Author: yarildah

Breakfast was included in this hostel and since I was the only one there, I was treated like royalty. A large plate of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and toast, and lashings of good quality coffee all hit the mark. All served on the terrace adjacent an immaculately maintained garden. The señora had put out some fruit scraps which attracted two little squirrels and a multitude of brightly coloured birds. It was a very pleasant way to start the day.

I got directions to the bus stop and waited for the bus back to Canas. From there, I needed to catch a bus to Liberia, one of the major Costa Rican cities. I could use Liberia as a base to visit another two national parks as it was cheaper and easier than going somewhere else closer to both. The Liberian bound bus wound its way through the suburban streets for a while, before hitting the Pan-American Highway and then bombing along before reaching Liberia.

I found a hostel and checked in. Then I had a very important question to ask. Midway through these trips I need to find a half-way decent hairdresser to touch up my roots. I used to dread the potential outcome but am much more chill about it now. I mean, the worst that could happen is my hair all falls out… The señora gave me directions to a hairdresser at the local market, however, I think she missed the brief of a ‘good hairdresser’. I punched hairdressers into Google Maps and found a nearby salon with a good rating. I showed her this and she confirmed it was a ‘very good salon’. Thus satisfied, I headed out.

Sirius Salon and Spa was just what I expected – a small salon trying to impersonate a quality hair salon. everything was shabby and the small quantity of product was behind lock and key. My stylist, Leo, was lovely though and after explaining what I wanted, left it in his hands and waited to see what transpired. What did transpire was a quality job with a price tag to match. I paid about what I would back home, but at least I could tick that job off until I got home again.

By the time I had finished, the day nearly was as well so I sought out cerveza and something to eat. A fairly chill afternoon in downtown Liberia but I had plans for a much more active day tomorrow.

I had found out what time the bus left in the morning when I arrived in Tilaran the night before so I wasn’t spending a whole day there waiting. After grabbing a take away coffee and something to eat from a nearby bakery, I headed back to the bus terminal. I had to catch a bus to Cañas and then another one to Bijagua which was the closest town to the National Park I wanted to visit. This time I was finally on top of how to use the Costa Rican public transport system with any degree of certainty by checking timetables and asking staff at each stop. By now I had completely discarded any of the recommended on-line platforms as being either too inaccurate and/or unreliable.

The journey to Canas went through pretty countryside and tiny villages. All the while with the volcanic range looming in the distance. I kept an eye open for the hostel I had booked into but couldn’t see any signs. I got dropped off in the centre of town and walked back to where Google Maps said it should be. Nothing. After walking back and forth, a señora from a casa waved me over just as I was heading over to ask her if she knew where the hostel was. It turned out they were doing some renovating so took the sign down. I would have thought it prudent to at least replace it with a temporary one, but at least I had found my digs for the night. I dumped my pack and organised transport up to Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio.

Parque Nacional Volcón Tenorio is a 189 square km reserve with Volcán Tenorio the big guy of the park. You can’t climb the volcano as it’s too dangerous, but you can see the beautiful Rio Celeste which winds it’s way around it. And of course, that magnificent rainforest the area is known for. There is a 5km hiking trail which takes in some of the best bits which of course I was keen to tackle.

I was expecting the park to be overrun with tourists but the first section to the waterfall actually wasn’t that bad. There were tour groups but it wasn’t as crowded as what I had experienced in other parks at times. The walk to the waterfall was on a well maintained hard track and a fairly comfortable meander. When you got to the entrance to the waterfall though, it became a whole other story. Steep steps and many of them led down into the valley below. But the effort was totally worth it when you clapped eyes on the Catarata de Rio Celeste – a 30m torrent of pure white crashing into an aquamarine pool below.

It was fortunate there was lots to admire and take photos of as lots of stops were required on the slog of a hike back up the valley. This was the point that the tour groups (and most people) turned back so I had opportunity for a more tranquil hike checking out more of the park’s charms. The trail leading off the main path was natural so more challenging in sections with one needing to scramble over tree roots and boulders in places. It followed the Rio Celeste upstream past beautiful blue lagoons including one which had volcanic activity in a corner; the water burbling away from the thermal gases below.

