Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Playa Santa Teresa to Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste
My shuttle picked me up today at about 8am and I was on my way to Santa Cruz. The first two hours of the trip were on crazy roads....lots of pot holes, hills, dust...I almost felt sick. Even the shuttle driver said he did not like that part of the drive...and he has to do it every day!!!! The drive to Santa Cruz was about 3 1/2 hours in total. Along the way we
dropped off a couple people in Nicoya who were travelling on to Samara. I wanted to go there on my trip, but with it taking so much time to travel around I decided not to...maybe next time. On our route to Santa Cruz we passed through several small towns, saw some cute little houses, and there were lots of cattle that were way too skinny...they are all like this in the hotter areas of the country. We also passed lots of people driving ATVs...this is how many people get around due to the road conditions. The funny thing is that they wear ski goggles to keep out the dust...good idea I guess. I was dropped off in Santa Cruz along the main road at a bus stop. I was told to take the direct bus to Liberia...easier said than done. I tried to get on four buses to Liberia in an hour before I got the right one...I do not think it was direct however, but it got me where I wanted to go. A very nice Tico man helped me get on the bus, as he spoke very good English. The bus to Liberia was a little over an hour and cost about 800 colones or $1.50. The bus was full...this is one of the busiest days to travel...so I stood the whole way with my pack at my feet. One woman offered me a seat, but I figured with my big bag, it would be better to just stand with it and make sure nothing happened to it...she was very sweet. I arrived in Liberia at around 2pm. This is the second largest city
in Costa Rica and nothing really to brag about. It is located in the northern part of the Peninsula Nicoya where it is much dryer. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was all the fastfood chains...McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, ect...very Americanized. Once at the bus station I bought a ticket to Playa Hermosa....685 colones or $1.15...there are several places with the same name, so you need to make sure they know which one you are going to. It is about an hour bus ride back in the same direction and then off toward the coast. I hung around at the bus station and tried to relax a bit. It is a very busy spot, with lots of people, buses coming and going and people selling fruit, vegetables, drinks and souvenirs...I thought I would try out a coconut milk drink right out of th
e shell. All I can say is YUCK....it was NOT for me!!! When I finally figured out which line to get in for the bus...thank God because I think every taxi driver came up to me trying to get me to take the $25 taxi ride to Playa Hermosa...I found a seat and enjoyed the ride. At this point I was exhausted from the day and ready to be at my final destination. I arrived at Playa Hermosa at about 4:30pm. From where I got off the bus it was about a 5 minute walk to Hermosa Heights, were I rented a private 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa for five days. I know it sounds a bit much, but it was on sale for 50% off
and I could not resist....and thankfully I did not. I think I am in HEAVEN!!! Hermosa Heights is a mix of small villas along the mountain side. There is lots of beautiful vegetation and at the entrance there is an ATM, security, a spa, gym, movie theatre, mini put golf, basketball court and a sports bar. The town is not that developed, so it has less of a touristy feel, but once you look up the mountains you know that tourism is well on its way. Huge, beautiful homes all over the place...mostly owned by foreigners. The hillsides are definitely for sale!!! As you walk up from the entrance to the complex there is a pool...two
tiered...with two waterslides. There is a jacuzzi at the top, with a waterfall and a swim up bar/restaurant. My villa is just up from the pool in a nice secluded area. It has A/C, a kitchen, a safety box, a nice deck over looking the pool area, a 42" flat screen TV, a rice cooker...of course... and a washer/dryer.....this is SO exciting!!! Every piece of my clothing is smelly and dirty...I could not wait to do laundry. Laundry service is very expensive in Costa Rica...about $16 per load and I saw Tide for sale for $21 for a 32 load bottle...good thing I brought my own!! Once I got settled in, I walked up to the supermarket and bought groceries for the nex
t 5 days. A full breakfast is included everyday, but I plan to cook all my other meals and enjoy everything this villa has to offer...nice change really. Once I put the groceries away, I went for a swim...so nice, did my laundry while I cooked dinner and then watched a bit of TV...this is luxury after backpacking for 16 days. I spent part of the evening sitting out on my deck enjoying the gorgeous evening. I sat in the jacuzzi and just watched the stars glistening above...so peaceful...it feels very removed from everything. Tomorrow I plan to check out the town and the beach and get myself more acquainted.
Until then....
