Costa Rica--Into the Rainforest and Pura Vida

Since our last trip was more than a year ago, I was suffering from Glenna-travel withdrawal.  She’s in her first job and didn’t have enough time off until the end of the year.  She initially wanted to go to Mexico, but I argued for Costa Rica.  Costa Rica has been on my bucket list for some time, and I convinced her that my bucket was more pressing than her bucket.  So Costa Rica it was.

Catedral of Alajuela

We left on the Saturday before Christmas from Atlanta, arriving at Juan Santamaria airport about 9pm.  Getting through customs, changing money, and getting a taxi to our hotel in Alajuela, Catedral Casa Cornejo, was easy, despite what the guidebooks said (they were wrong on so many points, in my opinion, that maybe I shouldn’t have read them).  We were welcomed by the owner of the little hotel and were soon in our room with a great view of the cathedral across the street.  

Umbrella plant on way to Vulcan Poas

On Sunday we were up early because we wanted to get to Vulcan Poas before the clouds obscured the view.  The only way we could get there and to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and back to Alajuela before our shuttle left for La Fortuna was to hire a car and driver.  Few of the drivers we had on the trip spoke English, so Glenna gave her Spanish a good work out.  She did so well; I could tell because their faces always lit up when they realized she could talk to them.  The ride to the volcano was bumpy, and the walk up to the rim was cold and windy.  But the drive (lots of coffee plantations and cute small towns) and the sight were worth it.  Between the fumes coming out of the fumeroles constantly and clouds that move in and out, it’s hard to get a view of the lagoon down in the crater.  We got a few glimpses and also had fun photographing all the flora along the path coming and going.

Poas lagoon visible for a few seconds

Sun-tipped flowers on Poas rim

Then it was on to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a wonderful place in the middle of nowhere, as the hotel owner said.  From the entrance you walk along a path downward through enclosures for various animals and farther down to the five waterfalls.  Thankfully, a shuttle brings you back up.  I had gotten Glenna a wonderful camera for Christmas, and she put it to good use.  (You can see her pictures of the trip from my Facebook page if you just click on her name on one of her posts and page down to the album Colors of Costa Rica.)  Our first animal sighting was a coati right at the entrance.

Coati munching on La Paz entrance porch

Glenna with finger ready

Next was the butterfly enclosure,

Gorgeous blue morpho (GB photo) 

Butterfly extracting the nectar (GB photo)

the bird enclosure,

Red macaw on fence (GB photo)

Pretty multi-colored parrot (GB photo)

the insect exhibit (dead, thank goodness—they were enormous), the hummingbird enclosure,

Hummingbird drinking (GB photo)

Camera stopped the flutter of the wings!  (GB photo)

and the frog building.  We spent plenty of time at each one as Glenna took hundreds of pictures.

Frog hiding on leaf (GB photo)

We skipped the monkeys, big cats, and snakes and continued down to the waterfalls.  Along the way they had a team of oxen hooked to an oxcart (the symbol of Costa Rica) just for the tourists.  This exploitation irritated Glenna, but I enjoyed seeing the cart up close.  La Paz is in a rain forest, so the grounds are beautiful.

Detail of ox cart (GB photo)

Long waterfall (GB photo)

Sun-dappled foliage at waterfall (GB photo)

We had to hurry back to Alajuela to get our bags and have some lunch (delicious rosti pollo--roasted chicken) before getting in the first of three shuttles we took from place to place.  I had considered driving and was dissuaded by the horror stories I read.  Afterward, I decided that we could easily have done it though it wouldn’t have been fun driving up and down the mountains on constant hairpin turns and on some very bumpy unpaved roads.  But the shuttles for $49 per person were great—and they pick up and drop off at your hotel!

Our hotel, Villas Eco Arenal, was a wonderful place a mile out of La Fortuna with beautiful grounds which Glenna photographed for the next three days, especially first thing in the morning.  After settling into our cabin, we set off for town to decide what activities to undertake.  The down side of not having a car there was that we had to take taxis everywhere (at Manuel Antonio there was a local bus) which my public-transport-loving self rebelled against.  We ate in our first soda (family-run place serving “typico” food).  We had beans, rice, beef dish, and salad.  Tasted great.  I was afraid the whole trip would be beans and rice and was surprised to find that it wasn’t. 

