Pucon 22nd – 28th September

 

After a ten hour overnight bus ride, which was exceptionally comfortable, we woke up to stunning lakes, forests, snow clad mountains & Swiss style chalets. The bus is so comfortable in fact that you are tucked in by the conductor… I quite liked it, but it is not everyone’s cup of tea! We were picked up and taken to Antilco, a farm with self catering accommodation that Mark found knowing that I love horse riding, which was very sweet. The farm is owned by a really nice German guy called Matthias and they specialize in Andes trekking, having 16 horses on the farm. The 25 minute journey from the town really highlighted just how isolated the farm is – 6 km down a dirt track, crossing a single small car wooden bridge over a gushing river, rolling hills with the snowcapped peaks in the background – scenery that is so stunning, it’s breathtaking. Arriving on the farm, I was so excited to see the little log cabin which was just for mark and I (no other bookings) with its own little kitchen and wood burner, which heated the whole place. The farm has really cute dogs who love cuddles and follow you everywhere, even on the horse treks apparently. There are also ducks, chickens, a terrace by the river, waterfalls nearby, kayaking etc, etc. You can get involved in helping with the horses, so I volunteered Mark on our first day and he did a great job of catching one of the ponies, giving it a good groom and saddling it up ready for a ride…having been shown by me how to put on a bridle, Mark took the matter into his own hands, doing a very amusing and effective job by saying ‘come on horsey, bitey, bitey.’ As Jamie (the Australian groom) and I were looking at each other in amused disbelief with the expression of ‘he did not really just say that,’ the horse opened its mouth and lent forward to grab the bit, leaving me with a very smug boyfriend. In the afternoon we cycled into Pucon to book our Villaricca Volcano trip!


Starting at 5.45am we got a taxi to the hostel to collect our equipment, which consisted of crampons, ice pick, trousers, jacket, hat, etc, etc…pretty serious stuff. BTW, we were all given the same kit, so the photos are not a his ‘n hers special edition...one of my pet hates! There were 6 people in our group – only Mark and I made it to the top. I do not think it was because the climb was exceptionally tough, rather that the others did not like the cold, or something like that. We walked up the ski slope which admittedly was a hard slog, but even from low down the views were stunning, right out over the Andes and into Argentina. The volcano is one of the most active in South America standing at around 2850m high. We started climbing at 1300m, so had a good 1450m vertical climb. Near the top, there are beautiful ice formations on the glacier, including blue ice. Once we reached the summit we were treated to a massive crater, which was impressively deep and emitting very sulphuric fumes – apparently it last erupted in 1984 and the eruption to village destruction time is 7 minutes…good to know. Coming down took 1.5 hours vs. 5 hours up – not that we are super unfit, rather you slide down chutes in the snow on your bum, using your ice pick to control your speed. It was actually one of the most fun things ever, like tobogganing without the toboggan – whoohoo! What a great day…satisfaction of completing a challenge, amazing views and sliding down a 1400m toboggan…yeeha.
We have booked a two day horse ride into the Andes with an overnight camp, which we will do tomorrow…update to follow. JG

Santiago de Chile – 18th – 22nd September

 

We arrived at our abode, the Hotel Angamos, at five in the morning from the airport and were welcomed in by the cute old man who runs it with his son. The hotel was a real find…about half the price of a hostel bed for a double ensuite room with breakfast, which consists of fresh bread, homemade jam and coffee. It is not a high spec sort of place and is a little chilly (boo boom), but is perfect if you are on a budget…the location is very central. Once we woke up around midday, we went off to explore the city. With the spring sunshine on our backs and bright blue skies, it was a real pleasure just walking and walking without a map, seeing what we would discover. Wow, I love Santiago…lots of beautiful buildings left by the Spanish, big parks, clean streets, amazing metro network and the best thing…360 degree views of the snow capped Andes, reminding you that not only are you in a cosmopolitan city, but also very close to fun activities, like SKIING. We had arrived in Chile for their Independence Day celebrations, so in the evening, Mark and I went to one of the parks to soak up the festive atmosphere and try some local delicacies, which was fun.

The following day we hopped on one of the sightseeing buses to see some more of the city. We found the shopping plaza, where we booked a cheeky ski trip for Monday (whoop woo), and then walked around the old town in the afternoon enjoying the singing, dancing and general fun atmosphere that comes with a national holiday weekend. We also visited the Museum of National History, which was very interesting, as well as the Museum of Fine Art, which has some lovely sculptures. Climbing up the hill to the small fort provided an excellent view of the city and mountains at sunset. After all the walking Mark and I were starving and lucky enough to come across a restaurant, which was amazing. All decked out in wood, with lots of quirky pictures, it had a warm chalet feeling with homemade smells coming from the kitchen and an amazing wine rack that reached right up to the high ceiling…probably over a thousand bottles of Chile’s finest. I had the venison steak with a courgette and goats cheese tower…health health health but AMAZING …every mouthful was heaven. Mark had a good ol’fashioned steak all washed down with some delicious Chilean red wine so we were in food nirvana.

Needing to burn off some calories, we headed to Valle Nevada, a ski resort only 40kms from the Santiago. The road is impressive, long and winding with sheer drops. The terrain is beautiful, sometimes reminiscent of the Grand Canyon before the snowline begins. The skiing did not disappoint, despite being late in the season…there was not too much ice and definitely enough runs to play for the day. I would say that the resort & runs are too small for a week but perfect for a few days & having missed out on the season in Europe (poor us, we’ve had such a hard year), it was a pleasure & a real treat to be skiing. The fog descended around 4pm so Mark and I had to blindly find our way back to the resort. It also made the trip down the mountain in the bus interesting with only 3m visibility, but in some ways it is quite nice not to see the sheer drops. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. On a real high from skiing and nicely tired, we feasted on miso soup, sushi and green tea before hitting the sack.

