Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Our final adventure began at 6am, we needed to catch an 8am ferry back to Puntarenas. Siri, did her best to send us astray & to a different ferry terminal. This would be a somewhat coastal drive to Manuel Antonio. The sun was shining, the ocean to my right, windows down & the tunes blaring. I was looking forward to a stop outside of Tarcoles, where these huge crocodiles just sit under the bridge. You can park the car, make sure you lock it & head over to the bridge. There was 12 of the biggest feckers I'd ever seen. If you fell in there, you wouldn't be coming out, I can tell you that much. I watched as some people hung over the bridge to get a selfie, madness, in fairness. As we drove on, the most amazing thing happened, two red & blue macaws flew over the windshield of the car. It was the most beautiful sight, the colours were exceptional. To see them in their natural habitat was truly fantastic.

We arrived into Manuel Antonio in the afternoon. The posh part is higher up on the hill. That's where all the restaurants are as well. We were staying at an Airbnb, right next to the entrance to the National Park & right next to the beach. We really wanted to go to the pristine beaches inside the park but it was a $16 entrance fee and a 40min hike in the heat. When I look back now, I am sorry that I didn't do it because the local beach is packed with people. The streets are lined from the beach to the entrance of the national park with people trying to sell you everything you could possibly want, coconuts, ice cream, sandals, hats, t-shirts, wraps, tattoos, hair extensions, water, sandwich, necklaces, towels, beach ball, parking & passes to the park. The beach awaits us, chairs, umbrellas, parasailing, jet skis, kayaks & boogie boards. We end up renting some chairs for $10 when this guy comes along offering to get us Mojito, Nachos, Lemonade & of course I get suckered in. He saw me coming as I paid $16 for cheese nachos & $8 for a lemonade, I tell you that was the last cent he got off me. He tried again the next day. I spend my day reading "Devil in the white city", this is about a serial killer around the time of the Chicago World Fair. He killed possibly more than 200 people yet nobody knows much about this man named Mudgett or his pseudonym Holmes, yet everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper. The books chapters alternate between the world fair & the serial killer, I was so captivated reading how this killer murdered innocent women & children, I ended up skipping to the chapters I wanted. So, here I am tanning on the beach, massages happening on my left, parasailing on my right & I'm there enthralled by a serial killer in the late 1800's.

We woke up on our last day to go find the secret beach. Up on the hill & down a back road is a hidden beach called Playa Biesanz. It is used mostly by locals & has been taken off the road signs to make it harder for tourists to find. You leave your car on the side of the road & hope your mirrors are there when you come back. There is a tiny opening in a ditch and down those steps lies the beach. Was it paradise like the locals claim? Not really, the water is full to the brim with rocks, it is impossible to swim in, i mean every square inch had rocks, the beach is small & had about 40 teenagers on a summer camp trip, screaming their heads off. You'd nearly get used to that but to not be able to cool down without breaking a toe or knee cap was the hard part. The Gaelic Football was on the same day, I had bought a GAAGO pass and was hoping to stream in on the beach with my dongle. Kerry V Dublin, I caught about 2 seconds of every 30 seconds of footage. I gave up & tried Weeshie on Radio Kerry, the signal would not complete, basically, computer says no. After 3hrs of baking on the beach, we packed up & headed back to the car & almost stepped on a scorpion. A mother with about a million babies on her back, it might have been the mankiest thing I've ever seen. So on we went to the airport in San Jose. We shall see you again someday.

Playa Biesanz

Montezuma, Costa Rica

We left San Luis early in the morning for our long drive through dirt roads to Puntarenas where we caught a 70 min ferry ride to Paquera, (cars cost $24) from there we could drive to Montezuma, all the way at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. We left with clean laundry & smiling faces, as most of you know when you are backpacking for 5 weeks, clean clothes can be hard to come by. The sun was setting as we reached Paquera which meant more driving in the dark, I knew this would be trouble for us as navigating roads in the dark is always so much fun (not). We found that GPS just didn't cut it for Costa Rica so we rented this dongle you can carry with you providing you with unlimited internet. We used it on the beach, by the pool, in the car, it is well worth it. People told us we would need a 4x4 for Montezuma because of river crossings, I was worried about this. Sure enough google maps takes you the fastest route possible & that means an actual river crossing. In the dark, you have no idea how deep it is. A jeep comes across, he tells me to stay to the left where he came from, I should be able to make it in my car but to be careful. It's night, not a sinner around & I chance it twice, the wheels start sticking so I reverse quickly. If we get stuck, we might not get a car passing to pull us out. I opt out & decide to head back to the main road thinking surely there's another way because buses drive to the town. Once I started back on the main paved road she re routed us & of course there is another way, it may be 10mins longer but I certainly do not need a 4x4 for this.In fact there are about 3 or 4 ways to get there so don't let the rental places fool you into thinking you HAVE to go through that river crossing. We arrived around 9pm into this magical town, fairy lights dotted the one small road into the village. It was so cute & we happened to be staying a 5min walk away in the Los Mangos Hotel & Bungalows, so I wouldn't need the car much at all. Once we stepped out of the air conditioned car, the first thing you notice is the heat & humidity, I was loving this after a cold/rainy Monteverde. Our bungalow was dark but its cool & clean. You can hear the sound of monkeys scurrying on your roof from time to time. The staff are nice, there is only internet at the front reception unless you have the dongle like us, the pool is perfect & the added bonus of morning/evening yoga classes is great.

