Pura Vida Part III

Please note that this is the third Blog about my travel in Costa Rica last year. If you are interested in the other parts as well, please feel free to read them as well.

After the last night out in town we had a slow start into our last day in La Fortuna, as we werent leaving until the Afternoon. So we had the chance to sleep a bit longer and have some time for ourselves. As I am not a late riser I got up early again and used the time for walking around town a bit and looking for some Gifts and some postcards. My vacation was already half over and I didnt wrote one postcard yet. I knew if I wouldnt change that my friends back home would kill me. So I thought it better to take no risk and buy some postcards.
After I have found everything I needed I looked for a nice place for Breakfast and found a decent looking Restaurant and had a wonderful breakfast that included, Eggs, Bacon, Sausages, Orange Juice and of course Beans and Rice.
The remainder of the Morning I spent with writing my post cards back in the Hotel and talking to my fellow travellers and we used the modern media to exchange some of the photos we took on the trip so far. Wifi is such a great invention as it helps you to exchange media files like Photos so easily and quick.
After a last lunch in La Fortuna at our favourite Soda Place it was time to say goodbye and we left the town by bus. But only till we reached the huge artificial lake just outside of town. Our destination that day was  the wonderful located Monteverde, and to get there we had to cross the lake before we would take another bus on the other side of the lake who would bring us to that small village located right up in the Hills we were able to see from the lake.

Crossing the lake didnt take very long, maybe about 30 Minutes, but it was a nice trip as we had some wonderful views on the nearby located El Arenal and across the lake towards the hills on the other side.

Back on the other side we grabbed our stuff and put it in the bus that was already waiting for us and were on our way again. Monteverde was not really far from the lake, but as it was located high up in the hills and the roads were very windy and not in the best conditions it took some time to get there.
On the way we stopped at a small Roadhouse/Pub/bar where in  an embedded Garage was a Sunday Afternoon Karaoke Party in full swing. I have never heard so many people singing in the wrong tune at the same time. But the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone seemed to be happy and in a great mood. It really looked like fun.

Not long after we finally arrived in Monteverde, to our next destination and home for the next few days.
Monteverde is a really small village in the middle of nowhere. In the 1950s a group of Quakers from the United States made their way here to find a new home, far away from the religious oppression they have felt in the USA.
Over the next decades they built up the town and its surroundings. But it was not until the 1980s that Monteverde got more famous. It was after an Article in the National Geographic which described this small village as the perfect place to observe the Quetzal, the most famous and beautiful bird in central America.
And after that more and more tourists came to visit this small village. And over the years a totally new touristy infrastructure was build. So nowadays you can choose between several Hotels, B&B and Hostels and several Restaurants and Bars. And also the list of activities got bigger with the years. From Hikes in the Nature over Birdwatching to Zip Lining and Bungee Jumping, you can do everything here.

The thing that makes Monteverde a bit different is, that the people in the village are not really that happy about the Masses of tourists  that are coming to town these days. I am sure they value the extra Money they are getting. But still they are trying their best to protect the Nature around the village. So up to day it was refused to rebuild the roads that are leading to Monteverde. The only road you have is a small dirt track winding through the mountains. With the hope that this will keep at least some people away.

And I think they are having good reasons to protect  the Nature there. As Monteverde will be one of the most beautiful places you can visit in Costa Rica. The Village is surrounded by Forests on every side which gives you the impression that you are in the middle of the wild.
Most of the Forests around the Village is Cloud/Fog Forest. A type of Forest that is characterized by a covering of very low lying clouds. Which gives you the impression that you are walking through a very thick fog or clouds.
Looked up from above it looks amazing.
There are several National and private owned Parks and Sanctuaries, so that the whole area around Monteverde is building a huge protected area for plants and animals.
And the wildlife in these forests is amazing as we were about  to learn in the next few days.  You can find a huge amount of different birds, mammals, reptiles and insects here.

But on that first night it was already too late for that. We just dropped our bags in the Hotel, where I as a single traveller got the biggest room of the Hotel somehow.
We took an cab into town that night as it was raining really hard and went to a nice Italian Restaurant where we had a nice dinner and talked about the activities options we would have on the next days. The majority of the group  wanted to do the Zip-Lining. Where you get secured by an harness and then can swing on a rope with high speed over some valleys far below you. Not exactly my idea of fun as I am not that fond of heights and neither of speed. But luckily there were other options as well. I definitely wanted to see some of the amazing nature in this wonderful place.
After the dinner me and a friend from our group decided to walk back to our Hotel, to get some fresh air and to get some exercise after the big amount of Pasta we just had.
The way was very steep most of the time and it was sort of an exercise.   But funnily we managed to get there at the same moment the rest of our group arrived there in a taxi. Somehow no one wanted to believe us that we really walked.

The next morning we started early with an hearty breakfast at the Hotel. With Toast, Eggs, Bacon and of course Rice and Beans. And then the bus was already waiting outside to take us up to one of the National Parks in the Region. The Monteverde Reserve, which lays right at the end of Monteverde on the side of town our Hotel was located. So we only had to follow up the road. On the way there we got some fantastic glimpses on the wooded valleys below us. At this time surprisingly without any fog or clouds. A fantastic view.

