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Welcome to Yondering

Odessa Airport Shuttle?

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After clearing customs, I walked down a short chute, into the terminal proper. I retrieved my bag, and since it was close to midnight, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting anywhere else I could exchange money, I broke my own rule, and exchanged some at the airport. And I remembered vividly why I made that rule for myself. I walked down into the main section of the terminal, it looked more like a bus terminal in San Jose California than an airport terminal,

but I was greeted by a friendly gentleman, speaking broken, but understandable  english, asking if I had a cab, pushing his card into my hand, and helping lift my bag as he ushered me out of the door. He was GOOD!!! Before I could speak to another soul, he had me to a fairly new Mercedes, my bag in the trunk and squeezing me in the front seat. He introduced me to the driver, and asked my hotel name. I told him, and he translated it to the driver. Then he informed me it would be 200 US Dollars for the ride in from the airport. That’s when I got out of the car. We dickered and haggled for a while, and settled on 75 dollars. At the time I was there, that was around 2000 Hryvnia.  Thats the local currency. I thought I had dickered well, and off I went. I found out when I got my ride back to the airport that it should have been about 15 Dollars. Like I said, He was GOOD!!!! So, if Oleg offers you a ride at the Odessa airport, in a 3 or 4 year old black Mercedes sedan, my advice is to PASS!!! Find another car, offer 10, and settle for 15. They love american money….

Adventure, Relaxation, Travel, Vacation, Welcome to Yondering

Beautiful Tropical Ukraine????

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Yes, Beautiful Tropical Ukraine!! Odessa is known as the pearl of the Black Sea, and it deserves its moniker…

While it is more than a little distance from my normal Tropical vacations, Odessa, Ukraine, actually is quite a tropical location. Palm trees, warm breezes off the warm Black Sea waters, and skimpy bathing gear as far as the eye can see. No wonder all the Leaders and Ranking Military of the USSR had their Dachas here….

Why Ukraine? Firstly, because I’d never been there. Never even been that side of the “Pond”, as the British put it. It is something new that I wanted to see. Second, I like to combine my love of the tropics with another love of mine, History. Yes, that capitol H is intentional. I enjoy seeing, reading, and being historical. (Some friends might change that spelling to hysterical, but that is another story altogether.

Here in the US, we have some History, but most of it is not much more than 250 years old. Ukraine has churches that are a thousand years old. The catacombs under Odessa are older than that.

So, a good place to go if you like History.

Before I set out, I thought I should do my best to try to learn at least some of the local language. At least how to find a restaurant, or even a bathroom. What I found after arriving is that the worst part of visiting Ukraine isn’t any difficulty communicating. The people are friendly,  and if you have any Russian language skills at all, (can you say Da? ) they will nearly fall over themselves trying to show you their English skills, (whether they have any or not!! )  🙂

As I live on the west coast of the US, the flight was long. Very long. I didn’t want to spend too much of my vacation on a plane so I paid for a one stop flight, with as short a layover as I could get. In so doing, I also had to take off from a Major international airport. (For some reason we don’t have many international departures at the airport here in southern Oregon.) So, I drove to San Francisco. I could have paid for a flight to get there in just over an hour, but I figured I would save money and have more to spend when I got to Ukraine. (Note to self: Next time calculate parking fee!!) The parking fee for the 10 days I left my truck at SFO would have covered the flight from home to San Fran……

At least my first flight was only 16 hours. From SFO to Istanbul, Turkey. Then a short layover, and a hop to Odessa. Total travel time, just  under 20 hours. Not too bad for a trip just about halfway around the world. And I flew Turkish Air. I didn’t even know there was a Turkish airlines, but the service was good, the seats comfortable, and lots of movies and games on the seatback video console for entertainment.

Next? Finally arriving in Odessa…..

 

Adventure, Fishing, Travel, Vacation, Welcome to Yondering

Jungle Tarpon Lodge, and they DO mean JUNGLE!!!

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I had been dreaming of fishing the Caribbean, and catching a big Tarpon since I was a small boy.

At seven years old I got my first subscription to Field & Stream magazine, and had kept it by getting renewals for birthday presents until I was in my early twenties.  Adding such great magazines as Salt Water Fisherman, Fly Fishing, and In Fisherman rounded out my library throughout the years.

