Costa Rica: Puerto Jimenez

Transportation: It was pretty easy to get to P.J. We laid over in Palmar at this strange Chinese restaurant. We caught the bus to P.J. after eating left over curry (from the strange Chinese restaurant). The bus ride took about 3 hours and cost 2,000 colones (about $4.00)

Hostel: Zoli had told me a friend from college, Brian, had helped start a hostel in P.J. so we grabbed a taxi and just showed up. We were planning to stay 1 night and stayed 4 and then stayed 1 more because we missed the ferry (It was a Sunday.) They call their hostel Celvante Jungle Hostel and it is set in a beautiful spot above the forest canopy. We slept in cabinas with no walls and just a mosquito net and woke up to toucans and monkeys. We helped them clean and get ready to open. It was great to see old friends, meet new ones and understand how a hostel works from the other side. We sat discussing the needs, wants, and annoyances of the traveler and the hospitality over wine, and chocolate cake. I also spent a lot of time talking about language and working out Spanish with Nues while she worked on her English.

One day we walked on the beach and saw over 20 scarlet macaws. A highlight of the trip for sure.

 

Costa Rica: Cerro Chirripo

Transportation: Took a bus from San Isidro to San Gerardo (1.5 hours); a beautiful drive down a canyon. I couldn't believe how the trees seem to protrude horizontally out of the cliff...and tons and tons of flowers: magenta, red, salmon, orange. There were lime trees, orange trees and guava trees lining a powerful river which cut through the canyon and ran along the side of town. I think I want to retire here... it's a fairyland!

Hostel: We stayed in a hostel next to the ranger station for $10/night. They were very nice people. They gave us a free ride up the Chirripo at 5 am and had cheap meals. Run by a man and his mom, they both were incredibly friendly. The lady grows all the flowers on the property and showed me her nursery while I struggled my way asking about them in Spanish.

Snack time after Devil Km 8

Cerro Chirripo: Chirripo is 12,533 ft. It is a 14Km climb of 5,000ft to the hostel where people stop for the night and then continue the next morning around 3 a.m. for the last 6km and 2,000 ft to the summit.
The hike was incredibly difficult but equally rewarding. The first day was a constant uphill. The first half was daunting simply because it was very very muddy. But after devil km 8 (we cheerfully gave that km its name) it got easier. Once we got above the forest we were treated to fantastic views and flocks of PARROTS! Very Cool. We were hiking with 4 other groups and continuously met up with them along the way, giving encouragement with each passing.
We all made it. Most people had paid to get meals prepared for them when they got to the top while we sat in the corner eating cold garbanzo beans, corn, and beans wrapped in a tortilla with hot sauce....making jokes how we would be happy to eat anything they left behind.
We met this couple who were extremely bad ass. Both over 65, they had hiked the whole PCT last summer, 1,000 miles in Idaho the year before as well as 1,000 miles in Nepal and were planning a 10 day scuba trip after Chirripo. Don and Judy were their names (haha...Fowler) and Judy said stretching every day is what kept her going with no Ibuprofen.
Next morning at 2:30 we hiked to the top. It took all my motivation, patience, and stamina to make it up that damn mountain but man that sunrise was worth it. And once we made it to the top Tom and I couldn't stop talking about how great it would be to spend 5 more days exploring the 4 other peaks, U-shaped valleys and alpine lakes. We promised to one day make it back.


Dip in a very cold alpine lake after our hike!

The hike down was easy enough. Although it rained like I've never seen it before. It had to be an inch every 5 minutes. IT WAS MUUUUUUDDDDYYYY. (And Tom did it in Chacos) Yet we made it. With sore bodies and minds we got to the nearest restaurant and ordered shots of Whiskey and Pasta and finished off the night with a Snickers.
I pushed myself to new heights on this excursion. It was a trip of discovery. Discovery of new places, new mind sets, new landscapes, and motivations!



Dawn

 

Costa Rica: Montezuma

Transportation: Took the bus back to Puntarenas and took a ferry to Nacoya Peninsula ($1.00) It was an awesome ride. Tom and I sat up top dreaming about all the epic camp and jump spots on the little islands scattered around and how dope a week long kayaking trip through them would be. (FUTURE TRIP!). We then took a bus from the port to Montezuma (2 hours).






