Costa Rica day 37 Feb. 14

Well happy valentines day! Had a quick breakfast in San Jose at the B&B & then made our way to a new busstop about 6 blocks away. We were first in line for the bus to La Fortuna. We had to check our bags in the underbody compartment so I did that while Jo jumped on and got us the two seats up front and across from the driver so I could take pictures through the windshield. It was about a 4 1/2 hour bus ride and it stopped a lot to pick up more people so we finally moved out of the "gimp" seats and moved to the back.
About a half an hour from the busstop we passed an accident on the hwy on the opposite side. Some guy on a motorcycle had been hit and was laying in the road. This brought to my attention that half the motorcycles down here (that use every lane in random fashion) don't have any rearview mirrors! Now that's a death wish if there ever was one. Around 1 pm. we started to experience drizzle and low clouds after climbing to a very high elevation on twisty, hilly roads. This turned into a full blown downpour when we arrived at La Fortuna.
As we retrieved our bags a young guy was there trying to round up people to stay at this place 3 blocks from downtown. He was talking to two guys from Alberta and we overheard the $7.00 a night per person which really got our attention so we all piled into a cab which he provided because of the rain and off we went. The pavement ended after two blocks and out front is almost cobblestones but not that orderly. We have our own room, hot water shower, internet if you can ever get onto it, and a kitchen/fridge for our use. The electrical outlets are different so I found a store and got a cheap adaptor. The hot water shower is an electric gizmo in the shower head but it seems to work. I'm going to get a picture of the fancy wiring job used to activate it. It's the kind of thing you want to throw a cat into first to see if it lives.
After checking in and paying for a trip tomorrow night to see the lava and hot springs we went for a stroll downtown. Had a great meal consisting of a pork chop, rice, beans, fried banana, and two kinds of salad for under $5.00. Then Mario brought us some excellent rice pudding with cinnamon in it for dessert. We then continued our stroll through the rain wearing our "big bird" yellow ponchos. We looked like a couple of ducks. This is the first time we've had them on and they do the job although they're very hot. They had some amazing souvenir shops with large wooden bowls which I'd love to get back but they're too big and heavy. Jo has had to chuck her runners a few days ago (either that or they ran away on their own) so her valentines present was some new ones. We also bought some more baking soda to fill mine but I think they're also beyond help. The good side is they guarantee you a seat to yourself on the busses.
On the way back to the unit we picked up some granola and yogurt to have for breakfast and then came back and sat on the patio. No sooner had we sat down when Jeremy the guy who rounded us up at the bus stop arrived with 3 more candidates for a $7.00 room. One was a young girl from Kelowna named Bri accompanied by two guys from the States. She'd been in Nicaragua for the last month, had sold her condo in Rutland and hit the road.
She and the guys went out around 10 pm to the disco while Jo and I were going to bed. Later in the evening (I thought it was morning) we heard some very heavy banging on a door and a lot of yelling. Turns out when they came back around 2 a.m. their door was open and all their belongings had been rifled through. Bri lost everything of any value. All her money ($400), her camera with all her pictures, her passport which had been under the mattress, her id including her visa etc. They called the cops and it seems this Jeremy guy is a seedy type as they knew him well.
She needs to go to San Jose to get another passport and they close Fri. at 1 for the w/end so she's stuck here although the police have offered to drive her. One of the American guys gave her $100 as she's completely broke now. She'll have to stay here for the w/end and then head to S.J. on Monday.
We always carry our cameras, passports, etc. with us no matter where we go so all that's in our backpacks are clothes and replaceable stuff. I've burned all my pictures onto dvd's and think we may mail them home as a backup. We also have photocopies of our passports, credit cards, social insurance etc. that we keep separate from the orig. A good lesson for all of us as when we checked in they offered these tours which tells them when we'll be out of the unit for hours at a time. Their place next door was opened with a key as there were no visible signs of entry and someone must have known they were at the disco while their room was being tossed. Live and learn. Now it's time to think about our next step.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28460&l=ea4c4&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 36 Feb. 13

We skipped breakfast this morning and headed straight to the bus station. No reserved seating but we got there around 7 a.m. which gives us a pretty good shot at a seat. By 8 a.m. there were a handfull of people there and that was it so we had our pick of seats. Unfortunately I got on the sunny side and the lady in front of me decided to close the window. I hope she cooked. We moved back in the bus which was much better. It took us over an hour to get out of San Jose due to a traffic jam which was miles in front of us. These bus drivers sure have patience! We finally got to the source of the tieup and a bus was laying on it's side right near the airport. (remember what I said two days ago about the bus drivers only using the brakes when death was imminent?) How do you flip a bus? These guys have talent! The traffic continued to be tied up for quite a while after the accident scene but we finally headed out of town. The scenery was incredible as we climbed up past coffee plantations, farms and holstein cows. The green grass was brilliant so they must get a lot of rain up there. Bromeliads abounded in the trees although we didn't see any butterflies and not many birds. Lots of flowers, brugmansias, oleanders, and bougainvilleas added a lot of color to the one and half hour trip that turned into two and a half.
