It’s been weeks since we got back, but I’m just now getting through the photos from B’s camera. So a few more bits:
1) Vulcan Arenal — We took the usual touristy “Lava Flow Hike” through the rainforest and saw a lot of rocks. We ended that hike with a seriously luxurious honey-moon like soak at the Tabacon Hot Springs (no pictures, we were busy being amazed by the pools)
2) Monteverde — B and I took the Jeep-Boat-Jeep transport (no actual Jeeps) from La Fortuna to Monteverde. The transport itself was ok, but we got stuck with a family of 13 from San Diego who were jaw dropingly annoying, horrible and ridiculous. They were those types of travelers who packed 2 large suitcases each (you really only need a backpack), are loud, obnoxious and treated the drivers like crap, and worst of all, threw things and yelled at the sloth we saw in a tree to try and get it to move. I wanted to throttle them. B and I shared a coconut and tried to ignore them for most part.
The cloud forest was pretty awesome – it made me feel like I was in a San Francisco park (Mt. Sutro open space reserve or Mt. Davidson) with all the fog. In the town of Monteverde, we also wasted some time and money taking a coffee and chocolate tour.
3) Playa Samara — A gorgeous quaint beach town and completely worth it. B and I stayed there for 4 days, 2 days too long. We got bored and we got burned. We went surfing one day (I’m ready for bigger waves and a smaller board!) and the snorkeling the next. The last two days we just sat on the beach and read (and were bored). We saw iguanas munching away in trees, ate at an expensive but seriously good steak house, and followed one of the three wild horses on the beach.
4) San Jose — We spent our last night in San Jose which was a huge, huge mistake. We were nervous about getting to the airport in time if we left from Playa Samara, so we decided to check out the capital city before we left. We had a horrible experience at the hostel we were at (Hostel Pangea – do not recommend), and the most expensive ($80!) but completely inedible meal at La Estancia Argentina. Our one day in San Jose completely soured the end of our otherwise great trip. Boo.
Teachers Have Lives Too! 