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Published: October 31st 2007
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Pup
Mike with the one pettable dog in Costa Rica Note: This entry was not written by Mike Bebernes
Today is our last day in Costa Rica. It says a lot about a place when you come to visit and it rains half the time, parts of the country are under six feet of water, landslides are a very real possibility, and mosquitos have left their mark on over half your body, but in the end you are sad to leave. Despite unfortunate timing on our part, Mike and I are going to leave Costa Rica with such fond memories. Just in two weeks we have met so many extraordinary people, Mike tried a bite of a pineapple (huge!), were able to experience the amazing bio diversity that makes Costa Rica so unique, and learn that when we take the public and it bus claims to have a direct route, in reality this means that the suggested arrival time will be at least 2 hours late and the countless stops along the way should be expected.
So to keep you up to date on our recent activities, after we went ziplining, we spent the next day just milling around Fortuna. As Mike said before we really fell in
Ridin Dirrty
Horseback past Volcano Arenal love with the town. We ended staying there for about 6 days, and definitely felt like the veterans of the hostel by the time we left. The turn over rate for the places we stay is about a day or two. We cycled through several new groups of people, a vast majority of them being Canadian, and found that whenever new people would arrive we felt like the go-to travellers. Since we had exhausted all of the activities around La Fortua we felt that we could give excellent first-hand advice, and any excuse to talk about our world trip is always a plus.
However, before we left we did a few more activities. We went horseback riding to this amazing waterfall. I dont know why, but everytime there is some kind of group activity I always get singled out. When we were ziplining I was the girl who couldnt stop properly. There was a lady that could have easily been a grandmother who did it better than me! And then when we went horseback riding of course I have to get the horse that is completely oblivious to any direction and is definitely on his own path. The guide
Stupid us
A waterfall so nice we saw it twice kept telling me "You have to control the horse." Honestly, I was really trying. And poor Mike...his horse just kept wanting to walk in the ditch. But in the end we made it to this beautiful waterfall that descended into an emerald green pool. After our little jaunt in the river, we headed back but not before we stopped for a little presentation on the indigenous people of Costa Rica. As we were approaching this stage a guy in boardshorts runs into one of the huts and when we see him again he is dressed in the the traditional grass skirt. The authenticuty is astonishing. He then goes on to give a speech about his people, in a very unenthusiatic manner, while our guide translates for him. Of course at the end he invites us to look at the masks lining the wall, all of which are for sale. Tourist trap! Mike and I knew better. If we can only afford 2 meals a day we definitely are not going to invest in some mask a guy in boardshorts has painted.
The next day we wanted to take it easy and save some money. The plan was to go
Gittyup
Jenny composed as ever on the horse she named Lola rent bikes and ride them around town, which would have only cost us a couple bucks. Alas, the tires were flat....such is the way of life in Costa Rica. Instead we took a cab to one of the the local waterfalls. We were thinking a nice little hike is just what weŕe looking for. Nevermind th $8 to get into the park, but when we got to the waterfall it was the same one we had seen the day before! Worthless. We were under the impression that there was more than one waterfall in the area, but clearly that is not the case. However, we did meet an older couple who are from Florida and told us that if we were ever in the area we were more than welcome to stay at their beachside condo for free! I definitely kept her card. Plus we got a free ride back to our room. So even though we spent $8 unnecessarily, we potentially have a free room in Florida.
On our last day in La Fortuna we went on the Caño Negro Safari ride that took us up past the border of Nicaragua. The boat ride on the river was
bunnies and butterflies
does not get much sweeter than that about 3 hours and I FINALLY SAW A SLOTH!!!! Two in fact. Of course they were sleeping, and if the guide hadnt have pointed them out I would have missed them, but it was still a great moment. It only took two weeks to find one. The was pretty much the highlight of the tour for me. Everything else was mediocre in comparison, but amazing nonetheless. Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative. Then he took us up to the Nicaraguan border just to be able to say that we have been there.
And that my friends brings us to San Jose. We leave today to fly to Peru! However, Costa Rica will always be near and dear because it was our first stop of this insane trip and we are leaving with the urge to see more and experience it all.
P.S. To Sarah and Jon; Thank you both so much for all the info you provided us with. It helped so much. We ended up not staying in Escazu because we are too poor, but the guidance was much appreciated.
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