Bev returned to the USA today and I took the Interbus, a van service that picks up and drops off at hotels, to Brasilito, on the coast. The drive was quicker than in a big bus and the roads weren’t nearly as hilly or winding. I was picked up first so I got my choice of seats and I picked
About half the group went on to Manuel Antonio yesterday and the other half of us returned to San Jose. After checking into the very same room at the Radisson, we wandered downtown to find the post office and explore. I have to agree with the guidebooks. San Jose isn’t much to look at. Most of the buildings don’t have
Almost our entire group gathered for dinner at an Italian restaurant. We took up four tables in the place and had some decent food (I had pizza). One of the women at my table has been on four other Gate 1 tours: Egypt, Greece, Central Europe, Thailand, and now Costa Rica. Later this year she is going to Russia. She
We ate lunch at the coffee plantation and once we were finished with the meal we took the tour. We first learned a little bit about chocolate and tasted a roasted bean, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and best of all, chocolate covered coffee beans. Our guide took us through the plantation, showing us the plants at different stages of growth,
I can’t say enough good things about Ricardo. He was caring, tuned in, knowledgable, inclusive, kind, never tired, all with a good sense of humor. When we asked him a question he wasn’t sure about, he looked it up. There were so many great things about this week and he tops the list. I wold come back to Costa Rica
Selvatura Park is home to zip lines, hanging canopy bridges, butterfly park and an insectarium. About half the group opted for the zip line and the other half of the group opted for the hanging bridges. The zip line folks also had the option of the Tarzan swing, a terrifying thing that is half bungee jumping and half gigantic swing.
This mountain is home to the town of Santa Elana, Selvatura Park, and a whole host of activities in that park. The area was home to some US Quakers who settled here to avoid serving in the military. The created a cheese making and ice cream making operation. The also preserved some of the land to keep it from being
The bus ride from La Fortuna to Santa Elana is a brutally long one. It is slow and winding around the lake. There is not a road throughout the mountain and,a lthought there is a boat, it didn’t sound like it was a ferry. We stopped at a restaurant about half way for lunch. It was Sunday and thrown was
Our first stop out of La Fortuna was a hike up the mountain towards a former lava flow. Most of the hike was quite easy. It was more difficult when we got to the actual lava rocks. About halfway up, someone spotted a Tucan. From our perch, with binoculars, we could see it perched on a bare branch quite a
Arenal exploded in 1968 killing people living on the mountain. It had been “asleep” and suddenly became active. Postcards show glowing hot lava running down the mountain but there hasn’t been that much activity in several years. Some people in our group said they saw smoke coming out of the top to it but we did not witness that. Although