104 - Western Canada Road Trip - Day 1 (Toronto - Sudbury - Massey - 473km) - That, And A Nickel...

It’s been a couple years since we saddled up an RV to brave the salty winds and lobster rolls of the East Coast (Ref. Blog #078 - 093). Apparently, that is just long enough to forget how treacherous piloting six metric tonnes of metal and mayhem down the twists and turns of the TransCanada can be…So, here we go!

With very little intent, other than to head west and check off some classic Canadiana, we peeled out of CanaDream RV Rentals and made a bee-line (ok, maybe one quick three/four/five?-point-turn after initially going the wrong way right out of the parking lot) for a Sudbury staple, 

the Big Nickel!

Not wanting to nickel and dime this trip, we screamed along at a gas-guzzling (30L/100km!) pace managing to pull into Dynamic Earth at 14:23, just in the nick-el <groan> of time to catch the 14:30 “Underground Mine Tour”. 

While quite pleasant, Guide Chloe, wasn’t exactly a wealth of information, as she fumbled through a rote script that she only half-remembered, filling in gaps with “like, yeah”,  “’n’ stuff”, and “I’m not really sure.”

Apparently, their summer hire training isn’t worth a plug nickel.

We still had fun exploring the different mines, and the kids had a blast… 

Good fun.

However, the highlight was definitely overhearing some guy on the way out disappointedly exclaim to his wife, “I thought you said it was a giant nipple!” 
Priceless.

With the benefit of those long summer days, we were able to pull into Massey, and the Chutes Provincial Park, 

with enough time to admire the falls,

 Take a dip, 

(a chilly one!)

And catch an evening show.

(If I had a nickel…)

103 - African Adventure (Appendix B) - Day 16 to 23 (Tamarindo, Costa Rica) - La Pura Vida

After all those early mornings on safari, along with a daunting eight hour time change to overcome, we knew we weren't going to be able to just dive back into the real world. We needed to ease into this slowly. Fortunately, we were able to make a tiny detour to join our friends Donnie and Kate on their honeymoon...in Tamarindo, Costa Rica!

We (understandably) were feeling pretty stoked as we rolled up to our new pad, Casa Bali.

(https://www.casabalicostarica.com/)

With it's 10-metre tall entrance portico,

eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, five kitchens,

and two infinity pools,

we felt like we'd just signed on to an episode of MTV Cribs!

Ballaz!

We spent the next week chilling poolside

and knocking off a few things on the Tamarindo To-Do List.

1. Estuary Tour

These animals were about as wild as it got on this tour,

as we had a strong suspicion that most of the species we saw were actually injection-molded...

(American Crocodile?)

The Howler Monkeys managed to perform,

even if our photos of them did not.

2. Golf Cart Gang Beach Party and Body Surf

The three golf carts we rented for the week were a major highlight,

for obvious reasons.

Surf's up!

(Note Taz in a crumpled heap after 3-hours straight of mid-day body surfing and associated blistering sunburn.)

Oh, right. Then there was the pyramid...

3. Zipline Adventure

While some of the group got sidelined on the big white phone with Ralph, Susie joined us for our day trip to the Hacienda El Roble & Adventure Center for nine epic ziplines,

with a predictable reaction from Britt.

Fortunately, we survived unscathed.

4. Catamaran and Snorkeling Trip

Britt, unfortunately, had to bow out of this one after one too many bad ice cubes had her spending the night on the bathroom floor,

Dramatization: This photo is a for illustrative purposes only. Actual events may not have occurred in the depicted manner…. But, pretty close.

The rest of us took full advantage of the party bus,

sea breeze,

killer snacks,

and open bar (obvi).

Cheers!

5. Tama Nightlife

Despite sporting an unwieldy crew of 18, we managed to pile everyone into the golf carts for a couple dinners in town.

A few of us even suited up to help Ballsy work the local club scene.

Unfortunately, the only number he got was from his barefoot, cocaine-slinging buddy Rinaldo (not shown), who he met on the beach during a morning run on day one,  and couldn’t shake for the rest of the week. 

All-in-all, a pretty strong finish to the trip!

 Until next time.