Arrival
1/26, Friday. Got a ride from hotel to SFO from my coworkers and their dog, to catch my flight to Central America.
Sat in the plane for a little over an hour, before my Avianca taxied to the runway. Thus only 30 min for my connection. Even though the plane is only about 2/3 full, it took me awhile to deplane (cheap tickets are often at the back of the plane). I have almost no luggage, so it's easy and I don't have to worry about my bag being transfered correctly. Many passengers were in the same tight shoe, so Avianca held the connecting planes. The security check at SAN (San Salvador) is in front of each gate.
I wasn't issued a boarding pass for my 2nd leg when I checked in at SFO, the gate agent here found my name and issued one. I sat more front this time, comfier seat. Still, no drink or food.
Arrived in SJO at 11:10pm. Customs only asked which hotel I'd be staying and for how long. Didn't ask for proof of onward journey. No place to sit at all in the airport arrival area. As soon as cleared customs, we were out on the street and not allowed to reenter. The ATM at the baggage area doesn't like my debit card.
Many taxis outside trying to pick up customers. The fare is $30. One of them is willing to go for $25. I called an Uber (had to sneak back in the arrival area to use the free WiFi). However, I didn't know that they are only allowed on the 2nd level (departure). Took 2 tries to get on one (asked some random person for help). Very nice driver. He asked me where I'd be visiting. He's from San Carlos. He said, if I missed the one direct bus from San Jose to La Fortuna, I could find many from San Carlos. The cost of my ride is about $12-13.
Arrived at the hotel at midnight. Rang the bell to go upstairs. Registration. Hearing the sound, M.Y. (one of my Seattle hiking friends who's on his long Latin America journey since Jan 1st) came out of our room. The hotel is cheap in every way, but this room has 3 beds. The location is logistically convenient.
1/27, Day 2. Saturday. Up before 7am. We headed out a little after 8. The hotel wanted move us to another room. So we had to pack up. M.Y. went to catch a weekend only (9:30am from Alajuera, return at 2pm) bus to Poas Volcano National Park. I went to check out the town of San Jose.
I walked ~1 mile west to La Sabana Park. Lots of trees for shade.
But the lake has very little water. Saw some joggers.
Saw a northern Jacana, very pleased to have IDed the bird.
Then, went to building marked Microsoft.
Shopping on ground floor.
A bank ATM. Its fee is C4500 (~$9). Canceled the transaction.
Visited museum of Costa Rican arts at the east edge of the park.
A former airport building.
All new arts. Many on some carnival skeleton masks and procession.
The one thing may worth seeing is the Golden Room.
Bronze? Relief (by Louis Féron) all around the room depicting Costarican history. Took me 20 minutes.
On my way back, I stopped at the ATMs out of Banco Costa Rica. My card was eaten. The next customer helped me looking for the phone number to call. Went back to my hotel (half way to downtown). The receptionist called the bank's 24hr emergency line. No one answered. I also messaged the bank's Whatsapp #. All bots, gave me a list of options. No one answered the phone or monitors its Whatsapp. I called my bank. Charles Schwab said they can FedEx me another card to my hotel, but cannot promise how long. Put a temporary block on the card. I called my hotel a week in the future. I was told Nicaragua may hold IDs at the customs, and I may have to go to Managua to pick it up.
Despondent. I packed a small bag for the night (staying in Quepos tonight) with a bit of US$ cash and went east to downtown.
It's disappointing. The only pretty buildings are the post office and the theatre.
Even the main square and the cathedral are newer.
The National Museum of Costa Rica is in a brand new building painted yellow in a concrete plaza.
I didn't bother to visit it.
Stopped at an open bank, changed $30.
Arrived at Tracopa bus terminal shortly before 1pm. Cash only.
C4400 ($8.8, you can pay with US$) to Quepos. But the 13:15 bus was full. So I had to go on the next bus at 14:30.
It started boarding ~15 min ahead. Assigned seat. AC.
The road is mostly one lane, so sometimes slow.
Highway has no shoulders, the pavement drops on the sides abruptly.
Some minor mountain roads.
This bus took a long baño break at a restaurant at the outskirt of Lagunillas.
Sunset near Jaco. Not bad.
Grateful for the AC at Wide Mouth Frog hostel (I had to ask for the remote).
There's a standing fan in the room.
Our room has 2 bunk beds, shared bath.
Nice hostel. A pool. Hammocks. Lines to hang wet clothes.
Large kitchen, 2 fridges. Hot tea & coffee 24 hrs.
Good toilet paper.
I reported that the WiFi didn't work, and then went to the local Pali (closes at 8pm).
Bought a can of beer, milk, a papaya.
Too hot, I had no appetite. Finished the beer while walking 2 blocks back to the hostel.