The vivid blue of the water is actually an optical illusion caused by the convergence of two rivers containing different minerals and ph levels. The result is a scattering of sunlight off suspended particles in the river which our eyes (and camera lens) register as bright blue. It truly is a surreal image. The blue is deeper the closer you get to the source and gradually fades along a 14km section of the river.

I was now close to the source and the blue was so intense as to seem unworldly. Fringed by lush, tropical rainforest it was certainly a sight to behold. I continued on along a muddy track, crossing two small bridge, following this mysterious river all the time. At the end of the trail was the point called El Teñidoro – The Dyer. This was where the Rio Buena Vista and Quebrada Agria converge to form the Rio Celeste. It really does look like someone has poured dye into the river and the ‘mixing’ effect is most surreal.

By this stage of the day it was starting to get late and I wasn’t surprised to see a park ranger ambling up to the trail end. There were three South American girls recording sounds for a podcast as well as myself and I thought the ranger was rounding us up to vacate the park. It turned out not the fact and Cecilia, the Park Ranger, ended up giving us a private tour and some entertaining stories as she accompanied us back towards the entrance. She showed us a tiny, but deadly, viper curled up sleeping on a palm leaf just off the track. These incredible creatures are so well camouflaged it is difficult to spot them. We also saw toucans and many other birds along the way.

It was nearly dark when we got back to the park entrance and the previously bustling carpark and surrounding restaurants and stalls were ghostly quiet. I had caught a taxi up to the park as I didn’t have a lot of time to get there before they stopped people entering in the early afternoon. I was considering hitchhiking back but was out much later than expected. Cecilia was going to call a taxi for me but the South American girls offered to take me into Bijagua even though they were going in the opposite direction. I chatted with them on the way back down the mountain and found out two of them produce a soundscape podcast. They were lovely girls and had very interesting stories. I got them to drop me off in town as I was planning on finding somewhere to have a meal before returning to my hostel. This time at least I knew where that was.

Up for another tasty breakfast before checking out of my hostel. I had asked the night before where to catch a bus to Tilaran as I needed to transit through there on my way to my next port of call. I found a bus stop where the señorita had indicated but with no idea of bus timetables, I stopped to ask at the restaurant across the road from it. The señora I spoke to didn’t know, but asked a co-worker who told me there were only two services a day – 6am and 4pm. As I had well and truly missed the 6am bus, I had six hours to fill in before the afternoon option.

I decided to stop at a lovely little cafe for coffee while I weighed up my options. I looked in the guidebook to see if there was anything in there I might want to check out and found there was a bat refuge and education centre about 2.5kms out of town. Finding it on Google Maps, I also noticed there was a lookout and waterfall en-route. That was enough to keep me busy until my bus left. Decision made, I set off.

Santa Elena is situated in the mountains and anywhere you walk involves extremes of inclines and declines with the occasional ‘flattish’ section to catch your breathe. Add in heat, humidity and altitude, and walking is not a fast affair. But the slow pace of travel allows one to see what would otherwise be missed. While stopping to take a photo of the landscape, I spotted a little squirrel darting up and down some small trees. He was way too quick and far away to be able to catch on my phone camera so I had to be content with just watching his antics.

The lookout indicated on Google Maps was most definitely a wow factor. Popping up a steep incline, the road traversed around a wide valley which opened up to spectacular views below and beyond. The road crossed the main watercourse for the valley and continued around to where ‘The Bat Jungle’ was situated.

‘The Bat Jungle’ is a rehabilitation and refuge centre dealing solely with bats. It has a small educational museum and a larger bat enclosure. Unfortunately, when I got there the power was out and the guided tour didn’t go ahead. Still, it was interesting and I was happy to support a grassroots conservation project.

Coincidentally, the waterfall across the road was called the Waterfall of the Bats. I had to check it out! After paying the admission fee, I walked down the steep steps that led down into the valley to the little river. Following it around a bend, the cascade thundered into a small pool. This was the same watercourse I had passed on the road. I spent some time just chilling and enjoying the ambiance before turning back to tackle the trail back to the top.

Then it was back to Santa Elena to wait for my bus. I had about half an hour to spare so grabbed something to eat and a beer in a nearby restaurant, then walked back up to the bus stop. After a short while, a señora came along to wait as well and I was able to confirm where to wait and approximate time the bus would arrive.

