9. toukokuuta 2013

Costa Rica

It was a wonderful vacation for me and my wife Anne. We stayed in Costa Rica a bit more than three weeks. Our trip started on December 14th , 2012 and we returned back at home on January 8th, 2013.

Our flights: Helsinki-Paris-New York-San Jose-New York-London-Helsinki. The price of the flights were €1091 per each person via ebookers.com.

We visited mainly the following places in Costa Rica: San Jose-Puerto Viejo-La Fortuna-Santa Elena-Alajuela-Corcovado-San Jose.

We had started the planning and booking in October. That was a bit too late because it was already difficult to find that sort of accommodation we were looking for, especially in La Fortuna and to some extent also in Monteverde/Santa Elena. Generally, I made all the reservations myself in Internet. Only the first and last night was booked by a travel agency, Anywhere Costa Rica.


Usually, I made the bookings at booking.com after I had checked the recommendations in TripAdvisor.  There were some hotels, which were not in booking.com so I booked them by contacting the hotel directly. All bookings were kept, the rooms were ready for us when we arrived even though no additional confirmation was usually required by the hotel. In the beginning, I considered to use Anywhere Costa Rica for the whole planning because they offer turn-key travel planning and booking service also. You only need to tell them when you travel, what is your budget and what you want to do during your vacation. They'll assign a private travel agent who can take care of all your travel planning, based on your wishes. I think this kind of service is fantastic. Eventually, this kind of service was not suitable for us because we were in a hurry to make the bookings and we had very specific plans. That means it was quicker to make the bookings ourselves. Although, a lot of work and investigations was needed!

If you are currently planning your vacation in Costa Rica, please note that I've attached links to the names of hotels, attractions and restaurants mentioned in this blog for customer reviews. You may find those useful.

For transports between the hotels we used mostly Interbus. I had booked also these in advance through the Costa Rica Shuttle Bus. You could of course book the transfers directly at Interbus but the booking seemed to be easier through the CR Shuttle Bus pages. I did not have any problems with the bookings and the Interbus vans picked us up as promised or they called us (the hotel) if they were running late.

We had booked internal return flights from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez from Nature Air. There we had some problems with the booking at their site (no confirmation on first try but double payment on second try) but the extra cost was returned in due time. Nature Air responded quickly to e-mail enquiries. We considered first to use bus or shuttle services to go to Corcovado but that would have taken an extra day so flying seemed to be a sensible thing to do. Finding out the condition of the roads afterwards that probably was the best choice.

Day 1: 14.12.2012 Departure from Finland


It was a dark winter day when we left home. We actually left the night before our outbound flight and stayed in the Hilton Helsinki hotel at the airport. That way we could get a good night's sleep and still be early at the check-in. The hotel is located only about 5 minutes walk from the terminal. It is not often that you are able to walk from your hotel to the terminal.

We did the check-in already in the hotel by using the self-service facility there but it didn't print out the luggage tags so we needed to get the tags in the terminal. That was sorted out quickly, we got also boarding passes for the second leg so that would save us quite some time and trouble in Paris.

Flight went smoothly and the plane arrived about 30 minutes late to Paris, which is usual when you are flying to major European destinations in morning flights.

Swift walk through the terminal to change planes to our connecting flight to JFK and were ready for boarding. Except we still needed to be interrogated by the American Airlines staff at the gate about our cabin bags. Only routine but still strange questions. Eventually, they let us board the plane. No problems with the flight.

When we arrived to JFK, the race to the US Immigration started. We ran for better positions in the queue but the race was short. The Immigration desks were very close to our arrival gate. We had almost three hours time to our next flight to San Jose but that might not be enough because we needed to go through the Immigration, Customs, then reclaim our luggage and check-in to San Jose. I have to say that this is so frustrating. Why you need to do all that when you are transiting although you won't even leave the terminal building?! Most countries or airlines build transit areas and services for the transit passengers. But that's not the case in USA. All tourists need to go through these humiliating procedures where people are treated like cattle, finger prints are taken and eye retinas photographed. To top it all, we had to pay $12 each (for ESTA applications) for this useless running around the terminal. BTW, I also checked what would happen if we lose our passports while in Costa Rica. Of course, you can get a temporary passport from your own Embassy. But you cannot do the transit in USA with a temporary passport and ESTA, you need to apply for proper visa in US Embassy to be able to have a connecting flight via USA! So, be careful that you keep your passport in a safe place at all times. Anyway, when we hit the lines in the Immigration, there was plenty of time left but the line was long. After one hour, the line had moved about one third of the whole length so it was obvious that if the same pace was kept we would miss our connection. Fortunately, no other flights arrived so the officials let us go to the desks which are usually dedicated to the US Citizens only, so after another hour we were through the immigration.

The luggage reclaim in JFK took some time because our luggage had not arrived. It took some time to confirm that this really was the case. The luggage was left behind in Paris. There should have been enough time although the late arrival. But that was something we expected, it has happened to us before when flying via Paris. But the strangest thing was that the staff couldn't advise us where to report the lost luggage and when. We came to the conclusion that it is best to report it when we arrive to San Jose. The flight to San Jose went fine with tickling expectations for the vacation ahead of us.

Why did I then book flights via New York if I don't like the Immigration drills? The only reason is that the price was that much cheaper via USA. I would recommend to take the connection from Madrid or Amsterdam to San Jose or Liberia. But you need to book early to get fair prices.

So, in San Jose we went directly to the service desk. Anne reported the missing luggage. Meanwhile, I withdraw some money from the ATM and bought a pre-paid Kolbi SIM card for my mobile from ICE desk. All this was done in 15 minutes and then we went out to look for our transportation. First we did not find it, the Interbus sign was so small that we hadn't noticed it first but it was there alright. It felt a bit weird and fancy free to arrive without the luggage. Especially, as the vacation was so long, but on the other hand we didn't have too big worries. The most important things we had with us, the other stuff we could basically buy if the bags wouldn't arrive.

It was a long drive to the hotel Apartotel & Suites Casa Conde but finally we arrived. It is a really nice hotel inside, but the surroundings are dodgy. It doesn't invite you to walk around even during the daytime. But you can easily get a taxi to the city centre though. The hotel has good facilities and excellent breakfast buffet. There is a good selection of both cold and hot choices. The service is very nice and friendly. That puts you in good mood.

Day 2: 15.12.2012 First day in San Jose


In my opinion, there is not that much to do in San Jose. The first impression is that it is not very charming although there are some decent buildings. It probably would be better to spend your time outside San Jose than in it. Costa Rica is a nature destination first and foremost. But if stuck in town, you might want to take a look at the National Theatre and the Gold Museum, which are supposedly good. We visited only the National Museum, which was as expected, telling the local history. Not bad at all but no giant surprises either, unless you count the Blue Morpho butterflies as such. They were fluttering around you right after you entered the museum.

It was a very special day in San Jose. In the evening the annual Festival de la Luz took place. There was a huge crowd in the city centre, it was absolutely packed. People were already reserving place along the main street to get good viewing spots for the parade. They had arrived hours and hours before the parade, stretching their blankets and sitting in the sun, just waiting. We were amazed. There was still at least four hours to the parade and more people was arriving all the time. We did not have the stamina (jet lag affecting also) to wait for the parade so after having a nice cup of coffee and batido (smoothie with or without milk) in a cafe, we decided to go back to the hotel. And watch the parade in TV :) That was convenient, because at the same time we could actually see the fireworks in the sky from our window. And hear the drummers. The parade lasted several hours.



Day 3: 16.12.2012 Whitewater rafting


In the morning we left the hotel already before the breakfast. The Rios Tropicales came to fetch us for our whitewater rafting tour. Their van took us to their operations center in Siquirres where we had the breakfast. During the drive the guide gave us the security speech and told us what to do if something unexpected or not that unexpected happens. Like if you fall from the raft. After the amazing breakfast we continued to the launching area at Rio Pacuares. The river is supposed to be one of the best rivers for whitewater rafting in the world. It depends of course whom you ask. Allegedly, this was stated by National Geography. I couldn't find the source but I am willing to believe that. Although this was the first time ever I did whitewater rafting :)

Before the launch, we were split into groups of 6 visitors + 1 guide. There were about 40 people so 7-8 rafts were needed. They put us to a Spanish speaking raft because we knew Spanish and most of the other participants didn't. After practicing and learning the keywords - which all started with the letter 'a'; adelante, alto, atras, abajo, arriba - we started drifting and paddled slowly. I was sitting in the front row with Felipe. He is from San Jose, his nickname was Pipe, mine is Pepi :) Soon the rapids started, there were over 50 of those on the almost 30km distance that we made. The biggest of those were class IV. Wow, those were fierce, I don't want to know what the Class V rapids would feel like. The guide was all the time giving instructions what to do, usually 'adelante' to increase the speed of the raft. Otherwise you couldn't steer it. Our crew was very good, nobody fell from the raft. Except on purpose. On slower sections we just dropped off the raft and floated in the river. That was awesome. I thought that it would be really nice someday to swim and snorkel in a fast moving river. The scenery was extraordinary. At times we wanted to stop the raft and just be amazed by the views. That was, however, a bit problematic because we had these rapids we were going through :)

After about 3-4 hours the river became flat and we got back to shore. From there we were taken back to the operations center to change some dry clothes and have a well earned lunch. It was actually a nice physical exercise, much better to paddle along than just sit there doing nothing. You could do a 2-day rafting also but it is difficult for me to imagine what added value the second day would bring. The best rapids you can raft already on this one-day tour.

After the lunch, the van took us back to the hotel. Our luggage did actually arrive, only two days late. It was good timing because we would be heading to our next destination tomorrow.

The hotel was quite busy because the annual bicycle event was taking place close to San Jose and many teams were staying there. Lots of bicycles and parties.

