Costa Rica

January 2014

Costa Rica Photos

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Fortunately, a bus was leaving for the capital, San Jose at 1630. After finding an ATM for Costa Rican Colon currency, we sat down in a bar at the border and ordered a couple of cold Imperial beers. It was 36’C outside. The bar had a trainee girl who seemed to get yelled at by her female boss. She wasn’t sure what to do when the customer couldn’t speak Spanish and they didn’t have change for our large currency note.

It was another long seven plus hour trip during which we experienced a lovely sunset and an evening meal stop at another roadside cafeteria. Pointing at the dishes, I got fried fish and chicken rice. We arrived at a deserted bus terminal at midnight. The problem with San Jose is that there is no central bus terminal but a series of private companies dotted all over the capital. Our bus tomorrow was leaving from Terminal San Carlos on Calle 12 between Ave 7 &9 . The next issue was that there were only two buses a day, the first left at 6.20am and were usually full of tourists. A taxi driver who spoke English said he could take us to a hotel next to the terminal. Which he did. It was a basic local hotel and we knew we were getting overcharged at $40 but we were tired and at least we were ready for the following day to get out of town.

The Rough Guide said “Costa Rica can appear almost unfairly blessed with natural attractions. Within its boundaries lie lush rain and cloud forests, smouldering volcanoes, long sandy beaches and a simply stunning biological diversity…In sharp contrast to the turbulence experienced by many of its neighbours, the country has become synonymous with stability and prosperity…it has the highest rate of literacy, health care, education and life expectancy in the isthmus.” There is a population of 4.7 million, 76% of which are Roman catholic. Its landscape is one of coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes.

Historically, Costa Rica avoided the extremes of eternal influences because the Spanish found no mineral wealth here. The CIA Website had a concise history “Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.”

Apparently, San Jose (pop 350,000) has a spectacular setting, ringed by soaring mountains and volcanoes on all sides. But we just saw a sprawling non-descript unplanned expansion. Having been flattened by previous earthquakes, there was nothing for us here and it was just a transit point.

The tourists were arriving by 6am the next morning (Monday January 27th). The ticket office opened and we ensured we had tickets to Santa Elena 170km away. Then we popped to a ‘Soda’. These are supposedly cheap cafeterias. We had chicken and cheese pasties for breakfast (heated in a microwave) and seemed to pay western prices.

The bus left and it was a very scenic ride through forests and around the hills. The heat was rose outside. The roads had now been sealed all the way to Santa Elana which speeded the journey up. What didn’t was around three hours into the journey, a line of traffic was stationary in front of us. Nothing was coming the other way either. We jumped off the bus and walked past the cars. It was roasting outside. The traffic was stretched into the distance and it wasn’t moving. Word came back that a local protest over water was taking place and that the road had been blocked. This was the only way through to Santa Elena so we had nowhere to go. The occasional police car would come past heading for the protest.

An hour later, the bus driver told us to climb aboard. He proceeded to overtake the traffic and pull into the spaces where people had given up and turned around. He kept pushing his luck and got us down to the protest. A motley crew of local villagers stood by their trees in the road. One of the passengers had said that there were buses heading to Santa Elena from the cafeteria just after the blockage. We jumped out to find that the bus had just left. Ironically, five minutes later, the police persuaded the protesters to clear their trees. The protestors even swept the road after it was cleared. Traffic flowed in both directions again. We stayed put. The bus driver needed a break. So we drank ice cold beers and enjoyed the sun. Off we went again and were dropped at Santa Elena an hour later.

The hub of the Monteverde region and the base for most trips and tours into the surrounding cloud forest, Santa Elena is one of the most visited settlements in Costa Rica. It was small and compact but had all the amenities we needed. We walked to the Santa Elena Hostel and got a room that would be ready later. Then it was a case of deciding which activity to do first. We opted for the Canopy Tour with Aventura. Canopy Tours are known as ‘zip wiring’ anywhere else.

We were picked up and taken just north of Santa Elena into the Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve. Here we donned harnesses, helmets and gloves. There were around ten of us. First we were given a quick tuition on how to hold the rope, keep our position, braking and hand signals. Then we had a couple of short practice runs to build up our confidence. We were up among the tops of the trees. There were occasional walkways in between the lines. The lines got longer and faster. Aventura promoted itself as having the longest zip wire in Central America – 1580 metres long.

I was attached to a zip wire so I was hands free like ‘Superman’ laying horizontal. Off I went soaring over a valley with all the trees below. Looking around, the scenery looked sensational. The ride went on and on. ‘That was brilliant’ I remarked to Trevor who had gone before. I thought it was the longest, but that came next. It was the same set up and off I went. The final descent into the trees was amazing like plummeting to earth through a tunnel. I think I was travelling at 40mph on these long runs. The instructor pulled a rope to stop me just before I hit him.

