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Below are my notes on my vacation to Costa Rica with Lauren. Over 10 days we visited Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Monteverde, and Arenal/La Fortuna. If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, perhaps these notes will be of interest or aid. Pura Vida!

Click here to see my album of pictures from Costa Rica.

Pre-Trip
Lauren is a fantastic trip coordinator. Many of her coworkers have been to Costa Rica before, so she got an inside scoop of what to do, where to go, etc. Our pre-trip itinerary: Land at SJO, rent a car, and get out of San Jose ASAP; spend a couple of days exploring the rainforest and beaches of Manuel Antonio; lounge for a day or two on the beaches of Montezuma; spend a day or two wandering through the cloud forests of Monteverde; relax for a day or two at the base of Arenal Volcano; fly home.

We decide to visit Costa Rica early in the “Green Season”, also known as the wet/rainy season -- fewer tourists and more affordable deals.

We scour the web for the best airfare -- find the cheapest deal on American Airline’s website. Airfare: $429.00 roundtrip (SFO-SJO) + $73.00 taxes = $502.00/person.

Travel tip: Definitely get a camera with as much zoom as possible if going to Costa Rica. Those sleek shirt-pocket size cameras are great for pictures of people, but to capture quality shots of wildlife and scenery (monkeys and birds live high-up in the trees), borrow from a friend or upgrade to camera with at least 10x zoom. Lauren’s previous camera was handy and fun, but only has 3x zoom (as do most small digital cameras). During my last-minute errand-run on lunch the day of our departure, I found a fantastic deal at Costco for a Panasonic Lumix TZ1 camera with 5.1MP and 10x optical zoom (the world’s smallest digital camera with 10x zoom). I also purchased a 1GB memory card (I would have bought a 2GB card if they had any in-stock -- the last thing one wants to do on a vacation like this with a new camera is to have a memory card fill-up half-way through the trip.)

8/31/2006 & 9/1/2006: Day 1
Knowing that I over-packed, filling one giant duffle bag to capacity, I attempt to purge my belongings minutes before leaving for the airport. I end-up with two small duffle and travel bags.

Agata, one of Lauren’s coworker’s, drives us from Care2.com’s headquarters to SFO. Unfortunately (frustrating at the time -- hopefully not a foretelling of our travel fortunes -- but comical later), Lauren leaves her 35mm SLR film camera in Agata’s car -- luckily, Agata isn’t too far away from the airport when we realize this and is able to make a drop-off run.

At the airport with plenty of time to spare, and away from work (it had been a stressful past few days prepping things so we could leave for 10 days), Lo. and I are all smiles, light-footed, and free of responsibility. “Pura Vida 2006” has begun! Dinner at SFO: $11.00. [Prices are for both Lauren and I -- total price for two people -- unless specified “per person.”]

American Airlines Flight 392: SFO (8/31/2006 8:50PM) to MIA (9/1/2006 5:18AM). Uneventful red-eye flight -- sporadic sleep -- wish we were still allowed to bring liquids (water!) onto planes.

Explore and wander through MIA, browsing in all open shops at the airport mall during our 6+ layover. Notice that people in Miami dress very well: women in crisp, sharp, stylish, colorful, professional/business suits with plenty of fire-engine red lipstick and blue or green eye-shadow, all in 2+ inch heels; men wear a lot of white (not cream -- clean show white) pleated linen pants with dock-sider shoes. Breakfast at MIA: $6.00.

Major money saving travel tip (unfortunately we have a few of these, having come out on the short-end of the stick on some things): Do not exchange money at the airport! Our guidebook, from 2005, said the exchange rate was 1USD:415 colones. At MIA we find a money exchange booth with a rate of 1USD:445 colones. Lo. and I each exchange $200. But we would discover later that the exchange rate at SJO is 1USD:475 colones. Credit cards were offering a rate of 1USD:520 colones. Yet there was not one place throughout our travels, including local buses through small little villages that would not accept U.S. dollars, usually at an easy-to-computer rate of 1USD:500 colones. Moral: do not exchange any money. If you want Costa Rican currency, just make a purchase in Costa Rica with a large U.S. bill and get your change in colones. Lauren and I lost about $45 in the exchange process at MIA.

Engine problems with our plane (AA Flight 937) lead to a 7.5-hour layover. Ugh! Luckily MIA has plenty of stores to window-shop. Lunch at MIA: $12.00.