I didn't take many photos during the first few days. There was no sense to take my DSLR to the whitewater rafting and my (waterproof) pocket camera was still in the undelivered backpack until tonight. Well, this was not supposed to be a photo vacation anyway :)


Day 4: 17.12.2012 Arrival to the Caribbean



Interbus van picked us up in the morning. They were late but called us that please be patient, there are some traffic problems. Indeed there were. When they arrived we learned that we needed to take a detour to Puerto Viejo because of this bicycle event. Some roads were closed because of that. So, we took the road over the Turrialba. The road was winding across the farmland, lots of ups and downs but the scenery was nice. When we reached the Siquirres, the traffic stopped totally. There was a long queue of cars and trucks standing still. Our driver negotiated our way to a roadside restaurant (which he seemingly always uses as a stopover) and we had a break there. We wondered how long we would need to wait? We heard that this particular queue was not because of the bicycle event but there was a demonstration due to the closing down of a local hospital. People from the near-by villages were marching and protesting, hence the traffic was stopped. After about 30 minutes or so, the traffic started moving again and we hopped into the van again. Close to Puerto Limon we admired the big banana plantation beside the highway. When getting to Puerto Viejo we dropped all the other passengers somewhere in the woods (or so it seemed to us) and continued to Physis Caribbean B&B in Playa Cocles.

When we arrived, the owners, Jeremy and Emily, came out to welcome us. It was a heartfelt, warm welcome. We got the welcome drinks and they told us everything about the B&B, the area, the beach, tours, places of interest, restaurants, animals in the area etc.

The Physis is a really beautiful B&B, our room (honeymoon suite) was big enough, cosy and well equipped. It has a really nice bathroom with walk-in shower. The breakfast was delicious, fresh and healthy. While having breakfast you may spot some toucans in the neighboring trees. Jeremy & Emily are a fabulous couple, so friendly and always ready to help and provide advices and tips for tours. Whatever you need they try their best to assist you. Their pets (2 dogs and a cat) are adorable. The location is good, it is close to the beaches (Playa Cocles), Punta Uva is "only" 1.5h walk away along a virgin beach, and about 3km from Puerto Viejo.

This place is truly unique, like an oasis in the desert. You feel very welcome in this luxury but priceworthy establishment.

The nearest restaurant is next door, Soda Johanna, which serves really excellent, local meals. We visited this Soda a couple of times and the meals were delicious (I had camarones with rice). Jeremy recommended lobster because it is really good there and cheap ($20) but we did not try it.


Day 5: 18.12.2012 On the beach



This was a beach day. Not that much lying on the beach (although we did that too) but rather a long walk to the Punta Uva, having lunch there and then walking back. The beach is so beautiful, fine sand, the sea and the sound of it, the sun, palm trees, vegetation, tranquility - all this and nothing more. During our walk we saw only one Costa Rican mother with her two kids playing on the shore. In Punta Uva there were more people but on our way it was all the time pristine beaches. I thought that these kind of beaches don't exist but I was fortunately proved otherwise.








Back in the B&B Jeremy was amazed that we actually had walked all the way and back. Not many have done that, I wonder why. It was so beautiful. I definitely recommend to do that.

In the evening we went to Puerto Viejo for dinner and to withdraw some money. There are not too many ATMs in Puerto Viejo. I found only two. There seemed to be frequently some communications problems so that the transactions did not succeed. But after several tries we eventually always got the money. You can get it either in colones or US dollars. I preferred to colones when possible. In hotels the dollars were the usual choice. That night we had dinner at El Pescador. We picked this restaurant basically because we wanted to eat fish and there was a guy handing out flyers (10% discount and one free cocktail) outside the restaurant. There were not so many people having dinner, but we had to wait for a long time for our orders to arrive. It was a bit strange that after one table got their dishes, there was a long wait before the next table got theirs, then again long wait, yet another etc. It was like the kitchen was making only one order at a time from the beginning 'till the end and only after that they started to prepare the next order. Anyway, our meals arrived eventually. I had red snapper, which was basically ok but I had forgotten how many bones it can have.. Not sure if we got the discounts either. Most likely they only compensated with the service tax. Nevermind.

The waiter in the restaurant called us a taxi, the typical fare from Puerto Viejo to Physis seems to be $5 or 2500 colones. BTW, it seems to be safe to take a taxi in the street in Puerto Viejo. There are no official taxis like in San Jose, all look like unofficial ones. If in doubt, visit a restaurant and ask them to call you a taxi. Soon you will know first hand which are the real taxis because there are not so many of them.


Day 6: 19.12.2012 Visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center




Next day we decided to visit the Jaguar Rescue Center, a home for the homeless and orphan animals.

This is definitely worth a visit. It is a good opportunity to learn about the Costa Rican animals, see them very close, even touch if they let you do that. The guide was very informative, educational and entertaining as well. A baby spider monkey was hanging on her neck all the time, it squeezed so hard that she had bruises in her neck. The Jaguar Rescue Center is an orphanage and a hospital for the orphan or injured animals. The foundation is doing valuable job to help the animals and at the same time educate the local community as well.

If you take the first tour, be careful not to miss the signs in the street (if they have put them). They did not have a permanent sign when we visited the place, they put this kind of temporary sign or advertising stand by the street when the place is open. It might be difficult to spot. We missed the crossing and did not notice that until too late. So, we needed to wait and take the afternoon tour. Note that they do not have a bar nor a restaurant. Actually, they let you in only when the tour is about to start.

The JRC has mostly monkeys and sloths, but they do have a few other animals as well; toucans, kinkajou, deers, owls, frogs, cayman, hawks, snakes.. There are no jaguars though. The first animal the founder took care of was a jaguar and from that the JRC got its name. You can visit the monkey cage and be surrounded by the baby spider monkeys. The adults were having a picnic in the woods, that's part of the rehabilitation exercise. There is a snake cage with has only three glass walls. This means that can look at the snakes without any wall in-between. They can see and smell you as well. But no worries, the snakes are not aggressive. This way the locals can see that it is not in the snakes, nature to attack people. If you let them in peace, they won't bother you. So killing a snake should not be the first thought in your mind when you see one.

The guides are all volunteers, very nice people as you would imagine. So you be nice as well and leave some tip for them.

The tour took about 2 hours and you could stay in the area for a while after the tour also.







It was still pretty early but we decided to have an early dinner. Jeremy had recommended the Tasty Waves, they had a taco night that day. We walked there, it is not that far away, it is located between Playa Cocles and Puerto Viejo. It looks fairly modest, a beach bar type of thing but they serve good tacos. You may want to consider ordering two right away because the tacos are fairly small. Anne loved her chicken taco and ordered another one. My fish taco was not that great but it was ok. One was enough for me. The tacos looked very nice, they are not like those tacos you usually see at home, they are more like built in layers on a round tortilla.

Although it was still fairly early, they recommended to take a taxi rather than walk back. That's what we did.

Day 7: 20.12.2012 Rainy day



At breakfast we still hadn't made up our mind what to do that day. I had went early in the morning to the beach to do my almost customary solitary beach stroll to take photos. The weather was not very promising. The clouds were coming in from the Caribbean. Emily suggested us to do a horseback riding on the beach. I have never done it so I was a bit hesitant. Anne was eager to try it and when Jeremy quote a saying: "Happy wife, happy life" I gave in :) So, Emily called the stalls of the Caribe Horse and we agreed that they would pick us in the afternoon. However, one hour later it started to rain. And it was raining more heavily one hour after that. It didn't seem to stop. Finally, we all agreed that it didn't make much sense to go riding in that kind of weather so we postponed the riding 'till tomorrow.

So, what to do in the pouring rain in Caribbean? We chose to do nothing. Except we borrowed a couple of DVDs from Jeremy and Emily (they have a selection available for guest use) and watched those while waiting for the rain to stop. However, the rain didn't stop even after we had watched the DVDs. We didn't feel like going to Puerto Viejo either so we went to have a dinner next door, in Soda Johanna. Again, they didn't disappoint us. The dinner was just as good as the previous time. And the batido also. After having dinner and reading the local newspaper in the Johanna's we returned to Physis. It felt so silly to step out of the restaurant, take one step further, turn around and voilá, you are at the front door of the Physis! :)




Day 8: 21.12.2012 Horseback riding




So this was the day for the horseriding. I had never been on horseback before but it was great, fun and exciting! When we came to the stalls (transportation from/to the hotel was included in the price) it started to rain again. We waited for an hour or so in the stalls to see if it would stop but it didn't. Max (the guide) said that it was not raining that hard so we could go riding regardless of the rain if we wanted to. That is if we didn't mind getting wet. There was also a nice young couple from the United States with us (he had neither been on horseback before), we all agreed to go for it. I got Balsam who was very calm, obedient and gentle for a non-experienced rider like me. Max explained us the essentials, like how to steer the horse and how to make it stop. It sounded easy - pull left and it turns left etc - and off we went. Pretty soon we were on the beach riding towards Manzanillo. It was still raining but we hardly noticed it. The ride on the beach was really nice, beautiful views and the sounds of the sea. We visited the sightseeing point in Manzanillo, left horses there to rest for a while and took some pictures of the lonely tree. Then we were ready to go back. The horses knew that and wanted to go faster. Max asked if we wanted to trod and gallop? I hesitated. I was a bit scared but still I wanted to try. So I thought that I can always stop the horse if I don't like it. It didn't even cross my mind that what if the horse would not want to stop? Anyway, next I thought how to make a horse to trod? It was easy. Just let it go! I did have the 'handbrakes on' though to control the speed. On first try, I didn't feel comfortable, the horse was going too fast for my experience. I feared that I might fall off. So I stopped the horse. It obeyd but for sure it must have wondered what's wrong now? Max gave me further instructions, I focused more and we did try to gallop again. This time it went much better, I had the same rhythm as the horse and it was enjoyable. Wild! In no time at all we joined the others and walked the horses back to their stalls. They knew the way, no point to steer them.

So, it was really exciting and we all enjoyed very much. The horses were beautiful, behaving nicely and they are really well kept. And Max was very friendly as well.