Monteverde is well known by backpackers and eco tourists. It seems like a lazy, enjoyable town with lots of nature activities as well as yoga and spa retreats. It is the ultimate place for a time out.We spent our first evening strolling through the town & we ate dinner at Cocolores which was delicious. Their curries are epic. That night, I slept hard after the long drive. We spent our first day having breakfast in town, soaking up the sun on the beach, reading, swimming, reading by the pool, lying in hammocks. That afternoon we went about 10miles down the road to see the biggest strangler tree in Costa Rica. You can see from the photo exactly how big it was. That evening our hotel had an outdoor yin yoga session, so we joined it. Yin is more about stretching & long holds. It was quite nice, except for the odd mosquito bite. For dinner we went to this artsy beach spot across from our bungalow. We waited a full 45mins just to see a menu, because there are only 2 menus in the whole place.

Up at 8am & out the door for our trip to Isla Tortuga. After a 40mins boat ride we were snorkeling along rocks & reefs in crystal clear water, with some of the prettiest, colourful fish. We snorkeled for 2 hrs & then headed to Isla Tortuga for a bbq lunch of fresh fish. We read, swam and just lounged here for hours. It is so gorgeous there & the water is a mix of greeny blue & crystal clear & warm, so warm. It saddens me that I don't have photos from here because I was afraid to bring my camera with all the snorkeling & water. No one lives on this island except a few chickens & peacocks.

After 2hrs in the blistering sun & it was only 11.30am, I wonder how hot it will actually get here. The hottest part of the day still to come but the sand is not touchable without shoes & the mercury reads 35deg. Farah hides in the shade of the trees, a while later I join her & devour Mindy Kaling's book. It's funny, real funny. I finished it by 1pm & that's when I decided I needed ice cream, I thought I was melting from the inside/out. The day continued like all days in this town. Reading, swimming in the pool, eating fresh fruit, massages & the daily quest for where to eat dinner. It's a rough life. Things got interesting at dinner. A group of American girls were seated near us. They grabbed the attention of every customer by being obnoxiously loud & rude to the waitstaff. One girl repeatedly said she was going to punch the waiter in the face, he had a smug look. The atmosphere in the room changed with all their aggression & calling him an asshole at every chance. Later, I find out the one girl who is seething with rage is dating the waiter & her friends were visiting. So the plot thickened. I have no idea what he did or what the story was but he should have removed them for causing such a stir in the restaurant.

So our adventure came to an end for Montezuma. It was some of the best food we ate in Costa Rica though. If I ever went back, I would definitely do the deep sea fishing tour.

Monteverde, Costa Rica

We left El Castillo early in the morning to make our way around the lake to Monteverde. The drive is a windy road & not built for those who sicken easily. About 4 hrs later the dirt pebble roads led us to a small village called Santa Elena. We decided to have lunch here ( sushi, for a change of flavours) before continuing our drive to our Airbnb in San Luis. Monteverde is the adrenaline junkie part of Costa Rica. Everywhere you look are zipline tours, atv, superman zipline & bungee jumping.

We arrived at our Airbnb (La Querencia Farm) high up in the mountains. You need a 4x4 to get to the farm which we didn't have so we left our car in the local coffee farm below and hitched a ride up with our gear from the owner. The road up is basically rocks & steep. No car will make it. This farm is beautiful & Tim (the farmer and owner) built everything himself. Tim makes his own methane gas from manure which he learned how to do from google. After three failed attempts he got it right. His methane powers the ovens in the kitchens. He has his own power plant for electricity. He piped water down from the mountains & generates his own electricity. He also built a Tilapia pond, a swimming pool, a veggie garden, a pizza oven & an outdoor fire pit. He is in the middle of building a new house for airbnb. The weather is a lot cooler here & I am surrounded by tree's & animals. Sheep, cows & horses bellow while I am sneaking about the grounds. We are staying in a very basic bunk house. We have bunk beds, a shower & a toilet. The wind up here is something else though. During this time, New York was being hit with a huge snow storm. Tim says whenever they get bad weather up north, it creates crazy wind tunnels for them. It was pretty rough trying to sleep through the wind, it is that loud & it is that scary. I felt like our roof would come off, but saying that, I would recommend anyone staying here for its beauty & the hosts could not be nicer.