M.Y. arrived ~9pm. Faster than my bus.
A high school group singing happy birthday till pretty late.
Wifi was fixed.
Manuel Antonio National Park
1/28, day 3. Sunday. Up early. Cut my papaya to share. Tried to finish my snack (no food allowed in the park). Handed key, AC remote, towels to Jose at the gate.
~6:30, got on a bus to Manuel Antonio National Park (end of the line). C385 (colons only).
Walked through a back alley, lined up in front of the park gate which opens at 7:00 daily.
M.Y. and I both reserved the 7am ticket online (~$18) a few days ahead.
They search your bag (not thoroughly, M.Y. got some snacks in): no food, no single use plastic bottle, no alcohol, no cigarette.
The online ticket's barcode was scanned. No ID check.
Even though we were walking in the shade mostly, and it was early, I started sweat quickly. Very humid here.
Saw 2 toucans + 1 sloth on the same big tree on the main road. My monocular came in handy.
The trail is all elevated boardwalk.
The waterfall is a waste of time. We saw a deer there.
We walked the sloth trail, didn't see a single sloth.
Walked up to the mirador. View is semi obscured by trees. On the way, saw a family of monkeys, playing around in the trees above the board walk.
Continued down to the 2nd viewpoint. So-so. Less obstructed by trees. A small opening.
Back the same way.
Walked towards Playa Escondido (photos later).
Just above Playa Gemelas, the trail was blocked with colored tape.
Of course we went over. More debris on the wooden path.
Saw a guy with a tripod heading out.
A few planks were missing or broken.
Just hold on to the railing, and tread carefully.
Then another blockage ribben with a bigger gap between the boards.
Easy scramble to get to the other side.
Continued on.
Just above the stairs down to the beach, a family of monkeys were hanging out on the trail.
Passed next to them, so close (see M.Y.'s phone, wrt one monkey).
The ladder going down to the beach is very steep. M.Y. decided to stop there.
I climbed down and it was safe. He followed.
Nice beach.
Took a short break, and up the stairs.
The monkeys are now threatening us. One scratched my shoulder, as I passed by him.
When I was 20m above them, I heard cry from MY. He was holding his hat in front of his face, squeaking like a victim.
Turns out he just was just hit by one monkey. No damage.
No more monkeys all the way back to the legal side.
This is our highlight of the park.
Took a longer break at Playa Gemelas.
Saw a bunch of iguanas, one at a time. 2 vultures. They flew away together.
A little hermit crab running across the beach.
Now back to the main road, fenced cafeteria, restroom. Saw a giant beetle.
A lot of people, their guides with big binoculars on tripods.
Walked to the beachs.
In the middle, there's this 3 story lookout tower.
It's not high enough to see over the trees. Not sure why it was built.
Pretty beaches: wide and long. Monkeys.
We settled on the north side.
Swimmed a bit. A breeze. Not too hot in the shade.
Another bathroom/shower near the gate. Took the same bus back to Quepos. Bought tickets for the next bus home. Only 3pm. The earlier buses were all sold out. Walked to Pali, bought another beer, a pack of refried beans. MY bought a big sponge cake, a watermelon to share. We hung out in the hostel's big kitchen. Ate the watermelon and the leftover papaya.
An accident on the road. Rained. Our bus arrived back in San Jose past 9pm. Cold on the bus.
La Fortuna
1/29. Day 4. Monday. MY left earlier to catch the 8:40 bus to La Fortuna (only one direct bus per day). I went to the bank at 9 when it opens. People were lining up at the door. Security scan you and check your bags. The bank clerk wasn't surprised at my problem. He took my passport and wrote down something and handed back my card.
Back to the hotel, called my bank to unblock the card. Checked out. Walked to terminal 7-10 for San Carlos. No ticket booth. Was told to line up behind a long line. Didn't get on a bus until ~10:30, to Quesada. c2900. Chatted with the guy in front and the lady behind. Pay the driver. Bad traffic getting out of San Jose.
~13:45 Quesada's terminal, I was told to stand at one particular line. No indication where this line is for. Seems everyone here knows. c1700 to La Futuna. $1 more than the direct bus. AC. It's raining, so not too hot. 3 people standing. The bus still stops to pick up more passengers. Took 1.5 hrs.
My bus arrived in La Fortuna a little after 4pm. I should be able to get on an EasyHop shuttle, but no one had heard of it, let alone where to wait for the shuttle. So I walked almost 6km up to Arenal Waterfall Lodge, on the way, talked to a bunch of tour operators. I was specifically interested in getting a tour of Rio Celeste and may be dropped off at the park entrance where I could maybe walk or hitch a ride to Bijagua, where MY has made a 2 night reservation.
