http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Central America Caribbean , Costa Rica , Puntarenas , Monteverde en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:08:04 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:08:04 +0000 Saturday Nov. 7th was a full travel day as we made our way from Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula to Monteverde in the Costa Rican highlands. We started our travels around 8 am with a bus ride from Montezuma to the ferry terminal. We continued with a ferry ride to Puntaarenas and then a 4hour bus ride to Montezuma. The light was fading as we saw the green hills in the MonteverdeSanta Elena http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-456353.html Volcano Trail Day 13 Monteverde Costa RicaWe left Ometepe early in the morning this time catching a proper ferry to the mainland. Crossed with ease into Costa Rica. As soon as you enter Costa Rica the differences in standard of living are profound nicely paved roads better built homes cars in better condition better clothing... it is apparent that Costa Rica is indeed the wealthiest of t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-428960.html Bij de grens met Costa Rica kwamen we een backpackster tegen die Nica in wou en 5 uur had moeten wachten in haar bus want iemand anders had blijkbaar cocaine meegesmokkeld en werd ontdekt.. Leuk.We staken zonder probleem te voet de grens over op een modderig weggetje bij het checkpoint in CR stond er echter een gigantische wachtrij dus het enige wat we konden doen was wachten en schuifelen. Gelu http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-422659.html Hallo allemaalSorry sorry sorry het duurde even maar hier dan weer een berichtje van mij.Ok we waren gebleven bij mijn aankomst in Montezuma alweer een heel tijdje geleden dus inmiddelshellip En er is ook een en ander veranderd aan mn reisschemahellip.Die aankomstdag uiteindelijk niet zo veel bijzonders meer gedaan. Wel nog een drankje gedaan in de plaatselijke bar en daar aan de praat http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-410323.html September 6 2005On this morning we awoke packed our belongings and waited for a small bus to pick us up at our hotel. I forgot to mention that yesterday we arranged for a ldquoJEEP boat JEEPrdquo trip to Monteverde. We chuckle just thinking about them pronouncing that jEEP boat jEEP. Anyway they packed us in tight and headed to Lake Arenal a giant manmade lake at the base of th http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-409169.html In Liberia Costa Rica after picking up the rental SUV we stopped for a greasy hangover cure at McDonaldrsquos which was packed crowded with Costa Ricans. Surprising how popular Mickey Drsquos seemed to be there super crowdedhellip we could barely walk in the place. People were very friendly and smiled when looking at us... quite a contrast to the stern faces of the Nicas in Nicaragua.L http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-406282.html I now know what it feels like to be inside a blender As you can imagine it wasnt a pleasant experience I was up for another long travel day to get to Monteverde. It was on a bus on a ferry on a bus on another bus.....Then quick as a flash I was dropped off in Monteverde. Monteverde is the complete opposite of Costa Rica's Pacific coastline. Set up in the hills in a cloud forest it http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-385552.html We catch the bus up to Monteverde National park and hike the trails of the Cloud Forest. The 2 hour walk the park ranger suggests only takes us one hour to complete. We need to wait an hour before we can catch the bus back to town so we check out the humming bird gallery. The colours on those humming birds are really amazing and the birds are very fast. It's almost impossible to get a good pic http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-383107.html We go zip lining early in the morning. It's great even though we had to do it in light rain with a bit of wind. One of the highlights of the zip lining is the Tarzan swing. The guide attaches you to a rope as you stand on a platform. The guide then ask you to step off the platform.I'm the first one up . The guide sets me up tells me to step off and then pushes me off before I get a chance to ste http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-382858.html We head off to Monteverde for the cloud forest. I'm driving. It's been a long time since I drove but I'm up for it.On the mountain road to Monteverde Jayne really needs to go to the bathroom but there is only the Inka bathroom available so I pull over and stop. Jayne jumps out and Adam goes with her. I decide I need to go as well. It's cold windy and raining. Adam tells me to turn around so http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-382846.html It took us around a 10 hour of bus ride to get to the mountain town of santa elena a tourist town really primarily americans but it seems worth it. The mountains are covered in dense rain forest and there is a nice breeze cooling us down. A big change from the relentless heat of manuel antonio.Ellie is still suffering from the sun burns inflicted upon her by the pacific coast sunshine... I http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-382339.html The weather in Monteverde made me homesick constant drizzle and gusts of wind that chilled through to the bone. Real rain jacket weather zip up hood up. It was like being in a cloud. This is not how I imagined Costa Rica to be. The areas name really should have given it away though but my brain must have focused more on the word forest than cloudwhen we decided to head to Monteverde Clo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-380075.html heyso yesterday i finally made it to la fortuna hoping to see the famous volcano arenal. arriving it was kind of raining and the first guy who harrassed me off the bus was kind of nice. i used the internet first and then we walked around while he tried to sell me some tours. i eventually made it to the backpackers hostel. TOTAL RIP OFF broke the bank here. they did have a nice but freezing pool http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-377605.html The day I had been looking forward to for a while Heather Amy Kate Aimee and myself had booked in for zip lining and suspension bridge walk through the cloud forest. We got picked up at 8.30 driven up into the cloud forest further. We were kitted up in harnesses and set off with 4 guides who attached unattached us to 12 zip lines the longest being 600m where we went through cloud and had http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-364803.html Early start at 5.45 to get a 40 min ride to the ferry hour ferry ride and then bus to the bus station followed by a chicken bus to the border. The worst border crossing since weve been here 2 hours and then our bags being searched we opened them and they prodded our clothes and then a chicken bus for 2 12 hours which was stopped 3 times by police needed to see our passports and then a pr http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-364800.html Hope all of you are staying warm in the nasty Iowa weather I've heard it has been in the negatives It is not as warm as I thought it would be here yet but my tico mother tico is the word for native Costa Ricans said January is the transition month between their winter and summer so it will start getting really warm in February and March. Although my suitcase barely made the weight limi http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-363588.html Eiszapfenkalte Gruesse aus Monteverde...Haette mir vor 2 Tagen jemand gesagt dass ich in Costa Rica froh um meine Thermounterwaesche welche ich fuer 3 Tage New York 3 Monate lang mitschleppe froh bin haette ich es nicht geglaubt aber es ist soAber wieder einmal der Reihe nach.Gestern wurden wir um 14.00h in unserem Hotel in Quepos vom Interbus abgeholt. Das Ziel lautete Monteverde. M http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-358662.html Hello from the rainforestEric Joanne and I left Pangea Hostel in San Jose early on Saturday morning and caught a cab to the bus station. Arriving just before 6am we bought the 3 tickets to Monteverde and found a nearby store selling breads and drinks. In the cool of the morning we waited about 45 minutes for the bus. We also met another traveller Andrew from Washington DC who was going http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-354772.html Hola EveryoneWe headed north to the rain forest area in Costa Rica. Where it is very cold and rainy but beautiful. We stayed four days in La Fortuna. A little town beside the Arenal volcano. It is a neat little town where there are lots of adrenaline activities one can participate in. Our adventures began with a volcano hike in the pursuit to see lava. We had a bit of walk through the forest to http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-353931.html Rising majestically into the misty heavens ah mist that's more like it Costa Rica's cloud forrests are a Wonkaesque wonderland of wildlife diversity. From the standard Ticos and American to Germans French Spaniards Scots South Americans and even Japanese oh and their are a few birds and stuff too. This place is alive with the rush to see just how much stuff is ... well ... alive.So it's http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-344759.html