After almost a month at the beach, I am in the cloud forests of San
Gerardo de Dota, in the south of Costa Rica, having sought refuge from the very
busy Santa Semana (Easter week). San Gerardo de Dota is sometimes called “the Monteverde of 20 years
ago” and I think that is a perfect description. As much as I enjoyed
Monteverde, it is a tourist mecca; here, at least, although it is still a
tourist destination, there are less foreigners and I am staying in a lodge in primary
and secondary forest, rather than a town.
The San Gerardo de Dota area is only 80 kilometres from Costa Rica’s
capital of San José, a bus ride of about two hours. When I left San José, I first
continued one hour past San Gerardo de Dota to experience El Cerro de Los
Muertes (The Hill of Death.) I had thought the name referred to the road being
dangerous, but in fact it was the lack of the road that was the fatal factor –
prior to the road’s construction, people trying to cross the mountains died of
starvation and cold.
I stayed one night in the city of San Isidro, and returned the next day
to San Gerardo de Dota. The scenery is beautiful, when not obscured by cloud –
well, it is a cloud forest!
Being Santa Semana, I had pre-booked my cabin and headed south from San
José to the mountains, away from the beaches that are the most popular
destinations at this time of year. Getting here was a complicated process – but
eventually I made it to the correct bus terminal. The bus ride itself was
lovely – great views and although it is only about 130 kilometres from San José
to San Isidro, it takes about three hours. San Isidro is a pleasant enough city,
but I was happy to relocate to the mountains themselves.
I am staying at the Trogon Lodge, a very
comfortable and welcoming place, situated on the Savegre River, nestled within
the mountains. It is a self-contained resort, with cabins, a restaurant, a bar,
book exchange and excellent staff. They offer horse riding and canopy tours, as
well as a tour to spot the elusive quetzal, a lovely vibrantly-coloured bird. There
are walking paths around the lodge into the forest, and there are many
well-designed spaces to relax and enjoy the bird-life. Hummingbirds are ever-present, enjoying the attractive gardens and
feeders around the buildings.
I quickly established a routine for myself, largely based around the
meal hours at the restaurant and mainly comprising leisurely and large meals
(the home-grown trout here is delicious), coffees on the balcony watching the
hummingbirds or reading, walks in the forest, relaxing in the glassed-in porch
of my cabin, reconnecting to the electronic world and basically relaxing in
preparation for my return to my real life.
Highlights of the week included seeing some Quetzals, which involved
getting up at 5.30. After Playa Cabuyal, I was used
to early starts, but this time it was a little bit harder because it is cooler
here. However, it was well worth the effort; Quetzals are so pretty that they almost
seem fake. I have enjoyed the colder weather; I have found it best to do walks
in the morning because by the afternoon it is usually cloudy and sometimes
raining. I did enjoy being caught in the rain one afternoon – knowing I had a hot
shower nearby made all the difference. Another perk of this cold weather was
the nightly hot-water-bottle and chocolates. One night I had a brush with drama
when some socks I was drying on my gas heater decided to catch on fire. Luckily
I was close enough to smell the smoke and douse the offending socks in the
basin, but it is a mystery to me how, in a matter of minutes, socks that were
literally soaking wet were able to combust. Obviously I am not good at physics.
At least there will be slightly less weight in my suitcase, anyway.
Which brings me full circle – this morning I leave here and begin my 64
hour, five country, return to Australia. This week has been a great transition
back to my usual life, with many bilingual staff (although I tried to keep it
real in Española!) and western style food on offer. I have had the chance to
reflect on my travels and get my head into my real life back at home. Well, in
theory, at least. As always, I would like to stay longer…………
