Home sweet home

Hotel Berlor is set up well as an airport hotel. When we emerged from our room at 5:30 AM, a well- laid out breakfast table greeted us - cereal, banana, yoghurt and coffee (we crammed the yoghurt and banana in our pockets for later) and the shuttle was ready to drop us at the airport.

At the airport, we checked in and had to wait in a long line to clear security. We had an uneventful flight back to Newark, except for some mild turbulence toward the end. We retrieved our baggage and were greeted by pleasant 80 degree weather at Newark Airport.

I will miss Costa Rica, but am looking forward to sambhar rice and cabbage poriyal at home; and marathon training in the weeks to come!

Last night at Costa Rica

After breakfast, we visited the beach for one last time. It was hot and very humid and we did not stay very long.

At La Colina, we did our final packing and waited with another couple for Interbus, which would take us to Alajuela. They were a younger couple from Kansas, who were also on a week's vacation at Costa Rica. They had gotten engaged during their vacation and appeared very excited. Well, at least the guy seemed excited; the girl was just too busy trying to break the world record in smoking.

At 1:40 pm, we left, stopping to pick up another passenger in the village. We changed vehicles mid-way and the second driver, thanks to some manic driving, got us to Alajuela in record time.

We bunked for the night at Hotel Berlor a few miles from the airport, in a tiny room with a comfortable bed (the room in fact, was all bed and little else). On the receptionist's recommendation, we had dinner at El Novilla y Barra Girasol, where the food was really good. We had our final Costa Rican meal (tomorrow's breakfast did not count, that was probably going to be cereal and OJ), casada...I had the chicken, DH had pork. We toasted to our very fulfilling vacation.

Our flight was at 8:30 AM the next morning, so we asked for a wake up call at 5 AM. Then we tumbled into bed.

MA National Park and Beach

I was beginning to warm up to this mosquito-ridden place. It had its own crooked little charm.

After a hearty breakfast of the "El Tico" meal (gallo pinto (rice and beans), 2 eggs, whole wheat toast, fresh fruit), washed down with coffee (the coffee took me back to holidays with my grandmother), it began to sink in that today was officially the last day of our vacation. Tomorrow afternoon, we head to Alajuela and the the next day, we would be back in the USA.

Determined to finish with a bang, we took a cab to the beach and paid the $10 entry fee that gave us access to the national park and private beaches (Manuel Antonio, Puerto Escondido, Northern and Southern Espadilla beaches and the Gemelas (twins)).

This was remarkable - as we hiked in the national park, we could hear the bird and animal cries typical of a rain forest, and also the lapping of waves a few yards away. The water was warm, clear and inviting. We came across a few iguanas, halloween crabs and a curious raccoon, raiding a trash can.

MA beach was the most accessible for swimming, so we marinated in its waters for a good 3 hours. I felt like salted pork by the time we were done. The water was alternatively warm and cool. The tide was rising when we left. We showered off and left the national park, bought a few souvenirs, had a roadside lunch of fried pork and chicken kebabs, salad and fried banana. It was pouring when we got off at Quepos town to have the photos from our disposable cameras developed. We finally located a little store, but the pics would not be developed on time for our departure. We bought dinner and took a cab to the hotel, where we packed our sodden belongings. If there is one thing that makes me happy about leaving, it is the luxury of wearing clean dry clothes again!

Kayaking in Damas Estuary

Our mood improved as we woke up determined to enjoy what was left of our vacation. We had breakfast (wheat toast, eggs, fruit and coffee) and made a reservation for a kayak tour to a mangrove swamp (Damas Estuary). We waited for our ride, while watching "wildlife" - an iguana and a hummingbird. At 1 pm, we boarded the tour van and were introduced to our guide, Freddie. We stopped for 2 ladies, Karen and Wanda at the Spanish school at Quepos, had lunch at Hotel Los Rancheros and drove to the swamp. Donning our lifejackets and water shoes, we waited for the tide to rise.

It was my first time in a kayak and I was quite a menace - everyone soon stayed out of the way of "K and her 18-wheeler". DH and I manned a kayak each, while the ladies shared a kayak. I slowly got the hang of it, and we paddled into a shady area. We came across several sleeping snakes, halloween crabs, a vulture, a family of capuchin monkeys and a lizard. Feeling satisfied at spotting so much wildlife (we suspect the guides placed these animals there to entice tourists!), we headed back. We met several others in kayaks and had an impromptu kayak paddling race, which I lost by a pretty huge margin.

