CENTRAL AMERICA – WEEK 6

 

Elva wrote this passage as we drove down the mountain from Monteverde:

“On the road again, the bus laments its way along hilly, winding gravel roads.  We go down ever so slowly, I hear the rattle of the windows and my body feels every bump.  It’s a beautiful sunny Saturday February morning on our way to La Fortuna, Costa Rica.  I’m surrounded by natural beauty, mountainous countryside with fields of yellow and different shades of green pasture land.  This colourful landscape gives me energy and inspiration.

I see a variety of trees, including palms and flowering ones closer to the farms.  Today, the clothes on the line might need to be rewashed.  The dust from the trucks we meet reminds me of my childhood years, walking to school on our (then) red clay roads.

Crammed in the back of the van with my feet resting on the wheel arch and the group’s backpacks as décor, I’m loving every moment of this ride.

With my soul mate at my side I feel so blessed for another exciting day in Central America.

Before arriving at our hotel for a two-night stay, we will have carried our baggage many times.  Traveling light has been wonderful for we never know where we’ll have to lug our backpacks: up slippery riverbanks, on rickety steps, and in hotels with no elevators.

We’ll leave early Monday morning for San Jose.  With Javier, our nice and competent guide, and new friends made on this Intrepid tour, we’ll be happy to be on the road again.”

After arriving in La Fortuna, we took a short walk around the city.  Costa Rica has a very different feel than other countries we’ve visited thus far.  It’s definitely wealthier and there is a distinct middle class here.  Tourism is one of the main industries and the focus is on nature and adventure.  As was the case in Monteverde, they do a very good job on the adventure part.  We wish Prince Edward Island would catch on to this growing market, as it appeals to all ages.

Nine members of our group boarded the bus bound for the Balsa River.  We were given instructions on the bus and again when we arrived on how to react to the commands of our river guide.

We strapped on helmets and life jackets and were quickly on our way down the river.  First, we tumbled down through Class 4 rapids (Class 5 are the most dangerous) and I might have been heard to exclaim: “Oh My Jesus!”  If I didn’t, I was certainly thinking it.  Elva was screaming beside me.  For those who haven't done this, it's hard to explain how one manages to stay in the boat.  You simply sit on the side of the zodiac with one foot planted and the other free to move to add some stability.  And you try like hell not to fall out while you paddle like mad!

Fortunately, our guide would stop the zodiac from time to time to give us a break and to tell us what we were doing right and wrong.  The first Class 4 rapids we encountered were terrifying and thrilling at the same time.  It’s hard to believe the boat will stay upright and won’t crash onto a rock, but it comes through unscathed somehow.  At times, we were almost underwater, and the boat looked like it was going to swamp.  But our guide would reassure us and tell us to just keep paddling.

The last half of the two-and-one-half hour trip was over mostly Class 3 rapids; not quite as scary and, by that time, we knew what to expect.  After finding our land legs again, we boarded the bus and drove to a place where we were treated to a delicious lunch and a tour of an organic farm.  We were shown how sugar cane juice is made and most indulged in a generous sample of 120-proof rum.  White-water rafting: another one off my bucket list!

We left La Fortuna bound for San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, a modern city of some 2 million people.  Our hotel, the Hemingway Inn, had seen better days; the room was small and quite outdated, but it was at least clean.  We spent the afternoon strolling around the downtown and went to dinner, our last with five members of the group who were leaving us.  They were replaced by five new ones the next day.

On our second day in the big city, Elva did some shopping while I just hung around the hotel, reading a book.  In the afternoon, our friend, Gordon, joined us as we took a taxi to the cinema to watch 12 Years a Slave.  One of the more powerful movies we’ve seen in a long time, it’s nominated for nine Oscars and definitely merits several.  That evening, we met Ryan Craswell and his girlfriend, Neysy, for a steak dinner at a wonderful Argentinian restaurant.  Ryan grew up with our children in Sherwood and has been working and living in San Jose for five years now.  He had just gotten back from Speed Week in Daytona that afternoon, so we were fortunate to be able to spend some time with him.

The next day, we boarded a public bus for the five-hour trip to the Caribbean coast and the town of Puerto Viejo.  Barely out of San Jose, our bus broke down and another had to be summoned to take us the rest of the way.  As we approached the coast, we could feel the heat and humidity rise.

Puerto Viejo is a small backpackers town with a distinct reggae feel to it.  Our hotel, the Jacaranda, was a laid-back place, just like the town itself, and we were given a very nice and spacious room for three nights. Our guide, Javier, walked us through the place and showed us the highlights.  I went for a dip to cool off, and then we went out for some fish, the local specialty.

On our first full day in Puerto Viejo, we boarded the public bus bound for the nearby town of Cahuita and the nature reserve there.  We followed a path just inland from the gorgeous beach, sometimes coming out to within a few feet of the white sand.  We saw lizards, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, and a poisonous bright yellow snake.  The highlight of the day was seeing two sloths feeding in the trees above us.  For those who don’t know this animal, it is one of the slowest in the forest.  In French, it’s called le paresseux, which translates literally as the lazy one.  If I’m reincarnated, I’d like to come back as a sloth.  I think it would suit me perfectly! 

Having reached the end of the trail, we took a boat back across the bay and had lunch in the town.  For dinner, we went to a restaurant that serves only what fresh fish has been caught that particular day; nothing else!  The red snapper turned out to be the best fish we’ve had in Central America.

On Friday morning, Javier invited us to join him for a bike ride to Manzanillo, 13 kilometres south of Puerto Viejo.  We rented some old clunkers and set out, stopping first at a wonderful animal rescue centre.  There, we were shown a variety of species and had an opportunity to handle howler and white-faced (capuchin) monkeys.  We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

 

Back on the road, we got to the beach at Manzanillo just in time for lunch and then went for our first swim.  The water hereabouts is the warmest I’ve ever swam in; it must be at least 28 degrees Celsius.  No wonder! The average monthly temperature for Puerto Viejovaries from 27 to 29 in the daytime, and from 22 to 24 at night. 

Twice more on the way back, we stopped to test the waves at beautiful beaches.  By the time we arrived back at the hotel, we were ready for a shower and dinner; and then early to bed.  Our guide is an expert at finding things for us to do, and is quite willing to accompany us wherever we go.  Some choose to join in and others just do their own thing.  First impressions of Puerto Viejo were not that positive but we managed to spend two wonderful days here, and without spending a fortune. 

Saturday was a travel day from Puerto Viejo to Isla Bastimentos, and we crossed the border into Panama.  It's hard to believe our Central American trip will end in one week's time!