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Final day in Playa Santa Teresa
Monday, March 29, 2010
Surf City...Playa Santa Teresa
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Playa Santa Teresa
Today I was on the road again, this time about 1 hour away to Playa Santa Teresa. To get there I needed to take two bus rides; one to Cobano, which took about 20 minutes and a second bus to Playa Santa Teresa. It is extremely dry here and the roads are not paved, so EVERYTHING is full of dust. The roads are incredibly bad in this part of Costa Rica, with huge rocks and pot holes ...this is why it takes so long to get to many places and why the buses do not have more direct routes. There was not much in sc
enery during my trip except for...you guessed it...dust!!! Because of the dust, everything has a bit of a brown cast to it. I should also make note of the extremely HOT bus ride from Cobano to Playa Santa Teresa....I thought I was going to melt. Opening the windows did nothing except allow the dust to come in and yes, because you are sweating so much it sticks right to you. Very attractive I must say. I arrived in Playa Santa Teresa around noon. The area of Mal Pais, Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa is a surf destination. It is much different than Montezuma in that there is not a town center. Instead there is one main road that follows the beach and it is lined with shops on both sides. Of course being a surf community, there are many surf shops, little restaurants and bars, supermarkets and tiny shops to buy all kinds of gifts and souvenirs. It really does not have the charm of Montezuma´s small town,
but what it misses there, it gains in its beaches. There are multiple beaches that run into each other for kilometers on end. The white sand is less coarser than in Montezuma and there are almost no rocks. The area is so large that although there are many people on the beach, it is not hard to find a spot all to you own. The main attraction on the beach...aside from all the dogs....are the surfers. What an incredible sport!!!! I could watch people surfing all day long. The waves here are larger than Montezuma as well....typically they are 5 feet high, but I heard last week they were around 10 feet. There is not only
one big wave rolling in, but multiple layers of them. It is pretty impressive to watch and I love the roaring sound as the waves crash into the beach. I thought about taking a surfing lesson when I was here, but I think I have chickened out....those waves scare me! You can not really swim here either...the undertow is even worse than Montezuma. It is really incredible how the water can pull you around, even when you are just standing on the water´s edge. So instead of surfing I will just have to enjoy all the others who are braver than me and take in a little sun while I am here. I am staying at Cuesta Arriba. A lovely little hostel with dorm rooms that house six people each on two levels and your have your own bathroom in the room...this is such a treat. The hostel has a huge kitchen area in the center of the complex, hammocks throughout the property and upstairs there is a TV area and free movies if you want to just chill out and relax. The best part of this Argentinian owned hostel is Blondie, the eight year old Canadian born golden retriever...this is something you do not see often!!! I feel just like I am home....but I really miss my dog now. Since I arrived mid day, I quickly checked into my room an
d headed to the beach for a bit of sun. When I came back I met my roommates for the next few days...all Ticos. This is Samana Santa or Holy week/Easter in Costa Rica, and most Costa Ricans take the entire week off and head to the beach for vacation....this marks the end of their summer vacation time, as the raining season is about to start later in April. The best part about having a room full of Ticos is that you learn all about the customs of the locals. I spent the evening chatting with everyone, playing two hours of Jenga...I never laughed so hard....and figuring out what I should bring home that would be representative of Costa Rica. Now that I have a list, I will be on the search...could be fun! It was such an unexpected and fun evening, who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Until then....
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Final Day in Montezuma
Friday, March 26, 2010
HOT, HOT, HOT...Montezuma
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Isla Tortuga
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sun, Sun and more Sun in Montezuma
Today I am heading out in look of some accommodations for the rest of my time in Montezuma. Many places here do not book reservations, you have to just show up in the morning and see if they have any rooms. I ended up getting a dorm room at Hotel Lucy. This is located right on the beach in Montezuma just outside the town center. Apparently this w
as the first place to offer accommodations in Montezuma long before it became a popular destination to visit. Although it is not fancy, it is a hostel after all, Maria who works there is so lovely...always smiling and treats everyone like they are family. She doesn't speak any English, but somehow you are able to get across what you want to say. The hostel has hammocks on all the terraces, an outdoor eating area off the beach and two huge verandas on the ocean side. Once I got settled in, I headed out to the beach for a bit of sun. OMG it is hot!!!!! I just looked and it was 94 degrees. I could only sit in the sun for about 15 minutes at a time and then I had to get in the water. That is a whole other experience in itself. The winds are high at the moment and the surf is big. Huge waves crashing into the beach...I love the sound of the waves, but it makes for quite a workout if you are tryi
ng to swim. One piece of advice....hold onto your bathing suit!!! After about two hours in the sun, I decided to head back to my hostel and have a cool shower. The sand here sticks to you and is extremely hard to get off. I ended up with sand in places I did not even know sand could go!!! After showering I decided to relax
on one of the hostel's hammocks. Nothing more relaxing than laying in a hammock in the shade, right on the ocean, with a cool breeze and the sounds of crashing waves. I think I fell asleep for over an hour...this is the life :) Once I made a late lunch, I heading into the town to do a little shopping. My hostel does not have air conditioning, so sometimes it is nice to get a bit of a reprieve in the couple of the shops that do. I have managed to get a nice little burn my first day in the sun and I am feeling a bit zonked from the heat, so I plan to take it easy and head to bed early. Looking forward to another day at the beach tomorrow...who knows what it will bring.
