Traveling Fool

 I guess the day had to come, but I was kind of dreading it. And knowing what I know now, that I would return to cold and wet and snow, I would have stayed longer. Monteverde Lodge and Gardens was full of beautiful flowers, birds and a couple furry friends.  The picture looks like I'm really close, but I was a safe distance away. I believe this is a coati, and I saw a couple of them during my stay. It took several distant encounters before I got these photos and video. El Jardin, the restaurant at the lodge, has a wonderful downstairs seating area that is full of orchids. They were all different varieties, and pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea there were so many varieties and shades of pinks and purples. There is an orchid garden in town, but after I saw all of these, and could enjoy them whenever I wanted, I didn't feel the need. If you're a real afficionado, then you might want to visit there as well. All of the following photos were taken while I was waiting for the

 I've tried to include some food photos in the previous posts, but I wanted to isolate them, in case that's all you're really interested in. And it brings back wonderful memories. At both Tortuga and Monteverde they had 'regular' menus, but also plant based and vegetarian options, which I took total advantage of, liberally moving between menus as the mood took me. A welcome drink - fresh coconut My own chocolate bar, flavored with chili and vanilla. Really tasty . I never knew I could enjoy fruit as much as I did this morning deliciousness - watermelon, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, mango and a little fruit I never could identify. Avocado toast with eggs and Costa Rican cheese, Turrialba (it squeaked like Wisconsin cheese curds).  Sorry, I took a bite of my fish tacos before I took the picture. The fish was so tender and wonderful. I have to mention that it was heavenly eating all of my meals outside.  A refreshing pina smoothie It's a little dark, but this