Nearing SJO, Costa Rica looks green, lush, and is dotted with giant clusters of trees that look like baby broccoli from a few thousand feet. After touching-down and working our way through the airport, I notice two Burger Kings within a few hundred feet of each other -- with Whoppers for an astounding $6.00! -- in our terminal.

Lo. and I remember a tip in one of our guidebooks and pay the airport departure gee before passing through customs, thus avoiding the potential stress and hassle of having to wait in line the day of departure. Airport departure fee: $26.00/person.

Adventures in driving in Costa Rica, part 1 (I hope there are no sequels to this experience, but fear there may be): Prior to our trip, I scoured the web for the cheapest deal on a car rental and found a special on Orbitz.com for a 4x4 (recommended during the rainy season in Costa Rica) automatic transmission sport utility-vehicle for $218.00 (8 days) from Economy/Advantage Car Rental. After checking-in at their kiosk at SJO, we took a shuttle across the street to their main office. There the cost of renting a car ballooned to more than $465.00 with all applicable and required taxes and insurance mandated by Costa Rican law. Aye aye aye! Lo. and I balked at the cost (almost as much as our plane tickets!), but it was the cheapest deal around; plus, a car would be necessary to do all we want in our 10-day itinerary.

We should have seen it as a sign, though, when Vance, our Advantage Care Rental rep, told us “can’t miss” directions to get to Manuel Antonio -- “right out of the parking lot, take your first left, make a right at the stop-sign, then stay on the highway for three hours” -- and we, instead, found ourselves navigating the labyrinth of unmarked streets through Alejuela for 30 minutes. Finally, after four stops to ask for directions in our broken and mangled Spanglish, we got on the right road. And it was a beautiful, fun drive on a narrow two-lane road through the countryside of towns and villages for 30 more minute until a torrential downpour of giant, rapid-fire raindrops made the windshield wipers nearly useless. Dark night rolled in around 6:00PM, turning our tour from a peaceful and relaxing drive into a frustrating and scary roller-coaster, near-death experience.

The lack of light did not stop on-coming traffic from speeding. One car fish-hooked into our lane on a super-sharp curve forcing us to swerve quickly and nearly off the road and into the parallel ditch that funnels rain water to the lowlands. Our highway had no streetlights and would suddenly, without notice, merge into a one-road, one-way thoroughfare forcing traffic to almost immediately halt. I was white-knuckled the entire drive, unable to trace the near-totally-faded yellow center lane (when there was one) or the white “out of bounds” line (when teenage boys weren’t sitting on it or foot and bike pedestrians weren’t riding along it). Finally, after a tense four-hour journey, we entered Central America’s Reno-on-a-slow-night: Manuel Antonio.

Okay, to call Manuel Antonio Vega-esque is inaccurate hyperbole, but we were greeted at the very dark hour of 9:00PM by a long strip of cheesy-looking, back-lit signs for just-exotic-enough-sounding hotels designed to appeal to granola gringos: The Banana Boat Inn or Casa Verde, “Where there are still more monkeys than people.” It was a stark contrast to our expectations, and immediately disappointing, especially after coming off our hard day’s journey. We continued to wind along the washed-out road dividing the beach from the bars until we got to our landmark, a sign welcoming visitors to Manuel Antonio National Park, and turned left. One hundred yards up, we found our hotel, Casa Vela Bar, discovered by Lo. in a travel guide.

Ours was the only car in the small lot. We checked-in at the reception desk and our porter led us to our room. It was small, but cozy, with one very hard bed. We dropped our stuff down, slathered on Deet, and headed to the Vela Bar restaurant for a well-earned victory dinner. Our waiter was very nice, an ex-pat from Italy who came to visit Costa Rica four years ago with his cousin on holiday and never returned. Post-dinner, Lo. and I mosey-on-down to the beach and settle into a table at The Marlin, an empty bar that would fit in well along the downtown strip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Lo. sampled Costa Rica’s domestic beer, Imperial, and we remarked how quiet Manuel Antonio was, for both at dinner and at the bar, like our car in the empty parking lot of the hotel where we are the only guests, we had the entire place to ourselves. It is fair to say our initial reaction to Manuel Antonio was muted and lukewarm, but we held hope for the rest of our visit. Thus, we returned to our room, showered away our sweat and cleaned our faces (shiny from the Deet), finally brushed our teeth (toothpaste no longer being allowed on carry-on baggage on planes), and toasted to our Pura Vida adventure with bottles waters before hitting the pillow and quickly falling asleep. Dinner at Vela Bar restaurant: $10.00.

