Blogs from La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 12

So, yesterday we decided to take our big tour - hiking in the rainforest, which turned out to be a gentle walk through a very wet wood. No, I´m kidding, it was pretty surreal to think I was actually standing in a place that we talk about all the time. Not much wildlife to see. We supposedly saw a tarantula´s nest and a spider´s home, but I had my eyes closed - thankfully there was no one in at the time. We also passed btoht the two-toed and three-toed sloths, but without my super-vision I just saw some ball type things hanging from the trees!! I did see a toucan and a white hawk and a teeny tiny frog. The volcano was rather disappointing as it was covered in cloud and also tipping it down as ... read more

The last few days here in La Fortuna have been great. We´ve slowed down a bit and decided to keep it to one adventure a day. Wednesday we hiked up the road a few miles to the La Fortuna waterfall. The waterfall is deep in the rainforest and the hike to the falls wasn´t exactly handicap accessible, but thanks fo the 55 mile breast cancer walk Becca did, she powered through it. The hike was well worth it and the waterfall was amazing. Water was extra blue and extra cold, but made for a great swim. We came back to our Cabina, made some guacamole and tossed back a few Imperials {costa rica beer} and watched for the volcano to emerge from the clouds, it´s been hiding from us the whole time! Thursday was extra hard! ... read more

Day 6. Do I look like a lobster? On the way to another adventure under a beautiful sky sans precipitation, we stop at a bridge overlooking a heavily forested area ornamented with iguana--dozens of iguanas--the males huge and orange and challenging each other with bobbing heads. It is really fascinating. The shops feed the iguanas to keep them around to fuel the tourist trade. Back to the bus. Once we reach the Rio Frio River we board a boat and begin our cruise through the Cano Negro wildlife refuge almost to the Nicaraguan border. The landscape is quite different here, looking more like swamp or marshes. We spend a terrific morning looking at cormorants, anhingas, and dozens of other birds, plus Basilisk lizards and caimans. We even stop and watch two baby monkeys playing in the ... read more

We spent most of yesterday, after a swim in the Gulf and a belly full of fruit and gallo pinto, driving back across Costa Rica. At times the view is dismal with poor shantys at the side of the road but at other times it is beautiful in its rich green. We had a tough time finding the way over the last hundred kilometres with the volcano and some of its smoke in sight, but several towns with little signage and a multiplicity of routes and some serious downpours making it difficult. We got to La Fortuna and found a dodgy hotel - stinky rooms, hard beds, dirty towels but then found the best coffee yet and a reasonable mexican meal. This is very much a tourist area and the shops have all the right ethnic ... read more

The night out with Matt went too well. I got thrown out of the club as usual, a local called his mate to find Matt to bring him out (we apparently stood out so he knew to get the bloke with a beard), then off to the casino, home at 6.30. I slept through my 7am alarm and woke up at 1.30 by the noise of the cleaner. Missed my 8.40 bus! Next day, 4 hour, very uncomfortable, bus ride to La Fortuna and I can´t be bothered to find a place to stay so follow some eager men who know a place for 7 dollars. There is no-one there so they take me to another more central one, brilliant, I need a sleep. Decide on the evening tour of the volcano but the 2 jokers ... read more