The final event was called ‘Tarzan’. We weren’t sure what this entailed. The helpers asked for the first person. No one wanted to find out so I stepped forward. I had to walk along a wooden bridge to the edge. I was roped up and then they said ‘Just step forward’. Eh? There is nothing below me but a 40 metre drop. ‘Step forward’. Just as I did, one of them yelled ‘Oh No!’ like I had made mistake. Suddenly I was dropping but before I hit the ground, the rope kept going up like Tarzan would swing between trees. Then it came back down and up again to be repeated two more times. It was a brilliant adrenaline rush. Everyone enjoyed that experience. The helpers were friendly, enthusiastic and safety conscious. Recommended.

Getting a lift back, we were stoked with the wonderful afternoon of seeing the rain forests and doing something exciting at the same time. We explored the town, discovered the decent supermarket and drank ice cold beers. That evening, we slummed it at a take away burger stall where a couple of local dogs kept us company in case anything was going.

The most famous cloud forest reserve is Monteverde just down the road from Santa Elena. World famous, it only allows 150 visitors at a time. Santa Elena also had its own Cloud Forest reserve. In reality, its all the same rain forest, just owned by different companies. Talking to one of our hostel receptionists, he suggested another one adjoining the Monteverde Cloud Forest called the ‘El Bosque Eterno de los Ninos’ (Children’s Eternal Rain Forest). “It’s the same forest and those private companies make enough money as it is. At least your money here goes to helping the local school program. You saw the Monteverde reserve yesterday when you were zip wiring.” So we thought why not?

It was recommended that we did the rainforest first thing in the morning. A local minibus service picked us up and for $2 ran us 7km up to the forest with a return trip later in the day. We arrived at the Children’s Eternal Rainforest around 7.15am and nearly had the place to ourselves. We would only see a dozen people in four hours.

The Rough Guide said of the Monteverde area that it was “The last sizeable pockets of primary rainforest in Central America. Stretching over 105km it supports six different eco-communities. Hosting an estimated 2500 plant species, more than 100 species of mammal, 490 butterfly species and over 400 species of bird.” Also throw in 6000 species of insect.

We took the longest trail of 4.5km called the ‘Cano Negro’. I think we entered the park at around 1500m in altitude and the undulating trail took us up and down to 1800m. Average rainfall here is around 300cm. The trail was mostly dry which was surprising as was the fact that moisture was dripping off the trees even though it hadn’t rained the night before. We walked slowly silently, hoping for a sighting of anything. The cloud forest cover was dense, low lit and heavy but I think it was too hot for cloud cover. We heard a few birds, saw a few from a distance (they didn’t hang about) but failed as all tourists do to see any wildlife. I was happy enough to experience the forest with it’s abundant epiphytic (look it up) growth. I couldn’t tell if it was primary or secondary or even premontaine forest.

But it was wonderful to just enjoy the place in silence, looking for colourful flowers to photograph, and vistas of trees with bearded moss hanging off them. The ‘piece de resistance’ was a clear view of Arenal Volcano in the distance, a perfect volcanic cone with clouds wisping across its summit. It was an awe inspiring view – maybe the best we had on this trip apart from the view from the zip wire on the long stretches over the forests. We would be heading to the volcano later in the day. I’m sure if I ever come back I’ll do the Monteverde or Santa Elena reserves but this reserve was perfect in its own way. Recommended.

The minibus picked up at 11am, but we came out at 11.20am. What to do? Hang around until the 1pm minibus? We were only 7km from town and decided to walk, in brilliant sunshine, down the undulating gravel track past forests on both sides, plus the occasional clearing where horses grazed. We spotted our minibus just as we were entering Santa Elena and felt better for all the exercise today after the long bus journeys. Considering the heat, this allowed us to reward ourselves with more supermarket beer.

Back at the hostel, we booked the Jeep-Boat-Jeep trip to La Fortuna leaving in an hour at 2pm. I’d like to go back to the Santa Elena area and do it properly. I could visit the other major Cloud Forest reserves, do some hiking, or just hang out. It was a nice relaxed place with no hassle. Recommended.