If the great Costa Rican coffee doesn’t jolt you awake, then a ride at the back of one of its buses will. These old jalopies are not known for their comfort value but are a great way to experience authentic Costa Rica. As the bus ground it’s way through its gears and out through the valleys, it was best to hang on as it flung itself around the sharp mountain corners. Eventually the dusk permeated the vista and darkness prevailed. We arrived in Tilaran shortly afterwards where I decided to stay the night and continue on the next morning. I found a cheap hotel close to the bus terminal where I could get away early the next day.

This great little hostel had breakfast included, so I was able to tuck into fresh fruit, omelette and coffee prior to starting my day trekking though the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. I was hoping to be able to take a public bus out to the reserve, but the only option I had was by shuttle bus. Still it was cheap and convenient so I didn’t mind too much.

The shuttle picked me up from outside my hostel and after picking up another few people, we drove out to the reserve. The region around Santa Elena is extremely hilly and our van slowly wound its way up, down and around the poor roads. It was remarkable to see all the private reserves, adventure parks and properties offering a myriad of tours along our route. It would seem that large swathes of Costa Rica are being developed for the tourism market; although in the main, they are maintaining the rainforest.

Arriving at the reserve, we had to patiently wait our turn for a briefing from staff in the information centre. The trails were explained as were the conditions of entry. We had to take a photo of the map as no maps were provided. Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena (Santa Elena Cloud Reserve) is a community administered reserve of some 310 hectares with 13kms of trails winding their way through a portion of the park. This is not as popular as the tourist encrusted Reserva Bosque Nubosa Monteverde down the road which meant for a quieter, more tranquil experience.

I decided to start with the ‘Sendero Encantado’, a 3.5km circuit, so headed to the trailhead. I followed a neat concrete pathway which led to the trailhead and was pleased to find a more traditional single-file dirt track leading off. The trail wound its way down into the valley, crossing little bridges here and there. I only came across a few other people the whole time on the trail so could really enjoy the solitude and ambiance of this high elevation forest. Surprisingly, the only sound you could hear was a faint humming of insects and the constant slow drip of water permeating every inch of the forest. I was expecting to hear birds, but only saw the occasional one flitting through the forest. And yet if you looked closely, life was abundant.

Back at the park entrance, I decided to stop for coffee at the the little cafe there before continuing on to complete a loop which would take in the remaining trails. Sipping my coffee on the cafe verandah, I watched a myriad of birds flit in and out of the forest which lay just on the other side.

Heading back out, I was stopped by debris coming down from high in the forest canopy. Looking up, I could see the source of the destruction; a small troop of Capuchin monkeys were devouring the hearts of epiphytes and discarding the rest onto the track oblivious to consequence. I watched their antics for a few minutes before making my way to the start of my next circuit.

The second circuit I planned on completing took in the rest of the trails, totalling about 10kms. I started on the easy, concreted ‘Mundo Joven (Child’s World)’ trail, before veering off onto the start of the ‘Youth Challenge’ trail. This was more of a traditional dirt trail and gradually wound its way along the side of a hill before starting to ascend. At the point at which it turned to complete its loop, I continued straight ahead on the ‘Del Bajo (low)’ trail until it too turned north. Then it was on the most challenging of the five trails – ‘Canó Negro (Black River)’.

This trail, being the longest and most challenging one, had very few people on it. Some rudimentary track hardening by way of wooden blocks and planks and concrete filled sacks prevented you from sinking into the mud in places. Other places required you to step up or down steep steps either carved out of the mud and reinforced with timber or climbing down a cascade of tree roots. The trail ascended again and led to a lookout of magnificent proportions. Overlooking the mountains and a nearby volcano, the low cloud cover threatened to obscure the vista.

This was where the trail became its most challenging as it wound its way up and down various little valleys. All the time, you could hear the sound of water crashing down some distant cascade, interrupting the gentle dripping soundscape. After a series of small bridges, the trail began to climb again out of the valley.