A Marlin Grand Slam is on my bucket list, as well as catching a bonefish on a fly, but what I really dreamed of was a big Tarpon. One hundred plus pounds of muscle, rocketing into the sky, shaking its head to try to throw the hook, hearing its gill plates rattling. That was a recurring dream throughout my teens and twenties. Then I moved to Montana. Go figure…….

But now I had my chance. Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is famous for many things, including lots of big Tarpon. I booked my fishing trip online, at the Jungle Tarpon lodge. The reviews were great, lots of pictures of big fish, and the running commentary on fish recently caught nearly made me drool…..  But I still had to get there.

The lodge manager and guide, Angelo,  IMGP2706JunTarLodAngWebwould meet me at Cano Blanco, and take me the rest of the way by boat. The first 3  hours went just as planned, then I got to Siquerres, for the last 32 miles of my drive. Lets just say I was glad I was driving a rental.

After a LONG…. drive, I got to the docks. From here its a boat to the Lodge.  Jungle Tarpon Lodge….. as in deep in the….. About 20 more minutes with the throttle wide open, in a 20 foot center console Boston Whaler got us to the lodge.  Lunch was served, My room was ready, and I settled in. IMGP2697JunTarLodWebNot much else to do but fish. The ad was right. It is truly the JUNGLE Tarpon lodge. No tv, no wi-fi, no radio, Nada. Zip. Zilch. So, we went fishing!

And the fishing was GREAT!

More next time……..

 

Adventure, Fishing, Road Trip, Travel, Vacation, Welcome to Yondering

The Road Less Traveled…..

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After Baldi, I was ready for the next leg of my journey.

I’d be fishing the Caribbean, viewing some monkeys, toucans, crocodiles, and whatever else came my way.

I booked a 4 day stay at the Jungle Tarpon Lodge online. They would have picked me up in San Jose, but I wanted more time to see the country.

At Baldi, I was pretty close to halfway across the country between the Pacific and Caribbean, so I figured about 4 hours to get the rest of the way. Having already experienced the roads, I padded my travel time a little. Good thing!

The last 32 miles on road 806, were a dirt road. And it really isn’t the road less traveled, as I passed banana plantations for miles and miles, which send their product out on semi trucks. It was a well traveled road; it just looked like it was only maintained once a year. It took me over two hours to make the last stretch of this drive.

I got pretty good at dodging potholes myself, or my ride wouldn’t have gotten me back to San Jose for my flight home.

Have I mentioned the dust? No? Dust.IMG_2496

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The type of thick choking dust that slows you down to 5 miles an hour when you pass another car going the other way. The type of dust you don’t realize was making it into your car until you take a look at yourself in the rear view mirror and realize you look like you have been on a camel caravan in the Sahara desert. Yeah, that kind of dust….

I passed several villages on the way, and got smiles and waves from the people in all of the, just like I had throughout the country. Really friendly people, the Tico’s. Or maybe they were just laughing at the crazy gringo and pointing at what was happening to my new rental car. Who knows? I prefer to believe that they were the happy friendly folks I had seen throughout the country my entire trip.

Cano Blanco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the road was what looked like a fuel  farm. Gas  tanks, pumps,  parking, and a long wooden dock that sat right on one of the many canals, rivers, and streams that all lead to the sea.

I parked  and was thankful that Angelo, the lodge manager and guide, lived on Tico time. He knew it would take me a lot longer than I planned, because he grew up in one of the villages I passed on the road. He was waiting for me, with a cup of rich Costa Rican coffee in his hand when I pulled up, so we loaded up my gear in the boat, locked my rental car, and down the river we went.

Next up, Tarpon!!!

 

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The quieter side of Tamarindo……

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Follow the road through Tamarindo, and you’ll find the small beachside community at Playa Langosta.

Playa Langosta, in the Winter…..

It’s another exotic location with excellent surfing conditions, and even better amenities. The sprawling sandy beach at Playa Langosta is much quieter than its neighbor, and is one of the best places in this area to just kick back and relax. There are many great short and long term rentals in this area, and if you bring your family and are looking for an all-inclusive resort and spa, the Barcelo Langosta Beach is a fantastic place to stay. Playa Langosta is usually less crowded than Tamarindo and its right next to Marino Las Baulas National Park

Marino Las Baulas National Park

Leatherback Turtle coming out of ocean
One of the areas Endangered Leatherback turtles coming ashore to nest.

