Our last moments as Ticas

We begun our final day at the Arenal Observatory Lodge as we had the previous two, enjoying breakfast while basking in the fog surrounding the Arenal Volcano. We had the goal of climbing the smaller, dormant volcano, Cerro Chato. The hike from the lodge to the top and back was estimated to take three hours for the experienced hikers/climbers and four to five hours for those less experienced. M and I fancied ourselves as the former and therefore believed we would return with time to shower, pack our backs and checkout before 12pm. After a 45 minute walk and at least 30 minutes steep ascent we finally accepted that our 'experience' and, more importantly, footwear was far less than required and turned back in fear of missing the check-out deadline - we were out by 12:15 :)

Our drive to Manuel Antonio was slightly (ie grossly) different and longer than Google Maps' directions and approximations. We were taken down several 'non-roads' that were not only narrow and windy but also unsealed. Praise for Jose, our SUV, was near continuous. Aside from directional issues the last 2 (of +6) hours was driven in a heavy tropical thunder storm after sunset with buses and trucks crazily overtaking us and other vehicles on these windy, un-lit roads (kheyli vahshi!) Never fear, we survived and happened upon our hotel soon after 7:30pm and soon after called it a night.

We woke to the sounds of the jungle and with a quick look out the window realised the beach was only walking distance away. A quick 'continental breakfast' of fruit and toast and we were in the car again to discover the area and go to the beach - finally! Mucho mas sunburn after our (mostly) sun-filled day. Our day at the beach spent on a set of beach chairs that cost us 500 colon ($US1) each. This was important, as the 'business owner' explained, as our bags would be watched by him and his employees when we were in the water and we could also order food and drink from them directly and therefore not needing to leave the beach until the end of the day. Dinner was spent at the top rated 'Agua Azul' with an incredible view over the coastline and out to the Pacific Ocean. We were lucky to have a table on the edge of the balcony giving us plenty of time to appreciate the view.

And suddenly it was my birthday! M surprised me with the most delicious chocolate brownie cake, baked by the hotel receptionist's sister - M's resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. It. must be the German blood! Instead of driving to the busy part of the beach, we decided to walk from our hotel instead. We happened across a empty plot of land that was on the water front, one of the many with a 'For Sale' sign, in English, along this stretch of road. With an unlocked gate and no sign of security we walked through the property to the almost empty beach on the other side. Our own little piece of heaven! We enjoyed this spot for a couple of hours before the time came to return to our hotel and prepare for our departure.

No time in Manuel Antonio would be complete without eating at El Avion - the restaurant with a bar inside a genuine Cold War Relic - Cargo Plane C-123 that was left abandoned at San Jose by the Americans. To read more about how it made its way down the perilous roads to its current location, click here.

Although we could have done with more time here, we had already experienced a lot of the available activities whilst at the Arenal Volcano. Further ensuing road chaos and we were finally back in San Jose to see out our last evening in Costa Rica. 

Onward to El Salvador!

TBC....

Arenal Volcano adventures

After two more nights in San Jose, once M arrived, we finally left the capital! Our time in SJ was more 'down time' with the city not offering much to do other than wander the streets and visit the National Museum. It gave us the chance to recover from jet lag and plan the rest of our time in Costa Rica. 

We left SJ early on June 5 and collected our rental car from the airport, which we would use for the remaining time in CR. A quick breakfast at Denny's and we begun our 3 hour (117km) road trip to Arenal Volcano. This may seem an excessive amount of time taken to drive the mentioned distance but never before had I experienced such dense and low-hanging fog. For a good portion of the journey visibility was 5-10 metres at most and our resulting travel speed remained below 30 km/h. Incredibly the cars driven by, seemingly, local Ticos (Costa Rican's name for themselves) didn't put their headlights on under these conditions!

Finally we reached La Fortuna, the closest town to our lodgings, which sits in the foothills of the Arenal Volcano. Our accommodation was not in town, thankfully. A quick stop at the supermarket and we were on our way to find the Arenal Observatory Lodge - half an hour and 11kms on an unsealed, bumpy road and we were very grateful for our choice in rental car, an SUV. 

Another thing we were immediately grateful for was our chance choice in lodgings. We are on the southern side of the Volcano, which is still almost bare from the last eruption in 1968 and subsequent lava flows and molten rock explosions up until 2010. The barrenness is limited to the actual face of the volcano with the surrounding land boasting a lush, dense and, most importantly, protected rainforest that is home to many of the exotic flora and fauna species that Costa Rica boasts.

