The Traveling Man

This year I wanted to do something a bit different, so I thought I would head for the jungle. I knew it would be hot, but I was hoping to see some wildlife and be a bit more adventurous than usual. Anyway, here are some thoughts and pictures.

Day 0

The trip started rather early – 3:30am to be exact… Bit early for my
taste! But sometimes you have to do these things to get to costa rica
early enough. The options were either really early, or end up spending the night in San Jose!

After getting to costa rica, I went through customs and found a taxi
quite easily. Seems my fears on that front were rather unwarranted. It
was $3 to get over to denny’s. It was both the most expensive dennys
ever and the most edible! They actually cooked the food, which is more than we do here. They seem to speak very good english, especially in all the tourist areas.

Next, it was off to wait for the interbus… and wait…. and wait…
Almost 3 hours in total! Clearly the 12:45 flight would have been
fine. I was sitting right across from the rental car places so that
was tempting! Oh, and something stung me!! Seems ok now so I think it
was a normal yellow jacket.

The ride to arenal was absolutely wild! I think for most people just
getting here is adventure enough! Around the airport, it doesn’t look too odd
- lots of places we have too but once you get in the mountains, it gets
interesting. The roads twist and turn and twist some more! But it was
really spectacular – too bad it was rainy & overcast. Still haven’t
seen the volcano.

Eventually I did get to the arenal green (my hotel). Cute little place with
really nice people. It practically feels like I have my own personal
place – I’m curious if anybody else is even here. I had some really
amazing arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) for dinner at their tiny
restaurant. It was funny because the waitress/cook had to go get the other girl because I think she didn’t speak english.

Day 1

I started out the day with a really good breakfast at my hotel. I got
the American breakfast with some fruit thrown in. Excellente! I especially liked the pineapple.

I then proceeded to hike to the waterfall which was “just down the
road”. Unfortunately what I failed to realize is that in order to make
the water “fall”, I had to do a bit if climbing… and it was hot & humid.
Eventually though, I got there, paid my $10, and got to hike back down the hill I had just
climbed! But it was well worth it…. just like the paradise you always pictured. A river
plunging hundreds of feet into a spectacular lagoon.

I then went back to my hotel for a shower – felt rather good I must say. I’ve never taken so many showers on a trip in my life!!

I next wanted to check out La Fortuna – the nearest town to here. It’s
a fine town but nothing to write home about. It reminds me of an old
farming town out west, with s bunch of tourist shops thrown in. Had a pretty little plaza.
And lots of flowers everywhere.

I took s taxi to the hanging bridges park. Not really all that easy
without speaking Spanish. Somehow I got there, but he charged me $25!
live and learn but I think if was way too much. Anyway the park is
well worth 22 bucks (just not $72). There are all these neat little
suspension bridges you can walk over the jungle. There was another
waterfall. And I swear I heard some monkeys.

While waiting for the cab, I think Arenal put on a bit of a show.

After a rest at the hotel, I arranged to go to the Baldi hot springs.
Beautiful place! I got dinner and admission for $30, plus another 12
for transportation (which is why I think the hanging bridges guy was
super high). Anyway, the food was quite good – buffet style. I think I
tried plantains, which are a bit like fried apples, I suppose (not really that good). The hot
springs consist of a nine different pools at differing temperatures. I got
lost a few times – it was huge! My favorite was the 100F pool… made
your skin burn a bit. Great way to end the day.

Day 3

Today was a quiet day to let the blistered feet rest a bit.

I signed up for a tour of Cano Negro, which is several hours away up near the border with Nicaragua.
The van pulled up promptly at 7:15 in the morning – days start early around here. We stopped in town
to pick up a rather well traveled Canadian couple (they had been like around the world and back) and were off.

First stop was a rather touristy place right next to a river where the
trees were absolutely covered in iguanas! They said there were over
300 of them. We also spied a howler monkey – my first monkey sighting.
I have never seen so many lizards in my life!! Cool stop.

It too about 2 hours to finally get to Cano Negro, down a rather bumpy
road (to put it mildly). Then we got in a boat for a “three-hour tour”
of the river. Interesting – there was a lot of wildlife, especially
all kinds of water fowl. Egrets, cranes, kingfisher, etc. We did see
some more monkeys – more howlers and I think white faced ones as well. There
were quite s few caimans (like crocs) mucking around in the water as
well. The trip was certainly well worth the $50. Don’t forget tip money!

We were provided a pretty decent lunch right next to the river – I had
more arroz con pollo. It seems the chicken here is truly excellent. I
should try the beef though – there are cows everywhere! The trip today
took us right through what must be the heart of costa rica’s farmland.
Lots of sugar cane and pineapple, along with some citrus of some sort.
And lots and lots of cows, which are tiny by our standard, honestly.