The only thing why I didn't give it 5 stars was the safety. There were no helmets (on the other hand we didn't ask for those) and Max let me to try galloping although he knew that I had no previous experience on riding. Maybe he knew that I'm a natural born horserider! ;) I know that it was on my own responsibility (because we had signed the waiver) and I was doing that voluntarily but if there had been someone instead of me who didn't understand all the risks involved and the consequences, it could have been a sad ending for the trip. So, if you are worried about the safety, ask for the helmets and don't gallop. Otherwise, have fun!!






After the riding we were taken back to the Physis. We had a quick shower and went to Puerto Viejo for shopping and dining. We visited one of the tour operators there to see if they had something interesting available for the next day. We were planning to go to Cahuita National Park and I asked if it would be possible to do a snorkeling tour there. In that area you could snorkel only with a licensed guide. But the lady said that it had rained so heavily there that it would make no sense to go for snorkeling. Basically, you would not see anything, the sea would not clear up by then. So we did not book any trips or tours. After browsing a few shops we wanted to have a coffee and chose to go to the Bread and Chocolate Cafe.

The cafe looks nice. It is well appreciated by the tourists. My wife had a French press and I had the mocha. The mocha was so yummy because they brought you the coffee, chocolate and hot milk separately and you mixed it yourself. So good and plenty! We had also a chocolate pie and chocolate muffin. The waitress came to ask us if everything was ok and my wife answered spontaneously: "yam, yam, yam!". The waitress laughed and said that she is taking that as a yes :)

After another hour doing shopping we went to have dinner at Stashu Fusion. I picked this restaurant based on the recommendations in the Lonely Planet.

They offer fine dining and Zen-like ambiance. The cuisine is splendid and out of the ordinary. I love this kind of bold combinations of exotic ingredients, Asia meets Caribbean. I cannot remember exactly what I ordered but it was fish with a nice, thick spicy gravy. It was a mixture of spicy and fruity, on a fish fillet, it pleased my palate very much. Also I liked very much the pieces of art that was hanging on the walls and around. Very pleasant atmosphere there. Lonely Planet was right, this is one of the must places to visit if you want to do fine dining. And the prices are not over the top so it is affordable as well.

We took a taxi back to the Physis, some chat with the hosts and guests and then it was bedtime.

Day 9: 22.12.2012 Cahuita National Park




After another splendid breakfast, we prepared ourselves for the trip to Cahuita National Park. We walked to Puerto Viejo and then went to Bread and Chocolate to fetch some picnic (sandwiches). Anne selected chicken sandwich and I took a vegetarian one. The salad was included, I chose the fruit salad. There was actually quite a lot to carry with you because the salad came in a box. You may consider just to take the sandwiches and leave the salad if you don't want to carry a lot with you.

We asked the waitress for the directions to the bus station. It was good that we did so because the location of the bus station was not that obvious. It was closer to the beach than I thought. We went into the ticket office, bought the tickets and while waiting for the change the ticket vendor exclaimed that your bus has just arrived! I looked across the street and saw that indeed it had. We dashed to the bus and made it just in time. We found some free seats, the bus was almost full. There were not many tourists in the bus, I wonder why. Only one couple with a two kids. Everybody else seemed to be locals. We went directly to Cahuita. I was considering should we get out of the bus already at the parada Puerto Vargas and start the trail there. We didn't, because we had not made our mind about that before the parada and anyway it really did not matter whether to start the trail in Cahuita or Puerto Vargas side. Except in Puerto Vargas entrance you have to pay the admission and in Cahuita it is voluntary.

So, we got out of the bus in Cahuita. It was a short walk to the entrance of the National Park. There were no signs from the bus station, but it was fairly easy to navigate, just go towards the sea and steer to the right, you can hear where it is. At the entrance, we checked-in and paid the voluntary fee. We paid the same amount what they would have charged in Puerto Vargas, the ranger looked a bit surprised :)

Then we started the trail. It was a beautiful day, the path followed the seafront and the beach had white sand. There were a few people swimming here and there. Some tourists were looking for animals, many had hired guides. We did not want to hire one for this one because that wasn't necessary. There were so many animals in the park that you could spot them yourself. Anyway, we knew that we were going to have guided tours later on in other spots we would visit so we could do without this one. And indeed, after walking only a short while there were two sloths, sitting on a tree branch not that high right next to the trail. You only had to look up and they were there. We saw many colorful birds as well, butterflies, monkeys etc. I was looking for caymans or crocodiles but did not spot any. Some tourists had said earlier that they had seen some.

When we reached the cape, there was a picnic place and we decided to eat our sandwiches there. A ranger was having a break there (at least I think he was having a break) and making sure that the tourists were not feeding the monkeys. There were quite a few capuchin monkeys around in the trees and on the beach. Most of them were climbing in the trees looking for nona fruits, which they seemed to enjoy. They didn't pay too much attention to the tourists.

The sandwiches were basically ok but I think that they suffered quite a lot from the heat or travel. They did not taste fresh anymore.

After the break we continued towards Puerto Vargas. It seems that most of the tourists go only up to the cape and then turn back to Cahuita because we did not see many people after that. We saw only a few more capuchin monkeys. Actually, a couple of those came towards us on the trail. I kneeled down to take a couple of photos of them when they approached. I was still not to scare them away. But when they were passing us, they cunningly jumped on my rucksack and tried to open the zippers! I'm sure that they were looking for food but it was pointless to try to explain that we had already eaten everything we got. It was difficult to get them off my back because I couldn't see where they were and what I should do. Or not do. Then I tried to grab the other one - gently - and shook the rucksack. I felt his teeth in my elbow, he had bitten me! Then he jumped off, hissing at me trying to scare me but he failed and ran away. No big thing in my elbow, I could see the toothmarks but there was no blood. After that incident I don't think anymore that the monkeys are cute.





The beaches on the Puerto Vargas side were incredible and isolated. The waves were crashing in slowly but with great sound. The beaches had fine white sand and the water was quite shallow. Towards the end of the trail we stopped to enjoy the sun and the waves. We had a dip in the sea. We were very careful not to go far. It was funny, when you stood there in the sea, sometimes the water was only to your ankles and sometimes above your waist. Even between the waves and although you stood there still in the same spot. It was warm and very refreshing to your body and mind.




The sun started to go down and we headed to the exit of the park. Just outside the park there is a small bar called Boca Chica. The waitress was standing next to the road and said that the bus to Puerto Viejo leaves in 30 minutes so you have a chance to have a drink or a dip in the swimming pool. We took this opportunity and went there for a drink. Anne did have a swim in the pool also but I was happy with the batido de piña. The bartender (a Frenchman) was very hospitable. It seems to be very rare to meet inhospitable people in Costa Rica. I cannot remember any during our trip. We did not want to miss the bus so when we were ready we left the bar and headed for the bus stop, which is very close to the bar. In the bus stop we met a few German girls we had seen on the beach a couple of hours earlier. They told us that very likely the same monkeys had attacked them also, with the same kind of tactics. The girls had screamed and ran away, the monkeys were running after them and pulling things out of their rucksacks. The girls were really scared what the monkeys could do. Fortunately, nobody was hurt this time but I'm sure that it is only a matter of time when the monkeys become even more arrogant and will cause injuries. Hmm, maybe the ranger in the picnic place was not protecting the monkeys but the people from the monkey attacks?!

The bus came soon and took us to Puerto Viejo. There, we chose to have dinner at Soda Tamara. We would have selected the vegetarian restaurant but that was closed that day. Soda Tamara offered traditional Costa Rican food, no frills and no surprises but everything tasted as it should be.

The most annoying thing was that some stupid guys were throwing firecrackers or something similar every now and then. They were throwing them sometimes to the alley, which is next to the Soda. Everytime it came off it scared us because you weren't prepared for that. So we were happy to leave the place, perhaps not fair for the Soda Tamara.




So it was our last night in the Caribbean. We had a couple of cocktails at the Physis, some nice conversations as well and hit the bed.

This was the end of the Caribbean part of our trip. It was planned to include only the sea, beaches and some natural habitat (jungle+animals). Basically only relaxation at the sea. And some Caribbean flavors in cuisine. It definitely succeeded to deliver that.




Day 10: 23.12.2012 Leaving the Caribbean for a Volcano


We bode farewell to our lovely host and hostess in Physis and left Playa Cocles and headed to Arenal. Interbus came to pick us up, we had the same driver as when we arrived, had a break in the same restaurant and switched the minivan on our way. The journey went quickly and uneventfully. The hotel we had reserved in Arenal was not on the Interbus list so I had selected just any hotel, which was in the centre of La Fortuna. The van took us there, we collected our stuff and went for a lunch in La Cascada. This - as the whole La Fortuna - is busy with tourists. There were some tour groups having lunch, probably they had just finished their hike in the Arenal. They looked like that. Anyway, the meal was ok as expected. The restaurant has a nice cone shaped roof, you can easily spot it from afar.

After lunch, we chose one of those offices where you can book tours. There are dozens of those but we picked that one because it had big Desafio advertisements. After chatting a bit with the guys we booked the activities for the next day. As we booked two activities we got some additional price reduction.

Then a visit to the supermarket to buy some water and snacks. After that we took a taxi to our hotel, Lavas del Arenal.

The hotel is a bit far away from Fortuna and the activities. If you do not have a car it is a bit of a problem although you could always use a taxi. In fact, it might be best to rent a car anyway when you are in Arenal because the activities are quite a distance away from each other. Our room was fairly basic although we had booked a superior room. We were told that a superior room here means only that you have an extra bed for a third person. The room did not feel very good for us. It was a bit run-down, smelled of cleaning liquids (which is good I suppose) and the shower was a bit dodgy (water in conjunction with electrical wiring gives me creeps). However, the manager - Mario - was superfriendly and took extra efforts to please all the guests and make them feel comfortable. Whatever you needed, he was always available and tried to provide it. So, a bit mixed feelings: at best an average hotel but Mario and his family provided an exceptional service.