So we did this adrenaline rush called Extremo. It was pretty scary, especially coming from Sky Limit where safety was taken to another level but here it just felt like a conveyor belt of people passing through. They allowed me go on the zipline before the person at the other end was even finished. Red Flag in my opinion. All in all we did 14 ziplines, one tree drop & a tarzan swing. Farah wasn't feeling so good that day & her asthma was kicking up. We had left the inhaler at our lodgings so hiking to get to ziplines was causing a lot of pain for her. Two of our ziplines were tandem, I had never done a tandem zipline before & honestly, it was scary. I couldn't bring myself over the fear to actually enjoy it. Also, if it broke, well that would be two for the price of one. The last zipline was The Superman, you get strapped in head first and your feet are tied up behind you. It was 1km long zipline through the clouds & mountain tops. This was the scariest one for me, I guess because I was going headfirst & mostly because the guy in front of me got nervous & backed out of it, seconds after being strapped in because he felt like it wasn't safe. After this we needed a wind down so we headed for the Bat Caves in Santa Elena, unfortunately it wasn't that impressive. You need to go when the bat man is there. He knows everything about bats & we were told that makes it more interesting.

If you are wanting a nice dinner, you should head to Hotel Belmar. It's high up in the mountains near the cloud forest. They have amazing views & their food is locally sourced & veggies come from their own garden. I ordered the spinach ravioli doused in four cheese, a caesar salad & the cheesecake. I was in starvation mode from our day hiking & ziplining. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We are heading to back to the beach on our next post. We will be in Montezuma. For details of our last trip to Arenal click here. Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca) Photo by Farah Khan (house9design.ca)

Arenal, Costa Rica

This was a rough day, I had to drive for four hours after little sleep. We stopped somewhere over the mountains so that I could take a 30min power nap as a migraine had set in. It took everything in me to concentrate getting through the extreme fog. We arrived to our Airbnb, which by the way was in the middle of no where, that you really needed a 4x4 to get to & we were all alone on a mountain. We were in El Castillo, close to the lava fields, the adventure parks & at the other side of the volcano. The town of La Fortuna was a 40min drive away, solely because the roads were so bad. I spent the rest of the day in bed to play catch up. I was wrecked but the wifi let me watch copious amounts of netflix.

Day 2: Still feeling like shit but managed to do a 3hr hike today around the hanging bridges. It was difficult at times, especially haven not eaten in 36hrs but it was truly beautiful. That afternoon we spent the day hiding from a thunderstorm in the butterfly conservatory where we saw a Gold Owl Eye & a Blue Morpho. Although butterflies are beautiful creatures they actually can be really evil. They practice necrophilia, cannibalism & they stalk the females & eventually rape them. Who knew? We saw the Costa Rican Red Eye Tree frog hiding under a leaf. He is bright green & camouflages during the day while sleeping. He tucks in his orange & blue legs. They are nocturnal, they come & go as the please from the conservatory. While this guy is not poisonous, his friends nearby are lethal. There was the red dart frog & then the bright green & black fella. This guy is supposed to put you into respiratory failure with his poison. Note to self: Don't touch anything that is bright, usually it means danger. FINALLY, I saw my Toucan, he had a black body and a big bright yellow beak. I would never have found him except some locals pointed him out in the tree to us. My sickness caused me to feel cold, so we headed to the famous Tobacan hot springs, unfortunately I don't have photos from here. It included a buffet dinner which was useless to me but Farah had a great time. It feels like a resort & manicured but the place is put together really well & there are plenty of hidden private spots. The flowing river ranges in heat, some areas are hotter which wasn't so good for my dehydration.

Day 3: We hiked the 1968 volcano trail & over lava & lava fields. It was like something from another world, it wouldn't be us if we didn't get lost. Luckily all roads lead to the car park. I was really looking forward to our adventure afternoon with Sky Limit. We spent 2 hrs ziplining, hiking, climbing, tree dropping, running across ladders, swinging & rappelling down waterfalls. It was incredible to see the jungle from such heights. We definitely went through some clouds on our zipline. I have attached a video of our zipline tour below. We ended our day soaked, tired & cold so we made another trip to the hot springs except this time we found the free springs across the road from Tobacan. This is where you will usually find Coati lining the road. People please don't feed the wildlife. They are packed with people & if you plan on going at night be sure to bring a flash light. I was looking forward to eating a little at Lava Lounge in La Fortuna, unfortunately my nachos were burned which is an almost impossible task to be honest. I mean the entire three layers of nachos were no more good. That was $10 wasted. If you would rather cook, there is a supermarket in La Fortuna, other than that about a 100 restaurants have your back. If I was going there again, I would rather stay in La Fortuna to walk around at night. It gets dark quite early & there was nothing to do on the mountain once the sun went down.

I am learning that I am more of a beach person that a mountain person. It is much cooler in the heights of Costa Rica & I prefer being sun soaked by the shores. Farah on the other hand prefers the cooler weather. Our next stop is Monteverde. If you want to see our last trip, press here for San Jose.