When we were about a half an hour from the volcano the bus stopped for a 10 minute banyo break and then it clouded over and began drizzling which isn't good for volcano viewing. I was surprised he stopped in view of the fact he was running so late. The trip cost about $3.00 each for a round trip and that gave us 3 hours to prowl. The entrance fee was $10.00 each. When we approached the park entrance we paid our fee and you could smell the sulpher in the air (even over my rotten runners). We walked along a paved area for about 20 minutes uphill to the viewing area. There was a platform for taking pictures and it was well back from the edge of the crater so that's where I headed (just to get away from the edge). It was a breathtaking site and my first time seeing a volcano. Huge! The clouds had lifted and the entire area was clear. It had rained recently when we began walking and the steam was rising from the walkway. After getting our pictures we walked for another uphill 20 minutes to the crater lake which is separate from the actual volcano lake. Beautiful but with no life forms in it due to the sulpher from a previous era. The walk in here was very nice and very damp with water dripping off the overhead vines and trees. Moss everywhere but no wildlife to speak of other than a squirrel and a couple of birds. I bushwacked a little hoping to see some colorful frogs but didn't see any.
We had a lunch of bread and some kind of nut stuff (nutella?) It tided us over until we got back. We also went into the information center where we bought a dvd on the cloud forest which I'll incorporate into my dvd when I get home. Not sure if I've mentioned it earlier but I also got one on the wildlife of Costa Rica which is very good. I haven't watched this new one yet.
We had a bite to eat after walking all over hell looking for some baking soda to fill my shoes. I think they're beyond help but we'll see in the morning. Which reminds me of the other day while on the chicken bus it was standing room only. I'd tied my shoes on the back of my backpack and one fell on the floor. Jo picked it up and tied it to her belt while some lady grabbed a seat that came available right next to Jo and it should have been hers. Well she paid the price as the shoe (which really was reeking) was right in her face for the whole trip. Everytime I looked at her I nearly broke out laughing. She was even holding her nose! Jo didn't notice this as her back was to her but when I told her last night she nearly wet herself laughing. This also reminded me of an earlier blog where I mentioned that our mngr in Cahuita was pretty stingy with his toilet paper and you had to chase him to get some more. Well we were with some friends on the patio one night when he appeared and everyone jumped him for more paper. I hollered over to him not to bother as we were all using the towels. That spurred him on to cough up the paper!
We still haven't been able to reach anyone at Arenal to make reservations so we're going to leave San Jose in the morning and wing it to La Fortuna/Nuevo. We'll find something around there and it will give us time to find exactly what we're looking for. This used to be the best area to view the lava at night but about 2 years ago the flow changed so we're trying to get into a small village a way off the beaten path where it's more visible. Viewing the lava is quite difficult due to cloud cover but we've also been told that Feb. is the preferred month so we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Tomorrow will be another long day travelling and we've got about a 10 block walk to the correct bus stop with our packs so hopefully we'll find something quickly when we reach our destination.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28456&l=0c6b1&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 35 Feb. 12

Well today we walked, and we walked, and we walked. Explored all the museums and the central market along with a handicraft market where we picked up a couple of hammocks. We kind of fell in love with the ones in Montezuma and thought they'd be nice to have at home. Got a good deal on two of them. Saw an exhibition of sketches by Rembrandt in the museum but couldn't take any pictures and it was so damn dark in there they may as well have been my sketches. Saw lots of gold artifacts done by the mayans along with carvings done by locals. The detail in the gold and copper was amazing (and it was also under lock and key). The handicraft area was also fascinating with lots of stuff we hadn't seen before. Unfortunately we've got a long way to go and who's going to carry it for us?