On our last day, we visited more museums and went to another great restaurant called xx which is a 1960s style city bar with simple but deliciously done food (mark was drooling over his steak) & again, an impressive wine list. We had a quick bite, and then headed off to the Tur Bus station to catch our night ride to Pucon. Big thumbs up for Santiago and what a great introduction to Chile…could potentially rate as one of my favourite countries so far…we will see…JG

Columbia for coffee and dinner – 17th September

 

Our flight from Panama to Santiago had a nine hour stopover in Bogota, so we thought it would be fun to venture into the city, at least for some Columbian coffee. We got a taxi to the old town, which is a beautiful area, with grand colonial style buildings, winding streets, cosy cafes and a definite student vibe. This contrasted starkly to an area we drove through with the taxi…prostitutes in every door, old women sniffing glue in the street and just general bad feeling…needless to say our driver bent round and locked our doors for us.
I got to have my coffee which was delicious, especially with the addition of cardamom seeds. We found a little café tucked away on one of the steep hill streets and had a delicious local soup with chicken, sweet corn, potatoes, cream and fresh avocado…definitely a winter warmer for a much cooler city than expected. After giving the street llamas the obligatory stroke, we headed back to the airport feeling refreshed and ever so slightly jet set…JG

Panama City 9th – 17th September

 

After a 9 hour trip from Boquete (which should have been 7 hours, if it wasn’t for a fallen tree on a truck, totally blocking the road) we arrived in Panama City and ended up at a hostel called Zulys, which is alright but nothing to write home about. The good thing about it is the location, which is very central. The bad thing (s) – I genuinely believe the owner, Zuly was not taught how to smile in childhood – she is grumpy, rude and everything is far too much trouble…not sure about her career choice but there you go. Anyhow, it was adequate, and we arrived late in the evening, so we got on with it.

For the first couple of days, we had to sort out stuff which required a larger city, like insurance forms, posting stuff home, etc – snore! We did make it to Albrook, the big & super cheap shopping centre, which is awesome – think jeans for $5. On the 11th, we had a little ‘holiday’ on the San Blas Islands, which is three hours drive from PC – see previous blog entry.
Returning from the San Blas,
we explored Panama City, going to the Casco Viejo (the old town), which is beautiful and makes a great contrast on the skyline to the equally fabulous modern skyscrapers that are popping up along the sea front. There is an excellent path which goes all the way between the two & makes for a great afternoon walk. We visited another shopping centre, the multi-plaza, which was definitely a playground for the rich and more of a window shop for us, or at least until we get jobs again! The highlight of Panama is definitely the canal. We went to the Miraflores Lock, which is where many ships pass through from Pacific to Caribbean and vice versa, depending on the time of day. They have an excellent museum, which is really informative and well laid out. You can stand and watch the boats coming through, although unfortunately for us, there was a 2.5 hour gap with no boats when we were there, so did not see any. Despite this, it was still a very interesting morning and comes highly recommended. In the evenings we went out for dinner with our boat captain, Tony, to a fun Lebanese restaurant and then an Italian one the next night – always nice to be shown where to go by a local!

In summary, Panama City is a fun place, with a very apparent American influence – a good place to end our Central American adventure before hopping on a flight to pastures cooler, namely, Chile. JG

San Blas Islands – 11th – 13th September

 

Having heard amazing things about these islands, we decided it was essential to book a sailing trip to get a taste of some of the 360-odd tropical paradise gems scattered around the Caribbean Sea. The journey started in Panama City with a 4am wake up call to take a jeep for 3 hours along a very steep dirt road & even through a river. The trip was stunning with the sun rising over the rainforest clad hills and the mist starting to rise. We were interested by the tax we had to pay on entering the Kuna Indian territory. Having their own laws, they have the right to change any costs at the last minute & regularly do so. On arriving at the sea, we took a little boat an island, which had a Kuna Village and waited for the start of our sailing adventure.
We were lucky enough to find Tony Santos, who regularly takes out his own boat, the Andiamo, for San Blas sailing trips and the journey to Cartagena in Columbia. Not a charter, but not a ‘pack the backpackers in,’ the Andiamo provided the perfect solution to having chilled out sailing with fun people and at a good price. The boat allows for 8 guests (3 private cabins & single beds) and the whole trip is geared around people mucking in with the cooking, washing up and general fun-making. Tony is a great guy with lots of energy & interesting stories, especially regarding his negotiations with the local Kuna chiefs, who he seems to get on with very well. Sailing definitely seems like the best option to actually see some of the islands, rather than staying on one, which may be slightly limiting. We sailed to a few different islands, stopping for obligatory swimming in the crystal clear water & some snorkeling. The islands are undoubtedly the most beautiful I have seen, looking every bit the desert island cartoon, some with just one palm tree and a white sand beach shelving into the perfect turquoise water...the question is, what or who would you take with you??! Tony managed to negotiate some freshly caught lobster from one of the Kuna, which made a delicious dinner one night. We were unsurprised to hear that only two years previously, you only needed to put your head under the water to see an abundance of lobster winking at you from the bottom, with ‘eat me’ inscribed on their claws. Due to overfishing by the Kuna, the lobsters are much harder to find. When we questioned the morality of continuing to buy lobster from the Kuna, Tony explained that the problem is not so much the fishing, but more that they catch lobsters which are too small, or full of eggs, which naturally would inhibit future stocks. Therefore, Tony only buys large lobster from the Kuna and I was very happy to eat them.
The Kuna are a classic case of a minority stuck between traditional and modern society. While they are happy to indulge in Panama City, spending all of the taxes they regularly collect from visitors to their land on mobile phones, designer clothes & other modern appliances, they also seem to stick to their traditions in a way which only has a negative impact on the environment. For example, they refuse to accept any offer of education on how to protect their environment, i.e. why they should not throw rubbish straight into the sea, why they should not ruin ecosystems by overfishing, etc, seeing any outside advice as a threat & causing them to be defensive and subsequently reassert their power in negative ways. Some Kuna chiefs have obviously been bribed enough by the foreign investors as a new road is in the process of being built along the mainland with the area open for land purchase for foreign investors & a marina is being built. Based on our wild and adventurous journey to the islands, I think the new road will make the islands a very different place when it opens next year – I am just glad that I saw it in its tranquil, pristine and exquisite state before it becomes the next Bocas del Toro.
If you do decide to go to the San Blas Islands, I would really recommend Tony’s boat: http://theandiamo.com/logwp/tag/andiamo-sailing-club/ Mark and I had the most relaxing time & the place is just gorgeous. JG

