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Published: June 13th 2014
Sunday 1st
We arrive at Lima airport around 10.30pm and it takes another hour to clear customs and immigration. Another lot of forms filled in only to be thrown away without even being looked at. I'm getting pretty fed up with the unnecessary forms.
We try to find out how to get to our over night hotel the airline are providing but no one knows where we should go ! Eventually we are told to just cross the road and book into the Ramada Hotel. The airline have reserved us a room but without any instructions for us.
By now it's 12.30 and we're dead tired and fall into bed.
Up at 7.30 and after a quick breakfast it's back to the airport for the flight to San Jose in Costa Rica. We get a shock by being taxed at the airport $62 for staying one night in Peru !
Unfortunately the woman sitting next to me is too large for her seat and keeps pushing me over. After a bit of pushing and shoving I manage to get some arm rest. Luckily she falls asleep for most of the flight.
We land and another
set of forms are filled in and discarded !
On leaving the airport we are hit but the hot humid air. It's much warmer here than Ecuador. We get a taxi to the near town of Alajuela and find our B & B. The owners are very helpful and run us to the ATM. Some things are paid in dollars and others in the local currency of Colones. There's about 900C to the pound and everything costs thousands of Colones !
As we call into the nearby supermarket to get a few things we experience our first tropical thunderstorm.
Monday 2nd
We get an early morning taxi to the bus station and catch the 9.15 bus to the Poas Volcano. The bus passes many coffee plantations and agricultural fields. The scenery is very green and mountainous in the back ground. Then suddenly the bus stops and the driver tells us to get out for a coffee break ! After 15 mins we're back on the bus and off to the park and volcano. As soon as we arrive the smell of sulphur hits us.
The volcano is the most active in Costa Rica. We walk
along the concrete path and slowly rise to the volcano crater. It's full of water with steam rising off it. There's a very strong smell of sulphur now.
A tour guide explains to an adjacent party all about the volcano and we can over hear him. Apparently there are small explosions quite often and they are expecting a large one soon.
We then walk on to a defunct crater that has become a proper lake and follow the path through the jungle looking for birds. We hear a few but seeing them is difficult due to all the noise that other tourists make walking along. The same ones that complain that there's nothing around !
Just as we get near the end of the path, the rain starts ! It pours ! We rush back to the visitor centre and spend the next two hours waiting for the bus back. The rain doesn't stop and as we make our way back the roads are flooded. Luckily we get a taxi from the bus station back to the B &B. Later we pop to the supermarket for a few things. The day's over.
Tuesday 3
rd We
intend to catch the bus to Monteverde today but then find out that there's only one bus and it's likely to be full by the time it reaches us at Alajuela. So we change our plans.
We take a taxi to the bus station and then catch the bus to Puntarenas on the west coast. It's about a three hour ride and we pass huge jungle covered hills all the way. It's a wonderful wild looking landscape and hardly any buildings.
We arrive around 1pm and I get talking to a couple of Americans who advise us not to stay here. So we decide to continue our journey west. We get a taxi to the ferry terminal and catch the 2pm sailing to the Nicoya Peninsular. The crossing takes about an hour and 20 mins and is fairly uneventful.
On landing we squeeze onto a local bus. It's hot and humid and the bus is full. There's no air con and despite the windows being open we soon get sticky ! The journey takes about another two hours as the driver stops every few yards to either drop off or pick up people.
We seem to
be in the middle of nowhere as we mainly pass through jungle and very small villages. After stopping in a place called Cobano we turn onto a dirt road for the last half an hour before finally arriving at our destination. Montezuma ! It's a very small beach side village with hardly anyone there. We find a nice small hotel type place with a pool and near the beach. It's time to have a rest for a few days after almost continuous traveling through Chile and Ecuador.
Wednesday 4th
We spend the morning around the pool, reading and cooling off from time to time. The only noise coming from the 4 kids and their big mouthed uncle playing in the other pool.
Unfortunately we've run out of the local currency and the ATM in the village isn't working. So we cram onto the local bus and go 5 miles to the nearest town and get more money from the bank. It takes about 3 mins after we arrive but the next bus back is one and a half hours wait. So we have a walk around the two streets forming the town, that takes up another ten
minutes ! After visiting the supermarket we still have hours to wait so we get a taxi back at eight times the cost of the bus.
A quick snack for lunch, then it's back to the pool, fortunately the kids have gone, fed up playing frisbee and hitting each other on the head. It's a very hot and humid afternoon. Lots of cooling off between reads.
In the evening we wander into the village centre for dinner and find we're almost the only ones out. Back by eight for yet another early night.
Thursday 5th
This morning we take a short walk along the unmade road out of the village and turn up a path leading to a water fall. Unfortunately after only a few minutes it becomes very slippery over the rocks after last night's downpour. We have to turn back.
We walk a little further along the road and see a few small hotels,hostels and cabins but they're way too far out of town to be convenient.
As the morning heats up we head back to our hotel and hit the pool. We stay there most of the day relaxing.
In
the evening we eat at a bar that's showing a film. A late night ? unfortunately the film ends just after 9pm so we're still in bed by 9.30 ! So much for our late night out.
Friday 6th
An early start so that we can catch the 9.15 bus to the Caybano Blanco Nature Reserve, except there's no bus until 10.15! The bus is a real bone shaker as we travel the 9K to the reserve with a driver whose like a laughing Gorilla ! By the time we reach the reserve at 10.45 it's already hot and the birds have all gone. (where do they go ?) We walk a 3K circular route and get neck ache looking up. We can hear a few birds but can't see a thing. We do manage to see a raccoon type animal cross our path, in fact there are about 8 of them and we get a good look.
After that it's back to heads up but nothing to see !