We stopped across from the main park at McDonalds for lunch as they had a balcony overlooking the park. Sat with a fellow named Tom from Pennsylvania who joined us to the market on the way home. Interesting guy and he told us the best way to marinate meat is with papaya juice!
Jo tried to make reservations for us in Arenal where we could watch the volcano which is active but they're booked up until the 21st and we couldn't reach any of the other ones. This prompted us to change our plans once more and decided to go to Poas volcano instead. The bus leaves from near here at 8:30 and the book suggests getting there an hour early so we can get a seat. This is the largest active volcano in the world and you can get right to the edge of the crater so it will be interesting to see if I can get pictures while laying on my belly and holding on with both hands.. If I even feel a tremor I'll be a trail of dust over the horizon.
No emails from anyone lately. Where is everybody?
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28455&l=7c892&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 34 Feb. 11

Breakfast this morning consisted of a granola bar and coffee each before saying our goodbyes and heading to the bus stop to head to Limon. We'd planned to spend a night there and then head to Torteguera by boat for two nights. Well it now seems no one will touch a master card and we were getting low on money so the only option was to catch another bus to San Jose, the capital. Surely a bank there would fix us up. We did more backpacking today looking for money than anywhere else. It's very frustrating to stand in a line of 75-100 people for hours only to find out they don't want master card. The ATM's wouldn't work either. We finally found the Bank of San Jose would bail us out so we got $500 in colones (259,000 of them) and then caught a cab to the B&B where we stayed the last time we were here. This time we were clever enough to request a room at the back of the bldg rather than the front where you get all the street noise (and there's lots of that!)
The bus to San Jose was first class and the first one I've seen w/ a bathroom. These things sure have power as we passed everything on the road (mostly tractor trailors going uphill). You really have to hang on as these guys only slow down when death is imminent. That's one of the things about the chicken busses. If you don't get a seat and it's an hour ride over rough winding roads it's tests your strength to hold on with one hand while holding onto the laptop bag with the other. You don't want to use the overhead rack as things get stolen quite easily from there.
When we got off the bus in San Jose Jo went to use the banyo and there was a lady sitting outside the door that you pay and she gives you a small amount of toilet paper. What a job! She's got a big bag of rolls of toilet paper and she just tears it off and waits for a customer. Guess it pays to help keep the bathrooms clean. I wonder how she decides how much is enough. I think I'd be tempted to waddle to the door with my pants around my knees and ask her for some more.
After checking in we headed out for our first meal in two days. There's a Nicaraguan restaurant just down the street so we went in and ordered bifstek. You'd think I'd know better by now but Jo hadn't tried it yet so thought we'd give it one more try. Well Jo got the hoof of the bull I missed and I got the hoof that he bangs into the ground to toughen it up.
We're going to stay here for a couple of nights and check out the museums and art galleries before heading up North to Arenal and the cloud forests.
Jo just heard there's a tour from Arenal to Torteguera for $35.00 which is a lot cheaper than the trip we'd planned from Limon so that's probably now an option for us.
The bus trip today was the best yet as it was half empty so we each had our own seat and a place to put our packs. While having supper we were quite close to the Coca Cola bus depot. I'd estimate there are at least 60 busses an hour passing through there, sometimes coming in 4 at a time. I was able to get a few good pics from the bus window. One of the barrio on the outskirts of San Jose which we'd passed by on the way going to Limon. We also saw a local homeless guy down the street who we'd seen last time but this time he'd improved his living conditions. Instead of crawling into a garbage bag this time he had a cardboard box to put his head in. Things are looking up as there's no shortage of garbage bags or boxes. Unfortunately most of the bags are empty and litter the streets. We've been told there are two museums that are a "must see". One of them is the gold museum which is the largest collection in Costa Rica and the other one is the Jade museum. I'm taking a hammer and chisel to both just in case.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28454&l=0c9ef&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 33 Feb. 10

Another night from hell thanks to the neighbours. They spent about 3 or 4 hours getting high on something and then went out around 9 pm. When they came back they kept us awake until 1 or 1:30 and then one of them got up about 5 hacking and coughing up chunks of lung, dragging chairs around and just being a regular pain in the ass. I'll be glad this is our last night here.
