Day 6 The Cloud Forest, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Today saw us up bright and early to have an organised trek around the Cloud Forest in Monteverde. So glad we had a guide or we would have missed so much. We saw the highly endangered Costa Rican Quetsal; a Central American Robin which made a really weird noise, like a squeaky door closing. We saw an abundance of humming birds which were incredible, their wings were so noisy. We are now back at the Trapp Family Lodge, which is a replica of the Alpine lodges in Austria. It is much cooler up here in the Cloud Forest and haven't needed a fan or air conditioning, which is just as well as our room doesn't have either! We were, however offered a heater last night, but bravely managed to do without! We have the rest of the day to relax before heading off to Guanacasta on the North West coast early tomorrow.

Arenal Volcano

Our hotel room was amazing. We have a terrace that overlooks the Arenal Volcano, and from the pool and jacuzzi, we also had a fantastic view of the volcano. It was quite awesome, sat in the jacuzzi, sipping our tequila sunrises whilst we experienced this truly unique experience. We spent the morning sunning ourselves (probably over sunning ourselves) before we were taken on a hiking tour around the lava trail of when the volcano erupted in 1969. It was quite a hike up hill (I really hate uphills), in the heat of the day. We had an impressive view of the Arenal lake from the top, an 88 square mile lake at the foot of the volcano. In the evening we went to some hot springs, which are kept hot by the volcano, the temperature was a tad on the hot side, and with Dean and I both looking a little lobster like, we felt like we were being cooked! This was then followed by our best meal yet in Costa Rica, a Spanish buffet. We both returned to our hotel feeling rather satiated. We left the Arenal area this morning via boat, and a very bumpy bus ride to Monteverde where tomorrow we will explore the Cloud Forest.

Day 3 of our trip started very early due to us both suffering still from jetlag! We woke up at 05.00 and decided to stroll down to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was lovely just sitting on a piece of drift wood and watch it come up over the Caribbean. We packed our belongings and said a sad farewell to our rainforest retreat; We found a Rhino Beetle which Dean bravely insisted on picking up, and can be seen in the photo holding it (Dean is the one in the white T-shirt!), Dean insists on now being called ‘Dean Tarzan Bourke’.... After a breakfast of, yes you guessed it, rice and beans, (and some very delicious local fruit) we had a boat trip back to our bus. The Tortuguero National Park can only be reached by boat or air, so we really were right in the middle of this giant rainforest. I think we were both touched at how eco minded the Costa Rican’s are, everything is to do with saving the rainforest. The lodge we stayed in did have electricity, but only lights and a fan (which in the humidity and heat was a blessing). The only way to really cool down was a cold shower or a dip in the pool, though the pool temperature was that of a warm bath; very nice. Upon arriving at our lunch stop, we transferred from our mini bus to a rather nice, comfortable car and were driven 3 hours up the mountains to Arenal, home of a giant volcano, which last erupted in 1969; it is still active and rumblings from within can be heard from time to time; a bit like Dean’s stomach! This lodge couldn’t be more different; air conditioning, tv and a hair dryer (luxury). We spent what was left of the day in a large hot tub overlooking the volcano with tequila sunrises in hand, followed by our best meal yet at the hotel restaurant. Looking forward to our tour to the volcano tomorrow....

Day 2 saw us up once again at the crack of dawn..... (no offense meant Mick). We had 2 x 2 hour boat tours, seeing many different species native to this area. We saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys and white faced cappacine (not sure of spelling) monkeys. Also saw toucans, many varieties of heron, and a very rare American Pigmy Kingfisher! We also saw a couple of cayman crocks and a fresh water turtle. Our guide, Miguel, (named after that famous beer) has been very informative. This afternoon we went to a local village, driven there in a boat and left to walk 3 miles back, not an easy task along a beach where your feet sink right into the (black) sand! We made it though, intrepid explorers that we are, and relaxed in the pool before making it to the bar to sip cocktails (well me anyway, Dean has a beer) and watch the sun go down over the river - could this be paradise???

Day 1 Tortuguero National Park

Up at the crack of dawn for a bus ride through some spectacular countryside. Stopped at a Del Monte banana factory, ('the man from Del Monte, he say yes') we have never seen so many banana's in our lives! The roads here leave much to be desired and we were treated to an hour and a half's massage as we traversed some really bumpy roads. We were then transferred to a boat where we travelled for another hour and a half before arriving at our lodge; the Laguna Lodge. We had a couple of hours to lounge by the pool before trekking off on a botanical tour, looking at the flora and fauna in the local area, ending up with a hunt for the shy red eyed frog - which we actually found in abundance. The local cuisine is made up of rice and beans which are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner, may actually come home having lost weight; now there's a first!

A Week To Go

With only a week to go I thought I would set up our travel blog so that we would have more time to enjoy the sights of Costa Rica, our next holiday adventure. We are all ready to go, vaccinations up to date and a new bottle of mosquito spray ready to go in the case. We are now counting down the days and are so looking forward to our next new country, looking forward to seeing the local flora, fauna and different types of animals that are abundant in Costa Rica. Must make sure that Dean doesn't spill any cocktails on my computer this time.