I got back to the hotel just before the rains came (I think they plan
it this way). And rain it did!!! For hours on end, with little end in
sight… It did finally subside around 9pm. Maybe just as well I had
no hikes planned.

I got a ride into town with the really nice manager of the hotel. His
English is ok and you can tell he was really trying. Anyway he took me
to a nice place where they spoke good English, and I had yet more
chicken (really good again). I would have had some fish but they
wanted $20 for it!

Day 4
Today was my day to finally try something adventurous – too bad I
waited until the last day!

But maybe the most adventurous thing I actually did was at breakfast – I
finally tried the gallo pinto! I dunno – it was okay but give me my
bacon any day… But she kindly brought me some fruit as well – the
pineapple is absolutely to die for!

Around 11, the rafting people picked me up for the trip to the Balsa
river to take on my first attempt at white water rafting! This was
supposed to be moderate river – good for beginners. (I certainly
wouldn’t want to try anything they call “hard”).

We picked up a few people and eventually made it to the put in point.
The guides were really good and gave us a lot of good instruction. I’m
not sure I was techically paddling correctly but it did seem to work
out and I wasn’t too terribly sore afterwards. I had a fun group of guys
on the boat so it was kindof fun to get to talk to some people.
The rafting was awesome!!! They didn’t start out slow either – it was right
into the thick of the rapids – probably not something for everybody!
Anyway, I had a blast and we didn’t fall out even once (apparently
that happens fairly often). We had a break for more of that to die for
pineapple! Then dinner was some mote rice & beans…..

I had intended on going back to Baldi tonight until the monsoons
arrived again. Best advice for summer in costa rica? Plan stuff
EARLY!!! It’s been raining pretty much non-stop since 6pm! Next time
I’d stay in town or at least somewhere with a TV!!!!

But the rain is really relaxing and I’ve read an entire book in four
days. Just wish I had more than cookies…

Day 5
I woke up early today for my trip to monteverde – the “taxi” was
supposed to arrive at 8:15. I thought it best to have something to eat
(as dinner the night before consisted of cookies). I opted for the
americano breakfast as my system seemed to prefer it. They might not
eat it but they sure do have good bacon! And the fruit – did I mention
the pineapple??? Anyway, I checked out and met the “jeep-boat-jeep”
guy (turns out they weren’t jeeps but more of the ubiquitous vans that
are everywhere here) and was on my way.

This would have been an awesome morning to hike up the volcano – it
was perfectly clear. There’s always next time…. We picked up a bunch of people
and eventually got to Lake Arenal where you take a nice 30-min trip
across the lake. This is followed by a trail up the side of the
mountain that rivals most jeep trails I’ve been on… Eventually we
made it to my hotel (how I always seem to be both the first and last
stop is beyond me).

The rainbow valley lodge seems like a really nice place. The owner
(Ralf) is really nice, from Minnesota btw, and was more than willing
to set me up with tours and/or give me a ride into town. The place has
a double and a twin bed, private bathroom, and some bananas to feed
the monkeys! It’s perched on a ridge overlooking the monteverde area –
which of course was clouded over… Anyway I thought I would try the
canopy tour so ralf said he’d take me into town.

This is when my plans changed a bit… While looking for a place for lunch I
ran into these ladies I met on the “bus” up there. One of them was interested
in doing this coffee tour and asked me to join them. I decided it might be a nice
change to do something with somebody so I guess the zipline will have to wait.

Anyway, at 2:45 I met them at their hostel and a nice guy picked us up
for the tour. It was a tour of the sugar cane and coffee plantation
that his family ran. The tour was really busy! I think I have hit
vacation season in the states now. Anyway, He started by walking us
through the bananas and plantains (still not used to those). He told
us all about how they grow and harvest them. They try to go as much as
possible organically. Anyway, next it was on to the coffee and sugar
cane. He said they still use machettes to harvest it and it’s
dangerous as that is where the snakes like to live. He told how the
best coffee beans come from higher elevations like this but that it’s
very hard work to harvest. Then he showed the different machines used
to de-shell and separate out the beans. Interesting to me is that the
beans aren’t actually roasted here – they send the good quality beans
to starbucks who does the roasting. Ticos get the second or third
quality stuff. Next we got a little ride on the ox cart. And then he
showed the traditional way of getting the juice out of the cane. We
had some samples too, and even got to make some really sugary candy.
It was really fun and informative.

I went and got done groceries so I could have a nice dinner of chips
and chocolate. Can’t beat that! The arroz con pollo for lunch nearly
did me in….