In the Reserve we did a wonderful two hour hike with our Guide, who had been here already a couple of times and knew his way around. He wanted to show us an Quetzal that day but unfortunately it was just not the season for this bird. But we did saw some other birds and animals on the way. Some wonderful Butterflies, a poisonous green snake, some monkeys and also some hummingbirds. And it is so amazing to see them for very close. There were some feeding stations for them, filled with some sort of sugared water, and  they were flying around this stations ins swarms. We could have stayed there for hours as it was so amazing to see them fly around in all their different sizes and colours. Such beautiful birds.

Not just the wildlife also the nature was really impressing here. Dense Forests with huge trees, waterfalls and some amazing views on the hills and valleys around you. It was really nice to walk around there.

As the weather was really nice and not too hot that day some people in our group decided to walk back to our Hotel instead of taking the bus. And it also was a really pleasant hike alongside the road from which we had a really nice view across the hills and valleys.

As I still had enough energy that day I decided to do a hike of my own after we were back in the  Hotel and it was not even Noon yet. So I set out again to climb atop one of the Mountains in the area. The Cerro Amigos which rises about 1842 Metres and from which you are supposed to have some really nice views of the area around you.
What I didnt expected was the steepness of the path up the mountain. I am usually used to walking up steeper hills and Mountains. But here at this Mountain in Monteverde I was really struggling, as every time I managed to climb one steep path and was on a more even part again, of course when I went around the next bend it was going uphill again. And add  to that the whole ground was wet an slippery from rain and had a lot of rubble lying around. So it was really exhausting to make some progress here. But eventually I made it to the top after some time. But unfortunately in the mean time the weather changed and all the area disappeared in clouds. So I had no good views from the top. But from the distance you can see up from the summit, I am sure  the views must be amazing on a clear day. So it is definitely worth the effort. As it now also started to rain and the ground got even wetter the way downhill was even more exhausting as you really had to take a good look where you were stepping. But eventually I made it down again without tumbling down the hill.
Back at the Hotel the activities of the day were not over. As we sat out for an Night walk in the Jungle that evening to spot some wildlife.
. Once it started to get dark we were picked up by a van and brought to a part of the Cloudforest on the other side of the town. And after every own got equipped with an torch we set out towards the Woods with our guide. But we only went out the door before we saw our first animal that night.  A sloth was sitting in the tree right in front of the House we just came out. And with the help of the very strong torch of our guide we had a very good view of it from very close by.
And after the sloth had enough of the unwanted attention and disappeared into the higher branches of the tree we finally sat out into the wood. And what an amazing experience it was to walk around the jungle in the middle of the night. Hearing all those nocturnal sounds from the insects and animals around you. And we also managed to spot some animals here and there. Of course a lot of weird looking insects you surely dont want to find inside of your house. We managed to see some birds who were already sittting asleep on some branches and surely were not amused about this disturbance .We also saw some racoon like mammals and also a huge tarantula. It was an very amazing and exciting hike that night. And everyone in our group agreed that it was one of their highlights on the whole tour.



On the next morning I got up early again as I still had some plans for our last day here in Monteverde. I wanted to visit another strip of Rainforest in that area. The Bosque Eterno de los Ninos. This 220 square kilometre big area was bought with money that was collected by school kids from all over the world. And it is really amazing to see what you could do with such donation. Instead of building a big touristy infrastructure here, it was decided that it was more important to make this part of land an possibility of retreat for the animals living here. So there are only a few hiking trails that are leading mostly along the edges of this Rainforest, but it is nearly impossible to get into the centre of it. Which is a really good idea I think. And the existing hiking trails are more then nice to walk along.  Tony from our group accompanied me that morning and we really had a nice walk in the Forest, but we werent lucky with our animal spotting. We just saw a few birds, but otherwise the forest looked deserted. But still it was a really enjoyable hike we had.

Then I had some hours of rest before in the afternoon I went with another friend out of our group to a coffee plantation tour. If there is something Costa Rica is famous for beside the amazing nature it is coffee.
And why not take the chance and see how such a plantation is working. Unfortunately we were really unlucky with the weather and from the moment we arrived there it started pouring down. But still the tour was still fun and really interesting. We were first thought where the plants are growing and how the harvest of the fruits is done and afterwards we were shown how the fruits are worked into the well known coffee beans. An really interesting process. And the smell of fresh roasted beans is just irresistible even to a non coffee drinker like me. Later we were also shown how cocoa beans are made into cocoa and chocolate. For me an even more interesting process. And of course we got our taste of it afterwards. It was funny to see how bitter cocoa taste if you havent added milk or sugar, You wouldnt recognize it.
After we had a short break with Coffee and Cocoa afterwards and the rain finally stopped we went back to our Hotel where we were greeted by our Guide who asked how we liked the tour. And we said we liked it very much except the rain. And he asked which rain as it was dry all the time here. The answer to that is, that the the coffee plantation was built on the ridges that is diverting the Caribbean part of Costa Rica from the Pacific Side of it. And as the Hotel was on the one side and we were on the other side, the rain didnt made it over  the hills and stayed on our side. Even though we were only a few Kilometres apart.

After a last night out with Dinner and some drinks we went to sleep as on the next morning we would leave this green Paradise to travel right to the next Paradise. This time we would be leaving the Highlands for the Pacific coast. And I think everyone was looking forward to seeing some beaches and the Ocean again.