Our Costa Rican wildlife adventure seems to be on hold.
At about 1 we finish our walk and the next bus is at 3.30 so
we decide to walk the 9K back to Montezuma. It's a gentle walk but pretty hot even in the shade. After about 3K we strike it lucky as I flag down a passing American on a beach buggy and he lets us hop on the back. He zooms off and we hang on the back hoping not to fall off as he bumps up and down the potholes. Eventually, with numb bums we reach our hotel, it was still better than the walk !
Saturday 7th
A slow morning as the day heats up and we sit around the pool until lunch time. We hear noises in the tree behind the pool house and see White faced Capuchin monkeys swinging in the branches. Our first glimpse of any wild life !
After a snack it's back to the pool for more reading and swimming. A real relaxing day but now we're ready to move on.
Christine packs in the late afternoon before it gets dark as the light is so poor in our room it's impossible to do anything after dark.
Another early night as we're in bed by 8.30 as there's nothing else to
see or do !
Sunday 8th
Up early ready for our speed boat transfer back to the main west coast. The boat takes us to Jaco and we expect to be transferred to our new hotel only to be told it's way out of town and they want an extra $40 for the ride. We say no and wait for the bus. It's a hot wait for half an hour but only cost $2 each.
The bus takes about 20 mins and then stops in the middle of the road and the driver beckons us to get out. There's just a dirt road in front of us ! We start to walk along the road dragging our bags uphill when a young chap and his girl friend stop and offer us a lift to the hotel. What a stoke of luck ! We arrive at the very very small village of Esterillos Oeste Beach. It's just a few houses, shop and beach. We didn't think we were coming here after reading Trip Adviser but I'll read the description more carefully next time. Still it's only for 2 nights and it's certainly out of the main tourist route
!
Late afternoon we have a walk along the beach. It's a lovely spot with good sand and palm trees along the back and our hotel fronts directly onto the sand.
Before we get chance to eat dinner out side the clouds come in and there's a tremendous thunder storm which last all evening.
Monday 9th
We wake early and hear the birds but just can't make the effort to get up. By the time we do get up for breakfast they're all gone. We must make more of any effort !
It's another lovely hot and sunny morning and before it gets too hot we go for a walk along the beach. We see lots of vultures in the trees.
By 9.30 we're back on our sun beds as it's too hot to do anything else. The morning is spent around the pool. As we make lunch we see lots of Scarlet Macaws feeding on almonds on trees overhanging the pool. They're huge and so attractive. We watch for ages and try to get some good photos but it's difficult.
The afternoon's also spent dipping in and out of the pool to
cool off.
Later we go for a walk and spot a dozen or Macaws on another tree. They're much closer this time and we get a better view, but no better photos !
We pack after dinner ready for the early bus tomorrow.
Tuesday 10th
Up early and get a taxi to the bus stop only to find that it's due later than we were told. Eventually it turns up and we're off. About an hour down the road and we get off at Quepos. It's a small town and we need an ATM before continuing on our way. Mission accomplished we get a taxi to our hostel about a mile out of town.
The hostel was a hotel but it's seen better days and been down graded to a hostel. It's set into the hill side and our room's on the top of the hill set into woods. It's quite nice with good views over the trees and out to sea.
Our book says it has a restaurant as it's isolated but we find it hasn't ! So we walk into town and try and get a few things without much luck. Back
at the hostel we stay around the pool as it's so hot.
Later we enquire about the nature walk within the grounds but that doesn't exist either ! We then walk out to find the nearest place to eat and that proves pretty difficult too ! This place is proving a night mare. Luckily we find a bar that does food and has live music.
A good job we're only here for two days to visit Manuel Antonio national park. Hopefully we'll see the wild life.
Wednesday 11th
Up really early and catch a bus to arrive at the Park just after 7.30. We decide to hire a guide to show us around for 2 hours and to make sure we see some animals etc. We get Evelyn.
Minutes after entering the Park she points out a two toed sloth in a tree and then two types of tree frog, a spider, snake and stick insect as we walk along. At last we're seeing something although no birds. She tells us that around 5.30 is the best time and the Park isn't open.
We continue to see small creatures and then she starts texting
on her phone as we walk. We turn the corner and she says the tour's over. About one hour 15 minutes ! I ask her to show us around further and she says the rest of the Park is closed. Another typical Costa Rican rip off ! We're quickly learning that it's all about money here.
We spend the rest of the morning on the beach and in the sea. It's a very attractive area and as we sit on the beach our bag gets attacked by raccoons. We see them off but not before they run off with a packet of Nachos and a bottle of water from our neighbour's bag. Later a group of Capuchin monkeys come onto the beach, but we make sure our things are well protected. As the tide comes in we move further and further back until we have to leave. As we walk back one monkey sits on a post and bears his teeth preventing us from passing him.
Eventually we catch the bus back to the hostel and spend the rest of the afternoon around the pool.
In the evening we brave the traffic in the dark and walk
to the nearest restaurant for dinner. No paths and poor light make it a dangerous trek !
Thursday 12th
We pack our bags and catch a taxi back to Quepos and buy tickets for tomorrow's bus to San Jose. We find a nice hotel to stay, it's the same cost as the hostel but has air con and a TV.
We walk along the waterfront to the new marina but can't go in as it's still being built. There's no much else to do and it's blazing hot, so we return to the hotel. Thank goodness for the air con !
Christine sits on the terrace and reads and I get to watch the opening game of the World Cup, I knew the TV would be handy !
As the match gets under way we have a tremendous thunderstorm and a down pour. Lucky we're not outside.
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Jeff
non-member comment
South America
Doesn't sound like you are all that impressed with South America. What's the food like and the people.