First Casualty of the Trip

Well, I think I might have had the first true casualty of my trip. And it's not a good one. Apparently that 20 plus hour bus ride did not do my laptop well as it has not been working since I got to Panama. So, while I have a couple blogs written on there, I've only had a few minutes here and there on the shared hostel computer. Blogging is probably going to be hit or miss for a while.

The good news though is that Panama is fantastic. I've been in the City and today I'm headed to El Valle to hopefully avoid a little of the heat, take in some thermal springs, and look at teensy frogs! More to come later! (Hopefully!)

Week In Review Sabbatical Style: Week 2

OK, I haven't had internet for a while, and only have a few minutes, but I know you've all been curious, so a quick week in review!

• I've been in Monteverde for the last few days--beautiful, but actually kind of cold!
• I spotted a White Throated Capuchin (a white faced monkey) when I was hiking in the cloud forest yesterday! All by myself!
• I think I have learned more taking tours and walking around in the forests here for the last 3 or 4 days than I did in entire years of biology classes I took. 
• I also saw almost a dozen Coati (super cute little racoon looking things), and all kinds of fun humming birds. Just a few: the violet sabrewering, the purple headed mountain gem, and a copper headed ninny muggin. 
• This afternoon I am taking a 4.5 hour bus back to San Jose. From there I'll board a bus to Panama City. 16 hours on that one. Ouch. 
• It seems maybe my luck is changing: I got the very last seat available on that Panama bus. Whew. 
• The super strong Off spray I bought is eating tiny holes in my watch. Makes you wonder what it's doing to your skin...It's also so humid that my watch is fogging over from the inside. It might not make it to Nicaragua. 
• Spanish update: The Spanish is for the most part coming back. I still find myself using random French words or adding French endings to my Spanish words. Most people seem to be at least moderately impressed though (I'm pretty sure this is due to the fact that most all the tourists here don't know much more than "hola.")
• Most common question though: Where did you learn Spanish? That's right, I've dropped the lisp, but the accent/vocabulary is still giving my Spain Spanish away. 
• Costa Ricans love to spice up there budget hotels by folding everything they can into little shapes. 
• In La Fortuna I stumbled upon a little ice cream shop. I ended up with Dulce de leche and Pitahaya (cactus fruit sorbet--that was BRIGHT purple). Yummy!

OK, computer's about to die so I'm putting this up right away! Pictures to come when I get to Panama!

Blogger Apparently Doesn't Work With Really Crappy Internet But I'm Alive And Headed To Panama Tomorrow!

Catarata La Fortuna

I am going to be sore tomorrow. Real sore. I can already feel it. Why? Because I hiked to a waterfall. I could have taken either a horse or a taxi, but what with it being nice and cool, having the day to walk about, and the guy at the hotel telling me it was a nice walk, I set off on foot. 

Oh man. The whole thing was only 7 kilometers from town but the last 4 were nothing but steep gravel roads. The last 2 kilometers almost killed my will to live. It was like a cruel version of the lines at Disney Land. You would climb each hill thinking it was the last only to find another (steeper) one once you reached the top. And of course the clouds dissipated the moment I started walking. 

I met some people at the hotel and they told me that their guide book described it as a stair-master with a view. That was a lot more apt of a description than what I received from the hotel guy. Partly due to the trickery of the slope and not knowing how much more I lacked, I eventually willed my way to the top. 

Then of course, once you get to the park entrance, how do you get to the waterfall? Oh yeah, right. More than SEVEN HUNDRED steps. They weren't normal steps either, a kind of like mud covered cinderblock legos. Ah, but the view at the bottom was worth it. The water was clear and bright blue. 

I took a dip in the water and iced my tired muscles and watched the fish swim around my legs. (I freaked out when one mashed up against my leg. Then I realized that it was a leaf.) I budgeted my time so that I could leave in time to make the hour and a half hike back to town before dark, so I dried off a bit and hiked it back up the SEVEN HUNDRED steps. 

