Another week, another update. One month ago (to the day), we left a damp England and it feels like so much longer - as if working was a distant memory. I think only one day in the month has been below 25 degrees and in general it is in the mid 30's (so obviously the tan is coming on very well).
After a few days in Granada, Nicaragua (which in my opinion is the nicest place we have been so far - lots to see and do and a freshness about the place where the smiles are still warm, the questions honest and the locals aren't bored of travelers and tourists - yet) we took a bus to San Jose in Costa Rica ($10 - absolute bargain). After the problems of the last couple of border crossings, this one was relatively smooth - even though we did have to wait at the border for a couple of hours in order for everyone's bags to be opened. It can't quite be classified as a search as no bags were delved into and my belief was that they just wanted to see how good people were at packing. The scenery through Costa Rica to the capital was very varied from arid dry forests in the north (similar to the bush in Australia, but not quite as deserted as the outback) to lush green rainforests.
On arrival in San Jose, the immediate reaction was to get out as soon as possible - the most densely populated city on the trip so far and extremely westernised (I never realised there were so many American fast food chains that still haven't reached the UK yet). However, the big advantage is that there are things here that can keep me happy - finally have found some good bookshops (after reading 7 books on the trip, i had been desperate to get some more) and the education of people here is by far the best within Central America. This is largely due to huge US investment (obviously in return for votes in parallel with the US in UN cases) throughout the last few decades. It is very strange to think that until relatively recently Costa Rica was not seen as having much to offer in terms of tourism and relied on coffee and bananas as the main source of income.
Over the last few days, we have been taking some tours. Obviously, this is not something that I particularly like to do (as it doesn't fit very well with the phrase 'independent traveler'), but due to the cost implication of trying to do things independently around here, we weren't left too much alternative. On Wednesday, we went to Volcan Arenal and Tabacon Hot Springs. We were picked up from our hotel and taken to another hotel where we transferred to a large coach where me were met by our tour guide, Adonis (seriously, but probably the most inappropriate name for him). We knew we were on a typical tour that we try not to go on straight away when he insisted that everyone in the group introduce themselves. Our first stop off point (obviously) was a tacky souvenir shop. Afterwards, the tour started properly - we went to a town called Zarcero, which had a magnificent plaza with lots of beautifully manicured topiary bushes lining up to a stunning church (the pictures are great, however my technological ability to put them on an e-mail is still not existent). In the afternoon, we continued up to Volcan Arenal - the most active of the 5 active volcanoes of Costa Rica that erupts every night and on a cloudless night presents a very impressive display of lava spitting out and down the side of the volcano. Naturally, our visit there coincided with only our 3rd cloudy day of the trip, so in the afternoon we could only just see the volcano. We ventured from there to the Tabacon Hot Springs, which is a resort on the low slopes of the volcano and through which the springs are heated Lots of pools and waterfalls, which were heated to 40 degrees celsius - very relaxing and just had to kick back for a few hours, but would have got bored if we had been staying there for a few nights (and probably back home in 2 weeks as it was $250 per night) as this was the only thing to do there. Had a beautiful buffet dinner there (6 courses - had to get my money's worth), before going to the lookout point to try and see the lava flows from Arenal. However, our record on volcanoes went to 0-2 (after Volcan Pacaya in Guatemala) , as the cloud cover meant we couldn't see any of the magnificent displays. Apparently, in all the volcano attractions in Costa Rica, there is only a 25% chance of ever seeing them.
Yesterday was another tour and it started off with another visit to a volcano (Poas this time). Thankfully, this time the weather man was on our side and it was a beautiful day. Volcan Poas is an active volcano that hasn't erupted for about 40 years, but has a main crater about a mile wide filled by a turquoise lagoon (due to the sulphuric acid and phosphorous in it). Absolutely stunning and lucky to actually be able to see it (as later in the day, the clouds had made visibility poor). Also on this tour, we went to the largest butterfly sanctuary in the world and visited a nature park with a number of waterfalls and hummingbird gardens. In the afternoon, took a river boat cruise on the Sarapiqui River and saw lots of wildlife - iguanas, howler monkeys, bats and a Cayman. Finally, went to the Braulio Carrillo National Park (where Jurassic Park was filmed) before getting back to San Jose, exhausted. Despite being sceptical about these types of tours - they were really well organised and the guide was extremely knowledgeable. Eco-tourism is very important in Costa Rica (obviously we wasn't too happy when a couple from America thought they knew more than he did about his country's ecosystem because they had 'seen it on the Discovery channel'). Costa Rica would be a perfect holiday destination as there is so much to do, while if sitting by the beach is a preferred option, then there are two choices - Pacific Coast or Caribbean Coast (both can be seen on a clear day from some of the volcanoes).
On Sunday, we will be leaving Costa Rica and taking our first flight in a long time to Cartegena, Columbia. I'm especially looking forward to the main part of our trip (South America) and hopefully will have lots to talk about and won't just be filling these Monday morning updates.
Anyway, time for a few more beers tonight and a nice hangover tomorrow to celebrate the end of a continent.
