Costa Rica

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I never really expected that a global pandemic would derail any travel plans I had for more than two years. There was a silver lining to this in many other ways and I did go on to do two great road/camping trips within my own province of Quebec; one to the Gaspésie Peninsula and one to the Cote Nord along the famed route 138. However, it was nice to finally feel a sense of renewed freedom. I needed a change of scenery in general and definitely needed to get away from work for a while. Bev was actually the driving force in wanting to go to Costa Rica, as she was really hoping to see a variety of unique wildlife, warm weather and beaches.

Costa Rica is located on the southern portion of Central America, between Nicaragua and Panama. It is one of the most developed countries in the region with a population of 5 million people. Known for rainforests, exotic animals, laid back people, volcanoes, beaches, and loads more. Costa Ricans or Ticos, as they are also called, mostly go by the motto "Pura Vida" which translates to Pure Life or Simple Life. You hear it a lot when in Costa Rica. This country is also one of the few that does not have a regular standing army and focuses a lot of resources on environmental and sustainable causes.

Flying standby is often a plethora of experiences; you never really know what you're going to get. Even if a flight looks open, it can often fill up in the last moments. Trying to get to Toronto was the hard part, which in turn meant that we couldn't make the connecting flight out of there. So we had to try again later that day, catching a flight to Mexico City. Once there we spent a few hours (and had a stressful situation trying to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2), and then in the early morning caught another flight to Panama City for another short airport layover. As we landed we got to see some incredible views of the Panama Canal and all the surrounding high-rises. Inside the airport, hunger had taken a serious hold, so we found a Carl's Jr. and had breakfast or lunch or whatever it was at that point. I was already sweating heavily from the heat and humidity. Then it was time to catch our final connecting flight to San Jose, the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. It felt like we had been traveling for days at this point. After getting through customs we headed to the nearby Avis rental car company to pick up our vehicle for the trip. One of my favourite types of trips is the road trip and its been a while since I had done that in a faraway land. While waiting in line, I had to tolerate some annoying tourists, but finally we got hold of our compact SUV, a Nissan Kicks. Never heard of that type of car before but it seemed great. At this point I hadn't really slept in probably 30 hours, so getting behind the wheel and driving through a busy Central American city was harrowing to say the least. Then it started to rain. I was relieved when we reached the outskirts of the city and then headed east into the mountainous terrain. The roads were narrow, and the scenery was epic. We arrived at an Air BnB in a village called El Yas. We met a young guy who guided us up to it, once the car could not climb up any further. I was going to be practicing some of my basic Spanish yet again. This place was a cabin overlooking some hilly terrain, very picturesque and peaceful. It even had a shower slightly outside surrounded by jungle plants. And this is a place that one would probably never reach unless they had a personal vehicle.

I woke up and enjoyed the jungle shower and then gathered our stuff to move on. We would be using google maps for our navigation purposes, and I remember thinking just how much travel has changed in these last few years just because of technological advances in telecommunications. Its so much easier to plan logistics thanks to just having a smart phone. But sadly this has also changed some things for the worst. But pros and cons always come together. We got back to the car and continued towards the south east, heading towards the Caribbean Coast. We stopped in Turrialba to run a few errands. We first went to an ATM to withdraw some local currency, the Costa Rican Colon. Then we went to the grocery store and a pharmacy. Once back on the road we continued towards the town of Siquirres. We were very hungry having not eaten any breakfast and stopped at a Soda. Sodas are little eateries that serve traditional Costa Rican dishes, mostly for decent prices, and we'd be finding quite a few of them on our journeys. Generally you'll find something like Gallo Pinto which is cooked rice, beans, Lizano sauce and different seasoning to add flavour. And then you'd have some sort of protein source like chicken, egg, fish, etc. along with salad and other side dishes. The larger Costa Rican roads are in very good condition for the most part. After several hours we past by Limon, a port city on the Caribbean coast, and then drove alongside the Atlantic Ocean. We could immediately smell the ocean air. We decided to stop in a small village named Cahuita, about 30 km before the end of the road. There we stayed in Wolfsong Cabins, run by a European couple who moved to Costa Rica some time ago. The cabin was nice and surrounded by plenty of nature. We saw many different kinds of birds and Iguanas were hanging out in the trees just outside. By this point it was late afternoon so we took a stroll to the black sand beach and got to see the sunset. Then we walked to the nearby main street and found an awesome Soda for dinner. That night we could hear plenty of nature sounds like frogs and Howler monkeys.

