My first full day in Costa Rica found our GAP adventures group bound for Liberia.  After a long bus ride and checking into the hotel, we made for the beach!  Even coming from Atlanta, it was like someone turned the clock back to summer suddenly.  While it doesn’t equal the gulf beaches, Playa Hermosa, which means beautiful beach, was as advertised.

Stand By Me - Playa Hermosa - Costa Rica

We Three - Pacific Sunset - Costa Rica

The next day, we enjoyed a boat ride through Palo Verde, that although near Liberia was quite a bumpy ride.  The highlight of the boat ride for me was definitely the monkeys, although we saw a couple of crocs and a ton of birds as well. The monkeys were totally looking for handouts and were used to them despite the signs that predicatably said to not feed them.  We were good travelers and didn’t offer them a morsel.

Really No Food? Panhandlers of Palo Verde

The afternoon was free to wander.  I did a bit of ambling on my own and later with a couple of other photogs in the group, Chrysta Brown and Jennifer Young.  Liberia had a hint of tourism, particularly on the main strip, but the town had plenty of bright colors and peeling paint and was really what I had hoped to find.

A Little Bit of Everything - Liberia

Iglesia Católica de Liberia

The next morning found us bound for Nicaragua.  I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations for Nicaragua.  I had heard a lot of great stuff about Costa Rica and what I had heard about Nicaragua was encouraging.  Our first stop was San Juan del Sur, an up and coming coastal destination and a perfect place to ring in the new year on the shores of the Pacific, literally on the beach.  The first New Year we saw in together was the UK in honor of the guys from Scotland.  UK new year happened to be very close to sunset.

San Juan del Sur Sunset

If Liberia had been colorful, then San Juan Del Sur was positively a riot of color, mostly pastel.  Between New Years Eve celebrations, a day spent on a sailboat and a night watching sea turtles hatch, I only had one morning to really explore SJDS, but it was a rewarding morning.

Pick A Color - Streets of San Juan Del Sur

Yellow Meets Blue - San Juan Del Sur

This is just a taste, if you want to see more of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the full album is going up here.

In brief, these are tours of the tree tops.  Strong cables are strung between trees and people glide on them on little pulleys while strapped into harnesses.  While I can’t say that there was no trepidation, I can say it was a highlight of the trip.  I can’t say that I was looking that much at the trees and the wildlife, but I can say it was a genuine adrenaline rush.  We made ten jumps between various trees on a resort near La Fortuna.  Some of the jumps were small, some were really quite long.  The last real line was over a river and quite long.

When you zip line, you wear a harness that’s strapped to a pulley and you use a sort of leather strap on your dominant hand as a brake to control your speed.  On our first jump, like several of us, I fell short of the next platform, having applied too much brake.  I resolved after having to use my hands to pull myself up the last little bit of cable that I wasn’t doing that again.  I barely slowed down afterward and was one of only a few in the group to make each successive leap to the next platform.  I simply refused to brake!  At least until the guide on the platform was waving his hands at me to slow down!

After our last leap, we got onto a cart and drove back to the resort.  They sold us photos of ourselves taken while we were going between the trees.  I think I should work on this as a new profession – one CD cost $45!  They told us we could make as many copies as we wanted at least.  So, after we got back into town and had lunch, I was duly appointed to get some blanks and sit down in the internet cafe and make copies.  The fun part was that the software was in Spanish and apparently the first computer I sat at had an issue with it’s CD drive as it broke after the 4th copy!  The next machine was much faster.

Didn’t do much else that day.  We had our last full group meal that night as one of the group was staying there to go to Monteverde with her Aunt.  Afterward, hung out with part of the group (Lenny, James, and Sidra) who didn’t go to La Disco until retiring to the room to more or less do my last packing for the trip.  I knew the next night in San Jose would be rushed so I wanted to have my stuff together.  My bags needed to be ready to be loaded up when the rafting group left in the morning.

All but three of us were going whitewater rafting.  I had considered doing it, but all in all, if I wanted to white water raft that bad, I have plenty of choices here and it was one of the more expensive activities.  I just didn’t have that much interest basically.  So, the three of us, James, Lenny, and I were staying behind that morning and would be picked up to rejoin the group at 1:30pm.  Instead, we went back to Baldi Hot Springs for the day!  Perfect way to spend my last full day in Costa Rica.  Resting in hot springs, going up and down the water slides several times and just generally feeling like a complete bum!

When we met back up with the group, we had lunch and then took the long winding roads back to San Jose.  It was a three hour drive into the city.  We all wondered what it would look like after the earthquake, and ironically we couldn’t see any damage.  Apparently the bulk of it was outside of the area we were staying in.  I’d seen lots of photos on TV and heard conflicting stories about death tolls, but didn’t feel it and never really saw it.  It was very odd, like being at the scene of an event but not sharing in it.  Don’t get me wrong, very happy not to have been harmed in anyway, but it still created a surrreal feeling.

