Manuel Antonio Costa Rica – Our Return – March 17, 2020

Hi Everyone…

We hope this finds everyone well amidst the unprecedented times we are all facing with Covid-19.  We wanted to give you an update on our travel plans.

We have been closely monitoring the situation from here in Costa Rica. After our Prime Minister’s address to the nation yesterday, we immediately rescheduled our return flight for Saturday, March 21^st.  This was the first available flight with our airline that was direct to Toronto.  Other options were available, but all of them had scheduled hubs through the US. During this time, we carefully weighed our options of risking potential quarantining in a foreign country (and the ensuing chaos from lack of coordination in the US) versus waiting until we could secure the direct flight.  So, we are scheduled to depart Saturday evening and arrive back home in the wee hours of Sunday.

The Costa Rican government has issued a state of emergency and announced that they are closing their borders as of 11:59pm on Wednesday, March 18^th.  There are currently now 50 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country, particularly around San Jose (the largest city, about 2.5 hours from here).  We will be permitted to leave in an orderly fashion and are hopeful that everything with our Air Canada flight will remain intact.  The scheduled flight is full, so we are expecting it to go through without any challenges.

Prior to all of this, we were able to spend a day at the Manuel Antonio National Park.  A beautiful day of hiking, walking on the beach and witnessing up close, some fun with the white-faced monkeys.  Like a bunch of young boys playing in an open yard, they would tag each other, play-bite, one would run by and hit the others playfully in a ‘tag-you’re-it’ kind of way…hours of fun could be had just by witnessing these great creatures.  We also had the opportunity to have our final dinner with our school group.  We went to a popular Falafel restaurant, followed by a visit to a small new bar called, APE.  It was the same owners as the restaurant, and they had a terrific welcoming vibe.  Good times recorded to the memory books. Our time has been phenomenal to say the least with many new experiences and reflections and an appreciation that will last a lifetime.

We have had the privilege of staying at our house here in Costa Rica, which as previously posted, is located within the jungle.  There are very few people we come in contact with on a general basis and as of yesterday, we stocked up on enough food to last us through the week.  We will remain here enjoying the sun, pool and jungle animals until we enter the ‘new jungle’ of society back home…currently everyone’s new reality.

Upon arriving home, we will be entering into the 14-day self-isolation period.  This is such an important time for us all to adhere to these recommendations and do our part in combatting the spread of this virus.  We will do our best to bring home some sunshine with us (and maybe a monkey and a sloth in a backpack) for the joy for all. 🙂

Wishing everyone wellness and safety and we look forward to being home with you all to face this challenge together.

Love,

D&D
xo