Until then......
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monteverde to Montezuma
You will be surprised to hear it rained again last night....I know, people must be jealous :) In fact I think it was a tropical storm...high winds and lots of rain. I slept for about one hour in total and was up at 6am to get ready for my shuttle bus to Montezuma. What I did not realize was that I was given the wrong ticket and was not sure I would be let on the shuttle when it arrived. David, the hostel owner, called the booking agency and they said not to worry. The only thing I was worried about was being stuck in Monteverde for one more night in this weather. Long story short, my shuttle bus arrived around 8am and I was off. Not 10 minutes outside Monteverde the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the most amazing rainbow appeared. I have never seen anything like this before. The rainbow was so big it almost made an entire circle. I figured this could only be a sign that good things were to come. Monteverde is about 1,500m above sea level and because of this, it has very unique weather patterns. In fact when we were coming down the mountain it looked like that side had no rain at all!! The drive to th
e Punterenas ferry terminal was non eventful and not near as green and beautiful as on the other side. When we got to the 10am ferry we took our packs and boarded the ship. It was an hour and a half ferry ride to Playa Naranjo and I passed the time in the sun...yes I said sun...chatting with Emilio Kirby from Argentina and his mother who happened to be on the same ferry as me. Turns out he is an electrical engineer working in Houston, Texas for the next couple of years. Great people....he was even able to teacher me a few more words in Spanish. Maybe Argentina should be next on my list of travel destinations....it sure is looking good so far!!!! Emilio and his mother actually took the bus to the ferry and planned to catch the same one I was told did not exist...I think I was scammed. I picked up my shuttle once we crossed on the ferry and spent the next hour and a half making my way to Montezuma. Crazy driving...the roads are full of potholes and instead of driving over them, they swerve all over the road to avoid them. Not great if you are prone to motion sickness. I arrived in Montezuma at about 2pm and set out on my search for a place to stay. I ended up at the Luna Llena owned by Scott and Millie. It is located up on a hill looking over the water in the rainforest. A ver
y zen feel to it. I even heard some howler monkeys crying in the not so far distance, saw some sort of large lizard catching something to eat and heard all kinds of different birds in the trees just outside reception. There is a lovely outdoor deck/seating area where you can hear the ocean while sitting in a porch swing chair. I think I have died and gone to heaven!!!! The sad thing is that they only have the room available for one night, so I am off tomorrow in search of a new place to stay. It will be hard to beat this place for sure. Once I got settled in, I checked out the small town...very artsy, with a bit of a hippie feel. It is VERY hot here....yaaaahhhhh, probably in the mid to high 30's. While walking in the town I ran in to Emilio's mother in the grocery story. They too are moving to a new hotel in th
e morning as it is very expensive where they are now. I think this is common theme in Costa Rica....everything appears to be more than expected. Tonight I am just going to relax and enjoy this little piece of heaven I am in at the moment and get ready for a beach day tomorrow!!!! May even enjoy a few local cerveza while I am at it.
Until next time...



