Chad Allen and two 20-somethings in an SUV take on Costa Rica.Chad Allen Chad Allen may refer to:
We were determined to find adventure off the beaten path and not travel to specifically gay areas. Costa Rica's popular destinations are the Monteverde Cloud Forest cloud forest n. A tropical forest, often near peaks of coastal mountains, that usually has constant cloud cover throughout the year. cloud forest , Arenal Volcano The Arenal Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Arenal, is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica (10.5N, 84.7W), around 90 km north-west of San José, in the province of Alajuela. , and Manuel Antonio National Park Manuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and 132 km from the national capital of . We would travel to none of them. Manuel Antonio, on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, is a gay-friendly beach that attracts many gay tourists, but it was not on our agenda. Although you can drive across Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the Pacific coast in five hours, it would take much longer to discover all its rain forests, volcanoes, beaches, rivers, small towns, and hidden waterfalls. My posse would have to move stealthily stealth·y adj. stealth·i·er, stealth·i·est Marked by or acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to avoid notice. See Synonyms at secret. and efficiently. Chad wanted to camp on the beach under the stars, Frenchie preferred some civilized amenities, and I wanted decent nightlife. We agreed that we'd hit beach spots with landscapes. Situated near colonial Cartago, south of San Jose, Irazu's summit jets up from the valley like Costa Rica's version of the Empire State Building. From its ashen ash·en 1 adj. 1. Consisting of ashes. 2. Resembling ashes, especially in color; very pale: A face ashen with grief. peak, a clear day offers views to the Caribbean coast. It's hit or miss as to whether you'll get a view of the volcano's sulfuric craters, because of cloud cover, fog, and haze. We got lucky. When Frenchie arrived we picked him up at Juan Santamaria Airport and headed directly to the beach. Traveling anywhere with Frenchie is a treat. Although he prefers life's more expensive delicacies, he possesses the critical quality of being able to go with the flow. Frenchie would regularly be caught voguing in our backseat. Our destination was Playa playa or pan or flat or dry lake Flat-bottomed depression that is periodically covered by water. Playas occur in interior desert basins and adjacent to coasts in arid and semiarid regions. Tamarindo, the most popular surfing destination in the Guanacaste province. bohemian atmospheres that had some tourist infrastructure, deciding on a loop through the northwestern beach region of Guanacaste, down the Pacific coast through the Nicoya Peninsula, across the Gulf of Nicoya The Gulf of Nicoya (Spanish: Golfo de Nicoya) is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, located at . , and over to the Caribbean on our last day. We had a rented Kia SUV, and we brought along several rolls of film, Frenchie's array of high-end grooming products (including designer suntan lotions and a prized Prada towel), and healthy libidos. Chad arrived before Frenchie, so we took a day trip to Irazu Volcano, at 11,260 feet one of four major volcanoes in San Jose's Central Valley (the others are Poas, Barva, and Turrialba). Two faults, one tectonic and one volcanic, define the geography of the valley, making for dramatic Tamarindo had a bit of what we all wanted: Rustic potholed pot·hole n. 1. A hole or pit, especially one in a road surface. Also called chuckhole. 2. A deep round hole worn in rock by loose stones whirling in strong rapids or waterfalls. 3. Western U.S. roads provided the sense of ruggedness Chad sought, yet our hotel, Zully Mar, had a well-kept pool where Frenchie could lounge and air-conditioned rooms for after the sun. It featured great seafood restaurants (the Lazy Wave and Gecko's), exciting nightlife (the big bazaar every Saturday night), surf camps with foosball tables (Witch's Rock), and incredibly gorgeous men wearing next to nothing. The white beach here is long and beautiful--not too crowded but not deserted. The warm water offers waves not so punishing as to discourage the beginning surfer but strong enough to challenge advanced riders. On our first day we met a group of six hot guys on break from Yale. We had all just learned to surf at Tamarindo (lessons are $35 for three hours, Yale students not included), and if you don't stand up on your board, you'll receive a full refund. Besides la Isla del Coco (300 miles from Costa Rica's Pacific coast, renowned for its schools of hammerhead sharks), the country's best diving is on the Catalina Islands in the Gulf of Papagayo Gulf of Papagayo (Spanish: Golfo de Papagayo, literally "Gulf of the parrot") is a large gulf off the northwestern coast of Costa Rica, in the Guanacaste Province, at . , easily reached from Tamarindo. Chad, who has dived his whole life, insisted