9/2/2006: Day 2
What an amazing day! Lauren and I woke-up early to an entirely different Manuel Antonio than we experienced last night. The sky was a like a kid’s coloring book -- bright blue filled with cotton clouds stretched forever over horizon of ocean and lush jungle. We had smiled on our faces as we packed our day bags -- last night, after dinner, we had wandered to some neighboring hotels and booked a tour of the national park with a guide (www.manuelantonioticotours.com).

Lo. and I quickly ate our egg, rice, and bean breakfast (surprisingly tasty) and schmeared a super-sweet pectin-like jelly spread over our toast to bring along as a morning snack. At 8:00AM we met with Roy, our tour guide. And along with two French women in their mid-20s and a slightly older Irish couple, Roy treated us to day of wonder. Throughout the four-hour tour we saw tree bats, numerous iguanas and lizards, two- and three-toed sloth, wild raccoons, beautiful and colorful birds, a crocodile-like creature, crabs and ants, a bull frog, black monkeys (one that proudly showed-off his large white, um... testicles and tried to urinate and defecate on us from 100 feet up), white-faced monkeys, rainbow grasshoppers, and a yellow viper snake, a site so rare that it was new for our very experienced guide.

Roy was a fantastic guide and an early morning tour is a must in Manuel Antonio -- he provided a great lesson in the history of Costa Rica, the struggle to balance tourism/business with sustainability (he hopes all further commercial construction in Manuel Antonio ceases -- 10 years ago, 1 square meter of land used to cost around $15.00; today it costs around $80.00 and Manuel Antonio is threatened to be ruined by all the hotels), and the rainforest ecosystem. Breakfast at Vela Bar restaurant: $10.00; admission to Manuel Antonio National Park: $7.00/person; tour guide for Manuel Antonio National Park: $20.00/person.

After our tour we re-hydrate at a bar immediately outside the park entrance. By then the beach has filled with locals selling necklaces, shirts, trinkets, etc. Many day-trippers are also settled into the white sand and are swimming in the light blue Pacific. Lunch: $8.00.

Lo. and I re-enter the park and quickly trek to the second of its two beaches, one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. It is a giant cove in the rainforest -- calm warm water and a perfect place to chillax the afternoon away. We swim around, explore the rocks and small-tidepools, chase crabs along the wet sand, sunbathe with an iguana, and read until it gets a bit grey and large, warm droplets of rain begin to fall.

Back at our hotel, we read, journal, and watch monkeys playing in the trees from a hammock on our second-floor porch. For dinner we cruise to El Gato Negro, a nice Italian restaurant opposite El Avion, a bar and restaurant converted from a fallen airplane. Our waiter turned out to be the cousin of our waiter form last night. I’ve noticed many bars and restaurants play Spanish versions of American adult-contemporary from the 1980s and 90s, sometimes with no words, just the music/instrumentation. Post-dinner, Lo. and I comment that we both like Manuel Antonio, even its cheesy, dead-during-this-season nightlife. Dinner at El Gato Negro: $20.00.

Prediction: Lauren will have a difficult time leaving behind the tiny black cat that befriended her at Vela Bar. (The cat jumped on Lauren’s lap this morning and stole a bite of her eggs; this afternoon it slept for an hour on her lap and follows her all around the grounds.)

9/3/2006: Day 3
Travel day. Rise early to pack-up, checkout, and cruise out of Manuel Antonio. During the day, rainforest and coastline dominate the landscape. We fill-up our rented Hyundai Tucson just pass Quepos. Blue skies and a “Green Season” Sunday are the ingredients for a fun experience behind the wheel on the open roads. Lo. and I stop in Jaco for a pit stop and to make a trade. First, we split a traditional Tico breakfast -- eggs, rice, beans -- and swallow our respective drinks, coffee and ochata.