So we set out the next morning with the most beautiful weather, which allowed us some amazing last views on the area and then we were on our way towards the Pacific. The first part was on dirt tracks, and we got another free Costa Rican massage. But then at one point we reached the Highway and from there on it was a really smooth ride.
We had one nice stop on the way. Right at a bridge over a bigger river. And there was a good reason to stop there in the middle of nowhere. As this was a spot very popular for Crocodiles. And we were not disappointed. We spotted a bigger group lying down at the river side in the sun. And how big and impressing they were.
My Camera was even more impressed then me and stopped working. Somehow some moisture got onto the lens because of the big Humidity we were having outside and I was unable to get it clear again that moment. It took about an hour until it was okay again. At least I was able to get a few shots of the crocodiles.

Then after we had some amazing fresh smoothies made at a small booth not too far from the Crocodile Bridge we were on our way to Quepos. A small but very vibrant town directly at the Pacific coast. From the moment you enter you can see tha the town makes it living out of the Tourists who come to this town to visit the very close National Park Manuel Antonio. The smallest National Park in Costa Rica, but it is also one of the most beautiful ones.
So the first things you see when you enter the city are Hotels, Bars, Restaurants and Souvenir shops. A lot of opportunities to spend your money. Besides this shopping area, the town got a nice promenade lined with trees alongside the water. A good place to spot Birds in the Morning Hours.  One of our group saw some big Red Macaws there one morning.
On that first day we didnt spend much time in Quepos, we just stopped at our Hotel which Highlight was a nice outside pool in its centre, dropped our bags and went straight outside again to take one of the public buses that are leaving every few Minutes towards the National Park.
After we left the town centre behind us the bus was driving alongside a winding road uphill from where you had a glimpse on  the ocean from time to time. Otherwise some Huge Hotels or Restaurants were blocking the view.  From the Bus stop it was just a few minutes walk to the entrance of the National Park. And from there on you once again had the feeling you were entering a different world again. The busy streets with shops and Hotels were replaced by a massive Rainforest on both sides of the trail leading through it. An again an abundance of Wildlife. A lot of guides equipped with some telescopes where showing their groups the animals they have spotted. We always tried to spot the animals when we passed them by. Sometimes it was a bird, some insects or some lizards. There surely was a lot to discover here. But alone the Forest was already very impressive. It was very dense at some spots and it was nearly impossible to look through it. Our guide told us to look out for some Squirrel Monkeys that you usually see very often in the Park. But not on the day we were there. But still it was so amazing.

After we have walked for a while we came down to a beach which looked like out of the catalogue from a travel agency. White sand, lined by jungle and with a very inviting looking ocean. I first had thought I would use  the time we had in the park to walk around a bit more. But after I have seen this place I spontaneously decided to stay here. And so did some others in our group. Our Guide walked on with the rest of our group, told us how we would find our way back and that we would be careful of the raccoons that were roaming around here. They have no fear of Humans at all and are very cheeky and try to steal everything they can. And no joke, I saw one of them opening a trash can with a big metallic lid on it by its own. And a bit later one Raccoon stole a bag with food out of the backpack from one member of our group. But beside this it was very peaceful and calm there. And I think I had one of the best swims in the ocean of my life. The water was really warm and inviting. And it was so relaxing to swim around and have a look on this paradise around you. I could have stayed there for days without problems. Such an amazing place.
But unfortunately at one point we had to get up again as the park was about to close, and so we made our way back towards the street with the bus station where we decided to meet up in a close bar. And one by one everyone got back from the Park. Some of them spotted some Monkeys on the street around the corner, and so we all left the bar again to have a look. And right, there was a whole bunch of Squirrel Monkeys right before our eyes on the trees above you. And so it was fun to watch them for a while.

 Before we made our way back to the bar, where we enjoyed a cold beer and watched an amazing sunset over the ocean, before we made our way back to the Hotel and went out for a nice dinner in a Restaurant close by.

For the next day we had something very special planned as it was our last real day of the tour. Unbelievable how fast the time was passing by. And we wanted to end this fantastic tour with something very special and worthy. And so we set out on a Catamaran tour on the Pacific that morning. The plan was to drive out with the boat and hoping that we would be able to spot some Dolphins. We set out around 10 in the morning with the best weather you could wish for. The sun was shining and it was really warm. Thankfully we had some shade on the boat otherwise it would have been to hot.
The ride was surprisingly bumpy, normally I dont have many problems with seasickness, but at the start of this ride I was really close to getting sick as we were going up, going down, going up, going down all the time. But it got better after some time. And maybe the cocktails we could order the whole time were helping as well. And once I got over the motion sickness it was wonderful. We were cruising the Pacific alongside the coast, drinking really good cocktails and listening to some Bob Marley Songs. Life can be really great at times. :)
Unfortunately we didn't manage to spot any Dolphins on that tour as they were not to be seen that day, but nevertheless it was a very enjoyable ride. We stopped for lunch in a very beautiful bay where we also had the chance to get into the water for some swimming and snorkelling. And again it was really wonderful to be in the warm water. So we had some real Holiday feelings on our last day again.