that we go. With 30 to 50 feet of underwater visibility, this area is known for its mobula and cow-nosed manta rays. Frenchie and I had never tried scuba, so while we struggled to learn basic concepts associated with breathing underwater at a "resort course" in a hotel pool, Chad stole the SUV for an off-road adventure. After getting the car stuck in jungle entirety--18 minutes. Foreigners refer to Malpais as one of Costa Rica's last untouched spots. Think Leonardo DiCaprio's movie The Beach: sexy bohemian surfers in tent camps and ramshackle cabanas, tattooed bartenders with ripped abs who double as circus performers during bonfires at bars at the tide's edge, and long stretches of empty sand. Malpais is a place of intense mystery with the secret, dangerous spirit of a corner of the world that has yet to be spoiled. Waves of blue and red crabs scurry across the roads, and the surf can be frightening--no place for a beginner. Nine miles from Malpais is the popular small town of Montezuma. Hiking trails to beautiful waterfalls start from both ends of town. One walk heads along the beach beside the ocean while the other hugs a tranquil creek heading mud, he happened upon a beach where he helped three local boys capture a giant iguana iguana (ĭgwä`nə), name for several large lizards of the family Iguanidae, found in tropical America and the Galapagos. The common iguana (Iguana iguana . Despite their dinner invitation we opted for conventional offerings and had one of the best meals of our trip at the Lazy Wave. The following day Frenchie and I joined Chad diving. We saw two giant rays during what Chad considered one of the great diving moments of his life. Leaving Tamarindo, we drove to Malpais. Although Costa Rica is the most developed country in Central America, it has the worst roads. However, it does have some of the best '70s and '80s radio stations. While backed up in traffic in the small town of Carmona, Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park Suite" was broadcast in its from town to a higher elevation. Montezuma has outstanding food, bountiful hotel options, and evening performances in the town square by troubadours troubadours (tr  `bədôrz), aristocratic poet-musicians of S France (Provence) who flourished from the end of the 11th cent. through the 13th cent. (we saw an amazing Brazilian capoeira cap·o·ei·ra n. An Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense maneuvers. [Portuguese, from earlier *capon, capon, from Vulgar Latin group). There are no high-end resorts, but for $80 a night, four people can rent a private cabin on a semiprivate sem·i·pri·vate adj. Shared with usually one to three other hospital patients: a semiprivate room. Adj. 1. beach or a couple can rent a comfortable room at a full-amenity hotel. In Montezuma we took a requisite Tico canopy tour, which involves zipping through the treetops on wires wearing harnesses and helmets. As we hiked back from the tour, fans bombarded Chad. This time the autograph seekers were a group of kids and their mothers who had gathered at the trail's head. The locals were in love. But it was Frenchie who fell in love with Montezuma during a horseback ride along the beach. While I took a yoga class in a pagoda pagoda (pəgō`də), name given in the East to a variety of buildings of tower form that are usually part of a temple or monastery group and serve as shrines. overlooking the ocean, Frenchie and Chad rode with a guide to the beach waterfall. This was what Frenchie had come here to do. He was finally, literally, riding on his own terms. Finally we hiked from Montezuma through the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, Costa Rica's first national park. With no humans in sight and more than one encounter with wild antelope, sloths, and monkeys, our five-kilometer trail spilled out upon a pristine white beach at the tip of the peninsula, where we skinny-dipped under the high noon sun. Two nights before Frenchie flew out, we drove back to San Jose. Our young French companion's sunscreen sunscreen /sun·screen/ (-skren) a substance applied to the skin to protect it from the effects of the sun's rays. sun·screen n. must not have worked, because the poor kid got sick and couldn't join Chad and me for our final day: white-water rafting on the Pacuare River in the Caribbean region. Rafting is one of Costa Rica's specialties, and one- or two-day trips leave from any hotel in San los6 at 6 A.M., bringing you back either late that night or the next day after sleeping in a riverside lodge. On Chad and Frenchie's final night we decided to go out in San Jose, a decent city that many travelers opt to skip. Gay life is not invisible, but don't look for pride flags in the gay neighborhood's windows. It has about four mixed gay and lesbian bars with monthly international DJs. We ate at the trendy Cafe Mundo restaurant, housed in a former diplomatic mansion, and swung by the hip French-owned lounge Cafe Loft. But our destination was La Avispa ("The Wasp"), the oldest gay disco in Central America, dating to 