After eating we find the local Economy Rent-a-Car office. We are anxious to exchange our expensive private transportation for a more authentic and affordable means of travel. (In addition to the costs of renting a car that I mentioned above, there is also gas to buy and the headache of not parking in a place where thieves can break-in.) Further, we have found that a car is not necessary -- a combination of buses and taxis should be able to get us around without the stress (including the $35 drop-off fee), and if unfamiliar with the streets of Costa Rica, usually in the same time as driving a private car. Two nights at Vela Bar Hotel: $80.00; gas for rental car: $26.00; breakfast and snacks in Jaco: $8.00; three-day rental fee for Hyundai Tucson 4x4 w/ automatic transmission from Advantage/Enterprise Rental (including drop-off fee): $200.00.

A lesson in Tico time. We drop-off the car around 11:00AM and pick-up a bus schedule -- the next ride to Punterenas (from Quepos) is to come at 12:30PM -- this is confirmed by locals we talk with. Lo. and I pass the time befriending a horse and grabbing a light snack. (We ordered a taco, but it looked like a deep-fried taquito covered in cabbage and smothered in mayonnaise.) A few minutes after 12:00PM we return to the bus stop and feed the horse some grass. Twenty-five minutes ahead of schedule, a colorful smog-spewing bus speeds by. I turn just in time to see “Quepos-Punterenas” on a sign in its front windshield. (Buses do not automatically stop at bus stops -- only if flagged down.) I yell and throw-up my arms, but it’s too late. “That was our bus!” I say to Lauren. “What?! The next one doesn’t come till 2:30!” And with that she started chasing it.

I felt it would be a futile attempt, but 500 yards ahead it had pulled over. I start chasing Lo -- she’s a good 30 yards ahead of me -- and yell, “Drop your bags! I’ll get them!” Without slowing, Lauren relaxes her arms and drops her backpack and traveling bag. She picks up the pace, but I’m still doubting we’ll make it. I stoop to pick-up her stuff and am lumbering, with two backpacks and three travel bags, like a bell-hop in a full-body cast down the main artery of Jaco with locals looking and laughing and taking bets if we’ll catch the bus. After the shortest (for how quickly Lauren sprang into action) and longest (for how long it took to race to the bus) 60 seconds of this trip, Lo. reaches el autobus just as it is pulling out. She yells to me to hurry -- I’m trying! -- and I finally reach the bus. I throw our luggage in the storage under the cab and climb aboard. Lo. and I find a couple of nice seats and are glad to take in the scenery without the pressure of navigating the roads. It’s a bumpy and beautiful ride with sporadic stops to pick-up locals standing in the road bisecting small villages. Bus from Jaco to Punterenas: $4.00.

We arrive in the outskirts of Punterenas and grab a taxi to the port and purchase tickets for the ferry to Paquera. It’s a nice 90-minute cruise across the bay to the Nicoya Peninsula. From there we hop on another local bus, this one older and smelling tired, as if some of the exhaust failed to pump out the tailpipes and settled into the cabin. It’s an even bumpier ride, but after two more hours we arrive at our final destination: Montezuma. It’s a quaint, sleepy beach community with a bohemian vibe. Many of the dozen or so street vendors hawking bracelets, pipes, and necklaces with rocks of “precious stone” hanging from them would fit-in just as easily on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Taxi from bus stop to port in Punterenas: $1.75; two ferry tickets from Punterenas to Paquera: $6.00.

Without a pre-arranged place to stay, we rely on our Frommer’s travel guide and it steers us straight twice -- once to Hotel Lucy, a bargainer’s find with rooms on the beach for $16.00 ($12.00 if we wanted to share a bathroom), and again to El Sano Banano, an amazing restaurant with an earnest and passionate food-prep and presentation philosophy (explained on their menu -- no beef, for example, because cattle ranching destroys the local natural environment) that also shows movies on a large projector screen. We devoured an appetizer called Tomato Aphrodisiac, an entree of Mango Coconut Shrimp, and a heavenly chocolate volcano of warm cake, ice cream, chocolate sauce, and granola -- sooo good! -- while taking in “Failure to Launch”, an utterly cheesy, ridiculous, and enjoyable flick to watch in a Tico restaurant with a group of backpackers, restaurant staff, beach bums, and locals. After strolling around downtown we retire to our small room with an ocean view, the crashing waves serving as our Costa Rican soundtrack. Dinner at El Sano Banano: $20.00; lodging at Hotel Lucy: $16.00.