We had our last group meal at a restaurant that served Thai and Indian food.  I had Indian chicken curry!  Yum!!  The restaurant was nice and it was a great way to end the trip.  After dinner and chatting, we all made our way back to the hotel for our final night.  We chatted a bit and said our farewells.  Jenn and I were the first out the next morning.  We had to leave the hotel about 5am.  I took one more hot shower (my second since getting back to San Jose and the magic of hot water) and went to bed for all of four hours before I dragged the last of my belongings into my bag and knocked on Jenn’s door.  Our tax driver was waiting for us and made good time to the airport.

Of course, we get to the airport, and our flight to Houston was delayed (apparently one of many that day).  We made up a lot of time in the air but still think we got to our gate late.  Both of us had tight connections, I to Atlanta, Jenn to Toronto.  I still don’t know if she made hers but the last I saw her she was still in the immigration line.  I managed to run and get far into the line.  But as soon as I got through passport control, I stood and waited for my bags forever.  People were complaining vehemently all around me.   I swear it’s either Continental or Houston or both, but every connection I’ve made there has been a nightmare.  My bag finally shot on to the conveyor and I was off to the races.  I managed to get through customs quickly and re-checked the bag and ran to my airplane.  By the time I got there, I felt half dead and looked only slightly better.  I barely made it onto my plane.

The whole flight, I wondered what the chances were my bag had made it.  It wasn’t long after landing before I figured out it hadn’t.  The funny thing was there were a lot of people without their luggage who weren’t making connections like me.  It’s like they left a pile of suitcases sitting somewhere in Houston.  I stood in line, filed my luggage claim and was told I’d get it delivered to my house by 10pm.

I dragged myself home, only stopping at the grocery store to replenish the cupboard enough for a day or two and collapsed on the sofa to wait for my bags.

I drifted in and out of sleep for awhile.  About 10pm, I woke up and called Continental about my bags.  They told me they came in at 9pm and it shouldn’t be long…  I drifted back to sleep.  About 11pm, they called me to say my bag would be delivered about 3am!  And asked if anyone would be awake or if there was someplace outside they could leave it!  I think not!  I asked if we could just schedule it for today so I could properly go to bed.

Somewhere in all this, I also got an e-mail from Lenny and James that they had gotten stuck at the airport here in a missed connection back to the UK.  They got put up at a nice hotel near the airport at least.

We exchanged emails today.  I suggested some places they might do touristy stuff and where to shop if they were interested.  They ended up deciding on the shopping spree option.  I can’t entirely blame them.  We had the fastest reunion dinner ever at the airport this evening, only the day after we all left Costa Rica!  HA!  Hopefully, they are 30 minutes into their flight home by now!

Oh, and yes, I finally got my bag, a bit before 3pm today!  So, I finally feel like I’m back.  It may take me a few days to get back into the swing of life here.  It was a great trip.  I’ve told several people now that it feels like ages since I left for this trip, not two weeks.  And not in a bad way, it’s just that I saw and did so much, it just feels like a month passed while I was away.  Much to catch up on, much to remember.

I’m not sure when I’ll next call on Costa Rica or Nicaragua.  They were both interesting in their own way.  The trip did concentrate more on Nicaragua, so maybe more Costa Rica some day.  I’d particulalry like to see some of the non-westernized parts.  La Fortuna was so tourist-driven that I hardly took any photos there.  It seemed like they’d look like they could have been anywhere. That said, there were parts of Nicaragua that, even without hot water, I much enjoyed and I’d like to see more.  Granada could have been easily a day or two longer and I heard good things about Leon.  Nicaragua was probably one of the poorest places I’ve been.  We were told only Haiti in this hemisphere was poorer, but it’s also one of the safest places in Latin America and the people I met were unfailingly kind.  Also due to the conflicts of the 80′s, a very young country, we were told between 60 and 70% of the population is under 30.  I definitely left with a warm place in my heart for Nicaragua and had fun in Costa Rica, but there are so many places I’ve yet to see that it’s hard to say that I’ll definitely go back soon.

Hopefully I’ll get to start going through the photos from the trip soon!

We took a van to Managua airport.  The actual airport is quite a bit nicer than expected, but we were flying out of the small end of it which is for local destinations.  We were flying to San Carlos.  Quick lunch in the Subway in Manaqua International Airport where I learned that Atun is Tuna.  I was so hunrgy I didn’t much care.

