Dan's mum's update

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Costa Rica 13th to 27th May 07 by Dan’s Mum Barbara

Before meeting up with Dan,. I too didn’t see turtles in Tortuguero and wondered if the 14 year old looking pilot really knew how to fly…

Anyway, great excitement on Friday 18th may when I took a 5 hour journey (which hugely improved my non existent Spanish), to meet Dan whom I hadn’t seen since January. I attended his Spanish certificate presentation (bit different from speech days) and we set off for our first night camping in the rainforest with poisonous green and black frogs, red frogs wearing blue jeans, tarantulas, toucans, army ants up your trousers and scorpions in the loo (pit)… fantastic… I love all this and was impressed that Dan too only wanted to squash the dengue fever mosquitoes - with the white legs. I will make a wildlife enthusiast of you yet Dan!

Rain, buses and lots of coffee brought us to the Arenal volcano where Dan assured me that we weren’t at any risk as we climbed over recently ‘coughed up’ lumps of solidified lava rocks. This experience was in the same category as mountains for Dan who wished he had done a geography degree as between us we tried to work out details of exactly what was happening as we stood in the dark watching red hot lumps (the size of cars apparently) being thrown out of the top - making all the spitting and rumbling sound effects too - very humbling…

Next day, a 7 km walk up hill to see a waterfall burnt off all the calories from Gallo pinto breakfasts (beans, rice, scrambled egg, huge plates of fruit and C.R. dark coffee). Incidentally Dan makes a ‘mean’ Gallo pinto dinner which I was treated to.. We weren’t sure if our unfashionable ‘wet look’ was the sweat, the waterfall splash or just maybe the 95% humidity (see picture). The hammock man asked us to send Lizzie over for him but we don’t think he could afford her on his hammock income. Hot springs, hanging bridge and on across the lake…Jeep - boat - jeep to Monteverde and a very, very wet night walk in a cloud forest where we are still convinced the orange kneed tarantula we saw, was stuffed and the night bird nailed to the branch for tourist benefit. oh well at least we really understand how it rains in the tropics. Turtle and toucan impressions cheered us (Dan does a ‘wicked’ turtle face).

High on caffeine and feeling experts after a ‘coffee tour’, we left sleeping sloths, fried plantain, howling monkeys and headed for San Jose. We decided that all Costa Ricans hate San Jose only because the rest of their country is so beautiful. Despite this and the scare mongering from Lonely Planet, we had a great time in the markets, coffee (again) at the beautiful National theatre and a proper explanation of the history of the country in the National museum. This put in place the final piece of the wonderful jigsaw of what we both wanted to get out of our trip.

I cannot thank Dan enough for letting me - encouraging me - to join him for what was the best, best holiday. He was patient with my inability to sort out colonies, dollars and pounds, my terrible Spanish (mi hijo or hija, los peros was a good conversation maker) and he looked after me whilst treating me like a friend as well as his Mum - lots of laughs! Thank you Dan and have a great time in South America with Lizzie. Hope they have ‘sodas’ there too!
P.S. Michael was on a conference in New Zealand in smart hotels so I didn’t feel at all guilty enjoying my rucksack and platypus experience.

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Photos

2 cm long poison dart frog
These come in red with blue legs too

Arenal volcano entrance to park
Enter at your own risk - very comforting!