The next day was an early rise. We walked back to our recently discovered Soda and had a tasty breakfast. Then, just down the street, was Cahuita National Park. We had to give a small donation to enter, and several people approached us to offer guiding services. "No guide, no animals" they would state. This was kind of true because many animals were experts in camouflage and very difficult to observe unless you knew what you were looking for. Nonetheless we decided to go at it alone this time. The hike started out in the jungle but the beach was almost always to our left side. We managed to see a sloth, snake, some Capuchin monkeys as well as Howler monkeys far up in the canopies. We took a break about halfway through to jump into the ocean and swim. It was refreshing because of the intense heat and humidity. As we continued on the Flora started to become even more interesting. I was amazed at the old massive trees we passed, filled with all sorts of animals. At the end of our hike we reached the main road and then decided to walk over to the bus stop, hoping a bus would come by soon. A few people waited there. We waited and waited in the searing heat. The bus never came and across us we began talking to a young French girl who was also waiting to get back to Cahuita as it turned out. In the end we all just split the costs and paid to hitch a ride with a random dude who was heading back to town. Back at the cabin, I chilled out in the hammock reading for a while and then we went over to our regular soda to eat. We ended up going to sleep super early.

The next day we made our way to the Jaguar Rescue Center, an animal rescue center that began some years ago with the goal of rehabilitating and eventually releasing (when possible) their treated animals. The name itself is actually a misnomer; someone had initially brought in some sort of injured cat whom they thought was a jaguar. I guess the name just stuck. We saw all sorts of animals here; sloths, wild cats, monkeys, all sorts of birds and parrots. Even had a deer following us for a while. We then drove south towards the end of the Caribbean coast road, to a village called Manzanillo. There we visited a wildlife refuge park for a few hours. The sky was overcast and the waves came crashing into the shore. On the way back our regular soda was closed so instead we went to another restaurant and picked up some pizza, then had a chill night back at the cabin.

We woke up early, packed up and headed out! It was going to be a long driving day, and we were heading to the northwest. Our Nissan Kicks had AC, as well as plenty of Spanish radio stations, we also had a bunch of material on Spotify such as podcasts. We stopped in the town of Siquirres, hoping to find a sim card for Bev's phone, so we could use data while on the fly. We parked the car and then walked around until we found a storefront stall with someone selling them. I tried to communicate with him, and although his Spanish was insanely fast, we managed to understand each other and he even set it up for us. We drove on for several more hours until we reached just outside of the town of La Fortuna. There we navigated some small roads and reached a farm which rented out some cabins. In fact the cabin was in the middle of a cacao plantation. Nearby was a small farm filled with goats and other animals. One of the hosts chatted with me in Spanish for a bit and offered some Cacao fruit. That evening we drove into La Fortuna proper and found another great soda to have dinner. Then we took a stroll through the main area and park, and a friendly dog kept following us despite our best efforts.

The cone shaped Arenal volcano overlooks the town of La Forturna, at 1630m. We drove over to Arenal National Park and then did a short hike up to a viewpoint. The volcano was shrouded in clouds most of the time but for a brief moment the clouds lifted and we were able to get a great view. Then we walked back down and drove over to see another viewpoint. Then we drove over to another section of the park and hiked down to a lake. In the trees we spotted monkeys, and then started talking to a Dutch couple that was backpacking through Central America. We ended up giving them a ride back to town and went to a farm known as Bogarin Trail. This time we got a guide and did it ever pay off! We saw sloths, lizards, snakes, frogs, birds and ate a bunch of pineapple too. We got caught in a brief downpour as well. I was having fun with the photography on hand. We stayed until the early evening and then went back to our Soda for dinner. Later that night back at the cabin we played cards and had tea.

The next day we spent one more morning in La Fortuna for breakfast and then went to the nearby La Fortuna waterfalls. There was something like 500 steps to descend, and that would be the easiest part. Better views were available the lower we descended. Once at the bottom we found a quieter spot and then took turns going into the water for a chilled swim. The power of nature was insane, you couldn't even get close enough to the falls, as you would get instantly thrown away. When it was time to go, we had to face the long climb out. I powered through, never wanting to stop once. Bev took her time. Reunited at the top, we checked out the gift shop and then headed to the car. We then had a several hour drive to our next destination. The drive was spectacular, along Lake Arenal through some very windy roads and small villages. We fired up a podcast to listen to while we went. Eventually, some of the mountainous roadways we needed to use became quite "holey" to say the least. We reached the Monteverde region and stopped in a town called Santa Elena, and took a room in a motel. Then, as rain began to fall, we went to a nearby soda to dinner.

It was an early rise, and the motel provided a free, albeit simple, breakfast. There was also a dog to pet that was hanging out under the tables. Then it was a short drive to Selvatura Zipline. Most people have probably heard that ziplining above tree canopies is a popular thing to do while in Costa Rica and yes we would obviously have to try it out. Even though we were now at the beginning of the rain season, the weather was warm and sunny this morning. I chatted with a charismatic guy from Florida who was queuing behind us. He was so charismatic, in fact, that I thought he worked there. I was having a blast as we progressed through higher and faster ziplines, a the views were incredible. At one point everyone started lining up and climbing a steep stairway, initially thinking it was yet another zipline. Turned out we would be doing something called the Tarzan swing. Basically they strap you in and then you jump, drop and swing out for a while. Didn't realize this was included in our activity. The ziplining lasted for a few hours, after which we turned in our gear and then entered an area to go along some hanging bridges in a canopy walk. We walked above the canopy for another couple of hours. Back in town, we made some stops at the Megasuper market, a pharmacy, and got some stuff from a bakery. It was now time to get to our next stop for the night. We drove into the hills in what seemed like forever, until, after a few wrong turns, found ourselves in a place called Casita Don Sima, which was once a sugar cane farm, but now hosts travelers as an Air BnB. The views from our isolated accommodation were almost perfect. One could see all way past several mountains to Lake Arenal, with clouds draping over some of these hills. It was an awesome place to stay for a night!

