Rancho Armadillo Estate Newsletter

February 2012

CELEBRATE!

They celebrated their season with a trip to POPS, the local ice cream parlor where they had banana splits served to them by their coach 

Let's Party

Their last get together as a team was November 11, when they all came to Rancho Armadillo for a pizza/ pool party. The party ended with the "dive for moneda,"  We took $200 in coins and and over a half hour period the coaches and teachers threw the coins in the pool while the girls scrambled and dove for the coins.

Congratulations!!!

Escuela del Coco Boys Soccer Team

2011 Guanacaste Champions

2nd Place National Championship

For years we have been sponsoring the Coco Girls Soccer Team while the Proyecto de Luz charity has been helping out the Boys Soccer team, but in the past couple of years their support has waned leaving the boys team without any financial help, so to pick up the slack we have been helping the school pay for the transportation to away games, referees and preparing the field for the home games. This year the boys team has gone all the way to the provincial finals, defeating Liberia for the Guanacaste Provincial Championship. On November 14th they start  playing  for the National Championship in Monterey, just north of La Fortuna. Leading up to the finals the boys defeated San Carlos (2-0), Osa (3-1), Punteranas (4-0) and San Jose (4-0) Unfortunately holding the championship tournament in the rainforest took its toll on the field and by the time they played the championship game the field was a muddy mess. Field conditions worked against the team where their speed and passing was nullified. Limon  scored a late goal that ricocheted twice off the goal posts before trickling in. Coco's goalie won the individual trophy for being the best goalie in the tournament. December 16th the school will honor both the boys and girls teams at a ceremony. Each player will receive trophies and the school will be presented with Championship Trophy's and team photo's. Rancho Armadillo is proud to sponsor the teams and supply the trophies.

After winning the Guanacaste Province Championship we treated the boys with a trip to the POPS ice cream parlor where they all enjoyed Banana Splits.

Boardwalk Completed

After seven months of putting up with our beach front being disrupted with the sounds of backhoes and cement trucks, the local government finally completed the long over due boardwalk / beachfront park. This had been promised for over 6 years, it finally took a local election to get it started. The park consist of a basketball court, a volleyball court, benches and a paved walkway covering the center part of the beach.

The New Liberia International Terminal  is now open     

Liberia's $14 million was first set to open in May 2011, Finally opened January 12th.  The new airport is completely air conditioned, but still has the world famous "big ass fan" brand ceiling fans. The new state of the art terminal features gangways from the plane to the terminal, restaurants, improved immigration, customs and baggage pick up. Because  Liberia's runways are longer than San Jose's runways we can accommodate larger planes.  We now have non stop arrivals coming in from Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul,  New York, New Jersey, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary, Brussels, London and Dusseldorf, with flights from Madrid and Paris to be added in the near future.

We are proud to offer the only 100% Biodegradable / Reusable Water Bottles available in Costa Rica More than 1.6 million tourist visit Costa Rica each year, on average they consume 2 bottle of water a day leaving behind 22 million plastic bottles, most destined for the landfill. This doesn't take into account what the locals purchase and throw away.  Former guests and now permanent Costa Rican residents, Derek & Lisa Detta, have introduce the first reusable 100% biodegradable water bottles with sport cap to Costa Rica. It took 18 months and lots of patience but they are finally putting them in hotels and souvenir stores throughout the country. Rancho Armadillo was the 1st to receive them and they are selling like pipas fria! Called "Jungle Jugs", they come with 6 different designs - Monkeys whitewater rafting, sea turtles snorkeling, a jaguar looking for dinner, a sloth on a canopy tour, a manta ray surfing and a crocodile para-sailing.

Congratulations Alison & Paul Alison Potter & Paul Dodds of Toronto, became Mr. & Mrs. Dodds on December 1st. Joined by family and friends they celebrated their big day with champagne, an Hors de Oeuvre buffet and lots of merriment and dancing.

First Day Of 1st Grade Our little angel spent her  summer vacation doing what 5 year old do best, having lots of FUN! She took her first canopy tour, had her 1st pajama party, went on a sail boat, played with monkeys, learned how to snorkel, went to the rodeo and had lots of fun at the Coco Fiesta. But all good thing come to an end,, January 30th Vale had her 1st day in 1st grade.

