This trip report is just amazing. I am seriously considering this Adventure next. Thank DH for the great pictures! My favs: the roses, the local people on days 2 & 3, and all of the wildlife.
This never occurred to me: your comment about the "upbeat" people who tend to go on a ABDs - it totally makes sense and made me even more pleased with my choice. This: "Paraphrasing the worlds most interesting man from the beer commercial "I don't always take an organized tour, but when I do, I often take ABD." made me
Thanks, you are very kind! I passed along your kind words to DH too. We are using Blurb right now to make a photo book of our trip (I'm going to give as a gift to my mom and dad for mothers and Father's Day ) and its so fun choosing the photos for the big two page spreads. We are getting a PDF, so I might be able to post it when it's done!
One thing about photographing locals; they are pretty camera shy in Ecuador, and anywhere he goes, DH always engages them first as people, then asks or gestures if he can take a photo, then shows them on the camera how it turned out. The hoot of the older lady, she looked annoyed, but was very open to DH taking the photo, after she saw it she had a big toothless smile!
I have some questions because I'm new to ABD:
1 Tipping: "tip from driver level ($5 pp per day) to guide level ($10 pp per day)"
I'm a generous tipper so this question is about not wanting to insult someone or do it "wrong".
Did you tip the driver at the end of the ride or the end of the tour? Do they provide envelopes for the tips like on a cruise or do you just hand the tip to the person? Is this tip amount standard or will it be different in Costa Rica?
The tipping I mention is only for the guides and drivers on our own- with ABD everything, I mean everything (read in my review - they tip the restroom attendants for you!) is included. The only tips you pay is for your Adventure Guides at the very end of the trip and all your docs make that amount super clear! I would google " tips and CR" and read the tipping section of a good guidebook. Each place is different and changes over time. For instance in FP, where we went in October, it used to be an insult to tip, and there is still very little expected, but now some people in the travel guiding business have come to expect something, so it's so variable. We did tip our private guide in CR, but the amounts may have changed since we were there, We always tip as we are shaking hands to say goodbye and thank you. I usually parcel out the tips I know I'm going to need in small bills, into envelopes and label them with the date and tour ( again only for private tours!) this what I am not fumbling for the right change when the tour ends, I just slip it out of the envelope and hand it over!
2. You stayed a pre-day and a post-day? I am too. Did you have to check out of the hotel for either of these or was that taken care of by the tour? I'm wondering if I have to wake up early on Day One to check out because I arrived early? (Does this question even make sense? sorry
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Thanks