I arrived at the hotel dripping with sweat, even though it wasn't hot today, and the sun was going down. Humidity was high.
I was asked to pick a breakfast time, 7, 8 or 9.
The hotel looks rather nice, at least at night.
Very few guests, I only saw one family (with children).
My room is large and proper, with AC. Finally not some cheap lodging which MY is willing to pay.
1/30. Day 5. Tuesday. Overcast. I went for the earliest breakfast time (7am). Not bad. Not a lot.
Cascada La Fortuna. I was there at ~7:30am. The door opens at 7. So there were already a few tourists.
Definitely not worth the $20 admission. Just one waterfall, not particularly tall. It's pretty enough.
A long walk down to the bottom (rumored 500 steps), with benches along the way for you to rest.
Near the entrance is all the amenites (restroom, gift shop, ...).
A short trail making a detour through some orchids with signed Latin names before joining the main stair way down to the waterfall.
I took some pictures on my way back. Saw this very cool spider.
Back in the hotel, packed up my luggage, left at the reception.
Next, I hiked up to Cerro Chato.
The trail starts behind the Waterfall Lodge. There I got a wrist band.
The trail is normal at the begining, almost like a road.
Starting from here (pretty soon) it gets very rough (similar to Tuck and Robin).
Muddy now, due to recent rain and heavily eroded track.
Not many people here.
I met a Peruvian girl earlier on, who turned around at a sign the end of "maintained trail".
When she saw me going past the sign, she decided to follow me.
However, after waiting for her at multiple places to direct her, I lost patience. Just went up alone.
Near the top, a yellow dog stayed with me for hours, as I explorered a possible side "track" in order to get a better view.
Very overgrown.
There's a crater lake, decent size, nice green color.
The track going down to the lake is equally terrible, if not worse. I didn't bother.
Met 1 guided group leaving, as I was nearing the top.
On my way down, met 3 groups of 1 girl, 1 boy, 1 couple coming up.
I looked filthy when I returned to the hotel to picked up my bag. Bought a one way ticket on EasyHop website.
Walked to La Fortuna waterfall entrance to wait for the shuttle.
Quite a few were waiting here. A small white van arrived and took us downtown.
He actually dropped me off at the hotel. So I still don't know where the downtown pickup is for EasyHop.
Checked into San Bosco Inn at the city center.
Walked around the small town. Quite nice. Bought some food. More importantly, bought two tour tickets at Seven Tours' office.
The Caňo Negro ticket, I had to pay cash (in US$ only) for a $5 discount.
I forgot the price, around $75.
Without a car, getting to Caňo Negro is a problem. Besides, need a guide for animal viewing.
Back to hotel. Messaged M.Y. who's staying at Rio Dante that I would stay put in La Fortuna, instead of joining him at Bijagua. Tried to extend my stay at San Bosco, but no availability. So just booked Rio Dante for the next 2 days. I really like San Bosco Inn. Good sized room. AC. A courtyard with parking and a secured entrance.
1/31. Day 6. Wednesday. Overcast.
Breakfast buffet in the hotel. Plentiful and starts early.
I went to eat early, and the restaurant was rather empty.
Tour - Rio Celeste. 7:40 pick up.
I was the last picked up. About 10 tourists. On the way, our tire blew up. One tourist crawled down and put on the spare.
On the drive, Brian, our guide, pointed out fields of pineapple, black bean, casava, cacao. Starfruit tree. Breadfruit tree with 3 fruits in a bunch. Locally eaten with coffee, fried. He speaks good English, carries a good-size monoscope with a tripod.
First, we stopped at the gate of Tenorio Volcano National Park for tickets and bathroom.
As soon as we walked in, our guide pointed to this Eyelash Pit Viper.
It's tiny (as thick as your finger) and hiding behind leaves. If Brian didn't know where the snake was, there's no way we'd see it.
Jicaro Danto tree. Apparently named for danta (tapir) who likes to eat those banana-like fruit.
This national park is known for the volcano (too cloudy to see today) and the blue water of Rio Celeste.
Very popular. Many groups.
Despite of the rain during the last few days, the water still has a beautiful blue.
There's also an underground spring bubbling into the river, a short swing bridge across the blue creek.
At this junction of Río Buenavista and Quebrada Agria, you can see where the water turns blue.
According to this display, aluminosilicate in Rio Buenavista hit the acidity of Quebrada Agria, causing it to increase from 184nm to 570nm, a size perfect to reflect blue light.
Brian didn't bother to accompany us walking the stairs down to the waterfall. It's fairly short, but pretty.
However, tons of people. The rocks stairs were wet, so be careful.
Next, we stopped at this Peace Tree, a huge Kapok tree.
Lunch at restaurant La Jarra Katina. Guanabana drink. Already 1:50pm.