Panama: Bocas del Toro and Boquete, 6th – 9th September

 

The first impression of Panama was amusing and back to bullshit. We got out the laptops to show the border guards our flight details then went on a hunt for a ride to Bocas Del Toro which is widely hailed as a party town on the backpacker trail. What isn’t hailed as a party town, I am not sure. But, the islands Bocas Del Toro sits on are beautiful and are home to dolphins and a diversity of wildlife and lonely beaches. We were approached by a taxi tout as usual who proclaimed that the bus rides would take at least 4 hours and cost a minimum of 8 dollars each, which was only 2 dollars less than we would pay for his collective trip. We were not the mood for another long bus ride so grudgingly got in, but didn’t pay anything. There was general annoyance amongst the travellers in the bus that we were obviously being ripped off so they got out to organize something else. They managed to get a 5 dollar deal which is still 2.50 more than the bus ride to Bocas. So we got out and persuaded the last two tourists to get out to and make other arrangements. The annoyance of the touts and the driver was evident and filled me with Schadenfreude. The ride took 2 hours and took us to a little port where we handed over another four dollars for a speedboat to the island. When we got there, more touts. We told them to bugger off and when asked where we were staying said none of your business which shut them up for once! Bloody Touts.

The town of Bocas is dusty and colourful. The hostels and hotels ranged from cheap and dumpish to not too cheap and quite nice looking, we opted for one notch above cheap and dumpish paying a whole 2 usd more each and enjoyed a/c AND hot water and a nice bed. The difference between our hotel/hostel Brisas and the most commonly known one was enormous and well worth spending a little extra. We met up with the others we had been travelling with and enjoyed Rum and coke for a dollar a cup, jumping into a pool and partying till late. The hostels and clubs had personal checks for weapons and things, but nobody seemed to check or kick out the very obvious drug dealers who constantly offered cocaine and marijuana, it was irritating!

The next day we headed out to sea; dolphins and red frogs on a beach. The trip was fantastic, cruising around the islands in a small boat we found some dolphins and tried desperately to take photos, unsuccessfully it turned out. The boat spun around creating waves and the dolphins jumped the waves and did spins, it was fantastic. Who needs a Marine park when you have that? Further highlights of the trip were a new marina in which we saw amazing Super yachts, sailing and motorized ones, and enjoyed a beach on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, waves crashing into some exquisite soft sand, a couple meters behind us the rainforest. Idyllic it was, and hopefully remains as such, and a total opposite to Bocas itself. The local communities might be doing ok from tourists, but once more the majority of developments were outside investors and stranded travelers who had decided to stay on, although I am not sure why. Bocas didn’t impress as a town, and the surrounding seas may have once been host to numerous life, but snorkeling around it was evident that the fish life was being depleted quickly. The area has a lot of potential to be much more for both tourists and locals, but needs more in the form of control for the developments. I wasn’t sad to get on a boat again and head towards the mainland.

The next stage was a day long trip to the Pacific coast of Panama, where we headed to the best coffee plantations in the world in Boquete. The bus trip was long, and cost all of 7 usd and took us to David, from where we took another chicken bus to Boquete. It was delightfully cool and the rain was a great change to the hot sun. On arrival we checked a few places out, and found the locals to be very friendly indeed and accommodating! Venturing out we found a terrific Mexican restaurant that was cheap and the owner cooked and served her food with a flourish. If you head there see if you can find it, head south on the main road from the main square, then turn right at the first major crossing, it is on your right hand side.

