Hi Martine and Chris,

We had an adventurous 2nd week at Samara and Malpais, but nothing to compare with the fascinating week at Finca Exotica. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. I regaled my coffee group with tales of our activities, meals and sightings of squirrel monkeys, macaws and sloth, etc.

I hope your 2nd week with the ladies went well, and that your future groups are as compatible a mix. We went to the ZOO AVE in Alajuela on our last day and got some close-up shots of birds and animals we had glimpsed elsewhere, as well as some I had missed in Guatemala. Nowhere was as beautiful as your part of the Osa Peninsula.

I'm glad you encouraged us to speak with your staff as it served as welcome introduction to CR approach to life. We continued to meet friendly, helpful, relaxed citizens. Our last taxi driver from Casa Roland, when he learned where we had visited, said, "There, you have been to the three most beautiful spots in Costa Rica!" ( There must be a school to train these guys in how to deal with tourists.)

Thank you for the time you took to ensure our comfort and well-being. We had a glorious time.

Love to you both and a special thanks to Marcus and Gabriella.

Helen and Al