Jo has gone snorkelling with Lisa and hopefully the ocean will cooperate. I got hardly any sleep last night so stayed behind to catch up. Jo wasn't going to go but I talked her into it. The guide said if it's no good he wouldn't charge them so we'll see what happens. We went to the bank yesterday morning to get some more money but they don't take M/C. Great! So we're getting low on $ and will replenish the coffers when we get to Limon tomorrow. They take m/c here so we're good to go and Jo was able to use my card for the snorkelling.
You learn as you go and in hindsight we should have brought a visa card as backup as Jo also has m/c. Something to remember down the road.
It is fairly cloudy out today which is a first and we had a brief shower while sitting out here on the covered patio earlier on. I thought about heading back into the park to meet up w/ Jo as the guides give them the choice of coming back by boat or walking back from the point which is about 3.5 km. Scratch that idea I'm going back to bed for an hour. The sunburn feels much better today, I'm just tired.
We've made reservations in Tortegura North of here for Tues. and Wed. night. The only way in is by boat which goes up a canal lined with mangroves and there's a lot of wildlife along the way. We'll stay for 2 nights and do some touring around while we're there. According to our map it looks like we can take another boat down a river to a small town where we can catch a bus into San Jose. We'll probably stay there for a night and then head up North to Arenal and the volcanoes.
There's a book of Costa Rican maps at the reception desk that I've taken pictures of. My plan is to put them on photoshop and then highlite our route. So far we've covered quite a bit of ground. We also identified several of the wildlife pictures I've taken. There's one particular bird down here that we first heard in Playa Coco and it seems to say "kick your feet". Turns out it's a Kissidee. We've also got an abundance of blue tanagers and hummingbirds flitting around in the yard surrounding the patio. This patio is in a central courtyard and about 15or 20'x40. It's covered and has tables with table cloths that were last washed by the conquistadors but it's a central meeting place for everyone and there's always free coffee out here. We also have use of the kitchen and fridge which is real handy. For the most part (except for the youalls) everyone gets along great and help each other with ideas, translations, and advice. Lisa the Dutch lady has proved to be a great benefit to us and is an accomplished world traveller on a very limited budget. She speaks several languages and helped us this morning by making our reservations in Tortegura.
Rene the manager is a real character and it's hard to pay him. He keeps saying "manana" or "piano" which I'm told means chill out I'll get it when I get it. If he's not quick he won't be getting it as our bus leaves very early tomorrow and he seems to disappear for hours at a time and leaves the desk empty. His son helps him and prefers to tell visiting backpackers that "we're full" which was the case when we got here but our cab driver straightened him out. That's it for now we'll see how Jo makes out when she gets back.
Well Jo and Lisa got back and had a good snorkel seeing lots of fish. We all went out to Miss Ediths for lunch. I settled for a pineapple milkshake which was closer to a sunday with lots of ice cream (the first since I left home. That was my meal for the day as I haven't been a whole lot.
We sat up and talked on the patio for a few hours and then turned in around 8:30. The youalls had gone out but they showed up around midnight and were at it again until Jo banged on the wall so hard I thought she was going to make another door. That seemed to do the trick and we were good for the rest of the night.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28452&l=09de0&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 32 Feb. 9

According to the snorkelling guides it's still not a good day to snorkel so we headed back into the park and just veg'd on the beach. Saw some white crabs, millions of ants going about their business and some howlers. Big surf. Jo went in for a few minutes and I stayed in the shade and dozed. When we decided to come back home I was fried on my head and I'd been in the shade all day!
We stopped at a shop where the famous 90 year old folk singer Walter Ferguson lives. His songs all revolve around life here in Cahuita. Jo and I first heard his music at Playa del Sol and it's part Spanish part English and part Caribb. We bought a cd of his music and left it with the lady in the hopes she would get him to autograph it. We'll pick it up tomorrow and I plan to use it as background music when I compile my pictures onto a dvd.