We booked a trip for a coffee trip the next day, which we highly recommend, with a firm called Café Ruiz which is apparently one of the top 5 coffee producers in the world. We were shown how the farm produces coffee and uses the similar conditions to grow rare coffee varieties. They also used fruit trees and other food producing trees to provide shade and provide their workers with food during the picking season. The workers, our guide started at 10, are all indigenous Indians who are housed in fairly nice and new accommodation during the six month picking season and tramp between the coast between Boquete and the Caribbean coast where they live in the dense jungle. I was extremely impressed with the coffee plantation and their ethics, and I feel I learnt a lot! For example, the beans they discard – that float or are slightly off are apparently favourites for producers such as Nescafe and others who produce freeze dried coffee. Sadly, a lot of the farmers are selling their lands for short term profits to retiring Americans primarily who like to build beautiful gated communities. I would have thought a coffee growing region could sell Carbon Credits and earn more per year than the short term income generated by the land sales? Anyone fancy a project?
We left after the coffee tour as we had booked an exciting sailing trip in the San Blas and needed some time to organize things like insurance documents and so on in Panama City. We took a bus back to David and then got a bus to Panama City. It took a while as a tree had hit a truck, wrecked it and blocked the road, adding around 2 hours to the journey. Nobody was hurt which was good, sadly a beautiful tree was destroyed. MT

Puerto Viejo - 31st August to 5th September

 

We arrived by cab into Puerto Viejo and found another sleepy little town full of small restaurants, cafes, and shops and hostels bordering on an exquisite black sand beach on the one side and small inlets and shallow reefs with white sand beaches on the other. It was pretty hot so we decided to find accommodation asap and went hunting for the recommended and advertised ones hostels we had seen. They were the usual mess and not particularly great for the money they were demanding. There is an absolute piss take around the world by hostel owners who have “cool” places which usually provide crappy rooms; uncomfortable beds and large bar areas which aren’t that expensive; but usually too much for what they offer. We turned around and walked out of several places before finding a locally owned hotel, that was not only cheaper than the hostels in the guide books, but was superior in layout, bedding quality and room sizes, not to mention the actual state of the place. It is called Talamanca if you do head there and was a left when walking south about 1km out of town towards Rockin J’s. We paid 10k Colones per night for both of us. A quick shower later and we headed into town to find out what it was all about.

Puerto Viejo, as mentioned is full of small bars and cafes, owned locally and by expats from the US and UK primarily it seems. They have done a good job in creating bright and fun little places, generally serving food that is reasonably priced. It is too expensive for a developing country; with the majority of tourists not being backpackers in the past few years, I suppose they have been adjusted slightly, and this is a trend matched across all tourist areas in Costa Rica. We found that they western restaurant and bar owners were far friendlier than some locals who seem to miss the point slightly- working in hospitality doesn’t mean you can just rip people off to make money out of them; you do need to be friendly! The town languages were Creole, English, Spanish and surprisingly, a lot of German!
There was good internet all round the town, and the main internet café also has a large screen up and shows three films every night which is great way to have a cheap evening away from the computer and the many bars, and attracted a good number of travelers every night. It got extremely hot each day so we found ourselves looking for shade and internet to pass the midday sun.

We had a very relaxing time in Puerto Viejo, catching up on blog writing, wandering around taking it easy. The black sand beach was terrific, Jen spent some time rubbing a lot of the sand all over her and looked quite funny when she finally headed for the water she was really quite covered, it sticks really well. The stuff doesn’t come off to easily though and we spent ages rubbing it off in the water, and also added black specs into her bikini top and bottom. The black beach carried on for miles and miles, we walked for miles coming across a number of small hotels and houses just behind the beach, all quite idyllic we thought! Waking up surprisingly early each day was a little annoying and we’d often find we were in town looking for breakfast before the places were open, which is around 8:30 usually. One of the best breakfast places we found overlooked the small harbour on the way into town and service and food was superb. There was also a French style bakery that made a typical coffee and croissant breakfast which was near the bus station. Lunch and dinner always seems to be similar, rice, beans and chicken or fish … maybe it was because of our budget though.

Puerto Viejo was great, and while we didn’t do any surfing or diving there this time, I would happily return for more of the very relaxed way of life here and perhaps head out to practice surfing and do more diving. We were ready to roll on at the end of the stay and looked forward to the next bit, Panama! All we needed to do was board a bus or two and head south.

The trip to the border cost next to nothing, 2 USD each I seem to recall. The chicken bus heads north along the coast then across the hills and south to the border. The border itself is a river with a narrow old rail bridge with planks of wood as the road surface serving as a crossing for people and trucks. The Panamanians like to see you have onward travel arrangements handy. MT

31st August Speeding through the Jungle

 

Our fantastic little holiday from holiday was done we felt rested and ready to pack the bags again. Incidentally, I think it was quite possibly the best hotel I have ever stayed at! Where to next? The bus rides all the way didn’t seem to really make sense to the boat trip was the obvious connection. It meant an early trip leaving at 10am and a little more expense, but that was certainly worth every penny!
Our boat was full of Spanish and our taxi driver/tour guide hit the throttle hard, as usual. We sped down the river Pacuare running behind the front lines of the islands and then into some much smaller canals and streams. The ride was intense, bits of tree or whole trees not uncommon, but the throttle speed was kept high. The right corners and the racing mode was great fun and cruising through dense jungle was fun. It felt like being part of Apocalypse Now once more copying the river boat going up stream. We didn’t see any monkeys, but every once in a while there were things like turtles and small croc’s to be seen – Caimans which really don’t seem to be very menacing at all. At one point we were stopped by a tree that had fallen across the path of the river and was in the process of being chopped up by the park ranger types and we helped another boat through by nudging it none too gently across.

All in, we were very pleased not to have spent lots of money on a tour as we saw a lot and the driver stopped several times for photos to be taken. The trip took a whole four hours due to the various stops we made along the way for fuel, food and well the tree issue, and of course smaller boats which might be capsized by the wake we created.