9/4/2006: Day Four
A day of chillaxing! Lo. and I rise early, dress into our bathing suits, and hike to the Montezuma waterfall. It’s an Indiana Jones-esque trek, wading through water, scaling rocks, pushing through bushes and ducking under tree branches with howler monkeys bellowing an impressive and frightening cry deeper in the jungle. The waterfall, 20 minutes from the trailhead, crashes into an inviting pool maybe 30 feet in diameter. Lo. jumps in to swim; I join, seeing this as a challenge to my masculinity. It provides a refreshing morning shower and we play for an hour or so. During our retreat we come across a narrow muddy trail meandering along a ledge above the stream we waded in against stream during our hike-in.

Taking the trail cuts minutes from our walk back and we settle our damp selves into a table on the patio of the Hotel Amor for a well-deserved breakfast. Lauren and I struck out early enough for the waterfall that we’d have it all to ourselves. On our way back we had passed around 10 people heading towards the falls and commented how nice it was to have been alone deep in the jungle. Two of the people we pass are older guys -- Mark and Rob, childhood buddies since their schooldays in Ohio -- whom we met the night before and enjoyed a post-dinner conversation with. Halfway through our breakfast, they pull-up to a table next to our and we share adventure stories. Breakfast at Hotel Amor: $15.00.

After breakfast, Lo. and I traverse south along the rough (volcanic?) coast to Playa Las Manchas, a small clean beach that is soon populated by a few other small groups. We swim, bodysurf, watch the crabs scurrying about, read -- it’s nice to chill after a long day of traveling. We talk with a nice French guy for a while and walk back into town together before he heads to a Spanish lesson. Lo. and I return to El Sano Banano to satisfy our sweet cravings -- we wash down an order of nachos with the best chocolate and cappuccino milkshakes I’ve ever had. Lunch at El Sano Banano: $16.00.

Lauren and I meander through town and wander back to Hotel de Amor. We climb into two hammocks on the grassy, manicured beachfront and spend the afternoon napping, reading, and watching the waves. Evening at our hostel we talk with fellow travelers -- two young women from London celebrating the end of their masters studies and a guy touring Costa Rica solo on a motorcycle from Homer, Alaska. Backpacker’s dinner: cheese, crackers, nectar/juice, orange, and water from a market. In sum: the perfect lazy Monday. Dinner: $7.00; lodging at Hotel Lucy: $16.00.

9/5/2006: Day 5
Travel day: morning bus from Montezma to Paquera -- ferry to Punterenas -- taxi to bus station -- long wait for connecting bus -- bus to Monteverde. Whew! Along the way, we meet a number of backpackers. Find great lodging at Casa Tranquilo -- large room, private bath, free light breakfast and Internet for $8/person. Dinner at Morpho’s Cafe, polished off with incredible ice cream. A little souvenir shopping at night and cleaning-up/settling-in. Breakfast at El Sano Banano: $10.00; bus from Montezuma to Paquera: $4.00; ferry from Paquera to Punterenas: $3.00; taxi from port to bus station in Punterenas: $2.0; lunch in Punterenas: $5.00; bus from Punterenas to Monteverde: $4.00; lodging at Casa Tranquilo: $16.00.

9/6/2006: Day 6
Early morning rise and quick breakfast of granola, toast, juice, banana, and pineapple at our hostel (included in our $8/night private room!). Lauren and I take the 8:30AM shuttle from Santa Elena to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest -- more beautiful and less crowded than Monteverde Cloud Forest, the locals say. Beautiful it is, to the point of being other other-worldly -- thick, cool, refreshing clean air ever-so-delicately blankets an ocean of moss, grass, trees, bushes, vines, and flowers of every shade of green imaginable. Lo. and I trek along Cana Negra, the longest, at 4.8km, trail through the forest. The entire jungle is ours to observe -- only near the park entrance/exit do we come across another group. On our 11:00AM shuttle back into town, I can’t help but think that the cloud forest looked, if anything, like Neverland, Oz, and the Garden of Eden as imagines by Steven Spielberg on a movie studio’s set. Roundtrip bus from downtown to Santa Elena Cloud Forest: $2/person; park entrance: $10.00/person.

We return to downtown Santa Elena, which, for its cooler climate, friendly locals, green mountain, and smaller crowds, is becoming my favorite destination in Costa Rica, around 11:30AM and trek through Monteverde to dine at Pizzeria de Johnny’s, a guidebook recommendation. Lo. and I take our chances by ordering a salad and devour a medium house-specialty pizza. (“Whatever you do, don’t eat any salad!” warned my travel nurse, explaining that doing so could cause a case of trip-interrupting “Montezuma’s revenge.”) Pizzeria de Johnny’s is not on the cheap side, but a clean restaurant with great atmosphere and good food. Lunch at Pizzeria de Johnny’s: $22.00.

