round-the-world in 2005
previous country : index : next countryCosta Rica
Feb 16 - Mar 2 2005
Costa Rica - our first main overseas destination after passing through the US (we will be back when it is warmer!) 
18 Feb 2005 First day USA
We made it, this is the first stop on our overseas trip. We have had a couple of restful days at Alli and Reggie’s house in Monterey. There was no jet lag, as we slept pretty well on the plane. The flight entertainment system was not working so there was not much else to do but sleep. Alli and Reggie have shown us around the lovely town of Seaside, and we also took a walk to downtown Monterey. We fly to Costa Rica tonight so we can practice our limited Spanish. Our Tico friend Roberto will pick us up from the airport and show us around San Jose for the day, then we travel to the the Caribbean coast to meet with Alli and Reggie again at the Sunset Reggae bar for a Corona or two!
19 Feb 2005 Business Class
We got upgraded to business class, the first time ever, so we were a little more comfortable and probably slept a little better than we would have back in cattle class. Our flight was actually overbooked, so we were also offered $900 vouchers each accommodation and food for a day if we waited for the next flight. However, as we had organised to be picked up by our friend Roberto at the airport, unfortunately we were not able to take up the offer. It was great to have someone there to meet us, and he gave us a good introduction to life in Costa Rica. After we withdrew some local currency (Colones), we caught the afternoon bus to Puerto Veijo, on the Caribbean side of the country. We had organised to catch up with Alli and Reggie the following night, so when we ran into them at a restaurant, it was a great surprise for both them and us.
20 Feb 2005 Palm lined Beaches
We had a good sleep in after the long travel day yesterday. We rented bikes for $2 a day so we could venture out and see this little town better. We changed hotels from the smokey B&B at US$20 to a surfer`s hotel at US$12 a night. We rode down the coast towards Panama, stopping along the way for swims in warm ocean, to a tiny town called Manzanillo. Here we tried a green mango salad, went swimming again, then rode home. We dinner we ate at a local soda (cheap cafe) with Alli and Reggie... Mmmm more beans and rice, the staple food of Costa Rica.
21 Feb 2005 Long Ride to Cahuita
We rode a good 15 km on rickety bikes to Cahuita, in the opposite direction along the coast to yesterday`s ride. Once there at this small seaside village, we walked 5 km through a national park along the coastline, and saw plenty of wildlife including monkeys, a sloth, crabs, butterflies, and spiders. It was a hard slog back, but well worth the effort.
22 Feb 2005 Back in San Jose
We have finished our little trip to the Caribbean coast and are having a quite night back in San Jose. The backpackers we are staying at has free internet access, so it has given us time to catch up. Lunch was at a completely vegetarian fast food chain, Vishnu, which had great food. Shopping is a lot cheaper here than at the tourist towns, and clare bought a nice top for only $3. Pity we don`t have more time to shop some more. Our friend Roberto picked us up and took us out to a funky bar. We sampled some of the local brew `gurado`. Alli and Reggie have hired a car for the next few days, so we are going to hitch with them and see some of the beaches on the pacific coast 
23 Feb 2005 Over the mountain
Alli and Reggie picked us up in their hire car, and we drove across the mountains (along the death highway!) to the pacific coast. Reggie did a great job avoiding all the potholes and the other cars and trucks. We could feel the weather starting to heat up as we neared the coast. We arrived at a beautiful little town called Uvita, just south of Dominical a larger more touristy town. We tested the waters with a swim before checking in at a place walking distance from the beach. We went to the bar with Alli and Reggie and played some drinking games at the pub. We have been trying a few of the local beers, our favourites so far are Imperial and Pilsen. They usually cost around A$2 each, quite expensive considering a cheap meal can cost the same. After this just the two of us wandered down the street to find some comidas (food). We tried cerviche, an amazing cold fish dish with lime and coriander.
24 Feb 2005 Punta Uvita
We decided to stay another day in this quiet seaside hamlet. The beach sand is black as it is in many places around here, but still beautiful with lush green wilderness right up to the sand. We walked for a few hours along the deserted beach, enjoying the sun with intermittent swims. Later, we borrowed Alli and Reggie’s snorkel gear and walked out about 100m along a sandbar (at low tide) to a rocky outcrop. The water was a little sandy, but we were still able to see some colourful fish. We didn’t have much time as the tide was coming in, and if we stayed too long we would have been stranded on the island. As we came back, the water was thigh deep in parts. Today we realised we left the Australian/American power adaptor for the camera charger in our room on the Caribbean coast - woops.
25 Feb 2005 Rocky Road
We traveled a very rough and rocky road from Dominical to Quepos. Reggie did another sterling job driving. It was made harder (and slower) as a protective panel under the car fell off so the engine was exposed to any rocks that could bounce up. When we arrived, we said goodbye to Alli and Reggie, knowing that we would probably bump into them in the next day or so anyway. Much to Rob´s relief, we were able to purchase a replacement power adaptor for the camera charger. We took the bus to Manuel Antonio National Park and had a quick look around and a swim. Tomorrow we we explore it further. Our Spanish is slowly improving. We now know enough to read menus and order the food we want. By the end of this part of the trip we should be fluent (not)!
26 Feb 2005 Pura Vida
We spent the day in the national park. It cost $7 each to enter, expensive for this part of the world, but it was well worth it. There were plenty of tourists, but there are also some beautiful beaches, walking trails and interesting wildlife. We saw lots of exotic animals - monkeys, sloths, anteaters, tapirs, iguanas, a racoon, and a deer on the beach! Of course we took a heap of photos. Unfortunately, it is a little difficult to upload them here when we are on the road. When we are back in the US, we will add them then.
27 Feb 2005 Culture
Today we took advantage of a lift back to San Jose with Alli and Reggie. We had a little scare when their hire car overheated going up a hill, but it came back to life after a little rest. They dropped us off at a bus stop, but it turned out to be on the wrong road. Luckily it was only a short walk to find the right place to be. Tonight we got a little culture, and went to the Costa Rica museum and the Opera. They have a very old theatre in San Jose, and it only cost $2 each. We wouldn’t want to know how much it would cost in Europe to see the same.
28 Feb 2005 Cowboy Country
We are caught a bus to Liberia, in the north of Costa Rica. It is a medium sized town a little inland - ¨the wild west¨ with lots of cowboys! The landscape is a little different to what we are used to, hot, dry and dusty. We are staying at a budget hostel, only $5 a night each, the cheapest we have had so far.
01 Mar 2005 Rincon
A tiring but worthwhile day. We hiked for over 6 hours through another National Park (Rincon de la Viejo). The first walk was a tough two hours to a beautiful high waterfall and a deep blue fresh and cool waterhole for swimming - the reward was sweet. It reminded us of some of the waterfall spots near Darwin. Then we did a few hour's hike around a collection of volcanic areas, to see plenty of sulfur steam vents, mini volcanos, and bubbling mud pools. There was also plenty of unusual wildlife and flora too.
02 Mar 2005 Recovery
A quiet day in Liberia - catching up on shopping, washing, emailing, planning, banking - the necessities of life (it is not all a holiday!). We did some exploring around town. It is a peacefully place country town, they have a lot of old colonial buildings along quiet streets. A nice place to hang out for a day.
next we cross over the border to Nicaragua.