But unfortunately all good things have come to an end and the boat dropped us off at the harbour again and we got a free ride to the beach we watched the sunset the evening before. There we had  the chance to swim a bit more and enjoy the Sunshine. When it got to hot in the sun we drove back to the Hotel and went inside the pool there.
In the evening we went out again for a last Dinner together as two of us would leave the group the next morning to go on another tour. . And I think the emotions were really mixed that night. Everyone was happy that we had such a wonderful time on this tour, and I am sure a lot of us had to think about all the things we have seen and done in the last two weeks. And of course there was also some sadness as the tour was now about to end. But it was a really enjoyable and nice evening with a lot of smiles and laughter.
On the next Morning we had some few hours for ourselves before we would take the bus back to San Jose. Everyone used the time for buying some souvenirs, strolling around the Promenade and sitting around the Hotel and having some rest after the eventful last days.
And then in the Afternoon we were back on our way to San Jose. It was nice to see the beautiful scenery of Costa Rica passing me by for the last time and I remembered all the amazing things I have seen in the last few weeks.
Costa Rica is surely an amazing and fantastic place. It surely is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Rarely have I seen a place so filled with so many beautiful landscapes and such an abundance of Wildlife. I was more then happy that I had made the decision to visit this wonderful place. And I really hope that I will have the chance to come again in the future.

We arrived some hours later in San Jose just to find out that the street where the Bus station used to be was literally washed away. There were a lot of heavy rainfalls in the days before and the earth beneath the street was totally washed away, so where the street used to be was now a huge hole. Something you surely dont see every day.
Thankfully the street with our Hotel was still existing so we didnt had to camp outside that night. We just dropped our bags in the room and met up again for a final dinner that night. Our Guide know a really good restaurant around the corner and we managed to get a table for all of us there on that busy night. And had a really good dinner there where we had a last chance to remember all the amazing things we have experienced on that trip. Before it was time to say farewell that night. As some were leaving really early the next morning, and others like me would have some extra time left in San Jose. And it is always sad to say goodbye after such an amazing time. And I surely had the feeling that I have made some friends here. And you could tell that everyone was feeling like this now.

On the next morning I met up the remainder of our group at breakfast and as all three of us had some time left we decided to visit the Zoo that morning which was not too far from our Hotel. But I have to say that the Zoo made a sad impression on me. It looked really uninviting, the cages for the animals, especially for the birds were way  too small, so it left a rather sad aftertaste. Of course it was fascinating to see some Toucans and a Jaguar from very close up. But I rather see the animals in the wildlife.
As we still had some time till checkout we decided to visit the Gold Museum in the centre. It is part of  the National Bank and it also looks like a big Vault. Maybe no wonder when you think about the riches they are having in there. It was nice to get a view on the History of Costa Rica there, as the History is really close connected to the History of Gold. It surely is worth a visit.
After that I said farewell to the last two of our groups and went back to the Hotel to pick up my Baggage and to go to my new Hotel for the last two nights in San Jose.
In the evening I met up with my Penpal from San Jose again and had a wonderful evening chatting in a bar from where we had a nice view on the streets around us. And as it was Halloween that night, it was funny to watch all the dressed up people from above.
My last day in Costa Rica was then spend more or less quiet, I went into town to buy some souvenirs and otherwise divided my time with swimming in the pool or reading. A relaxing end of this amazing journey.
On the next morning I was up very, very early as my plane was already leaving at 8 in the morning. And believe me I had more then one tear in my eye as I was finally boarding my plane. These three weeks in Costa Rica have been an amazing time. Such a wonderful and beautiful country. I am sure I will be coming back one day. So I hope that this blog can be continued then. :)

Pura Vida Part II

Note: This is the second part of the Blog I am writing about my time in Costa Rica. If you are interested you can find the first part here: http://tommo76travel.blogspot.de/2015/12/pura-vida-part-i.html

I ended my last Blog writing about the amazing Caribbean style dinner we had at our place in Tortuguero. Which was the perfect ending for our amazing two days in this small paradise. The food tasted so exotic as  the whole place seemed to be. I got so many new impressions in these first days in Costa Rica that it felt like that we must have been there for at least three weeks already.

So it was a strange feeling I had on the next morning when we met up at the shore of the Canal to get into the boat to get back to the civilisation. I was kind of sad that I had to leave this beautiful place with all this amazing wildlife and its beautiful landscapes. But on the other had I was really eager to explore the rest of this beautiful country. And I had the feeling that i was not the only person in the group who felt this way.

One by one, everyone of our group arrived, still a bit sleepy as it was early in the morning, but then we finally were ready to go.  And like on the way to Tortuguero, also the way back was really amazing. Again we were able to spot a lot of wildlife in the Canal and on its shore. Sometimes you had the feeling that there must be someone who is placing the animals in some place you can spot them, as you had the feeling that they were really waiting for you to spot them. But I guess we just have been lucky to be at the right place at the right time.
Again we spotted some lizards, a cayman, an abundance of  birds and also spotted some monkeys very far away.
It was such an amazing feeling to drive down that huge canal system that was leading us straight through some sort of Jungle. It really made you feel as if you were at a place like the Amazon or maybe African Jungle. It gave you the feeling as if you were exploring a whole new area. And you never knew what was waiting around the next bend of the river. Still one of my favourite experience of the whole time I had in Costa Rica.

But as all good things must come to an end, eventually we arrived the end of the canal and had to get out of the boat and get onto the bus to our next destination. This time we had a Minibus for ourselves and didn't had to get on a Chicken Bus again. Which was of course much more convenient and relaxing. But still we got our Costa Rican massage while driving on the bumpy roads.

And again it was really fascinating to watch the landscapes passing by. We passed all the huge Banana Plantations again and again they looked really impressing and huge. It just makes you wonder who should eat all those bananas. Even when you sell them to all corners of the world it seems a lot.
Besides the Banana Plants we could also see a lot of other green scenery on our way. The whole country is incredible green. A lot of forests, a lot of Farms, a lot of woods. Something I am missing even in Germany in this intensity. I really hope that Costa Rica will keep going on and saving all the protected wood areas and National Parks.
Even now the area we were driving through now it is not as forested as the rest of the country, as it was mostly farmland. But still it felt really lush and green. Just really enjoyable to relax in the van and to watch the landscapes passing by while listening to some music.