I eventually reached the end point of this trail and retraced my steps along the first trail I walked to get to the other end of the ‘Del Bajo’ trail. I quickly worked out that they had set this trail to be walked in the suggested direction so as to be all downhill. Unfortunately, I hadn’t looked at the contour gradients on the map before deciding which way to go and so faced a long, slow slog up the hill in the heat and humidity. It was a pretty trail though and I did enjoy it, but was well and truly glad when it ended.

Back on the ‘Youth Challenge’ trail, the pain subsisted as the trail continued climbing to reach the highest point in the reserve. At 1725m, I was then on the downhill run. Quite literally as by now it was getting close to when I needed to catch the last bus back to Santa Elena. Unsure of the terrain between me and the reserve entrance, I decided to jog a little along the easy decline. I decided I had time to climb the observation tower en-route and was glad I did. The views were spectacular and the encroaching clouds made for magnificent and mystical viewing. After a few quick photos, it was back down and powering back to the visitor centre.

I made it back in time for the transport shuttle, happy I had managed to walk all 13.5kms of trail. Back in town, I got dropped off in the centre to find somewhere for an early dinner and a couple of bevies. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to a hot shower and an early night.

Checking out of my hostel (again…), I waited to be collected for the first part of my tour/transfer to Santa Elena. I was expecting a small mini-van as the transfer was referred to as jeep/boat/jeep, but a large van turned up and started filling before finally leaving La Fortuna. We drove back up through the hills, crossing the Laguna de Arenal dam wall. This dam provides sufficient hydroelectricity to generate around 13% of Costa Rica’s energy needs. Pretty and practical. We continued around the edge of the dam a bit longer before pulling into a rutted dirt road which lead down to the water. There waiting, were several passenger boats.

Other buses were already disgorging their passengers onto the boats and we followed suit. Our luggage was hauled off the van and placed in the front of the boat. And then we were off. And then it started to rain. And rain. And rain. The plastic screens of one side were rolled down, effectively blocking any views in that direction. Then, the lake became shrouded in mist masking any views at all. Still it was lovely being in the water and watching the ghostly vista pass by.

The lake was much larger than I was expecting and it took us nearly half an hour to cruise to the end where awaiting vans were lined up. We had all been given a number on a yellow sticky note indicating which bus we needed to take on the other side. I was in van number 8, along with several of the other travellers I had been chatting to en route. Once all aboard, our van lumbered up the dirt road heading towards out final destination.

The roads on this side of Laguna de Arenal are less than desirable; being heavily potholed compacted dirt and roadbase. Moreover, they are narrow and winding which makes for interesting traversing for larger vehicles. Our driver was well versed in handling the conditions though and we had a comfortable ride. I sat up the front and took advantage of unencumbered views of the picturesque countryside. And picturesque it was. Everywhere was lush and verdant, with little casas neatly nestled in the hilly terrain. We were gaining altitude and a misty cloud cover came to greet us.

After a short rest stop at a roadside cafe, we eventually arrived in Santa Elena. I was dropped off at my hostel and checked in before dumping my pack and going off for an explore of this sweet little tourist town.

It was time to leave my little hostel in La Fortuna and move on. I had booked a couple of nights in Monteverde the previous night and worked out how to get there by local bus using an app that had been recommended to me by several locals. it was going to take about four hours and three buses to get there so I left in plenty of time to arrive mid afternoon.

This was the first time I had used the app and I spent a bit of time working it out. It was a bit clunky until you upgraded to get rid of the ads and open up some of the more useful functionality. And then it was brilliant, offering everything you could possibly want in a public transport app. I climbed aboard my bus and settled into a hassle-free first leg of my journey. The app followed our route and even notified me to get off at the next stop. I was most impressed.

At the bus terminal in Guatuso, I consulted my new best friend who gave me details of how to get to the bus terminal for my second bus. I dutifully followed directions. And found nothing. I asked a girl in a roadside kiosk. She told me there was only one bus terminal and that was the one I just came from. She didn’t know about the bus I was wanting. I asked an older couple at a bus stop and they gave me the same information. I returned to the bus terminal and asked the couple of locals waiting for a bus who promptly told me there was no bus to Tileran from Guatuso and I would need to return to La Fortuna to take a bus from there. I showed them my app which was counting down the time to my bus’s arrival, but they could give me no answers.