In the night I was awakened and kept awake by what I thought was a dog howling.  Later in the day, Monday, I realized that it had been a howler monkey whose howls, marking his territory, can be heard for a couple of miles.  Breakfasts there were great; they made the best scrambled eggs to which we added hot sauce.  And I loved having pineapple every morning.

Our first adventure of the day was a hike through Arenal Hanging Bridges.  You’re in the rain forest in the canopy walking along waffle-brick paths, across fixed bridges and long hanging bridges.  The terrain was very up-hill, so it was a challenge at times for me.  Our first animal of the day was a beautiful macaw right at the entrance which stood on the fence while everyone snapped his picture with Vulcan Arenal in the background.

Spectacular picture of macaw with Vulcan Arenal behind (GB photo)

This volcano is still active and extremely hot—even lichen which can take incredibly hot temps cannot grow on it and the river flowing nearby is more than 100 degrees—so you can’t climb up it but rather have to be content with views of it from various perspectives.    

One surprise to me was how green the rain forest is, that is, there is very little other color.  I guess there isn’t enough sun or nutrients for many flowers to break through. You just didn’t see dirt in Costa Rica.  Every inch of land not covered by a man-made structure was overflowing with greenery.

Small-leaf plant growing on the rock

Waffle-brick path through the forest

 

Many trees had above-ground roots

Glenna on hanging bridge

Rare empty hanging bridge (GB photo)

I just liked this ribbed leaf

I saw my two favorite animal sightings in this area.  The first was a howler monkey balancing on the cable of the hanging bridge and staying around for many pictures.  Howlers usually travel in packs, so this one was likely a male who had been ousted from the group by a more powerful male.  

Howler monkey on cable (GB photo)

Another view--and he was howling (GB photo)

The second was adorable—whole armies of leaf cutter ants each carrying a piece of leaf on his back totally obscuring him, marching just behind the one ahead of him.

Marching leaf-cutter ants

Close-up of leaf-cutter ants and their leaf pieces (GB photo)

We had the most interesting lunch in their café.  We each had a rice dish which had vegetables or meat or whatever you had ordered sprinkled throughout (rather like fried rice).  But it was in the shape of a volcano.  Tasted really good with the salad and plantains. 

Back to the hotel for only a bit before we embarked on our next adventure, a guided sunset tour through a different part of the area.  We started off with great views of Vulcan Arenal and then headed into the rain forest.

Good view of west side of Vulcan Arenal

The guide gave us so much great information about the flora and fauna as well as the last eruption of Arenal in 1968 which destroyed two villages and killed quite a few people.  The eruption was only down the western side, so the people on the eastern side renamed their town La Fortuna, the fortunate.   An interesting fact about the flora is that most of the plants in the rain forest live off other plants and never put roots in the ground.  In particular, bromeliads, which includes orchids, were everywhere growing right out of the trees.  On this hike we saw monkeys, various birds, anthills, and a huge termite home on the side of a tree.

I just liked this huge dead leaf

Huge termite home on tree

Orchids on tree at our hotel but they were everywhere

As we were finishing dinner in town we saw a very loud parade going down the main street, consisting of several drum and bells bands, I guess for Christmas.  The town was full of locals enjoying the lights, the fireworks, and the spectacle.  We really didn’t see too much Christmas decoration anywhere though.  One local told us that the big event is that the whole family gets together on Christmas day and has a big meal with special foods like tamales.  

On Tuesday we were off on a bus trip to Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge.  We took a 3-hour boat trip on the Rio Frio (cold river).  Again, the guide was great, giving us lots of information.  It was on this trip that we saw the most wildlife.  We saw huge iguanas and a 3-toed sloth (Joke from the guide:  We have three kinds of sloths in Costa Rica, 2-toed which are brown, 3-toed which are gray, and 5-toed which work for the government!) in trees on the bus ride.

Fat and happy iguana in the tree

Two iguanas facing each other

Sloth high up in the tree (GB photo)

Tiny long-nosed bats hiding on tree (GB photo)

On the river we saw a howler monkey, spider monkeys, herons, a tropical cormorant, tiny long-nosed bats, two caiman, a blue morpho butterfly, an anhinga (snake-bird), a great egret, a Jesus Christ lizard, cattle egrets, a black-collared hawk, and white-faced monkeys on the riverside.  We learned that sloths have very slow digestion and stay up in the canopy for a week before coming down to do their business.  They have a short pointy tail which they use to dig a hole to poop into and then cover so their enemies won’t know they are around.  On the trip back down the river, we had a bit of rain, the only time that happened on the trip.

