(Dec 14, 2000 - Feb 23, 2001)
Short Version
Got back from North East Asia Dec 14. We spent Xmas playing cards, watching DVD's & putting together our photo albums. We spent 2 days in Niagara Falls, 2 weeks in Costa Rica & Louise spends 3 weeks in the UK (her favourite trip thus far!). Next is Thailand et al for 4 months departing Feb 24. Talk to ya then . . .
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Dec 14-Jan 1: Back to KW (Brett's parent's place). Unpack, do laundry, put albums together (12 days), play lots of cards (which for Lou means lots of reading), bit of Xmas stuff in the middle
Niagara Falls
Jan 2/3: Two day package to Niagara Falls ($119 for 2 nites, 2 breakfasts & 1 dinner). The breakfast coupons are for $23 at Denny's (s/b enough to feed an army) but the Denny's in Niagara Falls charges $12.99 for their cheapest breakfast!! (so we split a meal & had lotsa orange juice). The falls were nicely frozen over & the Xmas lights were still up! The hotel was excellent (pool, movies, whirlpool) & we had a great time.
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Jan 4-7: Go mad trying to book a last minute trip (aren't we supposed to be able to get great deals this way??). We're on hold a lot, get busy signals a lot, our 1st choice cruise is sold out & our 2nd choice doesn't go this week. Agents promise to get back to us but don't, in the end we pay $950+tax+200 to extend a week (not the kind of deal we were expecting!) for an all-inclusive package to . . .
Costa Rica
Jan 8-15: Costa Rica week1: At a resort on the Pacific Coast (Allegro Papagayo). The resort was beautiful, the food was passable & there were lotsa activities (archery, shooting, horseback riding , kayaking, volleyball, excellent broadway style shows & a giant connect-4 game!!). We went scuba diving twice & I saw my first manta ray (20' wide with a giant mouth!). We saw sharks, sting rays & lotsa big fish (but the visibility & coral were crap). We walked down one coast (the resort is on an isolated bay so we could go forever without seeing much civilization), kayaked down the other coast & took a wild ATV tour. Since our tour rep was useless we arranged our own tour to Palo Verde Natl Park seeing crocodiles & tons of birds & then to see a 6' leatherback turtle lays its eggs in the sand!! (with 30 other people, at nite, with one piddly redlight flashlight - but it was still awesome).
Jan 15-22: Costa Rica week 2: On our own to Rincon de la Veija ("Old Woman") Natl Park, Arenal Volcano & the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The latter is right in the clouds which gives it unique flora/fauna & the rare quetzal bird. We went on canopy tours (zip lines from tree to tree), horseback rides, waterslides thru the jungle, 1mph roller coasters thru the forest, day hikes, nite hikes, guided hikes & aerial hikes. We saw toucans (yes they really exist), parrots, monkeys (boy did we see monkeys!), snakes (which reminds me; what's the most scared you're ever seen your wife), tarantulas, coatis (Costa Rican raccoons), giant rats, an armadillo & tons of weird stuff on the nite hike. Food & accommodation was good but not cheap, the roads are potholed fill pathways to hell (that's why car rental is extortionate) but the scenery was nice. We loved the many brilliant sunsets & the wild terrain which varied from desert to rain forest to bubbling mud pools. But the highlight (of any trip) was Arenal volcano. It constantly flows lava which at nite is visible as a red glow flowing downhill like a river. Unfortunately clear nites are a rarity, but the glimpses we saw were amazing!
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Jan 23-Jan 30: Louise in England (I guess moving to England isn't as good as actually being in England!). Brett in tears daily (not just from missing Lou either, my parents are away for a week so now I have to cook!).
Feb 1-5: Lou still in England (having the time of her life!). Brett calls Louise periodically (since he can't find stuff without her). Mom decides now is the time to drywall & paint the living room. Brett feels so used!
Feb 6: Brett calls Lou for her birthday. Unfortunately Lou was expecting a little more (eg. a gift, flowers or even a card). Brett in doghouse for a week.
Feb 7-13: Lou still in England. Brett's list of to do items has dwindled down to editing the camcorder tapes from past trips (a job so unrelished by us that we've stopped taking a camcorder on our trips).
Feb 14: Pick up Lou at the airport. Shower her with valentines gifts (I don't make the same mistake twice!).
Feb 15-Feb 23: Relax, finish the travel arrangements for our next trip.