We made sandwiches for our lunch today which was a nice change. Found some real good heavy wheat bread, some processed ham, cheese, and tomatoes. Had that for supper to and then I hit the sack early as the beach burned me out.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28410&l=0584f&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 31 Feb. 8

We headed of this morning to Manazanilla on a chicken bus it was a pretty bumpy dusty drive for the most part. Manzanilla is a small fishing village and near the end of the road as far as Costa Rica goes. The only stop remaining is Sixaola at the Panamanian border. The village itself is comprised mainly of a town square with a park, beach, Maxi's restaurant and another smaller restaurant. We had a good lunch when we arrived around noon upstairs at Maxi's overlooking the ocean. Our friends who accompanied us headed straight to the beach. Lisa from Holland, a couple of German girls and another fellow from Holland. Lisa was dying to get snorkelling but the weather/water still wasn't condusive. We joined them after lunch and had a layed back beach day until it became time to leave at 5:15. The bus ride here stopped at every little bush to pick up and drop off and it was standing room only for the most part. Coming back it was faster and we made it in an hour but it was still dark when we got here. Hopefully tomorrow will be a snorkelling day.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28409&l=57e54&id=680056043
Al Cotton

Costa Rica day 30 Feb 7

We had our granola and yogurt for breakfast and then headed down the street to the bus station. The bus showed up right on time at 9 a.m. and off we went towards Manzanilla. We got off after about 15 minutes at the botanical gardens which was a short walk from the drop off point. The bus driver advised us when we got close to the "entrada panducci". That spelling is probably all wrong but it means the entrance to the sweet bread I think.
We had read that it opened at 10:00 a.m. but when we got there it said closed on Tues. through Thurs. We waited by the gate until 10 watching the multitude of birds and then Jo got someone's attention. He went and got the owner who asked us to come back tomorrow. We explained we couldn't so he let us in, where he gave us a map of the grounds and the propagation area. The path was about a km. long and most of the trees etc. were well marked. He also told us there are lots of toucans and that to find them you listen for cricketlike sounds coming out of the trees. He also pointed out a poison dart frog right at our feet. We later some many of them. Bright red and about an inch long. We saw all kinds of exotic trees along with fruit, spice and medicinal ones. It was a seed collecting frenzy for a while. We saw star fruit which we've tasted, pepper, vanilla, lime, and pomegranate. Also, on a huge rotting tree we came across three large centipedes. We saw a few toucans but I was only able to get a picture of one which I've zoomed on the computer. Beautiful birds with many colors. We spent three hours there before heading back to the bus stop on the dirt road. This was right across from the beach so it was cool and within site of Puerto Veijho which was just down the road.
I took about 150 pictures plus what Jo took so we downloaded them when we got back. The total number of pics so far is around 3500 which is about 100 a day. For supper we went just across the street. Jo had chicken and rice which was cooked in coconut juice. I had a cheeseburger which was good. The bun wasn't toasted, the hamburger was about the size of a looney and it came with ham which down here is the processed minced stuff you get in the packages. I'd have thought real ham would be abundant down here but haven't seen any yet (or pigs either for that matter).
Jo managed to reach Lance and Maggie tonight. We only got to talk to Maggie and Bella but seems like she still remembers us. It was good to hear their voices. I think we're out of time on the phone card and most of the pay phones down here don't work. We'll pick another card up next time we go to the mercado.
Tomorrow if it's nice we'll go snorkelling. The water is still murky from the rain and high waves of the last couple of days. You have to go with a guide ($) as they don't want you collecting which I can't blame them.
It's 8:10 now and nearly time for lights out. It gets blacker than Toby's ass by 6 pm. Looks like we'll stay here for at least another three days as it's cheaper than Manzanilla so we'll see that by bus and then return here. After that we still may go to Panama by bus as we're very close. There's also a canal that goes North from Limon but it's an overnighter I think. It's supposed to be good for bird and wildlife watching and we had such good luck in Palo Verde it's worth the $.
We got new neighbours yesterday. They're two American girls and a guy. The couple is from Oregon and the girl is from Franklin N.C. They partied all night and kept us awake. A fellow from Spain approached them around 10:30 and asked them to tone it down and that nearly turned into a fistfight. By the time I got out there everyone had disappeared. This place pretty much shuts down by 10 when they turn off the porch lites but these inconsiderate idiots didn't get the picture. They should have gone to La Viejho where the lifestyle is more suitable for them. Rene our mngr/owner talked to them in the morning and looks like things are now in line. (Hopefully)
Well that's it for tonight.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28405&l=328af&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 29 Feb. 6

Well this morning I tried to get on line w/ the mac. The girl in the internet place last night got on for me but this morning nada. I'm doing something wrong and it's extremely frustrating. After breakfast we walked to the Playa Negro just North of here. The surf was up and the beach really is black unlike the one to the South (Playa Blanco). The beach is all sand but fairly narrow and it's lined w/ driftwood and millions of coconuts. If I had a machete we'd be drinking coconut milk. We bought some yogurt and granola last night in the super mercado and had that for breakfast. The yogurt was mixed fruit and quite good. They make an urn of coffee out here on the patio around 6 a.m. each morning so we were good to go.