Day 11: 24.12.2012 Canyoning and hot springs


The breakfast was served outside, there was a separate area (a bar?) for that. The breakfast was also a bit basic, but there was fruit, juice, bread and omelet. I didn't like the juice, neither the tea. I switched to coffee the next morning and that was a better option. But the boys who were serving the breakfast were very nice and we chatted quite a lot with them.


A taxi came to pick us up as was agreed. It was a brand new car, it still had protective sheets inside the doors and on the seats. There was even a sticker: "Don't slam the doors"! The driver took us to the Desafio meeting point, we were going to do the canyoning tour.

We were early, we had to wait there for an hour or so for the others to show up. We spent the time by chatting with the truck drivers. It was unimaginable for them that we came so far away, that the flight took 22 hours and that we had lots of snow on the ground. Finally, the rest of the group arrived, we said hello to them and exchanged the normal cordialities; "Where do you come from? How long have you been in Costa Rica? What have you seen so far? Where are going next? How long are you going to stay in CR?...". Most of them came - no surprise - from USA.

Eventually, the trucks were full and they pulled us to the operating centre higher up in the mountains. There we left our backpacks for storage, got the harnesses, helmet and gloves and got the safety instructions. Then off we went to the jungle. I think we were divided into two or three groups. The weather was rainy again, it drizzled a bit and while waiting for the tour to start with all our gear on, we were wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Anne's lips were turning blue already, we felt a bit cold and were wondering if it would be even colder in the river and waterfalls. If so, the day would be ruined. So, with these thoughts we were waiting for our turn to descend the first waterfall. We had done a similar descent some time earlier back at home so we knew roughly how to do that. But that was not in a waterfall. It was exciting and fun, you just needed to coordinate your moves so that you could keep the right rhythm and jump down the waterfall giving slack to the rope exactly at the right time and the right amount. After the first descent, we realized that it was not cold anymore, the water in the river was quite warm and it has so much fun!


There came three other descents - the last one was the highest - and some splunging into the river, walking in the canyon, sitting in a waterfall etc. Needless to say, we were soaking wet. It was really a great tour. It was as fun as the whitewater rafting although this didn't last that long.

After that we returned to the operations center for dry clothes and lunch. The meal tasted very good and the fruits for the dessert were delicious. Then we asked Desafio to take us to Ecotermales, the other tour we had booked yesterday.

We were a bit anxious to get there because we were running late and our 4 hour slot had already started a couple of hours earlier. But we hoped that two hours would be enough. We came to find out that it was.

I chose the Ecotermales because I wanted to go to a bit smaller hot springs, which would be as much as possible in natural habitat. I had read that the bigger ones might be more artificial. Anyway, the Ecotermales was nice, it is small with only a few hot pools and a small waterfall but we liked the intimate setting. It was quiet and relaxing. It was perfect for us. And two hours is plenty although we came out of the water a few times to rest and took some drinks. The water was so hot that you shouldn't stay there more than 15 mins at a time. This was nice relaxation after the canyoning and good opportunity the take the adrenalin levels down. Only then did we realize that it was Christmas Eve! Nice to spend it this way also!


Day 12: 25.12.2012 Nature tour in La Fortuna




After the breakfast we thought that today we would have a slow day. After all the activities yesterday we wanted to take it easy. Therefore, we wanted only to go to La Fortuna, to see what you could do in the town, have lunch, get some laundry washed, stroll around etc.

We asked Mario if he could call a taxi for us. He said that he could take us there. With an extra charge of course but still it was a very nice and friendly gesture. So we took his offer and he searched a laundry for us that would be open. It was a Christmas Day after all. But almost everything was open. We left the laundry, walked around the town, visited the church (it was very airy because all windows and doors were open), visited some shops and Anne bought a second-hand book to read in the same shop where we had booked the tours earlier. Then we passed a massage saloon (an ordinary one) and Anne wanted to go there for a rub. Meanwhile, I just wandered around looking for a nice cafetería where we could go after her massage. And I did find a nice place, MyCoffee, which had a nice selection of different coffees. The selection ranged from coffee tipico to different types of lattes. We took some sandwiches and salads as well. We also met a couple who did the same canyoning with us.

Then we picked up the laundry and wondered what next? We passed yet another tour agent desk. We stopped to look at the leaflets and she asked if she could help us? Usually, I would say no, we are just browsing. But this time I thought: "ok, let's see if she is any good". I asked her if she could propose us something we could do for a couple of hours within the town area starting right now. She thought about that for a moment and then said that actually she might have something and started looking for telephone numbers in the Internet. She finally found what she was looking for and called a guide if he would be available right now. He was and she asked if we would take him. Well, I had to know for what because she had forgotten to tell us what she had on her mind! She said that it would be a nature tour in the town (or 5 mins away), we would see a lot of animals and yes we could go there with flip-flops. Ok, that sounded great, a private guide for a couple of hours with a reasonable cost ($35 each). Then I said what a pity that I don't have a camera with me. She offered to drive me to the hotel to pick it up although it was not that close! Good service indeed.

When we came back with the camera, Geovani (the guide) was already waiting for us.

First he asked, which animals we wanted to see? We built a list for him from the top of our heads: iguanas, toucans, frogs, sloths.. He put up a tripod in the middle of office floor, attached the telescope he had brought with him and directed it through the window to the bushes on the other side of the street. And he said: "one down, here's an iguana". We thought that he was bluffing but we watched through the telescope and indeed - an iguana was there! We were so amazed. Then we started the tour properly. His brother was acting as a chaffeur (the car was about to break down but it had a good engine - said the brother) and he took us to a papaya field. Toucans love papayas. And we instantly saw a few toucans among other birds. We got some nice shots with a camera phone through the telescope.

It continued like this. Whatever we asked he showed us. Then we saw a sloth in a tree. She was lying on her back in a tree with a baby in her lap. She was eating leaves. Wait a minute - they were both eating! It was like the mother was showing her baby how to find food in the jungle. We got it on video. Sorry about the quality but this was shot through a telescope with a Nokia mobile. Knowing that, the quality is actually pretty good, right? ;)

We saw also red frogs and blue jeans (red eyed frog), jesus lizard, many different birds, leaf-eater ants etc. He then took us to his private trail, which he has been building slowly for about 12 years or so. He is making improvements to the trail so that also disabled people could do the trail and get a chance to enjoy the flora and fauna. He had planted hundreds of trees there, it is really his life-long project, very impressing. After the trail he took us to his shelter where he had lived earlier. He made us some coffee tipico. He was so nice a person that all you can do is to wish him well from the bottom of your heart and hope that he can someday complete his trail. We left him a donation as well and wished that he would plant some trees for us there. Oh, and his eye sight was not that good, he couldn't see too well to read and write. But his sight was pinsharp to spot animals in the jungle!

After returning to the tour agent, we collected our stuff (the laundry was still with us) and took a taxi to our hotel where Mario had already prepared us a very nice dinner. It was typical Costa Rican of course, rise, beans and plantains with chicken for Anne and with fish for me. Delicious. During the dinner we discussed what to do tomorrow. We had decided to go zip-lining and visit a park nearby. Mario arranged tickets for us to both of them.

It was nice to go to bed thinking about everything we had seen during the day and knowing that we had a nice day ahead tomorrow.






Can you spot an animal in this photo?

Day 13: 26.12.2012 Zip-lining!!




After a nice breakfast prepared by Mario we went to Ecoglide, the original zip-lining tour operator in Costa Rica.

The reason why we selected this one from the dozen or so other operators in the area was that the lines were mostly within the forest and the platforms were in trees rather than built on top of huge concrete blocks. In that way the lines were better camouflaged and you felt like riding inside the forest, not above it.

When we got there, we received the usual equipment; harness, helmet and gloves. Then we got the safety demonstration and did the practice run before heading to the first line. Ecoglide has altogether 13 lines and a Tarzan swing. The lines are fast and fun. Personally, I liked the concept of having two cables in each line for additional safety. You were connected to both of these cables, just in case. The breaking mechanism is easy: your hand. You use a steel-enforced glove in your right hand for breaking. When you put the glove in your hand, you should check that the steel part is not totally worn out. Otherwise you might burn your fingers. I almost did. The gloves do not sit well in your hand so you should pay attention. After a while you get used to the breaking and usually you land to the platform too slow rather than too fast. So break as late as you dare for extra kicks :)

Although it is exciting and great fun, it is more of the same after the the first couple of lines. Regardless how many lines there are and how high they go. I mean added height brought more thrills for sure and going through the canopy was fantastic but basically when you rode one line you knew what to expect from the rest. But then there was the Tarzan swing. It is definitely not the highest in the area, not more than 20-30 meters max but it is sensational. The feeling when you first jump down and then swing to the treetops - literally. You get such a huge adrenaline boost that you need to scream your lungs out! This was the best part of the whole thing. After the swing there are still five lines but they feel so lame after the swing. The swing should be definitely the last. I would have liked to do the swing again.

Overall, I think that the canyoning was more fun than the zip-lining but still you should do both. Great fun!

After that we went to the Arenal Mundo Park based on Mario's recommendation.

The La Fortuna waterfall is one of the main attractions and it is easily accessible from the highway. What we learned from Mario was that it can accessed from the Arenal Mundo Park as well. The park is close to the hotel so we decided to try it. The access fee to the park is not much ($12 each) and with that price you can see the waterfall, visit the garden and visit the Maleku village. There is a possibility to do zip-lining also but as we had already done it, we wanted only to see the La Fortuna waterfall and walk around their garden where they had some frogs, butterflies etc. When we arrived we learned that we were early. There was still one hour before the next tractor would visitors to the zip-lines and waterfall. We didn't want to wait and thought that we could do some exercise as well and decided to walk there. If we had known that it was all uphill we would have thought otherwise :) On our way we visited the Maleku village and bought some souvenirs there before continuing the hike. There were nice views of the volcano on our way. The road was getting steeper, it was the same road that took people for their canopy tour so no wonder. Then the sun broke through the clouds and it became hot, I was really sweating a lot, it was so humid.