The time for arrival came and went and the app started counting down the time to the next service in an hour’s time. Still no bus. I scanned the road I was supposed to standing on but no bus trundled along there either. Eventually, a bus arrived heading to La Fortuna and I asked the driver. He confirmed what everyone had already told me. The service on my app just didn’t exist. My only option was to return to La Fortuna and try again. Despondently, I climbed aboard and sat down.

By the time I returned to La Fortuna it would have been too late to try again so I weighed up my options. I could try again by public bus in the morning, I could take a tourist shuttle (which I detest doing unless I absolutely have to), or I could book a transfer which took you to Lago de Arenal to board an awaiting boat for a scenic crossing. Then it was back on a bus to your accommodation. I decided on the latter option as it was something I had considered doing and was a much safer option than catching public transport again. I had already spent enough time in La Fortuna and needed to move on. Regardless, I needed to organise a bed for the night in La Fortuna and let the hostel in Monteverde know I would be a day late. As we went in and out of mobile coverage I managed to secure a bed back at Rio Danta Hostel again.

As we pulled up again at La Fortuna, I got another message on my phone from the bus app letting me know my bus from Guatuso to Tileran was arriving soon. My response was to promptly delete the app. As I walked into the Main Street, I looked up at to see probably the clearest view of Volcón Arenal I had seen the whole time I was there. It had shrugged off its misty shroud and looked for all intent and purpose to be mocking me. Well, I suppose it does have a mischievous history. I looked away and began my walk back to the hostel.

Up bright and early for my tour as I was being collected from my hostel at 7am. I was first on the schedule so spent about half an hour driving through La Fortuna gradually filling the mini-van. Then we were off up the mountain. I hadn’t had coffee so was pretty happy we stopped off for some en-route. Then, it was driving along spectacular jungle clad roads that wound their way up through the mountains. We got to the dam wall of Lago de Arenal where a large family of about 30 coatemundies were congregating. One of the more senior males of the group wandered over to check us out and ensure we were of no threat to the others.

We all piled back in the van and continued on to our first official stop of the tour. Místico Park Hanging Bridges is a private slice of tropical rainforest with 16 bridges, including 6 hanging bridges. The tightly controlled (only 15 people at a time) suspension bridges span distances of up to 40m in length and allow visitors opportunity to experience the forest canopy. Concrete paths neatly wound around the side of the mountain leading to the next bridge to be crossed.

The park was so beautiful; an incredible natural garden with magnificent vistas at every twist and turn. The soundscape of cicada, frog and birdsong made it an enticing journey which invited the traveller to take one’s time and enjoy. However, that was not to be the case for us. We happened to have a tour guide who was less about the chill Tico vibe and more about German efficiency. We were frog marched from point to point as he tried to find animals for us to see through his telescope. Even pausing for a quick photo meant getting left behind and having to catch up with the group.

Still, it was stunning and even though we only saw a quetzal and a lizard, I enjoyed the visit. I had already seen a lot of native animals in Costa Tica so was able to just enjoy the park for its natural beauty. The hanging bridges were amazing and it would have been nice to have been able to spend a bit more time on them. But with a 15 person limit and other tour groups waiting, one felt obliged to just walk across so as to not hold others up. Evidently we were there at the ‘quiet time’. I wouldn’t have wanted to been there when it was busy.

Back in our mini-van, we drove to our next stop where we had fresh pineapple before driving further on to do our ‘volcano hike’. Our guide drew a mud-map of the area in the dirt and gave us a brief history lesson about Volcán Arenal’s activities. Looming above us in the not so distance was the great volcano itself cloaked in a shawl of cloud cover.

We started our ‘hike’ from the car park and walked a few hundred metres to the bottom of a small hill. There, the trail become steeper and a bit more challenging. Our guide charged on up to the top and we paused for photos of the beautiful panoramic vista. Expecting to continue on, we were surprised to learn that that was the extent of our ‘volcano hike’ and we disappointedly trekked back down to the car park.

