In the Cloud Forest

We took the guided tour. Our guide Johnny was a walking biology encylopedia.

We saw a bell bird, a quetzal and several other birds. Charlie the pecary who was outcast from his herd followed us for a while. I did get close enough to confirm that he smelled like a pig.

Orchids grow naturally on the side of trees

Santa Elena

Our room in Santa Elena (name of the tico town) known by tourists as Monteverde and happy hour with the Hamiltons. We were really building up courage to tackle the zip lines the next day.

On the way to Monteverde

A parrot in captivity preparing to take a bite of my hand. This was just a pit stop and relief from the terrible roads. 

Day 3 to Montverde

There is no road from Fortuna to Montverde. You take the jeep-boat-jeep or in our case (dry season) van-boat-van. The boat turned out to be a pontoon catemarran which was overloaded. The captains assistant once we were under way strategiaclly placed 2 towels to prevent water from coming into the passenger area. Fortunately the boat did not stray far from shore.

It's not a small lake, That's Mt Arenal in the left distance.

BC assessment: Winds calm, sea rippled, no ship wrecks.

None of the other boats were as full as ours but we had the best price!

'

68 People waiting to board vans. The best was yet to come. The roads are not paved. Picture 3 1/2 hours of first and second gear. Bill said "I could do 80 kph on my dual sport!"

Costa Rica - Fortuna Hot Springs

The first evening in Fortuna found us relaxing in the Tabacon Hot Springs. Sort of like streams of hot water running through a tropical garden. Kind of pricey but some of the paths lead to hidden bars!








Erika and I relaxing mid stream.

Disclaimer: The person behind me is not related!













A bar in a hot pool, how civilized!















Where the locals swim complete with a great rope swing!

Costa Rica - March 11-23rd

The Trip

We landed in San Jose then took a mini bus to Fortuna. The next stop was the Montverde region. Next on the agenda was some beach time at Playa Samara. Following that we braved the Pan American highway and travelled back to San Jose by bus. Our next hop to the Osa Peninsula was by air.








La Fortuna

Here we are after travelling for 18 hours. A very comfortable motel like room complete with bathroom. Everything is made of concrete including the railing. Not the chair :-)













The view from the window! Our own live volcano, Mt Arenal. Last time it got upset 87 people died. Apparently we have 10 minutes to clear the area if that happens. The Tabacon and Baldi Hot Springs at the base of Mt Arenal have only a 5 minute evacuation time and all vehicles must reverse into parking spots for a quick get away.

Imagine a LeMans start while molten lava falls around you and you get the picture . There was no excitement while we were there apart from small lava flows visible only at night. The hot springs at the base of the mountain are great, more about that later.

Its been a while sine we skied at Lake Louise. Completely different from the coast. What scenery! The towering peaks make you feel very insignificant. Tried not to say things like "Last time I was at Sunshine they had buses". Recommend Baker Creek Chalets as a place to stay. They do need more snow, its strange to see people jogging in shorts and tee shirts in January.