Cheered by the kayak expedition, we visited the village, had dinner at Restaurante Queposa and turned in for the night.

Farewell to La Fortuna

Our last day at La Fortuna! Sigh! Though we had Manuel Antonio to look forward to, we felt as if our vacation was coming to an end. We had enjoyed every moment of our time at La Fortuna.

After breakfast, we hiked to the Arenal waterfall. It was humid and the climb left us sweating profusely. At the entrance, we discovered we had to climb close to 600 steps to get to the waterfall. The water was very cold. We swam for a little while, then took a cab back to the hotel. Lunch at Hotel Casa Blanca accompanied by cold pineapple and mango juices. The heat and humidity curbed our appetites and though the club sandwiches we ordered very delicious, we had to pack more than half of it.

At 2:40 pm, we boarded Interbus, which was to transport us to Manuel Antonio. The mini-bus was already full. Our speed was regulated by 2 bridges packed with tourist vehicles and a very slowly ambulating cow, but otherwise, we made good time and 5 1/2 hours later, we were at our destination hotel - La Colina. We passed Jaco and Quepos and my heart sank - these were typical tourist destinations - urban, commercialized. Our quiet rustic vacation was over!

La Colina was a gaudy hotel, where we were shown to a musty little room by a cheerful and friendly receptionist. Internet access was available at the reception - our first contact with the world wide web in 5 days. And we encountered the first mosquitos of the trip. The village and public beach were nearby and a $10 entrance fee would get us access to 3 private beaches and the national park. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant (it was pricier than La Fortuna) and packed it in for the night.

Sliding down waterfalls

We were picked up on the dot for the ATV tour we had signed up for. I must say, Costa Rican punctuality is impressive!

Alphonso, our tour guide took us on an ATV test drive and after determining that I was a lousy driver, decided to take the easier route to the waterfall. But, more confident of DH's expertise behind the wheel after the short drive to the waterfall, he relented and took us on the more challenging route that led to a local farm and a river. We had a refreshing dip in the river and returned to the hotel, where we had a sumptuous lunch of casada (rice and beans, chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, fried banana, and a mixed fruit juice). A friendly parrot kept us company during lunch. Animals and birds freely roam about here...at least one per establishment and several on the roads...leashes, cages and crates seem to be non-existent.

After a nap, the van from DeSafio Tour Company picked us up, taking us to the base (a charming open structure with a storage room and restrooms on the first floor and an open balcony and kitchen on the second floor). This area was so remote, they did not have electric lines. Outfitted with helmets, wet stinky gloves and a harness, we left on our Lost Canyon Rappelling Adventure. It was called the "Lost Canyon", our guide Carlos explained, because they had lost many tourists on the trip. Again, DH and I were their only customers. There were 3 guides in all.

We hiked through the rain forest to our first rappel site. Carlos demonstrated the technique, but I was so acutely aware of the depth of the waterfall, I was scarcely listening to a word he said. The fact that hundreds of children had done this before me did not do anything to comfort me.

The first waterfall was short, but technical; we had to use our feet and step down carefully. My first rappel landed me smack on my butt in a deep pool of water, but Douglas, the other guide yanked the rope to lower me on dry ground. DH slid down in similar fashion. We were both awkward and clumsy in action, but gained confidence after we realized we were not expected to do anything and the guides were in total control. We walked through little pools and caves in the forest, splashing about and acting silly.

The third waterfall was pretty deep and all the merriment evaporated as we stared down in dismay. Carlos assured us that all we had to do was lower ourselves one step at a time, we could control our speed at any time by tightening the grip on the rope. Which was true. This rappel was surprisingly easier than the last, except for one rocky ledge, where we had to use our feet. DH held on to the rope tight while he rappelled and the friction heated his glove through. At the end of the rappel, the ropes were baking hot due to the constant rubbing.

The fourth rappel was the deepest, but the least technical. We were practically lowered down upside down, without having to use our feet.

Toward the end of the tour, it started pouring. This has become a regular occurence, every afternoon. After a few hours of the deluge, when the roads and trails are flooded, the rain stops abruptly, the sun comes out, birds flit about and the water drains off leaving no evidence of the downpour. We hiked to the start in the pouring rain.

We had an early dinner, prepared by the Tour Company's talented cook (rice and beans again, veggies, salad, chicken in gravy, passion fruit juice (the juices here are delicious) and coffee. I must say, despite all this activity, I am never hungry!

We were driven back in the downpour, in the tour company's trailer-truck.

