Chris' sister, Kim, and their good family friend, Janelle Hicks, made it to down to this beautiful country with limited difficulties and red tape. They decided a little holiday action was needed and we always welcome guests. We picked them up at Playa Del Coco, whisked them and their bags into the dingy, and settled into Cisnecito, who anxiously awaited them a good 400 yards offshore. Both Kim and Janelle were true troopers, jumping into the wet sandy dingy with no hesitation. They shined nothing but bright white smiles as we taxied them to the boat.

Much to my excitement, my boat mom, Julie Mays, returned to Cisnecto the prior night, and had our boat whipped into tip top shape in no time. Chris and I spent hours upon hours cleaning the boat and preparing it for the return of Julie and our anticipated guests. Fortunately, the end result was nothing short of fantastic with sparkling clean heads, bright deck, and shining bright work. Julie put the "finishing touches" on the few spots we missed, which were probably more than a few. We definitely missed Julie, and most certainly her warm smiles and positive attitude.

Kim and Janelle were thrilled to be onboard and instantly remarked, "Oh my gosh!, this is paradise!' as we motored out of the murky, brown bay. Yes, it was nice, but the true beauty was yet to come. We motored just around the corner to Nacascolo, where the Four Seasons Hotel and Golf Course lay on the surrounding hilltops.

Janelle has a fairly serious case of the exploration bug and frequently asked, "So, what do you think is on that side of the resort?" We fished the surrounding waters that morning in the dingy and gawked at the beauty of resort's architectural style, layout, and ability to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape and topography. We viewed the widespread property from sea level, wondered who stayed there, what the rates were, and what it looked like up close. Unfortunately, we returned to the boat at lunch time empty handed, but were happy to report we picked up a few pieces of trash on the way back to the boat, which gave us a "karma credit". Hopefully this will bring us hungry fish and fair winds in the future days.

After lunch we packed up the waterproof bag and headed into the small and deserted beach that lay far below the resort. While eating lunch we noticed a few golfers way up on the hill, so I was simply thrilled with the idea of walking through a pristine golf course. We slowly worked our way up the hills, admiring the beautiful vegetation and wildlife along the way. Distant, yet clearly audible howler monkey cries, and crisp cricket chirps perked our ears as we slugged our way up the long narrow path to the resort's main property and golf course. We quickly found the course and the driving range, which I was instantly drawn to. The resort's staff was overly friendly and greeted us with friendly smiles and multiple "Holas". Janelle sweet-talked one of the workers into lending me a driver, and I was blasting Big Bertha tee-shots off the million dollar driving range in a bathing suit, Gap Polo, and visor. The resort was practically empty, so I didn't even bother wearing my flip flops onto the range. Janelle took a few swings as well, and we both agreed that it beat any high dollar Arizona golf course by a miracle mile. The range was brilliantly green and stretched into the dense, forested jungle. Of course I swung for the trees but barely made it to the back flag.

We decided to venture further into the property and fell upon a private residence located high upon the hillside, over looking the beautiful and tranquil Pacific Ocean. The property itself was quite impressive as it sat directly in front of the 11th hole and had a jaw-dropping view of the Pacific and a few deserted beaches. The house was undergoing the final stages of construction, so we were able to walk through the property, admiring every angle. The house was simply incredible and left us shaking our heads as we walked back to the boat. Tomorrow we plan on heading for the Murcielagos islands, a chain of protected islands about 25 miles north of here. We hear there is great snorkeling, hiking, and exploring opportunities, which is what this whole journey is all about. So far, it has been a treat to share it with family and friends.