Eventually, we arrived to the end of the road, there we found the path which took us to the waterfall. Now it was all downhill following a narrow and steep path :) We crossed a couple of hanging bridges on the way, I really felt like Indiana Jones! When we got down to the river, we saw the La Fortuna waterfall. It is really beautiful! We have seen many waterfalls in the past, including the Angel Falls in Venezuela. I have to say that this was more beautiful than that. We swam there in the river, it was nice and cool. As a bonus, you need to fight against the current. It was very nice to take off the sweaty clothes and refresh yourself in the crystal clear water. There were plenty of people there, almost all of them had used the route, on the other side of the river, probably from the road.

After cooling down enough and having taken some photos, we went back to the park. Getting back was much easier because it was all downhill. In the garden, we tried to find the butterflies, snakes, lizards and frogs but we didn't see any. I'm pretty sure that there was none, the houses where they should have been also looked abandoned or poorly maintained. Well, we didn't mind but went to the cafe. It was very big but there was no-one there. A young boy was behind the desk and we asked if they served any food. We hadn't had anything since breakfast. But they hadn't. So we took only some Gatorade or similar. Then we asked if someone could take us back to the hotel. No problem, got the transportation with the usual charge.








As it was our last night in Arenal we wanted to spend that on in the town. We walked around the town a bit to find a suitable restaurant and found one. I don't remember the name of the restaurant anymore but it was between the laundry place and the church, it looked like a Mexican or Spanish restaurant. At least they played salsa music. The food and the batidos were delicious as usual. It seems that we still hadn't got bored with the Costa Rican cuisine.

It was not a wild night though, we went back to the hotel after dinner. The full moon was beautiful. The watched the frogs for a while by the pool.

Arenal area was the activity part of our trip and that it definitely was. We had also planned to take a closer look at the volcano and do some hiking there but it was all the time in the clouds. It appeared only on the last day and even then it didn't show its top. Hadn't it been that clear on the last day, I wouldn't have believed that it even existed :) It was weird to be there, knowing that there was a big volcano very close but you couldn't see it. You tried to imagine how big or how small it was but that was really difficult. Fortunately we saw the most of it. In these circumstances I didn't mind at all that the volcano was sleeping. You wouldn't have seen anything anyway. The rumbles would have scared you more because you did not see what was happening. When we left Arenal, our van driver showed us a photo of the volcano, which he had taken some time earlier. The sky was clear and the whole volcano was visible. It was beautiful.


Day 14: 27.12.2012 Moving forward to the Cloud Forest




So after our last breakfast in Arenal we said farewells to our hosts (we were the first Finnish people they accommodated) and a taxi took us to another van where we started our trip towards Monteverde, more specifically to Santa Elena. I had booked a jeep-boat-jeep transportation because that was much more convenient, faster, cheaper and provided nice views on the Lake Arenal. It was raining a bit but that was not a problem. In the van we met a nice couple from the southern Spain and we conversed quite a bit with them - in Spanish. Before the trip, I thought that you could use more Spanish language when in Costa Rica but many hotels and restaurants seemed to be owned by Americans or Canadians. So usually we spoke English but took every opportunity to practice our Spanish as well. We were in Costa Rica after all :)

Embarking and disembarking the boats was not very easy because the path to the boat was quite steep and slippery. I blessed our way of traveling because carrying backpacks was much more easier in these kind of circumstances. Pulling luggage on wheels is not an option if you go for a nature holiday. There were many boats, each taking about 100 passengers or so. Most of them seemed to be full. The boat trip was nice, it offered nice views of the mountains and steady ride to the other side of the lake. When reaching the harbor there were vans waiting for us. There was a sort of a chaos when people were trying to find their luggage from the big pile while leaving the boat.

We found our transportation and boarded the jeep. The drive to Santa Elena was really slow due to the condition of the roads. They say that they keep the roads in bad condition on purpose to keep the tourists away. At least those ones who would otherwise arrive with their rental cars. The top speed was 30 km/h to avoid the potholes on the narrow roads. Well nevermind, the main thing was that the road was there and not washed away by some mudslide or flood. Finally we arrived to Santa Elena and checked-in to our hotel, Camino Verde Bed and Breakfast.

This place appeared to be very lively and friendly, there was a really good atmosphere there. Jose and especially Andres were very friendly and helped us by providing good tips what to do in the area. It seemed that everybody in the hotel booked all their tours through them. Sometimes I felt that the place felt like a travel agency rather than a B&B :) This place is popular among backpackers and for reason so.

Our room was not ready when we arrived so Andres showed us around the establishment first. We appreciated very much that they had all the time coffee and tea available free of charge, so you could just go to the breakfast area, grab a tea and read something or plan your next moves. Although we didn't have much time for that but it was a nice gesture to lure people out of their rooms and mingle in the breakfast area. Our room was detached from the main building, I guess this was a room which belonged initially to the Tina's Casitas. It was a really nice and comfortable room. It could accommodate four people so there was extra space for us.

We felt a bit hungry so it was time for a quick bite. We had seen that next door there is a small restaurant so we went there for some sandwiches. The place is called Soda Amistad. It is a cozy place, homely atmosphere and the sandwiches tasted good and fresh. It is popular among the locals as well.

As we had arrived to Santa Elena so early, we had still time to do something during the day and therefore we booked the Don Juan Coffee Tour.

We had never been on a coffee plantation before (but tea and cacao farms we have seen) so this gave lots of interesting information on the coffee plants themselves, the picking of the beans and the coffee production process in general. We learned on different roasts and got the chance to taste them also after the tour. During the tour we tasted also fresh, real chocolate and sugar cane juice. It was a really nice and informative tour where you also could get a nice cup of coffee of your choice. The plantation is fairly high on the mountains so it is not possible to walk there, you'd better take a tour where transportation is included.

On our way back we asked the driver to stop in the town center so that we could take a look what was it like. Unfortunately, it started to rain. But without the rain there wouldn't be a rain forest and the rain forest is the main reason why we were in Costa Rica. We sought shelter from the rain in the Tree House.

The name says it all. You are under a tree although there are seats inside the building as well. This looked more like an upbeat restaurant with all the cocktails and fancy food. The food was ok but the waiter was really clever to make us order appetizers, which we didn't want. Apparently, someone had made an order on something which she cancelled a bit later. The waiter 'sold' that order to us by saying how delicious it is. How do we know that? The group at a table next to us were talking about that. Anne is brilliant to overhear conversations. However, we don't blame the waiter, just admired how stupid we were :)

Fortunately, our hotel was not that far from the town center so it was easy to walk back without getting wet. We did some reading and switched off the lights.







Day 15: 28.12.2012 Parque Curi-Cancha


In the morning we went to the breakfast room, served ourselves a cup of tea and coffee and settled to our table. In a few seconds Andres came to ask what we would like for breakfast. There were 3-4 selections for breakfast on the chalk board, all looked very tasty and good. I chose the pancakes and fruit. I just couldn't get enough of those fresh and fruity pineapples.

The breakfast area is very light and cozy. It is connected to the reception area where they also book the tours. There are all the time people coming and going on tours. Nice to follow what is happening. Amazingly Andres knows all guests by their first name!

We had decided to take a guided walk in the natural park. We had no preferences whether to go to the Santa Elena or Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Based on the recommendation and what other guests usually booked in Camino Verde B&B, we didn't go either one but chose the Curi-Cancha tour. Curi-Cancha means hidden treasure. It has the same flora and fauna but much less visitors and it is more confined area. So in theory you should see more animals than in the bigger reserves where the amount of people scare the animals away.

So the transportation arrived and took us to the park entrance up in the mountains. We had to wait for a while to see how the groups were formed. First it seemed that we would be a small group of a couple of people only. That would be nice. However, soon more people arrived and even a family of five joined us so we were quite a bunch already. But anyway we were only 12 people or so.

Then we started the walk. The whole walk is very easy and well signposted so basically you could do it on your own. Of course you would not see the animals, or if you see them you wouldn't know what they are. That's why it pays off to take a guided tour. You see and learn lots of good stuff. Our guide Melvin was great. He wanted to share his knowledge and made the effort that also the kids enjoyed the walk. Most of the time he was talking about the plants, trees, fruits, seeds etc. Very interesting stuff. It is difficult to remember the names of the trees, therefore many trees have nicknames based on what they are used for. We did see some animals also; hummingbirds, acoutis, a swarm of butterflies flying out of their daytime hide, a bat and - a resplendent quetzal! Or at least the guide said it was there. It was sitting in a tree about 200m from us. Even though I looked twice through the telescope where the bird was allegedly sitting in the middle of the lens, I couldn't see it! So hard to spot something green with a hint of blue among all the green around you. Unless you have a trained eye. Another group joined us to look at the quetzal as well, it is not something you see everyday.

It was a nice walk although I expected to see more animals. I think that we scared the animals away, the family who was in our group was a bit noisy for the circumstances.

We were taken back to our accommodation. We rested a short while and then decided to go the Morpho's for dinner. The restaurant was recommended by Andres. The restaurant is fully dedicated to the theme of Blue Morpho. You can see butterfly decorations everywhere. Fortunately the menu does not have butterflies ;) We were the first and only customers. This is becoming repetitious but the food was great and the batidos excellent.

Then back to the Camino Verde to listen to the wind howling in the room corners. Santa Elena seems to be a big wind tunnel. Andres says only that yes, it is a bit windy, not much but some..









Day 16: 29.12.2012 Hanging bridges


Next morning after the nourishing breakfast we decided to go the Selvatura Hanging Bridges. One of my key wishes for our whole Costa Rica trip was to see the cloud forests. I mean those kind of forests, which are light green, hazy, cloudy and then the sunlight breaks through the canopies and all the haze. Those dreamlike scenes that you see only in National Geography. That was what I was expecting to experience here. Based on the photos and descriptions the Hanging Bridges could provide that. It would be ok not to see any animals in this tour, it is enough the see this dreamy cloud forest.