In an effort to save the leatherback turtles that nest along the shores of Playa Grande, Marino Las Baulas National Park was created in 1990. With mangrove wetlands along the coast, beautiful forests and incredible white-sand beaches, Marino Las Baulas is home to a wide collection of flora and fauna.

Strangely, the original purpose of the Marino Las Baulas is to protect a species that doesn’t even live here. Every year, leatherback turtles, the largest turtle in the world, find their way home to the beaches in this area to lay their eggs from October to May. Some of these turtles can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, but due to their long life span, and late maturity, they are an endangered species. During the laying season  the beaches are closed from dusk till dawn, but you can book a tour guide that can take you to the beaches to see them.  Bird watching is also very popular there, as there are over 150 species of birds here.

Next time? Zip lines in Nicoya….

Adventure, Fishing, Food, Relaxation, Travel, Vacation, Welcome to Yondering

There’s No Place Like….Home?

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So, after changing some money, (yes I made that mistake too…) and getting my rental car, a full size SUV, I headed out to find my hotel. I stayed the first night at the Hotel Aeropuerto. The place is amazing! If you are looking to find some REAL Costa Rica, not just a Holiday inn with a banana tree in the yard, I highly recommend the Airport Hotel. It’s not the easiest place to find, I’ll admit it. I drove past it twice before I realized where it was. It is in Alajuelo, and while I don’t know the crime statistics here, I would say that this is not the best neighborhood. Having said that though, when I pulled in, there was a gate blocking the driveway. The guard at the gate checked my reservation, and handed me a small plastic parking pass. It’s not to park, its for getting out. Apparently at one time there was a car stolen from here. That won’t happen again. I was told not to leave the pass in the car, to take it with me. My car would not be allowed to leave without it. A novel approach!!!

Once I got into the hotel, I was pleasantly amazed. Being the tropics, it rains. A lot. instead of trying to keep all the water out, the hotel lives with it, as its friendly neighbor. The floors are tile. The walls in the lobby are open, with a lofted ceiling. The people are VERY friendly. Everything was a wonderful surprise after my initial shock at the gate. The rooms are large, airy, air-conditioned, and comfortable. Right outside my window are a huge mango tree, and several banana or plantain tree.  To tell you the truth, I don’t know the  difference, but it was nice to have such a beautiful reminder that I’m in the tropics!

Next time, the restaurant at the Hotel Aeropuerto….

Adventure, Fishing, Food, Relaxation, Travel, Vacation, Welcome to Yondering

Here we go!

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Well, the supplies are bought, catalogued, folded, spindled and mutilated, bags packed, lists made and printed in triplicate, passport copied, and its time to hit the road! The trip is to Costa Rica, but I’m traveling on my own. No tours, no guides, traveling without a net, so to speak. I looked at what Costa Rica has to offer, picked my favorite 4 or 5 things, and I’m hitting the road! Should be a real Kick in the Pants!

The plan includes fishing, diving, surfing, zip-lining, and a visit to Baldi Hot Springs; the biggest collection of hot spring pools I have ever heard of.

Baldi is twenty pools of varying size and temperature located on the side of a volcano, with water slides, hotel, and all manner of interesting and provocative food and activities.

Fishing will be on the Caribbean coast for Tarpon, with offshore trips in the morning, and river trips in the afternoons. A bonus will be the possibility of seeing a crocodile or two, possibly eating a fish I hook.

Surfing? Tamarindo. Beach break with soft sand, friendly people, and great food. No reef to get torn to shreds on, just a bit of sandblasting if I fall too often. Oh well, thats surfing! I haven’t been on a board for nearly forty years, so I’m taking a lesson the first thing when I get there.

The zip-lining will be in the form of a Canopy tour. According to their website, I will be taking 25 zip lines, with 11 of them going over waterfalls. I’ll also be doing the “Superman” zip line, where I lay out like I’m flying. I hope my videos come out!

Diving will be on an as available basis. Maybe Pacific coast, maybe Caribbean coast. I hope to get to the worlds second longest barrier reef, off the Caribbean coast of Central America, but if it should come up when I’m over at the Pacific? I’ll go there!

Should be a really interesting trip.

I decided to go it alone, because I want to get off the beaten path. I’m renting a car, driving myself, and hoping to find the adventure that I’m looking for, after too many trips with planned side trips, staged luau’s, and non-original performers. I’ll see the real country, eat the food wherever I find something that looks good, and meet the people that live there.

Stay tuned folks…it should be one hell of a ride!!!

Oso…..