Return Visitors Come Bearing Gifts

For the past 11 years a group of Chicago advertizing executives have stayed with us the 2nd week in January. Over the years they have watched our employee's children grow up. They always bring gifts for the employees and the children. This year they included the children in their trip to the Congo Trail Canopy Tour, where the kids got to do the zip line ( a first for 5 year old Vali). The guests and the children played with the monkeys and were treated to a special event, they got to hold a 3 week old orphaned howler monkey. We also did our annual sail/snorkel trip aboard the Don Bosco, had a pod of dolphins frolic along side the boat, enjoyed a fantastic  beach side BBQ buffet, took siestas on the beach and the kids got to snorkel for the first time.

A Late Christmas

Playing with Monkeys

Sailing and Snorkeling

Recent Guests

& now new friends

Water Testing

Every six months we have our pool water tested and the latest results were spectacular! Our pool water is cleaner than the Crystal brand bottled water sold here in Costa Rica. We use the ionizing method of cleaning our water and have cut the chlorine level to less than 1/8 of the chlorine that is generally used in a pool our size.

Spotlight on Tours

 This past year we have had some pretty remarkable geological events here in Costa Rica. The Poas, Irazu and Tirruballo Volcanoes started erupting and the always active Arenal Volcano has not had an eruption since July 2010.  The Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica has finally gone public with what everybody has been guessing, the following is an article that appeared in the local online newspaper AM Costa Rica.

Experts think that it may be bedtime for Arenal

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Is Arenal volcano running out of steam. That is the question on many lips, especially those of persons with a large investment in tourism in the La Fortuna de San Carlos area near the mountain.

That the mountain would enter a dormant stage is not a surprise to experts who note that the volcano has been perking along throwing out hot rocks and lava for more than four decades. It is one of the premier tourism attractions in Costa Rica, and one estimate is that 80 percent of the real tourists here visit the area. There are good reasons. There is nothing better than wallowing in a hot swimming pools after sunset with an elbow on a swim-up bar while nursing one of those foamy drinks with the little umbrella. In the distance molten rocks tumble down the mountain and lava splashes upwards. The mountain has reduced its activity significant since last July, according to vulcanologists at the Red Sismológica Nacional, part of the Universidad de Costa Rica. The mountain is about 7,000 years old and seems to have phases of activity of from 200 to 600 years.

The volcano woke up violently with the tragic 19968 eruption that sent rocks the size of Volkswagens miles in all directions and destroyed much of the area livestock, agricultural land and several communities. The mountain has been among the top 20 most active volcanos in the world. Since 1968 the mountain has spewed out more than a half a cubic kilometers of lava, the university experts said they
estimated. That is enough to build a road around the earth four times, they said.

Experts track a volcano's activity by the local earthquakes that frequently are continual. In the case of Arenal, these movements have decreased to nothing, the experts said. The volcanologists Gerardo J. Soto, Mauricio Mora and Guillermo E. Alvarado, have been tracking Arenal for 20 years.
 

Arenal Volcano online for viewing by public

The Arenal volcano is now under 24-hour electronic watch by scientists at the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica. Keep in mind it is cloud covered 60% of the time. Access the web cam click here.

 

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Canopy Tour
More Fun than a Barrel of Monkeys

A must do favorite of all of our guests is The Congo Trail Canopy Tour, one of the original canopy tours in Costa Rica, about a 20 minute drive from here. You have to understand that canopy tours are an amusement ride not a study in nature, but that does not mean that you won't be able to view nature in it's purist form. We recommend that our guests go in the late afternoon, leaving here around 2:30, that way you will have missed all of the tour busses and you stand a great chance of being in the trees with monkeys, as they travel though on their way to bed down for the night. The tour has 11 platforms (one line that is 800 yards long.) After the tour stop by and visit the Congo Trail serpent display, containing a variety of snakes and frogs local to the area. After a visit with the snakes you can easily convince the guides to let you play with the resident white face and spider monkeys. The monkeys can get a bit inquisitive, searching pockets, purses and even climbing down your shirt. Guests of Rancho Armadillo pay only $25 for the tour instead of the normal $35, a bargain considering most other canopy tours run from $45 to $85. Having been on over 15 canopy tours around Costa Rica, this is definitely one of the best, the guides are the key that makes it one of the best.