Before we arrived at our next destination we made a stop at a very huge Supermarket, which was unlike most of the supermarkets you usually find across Costa rica. This one could have been in the USA when it comes to the size and the products they were selling. It was modernly styled and more expensive then the usual shop you can find. But as our Tour Guide told us we would have a fridge at the next stop we decided to buy some cans of beer for the evenings there.
And so we left after around 30 Minutes with a good stock on beer and booze. So there was no risk that we would die because of thirst in the next days.
After about 40 Minutes more of driving we finally arrived at our next destination. Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, a town at the shores of the Sarapiqui River, in former times a booming Harbour town, but now with the big road network in the Country, the importance of the town went down dramatically. Nowadays it is more a stop over for Tourists who stop in this area, to visit one of the close National Parks or getting their Adrenaline kick at the Whitewater Rafting which is very popular in this area.

The place we were staying at, a very nice and beautiful Bed & Breakfast a bit outside of the town was maybe the nicest place we stayed the whole tour. The B&B is located on a really nice wooded lot which looks more like a rain forest than a B&B Garden. But this is one of the reasons this place was so special. You really have the feeling you could be inside of the woods as there were trees, flowers and bushes everywhere around you. It looked amazing and beautiful. And we had a great variety of Wildlife on  the property as well. In a tree right in front of the hut I was sleeping in was a sloth, in what other Hotel could that happen to you. We had some huge Lizards as well, a lot of different frogs and a lot of different birds. It was fantastic.
Everywhere on the lot were some huts where we were sleeping in. We even had two Tree Houses. It really got a special vibe. The thing I liked most in that place was the huge hammock right in front of my Hut. It was so nice to lie there reading, listening to music or just watch and listen to the nature around you. Just wonderful.

Another reason this place is so special was  the owner Alex, a really nice and wonderful person. Whose big passion and purpose in life is to help animals in misery.
He used to run a Sanctuary for Animals but had to close it down for some reasons. But he still takes care of injured animals .When we were there he took care of a Parrot. And our Tour Guide told us that at one time he was there, Alex got an Phone call and both left with Alex Truck to get an injured sloth.
So Alex really got a big heart and when you talk to him you can hear the passion about animals in his words. And his plans are to open up a new Animal Sanctuary, but as with so many things, he needs the money to open it up again. He already owns a big lot of land outside of town which would be perfect for this but I am afraid it will take some time until he is able to open it up.

We arrived in Puerto Viejo in the early afternoon and still had some time to spend. The most important thing was to get the fridge running so that we would be able to get some cold beers in the evening.
We spent the next hours exploring the near by town which was a short walk away and I had the stupid idea that I would be able to get some cash from a ATM Machine with my German Bank Card, but the ATM I picked wasn't accepting my card, I read that some ATM Machines in Costa Rica are not able to read the chip which is on it. I also had a credit card with which I could withdraw money, but as I found out I had the wrong PIN code for it. So I wasnt able to withdraw any money here. I tried some other ATM but with the same result.
I already saw myself stealing some of the chickens which were running around some of the houses nearby in a few days. But the people in my group reassured me that they would help me if I would really run out of money in one of the next days. A really nice reaction. It is good to know that you are not alone when you need help.
Some other members of our group wanted to exchange some money in a bank nearby, an idea which was nearly as naive as mine as we found out.
First of all, when you want to enter an bank you have to go through an Metal Detector and you get checked if you got any weapons on you. Once you made it into these Fort Knox, you just dont get the money, you have to show your passport several times, you have to fill out some forms, which are getting checked and checked again. It took my friends about 30 Minutes to get the money they need.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with exploring the amazing ground of the place we were staying and trying to discover as many animals as possible. I really loved looking at the sloth which was so close to my Hut. It is amazing that they can sleep almost all day long. Our Tour Guide told us that they only leave the trees every six or seven days to poop and then they are getting back up again and I guess almost immediately back to sleep. But still they are very fascinating. Especially with that satisfying look on their face.
And after we had some of the beers out of the fridge, we went out to Dinner in a small Soda Restaurant at the other end of the town. A Soda Restaurant is a cheaper sort of Restaurant and you will find these in every town. They are cheaper then the usual fancy looking restaurant as they are usually used by the local people, but to be honest, very often the food in the Soda Restaurants was much better than the food in the tourist places. So this is something I can really recommend to you when you are travelling in Costa Rica.
I had a wonderful steak in a really good chilli sauce that night. It was really, really spicy but it tasted really, really good. We had a really nice and relaxing evening at that place until we decided to leave and found out that it had started to rain. And we got our first impression of how the rainy season can be in Costa Rica. It was not raining it was pouring down, as if someone was emptying buckets up there.
And we would have to walk about 25 Minutes back to our Hotel. Of course we got soaked and looked as if we decided to go for a swim with our clothes still on. But this was kind of part of the whole adventure and I think in a way everyone was enjoying it a bit as well. But my clothes were still wet some days afterwards, they were so wet.

On the next morning it had stopped raining again in the morning and we were able to do the activities we had decided on the day before. The Majority of the group would do the Whitewater Rafting on the near by river. As I am not really keen on activities on the water so I decided to pick an alternative activity and went out to visit a nearby Biological Station. And I was lucky that three other persons decided to go there as well. So we had a small group together and took a cab to the nearby Station.