I was happy to notice that for the first during this vacation my shoes were finally dry! They got wet during the whitewater rafting and did not dry up until now. Cool!




Again, we jumped to our transportation, which took us to the Selvatura operations center. They offer a variety of different activities and tours including zip-lining, which is a really popular activity in Costa Rica. We claimed our tickets for the Bridges and went to the entrance. Before the first bridge we visited the Hummingbird Garden. That was fantastic. The birds were humming and flying like small missiles around us. There were lots and lots of those with different radiant colors. The colors changed depending on how the light was reflecting from the feathers.

After we got enough from looking at the hummingbirds, we went to the bridges. There are 8 bridges and the walk is about 3 kms long. The views are amazing and it is a big excitement when you walk in the tree-tops. The paths from one bridge to another are well-kept and they offer good and intense experiences, you really feel that you are in the cloud forest. To me the intensity was even bigger here than in Curi-Cancha. Might be that you get closer to the nature when you are not going with the others. You can enjoy the silence and go with your own pace. And the sunlight came beautifully through :) I liked it a lot.










The only shortcoming of the Selvatura Park is the chaotic drop-off zone in front of the entrance. At the same time when vans and buses are bringing new visitors, there are groups that are trying to get out. There is no room for cars to turn around or drive through. They need to reverse. It is not at all clear who goes where and if the incoming minibus is going to take other visitors back to the village or not. Despite all this, we found our van :)

We asked the driver to leave us in the town. There we went for a cup of great Costa Rican coffee in a local bakery. Next, Anne wanted to have her nails done and I spent that time in the Serpentario. It is not very big but they have a fair selection of snakes, frogs, a few turtles and lizards. It is easy to spend an hour or two watching these creatures. I'm not a snake lover, actually I'm scared of those. Might be that this was the reason why I wanted to go there, to overcome my fears or at least see what I am scared of. I find it paradoxical that I haven't seen many snakes in my life but I'm scared of those. Why? Because mother said so?








I think that after visiting the Serpentario and watching the snakes I don't fear them so much anymore. But still I wouldn't take one as my pet :)

In the evening, we went for dinner to the Trio. It is upstairs in the same building as the supermarket. It is a bit difficult to find if you are not familiar of the shortcut from the B&B to the supermarket. Trio was recommended to us by a group of American ladies whom we had met outside the restaurant the other night. As that was supported by Lonely Planet also we went there. And I have to say it was nice. The food tasted great, I think it is one of the better restaurants in Santa Elena. And it is more contemporary one also. Worth visiting.

A storm was developing outside. Or at least it felt like a storm but probably it was still only a bit windy for Andres. Anyway, it was raining hard and the wind was howling like crazy throughout the night, the roof in our cottage was rattling. I was preparing myself mentally that it would be ripped off by the wind but somehow it didn't.

Day 17: 30.12.2012 Visiting Heredia during stopover in San Jose


After the stormy night we found some wet spots on the floor of our room. First I thought that the roof was leaking but I couldn't find any signs of that. Oh well, I wiped off the small ponds from the floor. Minutes later they came back although the rain had stopped a long time ago. Then I found out that the wetness was seeping through the seams of the floor tiles. Wow, never seen that happening before. My thinking is that they are preventing bigger problems regarding the moisture only because it is so windy and the excess moisture is vaporized quickly. Or you just don't notice it.

It was time to leave Santa Elena and the cloud forest. Interbus was picking us up and we were off to San Jose again. We would stay there one night close to the domestic airport before our flight to Puerto Jimenez.

The Interbus trip was as nice and comfortable as all of the previous ones. As soon as we came down the mountains and towards the sea, it became sunny and hot. We stopped for a break in one of the roadside restaurants. I had an icecream and it melted quicker than I could eat it. It was dripping all the time.

The Interbus van took us to hotel Best Western Irazu, which is their regular connection hotel in San Jose. Or actually this is in Alajuela. From there we took a walk to Hotel Plaza Real, which we had booked. It felt good to put the backpack on the back and walk. It felt like traveling again, some kind of sense of independence, exploration, freedom and joy at the same time. It was only a short walk, 10-15 mins but the hotel was a bit difficult to find. Fortunately, I knew what it looked like so I knew what to look for. And what to expect.

The first reason why I chose this hotel was that it is located close to the Tobias Bolanos Airport, homebase of the Nature Air. The next reason was that the rooms are big and comfortable. I thought that some level of luxury would be nice after so many days in the forest and humid atmosphere.


The Plaza Real is a business hotel. The hotel was totally empty, we did not see any other guests! So, it was really quiet, we felt almost lonely :) The room was huge, clean and well equipped. All rooms seem to be huge and fairly similar. Our room was in the second floor, not in the same wing where the reception and breakfast room were located, but that was not a problem in practice. I have to say that the hotel looks awful outside, it looks like a fortress or jailhouse with all those high fences, no lawns nor front/backyard but looks can deceive you. From the inside the hotel is really nice.

After arriving, we took a shower and then wondered what to do next as we were not at all tired. When planning the trip, I had thought that Anne might be a bit tired or would like to just relax in the hotel but she didn't any rest :) So we decided to go down to the reception and ask for recommendations. There is nothing interesting close to the hotel or airport. After a short discussions, we found out that the neighboring towns or villages are not that far away. So we decided to take a taxi and spend some in Heredia. The hotel actually could offer transportation and soon we were on our way. The driver had taken his brother with him to serve as a guide. On one hand that was good because the driver's dialect was a bit difficult to understand. His brother spoke Spanish with less accent so it was much easier.

It was only about 15 mins to get to Heredia. Shortly after that we realized that those two guys were expecting that they would be our guides during the whole our visit in Heredia. So we had to clear the misunderstanding by saying that thank you, but we wanted to have only a transportation to Heredia. We would like to stroll in the town on our way, maybe have a snack or coffee and then take a taxi back to the hotel. They looked a bit disappointed but anyway it was an easy $15 for them. It seemed that they were charging $15 for everything. Next morning the driver took us to the airport and that cost the same amount..

Heredia has a nice central park (Parque Central). It is a small town without any tourists, at least we did not see any. We walked around, bought some churros, checked both of the two sights in the town (Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción and Fortin de Heredia) and sat down to watch people at the central park. It was Sunday and people were just coming out of the church so there were lots of people around. It was funny to realize that the kids behave the same regardless on which continent they are raised. And mothers do the same mistakes when they try to make their kids to behave: convincing, bribing, threatening, punishing.. :)

Then we went for coffee to a really traditional and genuine café. The coffee tasted great. While writing this blog it makes me feel weird at times to mention all this coffee drinking because usually I drink only tea. And mostly green tea. But Costa Rican coffee is good, although when I drink coffee it is almost always espresso. It is strong and does not have the bitter taste. Furthermore, it doesn't irritate my stomach as the regular coffee does. Did you know that the darker the roast the less there is caffeine? Maybe that is the reason why espresso is better for the stomach than e.g. coffee americano.

Then we took a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the Best Western Irazu again, instead of our hotel. We had decided to have a taste of American dining and went to the Denny's, which is located next to the Best Western hotel. Denny's was very American as expected in all respects. Except in one. The waiter did not know what we were ordering because he did not know what were the meals called in English. Anyway, the meals tasted good as well as the drinks. In between we got another waiter because the shift of the original one ended. Or at least he told us so but still we could see him running around and our new waiter was nowhere to be seen. But we were not in a hurry, it was nice just to sit and watch what was happening. Eventually, we paid the bill and left.

We saw a book stand outside the Best Western hotel. There was a small shop so we went inside. There was a really nice lady as a shopkeeper. She let us taste some Costa Rican coffee and we chatted a long time about our trip, Finland, ther tourists, fancy places in Costa Rica, etc. It was a really nice conversation.

We walked back to the hotel and went to the huge bed.

Day 18: 31.12.2012 Destination Corcovado


This was the morning of the most expected part of our trip. Today we would go to Corcovado (or Carate actually) and to stay in the Luna Lodge.

The already familiar hotel chauffeur took us to the Tobias Bolanos Airport domestic airport. I was very confused if he was really taking us to the domestic airport because he seemed to pick a totally different route what I would have expected. After confirming twice that he really knew where to take us I decided to trust him. He was right, obviously :) And charged the regular $15.

I had booked us a Nature Air flight to Puerto Jimenez. First, I was considering local bus, shared shuttle or even a rental car but all other options seemed to be fairly complicated and time consuming. So it was a question either to save time or money. I had ended up saving time.

We went to the check-in and were told that the plane was full and they couldn't guarantee that our backpacks would be arriving in the same flight. Therefore, we repacked and took as much as possible to our carry-in bags so that we could manage the first night in Luna Lodge without our backpacks. Just before the boarding we learned that everybody would get their luggage in the same flight. Thank you to our fellow passengers also for packing sensibly!

We boarded the plane and sat down in the first row right behind the two pilots. It was nice to watch how they flew the plane and especially what role each one of the pilots had. Their actions and movements were very calm and intentional and that gave peace of mind. Flying in a small plane might be a scary experience if you are not used to that. And there was some turbulence on the way. I think there might be always turbulence because the whole country is mountains between two big seas. Anyway, it was nice to have a bird-eye-view of San Jose and all the landscapes. We landed safely to Puerto Jimenez. People seem to have a bit twisted sense of humor there. The cemetery is located next to the airport. Also, there are some hotel signs painted on the wall of the cemetery, including ours. On the other hand, it made us laugh. Puerto Jimenez is a really small village. It has basically only the main street where all the few stores are and then there is nothing much else. Except a few hotels in the vicinity.

