Now we're in America - bumpy start in the land of Ticos

After family time and this time Christmas at home, thanks to Toni who drove us to Munich Airport at 6 am, we started our journey to Costa Rica.

The check-in and security checks (plus security questions) went smoothly and once we arrived at the gate, it was time to board our first stop in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The flight was smooth and the food was okay (according to Thomas, it was good and plentiful, probably because of the chips they served for breakfast 😝).

Arriving in Charlotte, we went through immigration and already noticed that things are a bit different than in Europe. In the long line, no phones or cameras are allowed, but a 5-year-old still managed to bring some joy by loudly exclaiming in beautiful Bavarian dialect, "Now we're in America!"

After a few questions about our plans in Costa Rica, our stay in Charlotte, and our occupations, nothing could stand in the way of our evening in the small town and airport hotel.

We ended the evening with an exploration of the city, dinner, and went to bed relatively early since it would have already been the middle of the night in Germany. The night before was also relatively short, and we didn't want to start our vacation tired 😉

We still felt the time difference, so we were already wide awake at 6 am and decided to do some exercise before the next flight.

The flight from Charlotte to San José was delayed, but we still arrived safely and relaxed. The luggage was there as planned, and we could make our way to the car rental station. We've never gotten from the plane to the remote station with luggage so quickly. Hats off!

The pick-up caused us some uneasiness because we got a "regular" car instead of a four-wheel drive, and most people here don't have insurance in case of an accident... Oh well...

So we ended up with a Toyota Yaris that already shows some signs of use, indicating that the roads here are a bit wilder 😅

We spent the first night in San José (the capital of Costa Rica) and explored the downtown area, which overwhelmed us with its noise and impressions 😂

And so the vacation can begin, the next day (Sunday) we set off to Quepos (Pacific coast) to explore the area and visit Manuel Antonio National Park.

Full of hope and adventure, we started our journey, but just 20 minutes later, it came to a halt 😂 Toll booth, no cash, and the employees didn't speak English. Didn't we just talk about getting cash because everything can be paid with Visa (spoiled Germans...)

So we reversed and parked in front of the toll booth, thinking the lady would signal that she's calling someone....

Well, minutes later we thought we would try to convince her with our last Euros... apparently she realized that we are a hopeless case and let us pass (by the way, the toll wouldn't even have been 50 cents...). But now our car won't start 😂

We tried many times to get the car running again, but it seems the battery is dead. So we called the car rental for help, but then the next problem arose - where are we actually 😂 thanks to the toll booth employees, that problem was quickly solved too.

So we had to wait for the service and hope that he would bring a new battery.

He didn't have a new battery, but he installed his own in our car so that we had some more security. The only problem left was the RPM gauge that wasn't working, and he told us to wait because it would "recover" eventually.

Well, we can all imagine the skepticism behind that explanation, but actually... after some driving time, the gauge recovered and eventually started working again 😂. After another stop in front of the next toll booth and turning around to find cash, we finally made it to Quepos for our first stop in Costa Rica.

The accommodation (Tabulia Tree) is a bit closer to Manuel Antonio but within walking distance to Quepos, so we spent the rest of the day and evening exploring the surroundings, enjoying cocktail happy hour, and having dinner at the nearby restaurant. We already got to experience the heat and humidity that will probably accompany us for the next 2 weeks. It's a good thing it was still cloudy, hard to imagine how much we would be sweating under a clear blue sky. And yes, we can immediately confirm Christin's tip with the travel hairdryer. The clothes stay wet.

The next day (Monday) was supposed to be the trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, but during breakfast, we realized that we had chosen the only day when the park is closed - well - there are always alternatives, so we decided to drive along the coast to another national park that looks like a whale fin 😊

Once we arrived, we first looked for a guarded parking lot (tip from the travel guide) and were surprised by the ankle bracelets at the entrance. We've never seen anything like that before 😀

We walked along the beach for several hours, enjoying the view, the peace and quiet, and the sand under our feet (and finally, we were sweating profusely again 😅). Luckily, it was still relatively cloudy, so it wasn't even hotter - these are good problems to have...

On the way back, we stopped at a cafe by the river and shared a bowl that immediately convinced us. That's how it can continue!

To beat the heat a bit and relax, we laid by the pool at our accommodation to cool down.

And then it suddenly happens - a pack of white-faced capuchin monkeys invades all the pool-goers and steals bananas from the bartender 😂 it's pure chaos and everyone can't help but laugh. As quickly as everyone put their belongings in a safe place and pulled out their phones to capture it all. Amazing! This is as close to nature as you can get on a trip.

After the monkey attack and a refreshing shower, we enjoyed our dinner at the port of Quepos with a view of the sea and the yachts.

The last day of the year finally took us to Manuel Antonio National Park. Full of curiosity about the animals and nature, we took the bus all the way to the end (for less than a dollar for both of us) to start the visit with many onlookers.

The park is the most famous in Costa Rica, and of course, we wanted to see one thing - a sloth 🦥

We decided against a guided tour because this is supposed to be the park where you can still explore the wildlife by yourself. We spent about 4 hours exploring and found all sorts of monkeys (always in groups and like a raid), Halloween crabs, a frog, and other critters. In addition, there were plenty of sweat, beautiful beaches, and viewpoints, so there was something for everyone.

Just as we were on our way back from the park and both of us were already a bit tired, the big moment finally came - a sloth 🦥.

Hanging along the tree and with many cameras pointed at it.

Moving in slow motion (it's almost tiring to watch) but occasionally glancing at all the onlookers, which we could see through their smiles.

This is because sloths have 8 breast vertebrae, which allows them to turn their heads 180 degrees and always have a smile on their faces.

They immediately won us over!

So that we would arrive at our next destination (Monteverde - the cloud forest) while it's still daylight, we promptly continued driving around noon. We still weren't entirely sure about the road conditions at the end of the route because we read everywhere that we should have a four-wheel drive there - which we obviously don't have 😂

But as luck would have it, there are also moments when we get lucky, and the road was actually paved 2 weeks ago! Unbelievable! The route was still challenging due to steep and curvy roads, but we're glad we made it here and can start the new year in this place.

With a great view and already some New Year's greetings from home!