The Biological station which is just outside of town was founded by a cooperation of 63 different Universities and Research Institutions and was founded back in 1953 by a single person with a small forest property, over the time more and more Universities joined this cooperation and more land was bought. Today the Biological station owns a property which got the size of about 1.600 Hectares. On the grounds you can find several Research facilities and laboratories but also a Hotel where not only the scientists are staying but also Tourists who wants to explore the area.
But you can also visit the station for a guided tour as we were doing now. After we checked in at the Tourist Office we were greeted by our guide and he took us on an amazing three hours hike around the area. Of course you can only explore some of the outskirts of the area as it is way too big, and also the interior part is closed for tourists to protect the animals and to give them a chance to withdraw from the humans if necessary. At his south border, the Biological station is connected with the National Park Braulio Carrilo, so in this way a big protected area for plants and animals was founded. Something which should be copied in other countries as well.

The hike itself was amazing. We had a great guide who was able to tell us a lot about the history of the Station, about the plants we were looking at and he also helped us to spot some of the many animals around us. He had a really good telescope with him with which we were able to spot animals even from far away, and he was really good in taking pictures with our cell phones through it. Over the next hours we were able to observe a sloth, several monkeys, saw some really beautiful Toucans from really close up, watched the mating ritual of the poison dart frog and saw some Pekaris, a litte type of boar from very close up. It was so beautiful. Even  the rain which started again didnt disturbed us. It was wonderful.

Around noon we were back in the Hotel and still had some time left for us. I decided to walk back into town again to try the ATM of another bank I discovered on the way to the Restaurant last night. And this time I was lucky and it was working. After I had to wait around 15 Minutes to get to the ATM I was finally able to withdraw some money. So relieved I made my way back to the Hotel but decided to celebrate this small success with a really good smoothie from a shop I found on the way.
The next hours till the rest of our group came back from their adventure I spent in the hammock outside of my hut. Really relaxing. I had the feeling that I could get used to the life in Costa Rica. Pura Vida.

But in the afternoon everyone was back safely again. Our group had one small accident on the water right at the start of the tour when almost everyone fell into the water. But luckily nothing really bad happened. One member of our group hurt her ankle, but it was already better again on the next day.

Now with everyone back again Alex took us in his van and drove us to the lot of land he bought outside of town, which was nested a bit uphill in the nearby Hills. It was beautifully located between some wooded hills and once we were there we were greeted by some of his dogs who were living there. He told us that all of the dogs had a hard life so far and were abused in some ways. And now they finally seemed to have found a place where they could live. And they were more than happy to greet us as visitors there. They definitely made an happy impression.
And Alex small estate there was really impressing. He got some small farming going on there. He got a lot of cocoa plants and some other vegetables and fruits, but he told us that the birds and monkeys are way to fast and greedy for getting a real harvest there. But most of all he wants to make a sanctuary for the animals out of this lot. He is trying to plant as many trees as possible and let them grow in a natural way, so that one day it will look like a forest. And it seems to be on good way for that.  We didnt spotted many animals that afternoon but it was still a really nice afternoon out there and everyone happily gave Alex a small donation so that he is able to fulfil his dream there.

In the evening we decided against going out to town again. I think everyone was still wet from the night before, so we ordered some Pizza from a place nearby and emptied the remainder of our beer cans. It really was a nice evening with a lot of chatting, laughing and even some singing performances.
On  the next morning we had our last breakfast in this beautiful place which was always a highlight.  The first thing Alex did every morning was to put some fruits in a tree nearby the place we were sitting. As we were eating outside we were able to watch the birds pecking at the fruits nearby while we were eating our breakfast. Just wonderful.

After we said our goodbyes to Alex, who said he was really sad to see us leave, but would be over it once the bus was around the corner, we were on the way to our next stop. We were heading towards the border of Nicaragua to spend the day and night at a small agricultural community in the middle of nowhere. It was not a long drive to get there, only about 90 Minutes and it was the first time we were driving through a not so green landscape. The further north we came, the less trees there seemed to be. There was still a lot of farming, but the landscapes also looked a bit barren. Luckily the place we drove to was a bit different. It was nested in between some hillsides with a lot of forests on all sides. I couldnt even tell you the name of the place to be honest, I am sure it would be very hard to find it on a map.
But it was really beautiful and nice. Our first stop in the small villages was at the places we were supposed to spend  the night at. We had three host families we were staying with, so we had to build groups and decided who would stay with whom. As we had mostly couples on the trip that wasnt to difficult. But I was lucky to end up with a really nice family who was living at the far end of  the town. And had the advantage to have our Group Member from Madrid in the house as well. I am able to speak a little bit of Spanish but I do have my problems. But as my friend knew that I was able to speak and understand he couldnt resist telling the whole family that I was speaking Spanish fluently... Thanks again. :)
After we dropped our bags we were brought back to the centre of the village where on a roofed plaza we were greeted by the rest of the village with a wonderful lunch. Of course everythingfreshly made with the products of the farm. It tasted amazing. Some of the best Empanadas I ever had.