Tried to call Lance and Maggie last night on the receptionists cell phone but the line was busy. Too bad I don't know how to work this video that's built into the mac. Next time I travel I'll look into skype (I think it's called.)
Jo got to be the designated blood donor last night for the mosquitoes. I escaped unharmed. It just occurred to me I think it's eating bananas that attracts them. I'm sure I read that somewhere. We got rain last night and that brought them on as well. Walking to the beach today you could feel the humidity emanating from the dirt roads. It had to be 100%. I think in future we'll stick to Playa Blanco as the black sand sticks to everything and it's all intertidal so quite damp.
On the way to the beach we passed the local school. All the kids were in the yard getting their lessons under a shade tree. All around them were the adults who were also learning. I was hoping to get a picture but they were gone when we came back.
We had supper at the same place but this time we got a whole plate of the breadfruit. They hadn't salted it so when we asked for sal (salt) it came in a dish and we put it on with our fingers.) It was a downer of a day for me because I'd been counting on being able to get on line all night and then nothing. There is no wireless in town as we've looked. We had kept an eye out for the girl from the previous night but haven't seen her. She's the only one we've seen with a mac.
The toilet paper in this place is on rolls which may be sufficient for one day so it's a constant search for Rene to get more. We finally started using our own.
Well that's it for today
LINK OF THE DAY
Show people this album by sending them this public link:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28377&l=6e708&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 28 Feb. 5

Another great day and good news! The camera is working again. It had been locked into high definition which changed the configuration of the pictures. I guess it just needed to dry out. The other great thing is a lady in the internet room, following Paul's instructions, got the computer working on DSL so now I can update everything. I've been doing the blog as a draft and then copying and pasting.
We had an early breakfast yesterday and got onto the trail in the park by 7:30. We checked in at the interpretation booth, gave a donation of 2,000 colones and off we went. We hadn't gone 200' down the packed sandy trail when we were bombarded with almonds from high above. The monkeys were so glad to see us. Shortly after that we came across a path of green leaf cuttings crossing the trail. At last, the leaf cutting ants. We watched them for several minutes as they carried the pieces of leaves into the nest & got some pictures. This park is more of a leisurely walk than a hike like the other parks we've been in. A high canopy with beautiful ferns and philadendrons. In places where it's muddy there is an elevated walkway. It was while crossing one of these that Jo spotted a green racer snake about 2' long.
The path goes for 8 km to the next village and follows the shoreline so it's shady and cool. We walked a total of about 5 miles there and back saving the last of the trail for another day. Following the path we then came across howler monkeys, white chinned monkeys, coons, and finally a sloth who was scooting up a tree. I got a short video of him and Jo got a good shot although his head was hidden behind some leaves in the canopy. Towards the 4 km mark we were approached by a white chinned monkey standing upright in the middle of the path. I walked up to him and he climbed a small tree while I took pictures. Jo was standing behind me when he came down & walked quite close past my legs. The next thing I knew he was on my back! Scared the hell out of me. I swung around to shake him off and he got down but not before stealing a banana that was one of several we had in a pocket in my pack. The zipper on the pocket was broken and he'd seen them in there. Jo couldn't get a picture of the monkey on my back as it happened so fast we didn't have a chance. Maybe we should have gotten a shot of my shorts! He followed us for a while but I picked up a Tarzan club and he got the idea pretty quick. About halfway along the trail we came upon a park volunteer who had a questionaire to fill out. He wanted to know why we chose to visit the park and I explained that I'd heard monkey meat was quite good when cooked right and that sloth made a good stew. He was French so probaby thought it was some kind of gastronomic delight he hadn't heard of
We stopped part way back for a rest and to enjoy a shady spot on a fallen tree and watched the waves. We'd walked for about 6-7 hours. That's a long way for a guy like me who drives to the bus stop. The legs are really getting into shape and we're eating very well with lots of chicken, fish, veggies, and the best fresh fruit I've ever had. The pineapple and watermelon is incredibly good!
After we got back I downloaded our pics and then went to try the internet again. Our room doesn't have a three way outlet so I can't charge the mac up although I can do the batteries for the camera each night. Glad I have two of them. Well now we've found we can get on line with the laptop and plug it in in a covered dining area just outside our room where there are tables and coffee along with a 3 way plug right next to a table. I'm now in heaven!