Outside, Brian pointed out a tree with Icecream bean fruit (called guava locally).
After lunch, Brian dropped some of us at river front behind the restaurant. He then drove to the next town to fix the tire. Some followed him into the town.
You can swim here. Water is light blue. Very clear and cool. Some mosquitoes.
Monkey Ladder's long stems, we poked under large trees to look for frogs, as instructed by Brian. But didn't find any green ones. Only small brown toads.
There's a small trail, uninteresting. I got bored, and not wanting to feed the mosquitoes.
Started walking back to the restaurant. On the way, met Brian's van.
Back in La Fortuna. I asked to be dropped off at the Volcano Lodge, on the way to a hotel behind where another couple stayed.
San Bosco Inn provides a wristband so I can use the hot spring here, its sister hotel.
This hotel occupies a large ground, manicured, turkey and peacocks were hanging out in the garden.
Lot of pools of different temperature.
I went to a warmer set of pools. Raining hard.
Chatted with mother and daughter pair in Spanish (didn't go very far). They also stayed at San Bosco Inn.
I was hoping to catch a ride back.
However, I got really bored, and walked back in the rain.
On the road, caught a taxi. It's about 7.5Km.
Picked up my bag from San Bosco Inn, and walked to Rio Danto Hostel. No shoes indoors. Slippers okay. A lady sat next to me and changed her boots. Her shoes stank to high heaven. She folded her dirty socks and stuffed them back into the boots. OMG.
2/1. Day 7. Thursday. No rain. Tour - Caño Negro
~8:30am, I was picked up. Good, I'm the last person. A 2 hour drive north. On the way, we were pointed to sugar cane fields, factory in Boca Arenal, yuca fields (the young leaves look like Marijuana). A lot of pineapple farms. With the help of chemicals, they can ripe in 9 months. Otherwise, takes double time. At ~9:15, at the request of some clients, we stopped at a small store for a bio-break. Right outside, saw a yellow toucan. The guide set up a large scope. We take turns of taking photos with our phone lens behind the scope.
We also made a short stop by the road. A river next to the road has some Roseate Spoonbill.
Waited at El Caiman Restaurant at Caiman Bridge for the 2nd van.
Watermelon and papaya, coffee and tea. Washroom.
Blue Mangrove Sawllow darting around outside.
Anhinga in the river (Rio Frio), Purple Gallinule on the shore.
The two groups of us boarded the same boat, slowly moving on Rio Frio. Our guide was pointing at this and that.
The special one today is this howler monkey, a rare mutation of golden color. He even has acquired a name: Cesar.
Another interesting one is a Jesus Lizard.
It's crucial to have a guide on these wildlife outings.
Many small birds that I was unable to capture on my phone, like American Pigmy Kingfisher, yellow Bananaquit, capuchin monkeys chasing each other.
Saw caimen, turtle, bats, small blue heron, flocks of white ibis on tree, egrets standing on shore, a male iguana fully decked for prime mating season
Back at the restaurant for lunch.
It's the 40th anniversary of Canada couple.
There are 2 English couples. 2 ladies from Idaho. 1 couple from Seattle.
After lunch, we stopped at a cacao farm owned by this tour company.
There are tools to make molasses, as well as distilled hard liquer from cane.
We tasted both. The liquer is strong.
You can buy cacao products here.
Back in town, went to the bus station to inquire about the bus to Upala. Exchanged C back to US$. Prepared to leave the country.
Going to Nicaragua
2/2. Day 8. Friday. Couldn't find my glasses. Walked to San Bosco Inn. They don't have mine. Left my Whatsapp number.
Uber to El Tanque road crossing. ~$7 (higher than normal).
A lot of young tourists already waiting for the northbound bus.
One girl has been on the road for 3 months already). She's only 18!
The so-called 7am bus arrived ~7:40!
C4500. I gave him C4000+$1.
Only ~5 minutes north at a one way bridge, we were stuck behind traffic.
Was able to get off the bus to take a photo of Volcan Arenal, first and only time I saw the summit.
The driver sells snacks for c350. He has a lot of snacks.
Arrived ~9:40 in Upala. Saw MY at the station. I went to Maxi Pali next door to use up my coins: small banana c45, mandarin c100. Bought 2 each. Washed in their baño. Ate on the bus.
10am departure for Peňa Blancas. Accident on the way. By now, it was sunny.
More mountain scenery along the way. This is Volcan Orosi.
2:10pm arrived in front of the immigration building. A lot of money exchangers came to the bus.
I already paid US$8 exit tax online. Got my stamp quickly. MY had to pay at a machine there. Only 1 machine.
Walking over the border to Nicaragua. Hot!
This is my week in Costa Rica. Nice, but nothing is a must-see.