Next on the agenda was lunch, and we drove down to a roadside restaurant and went in to order. Again, our not-so chill tour guide hurried us along and I was still eating when told I had five minutes before we had to leave to go to the Hot Springs. There were three of us who hadn’t booked the waterfall component of the tour so we were going to the Hot Springs while the rest of the group continued on. We were checked in and wristbands issued before our guide told us to be waiting at 3.30pm to be taken back to our accommodation.

The Hot Springs were a series of nine man-made pools nestled in amongst gorgeous landscaped gardens. You started from the first pool which was about 40 degrees Celsius and made your way down the property where the temperature of the water decreased slightly as well. There was also a cold water pool to reinvigorate oneself and make you want to jump straight back into the most scalding of the pools to warm up again. We had couple of hours at the property and were changed and ready when our guide and van turned up dead on time.

The main tour group went into the Hot Springs and we were driven back to our accommodation. I had a short time to organise beer before setting up for a Zoom meeting on the hostel co-working space deck which went until 11pm. All in all, a long, busy day in Costa Rica.

I had planned a couple of days in La Fortuna which meant I had time to do the weekly wash. Travelling so lightweight means I’m only travelling with bare minimum in the way of clothing so need to get by with hand washing in the shower and a good soak in laundry powder when time and necessity arise. And necessity had arisen. With the aid of hostel hound, Nala, we got it sorted. Then, I headed out for a stroll around town.

La Fortuna is famous for being the only village in the vicinity that didn’t get buried beneath tones of volcanic debris when Volcán Arenal erupted in 1968. Locals didn’t even realise it was a volcano, referring to it as a hill. That all changed when Arenal blew it’s top (literally and violently), destroying all in its path. Now awakened, Arenal decided to let locals know who was boss and kept them on their toes for over 40 years. Until it got bored. And stopped. Although still considered active, Arenal is mostly impersonating sloths these days and is pretty docile.

I found a nice little restaurant overlooking the town plaza and settled down to survey the scene over something to eat and a couple of icy cervezas. La Fortuna is definitely a tourist time and there is no escaping the fact. Everywhere you look is brightly painted murals of Costa Rica’s ‘Big 5’ (sloth, monkey, toucan, hummingbird and red-eyed tree frog); though to be fair none of these are likely to kill you unless you come across a rabid specimen. Fortunately, there is an almost complete lack of street hawkers which means you can still stroll the streets unmolested.

After checking on my washing, I continued my wandering around town. I was wanting to get out to Volcán Arenal to hike around the trails there but couldn’t find any reliable information about buses. I instead decided to book a tour which included the volcano, as well as a private reserve with a number of suspension bridges high in the jungle canopy, and a visit to some hot springs. There was an option for adding on a waterfall visit as well but I needed to be back by mid afternoon for a Zoom meeting so discounted that.

Then it was back to the hostel to chill in one of the hammocks. Rio Danta Hostel is a lovely little property surrounded on two sides by a small stream. There is a beautiful little deck overlooking the stream as well as hammocks in a garden alongside it. It was as good a place as any to stretch out and soak up the serenity.

It was lovely falling asleep to the sound of the river gently cascading over rocks, but not so lovely being roused at dawn by the on-site caretaker beginning his noisy chores. Still, it gave me opportunity to get organised for the day well in truly in time for my tour. I wandered down to a nearby little open-air roadside restaurant and breakfasted on chicken empanada washed down with good coffee. By the time I returned, the rest of my tour group had arrived and we were shuttled into an awaiting mini-van.

After picking up an English family en-route, we drove alongside the Rio Sarapiqui for several kilometres; eventually turning down a narrow, windy road which lead to our launch point. Our rafts and guides were all ready for us so after kitting up and receiving the obligatory safety brief, we jumped in and started our way back down the river.

Whilst not the most exciting of rivers to raft down in terms of heart stopping rapids, there was still sufficient whitewater action to make it thoroughly enjoyable. Especially when other rivers cascaded into a cascade of the main river you were traversing down. The river wound it’s way past jungle clad embankments, teaming with birds and other wildlife. During the sections we were drifting in the current, it was magical to just look up at the passing jungle canopy and soak up the tranquillity. We stopped off at one stage to jump off an embankment into the current and drift down to our waiting rafts which had pulled up on the rocks with fresh tropical fruit awaiting us.

