Intercontinental Hotel

Before launching into the details of the surgery I thought I'd write a brief description about the Real Intercontinental Hotel where we are staying.
It's located in a suburb to the west of San Jose called Escazu. The Hospital is in downtown San Jose, about 20 minute drive depending on traffic.
This hotel is really lovely and quiet. They seem to host a lot of conventions but other than at mealtimes you aren't really aware of them. There have been at least 4 as far as I can tell since we got here.
There is a huge "American style" mall next to the hotel so I'm sure Marcia will want to shuffle over there in her walker later on! Ha ha!  
Our breakfast is included with the room and it's a very impressive spread! Everything you can think of (except oatmeal! More on that later...). Fresh fruit and fresh squeezed juices; orange, papaya, pineapple, guava, and energy blend of fruit and vegetables (really yummy). Everything from eggs and sausage to custom made omelets to cold cuts and cheese and freshly baked pastries. We're really roughing it! There are 5 restaurants here at the hotel so plenty to choose from.
The hotel staff is really nice and helpful.

Our first night we ate at The Market. It's the main restaurant and is open 24 hours!
Here's what we looked like.

So embarrassing! Obviously we didn't notice what the other was wearing before we left the room. We didn't realize we were dressed alike until we got in the elevator!

Some photos of the hotel...

View from our second room.

We were moved after 3 days because we needed a room with a walk-in shower instead of bathtub. Second room is a lot nicer!

Breakfast this morning outside.

Every evening at dusk the front of the hotel is descended upon a pandemonium of Green Parrots. Much like a murder of Crows these birds flock together with a lot of chatter and flapping of wings before taking off for the night. I thought the word "pandemonium" was the perfect word for a collective group of parrots!

Continued- La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Snakes!

I happen to like snakes...or rather I can admire and respect them from a distance. And some are truly beautiful! Such as the Green Vine Snake and the Golden Eyelash Pit-Viper.

But this is one snake I hope I never encounter other than in an exhibit like this.

The Fer de Lance

Irascible and highly venomous this snake is responsible for 46% of all snake bites in Costa Rica. (I looked it up!) I was in Costa Rica a few years ago with my friend Jocelyn at a wonderful Eco Lodge on the Osa Peninsula. The naturalist on staff there told us a harrowing story about a guest suffering a bite from one of these babies and being medevaced out to a hospital in San Jose. Needless to say when we were on our night hike we wore thick rubber boots up to our knees and he went ahead of us with a big stick beating at rocks and logs and rustling the vegetation. Yikes!     

Jungle Cats

I felt bad for these animals even though they were in really nice enclosures. It seemed cruel. But they were from a facility that had to close do to lose of funding and La Paz took them in. They were either old, injured or too accustomed to humans to be released in the wild. La Paz is hoping to release any offspring they may have in the future.

Puma

Puma

Jaguar

Okay, here are another couple animals I felt bad for, These two big old oxen just standing there all day long while tourists climb into the wagon behind them to get their photos taken.

This is supposed to represent how the peasants transported coffee to market back in the day. 

Waterfalls

The first picture is where we came from the second is where we were going. You can see Marcia in the blue t-shirt. Not bad for someone who is having knee surgery the next day!

We're in the jungle!

The hike back to the top was made better by the shuttle that took us part of the way. Still, my calves were sore the next day. Marcia's old knee certainly got a work out on its last day!

  

Tomorrow is the big day! 

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

On Tuesday morning, Sept. 15, we were met by Jose, who was also a driver for Go Easy, to take us up into the mountains to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

It was Independence Day* for Costa Rica so it took longer getting out of the city and roads were closed to accommodate the many marching bands throughout the city.

*Like the rest of Central America, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain. On September 15, 1821, after the final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21), the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. (Wikipedia)

It took us an hour and a half to arrive at our destination because of all the parades. Once out of the city though we moved along at a steady clip (unless stuck behind a truck filled with coffee bushes). 

Along the way we saw some beautiful, pastoral countryside and tiny towns.

The La Paz Nature Waterfall Gardens is a large place that includes a swanky hotel, nature park and wildlife perserve located near the Poas Volcano northwest of San Jose. Upon entering the preserve you have several stairs down to the aviary. We were greeted by Green Parrots, Scarlet Macaws and Toucans.

Aviary

One of the employees hired to put birds on you stuck this poor Toucan on my arm. He clearly didn't want to do it, turned his back to me and pooped! Ha ha!! This seems to be a common occurrence as they quickly guided me to the sink and towels not far away.  

Marcia kept her distance!

Jose and Marcia watching the albino squirrel.

                                 Silver-Throated Tanager & Red Legged Honey Dipper

Top to bottom:

Silver-Throated Tanager, Grey-Blue Tanager, Bay-Headed Tanager and ???

Butterfly House

The butterfly house was the most amazing one I've every visited. Hundreds of butterflies everywhere and butterflies emerging from their chrysalis literally before your eyes.

Malachite Butterfly

Blue Morpho on my head!

Morphos & Catonephele numilia esite (Stoplight Catone)

Blue Morphos and a Blue Wave

Postman butterfly (Heliconias melpomene)

Myscelia Cyaniris (Blue wave)

           I'm trying to take a picture!

 Jose & Marcia waiting for butterflies to emerge from Chrysalises.

Walked out of the butterfly exhibit into the hummingbird exhibit.

                              Purple-throated Mountain Gem (female) & Green Violetear

I tried several times to get a picture of the Violet Sabrewing but he was so fast nearly every picture was blurred. He was the most brilliant iridescent shade of indigo and had a curved beak you can see in the first photo. 

Purple-throated Mountain Gem

Lunch!

(to be continued)