Hello all and welcome to my second trip report which will cover some AA Y flights and regional Costa Rican flights, along with some photos and stories from my very recent trip to the incredible Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. The Nicoya Peninsula is considered one of the Blue Zones in the world, where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. Stay tuned!
Stunning photography!
Don't forget to share with us the secret of longevity.
ssoonngg123
Mar 30, 12, 3:32 pm
great pics!
jv66
Mar 30, 12, 7:32 pm
Flying Bat & ssoonngg123 thank you for your complimets.
jv66
Mar 30, 12, 7:45 pm
Introduction
Costa Rica has been on my radar for a number of years. Many friends have visited and raved about its natural beauty and joy de vivre for many years. One of my best friends has been splitting her time between Montreal and Santa Teresa for a number of years and finally last year, after much hard work, was able to move to Costa Rica full time. She has been pushing me to come visit for as long as I can remember. Mrs jv66 went to visit her a couple of years ago and the plan was to go visit our friend this March. We started looking for tickets in February and found our YUL-MIA-SJO RT for 660$ each for which our friend told us was about as low as you could get for March.
Now Santa Teresa is located on the pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula and there are two ways to get from San Jose to the coast. One being a 7 hour bus ride. Two, taking a 1/2 hour regional flight plus a 45 minute taxi ride. Now a RT regional runs about 200$ each plus a 50$ cab ride, and the bus is 30$ RT each, but you have to factor a night in San Jose for each bus route leg (plus taxis from SJO to hotel). Mrs jv66 doesn't mind a 7 hour bus ride. I on the other hand don't mind paying an additional (let's say) 100$-150$ for the ease and convience of arriving on the coast for cocktail hour plus the fact that we would be flying on a Cesna 208B Grand Caravan plane both ways over some stunning scenery! I used my nexus phone camera and my old Canon Powershot SD 800 IS for this TR so some photos are inherently grainy and out of focus.
jv66
Mar 30, 12, 7:53 pm
YUL-MIA
Flight AA 1451
737-800 BSI
Seat 22C
6:20am-10:00am (sked)
6:15am-9:45am (actual)
March 19th, 2012
"Ah, ze olde 4:00 AM vake up call" as Inspector Clouseau would say. Dreadful yes but the end result would be definitely worth it. So cab it to Trudeau (wow no traffic on the Met!), no checked luggage so breeze through TSA and customs, Mrs jv66 the regular way, I on the old Nexus; "Sweetie I'll be waiting by the gate" while I go grab something to eat after the security theater.
Walk to the airplane and realize that we are flying one a relatively new 738 BSI. Excellent! Here is a quick description of this plane on aa.com: "The new 737-800 BSI interior offers several unique features, including larger overhead bins – modeled after the 787 Dreamliner's pivoting bins – that pivot down and out. The innovative design allows the bins to hold 48 more bags than standard overhead bins and 4 more than current non-BSI aircraft with larger bins. Sculpted sidewalls provide customers with a feeling of spaciousness and updated window reveals make the windows appear larger. Brighter and longer-lasting LED lighting can be programmed to create different effects during the flight such as soft blue sky overhead. Cove lighting provides a welcoming feel for customers as they board the aircraft. Intuitive placement of switches and call buttons and speakers above every row of seats to improve sound quality are additional features that enhance the customer experience."
This plane still had a very new feel to it, everything from the seats to the floor were extremely clean. The mood lighting was quite welcomed for such an early flight. I was also impressed with how quiet this aircraft was compared to the many others 738 models I have flown (including the return MIA-YUL, a dramatic difference). The screens were also noticeably much brighter and clearer them previous models. A smooth take-off, good efficient cabin service with the usual Y amenities of "national" Y service with a very courteous and professional cabin crew. Left early and arrived early. Well done AA!