We then hopped on our little 12 seat plane.  My first flights were aboard propeller planes, although slightly bigger, so I can’t really say they scare me, but I don’t find them at all comfortable or overly assuring.  I prefer jets when given the choice.   Actually, I have to say that anytime they weigh not only my bags but me, I’m not comforted.  They weighed us all, and all our bags.  My bag was 10 pounds over the limit (but 10 under for the US).  But luckily the group weight was what counted for our flight, so no extra charge.

A wee bit later we had flown over Lake Nicaragua and landed in the tiny burg of San Carlos.  We watched our bags get unloaded and were told we couldn{t collect them until we were inside the hut.   I cannot call this small building next to a single dirt runway a terminal.  It was simply a hut.  Once inside we watched another group pile into the plane returning to Managua.  It was about this moment that one of our group realized her bag was not there.  Yes, it had never been unloaded…

It was at one funny and tragic.  Our guide spent half an hour bartering with the people at the desk.  In the end, there was no way to get the bag back same day.  They were putting it on a plane for the next day. I really felt for her, luggage lose, even for a day is no fun at all.

We took taxis to the docks at San Carlos and then boarded a boat to our “Eco Lodge” on one of the islands of Solentiname.  The location was, I have to say, beautiful.  A gorgeous little piece of island shaded by a variety of trees and plants.  The couple who run it, Daniel and Olivia, were incredibly friendly.  The islands are sparsely populated, maybe 1,000 people we were told.

The place is remote enough that the power is solar, so limited.  The cabins only had a light.  I had to recharge my phone at the main building.  Not that I got a signal there, just that I needed it for an alarm.  They do have a phone there for emergencies, but not for general use.  Apparently it’s a bear to call out.

The first night, I shooed a gecko out of my cabin, another guy had spiders, and another group had bats.  This should give you an idea just how out there it was.  During the day, you quickly forgot, but at night, the warm temps and the critters made me want civilization badly.  I really think only Ometepe or only Solentiname would have made the trip better for me.  I’m hard pressed to pick one over the other, but I have reached my limit of backwater for the moment.

On our first day, our fellow traveler’s bag arrived (at a cost of $100 – which with luck her insurance will pay for) and a boat had to go back to San Carlos with her to get it.  A few of us went back for lack of anything else to do.  Sure, I could have laid in a hammock, but I had a better time in the hour long boat ride and 20 minutes meandering through a small market where they rarely see tourists.   I got some cookies and thought the guy said they were 30 cordobas, when they were actually 13 (yes, my spanish is that bad).  To his credit, he refused to accept my error.  There are 20 cordobas to the dollar right now, so we aren’t talking a lot.  I just have to give a shout out to the honest locals of San Carlos, Nicaragua!

Back to the eco lodge and a lazy afternoon.  We spent two days eating (great meals) and the only exercise I got was walking to “town” the second afternoon.  Even by Ideal, Georgia standards, this was not a town.  Chickens and ducks and a room in a couple of houses with groceries or clothes.  If quaint is what you’re after, Solentiname is your place.  While there, a Brit who is travelling on a world ticket for a year briefly joined up with us to eat and share stories.  She’s travelling alone and on the last two months of her year abroad.  About my age and quit her job and sold everything to do it.  Much jealousy.  Although I’m not sure you’d ever find me wandering off to plaves like that wee island on my own.  I need a bit more city to stay sane it appears.

I likewise think that I see I’ll never do peace corps.  The cold showers have completely worn thin.  Granada was at least luke warm.  Solentiname was back to cold and bitter.  I guess I could get used to it, but I’m not really sure I want to.  That’s apparently a creature comfort that I’m hard pressed to give up.

I think I’ve complained enough, lest I sound like I’m completely having no fun here.  I cherish every moment that I’m getting to see a little more of this wide world.

Today was back to Costa Rica day.  We had breakfast at 6:30am and boarded a boat to San Carlos.  We went through immigration there to exit Nicaragua and boarded a collectivo boat heading south on the San Frio River to Los Chiles, Costa Rica.  Passports stamped and sat on the boat.  As it’s a collectivo, it only leaves when it’s full.  As we were first in line, we sat on for over an hour.

Just about time to shove off, it began to pour rain.  A theme for the day.  The roof of the boat had about a 100 leaks and one was, of course, over my bag.  Drip, drip, drip…  My bag is water resistant, not water proof, but it appears it was never enough to seep through luckily.  It was a drizzle that alternately poured all the way to Los Chiles where it stopped just enough for us to load our bags on the van for the next leg luckily.  As soon as the tarps went up over our bags on the roof, the sky opened again.  We crowded in the building to get our passports stampd for re-entry into Costa Rica for a bit before boarding the van.

