b'Costa Rica!(continued from page 35) Now hes happy to be the Operator armadillos,andgrasshoppersthathalfhoursaway.)Toresolvethis,at their luxurious B&B, while Yan fills are eight inches tall. Theres a bountyCasa Vitality hosts movie nights onthe role of Executive Manager. of colourful wild birds such as para- Sundays. CasaVitalityisbookedupuntil keets,macaws,bluemagpiesandThecostofdiningoutisinex- the end of 2022. Ryan suggested that parrots. pensive.Howaboutafreshlobstera ticket to visit Casa Vitality in 2023 Nosara is known for its ecotour- for only $12? Thats the same pricewould be a great gift from Santa this ism. There are turtle tours and wild- as an imported jar of peanut butteryear.life refuges to visit. inNosara.LocalcuisineincludesChef Yan just might whip up his Ontario native Ryan, and Yan, whohealthy rice and bean dishes, for onlynew signature breakfast creation for New recipe is a keeper! Oversized sourdoughyouoversizedsourdoughtoast, grew up in Montreal, had to adjust$5. There are 34 restaurants 10 min- toast with homemade pesto, avocado, salted totheweatherinCentral America.utes away from the B&B. A full din- tomatoes, poached egg, hempseeds with atopped with homemade pesto, salted Yan says he misses the fall more thanner can be enjoyed for $65. Tropicalside of rosemary and thyme potatoes andtomatoes,poachedeggsandhemp winter. Ryan jokes that if he wants tofruits are flavourful and plentiful. freshly picked Costa Rican strawberries. seeds, with a side of rosemary and experience snow again, all he has toLearningaboutthelocalculturethymepotatoesandfreshlypicked do is put his face in the freezer for aand language has been interesting forArmy since 2014.A former DurhamCosta Rican strawberries. minute. the hoteliers, who watch Spanish tel- Regional police officer, Ryan servedCheckouttheguysandCasa as Fire Captain for the township ofVitality B&B on Facebook or www. Yannick, Ryan and Muffin now make their They agree that the rainy seasonevision shows and listen to SpanishScugog, and Fire Chief in Port Hope. casavitality.comhome in Costa Rica.shouldnotdiscouragetravellers.music.October 14, 2020 Simcoe StreetThis is the time when the jungle isThe people here are friendly and house soldon to Costa Rica! the most lush and green, and often itbeautiful, Ryan enthused. He com- Scugogs Marc Gibbons Cant Wait to Return to Casa Vitalityonly rains at night. The three seasonsparedNosaratothefriendlysmall Itsbeautifultowalkonthevaryintemperatureandhumidity,town he grew up in, Port Perry.Marc Gibbons of Port Perry described Casa Vitality in He went zip lining, did an ATV tour and visited a softsandoutintothewater,Yanand the challenge is adapting to theManyScugogresidentswillre- Costa Rica as a wonderful place for rest and adventure. coffee plantation. He saw lots of monkeys, cooled off in commented. environment. memberRyan,whoattendedR.H.In October, Marc made a spur of the moment soloa refreshing swimming hole at the base of a waterfall, Ryan pointed out that many tropi- Yan points out that they cant callCornish and Port Perry High schools.trip to visit his friends Ryan Edgar and Yan Michaudand sampled delicious local cuisine.cal resorts in other places are right onSiri or Alexa and order from AmazonRyanhas,literally,wornmanyat their five star B&B.It was pretty neat, said Marc, who cant wait to go the water. This is not the case in Costaanymore.Andtheymissmoviehatsovertheyears.Hehasbeen Casa Vitality is gorgeous andback. He has already booked Rica. There is a buffer zone betweentheatres.(Theresonetwo-and-a-2ndLieutenantintheCanadianimmaculately clean, with all thea family holiday for 2023, with the community and the beaches. Thisamenities,heenthused.Yanshis wife Lauren and daughters prevents land erosion, and its also abreakfasts are a treat. And RyanAudre and ve. habitat for wildlife. The closest beachis a quite the tour guide. Theres a beautiful beach is only four minutes away. Marc was on the move a lot.onlytwominutesawayfrom Natureisgreatlyrespected.Followingafive-hourflight,Casa Vitality that I know they Whereas back home people oftenRyan picked him up in a Jurassicwould enjoy, said Marc. There step on spiders intruding into theirtypevehicleforathree-hourare bicycles to rent, and wildlife houses, Ryan said that in CR, spidersdrive over rough terrain to get torefuges to visit. are safely relocated back to the jungle. Nosara.Its a wonderful place and Spiders are an important part ofRyan escorted Marc on a jun- its nice to have the Port Perry the biodiversity here, Ryan noted. gle and mountain adventure onconnection, Marc concluded.Marc sourced out some AF brews with Ryan and TherearenosquirrelsinCostaRyan and Yannick on a quick trip home this past Octoberhorseback to enjoy the spectacu- Muffin for a tour this past October.Rica!Insteadyouwillseefourdif- stopped in at Mrs Fields Bakehouse Cafe. Owner JenniferFrom Port Perry to Costa Rica,lar views. Lynn Campbell, Focus on Scugogferent species of monkeys, anteaters,Back was happy to see them.Ryan never forgets home.36 FOCUS - DECEMBER 2022'