A quick introduction to the lodge and we were on our away to our first tour - the Lava Flow tour - with our local, excitable host, Cristiano. An animal biologist, in his words, with eleven years experience and a passion unparalleled, was able to hear, locate, show and talk about dozens of animal species that we came across during our relatively short 2.5 hour hike. As part of the hike he took us to a section of the National Park that received the bulk of the lava and molten rock from the 1968 eruption. The now-cool lava rocks took 5 years to cool down enough for life to restart. The rocks are now mostly covered with a velvet-like moss: upon touching, M exclaimed, 'Now we don't need a bed!'.

Dinner on our return to the lodge and an early night meant an early start the next morning. Over the next 2 days we have been quite the adventurous couple. Day one included a nature hike on the lodge property, zip lining over the forest canopy and bathing at Baldi hot springs and spas. I would say the canopy zipping was the most 'extreme' part of our day however the water slides at Baldi most likely wouldn't be approved for OH&S in Australia or Germany! Something to note, the Baldi springs had the largest concentration of (almost exclusively American) tourists. The rest of our time has been pleasantly secluded at the lodge.

Day two, which was only added this morning when we were faced with the reality of leaving, has consisted of a lot of rain. Given the normality of this large quantity of rainfall during this time of year we have remained undeterred for our chosen activities - horse riding around the (much larger than we realised) lodge property. And again, this trumped the water slides for most adventurous experience with deep river crossings and a lovers quarrel between our respective horses (mine, la boss, tried to bite M's, el follower). This afternoon we will join Diego (our pre-chosen name for our tour guide (ha!)) for a four our river rafting experience. Inshallah the rain doesn't cause our raft to overflow!

Current visibility? Two metres.

Tomorrow we depart for Manuel Antonio, where we will spend two nights before returning to San Jose for our flight to El Salvador.

- N

Starting from San Jose CR

Amidst all my travels I have never kept a travel blog. Perhaps because my destinations have been places frequented by the average traveller or perhaps because I'm lazy. Either way, this trip is slightly different. I am visiting places that most people wont, or are yet to have the opportunity to, see. So, here is my attempt at documenting my travels...

San Jose, CR- 3/6/14

The journey here was long, like most when starting from Australia. A twelve hour stop-over in LA provided the opportunity to catch up with some old friends and some much needed rest after a sleepless flight over the Pacific.

With jet lag in full swing I arrived in San Jose's central district during morning peak hour. After a couple hours of rest and freshening up, I headed out to capture my surroundings. The city is set up like a grid with the streets and avenues numbered, making it near impossible to get lost. After wandering many of the pedestrian streets for a couple of hours my searching for any food other than the excessive fast food options was reaching its limits until I found a busy bakery and arrived at my first admittance that I, in fact, do not speak Spanish. (No habla Español)

Walking down the street I blend in whilst silent. With all the noise in this part of town my silence goes unnoticed, particularly with all the street sellers yelling/advertising their various stock from fruit to scissors, from mobile recharge cards to bra straps. They aren't the only ones causing a commotion, the green man signalling safety to cross the road is coupled with a loud, bird-like whistle and the sparring big trees are infested with lorikeets, or similar, and they are all contesting the sound space.

There is a real sense that there are few tourists in the part of town I've been exploring, I haven't heard any language except Spanish. The city hasn't changed its ways to cater for tourists like many other places I have travelled. Although this provides more challenges for me to navigate it is refreshing to not be hounded by the informal tourist industry. For the most part once I say 'no habla Español' or ask '¿Habla Ingles?' I just get a 'ah no' and they give up. Only this morning while on the hunt for breakfast a waiter called the passing police officers over in the hope that they spoke English. Failing that, the policeman went after another officer who could speak English. By that time I had pulled out my phone and translated breakfast (desayuno) and been taken to a seat to then dissect the menu.

The police presence is very high, every block has at least two officers (almost equally male and female) on either foot, motor or bicycle. Certainly a contributing factor into the safety I feel wandering around 'solo'. The city is significantly safer and cleaner than expected and there are very few homeless.

Although the temperature isn't very high (25 Celsius currently) the humidity keeps you feeling a tad stifled and air conditioning is a luxury of the larger franchises and department stores. My humble little hostel has a fan, which does the job.

Although the last 48 hours of transit and exploration have been time well spent, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my travel buddy in the next couple of hours.

- N

(I'll try to upload some photos in future posts)

test, succeed. test, succeed. test test test, succeed.

you have taught me many lessons,
yet my learning will never cease,
I used to question your motives,
now I welcome you with embrace.

you have spun many truths,
my beliefs continue to be tested,
I know to question your intent,
I will never just accept.

you have tried many tricks,
I'm yet to tire of your wicked ways,
your tests meld with intrigue,
providing me with strength
to overcome the trials borne
in every waking hour,

although I long for a reprieve,
I know you're here to stay,
so tempt me with your next test,
my resilience will keep you at bay.

"Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of resignation....

(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXVI, p. 129)