Monday, March 22, 2010
La Fortuna to Monteverde
I spent my last night in La Fortuna listening to the pouring rain. After three days of rain, I've decided to head towards the coast in search of sunshine. I left on my jeep/boat/jeep transportation at around 8:30am. This transportation option cuts about 3 hours off the typical bus ride to Monteverde. When I left my hostel it was raining, but by the time we picked up the rest of the passengers and boarded the boat to cross Laguna de Arenal, the showers subsided. It was so nice to be on th
e water. I think it must be the Islander in me, but I feel completely at home when I am sailing along. Since the rain stopped, I spent the majority of the 45 minute ferry ride out on the deck taking in the beautiful scenery...still no volcano though!!! Once on the other side of the laguna, all fifty or so people were escorted off the boat and one by one handed their luggage. It was actually funny to see many of the tourists trying to carry their big suitcases up a muddy cliff to the side of the road. At the top of the road we were all divided into little shuttle buses and headed on the final 2 hour leg of our trip. All I can say about this ride was INCREDIBLE!! The road was a
wful...full of pot holes, muddy, steep hills that you think you are not going to be able to go up and full of twists and turns. But that is what gave it its charm. The best part however was the view. Steep valleys and rolling hills, full of luscious vegetation and low level clouds and fog creating a whimsical feel. I was completely in awe and so glad I decided to take this path. I would venture to say this scenery rivals Ireland, Scotland and even PEI!!! About 20 minutes outside Monteverde we stopped for a snack and bathroom break and I met an Argentinian guy travelling with his mother. They
were very nice and he was extremely helpful in translating for our driver who spoke no English. We arrived in Monteverde around noon and I got settled into my hostel, Casa Tranquillo. Someone recommended this hostel when I was in Quepos and it turned out to be a great little place to spend the night. The owner, David, actually grew up in this house and now runs it as a hostel. Since I am only here for one day, I decided to book some onward travel and a couple tours for when I return later in April. After buying a bus ticket to the ferry, I came to find out the ferry I wanted was under construction...just my luck!!!!! At first I was not sure if this was actually the case, but I asked around town and it appeared to be true....who knows???? After much deliberation, I dec
ided to fork out $45 to take a direct shuttle to Montezuma instead. Transportation in Costa Rica is not always as easy as you would expect. They have public buses that cross many parts of the country, but the routes are not always the most direct, sometimes they suddenly stop half way to your destination and the bus takes much longer than expected. Better planning on my part may have eliminated some of this from the beginning and saved a bit of time. Mid afternoon, the nasty weather rolled in....VERY high winds and lots of rain. Spent the night chatting with David, the owner, and a couple from Israel. I still do not have accommodations for Montezuma, but I am sure I will find something when I arrive. I guess we will see. Until then...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Arenal Volcano Hike and the Baldi Termae Hot Springs
It is raining yet again in La Fortuna. Unfortunately the Arenal volcano that I came specifically to see, is not even visible due to the low level clouds. I was supposed to stay in the area for one more night, but I have decided to head out a day early in hopes of hitting better weather along the Pacific coast. I booked a hostel in Monteverde where I am going to stay tomorrow and hung around the hostel for part of the day before I left on my 3 pm tour. Due to the weather, there was only two other people on the first half of the tour... mot
her and daughter from Turkey, who are currently living in the USA. The Arenal Volcano tour began with an hour and a half hike through a private park about 20 minutes from La Fortuna. The rainforest was so lush and green, with the most majestic trees and ferns. It was slightly raining out and from time to time you could see the rain drops falling off the leaves...it really created a very peaceful feeling. The first thing we saw was the toucan. What an unbelievable looking bird in real life. There are various kinds of them, with many different colours and they all have a very distinct cry. I am still amazed at what they looked like up close. We were then greeted by spider monkeys in the trees...this time it was only two of them, but one was a very large mother and her baby. They are so incredible to watch swinging from tree to tree. We also saw a two toed sloth in a tree and several oth
er kinds of tropical birds. Towards the end of our hike we could hear the howler monkey, but had no luck actually seeing one...that was until we were driving home and stopped on the side of the road with a group of other people and saw two sitting in a tree. They are very lazy monkeys and much bigger than both monkeys I had already seen. They kind of reminded me of a very tiny gorilla. The only thing that I did not enjoy about this tour, was the guide...too pushy and demanding and not enough time to take in the scenery. Either way we all made it through the hike with a few quick pictures and off to the observation area to see if we could see any lava on the volcano. Arenal Volcano is the most active volcano in Central America and the fifth most active in the world. It erupts ab
out every 10 minutes and shoots out rock lava. It was dormant for almost 500 years and everyone thought it was simply a mountain with nice green vegetation. This was until 1968 when it exploded and lava flows destroyed three villages and killed about 80 people. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating for us and the clouds never did lift high enough for us to see the volcano or the lava. So off we went, back towards town. At this point our tour guide dropped the two other woman off at their hotel and I continued on to the Baldi Thermae Hot Springs. This was the most incredible place I have ever been. I LOVED it!!! First I had a delicious buffet dinner in the restaurant area and then I spent two hours checking out the 25 different pools. All the pools are different temperatures. I have been told one of them was 152 degrees, but the hottest I found was 116...too hot for me. What made this such a magical place was the fact that I was there at night, it was misting rain, steam was rising in the
air, there was lush tropical plants all around with ambient lighting and local Latin music. How much better can you get!!! There is even three waterslides, a couple swim up bars and my favourite the hot tub. I enjoyed every second of my time at the hot springs...that is except for the one creepy guy from the US who started chatting with me and asked me out for drinks...thankfully there were 20 other pools to move on to!!! If you ever have the chance to visit this area, I would highly recommend putting the hot springs on your list of things to do. Well I am off tomorrow to Monteverde on the jeep to boat to jeep tour and eventually heading onward to Montezuma on the Pacific coast.
Until then...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
La Fortuna
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