All too soon, we came to the end of our rafting trip and pulled up back at the Hostel. I had left my belongings in my room so had my own private bathroom to shower and change. Joining the others, we sat down in the outdoor pavilion overlooking the river to a delicious, typical Costa Rican lunch complete with fresh tamarind juice.

I enquired as to buses to La Fortuna where I was heading next and found the next one was in a couple of hours. I was happy to wait and chill in the beautiful gardens of the hostel and catch up on my blog. I looked up at one stage to find a large iguana sunning itself not far from where I was sitting. That was until the caretaker’s little dog decided it was an unwanted guest and noisily encouraged it to scramble back under the thorny bush it had emerged from.

My wait time was up, so I gathered my pack and walked up to the bus stop. Turning my back for half a moment, my bus careened around a corner 10 minutes early and sped off down the road. Caught off-guard, I tried hailing it but was too late. It was gone. And the next bus wasn’t until 7pm. I weighed up my options and decided to try hitching a ride into San Carlos where I needed to catch the bus to La Fortuna.

After about 10 minutes, an hombre by the name of Marcos picked me up in a lightweight truck. I explained what had happened and he was happy to give me a lift to Florenzia in San Carlos where he was heading. It was a pleasant drive and be dropped me off at a bus stop after placing me in the care of an awaiting passenger catching the same bus. It was then a matter of waiting about 15 minutes for the bus and I was on my way. By this stage it was dark and I couldn’t see beyond the sealed windows. We pulled up in La Fortuna and I found my hostel a short walk away.

I strolled into town to find a bakery for coffee and something to eat before heading off. I also needed to work out where to head next as Sarapiqui wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was a small Costa Rican town who clearly wasn’t used to having westerners traipsing down its main street and I did attract a few glances. As opposed to my lovely stay in Orosi Valley, these locals were somewhat more aloof towards strangers, although I did manage a few greetings my way.

I found a reasonably priced room at a hostel in nearby Chilemate from which rafting tours were run out of, so booked that. I was wanting to do a rafting tour somewhere in Costa Rica and this seemed like a good place to do it. Next, was to find a bus to get me there. Costa Rican buses are cheap, numerous and can get you most places. Whilst by no means modern, they are state of the art compared to the monolithic ex-US school bus hand-me-downs rumbling through the rest of Central America. I wandered down to the bus terminal and waited for the next bus to Chilemate.

I had asked the driver to let me know where to get off as the property was not in town. And so found myself stepping off outside a tiny store in the middle of nowhere. Across the rural road and down a bit was my lodgings for the night. I crossed over and wandered down. A rafting tour had just finished up and the group were dispersing to the changing rooms when I arrived. I checked in and was seen to my room. To my surprise, I found out I was the only one staying the night and hence had the whole place to myself. I thought I had booked an overpriced dorm bed, but it turned out I had the whole room to myself and the adjoining bathroom was technically my ensuite.

After to attending to a few things upstairs, I wandered down after about an hour to find the place deserted. The rafting group had had their lunch and left on their private shuttles and the staff had gone home. The main lobby area was locked up and I was quite by myself. After checking out the pretty gardens and the river which flowed just below, I decided it must be time for Happy Hour and hence needed to source cerveza. I walked back to the little shop I had walked from to find they didn’t sell beer. The hombre who checked me in had said there was a bigger shop in the other direction so decided to try that one.

The thing with rural Costa Rican roads is there isn’t any verge as such which makes walking on them quite hazardous to say the least. Butting hard up next to the traffic lane is usually vegetation and/or a steeply sloping incline. I had to eyeball oncoming traffic to determine whether or not it was going to veer slightly so as to not hit me or seek appropriate evacuation route. I always erred on the side of caution when it came to bigger vehicles such as trucks and buses, finding a safeish spot to move to until it passed. All the time hoping I wasn’t going to stand on one of the extremely venomous snakes that like to sleep in such places.

After a couple of kms, I found the store I had been referred to and bought my 1L bottle of beer to take back. Deftly dodging traffic again, I made it back in time for my self-designated Happy Hour. Or hours as it turned out. An on-site caretaker eventually turned up and went straight inside his quarters. Still it was a lovely place to just chill and listen to the sounds of birds, monkeys and the rippling river.