After that we were shown around the farm and were shown how everything worked there. Really interesting. In the end we followed one ongoing tradition there and everyone planted a small tree. A really nice tradition.
In the afternoon we had the option for different activities. Some people decided to do some of the handicraft courses they were offering, where you could either learn how to  make soap, create your own post cards or painting some cans in a beautiful way.
As I was still feeling active I decided to join the group who wanted to visit a nearby Waterfall. Accompanied by one of the villagers and a really nice Student who was spending some time in the village we made our way through the thick jungle downwards towards the waterfall. And again I had the feeling how amazing the Nature here in Costa Rica is. The colours of the leaves and all the plants are so intense and powerful and everywhere you looked you could discover some animals. Insects, birds, snakes or spiders. Even on this small hike we got a lot of interesting impressions. And also the Waterfall was a nice view and was worth the long way down over some really slippery steps.
Back at the village the others were still creative with their cans and soaps so we just sat down beside them and started the evening with some of the beers we brought with us as an gift to the people of the village. And they didnt lasted really long that night.
After everyone got their cans and soaps ready Dinner was prepared and we were able to help a bit and chopped some onions and vegetables and were shown how to make a tortilla out of a lump of dough. Something you have to be good in if you want to marry as as were told.
As i totally sucked in it, I guess it is no wonder that I am still single. :)

The dinner we had afterwards was wonderful. We had a really nice tasting soup and  then the evening entertainment started.There was a lot of dancing which I first refused to do, as my dancing skills are even worse then my tortilla making skills, but at some point I couldnt resist anymore and joined in. And to my surprise I really enjoyed it.
For the kids we build up an Can Pyramid with all the empty beer cans we had and told them to throw at it with a small lime to tear down as many cans as possible. Something they really enjoyed doing. After a while the kids didnt had a chance to have a go at it, as the adults were taking over. And it was made more difficult as everyone got spun around in circles before they were allowed to throw. It was a lot of fun.
A really enjoyable evening. As our hosts had to get up early again on the next day it of course didnt lasted too long, but it was still really nice.
When I was back at the house I was really tired and exhausted, but it was a really nice experience we had that day.
Unfortunately my day wasnt really over as I had a cock walking around the yard right in front of my window and he was crowing half the night. So I didnt slept too well that night. But I woke up with a really big appetite for chicken that morning. Strange, isnt it?

After an amazing breakfast at our Home for that night we were off on the road again. Travelling south again. The good thing about travelling in Costa Rica is that the distances are never that big, so you can easily get from one point in Costa Rica to that next. On the morning to took us about two hours including an Stop at an Cafe on the way to get to our next stop which was La Fortuna.

The villages claim to fame is its closeness to one of Costa Rica's biggest tourist attractions which is also one of it's greatest threat. The Volcano El Arenal. One of the many volcanoes you can find in Costa Rica and on the ground of the ocean in front of it's coast line. But unlike the other, El Arenal has still been very active in the last Fifty Years, following a big eruption in 1968 two near by villages got totally destroyed and 87 people were killed and masses of lava and debris came down the sides of the volcano and changed the whole surrounding area. The place where the two destroyed villages lay near by is now a huge artificial lake.
Until 2010 the volcano was still active from time to time and spit out some lava from time to time. But since the last eruption that year the Volcano had been quiet. But the danger is still there that it could erupt again without big warning signs as it did back in 1968.

Luckily it was quiet when we arrived there. And it would have been a shame if we had missed out this part of  Costa Rica as it one of the most beautiful areas of the whole country. Lush green forests which gives you the impression that you were in the middle of the rainforests because of their denseness are framed by a backdrop of huge Mountains, with the huge El Arenal standing out. It was an amazing sight. And we all were really eager to have a chance to discover this amazing place in the next few days.
The village itself is really small and the tourist part of it  is made up out of two mains streets which are running parallel to each other and you find everything you need there. Shops, Restaurants, a Post office, a Pharmacy, everything you need.
As we were too early to get in our rooms, we just dropped our bags at the hotel and went out to visit a nearby Waterfall which was recommended to us by our Tour Guide. It was supposed to be a nice place for hanging out and having a swim. And as it was really hot and sunny that day the idea to dive into some cold water sounded tempting. So we took a cab to the entrance of the small park that surrounds the Waterfall and made our way down the over 700 Steps towards the foot of the Waterfall, Getting down wasnt the problem. but the idea of going back up again didnt sounded too tempting. But on the way down we were always able to catch some glimpses of the Waterfall from different perspectives. And it looked really nice and inviting from every angle. The waterfall was dropping down from a really steep cliff down onto the base where the pool of the Waterfall was surrounded by a lot of green. Really beautiful and inviting.
As we finally arrived at the base we found out that almost half the population and visitors of El Arenal had the same idea as we did and the pool was really crowded. But we still were able to find a nice spot and took turns of going into the water and taking care of our stuff.
And how wonderful the water was, first it was really cold, but when you moved around a bit it was really lovely. I could have stayed there for hours. We later moved away a bit from the main pool as there was another, smaller one a bit down the stream. And here it was less crowded, and at least as nice as the other pool. We spent some really nice hours there just relaxing and swimming around before we made our way up the steps again. And 700 steps can be really a lot. But we managed to get up in a good time. And as it still was really early and still were in the mood to be active we decided to walk back the six Kilometres to the village.

And so we made our way back down a really green looking valley but we were surprised by a huge rain shower which turned into a big thunderstorm. So we took shelter at a nearby place which was selling fresh coconut water before we made our way down towards the village again. But by then we lost one person who decided to hail a passing cab and passed the surprised remainder of the group waving out of the cab. As it cleared up again we were on our way again just to be caught up in the next storm front again. And the sky over  the village, the direction we were walking towards, really looked dark and threatening, and you could see lightnings there almost every second. Not a really comforting sight.