Land at MIA, have about 2:30hrs to kill so head to the usual book store, then the duty free since my friend is an avid bourbon drinker and since "bourgon" (as the great Richard Burton would say) isn't readily available in Costa Rica, am glad to be able to get her some. Have lunch at a sit down, look at the menu and still marvel as to why they put down down "Dolphin" fish as a menu option, instead of putting mahi-mahi. You'd think the marketing dep't of said restaurant would perhaps think that "dolphin" on the menu could perhaps be a put-off but what do I know. Walk around MIA and shoot a couple of the interesting artwork that is on display.
I have a love/hate relationship with MIA. Sometimes it can be a great airport, other times it can be complete chaos! I was somewhat worried about our returning SJO-MIA-YUL flights since we only had 95 minutes to make our MIA-YUL connection on a Thursday evening flight, and had posted on FT on what others experience were with these connecting times. This wasn't such a big deal for me since I have Global Entry but mrs jv66 doesn't. I'm glad to inform everyone that now US and Canadian passport holders go through the same passport controls area (at least in Concourse D) and that it only took me 35 minutes and mrs jv66 45mins to go from gate to gate (bear in mind we had no checked luggage).
"And now for something completely different". Upon entering the aircraft, the ever astute mrs jv66 remarked how much older this plane looked from our previous flight. I laughed while looking at the old CRT sets above the aisle. Oh well, there was still something old school about this plane, a feeling not unlike a pair of sneakers or a couch that your better half wants you to desperately get rid of...We walked all the way to the back and were told by the FA that we would be seated in the last row (36) for unknown reasons. From row 35 to row 36, what has the world come to!
A very bumpy ride to SJO as the Captain informs us that we will be flying at 27000ft because of very high winds in the 30's and yet arrive before skeds. Kudos again AA.
jv66
Mar 30, 12, 9:35 pm
Nature Air leaves from Tobias Bolanos International Airport (SYQ), located in the San Jose suburb of Pavas, which is about a 1/2 hour and a 25$ dollar cab ride from SJO. We arrived about 2:30hrs before our flight, checked in and had time to sit outside and enjoy the sun and warmth of Costa Rica.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6045/7030165877_353c28f813_z.jpg
Obligatory lounge door shot
SYQ-TMU
Flight Nature Air 5C - 360
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
4:15pm-4:45pm (sked)
4:05pm-4:35pm(actual)
We head towards the runway, enter the plane cabin and enjoy the ride... Our captain explains the safety instructions. Since I'm seated in the second row, I can clearly hear the pilots go through their checklists and the chatter with the tower. This was such and amazing and fun experience to fly in this small plane. To go through the clouds really felt as if you were flying like Superman. Looking at the gages and screens was also a really fun experience. I wish I could be in more of these kinds of flights.
Here is a short 30 second video clip of the landing at TMU (there will be longer and higher quality videos of take-off and landing with the Sansa flight TMU-SJO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrGLUMQPKFQ&feature=youtu.be
1stClassFamily
Mar 31, 12, 1:09 am
Great pic! This is timely... We are going to CS next week....
jv66
Mar 31, 12, 8:03 am
Great pic! This is timely... We are going to CS next week....
Thanks, I'm sure you will enjoy CR!
blackmamba
Mar 31, 12, 9:00 am
Would you happen to have a higher resolution picture of the American Airlines plane? I'd love to use that as my computer's wallpaper if you'll let me!
Could you please PM me a link? Thanks!
SFO777
Mar 31, 12, 11:34 am
Beautiful pics! Wow, the blue Caribbean and cocktails at sunset are my faves. Thanks for posting. ^
jv66
Mar 31, 12, 1:26 pm
Beautiful pics! Wow, the blue Caribbean and cocktails at sunset are my faves. Thanks for posting. ^
Thanks, SFO777. More of those to come this weekend.
Flying Bat
Mar 31, 12, 1:29 pm
I have just noticed the earth curvature on the horizon, these pics could be out of a professional magazine. I am so impressed.
jv66
Mar 31, 12, 5:01 pm
I have just noticed the earth curvature on the horizon, these pics could be out of a professional magazine. I am so impressed.