Hostel: Pension Lucy was $10.00/night. Another place I would highly recommend. It was a two story rickety wood building with open rooms and decks overlooking the ocean. It is so close to the ocean, I worry about its stability during a big storm but lucky for us it was gorgeous. Where were hammocks anywhere they could be put up. I in fact spent a good 8 hours straight in one...reading, playing dice, drinking and snoozing all cradled on my back.



Food: Food prices were very similar to the U.S. so we cooked quite a bit for ourselves. Yet, we did go out one night thanks to Molly's mumski and ate ceveche, seafood pasta, and chocolate cake (Something I crave every day here... and helado). We were full for 2 days after.

Not my photo (didn't bring my camera)
But, this is the lower fall

Epic Waterfall: This could be one of my favorite places so far. In the future I see the locals capitalizing on the area and charging a fee, but right now it’s free as can be. You walk along the river about 1 km using vines, roots, and trees to assist you until the path brings you to a giant pool with a cascading waterfall about 70 ft. high. There is a nice place to jump and the water was perfectly brisk. Yet this was only half the fun.






We were watching this local scramble up the falls in a matter of minutes. Tom and I, obviously curious to where he was going, decided to follow. I learned some lessons about rock climbing and pushed my comfort level to the edge all while saying to Tom phrases like:
"What the hell did I get myself into?"
"Oh god, I'm stuck." and
"You want me to put my foot there?!"

BUT WE MADE IT! Not nearly as smoothly as the local but never-the-less. (Later I read in the guidebook...whatever you do, do not climb up the fact of the waterfall... haha sorry mom.)

(Not my photo) but this is the very top waterfall,
you can jump from the ledge at the far end.

The top was UNREAL! There were two more waterfalls, one a good 10-15 meter perfect jump. There were about 6 locals and 4 pairs of tourists all up top enjoying the pools (there was a far easier way to get up...which we learned for the way down). Even though we didn't speak the same languages we were all cheering and rooting each other on to jump the fall.

One night on a full moon and after playing some cards and drinking a couple beers Tom and I scampered out to the waterfall at night. It looked like a black and white photo. The full moon gave us plenty of light. It's wild how timid you feel when the sun goes down. The waterfall felt 100x more powerful. Either way we went skinny dipping...it was liberating and great fun!

 

Costa Rica: Playa Hermosa / Jaco Beach

Transportation: The bus from Monteverde to Puntarenas was EPIC! It followed the ridge line all the way to the valley floor. Terrifying at times because there was no guard rail and these large fruit trucks kept hauling ass, screeching on their brakes then coming between inches of the bus and the edge. Luckily both drivers seemed to have done this before and we arrived safely. It cost about $3.00 and took 3 hours. We then took a bus from Puntarenas to Playa Hermosa for $2.50. (It took about 1.5 hours.) If you ever choose to do this…ask the bus driver to pull over at Playa Hermosa because you will undoubtedly miss it and find yourself huffing it back to the dirt road turnoff.

Termite colony

Playa Hermosa is about 6 km from Jaco which is where the supermarket, liquor store and anything else you need lay. So when necessary we would hitch hike into town. We met some really lovely people on the way. We got picked up by tour guides, police officers, surfer bums, and a couple from Vegas starting up... you guessed it a casino!

Accommodations: We stayed at Molly's friend’s beach house for $100/week. It had a swimming pool which we took advantage of, drinking rum and juice far too early in the morning simply because it was so damn hot it felt like 2 pm even though it was 10 am and... everyone else was doing it.

The beach was right across the street which was also a pleasant place to drink cold beers and whiskey cokes... oh and watch Tom try to surf (he did get up, so he says...but is there proof? Nope, only his word... which, you who know him know how far that goes ;) )

The beach and the deck had some of the best sunsets I've seen in a very long time!

Manuel Antonio National Park: We took the bus to Quepos which hosts Manuel Antonio National Park. The town looks cool. If we didn't have a place already it would have been neat to stay here. They had this theme going to redo old planes, trains, and automobiles into coffee shops and restaurants. The park was extremely touristy. I felt like we were entering Disneyland at first with all these tour guides dressed like they were ready to board you onto Indiana Jones. But in the park we found a waterfall off the beaten path. You could walk under it and climb on top of it. (Tom and I tried to shake some limes off a tree for Margaritas later that night but failed.) It was cool to be in a place so lush and then BAM! There was the beach scattered with monkeys. Monkeys on a beach are still very strange to me.

We were also treated to a sloth coming down to do his doodoo which was quite a treat. Their perma-smile gets me every time. The sloth really made the park worth it but everything else we ended up seeing in other places with far less people.

