Costa Rica

Hi Everyone.
We're having definatley more fun here than in the U.S. The food has been most welcome - lots of beans and rice - but is filling so it's good.
No doubt whether its the rainy season... the heavens open every day for most of the afternoon but luckily we have gigantic ponchos that we throw over the top of everything.
The state of our spanish is slowly improving as we have no choice because not alot of people speak English. Its a nice langauage but theres knowing words for objects/numbers then hearing/understanding them including accent, speed and slang!
We started off in San Jose which looking back doesn't make alot of sense because there are closer towns to the airport which are much nicer so we think we'll go there on the way back (Alajuela its called). The city itself is pretty dull so we didn't spend long there.
The second day we headed to our first (of many) Vocanos - Poas. (2754m high) It has a huge crater in the middle full of a turquiose liquid which steams all the time. We also managed to see an extinct one that day too with a lake in the middle - 14m of rainwater. Only managed to squeeze in a small hike that day.
The next day we got up early again to catch the bus to La Fortuna. It was a 4 hour journey but the road was unexpectedly smooth. (one which had yet to be even closely matched) :-S The scenery was amazing - through the Valle Central - huge rolling hills and steep drops. Most of the area is for dairy farming and the cows we've seen look a more like the ones we know.
We stayed in a nice Cabina in the town and managed to book ourselves onto a tour for that evening. At 5pm we got taken to this hot spring lake - flowing from Vocan Arenal. Such a nice bath for that evening. But we both bashed our knees getting in. you have to walk through only about 2 inches of water to get to the pool but the force of it knocks you over so you go down on your bum. The guide even showed some of us under a ledge where it created a water fall but you can go behing it - that was enough for me not being a fan of water...without my tank - but Anthony managed to go right under into a sort of cave where you could breathe.
By the time we got out it was dark so we headed up up up the mountain to a viewing spot for Arenal and sat and watch it for a while just continually (what is the correct word volcanologists?) spu-ing lava. It looked like gold glitter and if you wee quiet enough you could even hear the boulders hit the ground.
The next day on the spur of the moment we decided to go to Santa Elena (which we currently still are at). It is the closest town to Visit the Monteverde cloud forest. we went via the Lago de Arenal and managed for the first time to see it in daylight minus the clouds.
That evening and next day I was ill again so we mooched about at our hostel type place. So today feeling better we headed up to a different cloud forest which is less touristy the Santa Elena Reserve. We did a 3.5km hike and lo and behold it rained so out came the ponchos. Brilliant things! Didn't manage to se much interesting fauna except a few caterpillars but did see some cool flowers.
Tommorrow we are heading to the beach we think as we've got to start heading out of Costa Rica... if the storm in Nicargua has calmed.
Not sure which beach, Playas del coco is popular and also good for diving or maybe Liberia. Then onto Nicaragua and the huge lake where we will go to the island in the middle - Ometepe.
Janet and Geoff/ Grandma and Grandpa hope your holiday was lovely. Did you manage to eat anything good? if you did you must tell us your secret!
Sorry to parents about the extremely late phone calls - we promise to find out the real time difference before we do it again!
Holly hope you are feeling much better sweets.
Lots of love to all, how is the weather is it improving?
Speak again soon xxxxxx

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