Lauren and I, after much research and discussion with fellow travelers, decide to do a canopy tour with Aventura. Their 16 lines (the longest at 600 yards hundreds of feet above the forest floor), a repel line, and 60 meter Tarzan swing (really a mini-bungee jump) provides us with a another incredible -- and adrenaline producing -- opportunity to see the cloud forest, and to play in it like human moneys. Great fun! Aventura Canopy Tour: $40.00/person.

Lauren and I recover from our highflying adventures by eating a couple scoops of helado in town -- sooo good! After dessert, it’s time for dinner: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Top Ramen, water, fruit, and gum (the college student’s dinner) from the supermercado. Supermercado dinner and ice cream: $6.00.

Back at Casa Tranquilo we chat the evening away with a backpacker from Israel, discussing the war in Iraq, history, politics, and foreign policy. Lodging at Casa Tranquilo: $16.00.

9/7/2006: Day 7
Early morning rise, quick breakfast at Casa Tranquilo, then we catch the 8:30AM tax-boat-taxi from Monteverde to Arenal. At the first transition (from taxi to boat), a van driver is blasting 50 Cent and Eminem (at 9:30AM!), all doors of his vehicle open and the bass turned up so loud that it muffles the lyrics -- it makes for a comical picture, because it’s such an untypical Tican scene. The boat ride across Arenal Lake is pleasant, and we get our first glimpse of Arenal Volcano. We initially had reservations to stay at it’s base the next few days at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, but the taxi-boat-taxi would have cost $30 more per person because it is so far our of the away, plus a taxi to La Fortuna would cost $20 each way. So last night we cancelled our reservations and decide to wing-it, especially since we hear La Fortuna is chock-full of budget lodging options. A backpacking couple from England is heading to Gringo Pete’s per the recommendation of a honeymooning couple they met earlier in their journey. This English couple convinces us to tag along with them to Gringo Pete’s and there we meet the man himself with whom we settle into a room at his Iguana Lodge for $5/person.

A couple of early signs that we should not have settled here, however: Gringo Pete calls himself Gringo Pete(!); there was an open pack of Tropical Durex Condoms on the coffee table in his reception area; and the sheets on our bed are decorated with Rugrats, Power Rangers, and Sesame Street characters. But Gringo Pete does point us in the direction of a fantastic watering hole, a 20 minute walk out of the center of town, populated by the local schoolboys. It’s a neat and refreshing spot to play in the river. Plus, Gringo Pete signed us up for a night tour of Arenal Volcano National Park and three hours at Baldi Hot springs, including door-to-door transportation, for $23/person. (We had talked with enough travelers and tour operators to know this was a great deal.) Taxi-bus-taxi from Santa Elena to La Fortuna: $36.00; supermercado lunch: $5.00.

The tour through Arenal Volcano National Park is one of our favorite hikes in Costa Rica, especially because we have a great guide. But the highlight of the tour is watching lava flow down Arenal Volcano from a clear, close lookout inside the park. Everyone in our large group falls quiet at this site, as if watching a movie, and all the couples get snugly. There is something romantic about watching a volcano erupt at night, and that mood of evening eros is carried over to Baldi Hot Springs. The hot springs are everything I expect and more: manicured, carefully designed grounds with 20+ pools ranging from mild to 152 degrees Fahrenheit! (No one was in this pools -- we dipped our finger in it and practically scalded our skin.) Lauren and I also treat ourselves to dinner at Baldi. Night tour of Arcano Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs: $46.00; dinner at Baldi: $27.00.

When Lauren and I return from our tour, we are in a state of ultimate chillaxness, which is good, because upon returning to the Iguana, the fun begins... broken fan, no electricity, no hot water, trails of ants, long lines of termites -- it’s the same in next-door room of the English backpackers. Gringo Pete shows up to respond to our charge of unacceptability. He says he’ll spray the termites tomorrow. He goes around the back to try and fix the electricity and we hear him swearing like a sailor. Then we hear some loud yelling and other noise. He kicked-down the door of his “security guard” who didn’t open the door when Gringo Pete knocked. It’s a wild night of hilarity -- scenes from the English comedy “Fawlty Towers” comes to mind. Gringo Pete reluctantly gives us our money back and Lauren and I collapse in a heap of laughter at the hilarity of the situation.