For supper last night we walked around and tried a new place about a half a block away. I ordered chicken w/ coconut sauce and Jo had a seafood/rice dish. While waiting the waiter brought over something we'd never seen before for a snack. We both fell in love with it and it turns out it's fried breadfruit! First you peel it and then boil it and then salt it and fry it. I asked for another dish of it but we had eaten the last they had. He assured us they'd have more today so we'll be back.
The restaurant is open to the street as most of them are, but even though the street is dirt the wind was blowing the right way and the traffic is low and quiet unlike some of the villages we've been in where motorbikes w/o mufflers prevail.
It's dark here by 6 and all the locals come out and socialize. The kids are really cute with little pom poms in the girls hair. The locals here are darker than on the Pacific side and are decendants of Caribbean and Jamaican. The town is reasonably clean with the usual homeless dogs present. Lots of people on bicycles and most of them speak English moreso than the Pacific side.
We met a Dutch lady last night who highly recommended the boat ride up the canal through the mangroves to the next village North. Lots of birds, snakes etc. so that's now on our list of things to do. We'll stay overnight up there and then return the next day. We also want to head to Manzanilla just south of here for a few nights and right next to another game preserve. It's a small fishing village which is to our liking as the food is great, few tourists, and very friendly people.
Well my mornings work is now done so we'll head out for breakfast and then hopfully update the facebook.
Maggie and Lance if you read this let us know by email when we can reach you.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28374&l=6c9eb&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 27 Feb. 4

Another fairly early start. After breakfast of a pancake, coffee and juice we headed to the bank as there aren't supposed to be any at Limon. Waited for the bank of Nova Scotia to open and then were told they don't do master card. Checked out and took a cab to a different bus station near the museum which appeared to be an old fort. Great bus station. Much classier than the Coca Cola from yesterday. Traffic with all the busses in San Jose is unreal! We bought tickets for Limon which left in 15 minutes. Another great ride on a Mercedes! We were on the L.H. side so a lot of the pictures were blurred by oncoming tractor trailers but the views were incredible. Worth the $4.00 each just to see that. It was a 3 hour ride up mntns. out of San Jose and into the rain forest. Completely different than the lowland dry forest we had grown used to. Very lush with beautiful flowering trees, huge leafed philadenderons,vines, and something that resembled sea oats that towered over the bus. Drove through what I guess to be a cloud forest and then a tunnel that went right through a mountain! It was very dark in the tunnel and my backpack was next to me in the aisle so I had a firm grip on it. Coming down out of the rainforest it leveled out to fields of pineapples, and bananas as far as you could see. As we approached Limon (on the Caribbean coast) we passed huge yards full of containers and semis waiting to pick up the produce and take it to the ships for export.
As soon as we got off the bus we were approached by Edgar the cab driver. He was quite a salesman but we told him we wanted to eat first in the depot. A great bus terminal! We had bifsteak (that's the way they spell it),rice and beans and a coke. Edgar stayed at our table to avoid us getting away. Good thing as he was the best! He suggested an inexpensive place about 50 km down the road near another game reserve which is what we're here for. Off we went in his old Honda and breakneck speed. The road was quite good as was the toll road we took in the bus to Limon. We followed miles of beautiful beach and banana plantations. All the bunches of bananas were covered with blue plastic bags. Edgar explained this is to keep the mosquitoes off the fruit. We then came to a banana processing factory where he pulled in. We could see the large trucks of green bananas, the sorters, and the wash/debugging facility. From here they went onto a conveyor and then into a truck for export.
The next stop was a fruit stand beside the road where he explained the different kinds of fruit. Breadfruit, small honey bananas, watermelon and coco beans (nuts, whatever you call them but not coconuts) He told us how to eat them and we bought one just to get the seeds to bring home. We next came to a coco tree on the L.H. side of the road. he pulled over and drove down the wrong side (with an oncoming car) and then onto the side to show us the tree complete with seed pods. He picked one and cracked it open on the road. It was filled with a white milky substance which you eat. The seeds can be dried out and ground up into coco. (our next project).
He also pulled over to show us two guys fishing for bait. They used a termite nest, dig out the termites and use them as bait to catch bigger bait. When we got to our destination it was no vacancy but Edgar talked to the guy and here we are. $25/ a night. Nice enough place and about 100 yards to the beach and the entrance to the reserve is only a block away. The book says "lots of sloths, capuchin monkeys, snorkelling on a reef, snakes, etc. " Sounds like heaven to me. I still have leaf cutter ants and a yellow boa on my list.