Anhinga (snake-bird) spreading its wings (GB photo)

Caiman hiding among the branches

Beautiful herons in flight (GB photo)

Great egret on branch

Glenna and Betty on boat

Black-collared hawk at top of tree

Spider monkey swinging through the branches (GB photo)

White-faced monkey getting pretty close

Our boat for the ride on Rio Frio

Heliconia on the grounds of Villas Eco Arenal

Wednesday, Christmas morning, we exchanged our last presents (we had done all the rest in Savannah), had the usual good breakfast, and walked around our place for a good while trying to get good pictures of the beautiful but elusive red-breasted blackbird.

Bright red amidst the green

Great kiskadee, also beautiful (GB photo)

The elusive red-breasted blackbird (GB photo)

Big bunch of bananas (GB photo)

Gorgeous bamboo orchid--and bug (GB photo)

One of the natural falls at Tabacon

The rest of the day and evening were spent at Tabacon Hot Springs Resort, a spectacular place of falls and pools and flora.  The spa is built on the ruins of one of the towns destroyed by Arenal; all five springs are from the volcano and are naturally heated by it.  We went in and out of the pools, read and relaxed on the canopied lounges, had lunch and drinks at the bar and a Mediterranean dinner in the restaurant—and took lots of pictures.  What a day—our treat to ourselves for Christmas.

Resort with Arenal in background

Canopied sofas for relaxing

Gorgeous hydrangea visited by bug (GB photo)

Just one view of the lush grounds

I just loved this aluminum plant and wondered if it could grow in South Carolina

Me in my pool attire

An armadillo so intent on eating that he didn't notice us (GB photo)

Shampoo ginger flower I thought was so pretty

Thursday we were off to Manuel Antonio on another shuttle—back across the mountains and then down the coast.  Our hotel here, Villas El Parque, took up several buildings and was situated on a hill, so there were plenty of ups and downs for me.  The room had an enclosed bedroom and a sitting room open to the elements with a beautiful view to the Pacific.

View of the Pacific from our sitting room/porch

Our porch

Looking down to the street

Lovely flower outside the hotel office

Playa Espadilla in late afternoon

It was already late afternoon, so we took the bus down to Playa Espadilla, the beach, for sunset.  Glenna is absolutely crazy about sunsets; she surely has thousands of pictures of them by now.  Dinner that night was delicious, my favorite of the trip—jumbo grilled shrimp with garlic butter, Cajun yellowfin tuna, grilled mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and strawberry margarita.

Sun coming down over the water

Pelican and rock in silhouette

Our best sloth picture--a big ball of fur (GB photo)

White-faced monkeys surveying the crowd

On Friday we started off the day with a hike through Manuel Antonio National Park.  This was the one place where we were underwhelmed by our guide.  He gave us some information but we were disappointed at not seeing too much wildlife.  And this is the place that advertises that you will see sloths.  We did see one up pretty close sleeping in a tree, but we never saw one in the pose you always see in pictures, hanging upside down by their toes.  We did see a huge grasshopper, bats, a beetle,and a raccoon family.  The most fun was a whole family of white-faced monkeys who stayed very close to the crowd at Playa Manuel Antonio.

They got really close

Playa Manuel Antonio, billed as one of the best in the country

Fruit truck in Quepos

At the end of the tour we stayed at the beach which is advertised as one of the best in Costa Rica, and it was nice—white sand though very hot and lovely warm water.  After going out of the park the back way, we had a great lunch on the beach and just enjoyed sitting there in the breeze.  Back at the hotel we went in the pool since we were already wet.  Later we took the bus to Quepos, the nearest town, to get a few things we needed and just to see it.  It wasn’t much, but we did get good sunset pictures!

Sunset over the Pacific in Quepos

Glenna in a rare moment--no camera in hand

Saturday was the day for zip-lining, something that has been on my bucket list for some time.  I was a little apprehensive but determined to do it.  Glenna was only doing it because I wanted to, but she really enjoyed it.  You can’t take pictures, so we have none of that part of the trip unfortunately.  We were taken to a private reserve where we got our harness, very thick gloves, helmet, and instructions for how to zip and stop along the 10 ziplines and how to maneuver if we started turning.  I was surprised how little the harness covers.  There is one strap across your back and one behind your legs.