Water Tours

The Almaco A water tour that our guests have given a big thumbs up to is the tour boat Almaco, a 27ft, 8 passenger custom designed skiff that will take you to secluded beaches comfortably. They will customize the tour to fit your needs. The Almaco offers complete diving packages, snorkeling, reef fishing, water skiing and tubing. They will even include a gourmet beach BBQ complete with linens, china and silverware. The tours are private, meaning you and yours will be the only ones on the boat. The Almaco is just one of many options for diving and snorkeling the world famous Gulf of Papagayo.

The Don Bosco A great Sail/Snorkel tour is the 65ft sail yacht the "Don Bosco". The crew of the Don Bosco will take you up to Huevos Beach, a secluded cove with caves to explore and great snorkeling. While you are enjoying the beach the crew is busy preparing a fantastic gourmet BBQ lunch for you with all the trimmings. The tour includes all equipment, beach toys, an open bar featuring the Don Bosco's world famous Fruit Punch.

The Sea Bird Another Sail Tour new to the Coco area is the Sea Bird, a 45 ft sail boat, they go out almost every day and only require a minimum of 4 passengers. For couples we can call ahead and see if they have a sail going out that you can join. Included in the tour the Sea Bird offers an open bar, non alcoholic beverages, snacks and snorkel equipment.

Jungle Waterfalls, Volcanoes and Jaguars

Llanas de Cortez or locally known as the Bagaces waterfall, one of our favorite tours. The waterfall is 60 ft high and 40 ft wide and empties into a white sand pool around 5 ft deep. Swim up to and under the waterfall.
	Combine a trip to the waterfall with a stop at the oldest wild cat rescue center in Costa Rica and an optional river float trip down the Corobice river to see crocs, monkeys and lots of birds.

Miravalles Volcano

Even though it has been here for thousands of years it's new to us. We recently visited the area near the Miravalles Volcano. More specifically the Hornillas Crater, about a 1  1/2 hour drive from here. This crater is unique in the world, it is an active crater on the side of the 5000 meter high volcano featuring boiling mud pits, emerald green springs and fumaroles that emit steam and other gasses. Here you can follow a path that will allow you to get up close and personal with these natural wonders.

At one spot along the way you can stop and actually hear the "heartbeat" of the volcano.

After the short hike you sit in a natural sauna and get your pores open before you lather yourself up with the mud from the mud pits, once the mud has dried you shower it off in a hot shower with water taken directly from the boiling hot springs. Makes your skin feel 10 years younger. Then relax in any of the three hot spring pools.

Tortilla's & Pottery

Guatil, an indigenous Indian village where they make pottery the way their ancestors have for 100’s of years. Each home has their own kiln and you can buy pottery from the artist or from a co-op in the town. After Guatil you can stop for lunch at a local tortilla “factory” great local food, and you will probably be the only non Costa Rican’s there.

Pre-Columbian Petroglyphs 

About an hour's drive north of here up into the rain forest near the town of Las Lilas we have found 2 locations featuring pre- Columbian rock carvings dated from 1,000 - 800 years ago. The first set is located next to a natural spring where the locals have built a retaining pool for the kids to swim in, in the bushes next to the spring are 2 large boulders with carvings of faces and symbols. In front of the local grade school is another boulder that has been identified by University of Costa Rica's archeology department. 

The second set of petroglyphs is a bit outside of the town hidden through a cattle gate, down a two track road behind some houses, where one of the residents has built a small butterfly garden. After a quick tour of the garden you walk down a path that has three different groups of petroglyphs. These have been studied and identified by the University of Costa Rica's archeology department The boulders are located along a river bed that during the dry season is pretty accessible, Below are pictures from the first of the three sites.