Right after we stepped out of the plane the hot and humid weather hit us. Fantastic, it was our last week of the holiday and that day was the New Year's Eve. We had ordered a transportation from Luna Lodge and there was a jeep (or SUV) waiting for us. It would be a long drive to Luna Lodge. Not in terms of the distance but in time. The distance is about 45 kms but it takes 2 hours to make it. The road in Puerto Jimenez was fairly good and wide. The further you went the narrower it got. And more potholes there were. There were a dozen or so river crossings along the way also. I mean there were rivers you needed to cross and there were no bridges. You needed to drive across the river. So it was a really good idea not to take a rental car. I would never have dared to do those crossings. Even the jeep had some ground contact in a couple of places. Perhaps needless to say that it was a very different ride compared to all other rides we have taken anywhere else earlier.




In Carate there was small airstrip, which is mostly used by private planes. To reach the Luna Lodge you turned to the right and followed the river - not road! - up until you reached the Luna Lodge. If you continued straight ahead you would arrive to the Corcovado trail. The road to Luna Lodge was a couple of kilometers but it was all uphill, bends or riverbeds. When you almost lost hope you saw a sign that said "the worst is over" :) Then there was a small bridge, a bend and the last uphill and you had reached your destination.

When we arrived, Lana (the owner) came to wish us welcome and served us a nice cool glass of water. We came to learn that after every tour you got the same warm welcome.

It was a tough decision for me to make the reservation because Luna Lodge is not cheap. I would rather consider it very expensive. But lured by the video and those beautiful photos on their web site, I decided to book a bungalow for 5 nights nevertheless. I have to say that it definitely was worth it! Luna Lodge was a magic combination of nature, jungle, animals, tranquility, magic, luxurious accommodation, stylish design, sustainability, eco-friendliness, jeeps, Rio Carate, gourmet dinners, high quality tours, hammocks, telescopes, pool, drinks, solar and hydropower, hiking trails, fantastic guests, awesome guides and staff, vegetarian food, library, shop, views, landscapes, waterfall, Corcovado, spa, massage and yoga! Whatever you did or didn't do, there was always The Nature around you: toucans, monkeys, butterflies, etc. If you love nature but also wish to relax by the pool after a half-day hike in the afternoon sun while waiting for the dinner horn, this is a place to be. But if you hate that there are living things inside your room, be warned that it is in the jungle though. You just need to be careful where you put your hand and feet, shake your boots and bags first before putting your hand or foot in them. And Luna Lodge provides even a flash light to help you watch your steps in the dark :)




Lana has a library also where the guests may borrow books. There are so many books about nature and animals, but also some holiday reading in different languages. During my stay in Luna Lodge, I read one very interesting book about bananas (Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World by Dan Koeppel) and what kind of political and economical games have been played in the background. Very interesting reading, the banana and the banana companies will never be the same for me after reading that book.

Lana told us that we were the first Finns ever in Luna Lodge, the 58th nationality to visit them. It was nice that it happened on New Year's Eve. During the party we taught people to say Happy New Year in Finnish ("Hyvää Uutta Vuotta"). Some people learned it very quickly! We played Piñata, musical chairs, danced salsa and had special dinner. Then at midnight (well, it was midnight somewhere but it was only 10pm in Luna Lodge because people did not want to wait longer) all guests and staff formed a big circle, held hands and wished a Happy New Year to each other. What a big family feeling!

I need to recommend the morning yoga. It took place in the yoga platform, which has amazing views. I had never done yoga before but it was very inspiring. So I did it again the following morning and bought a DVD so I can carry-on doing that at home also.

Luna Lodge offers a variety of guided tours. We took a few and they all were very good and informative.

The meals and the staff were just fantastic. It is very difficult to understand how each day the kitchen magically created different meals, which all were so tasty. Knowing that the nearest supermarket is about 2 hour jeep-drive away and the road is there where the Rio Carate let's it to be. Knowing all this, Lana and her staff are doing a very remarkable job, remembering also what they are doing for the community and the preservation of the nature.







Day 19: 1.1.2013 Primary Mountain Ridge hike


Our first hike of this year was the Primary Mountain Ridge hike. After the nourishing breakfast we met Oscar who took us for the hike. Jill and Jen from Michigan joined us. During the next couple of days they became friends with us. The hike started from the bridge and went most of the time further up to the ridge. The path was narrow and slippery at times. Oscar told us a lot of information on the trees, plants and fauna. It seems that you can get everything you need from the jungle. It is an amazing source of medicines. In addition to the usual stuff we saw puma trails and a Manakin bird (aka michael-jackson-bird). If you don't know what that is, take a look at this video clip.

The path went all the time up or down so it was a sweaty hike but well worth doing. Thanks to Oscar we learned a lot and the scenery was awesome. It was so peaceful in the jungle. The latter part of the trail descended towards the sea, to the Carate airstrip, which seems to be the central meeting point. At least it is easily defined. The descent was very steep so it would be very slippery to go down if the ground is wet and muddy.

When we got to the airstrip, the transportation took us back to the Luna Lodge. There the cool glass of water was waiting for us.

The dinner was the highlight of the evening. When it was dinnertime, the staff would blow a horn to indicate that it was time to come down to the restaurant. You could of course come earlier and have some appetizers or cocktails or juices. The bar was open all day. There was a set dinner and the seating is important. Lana and her mother will decide every night who is sitting with whom. They are trying to find a good match of nationalities or characters so that everyone would enjoy the company, share stories and get to know each other. The setting was also based on the arrivals, i.e. people who arrived that day would benefit from the company of those who had already spent a day or two in Luna Lodge. Every night there was a lively discussion in each table between the like-minded people. As Lana said, we were all the same family.

What about the food? It was amazing. There was a good selection of light dishes and salads in the buffet table, which was very much appreciated. Fish, meat and chicken was also available. Special diets was taken into consideration and they made sure that if you were a vegetarian you always had something suitable available. Rice and beans was often the basis for the dish but depending how they seasoned it it tasted different every night. No meals were the same during the 5 days we spent there and everything was absolute delicious.

After the dinner people usually stayed in the tables, continued discussions and had fun. Lana and her mother would visit every table every night, asking what were the most memorable moments of the day and asking if people wanted to book any tours for the next day. They were so good to remember every guest and provide that kind of personal service, you really felt like being part of the family.

When going back to the bungalow it was pitchdark, a flashlight is needed. There is one available in each bungalow, we had brought headlamps as well. The bungalows are not far away from the restaurant so it is easy. The tent platform is much higher on the slope so that is an effort to climb the stairs in the darkness. When inside, the drill was to get the insects out of the bed and then close the mosquito nets. Then to check that there were no uninvited guests in the bathroom. Then check that the house-gekko (in my opinion every house should have one, it is fantastic to catch moths and other insects) was in its position on the wall and turn out the lights. It was so nice to fall asleep with a smile on your face, listening to the jungle music (animals, birds, wind,..).







Day 20: 2.1.2013 Corcovado hike


The next day we did the Corcovado hike. Oscar was again our guide. The hike consisted of a long hike first on the beach, then entering the Parque and following a path close to the beach for a few kilometers up to Rio Madrigal, then returning the same way. This took altogether about 5-6 hours. We actually did visit the parque a bit further than the Rio Madrigal because we had had good pace. The walk along the beach - especially when coming back - was really nice. There was white sand miles long, fresh breeze from the sea and the sun was shining brightly. I took my shoes off and walked barefoot on the waterline, the waves were crushing against my feet. The pelicans were flying in formation and surfed the waves. There were a lot macaws in the trees. Then the path followed the coastline very close to the beach. There was a chance to see some animals, like tapir walking on the same path - we missed a puma, we came two minutes too late - but you couldn't get deep into the jungle, it is so dense. We had a quick swim in Rio Madrigal, it was very nice and refreshing. The water was so clear and cool there. I think that I have read somewhere that there might be crocodiles in Rio Madrigal, at least when the water level is higher. That gave further excitement to the swimming. Oscar did not seem to be worried so I wasn't either. As we couldn't have lunch in the Luna Lodge, they had prepared a picnic lunchbox for us. There was fruit, sandwiches and some energy bars. Oscar made sure that everyone had enough water with him before leaving the Lodge.

There are many people using that path so you would be lucky to see animals. But it is possible because the animals are using the same path also. Anyway, the path was beautiful, there were all shades of green all-around and it was very pleasant to walk there. The whole path was flat.













Then we returned the same way, walking on the beach, the sun behind us. We met our transportation at the Carate airstrip. The jeep drove us to the Lodge, we got the regular cool, fresh water and went to the pool.

Sometimes when we didn't have a tour or had some free time before the dinner, we sat by the pool. It is amazing that there could be a pool in the jungle but then again why not. The Rio Carate runs through the premises and solar power is available to keep it clean. It was nice to lie down on the sunbed and watch the toucans, macaws and parrots flying around from tree to tree.

I needed to fetch my book from the bungalow and when I was coming down the pathway from the bungalow, I was a snake slithering across the path, not far from me. It climbed to the palm tree which was next to the path. I turned around and fetched my camera. When I came back the snake was still there. It was a brown vine snake. I had seen one in the Serpentario in Santa Elena. It is only mildly venomous but I did not want to try how mildly. So I was careful when taking the photos. It did not seem to mind. It had its eyes fixed on the termite nest which was under a palm leaf. After I got enough photos, I returned to the pool and told people who were sitting there if they would like to see a snake. Many people were eager to see it so I showed them where it was so they could also see it. What a nice surprise.




Then it was time to the much anticipated dinner. The dishes would be different, potentially also the people at the table but the atmosphere would be wonderful always.

Day 21: 3.1.2013 Yoga and kayaking


We were early birds this morning. Before the breakfast we went for yoga, which was held by Lana. Jill and Jen had persuaded also me to participate. I've never done that before so I had my doubts but because of the persistent persuasion I gave in. Anyway, there were already so many things I'd done for the first time ever during this holiday so why not yoga as well. My problem with yoga is that I'm stiff. At least I think I am. And because of that I try to force myself into positions, which are just not possible for me to do. Then something bad can happen, like strain something. But I hoped that yoga might do some good for the stiffness. My impressions? Well, I'm still stiff :) But I can see the point why yoga is so popular. It gives you a really funny feeling afterwards, like you are 'loose', your walk is light and you feel like floating. And I have to say that the yoga platform at Luna Lodge was so incredible. You needed only to sit there and you were instantly out of this world when you looked at the scenery.