1979. We drank and danced the night away, reflected on our adventures, and laughed about the memories. We had traveled Costa Rica on our own terms Our Own Terms was the first full-length by Subterfuge and it was released on Pride Recordz. After its release on January 28, 2001, this CD helped propel Subterfuge to the top of the LIHC scene. Tracks 1. Intro 2. The Way It's Always Been 3. Til The End 4. , and the only question left unanswered was to decide which parts of the country we'd visit next year. The Out Traveler Ratings: Costa Rica Gay-Friendly (B) Legal Domestic Partnerships (C) Adoption Laws (B) Antidiscrimination Laws (C) HIV Information (A) Gay Scene (B) (A) Excellent (B) Fair (C) Poor Essentials Gay Bars & Clubs In San Jose: El Bochinche, Avenida 10/12, Calle 11; La Avispa, Avenida 8/10, Calle 1; Deja Vu, Avenida 14/16, Calle 2; Pucho's, Avenida 11, Calle 11; Cafe Loft (mixed), in the Barrio bar·ri·o n. pl. bar·ri·os 1. An urban district or quarter in a Spanish-speaking country. 2. A chiefly Spanish-speaking community or neighborhood in a U.S. city. Amon District. In Manuel Antonio: Bar Cocatoa in the Jungle Room at the Casitas Eclipse. Accommodations In Tamarindo: Expensive: El Diria, +506-653 0031; Hotel Capitan Suizo, +506 653-0075; Best Western Tamarindo. +506-653-0114. Inexpensive Cabinas Zully Mar; +506-653-0140; Pasatiempo, +506-653-0096. In Malpais: Hotel Milarepa, +506-640-0023; or for the real Malpais experience, stay at any beachfront beach·front n. A strip of land facing or running along a beach. adj. Situated along or having direct access to a beach: beachfront hotels; beachfront property. Noun 1. surfer campground. In Montezuma: Hotel Luz de Mono, +506-642-0090; Hotel Tajalin, +506-642-0061; Hotel los Mangos, +506-642-0076; Las Cabinas de Sano Banano, +506-642-0068; In Manuel Antonio: Expensive: Si Como No, +506-777-0777; La Mariposa: +506-777-0355; Makanda by the Sea, +506-777-0442. Moderate: Hotel Costa Verde, +506-777-0584; Villas Nicolas, +506-777-0481; Casitas Eclipse, +506-777-0408, In San Jose: Costa Pica Marriott, +506-298-0000; Hotel Alta (in Escazu). Restaurants In Tamarindo: The Lazy Wave, Gecko's. In Montezuma: Playa de las Artistes, Colores. In Manuel Antonio: El Gran Escape (in Quepos), Cafe Milagro, La Cantina can·ti·na n. Southwestern U.S. A bar that serves liquor. [Spanish, canteen, from Italian, wine cellar.] . In San Jose: Cafe Mundo, Avenida 9, Calle 15; Delicias del Maiz (in Alajuela, near airport). Store Information for Fashion and Accessories Products and additional information on items in this issue can be found at the locations listed below. Anthony Caputo Available at Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue is a chain of upscale American department stores that is owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the elite luxury department store market with Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New and Calypso Calypso, in Greek mythology Calypso (kəlĭp`sō), nymph, daughter of Atlas, in Homer's Odyssey. She lived on the island of Ogygia and there entertained Odysseus for seven years. Homme BuiltNY Available at www.wishingfish.com and 877-785-3914 Burberry London Available at select Burberry stores nationwide and at www burberry.com Dermalogica Available at www.dermalogica.com Diptyque Available at Diptyque boutiques in Boston, San Francisco, Paris, Barneys NY; at www.diptyqueusa.com; and at www.eluxury.com Eagle Creek Available at www.eaglecreek.com Ebel Available at www.ebel.com Express Available at www.expressfashion.com Flight 001 Available at Flight 001 Boutiques in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , San Francisco, and West Hollywood, Calif.; and at www.flight001.com hp Available at www.hpshopping.com Kenneth Cole Available at www.kennethcole.com and at 800-KEN COLE Kiehl's Available at Kiehl's stores nationwide, at www.kiehls.com, at 800-Kiehls-1, and at Neiman Marcus Lambertson Truex Available at Corsa Collection, Las Vegas, at www.lambertsontruex.com, and at 212-604-9494 L.L. Bean Inc. Available at www.llbean.com and at 800-809-7057 Loop Available at www.loopnyc.com Mavi Available at www.mavi.com and at 866-MAVI575 Pack Happy Available at www.wishingfish.com, at 877-785-3914, and at www.packhappy.com Puma Available at www.puma.com Sony Ericcson Available at CingularWireless stores, at www.cingular.com, at AT&T stores, and at www.attwireless.com Snickers
Snickers is a sweet bar made by Mars, Incorporated. Available at www.snickersmarathon.co m and at mass-market retailers The Art of Shaving Available at www.theartofshaving.com Therapy Systems Available at www.therapysystemsinc.com Towle Available at 888-747-0475 and at www.syratech.com Jeremy Blacklow, a television news producer for a, network morning, show, lives in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . His partner in travels. Chad Allen, is a Los Angeles-based actor whose television credits include Dr: Quinn, Medicine Woman: Our House; Webster; and St. Elsewhere. |
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