For many the visit to Monteverde, near the Continental Divide
with its many ecosystems including the cloud forests was the high point of the trip |
8 March |
Bror and I were the only ones to have tired of Monteverde so we were alone
from the group to take the 6.30 bus to San Jose. Now we had the views out to the Pacific Ocean as we
slowly wound downwards to the plains on the atrocious road that is Monteverdes only connection with
the rest of the country. We arrived safely in San José although Bror managed to leave his jacket on
the bus. We are staying now in the Hotel Centralamericano on Avenida 2, a slightly better address than
before. Again it was pleasant to be in the capital and I poked around the markets and small shops until the others arrived late in the evening. San José had a very good Internet café - 500 C per hour and a reasonably fast connection. This trip was the first time I have used - or even noticed - the existence of establishments where travellers and locals alike can surf and send e-mail. But they have been available everywhere in Central America, Antigua, Panajachel and Tela (possibly not in Copan), and have provided an excellent and cheap way to keep in touch with the outside world. |
9 March |
Carmen had organised as our only excursion in San José a trip to a coffee
plantation. Coffee Britt welcomes tourists to visit their premises in Herederia, we took a city bus
there, and found ourselves in a pleasant suburban area, a short walk from Herederia town centre was
the plantation. We were welcomed - with a cup of coffee and then treated to a show about coffee beans,
the different types, how they are grown, how they are processed, and finally shown into a shop where
we were invited to buy coffee, coffee liqueur, coffee beans, coffee picking equipment etc etc. We made our way to the Ticabus terminal and the bus to David in Panama left exactly at 22.00. Unfortunately there was some petty theft at this terminal and some insufficiently watched bags disappeared. We arrived at the border at 4.30 am, and of course it was closed. The Costa Ricans opened at 6 am and we were efficiently processed out of the country. As long as we made a contribution of 200 colones to their Red Cross. Then we walked through a couple of hundred metres of nomansland to the Panama side, and here was a little more bureaucracy. In general you had to line up at an immigration office where after filling in a form you were given a piece of paper with which you went around the corner to buy a tourist card for US$ 5. This had to be filled in and one part returned to the first office who would then stamp your passport admitting you to Panama. Having a British passport I was excused the tourist card (and the 5 dollar fee). Of course no-one told you any of this and so it was perfectly possible to walk past the border controls and into Panama. Thus when we eventually started off into Panama there were three or possibly four stops where armed and uniformed men checked that every passenger in the bus had the necessary entry stamp. And wouldn't hesitate to send anyone back to the border. By about 7:30 am we were ready to go - had all the stamps, had eaten gallo pinto, water-melon, biscuits, explored the rather tacky bazaars in the border zone, but the bus had not appeared. Enquiries back on the Costa Rican side showed that some of the other bus passengers had not been as lucky as us at getting the required paperwork done. Time passed, it was becoming hot and sticky. Eventually at around 10 am the bus started to move. We were in Panama. |
We only visited Bocas del Toro, a beautiful archipelago in North West Panama, plans to visit Panama City were thwarted by lack of plane seats . |
Costa Rica
(Puerto Viejo de Talamanca)
16 March |
No-one was reluctant to leave Puerto Viejo and we caught the 7.00 am bus back across the Continental Divide and through the
beautiful Braulio Carillo National Park to San José. |
17 March |
The Zoo in San José is supposed to be one of the better in Central America;
considering the variety of species in the country only a fraction were on show, and those animals
on show were not particularly lively specimens. Not recommended |
18 March |
The last day in San José and Costa Rica was spent in searching for souvenirs. The Central
Market was a good place for this, beside foodstuffs and flowers a large number of stalls sold hanscrafts and
typical local textiles and articles. Some people tried to bargain but discounts were very hard to get, the hammock
salesman gave his price as 5000 Colones and would not be budged. Coffee was a popular buy, especially after our
tour, but it was not particularly cheap. |
19 March |
Another early start, the mini-buses arrived as ordered at 5.30 and we joined the slowly
moving queue to check-in for Continentals flight to Houston. After the formalities we were able to look
around the duty-free shop, I bought a bottle of Nicaraguan rum, the closest to local produce that they had. Complicated as usual to enter the USA; there was some fuss about whether luggage that was checked through to Stockholm needed to be handled by the owner, especially when we saw said luggage on the carousels. We said goodbye to Anneli who was staying in Houston for a week, and to Inger and Ulla who were flying via New Orleans to spend a couple of days there. Then it was nice to relax for an hour or so on the grass outside the terminal. The London plane boarded on time, and then stood at the gate for an hour while an unspecified technical problem was fixed. The flight itself was as pleasant and comfortable as the outward flight, and a shortened night was passed. |
20 March |
Although only an hour late, we missed the connection at Gatwick, odd
that the British Airways gate personnel who knew that a group of nine connecting
passengers had just landed at Gatwick did not wait. We were transferred to the 12.15 and
came to Stockholm at 15.50 - the sun was shining and it was +11ş. |
The following books were useful, entertaining (or even both) |
Rough Guide to
Central America: |
Backpacking in Central America. |
Travelling in
Belize: |
A Guide to Ancient
Maya Ruins: |
The Lost Chronicles of the Maya Kings by David Drew |
e-mail to travelogs