Day 6
So my day started really early when the people above me got up, around
5am! Turns out that is when the monkeys (?) and coatis are playing
anyway. Unfortunately I scared them away. I had to be up at 6 anyway.
For whatever reason I had a terrible time sleeping here…

My shuttle arrived around 7am as expected, the drivers spoke no
English but we made do anyhow. I got to the monteverde reserve, paid
my $17, found my guide and was off. The guide took us around very
slowly showing us things of interest along the way. During the day,
this seems to mostly consist of birds but we did get a glimse of a
white-faced monkey. When we were in the hummingbird garden later, we
found a female quetzal, which is rather exciting

I went back to the hotel to ask Rolf to book me on the canopy tour the
next morning. Mornings are the time to do stuff here. While I was
having my snack, I saw some more coatis, which look rather like big
racoons.

I then took a bit of a walk to find this private reserve for a short
hike (everything costs money here). This was nice as the trails were
well marked and there was almost nobody there. I didn’t find any
monkeys but there were yet more coatis…. And some pretty butterflies.
Not to mention leaf cutter ants…

Next stop was the frog pond. This is sn exhibit that shows off all the
different species of frogs in costa rica. It was quite interesting.
I especially liked the red eyed tree frog (this is the one you always see
in the brocures). Supposed to be better at night but I didn’t make it back.

I then had dinner at this tree house place (where they had wifi!).
Pizza – only so-so. I’m looking forward to normal food again!!!

Day 7
Today I finally got to try out the canopy tour (aka zipline). It was a blast!! They had a total of 14 lines, the longest of which was 1000m!! And they were way high too! There was also this Tarzan swing, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – you swing down through the treetops. Weeeeee! We also did s rappel down from one of the platforms which was a bit odd. This was quite a trip…. flying over the treetops is something else. And it was windy too, which made things really interesting. I thought the guides were great though, and it was easier than I thought.

Anyway I had a blast there. Monteverde was great. So nice and cool. Bit rainy but I think Arenal was worse (rained harder there). The hotel was a great deal and Rolf was really helpful with everything. I think I’d go back. Did I mention I saw a monkey??? He was right out back near my porch. Great views!

After that it gets dull – took the interbus back to San Jose. Stayed at the adventure inn, which is fine if not overwhelming. Good wifi. And I actually had some TV! And a really, really awful burger…

Day 8
To be quite honest, this day was the one I was most nervous about. It
involved a taxi, plane, another taxi, and a boat ride. Here we go!

I was up early yet again so that I could have my complimentary
breakfast at 7, and get a taxi at 7:30. The breakfast was decent – I
went American yet again. Juan (as he said he was called) came promptly
to take me to pavas airport. Only $2 (on top of what the adventure inn
people paid).

My flight left on time at 9am (he asked me about this and I couldn’t
remember for anything what “nine” was en espanol). Anyway, the plane
was tiny! 1+2 configuration. Wonderful scenery on the way. Palmar sur
airport was really tiny…. In the middle of some palm plantations –
it was at this point I really wondered what I was doing.
Took this from the flight:

And this is the “airport”:

But not 15 minutes later my taxi (a Toyota pickup) arrived to take me
to sierpe. My “captain” popped out of some random building to
introduce himself (really wishing I knew Spanish at this point). Then
I was dropped at some restaurant at the end of the earth for like 3
hrs – I’ll admit to some slight nervousness here. Our boat was the
last to leave (maybe it was the cheapest?). The boat ride itself was
fine. Nice dude next to me kept pointing out things I should take
pictures of (in Spanish of course). Lots of “si’s” back from me. After
the long ride through the mangroves, we eventually got to drake bay
where the guy pointed at some random building and said “Jinetes”. I
hopped into the water hoping I would find the place…

Since you are reading this, I obviously did! Now that I’m finally here
I can report that it’s absolutely amazing. I can hear the waves
crashing just outside. The staff here is really friendly too. They
offer lots of tours or you can just take it easy (they provide hammocks).
Reminds me of summer camp. And the food is awesome….. Or maybe I’m just really hungry?

Since it was almost 3pm at this point, I just took a walk along the
beach. There are a LOT of crabs here!! And all kinds of other little
critters as well. I spotted a bunch of monkeys – they are so cute!!
Hopefully those pics will come out. It is really humid here. I think 3
days will be plenty. I was absolutely dripping after my little hike.

Day 9
Today I was supposed to go hiking on cano island but I ended up just
hiking along the most lovely beach and deserted beach I’d ever seen instead.
This was quite a well traveled path and I passed quite a few other folks along the way.

I was up bright and early so that I could get a bite to eat before the
tour (that I didn’t go on). The food here is quite good, actually.
They packed me a lunch to take on my hike. It was quite simple – just
take the trail that runs along the beach.

I ended up hiking quite a ways – about 3 hrs in each direction! I am
poor at pacing myself but I did have plenty of water so that was
helpful. I probably needed a bit more sunscreen (but didn’t end up getting
burned). Basically the path takes you past a series of lodges with some really
awesome beaches thrown in.