There is no way anyone doing this bit of the trip south should take any other route. It was great. Arriving at the largest docks in Costa Rica was nothing special, some very large banana boats loading and a road out. The shared taxi for 70km was $10 each and quite fair we thought. We had no real desire to wait for chicken bus and travel that way just yet! The road winds along the coast and through some more great landscape and when we arrived in Puerto Viejo it was like stepping back in time to the San Pedro bit of the trip mixed in with Costa Rica. Great little place to hang out in. With a little walking and a lot of sweating we found a new Cabinas called Talamanca which wasn’t too far from the backpacker place Rockin J’s (which we couldn’t face) and slightly cheaper too! MT

Tortuguero - 29th – 31st Aug

 

The journey from Cariari to Tortuguero really highlighted just how desolate a place we were entering. First, you take a bus which follows dirt tracks to La Pavona, which in essence is a farm. Then you board a river taxi, which takes you on the most exciting trip down swampy canals with overbearing rainforest enclosing on you from both sides of the river bank, giving it a real Indiana Jones crossed with Heart of Darkness feel. The taxi is the water equivalent of a chicken bus, with lots of people crammed in & regular stops to say hi to friends of the driver. Still, the ride is beautiful and it’s possible to spot all kinds of birds, monkeys and crocodiles during the two hours. The heavens opened as we reached Tortuguero Village, soaking us to the bone, despite the raincoats the driver kindly lent us. From the village we took another river taxi to the Tortuga Lodge, our abode for the next two nights…
The Tortuga Lodge – a little piece of paradise in the heart of the jungle.

For a special treat & to have a holiday from being a backpacker, Mark and I splurged on this fabulous boutique hotel which is without doubt one of the best hotels I have stayed in. In my previous job I regularly travelled the globe and stayed in some very good 5* hotels, however, despite only having 3*s, the Lodge is absolutely world class in terms of tranquility and personalized service. I will go into some detail regarding the hotel as I really had such a special and memorable experience there, even so far as to say one of the best of the whole trip.

On arrival, looking like drowned rats with big smelly backpacks and muddy clothes, we were greeted with big smiles, relived of our bags and shown to the terrace overlooking the river before being handed a delicious fresh fruit cocktail. Curling up on the squashy sofas, drinking steaming hot coffee, munching on freshly baked cupcakes and watching the rain pound down on the river, Mark and I started to feel slightly smug about the decision we had made. The hotel manager came to welcome us, talking us through the services & then showed us to our room after handing us an umbrella each, as it involved a pretty walk through the tropical gardens and past the crescent shaped pool with a hammock house in the middle. Walking into our room was magical – it was set in a chalet style building, all clad in beautiful polished hardwood, on the first floor and with a 360 degree veranda featuring hammocks, rocking chairs and cushions. The room opened up onto the front balcony offering a beautiful view of the river & gardens and also onto the back where you were on the edge of the 146 acres of private virgin rainforest. The room had some thoughtful features such as a bookshelf teaming with interesting reads, photographs depicting some interesting history of the lodge, such as when the owner caught a Bull Shark just off the river pier, and lots of information on the efforts the lodge is making to be ecologically friendly – most of the furniture is made out of local wood or coconut shells giving interesting shapes and dimensions to the room. The atmosphere was very serene – huge bed with crisp white linen, squashy pillows, fluffy towels, immaculate tiling in the bathroom, low lighting and lots of candles, which contrasted exquisitely with the dark hardwood – it looked like some kind of heaven for our weary bodies. The best thing was the lack of phones, TVs, even glass in the windows (only nets) really making you feel a million miles from anywhere. Although the lodge has wifi in its office room, it is your choice whether or not to go in and use it, so it gives you the opportunity to totally switch off from the outside world and really get back to nature.

For lunch, we sat on the restaurant veranda and enjoyed a beautiful 3 course meal with an excellent bottle of cabernet sauvignon, the rest of which we finished on our balcony lying in the hammocks and listening to the sounds of the jungle. While Mark snoozed, I read my book, although I kept getting distracted by the 15 or so howler monkeys that decided to jump around the trees right next to the balcony putting on quite a fun display for me – the sort of disturbance which is a pleasure to receive. Later, Mark and I decided to go exploring on some of the many trails through the rainforest which belong to the lodge. They lent us a pair of wellies and off we went. Tortuguero national park is famous for its turtles which come to the protected beach to lay eggs every year. It is also one of the largest national parks in Costa Rica and has the widest expanse of rainforest which is inaccessible by road – the only way to navigate the jungle is through the intricate network of canals which exist in certain areas. Subsequently, the variation & richness of wildlife in the jungle is impressive – jaguars are known to be spotted on the beach looking for the turtle maternity unit, monkeys wander around like tourists in Leicester Square & there are more iguanas sunbathing by the pool than teenagers desperate for a tan on Brighton Beach. On our little stroll through the jungle, we spotted the vibrant red poison dart frogs having fun in the puddles, lots of monkeys, big spiders on glistening webs, many butterflies, especially the big vibrant turquoise and black variety & cheeky leaf insects trying to unsuccessfully blend in.

