Blogs from La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 4

On our last full day in Montezuma, we hopped on the bus and headed for town to pick up those last minute souvenirs. We went to Organico for a smoothie since most of the stores were just beginning to open. We wandered in and out of shops where I picked up yet another dress and Curtis a couple more shirts! We also bought a very fresh baguette as we were having dinner later with our neighbours. As we got to the bus stop people had started to gather under the tree. Several were looking above and then we noticed that there were a couple of large iguanas up in the tree. Suddenly, one jumped up a branch and the two started to fight. Someone said it was for ownership of the tree. Not sure why they ... read more

The previous day I took a flight from Washington DC and headed down to San Jose. Once I was in San Jose, I got to meet my Costa Rican friend, Walter, who I had met from Busuu. I did not see much of San Jose as it started to rain, but did see La Sabana Park. I also met and had dinner with my Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and fellow G Adventure trekkers who I will be travelling with for the next 8 days. My first full day was an early start as we headed over to La Fortuna. Once on the bus, I enjoyed looking at Costa Rica’s green and mountain landscape. We first stopped off for some photos of the last waterfall at La Paz. La Paz has many great waterfalls with an animal ... read more

I started my trip to Central America 2013 in Costa Rica, landed in San Jose and then took a bus to La Fortuna. I stayed there for a few days, went around the Volcan Arenal on a trip with a few really nice girls and we spent the evening in some hot springs. Great and relaxing... The next day I had a hike to Cerro Chato, which was a tough, but great hike. And I visited the hanging bridges at Arenal, seeing some of the unique animals of Costa Rica. Later that day I went to Monteverde to spend a few days there. Visiting the cloud forest and the next day I went to Selvatura Zip lines. Unfortunately it was raining a lot. But I liked it, some hummingbirds vere flying around there. Just amazing creatures. ... read more

For the remainder of my time in Central America, I booked a tour through G Adventures called “Backroads of Central America”. Over 17 days, the tour takes myself and 15 other young people (18-40) north through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. It’s essentially backpacking but more organized – we stay in very basic accommodations – and it is definitely marketed as an adventurous trip. I have never officially done anything like this, although my weeklong South Africa safari week was similar. I had such a blast on that trip that I decide to give this type of traveling a go. There were a few things that I was worried about for this trip (e.g., losing my bags upon arrival, arriving in Costa Rica to discover that the whole program was a scam, not ... read more

I was awake relatively early this morning as our hotel is right on a busy street and given we don't have air-con, the windows are open to let at least some cooler air in. After catching up on blogs, we went out for breakfast at the My Coffee cafe (same place we enjoyed an arvo coffee from yesterday). After tentatively ordering pancakes, Rach changed her mind when she saw the dessert menu...berry crepes (with ice-cream I might add!). I chose an omelet and was happy when it was brought out with fresh fruit and muffins too! So we broke our fast ensuring that we were well fed ahead of our massive adrenaline-rushing excursion. We were picked up at 10am and taken to our waiting 4WDs. We scrambled onto the back of the trays where they had ... read more