The decent into town was much better but I was using kind of a controlled falling method due to tired muscles. As I waited at one of the bends for the cars to pass one stopped. It was a Costa Rican family I met and eventually passed on the way back up the stairs. I had joked with Grandpa and now he was stopping to ask if I wanted a ride. Did I ever! So, in the end, the hour and a half I planned for took 25. Perfect. Pura vida!

PS. Bonus points for anyone who can tell me when a waterfall is a cascada and when one is a catarata. Or is catarata just a Costa Rican thing? 

And how cool is this tree I passed on the way up?

Arenal and La Fortuna

I've been here in La Fortuna for 3 days now. Everything here is pretty laid back, but the scenery has been outstanding! I took a guided hike to the Arenal Volcano (one of the world's top 10 most active volcanoes!). We saw all kinds of flowers and birds along the way up and then traced a portion of the 1968 lava flow (up until then they just thought that it was a mountain--no idea there was anything going on in there!). 

Our guide was full of colorful descriptions (like how leaf cutter ants are not Chinese ants, even though they look like it--always working, never taking a break, or how the name of the orchid is the testicle flower). In the end we watched the sunset at the observatory to see if we could see any of the lava flowing and glowing in the evening light. Nope, no lava. (Turns out, the lava hasn't been flowing for pretty much the last year. They definitely don't tell you that bit of information until you get here. We did see some "young ash" though.) 

The view was beautiful though and the company wasn't bad either--I met an Irish couple who've been traveling for the last 6 months who were full of good stories. 

Overall, it's been a good experience. Pictures of La Fortuna and Arenal below. 

Views of the Arenal Lake right behind the volcano. Turns out it is an artificial (dammed) lake which helps to irrigate the dry part of the country. 

The tiny town is centered around the square the church is on. This is one of the least Catholic looking Catholic churches I've ever been in. They were having a celebration for the Conversion of San Paulo so I stopped in for mass. 

Blurry picture, but these are leaf cutter ants! How fun! 

These trees were in Jurassic Park. Apparently selling and growing these is big business in New Zealand these days.  

The orchid is the official flower of Costa Rica

The volcano!

Another look at the lake from the top of the trail. (Nowadays you can't go up any further than this--3 hikers were killed by lava when they climbed up higher). 

It's me! 

This one is a Lady's Slipper orchid (because it looks like a shoe)

Hasta Pronto!

Adios Samara! I hope we meet again soon! I've now gone inland and am sleeping at the base of Costa Rica's most active (and one of the world's top ten most active) volcanoes. A few more pictures of Samara below. 

This sign says it all. (Despacio means slow in Spanish)

My preferred spot on the beach 

Just to prove I was there!

 

 Can we all just stop and check this out? This photo came straight out of my little pocket camera. Those colors were real, and it was even more beautiful in person!

Hopefully there will be some equally awesome volcano pictures soon to come!

Monday Recap

This is my official take on the evening:

Turtle tour (where I got to go to the beach and watch an endangered species of turtles lay (112!) eggs)
Verdict: Pretty awesome

It was really neat to see it all, and I feel like I'm armed with some seriously cool turtle facts (I'm sure those will be coming up later), but it was also a little slow going. And you couldn't use anything for light besides the guide's tiny red flashlight. But we got to watch (cheer!) on 4 little hatchlings as they made their way to the coast. Which definitely pushed the night into the awesome category. (It was also hilarious because the turtles look for the white of the surf and one of the turtles kept going for one guy's white tennis shoes. It was a good thing I was wearing pants.)

Beach on the refuge at night
Verdict: Absolutely, astoundingly beautiful

I've never seen so many stars nor seen the stars that bright in my life. We were out in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't metropolitan areas anywhere near here. It was beautiful. And this is going to sound stupid and reveal the fact that I have lived in the city my whole life, but I never really knew stars twinkled. Yeah, yeah, I know the song. But I've never seen them like this.

Dinner of Pringles Crema Y Cebolla
Verdict: Very, very tasty.

Well done Costa Rica. I haven't had Pringles in a long time. And they are just as tasty as ever. Unfortunately there aren't many left for my 4-5 hour bus ride tomorrow. But doesn't that always happen?


OK, tomorrow I head inland, so I thought I would give an update tonight in case internet is sketchy in the next town! Hasta pronto!