Costa Rica

... in 5 Days!

23.04.2011 - 28.04.2011 25 °C

San Jose
The first thing that struck us about San Jose was the private security – everything is kept behind fences, gates and bars, and wrapped in barbed wire. It rather gives it the impression of a war zone. Given that we didn’t have much time left anyway this certainly gave us no desire to stay, so we jumped straight on a bus the next morning to La Fortuna.

La Fortuna

Unfortunately after a long bus trip Rafa and I had an argument and he headed back to San Jose early – and that, as they say, could very well be that.
The main attractions at La Fortuna are the hot springs and an active volcano – Arenal. I did a guided walk around the base of the volcano at sunset, and spent the rest of the day soaking my sorrows in the springs.

contemplating the sunset (and a broken heart)

The sunset that evening was breath taking...

Monteverde
Costa Rica was proving expensive and overly ‘touristy’ – In La Fortuna and Monteverde Spanish is relegated to a second language, and the places are filled with tourists from North America. So I decided to try and make my way up to Nicaragua as quickly as possible – just taking 1 day to see the sites of Monteverde.
Monteverde itself is a community established by Quakers who left the USA during the Korean war – avoiding conscription, and attracted to Costa Rica by the offer of a country without a military. Putting aside the tourism, it’s a pretty settlement in the cloud forest. I started the day by attending a Quaker service at the local school, did a course of zip wires through the forest, took a tour on a coffee and sugar plantation and then a night walk through the forest.

zip wire!