The hotel also has a games room with ping pong, chess, connect four, etc, so Mark and I had fun messing around with a healthy dose of competition. For dinner we had booked a special meal to celebrate a year of being together, which was to be held in the tropical garden by candlelight. On arriving at the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail & homemade appetisers, we discovered to our delight that everywhere had been candlelit – the restaurant, pool area, & along the river making it look magical. Considering that we were the only ones in the hotel, & it had all been done for us, it was an amazing effort on the part of the hotel staff. Receiving very personalized service from our waiter, we were escorted to our table which looked so beautiful. It is hard to put into words how happy I was…picture a balmy night, tropical flowers lit up by dozens of candles placed on the ground twinkling like magical glowworms, lanterns hanging from the trees, fire torches along the river, songs of cicadas filling the air, the occasional waft of wild jasmine, and there in the middle of it all, hundreds of miles inside the exotic rainforest, a table beautifully set for two. The meal was delicious, with the waiter remembering all of our personal tastes. The only interruptions were the iguanas plopping into the river next to us, and Mark and I pondering over whether the red dots on the river were envious crocodile eyes licking their lips at such delicious fare. The meal was topped off with a cake specially made for us, brought out by the chef Valentin. As if the meal was not amazing enough, when we retired to our room, a little fairy had been inside to put fresh towels, turn down the bed and light candles all over the place. There were even two flutes of coffee liqueur placed on the side table – the whole experience was the most romantic thing I have ever seen.

The following morning, where an alarm clock was provided in the form of toucans and monkeys, we dined on a scrumptious breakfast of fresh fruit, granola, bacon, etc, and of course, delicious Costa Rican coffee. A double mattress with fresh towels had automatically been laid out by the pool ‘in case’ we wanted to go for a swim – so typical of the hotel, always anticipating your needs before you even have to think or ask. Therefore, alongside the huge iguanas we lounged around before bumping into the gardener, who very kindly took us on a walk around the grounds. This proved to be very interesting with him pointing out a snake, the tree to look out for the resident sloth (which happened to be next to our balcony), places to look for toucans, the sunbathing spot of the resident Caiman & all sorts of kingfishers. Later on that day, the manager came to find us to show us the sloth which was only metres away, clumsily falling from one tree to another. We also found a big tarantula in a hole and about 10 colourful toucans that were all munching on palm dates. Lunch and dinner provided more three-course mouth watering delicacies & then it was time for the piece de resistance – the night time turtle watching.

The hotel took just Mark and I to the place in their boat with a guide and we went to our allotted space on the beach (it is timed as it is a national park and they need to restrict the number of visitors). We were a little disappointed to discover that there were about 6 other groups, some with up to 8 people all to see the same turtle, which meant taking it in turns to watch them. Perhaps this was a result of the exclusivity we had been spoilt with over the last few days, or maybe there were just too many people, who knows?! This small annoyance quickly vanished at the sight of a 300 pound trying to dig herself out of her nest, obviously exhausted from laying all her eggs. The ranger gave her a helping push and then she dragged herself down the beach, back into the pitch black sea. We watched another turtle come in shortly afterwards, dig a nest and then could see her popping out the eggs like ping pong balls in quick succession – I think she would give the girls in Pat Pong a good run for their money. It was quite special to watch & definitely worth waiting around for.

We left our little paradise the next morning, quite sad to be going on our way & returning to the backpacker lifestyle, but armed with some amazing memories & a great incentive to work as hard as possible to stay in boutique hotels again! JG

Pacuare River - White Water Rafting – 28th Aug

 

We were picked up at ridiculous o’clock from La Fortuna by Exploradores, the company we had chosen to go rafting with due to the good reviews and their adherence to safety, i.e. providing kayakers to back up the rafts, etc. After a 2 hour journey to Talamanca national park, which is beautiful btw, we arrived at the company headquarters to enjoy a hearty breakfast and drop off our bags. Then a 40 min bus ride up a very steep and winding hill to the river. We were put in a boat with 4 other people, plus our instructor, who was really fun & from the local area. Off we set down the river, navigating the various grade 3 & 4 rapids. It was SUCH GOOD FUN!! It made the rafting that we did in NZ look tame with big crashing waves coming up over the boats and lots of drop offs where the raft pointed straight down. We all managed to stay in the boat (unless we chose to jump out for a swim) which was fun, although there were some near misses where we nearly lost people temporarily. The river is absolutely stunning, going through two different canyons & dense tropical rainforest known for its jaguars, birds and other wildlife. We passed many crashing waterfalls, some of which our guide kindly (!) steered the boat under to give us all a well needed shower (although there was not much choice)! After a good four hours of non-stop smiling & adventure, we arrived back at HQ for an excellent lunch then hopped on the bus to Guapiles.
From Guapiles, we got another bus to Cariari where we stayed for one night in order to catch the 6am bus/river taxi to/from La Pavona. Cariari is a small, local place with not much to do, however if you do find yourself transferring there, I would recommend staying at Las Palmas, which is a great hostel with cheap, clean rooms, a really cute puppy and a kind owner who even let us use his washing machine for free. JG

La Fortuna – 25th – 28th Aug

 