I did not realize how exhausted all this activity made me. After a bath, I lay on the bed and within a few minutes, was fast asleep. I slept for more than 10 hours.

Of Ziplines & Hot springs

DH and I woke up at 5 AM to the incessant birdcall, and did some pre-dawn bird-watching, binoculars in hand. It had rained last evening and night, so it was a little chilly. We could not see much beside the black outline of the birds, colorful tails and pointed beaks. In a little while, they all flew away, chattering like angry fishwives.

I narrated the shrieking episode of the night to Sophie at the reception. She said matter-of-factly that it might have been people attacked by mountain cats. Making a spur-of-the moment decision, we joined a canopy tour, where you are hooked up to ziplines and swung from platform to platform across the forest. After breakfast, we met Brenda and Pearl from NY, who were on a 2-week vacation and we chatted as we waited for our pick-up.

The Canopy Tour appears to be one of the more popular activities in La Fortuna and there were 10 people in total, including the 4 of us. A guide showed us the ropes (literally), gave us a safety briefing, and we did a few practice swings. We then boarded a tractor that wound it's slow way through the forest to the first platform. We climbed what seemed like 1000 steep steps up to the platform. There were 2 guides and a professional photographer. We were helmeted and strapped to a harness. One guide stayed on the first platform with us, while the other one swung to the next platform, where he would receive and lower us onto terra firma.

We then held on to the overhead cable with a gloved hand and the strap connecting us to the cable with another and swung over the treetops. Yee-haw! There were 10 ziplines in total...some, longer and some faster. On one of the ziplines, we were able to get a beautiful picture of the Arenal waterfall. We spotted a majestic white eagle on another.

At the last zipline, a waiting tractor took us to an Indian reservation, where a member of an indigenous tribe of Indians gave us a glimpse into his tribe and their culture. Hand-painted masks, bowls, cups and birdfeeders were on sale.

We then rode through the forest on horseback, arriving at the stables at the starting place.

The afternoon was equally eventful. We had booked a Volcano hike, followed by a visit to the Baldi Hot springs. The volcano hike was a short, easy hike through the a national park (it rained throughout the hike), leading up to a look-out point. Luckily, the rain stopped and the sky cleared at this time, so we were able to see the active Arenal volcano spewing out lava and red-hot boulders hurtling down the mountain.

We ended the day at the Baldi Resort, where there were 25 hot pools, at various temperatures. One pool was as hot as 120 degrees. We sipped margueritas, while soaking in the pools. After a dinner of chicken fajitas/beef steak, cream of asparagus soup and pineapple juice, we headed back to Arenal Green.

We were quickly running out of clean dry clothes, because most of these activities made us wet/sweaty. I washed our clothes and hung them up to dry. We then hit the bed, exhausted.

La Fortuna Arenal - a paradise on earth

At 5 AM, we were woken up by loud bird chatter. The first streaks of daylight brightened the sky and thousands of birds roosting in a tree right outside our cottage were awakening. We went back to sleep.

We woke up at 6:30 and after a breakfast of toast, bacon, eggs, OJ, coffee and fruit, we boarded the Canoa Adventures van. We picked up a couple of others and made the 2-hour drive to Rio Celeste National Park. Our guide Pedro, armed with books on local flora and fauna, pointed out a sloth on a tree, which we were really excited to see. We reached the park at 10 AM, slapped on sunscreen and headed off. The trail was moderately challenging, uphill for most of the way. Thanks to Pedro, we saw a howler monkey, an owl, a dragon bird (relative of the Quetzal), and a "sensual tree". We then came across Los Tenidros (the water at some spots was 100 degrees)where the water was not safe for swimming due to the high sulphur content. Los Tenidros is the area where the water in the river is dyed a remarkable shade of turquoise by minerals that seep into it from the Tenerio Volcano. We then visited the hot springs, where we tentatively slipped our feet in the water but the smell of rotten eggs turned us off.

The waterfall was the highlight of the day. We could no go too close to the fall because of strong currents, but we enjoying splashing about in the water and lazing on the rocks.

We returned to the trail head, quieter and hungrier. Arroz con pollo never tasted better and was accompanied by tamarindo y chan y horchata and followed by dessert (arroz con leche). Stuffed and sleepy, we headed back to Arenal Green.

As we relaxed on the covered porch of our cottage with a view of the Arenal volcano, DH and I heard a loud, sustained screaming for 10-15 seconds, coming from the direction of the village (a mile or so away). This happened just as we were discussing the risks of living in a tiny piece of land so close to water and an active volcano. I spent the next hour and a good part of the night worrying for our safety in this beautiful country!