As we all had different walking paces we got split up on the way and me and another friend out of the group arrived first at the hotel and I was more than happy to dry up again.
And what do you do on a day that you first spend swimming in a pool at a waterfall and then got totally soaked in a rain shower? Of course you are going for a swim again that evening.

As the whole area around La Fortuna got a lot of volcanic activity you also get one of the nice positive side effects there. Hot Pools. And some Business men had the wonderful idea to build some really luxurious and beautiful Spas around those natural sources of hot water. And we went to one of these Spas that night. And what can I see. It was lovely. The Spa was made up as a huge garden in which several different pools were build. All pools had different shapes and the water had a different temperature in every pool. Some were a bit cooler, others were really hot, others just had the perfect temperature. And to be honest there is nothing more relaxing then to lay in a hot pool under the night sky and just enjoy life. It was a lovely evening. I am not sure how much time we spent inside the water, but no one really wanted to get out again, it was so lovely. One of the nicest evenings on the whole tour.
We then ended this beautiful day in a Soda Restaurant close to our Hotel where we maybe had the best Dinner of the whole tour before we also called it a night.

On the next morning we had to get up early again as we had a packed day ahead of us. Our Tour Guide booked a double tour package for us that morning which gave us the possibility to do two really nice activities and didnt had to decide on what we wanted to do and actually were able to save some money as we got a better deal through this.
So our Tour Guide picked us up at our Hotel and after a short introduction we were on our way to the first stop of the day. The Hanging Bridges.

Situated on some hillsides a bit outside and above the city was a wooded area where some clever business men talked the family who owns this place over to lease this area to them to build up the Hanging Bridges. Which in Hindsight was a perfect idea. Now about 15 years later, the area belongs to the family again and they are making a fortune with visitors who are coming to walk across the Bridges and have a look at the wonderful scenery.
And the area really is perfect for hanging bridges as here and there are some deep valleys opening up between the hills and which are now perfectly connected with a web of Hanging Bridges. And on every one of the bridges you get a perfect view at the nature around, above and below you. It really was amazing. The views we had were spectacular, But not only the views from the bridges. Alone walking around in the forest was again a wonderful experience. The wildlife of Costa Rica keeps on amazing you every day you are there. Again we saw so many different animals.
It already started on the Parking Lot of this place.
Our Tour Guide brought to us to an near by tree and asked us to have a look around and see if we could find the animal. It took several minutes of looking up and down and around the tree to find the animal he was referring to. There was a snake on the tree which was perfectly camouflaged by its colour. We all stood a few inches away from it and were told that it was actually a poisonous snake. But actually nobody stepped back then. Everyone was so fascinated by it.
And so it went on. Again we saw so many different animals on the trail. Birds, Spiders, Lizards, Monkeys, it was wonderful. And that was even before we reached the first real bridge.
At first it takes a deep breath to walk over it, when you are not that comfortable with heights as I am. Especially as the bridges are tending to swing around a bit when you are walking on it. But after a few steps I was too fascinated by the views as to worry about the heights. It was wonderful. We were about 50 Meters above the Ground and had a lovely view across the Valley and an even greater view on the ground. It is amazing how high 50 Meters can feel. But I was really enjoying it. And so we went from Bridge to Bridge until we finished the whole tour. And from every bridge you had a slightly different view and angle on the nature around you. I really recommend it.

Once we got back out we stopped at the Picknick area which had a lovely view towards the Volcano, and which we were lucky enough to see as the clouds were disappearing from the Mountains. So we chose this spot to have a small snack and our Tour Guide even bought some beers and fruits for us. So it was perfect. Especially as we were able to see some Coatis from very close by. So far it was a wonderful day.

And it got even better  as we made our way on the other side of the Mountain Ridge towards the Volcano, where we entered the National Park that is enclosing the Volcano and went up an Hiking Trail that went up some really close Hills and from where you had a wonderful view towards the Volcano. Actually it wasnt a real hiking trail, it was a Trail the Lava let when it streamed down the Volcano one of the last time the volcano it erupted. This way you got a really good impression on how much force such an eruption got as we some some of the craters on the ground where some of the stones that got catapulted from the Volcanoes top. They were really huge and also really far away from the Volcano. And you could also imagine how hot the Lava must have been when it was streaming down the path we were walking now when it left such deep scars on the earth.

The hike itself was really enjoyable. It was not to hard and not too steep, so you were able to enjoy the wonderful scenery around you. Not many animals here but the landscapes were beautiful. We had the Volcano to one side and the artificial lake on the other side. So it didnt matter in which direction you were looking, you always had a wonderful view and I had several good photo opportunities.

When we reached the end of the hiking trail, at least the part we would be going our Tour Guide gave us an really good and interesting history of the Volcano and the big eruption back in 1968. After we all listened fascinated for half an hour we started to make our descend towards the bus again. Everyone I think was really amazed by the scenery and the history of the Place. This tour was really worth both the money and the time.

When we came back to the Hotel we still had some time to get ready before we went out for Dinner. As it was both Saturday Night and also the Home Town of our Tour Guide we were told to get ready for a great night out. And it really was. We first had dinner at a really nice restaurant, which served both good food and really good beer and afterwards went on to a really nice bar where we had some really good cocktails and some more chilled beers. And I think everyone had a wonderful time. It was the perfect ending of a perfect day.

To be continued....