The van was a two hour ride and we were all determined to make no stops.  Every time a stop was offered, we said no thanks.  The only stop we really made was sitting on the side of the road looking at monkeys playing in the trees outside our windows.  Still, no one budged, we were determined to make good time to La Foruna.

La Fortuna is a totally touristy town.  I hope to explore it a bit if just for some tacky souvenirs, maybe tomorrow.  Maybe the next morning, we’ll see what works out.  Today we still didn’t have time for a lot.  We got in and unloaded.

I happened to turn on the news (trying to catch up)  just in time to see that there had been a 6.1 earthquake here in Costa Rica.  It was felt here in La Fortuna even though it’s 5 hours away from San Jose.  The epicenter was apparently a bit north of San Jose, where there were two deaths and a bit of damage.  Hard to tell how much as the news thats doing much coverage is all in spanish.  At any rate, we felt nothing on the road on the way here and are all well.  As far as I know, this changes nothing about our travel plans or leaving here on time next Sunday.  If you’ve seen the news and wondered, though, all is well on my end.

In the evening today, we took a bus tour out to see lava flows from a viewing spot for the local volcano – forgive me I’ve forgot it’s name.  It was somewhat disappointing, the rain returned and we only saw a few brief flares that were bright enough to shine through the thick clouds.  The town is close enough we might still see something tomorrow night, though, so fingers crossed.

From there we went to Baldi hot springs, a natural hot spring that’s been totally turned into a resort.  Tons of hot pools and two huge slides.  I had immense fun plummeting down those hot water slides because I had to use both hands to hold my glasses on, it was like being shot out of a gun at max velocity!  Some of us are totally considering a return trip tomorrow.

My only definite plan tomorrow is a canopy tour at 10am.  Otherwise, maybe some sightseeing around town and a little chill time.  The next day part of the group is going whitewater rafting.  Three of us not interested are staying in town until noon and will be picked up and taken to re-unite with the rest for our trek back into San Jose.  So, yes, the trip is in its final days now!  WAAHHH!!!!  So, yes, I’ve complained a little, but you see now that I’ll still be sorry to leave.

Arrived in Liberia about 11am and made our way to the Hotel.  Actually quite nice.  Air conditioned room (personally barely need it) and the most gorgeous blue pool about 5 feet from my door.  The weather here is just perfect.  Warm, a bit of an ocean breeze even though about half an hour from the coast.  Really precisely what the doctor ordered after weeks of gray and/or damp weather.

In the afternoon, we all took a van together to the beach.  Saw two but the best was unquestionably Playa Hermosa.  I still have to give the edge to the gulf coast beaches, but this was still very nice.  Pretty crowded but I had a good time wandering with the camera.  I love beaches, but not that concerned with swimming not laying and baking.  My skin has two modes, burned and not-burned.

In the evening, the last of our wayward travelers showed up with air line horror stories and we all went out for dinner.  The staple dishes here revolve around rice and beans.  After three days of rice and beans, I´m beginning to get a little desire for variety, so I had a chicken sandwich.  Nothing over chick-fil-a.  It was more like sloppy joe made with chicken.  Not what I expected but not awful.

This morning, the bulk of the crew got up to go to Palo Verde, a national park to take a boat trip.  A couple of others went hiking.  I figure there are plenty of chances to hike.  I had an awesome time on the boat.  We saw iguanas, a couple of different monkey species, and crocodiles.  The monkeys came on top of the boat and I hope, hope, hope that I got some cool photos of them.  They were just so cute.

Afterwards, another authentic lunch of rice and beans with chicken.  There was a little pork this time just to throw me.  Very good, but hoping that I can find something else for dinner.  At least breakfast has been peanut butter sandwiches thanks to the supermercado down the street!

I went out and took sunset photos, gorgeous old decaying buildings here, truly what I was hoping for already in the trip. Hopefully much more to come!

Tomorrow morning, we leave Liberia bound for Nicaragua.  Apparently it takes awhile to cross the border, as we ren´t going very far but expect to take 4 hours to get there.  There for two days, including the ringing in of the new year.  Expecting to take a sailboat trip on new years day if things go according to plan.  I think the internet is less of a sure thing in Nicaragua so the blogs may be sparse or non-existent.  Even here it´s bloody slow!

Enjoying life, catch up as time permits!

Flight to Houston was late and full. Literally ran to next gate and into line to board. No layover whatsoever! Not feeling so good about the hour I have between flights on way back!

I found my ride to hotel an napped!!! A true rarity for me. Walked around a bit before meeting group. We did all the admin stuff. Six so far. Two more arriving late tonight and two more had flight issues and will meet us in Liberia tomorrow.

Dead on my feet and early morning tomorrow for four hour bus ride so time foe beauty sleep!