Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
so many photos...
so apparently today is the day to post, post and post some more...and it is all pretty much photos. hope you like them...if not, just pretend you do because i can´t tell you how elated i am that i have such fast internet service in the poorest country in Central America.
a few more from Costa Rica.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Around Costa Rica
While i have super duper internet access, here are a few more photos.
These are from the La Fortuna-Santa Elena trip. To get to Santa Elena or Monteverde from La Fortuna, most people use the Jeep-Boat-Jeep service. but that is a misnomer, in actuality it is a van-boat-van service.
These are from the La Fortuna-Santa Elena trip. To get to Santa Elena or Monteverde from La Fortuna, most people use the Jeep-Boat-Jeep service. but that is a misnomer, in actuality it is a van-boat-van service.
Photos from Costa Rica
Here are just a few photos...
the beach in Cahuita.
a national park runs along the beach and it is known for it´s many plants and animals. i saw lots of monkeys- howlers and white-faced! The next day i had the amazing experience of standing on the beach under a group of trees and staring up at 20+ monkeys directly above me...um a quick message to the Singer, you would have never left!
Sunset my first night in Cahuita, this is the hostel, Shangra-La (quite appropriate name i think)!
View from the hostel, Gringo Pete´s Too, in La Fortuna. Oh and the volcano, Arenal.
From the main square in La Fortuna.
One of the waterfalls along the volcano hike.
Didn´t see any lava on the hike but certainly saw the smoke.
the beach in Cahuita.
a national park runs along the beach and it is known for it´s many plants and animals. i saw lots of monkeys- howlers and white-faced! The next day i had the amazing experience of standing on the beach under a group of trees and staring up at 20+ monkeys directly above me...um a quick message to the Singer, you would have never left!
Sunset my first night in Cahuita, this is the hostel, Shangra-La (quite appropriate name i think)!
View from the hostel, Gringo Pete´s Too, in La Fortuna. Oh and the volcano, Arenal.
From the main square in La Fortuna.
One of the waterfalls along the volcano hike.
Didn´t see any lava on the hike but certainly saw the smoke.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
all you need is a little determination and faith
yesterday i briefly mentioned the problems with the Interamericana and how it was preventing me from leaving CR. last night after talking to numerous people i decided to give it a go and do my best to get to Nicaragua. Turns out it only took 11 hours and 6 buses to get to Granada!
despite the fact that it was raining quite hard in the morning, most of the roads we took were unpaved, and these buses are not really made for 4-wheel drive terrain, we not only arrived to each stop on time but generally with time to spare. this is unheard of here in Central America and thus it turned out to be another day of fantastic bus karma. granted, it was a long day, but it feels so good to end up where you had hoped!
a few quick highlights-
* plaintain chips. loved them in Panama, especially those with chili sprinkled on the top. here they sprinkle hot sauce and jalapenos. so good.
* speaking of food, let me tell you how good a cold Fresca tastes when it is 87 degrees, you are carrying 2 backpacks and standing in the sun in a country you don´t know.
* talking to the Nicaraguan on the bus about immigration to the States and Mexico, the issues between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the ridiculous grammar rules found in English.
* the border crossing...made the mistake of thinking ¨wow this is so easy¨and then had to walk through a line of trucks, traverse mud puddles that looked more like small ponds to get to the Nicaragua customs booths that were behind a bank and next to a bus depot.
* meeting the Austrialian lifeguards who watched my stuff and fended off random men, in return i translated and made sure we all got on the right buses.
* my first view of La Concepcion...a mammoth of a volcano that rises above Lake Nicaragua in a perfect cone.
* realizing i am starting August in a new country!
despite the fact that it was raining quite hard in the morning, most of the roads we took were unpaved, and these buses are not really made for 4-wheel drive terrain, we not only arrived to each stop on time but generally with time to spare. this is unheard of here in Central America and thus it turned out to be another day of fantastic bus karma. granted, it was a long day, but it feels so good to end up where you had hoped!
a few quick highlights-
* plaintain chips. loved them in Panama, especially those with chili sprinkled on the top. here they sprinkle hot sauce and jalapenos. so good.
* speaking of food, let me tell you how good a cold Fresca tastes when it is 87 degrees, you are carrying 2 backpacks and standing in the sun in a country you don´t know.
* talking to the Nicaraguan on the bus about immigration to the States and Mexico, the issues between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the ridiculous grammar rules found in English.