These small squirrel monkeys were all around

Then it was a climb up into the canopy for the first line.  Weak hand on your hook-up in front of you, strong hand behind your back around the zipline cable, lean back, cross your legs and go.  Stop by simply pressing down on the cable.  It was fun!  And not at all scary.  Before starting on a very long line, the guide told us to look around.  It was easy just to focus on the next platform so that you would know when to brake.  The guides were fabulous, skilled and incredibly patient--with me especially.  It was hard for me to jump up high enough for them to get me hooked each time.  And once when I was probably very red, they tore off my helmet and gloves and had me drink water and rest a bit.  It was from the climbing, I knew, but I really appreciated their care.   At the end we were treated to juicy pineapple, mango juice and wafer bars.  And then a whole bunch of squirrel monkeys showed up.  Now we had seen all four kinds of monkeys in Costa Rica.

One last sunset over the Pacific

This was my favorite activity of the trip.  The company was Titi Canopy Tours, and I would recommend them to anyone.  After a delicious lunch at Agua Azul, right by our hotel on the main road, we went back to Playa Espadilla.  This time we got chairs and an umbrella.  It was already 4:00 when we got there and sun down is about 5:30, so you can guess what Glenna did there.

Sunday we were off to San Jose.  Thank goodness we didn’t have to go through the mountains again, so the trip didn’t take too long.  Our hotel, Hotel Fleur de Lys, was very centrally located though right by railroad tracks (the whistle woke me up the next morning at 5:15).  We were soon off for a walk around town.  The main part of San Jose is not very big, so we could walk everywhere.   Since it was Sunday, much was closed which made the town seem a bit dreary.  It’s not very pretty anyway since many old buildings were destroyed some time back in an earthquake.  We pretty much covered the town that afternoon, walking by the main parks and squares and attractions (museums, theater, cathedral).

Colorful graffiti murals

Detail of small building with beautiful tiles

Templo de la Musica

Ceiling of Templo at Parque Morazin

Teatro Nacional, considered their most beautiful building

Monday was our day for shopping.  We had reserved this last day for that fun activity.  We did some more sightseeing first, passing by many of the old houses that weren’t destroyed in the earthquake as well as a number of murals depicting country life on the sides of buildings.

Probably the oldest house we saw

Old home converted into a hotel

Our favorite old house (GB photo)

Mural depicting a wedding

Mural depicting the market

Just a colorful street

Another nice building--Correos (post office)

I just liked these heat vents in the plaza

Pretty colones (GB photo)

We visited a very interesting fair trade shop run by an American who sells indigenous and rural craft items.  I got a colorful bird which actually is native to Nicaragua.  In the midst of the walking and shopping we stopped at the Gran Hotel for fried squid and passion fruit juice (a passion which I developed in Southeast Asia!).  Other than the bird and some leggings and shoes for Glenna, we bought our items at a great market a block from our hotel.  We had lots of fun picking out wooden items, coffee, jewelry, a cute wooden coffeemaker, a fabric piece for framing, and a colorful little oxcart.  That evening we had a very good meal at an Argentine restaurant and after packed our bags.  

Tuesday was our day to return.  We left early and the trip is only four hours long, so the also four-hour trip from Atlanta back to Savannah was accomplished in daylight.  That night was New Year’s Eve.  I spent it in Savannah by myself (as most others), and Glenna spent it with her boyfriend in Columbia.  By the way, if you are traveling abroad and just really need to text someone back home, you can do it free by using the app WhatsApp.


A few last comments about our trip:  The Costa Rican people were great—helpful, pleasant, industrious.  I never once saw an argument or even a raised voice.  Pura vida (literally pure life) is their all-purpose expression, and they really live it.  The country is a good place for a family vacation; we saw lots of them.  One downside might be that it is fairly Americanized; they know who their audience is.  Dollars are acceptable everywhere though it’s more fun to use colones.

Don’t believe half of what the guidebooks say.  I already mentioned road conditions.  They also mentioned rampant pickpocketing of which we saw none.  I guess my only regret is that we didn’t get to see more sloths.  Otherwise, it was a great vacation.