Bev and I definitely enjoyed the garden in the morning, with hummingbirds whizzing by. Bev had heard of a gift shop in Monteverde that had a few hummingbird feeders and subsequently attracted tons of them, so we went for a visit and ended up staying for a lot longer than we anticipated. It's hard enough getting great photos of birds but these smaller zipping birds are seemingly moving at light speed. It was now about noon, and was time to bid farewell to the central hill country and move towards the southwest. The day had grown hot and sunny. We soon reached the Pacific coast and a different vibe was felt. Near the city of Jaco, we stopped at a bridge and could see Crocodiles lounging below in the sun. We then carried on to Quepos and stayed at some Jungle Cabins owned by a chatty women named Lorena. We made our way to a nearby recommended soda for dinner and then early to bed.

For breakfast we went to the very same soda. I realize when I find a place I like, I become a creature of habit. Then it was a short drive to Biesanz Beach. We hiked down a short distance to a small bay and then swam for a while in warm waters. Good thing was there wasn't a ton of people there either. The sun was out in force though and I got a little too much exposure. We also stubbed our toes on various rocks as the tide went out and the water became shallow. We got back in the early afternoon, right as it began to rain. Generally speaking there is afternoon rain in many tropical areas of the world, given the right time of season of course. We met another guest staying at our place, who had mistimed the security gate closing, and had her front bumper torn from her car. That night we went back to our habitual soda and also picked up some supplies from the nearby grocery store.

The following day it was time to check out the famous Manuel Antonio Park. Of course we stopped by the soda for breakfast first and by this point we knew the server who seemed to always be working during opening hours. We had a short drive to reach the park and then during our walk caught sight of sloths, Iguanas, Howler monkeys, and even an ant eater foraging high in the trees. There were several viewpoints and beaches to enjoy. I met a guy from Kunming, China and shared some stories of my time there some twelve years earlier. We spent several hours in the park, and often had to retreat from the scorching sun. Then we continued our journey down the Pacific coast for about an hour, reaching a quieter town called Uvita. There Bev had found an amazing private vacation home near the water that was on sale for the next two days. This place had all the amenities one could need including a private pool and backyard with hammocks. We decided that since we were nearing the end of the trip we would unwind here and spent some time chilling out and reading. We picked up dinner from a nearby burger joint that was called Five Maes, but was an obvious take on the five guys restaurant back home.

The next day we found, yet another, great soda for breakfast/lunch and then walked to Uvita beach and spent some time swimming. Eventually ants started trying to eat Bev so we took our things and walked back to our place. It was raining in the afternoon for a bit but I was fine just chilling out. I toyed with the idea of organizing a scuba dive with a nearby outfitter for the following day but it would have been cutting it real close in terms of time.

By the following day, it was difficult saying goodbye to our accommodation, but the road beckoned and we drove north along the coast, backtracking towards the capital of San Juan. Within a few hours we approached and stayed close to the airport, at a Holiday Inn express that Bev had yet again found a deal on. This time she had used some connections from her dad's Air Canada passes to get a significant discount. This worked out well since we had our flight at around noon the next day. After darkness fell we were confined to walking to the nearby Denny's restaurant to eat. This was tourist central now and felt all too Americanized. The next day we returned our Nissan Kicks SUV to the car rental agency nearby, grabbed our bags and got the shuttle to the airport. Then we boarded our flight towards Mexico City, with a short layover in Guatemala City, in which we never even left the plane. In Mexico City, we were attempting to get on the midnight flight towards Toronto, Canada. Otherwise we would have to wait until early the next morning for another shot home. Now I've slept plenty of times in airports but at this point I think we just wanted to get back home as fast as we could. But we knew full well that flying standby was the name of the game. And the flight load seemed pretty tight already. We checked in and then found an airport McDonalds and grabbed a bite. Our flight time came up and happily we were both called. In fact not only did we make it on the flight but we got first class seats! We had a pleasant flight and then quickly connected back to Montreal less than an hour after arriving in TO. Bev was selected for a random COVID test, even though she kept explaining that she had had the virus recently and would just turn up positive due to residual viral load. In the end they didn't test her and we walked out of YUL airport into a sunny but pleasantly cool day compared to what we had become accustomed to. Found a city bus and headed back home.

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Comments

[Dancing Dave]

Frog
Love it

[Raphael]

Bev in B+W
This is picture perfect. Bev is beautiful in b+w..!