* the border crossing...made the mistake of thinking ¨wow this is so easy¨and then had to walk through a line of trucks, traverse mud puddles that looked more like small ponds to get to the Nicaragua customs booths that were behind a bank and next to a bus depot.
* meeting the Austrialian lifeguards who watched my stuff and fended off random men, in return i translated and made sure we all got on the right buses.
* my first view of La Concepcion...a mammoth of a volcano that rises above Lake Nicaragua in a perfect cone.
* realizing i am starting August in a new country!
Friday, July 30, 2010
News and photo of the Interamericana....
http://www.aldia.cr/ad_ee/2010/julio/30/nacionales2465765.html
http://www.aldia.cr/ad_ee/2010/julio/30/nacionales2465765.html
Costa Rica
Arriving from Panama i was immediately struck by the landscape of Costa Rica. traveling by bus you get to see so very much and i enjoy watching the changing landscape whether it is within a country or across countries. in this case, the landscape itself was similar to Panama...lots of bananas and farms and periodically homes and small villages. however the standard of living was and is higher in Costa Rica and that was apparent right away. also obvious...tourism is an industry here and a high priority for the country.
I had heard about Cahuita from a few friends and had thought it would be a good stop along the way. turns out it was more than a stopover. the tranquility of the small town and hostel, and of course the beautiful beach held me there for a few days. even as i began to feel the itch to leave it was hard to resist the pull of the ocean. in all honesty it was the urgency of another traveler and the coming rains that finally inspired me to leave. so off i went on a 9:30am bus with two new friends who shall now be referred to as the Dynamic Duo. hailing from Montreal they were headed to the pacific ocean and i was planning on going straight to Monteverde. however by the time we arrived in San Jose, we were together heading to La Fortuna to visit the great and active volcano Arenal. we had the best bus-travel karma ever and the day was made perfect as we sat on the balcony of the hostel and watched as the volcano smoked, shook and then spewed red, hot lava! there were people later who told us they were in La Fortuna for weeks and had not witnessed anything like it and there we were on our first night! sheer perfection!
after La Fortuna we set off for Santa Elena-Monteverde. together we walked along the suspension bridges and few over the treetops on the ziplines in the cloud forests. and with that my time with the Dynamic Duo ended as they headed back to Cahuita in search of sun and heat and i remain here in search of a relatively manageable route to Nicaragua. a bit of the Interamericana (major highway linking the countries of Central America) that leads to Nicaragua collapsed and sort of washed away with the rains leaving a large gap in the road, lots of people stranded and internet-phone access limited (one reason i have not posted lately). not that i am surprised by this, i knew it would happen on the trip and in fact imagine it will happen a few times. i did not expect it to happen here though. so here i am hanging out in Costa Rica...not necessarily a bad thing, in fact i know other travelers who would kill for more time here.
which leads to my thoughts on Costa Rica. one day soon i will post photos and they will not do the country justice as it is incredibly beautiful. it is also as lovely and charming as everyone says. i completely understand why people come here for vacations and honeymoons. i would certainly recommend people visit.
and...i am ready to go. i set aside 2 weeks for Costa Rica and after less than a week i was ready to go. not sure i can accurately explain why i feel this way. the best i can do is to say that it feels like a vacation here...like a place to see beautiful plants, animals and locations. a place for seeing and for relaxing...but i guess i am on this trip for something different- to experience, understand, observe, learn and i am not confident i am getting that. hmm...i certainly learned and experienced a lot in regards to the people i have met along the way:
-getting from Panama to Costa Rica and managing the border crossing with a lovely Dutch couple
-the long Costa Rican bus ride and afternoon on the beach with the German Journalist
-the impromtu hike in the park with the Australian Don Juan and Danish Chef
-the days of fun, conversation and food with the Dynamic Duo
-education on the various types of Costa Rican music by a Tico musician-hostel worker
-horseback riding through the local villages with a real-life Tico cowboy
-the night hike with the Oregonian
ok so many wonderful memories of times spent here in Costa Rica. i guess what i feel is missing is a deeper understanding of the culture, people and history of CR...but that seems to be all wrong. the truth is, it is in the relationships that i understand more...about myself, my surroundings, other people and thus the world. this trip was not about facts but people, culture, thoughts, opinions and lives and that is what i have been experiencing.
pura vida!