We had to move on. The Lonely Person’s Guide said “The fastest route between Monteverde-Santa Elena and La Fortuna is a jeep-boat-jeep combo (three hours). A 4WD minivan takes you to Rio Chiquito, meeting a boat that crosses Laguna de Arenal, where a van on the other side continues to La Fortuna. This is increasingly becoming the primary transportation between La Fortuna and Monteverde as its incredibly scenic, reasonably priced ($25) and saves half a day of rough travel. Even if you may be confused as to why there are absolutely no jeeps involved in the process whatever.” I read this description when I got home and we were.

However, I’d recommend it. Leaving Santa Elena, we had a bumpy ride through some lovely farmland in between the forests with cows and horses grazing in the green meadows. The isolated one story farmhouses were colourful and I thought that it looked a lovely place to live, The volcanic lake of Leguna de Arenal seemed to stretch all the way to the scenic Volcano Arenal (1633m) in the distance. Late in the afternoon, the grey storm clouds amassed above us but it did not rain. It was a smooth crossing of about 45 minutes and it looked very atmospheric. Then another minivan took us into La Fortuna. So where were the jeeps? I was expecting a 4WD experience, but the roads were all mostly sealed and definitely passable in a standard car.

La Fortuna (pop 10,000), 15 km from the volcano, was a sleepy agricultural town until 1968 when Arenal erupted violently after 400 years of dormancy. Then the tourists started arriving to see the creeping lava. Since then, La Fortuna has served as the principal gateway for visiting Volcan Arenal even though you still can’t climb it and it has quietened down.

We were dropped at our chosen abode, found it fully booked and moved next door to the Hotel Sierra Arenal. It isn’t in the guidebooks but was a nice $50 step up for us. The air conditioning was so good, we nearly froze! The satellite TV actually had channels we could watch. I seem to remember that we saw President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Wandering around La Fortuna, we found a tourist orientated town, much bigger than Santa Elena but offering the same stuff and more. I liked La Fortuna. It had a well organised infrastructure where you could do a load of activities. Having the ominous silhouette view of the Stromboli-type volcano cone shape from our hotel room added to the attraction (it was covered in mist in the morning). We wandered the main strip that night and had an excellent steak at a restaurant that was frequented by locals as well as tourists. Like Santa Elena, I’d come back to La Fortuna and do it justice.

Wednesday January 29th. The hotel had an excellent help or cook yourself breakfast. We talked to a Swedish girl who had studied in England. Costa Rica definitely attracted female backpackers. From solo to trios. They definitely felt safe in this country. It would have been nice to have visited the Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal but we couldn’t do every volcano in Central America. It was time to head for Nicaragua.

We walked down to the bus station for the 8am bus to Tileran. The bus rolled in and the bus driver said it would leave at 8.30am. Today would see us attempting to reach Nicaragua using a series of bus trips. We had no idea how far we would get so it was a shot in the dark. The bus to Tileran took us around the Leguna de Arenal and we spotted where we had sailed yesterday. It was very scenic and I thought again that it would be a nice place to live. Most memorable were the endless signs for ‘Toad Hall’. According to the wooden placards, it was a ‘world famous restaurant’ and they felt the need to advertise this from about 20km out and at every opportunity. When we finally passed the world famous Toad Hall restaurant in the middle of nowhere, it looked like every other roadside eatery in Costa Rica. A German Bakery had the same idea. Not that we could stop at either. Still, it passed the time during the three and a half-hour journey.

At Tileran, we had an hour’s wait for a connecting bus to Canas. A hustler tried to tell us that there would be no connecting buses from Liberia to the border, we would be stuck there for the night and that we should take his taxi for $40. No thanks, we’ll take our chances. I spent the hour walking around the grid patterned town trying to find a free place to pee before, finding nowhere amongst the endless residential areas, and was reduced to paying 300 Colon (37p) at the bus station. Shame! According to our guidebooks, Tileran (8100 pop) was a regional ranching centre. Which was strange. We never saw a horse.

The bus to Canas pulled in and we pulled out. This took us back to the Pan American Highway. It was short trip of around 45 minutes. At Canas, we jumped straight on to the Liberia bus 90 minutes away. Not surprisingly, a minibus at Liberia took us to Penas Blancas on the border nearly two hours away. We knew the border was only open between 6am-8pm but arriving at 4pm, we were fine. Leaving Costa Rica we crossed a bridge over a river and into Nicaragua about one kilometre away.

It was obvious during our short three day stay, that Costa Rica had so much to offer. Unlike Panama, which I could happily ignore, this country had enough sights to keep me occupied for days. We hadn’t even seen the beaches. It liked the tourist dollar and prices here were above average for Central America but you got the comfort and infrastructure as well. It seemed to be one of those countries where you do physical stuff and enjoy nature and the landscapes. I would definitely like to return to Costa Rica in the future.