Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara

We have only been to Santa Barbara once and it was a drive through, so we really did not get a real feel of the place. When scouting for local places to go in COVID, Santa Barbara struck a cord.

We rented a house with a bunch of fruit trees and a chicken coop and a hot tub. It was beautiful! We would do day trips for a few hours, go home and rest and then go back for sunset. In the evenings, we enjoyed the hot tub and cooked meals. It was a joy to get out of the house after nearly 9 months for an overnight trip.

The beaches do not have wind blowing unlike bay area beaches, which makes the beach experience totally different. Luckily, there was no rain at all so the sunsets were beautiful! Special mention for the hike we did near the botanical gardens which was a lot of fun. 

We also spent a day in Solvang which was special. Even more special was the time spent at the Ostrich and Emu park where we fed them and I was beaked by an Ostrich in the process. I have never seen so many Ostriches and Emus together in my life.

In the night, we watched a bunch of TV and started series that we would continue back at home such as Handmaid's Tale and Seinfeld (rewatchin the whole series).

Skiing at Boreal Ski resort

Normally, this would not merit a mention on the blog, but it needs one since it was our last big outing before the lockdown. A fun day of skiing

New years in Costa Rica

Four families, eight kids, all friends, decided to go to Costa Rica for the weather, animals, and waterfalls.

Day 1:
We landed in Costa Rica. Took a 3 hour drive to Manuel Antonio.

Day 2:
We went to Manuel Antonio National Park, which is known for its forest, beautiful animals, and white sand beach. We took a tour through the forest and saw many animals such as monkeys, sloths, and crabs.

Day 3:
We took a 6 mile hike to the Nauyaca Waterfall. At the bottom of the waterfall, there was a pond, where we swam. A lot of the kids were scared to go in the water because a woman had been bitten by a scorpion. Then we hiked some more, and ate some locally grown pineapples and watermelons. Then, we did a little swimming back at the hotel and ate. It was also the first time that I jumped from a small 10 foot cliff, so that was exciting.

Day 4:
We took the 3 hour trip to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

Day 5:
We went to La Paz Waterfall and Zoo tour. The zoo had many unique animals including toucans, monkeys, sloths, butterflies, snakes, and jaguars.

Day 6:
We took the 2 hour drive to Arenal, where we rented a scooters to go to Arenal Lake. The kids stayed in the hot springs and pool.

Day 7:
Me and most of the kids when zip lining through the forests of Arenal. We were almost 1000 feet above the air and in the clouds with drizzling rain overlooking a nice canyon and lake.

Day 8:

We took a sloth territory hike in the Arenal area. There were sloths of course, but also lots of touch-me-not plants to keep us entertained 

Day 9:

We returned back from San Jose.