Riding the public bus

Breakfast at the Hemingway Inn was on the house - toast, boiled eggs, fruit (papaya, pineapple and cantaloupe), rice and beans, tamales. We took a cab to Terminale Norte and joined a long line to buy tickets to the public bus to La Fortuna Arenal. The bus left promptly at 8:40 am and a few stops later, was filled with a standing crowd. The city merged into rural farmland and occasional towns. We reached Arenal at 12:45 pm and took a cab to Hotel Arenal Green.

The hotel had spaciously laid out cottages, all in a row. Ours had double beds and an A.C., kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator and sink, and a spacious bathroom. We had lunch at Pizzeria La Parada in the village, where I had my first taste of Arroz con pollo, which DH became addicted to, by the end of our trip. I had the first of my many pineapple juices this week.

We then visited different tour operators in the village, comparing prices for various activities. We finally booked a hike to the Rio Celeste for $80 per person.

We returned to the hotel, grabbed our swimming things and took a cab to the waterfall, where we realized that in our haste, we had not carried any money to pay the entrance fee. So, we rambled along back to the hotel, enjoying the fresh air and the greenery, stopping to have tender coconut on the way.

After dinner accompanied by music at Hotel Casa Blanca, we retired for the night.

Pura Vida!

DH and I worked from home today. Of course, work-related emergencies erupted this week mercilessly, up to the point of departure, but we plodded on like troopers till 12 pm on Friday, after which, we physically checked out (I had mentally checked out way before!)

No vacation is without last-minute inconveniences. I had $500 cash on me, but DH wanted to withdraw more just in case. He of course, put this off till the last minute. He had booked a cab to drop us off at the airport. Predictably, the cabbie was running late and instead of letting us know this, he kept dangling the carrot - oh, only 5 minutes away, no 3 minutes away - in fact, just look out your window, there I am - and a good 45 minutes after he was supposed to arrive, was panicked and took our car instead. Of course, forget the ATM and race to Newark airport!

Finally, just an hour before departure, we were racing to the gate to board Continental Flight 1796, to San Jose, Costa Rica. On the flight, we sat next to Mario, a Costa Rican by birth, who had lived in the US for 30 years. Time flew by in conversation with Mario, a lively, cheerful, entertaining fella, as he regaled us with tales of his childhood, filled with moonshine, sumptuous farm meals and good old farm days.

At Juan Santamaria International Airport (the airport was named after a drummer boy, who became a war hero by chance - trivia I picked up from my book on Costa Rica), we cleared customs without delay and boarded a cab to the Hemingway Inn. As the orange cab pulled out of the airport, we marveled at the well-laid out highway, orderly traffic and meticulous traffic signs. We turned into several narrow streets before we reached Barrio Amin. Hemingway Inn, a converted Spanish villa, was located on this street. After checking in, we had dinner at the Garden, a restaurant cum bar cum ummm...night entertainment place. A seductively-clad waitress served us club sandwiches and Fanta (fancy that!). Of course, we stuck out like sore thumbs, so immediately after dinner, we left.

We spent our first night in Costa Rica, kept awake by an unhappy howling dog.

Costa Rica - here we come!!!

After a lot of stalling (our trademark), we finally made our flight and hotel reservations. The fiasco that was our vacation in Jamaica cautioned me to be meticulous in preparation this time. After frequenting travelblog, virtualtourist and a few other travel sites for a couple weeks, I felt confident in picking places to visit, hotels, things to do and transport to and from each location. I even picked a few back-up hotels.

DH helped me narrow down the activities - a full-day hike through a national park, a hike to the volcano and visit to hot springs, an ATV tour, canyoning, kayaking and lazing on the beach (if that counts as an activity). I only made a few reservations, and we decided to do others on the fly.We could only go for a week, so we decided not to be too ambitious and restrict our trip to San Jose - La Fortuna Arenal (rainforest, volcano and hot springs) - Manuel Antonio (beach and rain forest) - San Jose. San Jose was just the arrival and departure city.

I borrowed books on Spanish and on Costa Rican culture from the library. We shopped for water shoes, waterproof cameras, dri-fit clothes. My bro' would shake his head in despair at my touristy disposition (he would just strap on a back-pack and hike his way thro' the wilderness), but I didn't really care.

Then, the wait! I tell you...half the enjoyment of a vacation (probably more) is in the anticipation!