Thank you very much for your compliment.
jv66
Mar 31, 12, 5:13 pm
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is a booming new travel destination in Costa Rica, attracting beach lovers and surfers to its broad, white-sand beaches with world-class surf. Since the jungle hugs the shore, you find lots of shady hideaways on the beach. Fortunately there aren't yet high-rise buildings in Santa Teresa so that views of the coast are undisturbed until the wooded hills of Mal Pais and Cabo Blanco. Not long ago, Santa Teresa was a small village that has now become a lively town. Many who had only planned a surf vacation in Costa Rica fell in love with Santa Teresa and decided to stay.
The influx of newcomers from all parts of the world has spawned a variety of restaurants and bars, along with hotels and vacation rentals to match every taste and budget.
The village stretches along the dirt road for about 5 km. Our friend has an ATV so we could hop and jet around town, or hire a local taxi which had such great characters behind the wheel.
When it comes time for Santa Teresa's spectacular sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, everyone seems to gather at the beach to enjoy cocktail hour with the cool breezes, while watching the surfers and making plans for the evening. The sunsets were simply incredible, possibly the best I've seen in my life. Just an amazing experience while swimming in the ocean...
Another wonderful place to enjoy the sunset is Vista De Olas, a small hotel where a friend of ours was working the bar that evening. It is a hotel perched on top of a hill with stunning views of the ocean and the southern peninsula. The infinity pool and jacuzzi were just perfect for cocktail hour...
Most of the evenings, we would see the fish guy drive slowly along the road and flag him down for the daily catch. Mahi-mahi, red snapper, grouper, shrimps and tuna were on our vacation menu. Simply roasted with some potatoes or rice and beans, along with local vegetables, and a cold can of beer were the perfect way to end a day.
Mrs jv66 and I also went a day trip to Isla Tortuga, a famous tourist spot. Most of the activities like snorkeling, deep sea-fishing, and scuba leave from Montezuma, a town situated about 30-45min SE of Santa Teresa. My friend calls it full of hippies and tourists, it certainly was more touristy and busier than Santa Teresa. It was a fantastic boat ride along the coast but the island was somewhat of a tourist trap as everything from lounge chairs to horses and crappy souvenirs were available for a price. The main reason we had come was for the snorkeling but unfortunately the "red tide" made it impossible. The red tide is an algae bloom that gives the ocean water a hue of red varying in color from darkish red to shades of brown, hence the name. In addition to the appearance, the conditions result is an awful smell that can linger in the air. You can see this phenomenon in some of the areal photographs, streaks of darker colored water. There was a very friendly pig name Filomina on the island and she was a real hit. On our way back to Montezuma, our captain had spotted a sea turtle with many seashells and the like attached to her shell. They stopped, picked her up and did a quick pit stop in order to get rid of the shells and sent her off.
We also rented an ATV for three days, which is an excellent way of seeing the backcountry, beaches, and small communities. Not to mention that they are a blast to drive!We were really surprised at how most of the vegetation had dried up, it was near the end of the dry season but we didn't expect to see this much drought. Sodas are what the local cheap restaurants are called, and some have spectacular settings on beaches. A massive plate of chicken with rice, beans and a wonderful salad runs about 4$-5$.
Well it was time to leave this wonderful region and Richard our taxi driver picked us up and 45 minutes later we were at Tambor Airport (TMU). The Sansa Air employee greets us and asks to first weigh our checked luggage and then ourselves including our carry-on. There is also a 2.25$ airport tax fee to pay. You then sit in the shade and wait for the plane.
Here is the take-off video (the sound was recording very loudly since I was sitting front row so please turn the volume down):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxgYg0uzr8c&feature=g-upl&context=G2a247cdAUAAAAAAABAA
Here is the landing video including some nice shots of planes on the tarmac (again please lower the volume):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faopG8gqf9c&feature=g-upl&context=G23f8149AUAAAAAAAAAA
And that about does it for this trip report, thank you for checking it out and I'll see you on your next travels. Cheers!