could have an adventure so she deserved one of her own. :)

I had heard that Rio Celeste was a ‘must see’ in CR, and importantly a spot to check out during the dry season as the rain can dilute the amazing light blue color. So with rainy season officially beginning in May, we took advantage of the last weekend of April to check it out.

The incredible light blue color happens when two mineral rich rivers fed by a local volcano combine, creating diffusion and a color that looks like the paintbrushes from the sky were washed in the river (a local legend). It’s really unreal.

We started our weekend with a nature hike and treetop bridge tour where our amazing guide spotted a sloth…with her baby! ❤️

The next day we toured the river, including a super steep hike to the most stunning blue waterfall. Grandma handled it like a pro!

We wrapped up our weekend playing in the river. I think Kai has become spoiled with CR nature when she decided she wasn’t interested in the swimming pool…she just wanted to hop boulders in the river! ❤️ Costa Rica, you are stunning!

[beckyandrick]

Happy Pride!

Today was so much fun! Kai and I got the chance to join the San Jose pride parade with a big group from work.

Bubbles, a DJ, great costumes, amazing energy, and plenty of candy, chocolate and water kept Kai fueled through the entire parade…all 3 hours of it!

Super proud to support the LGBTQ+ community in our own small way and to be a part of an amazing day!

[beckyandrick]

First CR triathlon…first solo road trip…and a little added adventure of figuring out how/where to charge my car with the assistance of some kind helpers. ❤️

I’ve found a great running/triathlon team here that has embraced the gringa. ;) So I’ve been excited to do my first triathlon in Costa Rica…and then I realized that it was the same weekend that Rick would be on an annual fishing trip, so competing would mean driving myself…for the first time outside of San José…for 3.5 hours to the beach…and then figuring out the charging network for my electric vehicle. Hmm.

I sat on the decision for a couple weeks…and then signed up. Figured if I had paid the $, I’d have to figure it out! So grandma to the rescue…she flew down to stay with Kai and I packed up the car.

I got lucky with a gorgeous day and a great stretch of new highway to the beach. And I knew I was as heading in the right direction when I pulled up behind a van with about 15 bikes on top. Step 1…get there, solo. Done!

So I found my Airbnb, got my race packet and figured I should charge my car so I didn’t worry about it the next day as I headed home after the race. You see, I decided to buy an EV as we moved to CR, but I had yet to drive it outside of San Jose since Rick always drives his car for road trips. So I had never charged my car outside of our garage. Hmm…adventure #2…

Easily found the first charger right near packet pickup…no luck. For some reason it doesn’t seem to recognize my car, despite a very kind American man trying to help me. No problem…I find another charger in my app and head to the next town north. After talking my way into the hotel where it was located with my limited Spanish…again, no luck. But the sweet men pictured above must have pushed every button trying to help. Hmm. Okay, no problem…headed to the next town south. At this point I’m getting a tour of Guanacaste I hadn’t planned on, but I have time and still plenty of charge, so Pura Vida! Third charger…in front of a hardware store in a small town…it works! But will take 8 hours. Oh my…not exactly where I thought I’d spend my beach weekend pre-triathlon. So I message my Airbnb host who mentions a new charger back near where I am staying, which is not yet in my app. Success! I plug my car in and head to the beach to see where we will start the swim in the morning and to watch the sunset. I’m feeling quite accomplished…and I haven’t even done a triathlon yet!

Post sunset, I retrieve my (fully charged, whew!) car and head to dinner with my team. Ready for step #3 of the weekend…the actual triathlon!

Ready…swim, bike, run, done! So much fun. In the US, triathlon rules prohibit spectators from assisting athletes in any way. But here, every team had a tent and volunteers with water, ice, sports drink and would cheer on and chase down their teammates with whatever they needed! The energy was amazing!

After the rest of the team finished their longer races I grabbed breakfast (gallo pinto, typical CR breakfast, never tasted so good!) and got on the road back home to San Jose.

Just the weekend I needed. Out of my comfort zone for sure but I’ll admit I felt pretty proud of myself for just doing it.

Thankful for grandma for coming down to be with Kai, Rick for leaving me thoughtful notes of encouragement and my coworkers who were on call if I got myself into trouble on my first solo road trip in a new country. Pura vida!

[beckyandrick]

First school year in Costa Rica…done. It went so fast!

From tears and fear to calling this her favorite school (of 4 so far!), from not speaking any Spanish to having full conversations (😳 jealous!), and from feeling uncomfortable in a new country/culture to feeling like home.

I always hoped that someday if I was able to have a child that they would be a citizen of the world. Dream come true. Filipina-Tica ❤️

[beckyandrick]

Semana Santa and Spring Break adventures

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a big deal here. Similar to the Philippines, also a predominantly Christian/Catholic country, almost the entire week of Easter is a holiday. It’s the peak of high season for the beaches and we were warned that it would be crazy on the coasts, but quiet in San Jose, so we opted to stay close to home and wait for the Easter Bunny ❤️ and then venture out to the beach the following week for spring break.

We started off Easter weekend with a road trip. We had heard that the crater of the Poas Volcano was gorgeous, although due to fog, difficult to see. And sure enough…when we arrived we were in the middle of a giant cloud. So we went for a hike and came back to the crater just as luckily the clouds cleared and we saw the gorgeous milky blue of the crater lake.

That afternoon we booked our first coffee farm tour. Costa Rica is known for amazing coffee and farm tours are a popular tourist activity so we checked out the Starbucks farm near Poas and weren’t disappointed. The farm was gorgeous, lunch was great and we had fun learning about harvesting coffee on the tour. Kai even liked it! (Although she said the coffee tasting was ‘gross’). 😉

The next day we went to Parque Diversiones (an amusement park) with another family. We had been a couple months back with my work for family day and Kai had been dying to go back. A holiday weekend when most are out at the beach was a great time to be there and walk on most rides. Kai got brave and did the roller coasters…and loved them. Watch out for Cedar Point this summer when we visit Ohio! 😳

Saturday morning the streets of San Jose were a ghost town as the entire city seemed to have emptied toward the beaches. So I asked my triathlon coach to help me plan a reasonable route (one without crazy elevation…I’ve learned there is nothing flat here…there is elevation and then there is insane grade/straight up…). I’m loving getting out to explore on my bike. Feels like I really get to see more of the country up close from my bike. Many little towns have the cutest signs in the town square. I’m starting to collect photos of my bike with the cute town signs. ;)

After the Easter bunny arrived Sunday morning and Kai tracked down all the eggs in the yard we took off for Guanacaste (the main/popular beach area). We booked a few days in a planned town/development called Las Catalinas and loved it! Beautiful beach on a cove, all walkable streets, and mountain biking with incredible views!

I was toward the end of training for my first triathlon in Costa Rica and this was the perfect spot to mix workouts with family beach/pool time. It even had one of the most unique gyms I have ever seen on the beach. Flintstones? :)

Kai even got in on the workouts and did an open water swim with me out to a platform in the middle of the cove. Go little person! The beach club pool had a great view as well. I did get a few laps in one morning while Kai sat at the end saying ‘mommy, are you done yet, can we play now?’ ;)

It was a great mix of family time, workouts, beach and pool. We’ll be back for sure!

So, first Semana Santa in Costa Rica in the books and checked off a few more spots on our ‘must see Costa Rica’ list!