THE BEGINNING

Written by: Cecelia Reid

“Whatever brought you and David to Costa Rica?” has always been the most asked question. It all started by accident on a beach in Kawai.

In 1972 David and I took a vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. One day, while sitting on the beach enjoying the beautiful view we began discussing how nice it would be to live in Hawaii. We thought we were alone on the beach, but at the same moment, a surfer walking behind us, said out load, “If you think this is beautiful, you should see Costa Rica.” David and I looked at each other and asked? “Where is Costa Rica?”

Returning to our jobs a week later we had almost forgotten what we had heard and then one day David brought home a San Francisco newspaper.

There was an article inviting anyone interested in looking at photographs of Costa Rica to meet on the top of Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley the following Sunday. We went and were so impressed with the beautiful pictures and the enthusiasm of the people gathered who had visited Costa Rica that we began to make plans to go and see for ourselves.

It took about 6 months to get ready for the long trip. We had to prepare our truck; a Chevy Carryall Van a vehicle not unlike the SUV’s you see on the road today. David designed and converted the interior into a camper; added an additional gas tank, another battery, mounted a winch on the front and installed a sunroof. He also added a super stereo system inside the cab of the car.

Not knowing what to expect we packed everything from hunting knives and fishing gear to a well stocked first aid kit and maps plus enough survival gear to last a week in case we were stranded someplace. We took leave of absence from our jobs and away we went.

David and I spent a month in Baja California; it was the first year that the new Baja Highway had opened. We drove to La Paz at the tip and took the overnight ferry to Mazatlan Mexico.

Wanting to be in Costa Rica before the end of the year David and I took turns driving day and night until we arrived at the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. A sleepless night was spent while waiting for the border to open.

David and I crossed the border at 7:30a.m.; on December 30th 1973 and knew immediately we wanted to stay. The 18-inch tall green grasses of Guanacaste with the giant mountains in the distance were breathtaking. It was everything we had dreamed about and more. Somehow time had forgotten Costa Rica and we felt we had taken a time machine back into history 50 years. We were adventurous; young and determined to make living in Costa Rica possible.

In 1974 the Costa Rican Agricultural Department was giving away tiny macadamia plants and we thought we might become farmers. We looked for land but after we discovered that it took 7 years before a tree would produce nuts we became discouraged. We couldn’t go without an income for 7 years and to cheer ourselves up David and I decided to go fishing.

We rented a boat out of the yacht club in Puntarenas. The captain took us to where the Port of Caldera is today. We fished for hours without getting even a bite. Bored with fishing David asked the Captain to take us across the Gulf of Nicoya to see the islands.

The captain took us to beautiful Tortuga Island. He dropped anchor and David and I swam towards the swaying palms through the turquoise waters to the white sand beach. Ours were the only footprints in the sand. We walked the length of the beach under the shade of giant coconut palm trees. We had found our paradise as beautiful as Hawaii; but better because we were alone.

The beginning of an idea began to take shape.

David found and bought the Yacht Calypso and an old beach house in Puntarenas that was used to tan sharks. The house was next to the estuary and after we built a dock we could keep the Calypso moored behind the house. Our new lives began to take shape.

We drove back to California quit our jobs sold our household goods and moved to Costa Rica in August 1974.

David spent the rest of the year getting the Calypso ready for tourism.

Calypso Tours took the first Pacific Island Cruise in January 1975 and as they say; the rest is history.

David and I have never regretted for a minute our decision to make Costa Rica our home. A chance meeting with a stranger 30 years earlier has given us a life time of adventures.

Look for the book, it is coming.