We picked this place as it has internet but it's DSL and I can't get old Mac to work, so hopefully Paul can talk me through it. If thats the case I can update facebook finally. There's no wireless around here. We checked in, looked for wireless and then headed to the mercado to get a bottle of $10 bacardi and some coke which is now in process. I think we're going to like this place and tomorrow we'll check out the beach and maybe a hike. We figure 3 days here and then 3 days farther South in Manzanilla at the South end of the road. More bugs here but we've got our 99% neat (repellant from hell) and a mosquito net so we'll be in good shape. If that doesn't work we're taking our malaria pills every Thurs.. Any bugs bite me they'll get what they deserve. A lethal dose of Bacardi and deet.
Our stomach turmoils have ceased and we're back to normal on that front (or rear as the case may be). It wasn't the water but our systems getting used to the different bacteria. Thanks to Nic and Doug for their advise. We never had diarreah but just stayed "loose". That's a little different than hanging loose, for you novices. We're in great physical shape now and ready to hike anywhere. It will be nice now to get in some beach/snorkelling time. We're still only eating twice a day and don't miss the extra meal and the "no junk stuff diet". I've never eaten so healthy but you don't know what fruit is until you've tried the stuff down here. The closest I usually come to fresh fruit is wine aged a year.
We're "happy in the jungle" and all is well.
From this coast we'll head back to San Jose and then take a look at Arenal the volcano/cloud forest, hot springs. There is a lot to see and do around here so we may stay longer. There's also a lot to see in San Jose according to Jo so we'll spend a few days there. It's quite a bit higher than the coast and we had a cool night last night with no need for a/c or the fan.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28371&l=41285&id=680056043

Costa Rica Feb. 3

Sunday and we're off. Booked out of our place in Quepos and bought our tickets to San Jose ($5.40 ea. for a 200km trip). The bus left at 12:30 and everyone got a seat. (They were reserved). We keep our backpacks w/ us on the bus and squeeze them in between our legs and the seat in front of us. It's tight but at least secure. Our ride was a 1st class Mercedes bus with a helluva lot of power! We also had Mario Andretti behind the wheel. You don't need to go ziptrekking for a thrill ride. Just get on a bus that's 20 minutes late! We passed everything on the road by twice the speed they were going! There was one accident I saw where a car had gone end over end. We were going too fast to see but it looked very recent as there were people milling about.
The bus trip took 4 hours and dropped us off at the Coca Cola bus stop which is the main terminal in San Jose. It was only a block and a half to the B&B. This place is very secure and you have to ring a doorbell by the gate at the street and someone buzzes you in. They have internet so I may see if I can hook their cable up to my mac. After checking in we walked over near the bus station to inquire about catching the next bus to Limon and found out we need to go to a different terminal by cab.
The scenery from Quepos to here was out of site! We went from sea level and climbed forever up steep winding roads. Cars were pulled over at every wide spot with boiling radiators. These busses live a hard life! There was a 15 minute break about halfway here at a Soda where you could go to the banyo, get a pop and a bite to eat. We stayed with our bags on the bus and had our water, gator aide, and two bananas each along with a granola bar.
Supper last night consisted of 2 cokes, and a loaf of bread and 5 pieces of bbq'd chicken. We brought it back here to eat. The chicken (5 pcs) came to under $3.00 and was great.
We have a huge room with 2 dble beds, a/c,fan,t.v. and private bathroom w/ hot water (most are cold water down here but it's not cold). The temp here is quite a bit cooler and I'd guess in the high 70's so we didn't need the a/c. The only downside to this place is we're in a front room and the street noise is very loud. Something to remember in the future. Seems like everyone in San Jose is glad we're here as they all greet us as they pass by with their horns or if that doesn't work with their Jake brakes (although there's no hill).
Well time to call a cab to get to the bus stn. Next stop the Caribbean side where we're hoping to get some beach and exploring time in. We've got a mask and snorkel and there's a reef there. I also realized that now my camera is on the fritz it's stuck in high definition mode so the pictures are elongated. Hope it doesn't interfere with adding them to facebook. Paul if you read this can the h.d. be converted on the mac to standard format?
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28370&l=68acf&id=680056043
Al & Jo