We arrived by ‘jeep’ ahem, mini bus to this volcanic town, based around Mt Arenal, which is an active volcano regularly spitting out exciting red and black matter. We had heard good things about ‘Gringo Pete’ so tried out the hostel, which turned out to be really fun and cheap (12USD for a double room with private bath). In tow with our new Southern Boooy (yup he got sick of me saying that), we set up camp for the night and had an early one as we were all bushed.
I know Mark mentioned our new friends in his previous post, but I would just like to say how fun it was to meet them. Being slightly obsessed with the southern drawl anyhow, I was particularly excited to meet someone who grew up riding horses on the ‘farm’ (got corrected swiftly from ‘the ranch’), calls his father ‘sir,’ knows how to waltz and do the ‘swinging you around really fast with linked arms until you either die laughing or get flung into outer space’ dance & is funny, polite and just generally fun to be around with a sense of humour that was necessary to deal with Mark and I constantly trying to take the mickey out of him. Well done Sean – you survived.
The first day in La Fortuna was fairly relaxed where we caught up on emails, did some work and pottered around the town. In the evening, we shared some wine with Sean and a German girl called Melanie before going out for some salsa dancing & impromptu karaoke – it was not meant to be karaoke until I heard someone singing Queen in a very interesting style that sounded remarkably like Mark…hmmm…I managed to break my little toe with my terrible salsa moves, but all in all, it was a very fun night.
The following day, the four of us shared a taxi to the natural hot river, which is so cool. Heated by the volcano, it flows fairly fast and is steaming hot in some places and cold in others, so it is possible to lie with your head in the cold water and feet in the nice warm area – all totally free as well. We ended up lounging around there for about an hour, then said goodbye to Sean & Melanie, who were heading back to his Cousin’s house. Mark and I decided to visit the Baldi Hot Springs, which was an excellent decision. We went in the evening so had the pleasure of choosing between 25 different hot pools all set on the volcano hill amongst tropical gardens. The pools vary in size, temperature, bubbles, etc, and many have swim up bars, although the drinks were extortionately expensive. The huge natural Jacuzzi was really fun, as were the slides. The hottest pool was 67 degrees centigrade – a little hot even for toe dipping, although rumour has it that some hardy onsen accustomed Japanese tourists sat in there for a whole 5 minutes the day before – perhaps they were trying to boil an egg? With a buffet dinner thrown in between the lounging in the spas, it was a very relaxing way to spend an evening – would highly recommend it! JG

Santa Elena; Wired and Zipped - 23rd to 25th August 2009

 

We had an absolute ball in Santa Elena. Sean’s birthday had to be celebrated and we had booked in on a Zip line experience and forest walk. In addition to that we headed across to a butterfly and frog “sanctuary” before leaving towards La Fortuna by “Jeep Boat Jeep”.
Santa Elena is geared to tourism, in fact, I don’t think there is anything bar tourism here, so the selection of bars and restaurants was very decent, the prices aren’t great for backpackers though. There was only one club which we could see, but that was pretty big and quite empty given the lack of tourists in the town. When we arrived we had been almost attacked by a number of touts who were perhaps a little on the desperate side. The economic downturn was certainly being felt, and for a “one horse show town” I suppose things get especially hard. The upturn will come and they will make more money again! However, the down turn and the fewer tourists means that all the attractions and fun stuff was not oversubscribed and a lot more fun for us!
We bought a day of zip lining which was simply incredible. Nursing slight hangovers from the rum and cokes from the night before, we were driven at high speed up into the hills and to their base. From there we geared up and were shown how to hang, brake and glide and then it was off. 10 Zip lines in total plus two surprises were on the agenda. The zip lines crossed through tree tops; then across valleys and were great fun, looking down into the valleys while flying across was a great rush. The longest of which was the last, and measured a 1 kilometer! The cross winds in the middle made me spin under the wire, and ducking the wire repeatedly I flew across the valleys; I regret not having bought the superman package which flies you across the valley hung on the wire facedown, it looked even more fun! The surprises were great too. At one point we zipped into the canopy of a seriously high tree and then waited patiently in line with no idea what was next. Then there was a great abseil down the entire tree which felt superb followed by a short walk to the next event… This was possibly the most fun, and was based on the same tree. Attaching ourselves by the harnesses to an extremely long rope we jumped off a platform in freefall then jerked and swung through the air Tarzan style, my feet touching the branches of the tree at the top before heading back towards the platform... it was like Laos but without the drop into the water and a lot higher! We headed back to base and some very friendly co zip liners were kind enough to share the photos with us: thank you Randy and Dave! We have put a few up of us. During the trip I had an interesting chat with a woman who seemingly knew or understood nothing of how poor the country is. She complained constantly about the cost of park entrances and how everything in Spain was free. When I explained that she was paying for the upkeep of the park as the Costa Rican government was too poor to pay for it by themselves, and this was how conservation was aided by tourism, she didn’t quite get the connection; it wasn’t really her English that was bad. I couldn’t believe how obviously stupid she was, thankfully I had a wire to catch!!!
That evening we headed out into the forest for a nature walk. Armed with torches we went hunting for sloths, ocelots, spiders and anything else we could find. Really impressive stuff that included a hummingbird nest with sleeping bird inside, an ocelot and a couple of sloths, but I guess you saw that coming…
We would have loved to see a Jaguar but apparently they are pretty shy and wouldn’t have come too close, a proper jungle walk would have been necessary.
The next day we got up late for our travel standards… 8am and got packed and ready before checking out; we had booked the “jeep boat jeep” trip to La Fortuna which is at the foot of Mt Arenal which left at two and gave us some time to chill out. We headed to the Butterfly/Frog house with Sean and saw the various massive and very colourful butterflies and also a whole load of frogs large and small. Arguably the most vibrant frogs were the smallest, poison dart frogs, vivid red with black spots and the green tree frog with awesome huge red eyes. We tried to photograph a couple of them but it wasn’t that easy given lighting and aquarium darkness. We saw some poison dart frogs later on in the wild too.
The “jeep” arrived at two pm to pick us up… not quite a jeep, more like a 4x4 people carrier but hey it drove the stretch to the lake and saved us a very long bus ride and 6am start. The driver drove as if he were possessed and overtook pretty much everything else on the winding dirt track that headed through the hills to the lake that stood between us and Arenal. The lake is the product of a hydro electric power plant that provides something like 60 percent of the energy for Costa Rica, and is actually very beautiful. As we arrived the heavens opened and it rained solidly for the next hour while we waited for the boat to arrive. When it did arrive the very kind tourists refused to get out while we stood in the rain waiting for them. Some impatient and slightly wet person yelled at them and they then started moving. What a bunch of pricks. The boat ride across the lake was beautiful; the boat was fast and low with the water fantastically smooth as always during a rain. We then arrived at the other side of the lake on the Arenal side and disembarked. MT