What did I see?? Well, a whole lot of monkeys for one thing! They are
really fun to watch – seemed to be throwing fruit at me at one point.
These were still the white-faced kind. They aren’t hard to find as
they make quite a racket in the trees! Seem very playful and intelligent.


(I have more…)

The other most common things are crabs (everywhere) and geckos/
lizards. Both move really quickly. The hermit crabs are fun to watch
too. (The ones in my room are way less fun I must say). I also saw
some horses just running along the beach.

Eventually I got to this Corcovado tent camp which is pretty much just
what it sounds like. Rustic and yet there were a ton of kids there.
Weird. Some of the lodges are super fancy which makes little sense to
me – if you wanted all the luxuries this seems an odd place to come.
Perhaps this is the first Dharma camp?

I got back about 3pm and crashed for a bit. I guess that is just how
it works here. Do everything early and veg out the rest of the day.
Relaxing anyway…

Tomorrow starts really early as I have a 5:30 tour to Corcovado park!
My last real day in costa rica.

Day 10
The day started out bright and early at 5:00 with a wake-up call!
Yikes! But we had to leave early if we wanted to see wildlife. I had
my breakfast at 5:30. It was a small group – me and two families, one
from Belarus and another from Texas. It was interesting as it was obvious there
were varying degrees of tolerance for the conditions….

Anyway, the boat ride took like an hour and a half – it was rainy and
really, really choppy. I wonder how much worse they could have went out in?
Clearly it’s not called the pacific because it is not peaceful! We arrived
via water to the beach. It reminded me of something out of Jurassic
park. The entire beach was moving (hermit crabs again) and you could
literally see the jungle steaming.

Anyway we hiked for several hours and saw tons of wildlife! We saw all
for species of monkey: squirrel, spider, howler (sleeping), and white-
faced. Aparently they are the most intelligent and adaptable, and quite
common. Spider monkeys are very endangered, they only reproduce every
three years or something.

We also saw the very rare tapir – our
guide knew just where to look and got us really close. There was a big
croc in the water there too. And up in the trees, a scarlet macaw.
Very exciting. There were also coati, deer, and this rodent that
escapes me. All in all, an amazing day. Our guide said we were pretty
lucky given the bad weather. We then had lunch and another really
choppy boat ride back.

After resting and showering (I did that a lot here), I thought I’d
take one final hike down the beach. It was nice to dip my feet into
the ocean. Of course I went too far as usual and was sore and sweaty
when I got back (another shower).

But that wasn’t all! I managed to finally get in on a night hike! This
one was really cool. It’s so much more fun when you have guides who
are really into it. Basically we were hunting for bugs, spiders,
frogs, snakes, etc. And in the Osa all of these are rather common.
Especially it seems this odd looking scorpion thing – they were
everywhere! We saw a bunch of frogs too – the guides really knew their
stuff. Lots of facts about the creatures. The bug lady was fascinating
too. It’s neat to see how little fear you need to have of these
things. Anyway it was a ton of fun!

Day 11
This was my last day in Costa Rica…. I had a 8am taxi scheduled to take me to the Drake Bay airport. After a bit of breakfast, the lodge escorted me over to the “taxi stand”. The taxi was like half an hour late and I started to think I’d miss my flight. No worries though — the “airport” was a strip of asphalt in the jungle and there was a dude there with a little scale. Pretty low key! And i still had a bit to wait before the plane would arrive. We had a quick stop in Puerto Jimenez before getting back to San Jose. I took a really expensive taxi ride to my hotel and had a bit of a rest.

San Jose itself is not what you come to Costa Rica for — just another city. But I thought I’d check it out a bit. It was interesting to see how real Costa Ricans live. I went to the Pre-Columbian museum. This was really excellent, actually — they had tons of gold artifacts and such. And they had excellent signage in English. Quite informative. Afterwards I took a stroll on the pedistrian mall and down to the market. Interesting, but not a lot to see or buy.

I remembered one of the guides recommending this place across from the Balmoral hotel — it was the something or the other Cafe. Anyway, I thought i’d have dinner there. I was craving fish, so I asked about this Tilapia Cerviche special. It sounded good enough so I tried it. Anyway, I’m not sure, but I think it was raw… surrounded by lemon juice. In any case, it was really quite good. And I guess it was more of an appetizer, but it was plenty to last me until morning.

After that I just went back to the hotel and watched some TV. It was pouring anyway, and I didn’t want to go out at night. I’m not sure I would recommend that particular hotel, but I guess it worked for the night.

You can view the rest of my pictures here: Costa Rica 2009

Tags:   arenal · corcovado · costarica · drakebay · monteverde2 Comments