9/8/2006: Day 8
Rise, plan for today and tomorrow -- Maria, a helpful clerk at the Interbus office in La Fortuna, provides us with some recommendations and makes some calls. We check out of Gringo Pete’s as soon as we secure another place to stay and enjoy a mercado brunch of PB&J, mango, banana, Cliff Bar, juice and tea, and chocolate in the town square, La Fortuna Park. Mercado brunch: $5.00.

Lauren and I take a taxi to our holiday splurge, the Volcano Lodge. On our last full, free (non-travel) day, and after our experience at Gringo Pete’s, we want to treat ourselves to bit of comfort and some small luxuries. We arrive and check-in to the Volcano Lodge around 11:00AM -- beautiful grounds, large air-conditioned rooms with a back porch with two rocking chars for nightly viewing of the volcano, and two inviting pools and spas that we immediately run to and spend the afternoon swimming in and lounging and reading around. We eat a traditional Tican lunch and indulge in R’n’R. After taking the longest showers of our trip (hot water!), we return to the hotel restaurant for a dinner of spicy beef and an incredible evening show from the Arenal Volcano. Back at our room we rock the evening away in awe of the breathtaking eruptions and lava flow right above us. A perfect evening! Taxi from La Fortuna to the Volcano Lodge: $5.00; lunch at the Volcano Lodge: $7.00; dinner at the Volcano Lodge: $14.00; lodging at the Volcano Lodge: $77.00.

9/9/2006: Day 9
Sleep-in till 7:00AM and rise never so relaxed and restful! We take our time getting dressed and ready before heading to the breakfast buffet. Great food in a picturesque environment -- our only care and concern is to be ready by 1:20PM for our Interbus van to San Jose. Thus, more silly pool games, reading, lounging, and watching segments on E! (one of the few English-speaking channels on the TV in our room) while packing-up. Eventually 1:15PM rolls around and we checkout and climb into our van. We pick-up a couple of Asian businessmen and begin out three-hour trip south towards San Jose. Our driver is extremely knowledgeable of Costa Rican history, politics, and economics and we talk some, too, of American foreign policy. (He says 100% of Ticans love Americans, but 99% hate President Bush.)

It’s a bumpy though beautiful ride through the farmland of Costa Rica before we reach the capitol city. First impressions: I am struck, and a little saddened (if that’s the right word), by all the American fast food chains whose neon signs dominates the facade along Centro and 2nd Avenues -- McDonald’s, KFC, Quizno’s, Subway, Wendy’s. Our driver has a bit of difficulty finding Hotel Kabata, but we eventually spot it and check-in -- Mauricio and his wife are so pleasant and warm that the place feels like a family home.

Lauren makes friends with the house cat and I talk with Thomas, a recent Cal master’s grad volunteering some time in Costa Rica as an environmental engineer/inspector, about politics and philosophy and the struggle to adjust to/find meaning in the “real world.” Lauren and I take in a nice dinner at Pizzeria Pomodora and we spend the rest of the evening chatting with Mauricio about the business of running a hostel, adventure tour company, and balancing family time a with professional life. Interbus from Volcano Lodge to Hotel Kabata: $58.00; snacks at rest-stop: $3.00; lodging at Hotel Kabata: $32.00; dinner at Pizzeria Pomodora: $16.00.

9/10/2006: Day 10
Leaving Costa Rica. Early rise and shower, Interbus to SJO, flight from SJO to DFW to SFO. Interbus from Hotel Kabata to SJO: $12.00; breakfast at SJO: $7.00; BART from SJO to Embarcadero: $10.00; taxi from Embarcadero to Presidio: $20.00.

Overall: An amazing journey through one of the most beautiful and friendly countries I have ever been to. We did it comfortably -- not cheaply, yet without many indulgences besides basic lodging and food needs -- for just over $2,200 for two people. I saw more wildlife and nature than I have perhaps ever seen before. If you are interested in heading to Costa Rica and have further questions or comments than what I address here, please feel free to email me at jasonatwood [at] gmail.com. Pura vida!

Click here to see my album of pictures from Costa Rica.

Happy travels!
J.R. Atwood