Scuppered! Ometepe to Costa Rica (Santa Elena) 21st – 22nd Aug

 

The plan was to head from Ometepe to El Castillo, a fortress town that held off the Brits, French and various marauding pirates and buccaneers for more than four hundred years at the south eastern coast line, current border of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It was taken shortly by a young Horatio Nelson and gang, but dysentery got the better of the forces and they retreated from the Spanish…. There is a link on certain days of the week to San Carlos, a small border town from Ometepe running only weekdays. We found ourselves slightly less entertained there than anticipated and decided to make a move sooner than later; three days earlier. We got up at 4am to get the bus and then connected with the 6:30 am boat to the mainland which apparently linked to a bus …. And then another bus which would take us to San Carlos routing around south of the lakes …. Or not? The ferry across to the mainland was a very under powered boat which was probably left behind by the Spanish in the late 1800s, and took forever it seemed, however, it provided the service for not too much money!
As it turned out, the buses didn’t provide the link and we found ourselves at the border having taken two chicken buses and with no other options than cross or head back north to Managua from where there are “definitely” buses. We crossed the border refusing to cover ground once more, slightly disappointed; it is in the books for next time though. The border was a bizarre affair, with touts selling border cards on either side of the border for a couple of pence. These are of course free of charge at the counter. We didn’t buy the cards out of principal, but did get charged a fee for entering the border area and then two dollars each to leave Nicaragua. The short walk to the Costa Rican border control was fine and then the queue for the stamps was fairly horrendous. The larger buses crossing between the countries all seemed to be at the border simultaneously which created the queues. The border behind us, we found a line to join for buses to Monte Verde apparently; not that there are direct buses there. There was no indication of a bus ticket counter or anything, if you are heading that way and are travelling cheaply, it is opposite the passport check exit/entrance, next to the Douane sign, on the right. The bus will sell you tickets onboard, but you won’t necessarily get a seat. We managed to get a seat somehow. Then into Costa Rica! The bus rolled along spending much of the trip in the other lane, and stopping frequently for Police checks. We assumed that they were for illegal immigrants and drug mules and watched a couple people frog marched off the bus. The Police weren’t too bothered about any western types, but the process was annoying and arduous.
We had done some reading about how to get to Monte Verde and somewhere in the back of my head a name Tiburon popped up as we saw the sign. I spoke to Jen about it and an Alabama drawl suggested from the standing spaces that was the way to Monte Verde and it would be a good idea to get off! As it happened we made some good friends, Sean and his cousin Dow from Alabama and spent a couple more days in their company. The buses or cross country coaches have standing room = if you didn’t know, the aisle in the buses are all fine to be filled up. We then stood in an aisle for 40 minutes to Tiburon where we had to wait until the following day for the bus to Monte Verde and St Elena and passed the time eating a very late lunch. On arrival we found a small hotel in a very small town, clean tidy and much appreciated coolness away from the heat of the past weeks. The hostel was cheap and cheerful, the Chinese food tasted just like anywhere else in the world and well Tiburon was a stop off point for a lot of people we saw the next day heading towards Santa Elena/Monte Verde. There are two buses a day from Tiburon at the more acceptable time at 12:30 costing fifteen hundred Colones each btw. The chicken bus bounced along and then hit the 30 km dirt track.
We met Dow and Sean again who had come in from their accommodation in the Arenal area to head across to Monte Verde at the bus station by chance almost and boarded our bright yellow school bus. The road from Tiburon was incredible and in some instances we had no idea how such a huge bus was able to drive down such incredibly steep dirt tracks, however looking out of the windows at the incredible steep hills dotted with cows and sheep, the drive was vaguely reminiscent of drives through Switzerland, an abundance of greenery all around with plenty of livestock and not too many people! The one village we passed through had some kind of celebration which was starting to get busy, with a huge number of horses saddled and ready to go, a fair ground and lots of parked horse trucks everywhere. It looked like fun, but we needed to get to Santa Elena so we stayed on the bus and carried on. The bus found another tarmac road and then we were there, Santa Elena. The first assessment was that it looked like a small ski resort out of season, small chalet style places with nice wood, but then there was the tropical rain which reminded us where we were… Heading out later that afternoon for some internet access we found a great bar/restaurant/café called the Tree house, which was more expensive than anything I have come across since London!!! We paid $10 for a coffee and a milkshake which I thought was extortionate! However, the place was built around a massive rubber plant tree, Ficcus something or other I believe. The internet was also pretty decent but not good enough for us to go. Ducking beneath the branches to get around could provide problematic for those who have drunk one too many cocktails.
As we had turned up in a group of 6 and it was definitely low season, we got a decent deal at Cabinas Eddy which was very clean, comfortable and had a nice kitchen to use. This actually saved us a bit of cash and it was great to cook our own food once more. We got $8 each, but I think the usual prices were more like $12 each. Set back from the road, it was nice and quiet and they also helped out organize our adventures for the next few days. MT