 

Costa Rica: Monteverde

A gum fruit

Transportation: Although on a map Arenal is a straight shot, no more than 60 km away from Monteverde, the road is long, windy, and took about 8 hours. The last 30 km took 3 hours to give you some insight to the condition and steepness of the road.

Hostel: We stayed at Cabinas al Golfo for $8.00/night. I highly recommend this place. One wall is all windows connected to a large deck looking over the cloud forest. Since you're up so high in elevation, the clouds whip through the valley bringing rain, sun, wind, and rainbows all in an hour. The hostel had a nice open kitchen and sitting area with bean bags. They also did continental breakfast with cereal! (It's the little things that count)

Monte Verde National Park: Usually there are buses to transport you to the entrance but it was Sunday (we came to learn you can't expect anything to be done on Sunday) so we walked. We paid $9.00 (student price) to get into the park. We didn't see many animals but saw howler monkeys, millipedes, and a pizote along with very strange fruit which Tom and I poked at with a knife (and nibbled - one tasting very good, one tasting... like a plant). The hike reminded me a lot of Oregon. Where there is green on the pathways, green moss on the trees and there are plants that grow on plants that grow on plants. GREEN EVERYWHERE. We got to hike over the continental divide which was a nice little accomplishment. Overall the day was a 15 mile hike. We were tired but it was awesome.

 

 

Costa Rica: La Fortuna / Volcan Arenal

La Fortuna is the entry point to Volcan Arenal, an active volcano where the tourist attraction is watching lava slowly seep from the cracks at night. We didn't have the $60 to spend on a night tour to see if we were that lucky but none-the-less had a great time.

The entrance fee to the park is $10.00 (It is the same amount for all National Parks in Costa Rica) yet it is possible to see the sights for no money. We walked 1 km down the road and under a bridge. There was a nice little waterfall, a rope swing and tons of places to jump off. We met some locals who showed us different places to jump and some sweet views around the area.


After escaping the heat we continued our journey up the backside of the mountain. It was a steep hike but BEAUTIFUL TERRAIN. So many birds, flowers, and cows with abnormally large floppy ears, all while a massive volcano sat in the background.

It was about a 3 or 4 km walk to a waterfall which we heard is quite nice but cost $10.00 (apparently it’s a park in itself). We decided if you've seen one waterfall you've seen most waterfalls. On the other hand we were willing to spend $10.00 to see the caldera which was another 2 km hike up and had a large lake and gave a great view of Arenal. Unfortunately the weather changed quickly to rain covering our entire view with a thick layer of cloud. So we retreated. But, with rain came birds and we were able to see tanagers, small parrots and, Oropendola (They have a crazy call. You should look it up)... We got soaked but nothing a hot meal and some chocolate couldn't take care of.

Hostel: I can't remember the name of the hostel we stayed at but it was family owned and cost $5.00 a night to camp in their backyard - breakfast included. A fantastic deal aside from the roosters piping up around 3 a.m.. (Tom and I both had dreaming thoughts of slaughtering them and eating a hearty dinner the next night.)

 

Food: Costa Rican food is rather basic. They sell cansandos which is rice and beans, salad, and some sort of meat (usually fish or chicken). They are cheap costing about $4.00. It's always flavored nicely but nothing too strange. What we did get excited about was the farmer's market. We bought loads of veggies and fruits for $5 including the largest carrot I've ever seen bought by Tom.

 

 

Costa Rica: San Jose

We didn't have the pleasure of spending a lot of time in San Jose. We read and were told San Jose wasn't anything to get excited about and our thoughts were confirmed twice during our travels from people who lived there.

But... getting around came easier than expected. The bus ride to the hostel was $1.00. We were a bit confused how we paid but the bus driver kept an eye on us making sure we didn't make a run for it. He collected his money when we got off on the side of the road and quickly got back on the bus, took off and left us on the 6 inch shoulder of a very busy street. A very minor mishap.

Hostel: We stayed at Galileo Hostel for $10.00 a nights with a welcome shot included. (That was our deal maker) The people were nice and the hostel was more or less clean. The beds that were taken were filled with people who had seemingly been there for months with no real direction toward their next destination.

Food: The food was awesome! We went to a soda and ate $1.00 tacos, veggie burritos, plantains and tamales. We finished off the night with 800 colones beers. (About $1.25, we came to learn that beer is not cheap in Costa Rica and we were hopelessly trying to find the best deal every place we went. This place ended up being the best deal.)