I had heard about Cahuita from a few friends and had thought it would be a good stop along the way. turns out it was more than a stopover. the tranquility of the small town and hostel, and of course the beautiful beach held me there for a few days. even as i began to feel the itch to leave it was hard to resist the pull of the ocean. in all honesty it was the urgency of another traveler and the coming rains that finally inspired me to leave. so off i went on a 9:30am bus with two new friends who shall now be referred to as the Dynamic Duo. hailing from Montreal they were headed to the pacific ocean and i was planning on going straight to Monteverde. however by the time we arrived in San Jose, we were together heading to La Fortuna to visit the great and active volcano Arenal. we had the best bus-travel karma ever and the day was made perfect as we sat on the balcony of the hostel and watched as the volcano smoked, shook and then spewed red, hot lava! there were people later who told us they were in La Fortuna for weeks and had not witnessed anything like it and there we were on our first night! sheer perfection!
after La Fortuna we set off for Santa Elena-Monteverde. together we walked along the suspension bridges and few over the treetops on the ziplines in the cloud forests. and with that my time with the Dynamic Duo ended as they headed back to Cahuita in search of sun and heat and i remain here in search of a relatively manageable route to Nicaragua. a bit of the Interamericana (major highway linking the countries of Central America) that leads to Nicaragua collapsed and sort of washed away with the rains leaving a large gap in the road, lots of people stranded and internet-phone access limited (one reason i have not posted lately). not that i am surprised by this, i knew it would happen on the trip and in fact imagine it will happen a few times. i did not expect it to happen here though. so here i am hanging out in Costa Rica...not necessarily a bad thing, in fact i know other travelers who would kill for more time here.
which leads to my thoughts on Costa Rica. one day soon i will post photos and they will not do the country justice as it is incredibly beautiful. it is also as lovely and charming as everyone says. i completely understand why people come here for vacations and honeymoons. i would certainly recommend people visit.
and...i am ready to go. i set aside 2 weeks for Costa Rica and after less than a week i was ready to go. not sure i can accurately explain why i feel this way. the best i can do is to say that it feels like a vacation here...like a place to see beautiful plants, animals and locations. a place for seeing and for relaxing...but i guess i am on this trip for something different- to experience, understand, observe, learn and i am not confident i am getting that. hmm...i certainly learned and experienced a lot in regards to the people i have met along the way:
-getting from Panama to Costa Rica and managing the border crossing with a lovely Dutch couple
-the long Costa Rican bus ride and afternoon on the beach with the German Journalist
-the impromtu hike in the park with the Australian Don Juan and Danish Chef
-the days of fun, conversation and food with the Dynamic Duo
-education on the various types of Costa Rican music by a Tico musician-hostel worker
-horseback riding through the local villages with a real-life Tico cowboy
-the night hike with the Oregonian
ok so many wonderful memories of times spent here in Costa Rica. i guess what i feel is missing is a deeper understanding of the culture, people and history of CR...but that seems to be all wrong. the truth is, it is in the relationships that i understand more...about myself, my surroundings, other people and thus the world. this trip was not about facts but people, culture, thoughts, opinions and lives and that is what i have been experiencing.
pura vida!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Costa Rica fun
my last post i was a bit lonely and feeling the itch to leave and my response was to hop on a bus the next morning to La Fortuna with a few other travelers. it was a day of travel across the Costa Rica country-side and it resulted in a new region and a new perspective. Watching an active volcano spew lava and gases will give you lots to think about and after today's adventures in the canopy of Monteverde i am feeling pretty good. Costa Rica is certainly the "vacation" part of my trip...where else will i spend money to zipline over/through rainforests at the height of 1,000 meters? or go horseback riding through rainforests and coffee fincas? or even walk across thin suspension bridges in the cloud-rainforests? good times!
also, new friends are always much appreciated and i have met some great people the past few days. of course we meet spend a day or two together and go our separate ways but sometimes that is all it takes to enjoy the moment or start a lifelong friendship. Speaking of friendship, thanks to all the friends and family who have made comments on the blog or via email...i really love hearing from you!!!
off to plan tomorrow's adventures...pura vida!
also, new friends are always much appreciated and i have met some great people the past few days. of course we meet spend a day or two together and go our separate ways but sometimes that is all it takes to enjoy the moment or start a lifelong friendship. Speaking of friendship, thanks to all the friends and family who have made comments on the blog or via email...i really love hearing from you!!!
off to plan tomorrow's adventures...pura vida!
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