Lana also instructed some participants to do the headstand (Śīrṣāsana) if they wanted to. I volunteered as well. And I did the headstand. Lana was as amazed as I was. My first ever yoga lesson and I was able to do it!

After the yoga we had breakfast and then went to the kayaking trip. We went to the jeeps and drove to the lagoon where we got the kayaks. Some people wanted to do the fishing as well but we opted to focus only on the kayaking. It was nice to kayak there in the lagoon and try to spot any animals or birds. My eyes were looking for crocodiles and I didn't need to wait for long. Only after a few minutes I saw something moving on the surface across the lagoon and it was very easy to see that it indeed was a croc. Slowly I kayaked closer but it wanted to keep its distance. When I came too close it dived and I didn't see it again.

We continued to kayak around the lagoon for a good one hour or so and finally returned back. Nice trip although nothing extraordinary except the croc. Anyway, it was nice to exercise the arms for a change, so far we had used only our legs. The jeeps took us up to the Lodge again and we were welcomed with a nice glass of cold water.

Then it was time for some relaxation by the pool before getting ready for the dinner.



Day 22: 4.1.2013 Yoga and waterfall


Encouraged by the yoga on previous day we did it again this morning. Lana had changed the program a bit so some of the moves were different today. But it was as good as before. Again, there was a chance to do the Śīrṣāsana after the session and I did it again :) A few others did it also. Funny enough I felt stiffer than the day before but I guess that meant nothing. Also, I'm not a morning person when it comes to any exercises so maybe yoga is not a thing for me. Anyway, I might do it once in a while, at least some of the moves which seem to make sense to me. I bought the Lana's instructional DVD also, it is very good. It is recorded in the yoga platform so in addition to the lessons you can see the scenery and hear the birds as well!

In the afternoon we did a short hike on our own to the waterfall. It was in the vicinity of the Luna Lodge. The trail was narrow and winding leading to the jungle and to the river. The 'housedog' Osa came to meet us. It was guiding another group, which was returning from the waterfall. It had difficulties to decide whether to go back to the waterfall again with us or continue guiding the other group back to the Lodge. Eventually, it decided to stick with the other guys.

In halfway there is a covered bunker made of concrete. I don't know the origins of that but if you take a peek inside, there might be bats sleeping.

When we reached the riverbank we saw a small waterfall first, which was quite nice but not really big enough for a dip. The bigger one was further up the river and you needed to climb over the rocks on the other side of the river. That part was a bit tricky and you needed to be careful. You could actually go under the waterfall and take a shower. It was a cool dip. I kept my fingers crossed that nothing heavy - like logs - would come down the waterfall. After swimming there a bit we returned the same way. On our way back we saw another snake crossing the trail. It was not venomous and it slithered deeper into the jungle. It was very difficult to spot if it wasn't moving.

The rest of the day we spent at the pool.

At lunch time we had to say goodbye to our friends Jill and Jen. Hopefully we meet again someday, somewhere. So that meant that there would be new people at the dinner table. A young couple from the Netherlands was seated to our table. It was nice to share the stories, about what we had experienced during our trip and what they had done in Nicaragua (where they were coming from) and other trips in the past.

So it was our last dinner and last night in Luna Lodge. When entering our bungalow after dinner I saw a black scorpio in the room. Its life ended with a bang. I hit it with my shoe..





Day 23: 5.1.2013 Back in Alajuela


After the breakfast we had plenty of time for packing before the transportation. It was so sad to leave that if felt like unfair. We felt like being part of it all, being one. But we had to say farewells, we hugged Lana and her mother and wished all well, thanked the staff and hopped in the jeep, which took us to Puerto Jimenez for our flight.

So it was another two hours and 40 kms with several river crossings. Bumpy road it is indeed. Our driver told us that he does that trip maybe 3-4 times a day. That is a lot of sitting and many bumps.

Eventually, we arrived to the airport. We thanked the driver and checked in to our Nature Air flight. We had plenty of time to wait for the departure. There was a juice bar in the terminal where you bought a couple of delicious fruit juices or batidas. Then we spent our time to browse the few shops and chatted with the shopkeepers. The travel agency next door advertised that you could pay the departure tax there so you would not need to queue and pay it in the San Jose International airport when you leave the country. I got interested first but then I found out that they charged $35 while you needed to pay $29 in the airport. So what's the point to pay it in advance? It takes max 5-10 mins to do the queuing and paying in the airport.

The plane arrived and soon we were onboard. It was full as usual. The views were really nice although my seat was on the aisle.

At the airport we took a taxi to our hotel Club Martino in Alajuela.It was a long drive because the hotel is located quite far from the Alajuela center. I had chosen this hotel because it seemed appropriate after a week in the jungle. We were staying here only one night, the idea was to relax in the sun by the pool and plan what to do on the last day of our vacation. The pool was really great, the water was refreshing cool (not cold though). The hotel grounds were nice, it was like an oasis. The room doors were very exquisite! They were manufactured by hand and every door was different. We did not have any problems with our room, it was in the second floor, on the other side than the pool with a nice balcony. The room was spacious, clean and well equipped. We had dinner in the restaurant. The pasta we had was delicious. A bit pricey but worth it. The strangest thing was that the chica in the reception gave us wrong information several times. We were able to sort it out ourselves though so no harm was done.

In the evening there was a wedding reception on the hotel grounds. I wondered if the party would go on the whole night because they were loud and we were close to them. However, they had reserved the ball room only until 11pm and the party actually stopped then so we had a good night sleep.



Day 24: 6.1.2013 Volcan Poas


After a splendid breakfast with plenty of fresh fruit we checked-out and asked the reception if we could leave our bags there while we went to our tour we had booked the night before: a tour to Volcan Poas. The chica booked us to the tour but that was all she did. She gave us wrong information about the logistics, directions and prices, even after specifically asking if she was sure. We found out that she just did not know or didn't care. Fortunately, our taxi driver knew better so we actually did not leave our luggage there but took them first to our next hotel, which was close to the airport where the tour pick-up point was also. All went well except the taxi payment. I do hope that the taxi driver got his money because we did not pay him. The chica had said that all transportation is included in the tour payment, including the taxi. The taxi driver was not aware of that and he was left wondering where to get his money?

The tour van arrived and we were taken to the Volcan Poas. The guide was funny and told jokes although those weren't genuinely funny. We were first taken to a local supermarket to buy some souvenirs. Then we proceeded to the Volcan Poas entrance. The guide was telling us that he wanted to delay our entrance as much as possible because the clouds were low and later they might be blown away. Well, personally I think he was just late. And I was a bit worried because the best chance to see the Volcan Poas was before 10am, after that there would be more clouds, not less. Amazingly, the sky did clear up when we arrived. The view to the craters was amazing, smoke was coming out from one of the craters and I got some great photos. Finally, after 3 weeks in Costa Rica we could actually see a volcano! We went to see the other crater as well, it was filled with blue water, it looked like any lake. Then we took the longer trail back to get some exercise. The path is covered all the way and there are thick bushes on both sides.





When leaving the Poas we saw a huge queue outside the park. There were so many vehicles trying to access the park, there was no way that they could get in before the park would close, no point to stay in the queue. Still they waited. Strange. I felt sorry for them. Next we were taken to a coffee plantation. We visited only the shop and finished our tour there, we did not want to take the coffee tour nor the lunch. The van took us back to Alajuela and dropped us at a mall on our request. We spent a couple of hours there, did some shopping and took a taxi to our next hotel, Trapp Family Country Inn.

We wanted to stay close to the airport because of our flight next morning. This hotel seemed to be a comfortable and relaxing alternative. It was just like that. We spent some time by the pool and in the balcony taking some sun. The pool was out of order but we did not need it anyway. We had reserved a table for dinner at the hotel. The dinner was good and tasty although not excellent. The service was good but the lack of staff was slowing things down. At times there was only one person in the hotel, taking care of the reception and the kitchen. There wasn't so many guests either although we were told that they were fully booked.

The room was good and spacious with a lovely balcony. In the morning they took us to the airport free of charge.

It was an enjoyable last night in Costa Rica but our minds were already filled with thought about packing and leaving.



Day 25: 7.1.2013 Leaving Costa Rica


Anne's backpack weighted only 10kg and mine 12kg. Still we did not feel that we missed any stuff during our holiday. We washed our clothes a few times, bought one book, borrowed one and left one behind. Souvenirs we bought mostly from the airport or coffee shops: coffee and chocolate covered coffee beans or fruit jelly covered with chocolate.

The return flight went smoothly, nice views from the plane before arriving to JFK. This time we were lucky and there was no queue at all in the Immigration. We needed to change the terminal and we did that by using the air train. It was amazing that there was quite poor selection of shops at JFK, at least in our terminal. We would have bought something if there had been a choice. Fortunately, our connection was via Heathrow so there we had a splendid opportunity to browse the shops and even have breakfast (oat porridge!).





Day 26: 8.1.2013 Back at home after a 29 hour trip


The three weeks we spent in Costa Rica was one of the best vacations ever and we carried back home so many wonderful memories.


6 kommenttia:

  1. some great photos! planning costa rica for my next trip. my travel blog http://traveltalesfromanywhere.blogspot.co.uk/

    VastaaPoista
  2. Great photos and write up of your trip. Thanks very much for posting

    VastaaPoista
  3. Wonderful trip report. Thanks for sharing.

    VastaaPoista
  4. Thank you all for your feedback! I appreciate it very much. It is nice to hear that you enjoyed the story and photos :)

    VastaaPoista
  5. if your trip was cut to 10 days, what were you top must sees? thanks for sharing!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. For me, the best things during this trip were Corcovado, the cloud forests in Monteverde, canyoning, white-water rafting in Rio Pacuare, the waterfall in La Fortuna, hot springs, tarzan swing and the beaches.

      Poista