Our holiday in Costa Rica - Frank, Kath & Nicola

OUR HOLIDAY IN COSTA RICA - Frank, Kath & Nicola
PART ONE
DAY 1 - Saturday 20th March

Left Ailsa and Biscuit the Cat behind at Jackson Avenue, Ilkeston UK at 7:00am.
Took the A50 and M6 to reach Car Minder at 8:30am and dump the car for a fortnight.
Checked in at Manchester airport and departed on a DC10 at 11:30am

Arrived Newark, New Jersey 7 hours later, their time 1:30pm.
The queue through customs was a nightmare.
Hundreds of people in a post office type queue as the officials kept shouting “Excuse Me” to unsuspecting foreigners standing or advancing to the wrong places.

We weren’t quite sure whether we had to collect our luggage for check-in on the interconnecting flight out to Costa Rica. We needn’t have worried, despite a customs official completely misinforming us. Our next move was to reach the correct terminal via the monorail.
Whilst killing some time, we visited Macdonald’s which surprisingly made Ilkeston Macdonald’s seem like a posh Egon Ronay.
By now Kath was gasping for a fag but we discovered there is no smoking in any US airports.
Boarded the 737 for San Jose at 5:30pm (10:30pm back in England) but the plane had to taxi for an hour before it could take off. The flight must have only taken about 5 hours - I was asleep for most of it.

After landing, all our doubts about when (or whether!) anyone from the tour operators would meet us were quickly dispelled.
I had booked the flights independently over the internet. Then I had arranged a package with Costa Rica sun tours by email to suit my requirements.
The rep guided us to a taxi as I made the error of tipping the bagman $20.
Luckily his family saw the funny side.
The temperature was about 25C as we arrived at the Milvia Hotel in the suburb of San Pedro on the outskirts of San Jose.
We shared a room and went to sleep after a few cans and a modest sandwich.

DAY 2 - Sunday 21st March

On reflection, this was probably the most exciting day of the whole holiday.
At the crack of dawn we grabbed coffee and sweet toast with fruit. A feature of Costa Rican food is that is tends to be sweeter then what we’re used to in the UK.

At 6:30am we were met by our Sun Tours coach which then drove into downtown San Jose to pick up several American couples.
The next pick-up was another American couple, who were in their mid-seventies - Warren and Veva Winkelstein from Point Richmond in California who would become close friends of ours.
Indeed most of the people we would meet were Americans who lived in California.

The coach continued through the west side of the capital to eventually reach an alternative airport called Tobias Bolanos, situated near poor shantytown dwellings.
This was the local small aircraft base with dozens of single and twin engine propelled planes.
Apprehension probably least describes what was going through Kath’s mind at this point.
We put each of our rucksacks on the weighing scales to ensure none exceeded the 25lb limit.
None did. In fact, between us, the rucksacks weighed 55lbs in total. Some achievement!

Together with Warren & Veva we boarded a single engine plane. Kath & Nicola sat in the back, as they were the lightest. Myself and Veva sat in the middle between most of the luggage. Warren was volunteered to sit in the front.

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As the engine started, Kath noticed the pilot. “He’s only a young lad!” she exclaimed. His name was Howard and he was 22. (Same age as Nicola). He would be an influential figure in days to come.

Chocs away! The expression on Kath’s face as we took off was one of complete panic. She almost squeezed Nicola’s hand to a pulp as the plane banked awkwardly seconds after take-off to assume the right direction.
We climbed to about 6500’ (San Jose is already 3000’ above sea level). Some turbulence as we headed over the mountains did not do our confidence any good.

The views above the clouds were exhilarating as we flew over mountains, forests and rivers. The Osa peninsula came into view as we followed the Pacific coastline down towards Panama.
The experience was a mixture of excitement and total panic.

Our destination Tiskita jungle. Howard expertly descended towards the sea and curved 180º to land in a narrow field with huge palm trees both sides.
We disembarked with relief thinking it would only be another 3 days before the return journey.
Our hosts Peter & Liz met us at an open shelter. Peter confessed later he had once covered it with muslem but it had since been blown away. The temperature must have been in the 90’s and the surroundings were breathtaking. After the other group arrived, we were lead across the narrow field of an airstrip to a farmgate, which had a sign on it saying: “Beware of Planes”.

We walked up a winding sloping track with all kinds of tall trees and plants on each side. The yanks got a lift on Pete’s truck, but us Brits were too tough for anything like that.
As we ventured on Kath was careful not to tread on any unpaved space for fear of poisonous snakes. The track led to Tiskita Lodge, a wooden building that was to be our refuge for food and drink for the next 3 days. It was surrounded by forest and overlooked several hundred feet of canopy leading down to the ocean.

We were treated to a delicious selection of fruit juices, which were available as and when, required. Peter gave us a brief introduction about the function of the lodge and surroundings. He had built up the reserve for 25 years farming fruit and orchids as well as creating an extensive plan of conservation. All funds derived from paying guests as ourselves would be ploughed back into the Tiskita Research & Conservation Project.

The agenda for us would be several organized hikes with a guide into the jungle as well as plenty of free time to explore forest trails and the beach. At any time there would be up to 25 people using the refuge, which meant that there would be ample opportunity to relax or explore unhindered.
Most of the folks we met were Americans, the vast majority of whom had varying degrees of bird spotting skills which proved quite helpful.

We were led to our quarters by Liz about 10:00am - these were several hundred yards from the lodge. Again we had to share a room. However my bed was a legless flat one, enabling me to have a better view of any creepy crawlies during the night.
This one big room would only ever be used for sleeping (if that’s the right word) since the bathroom was at the back outside, although still part of the same wooden cabin. It boasted a toilet facing outward toward the jungle, a cold shower and resident scorpion. The front of the cabin was a charming verandah with hillbilly chairs and hammocks, overlooking beautiful plants, trees, hummingbirds and butterflies, all the way down to the ocean.

Veva & Warren occupied the middle cabin - quite often we would have to pinch their clothes pegs to dry out our sweat-ridden clothes.
It may sound from this that we were slumming it a bit. Not so - in this environment a cold shower is ecstasy and the whole set-up was very warm and friendly.

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As we prized each other away from the siesta hammocks, we sauntered down the small track back to the lodge. There were probably another 10 cabin quarters scattered in all directions between the lodge, jungle and beach, all interconnected by wooden or stone tracks.
It was 12:30pm and that meant lunch.

Costa Rican cuisine consists mainly of rice, beans, plantain, potatoes, fruit and meat. The meals at Tiskita (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) were always served as a buffet on long wooden tables under the large verandah, with huge quantities of various fresh fruit juices always resident in the large upright fridge. You simply filled your plate with all the different fruit, rice, meat and vegetables and collected extra helpings if and when you so desired.

A certain group of people whom we nicknamed “The Beards” would always be first in the queue at meal times and always up for seconds, sometimes before we had even sat down (due to Nicola applying the finishing touches to her hair). “The Beards” were all avid bird watchers and comprised 6 people, including 2 Bearded blokes, several girlies and Bill. Bill was very sociable and could easily have been mistaken for an English explorer from the last century.

One food item worthy of mention is plantain. It looks like banana and is served in many different disguises. Fried plantain is very sweet, cooked plantain tastes like potato and you can also have plantain crisps.
I think we all got used to the rich taste of the rice and beans, although the colour of my stools soon began to resemble seaweed. The meat was always going to taste different to UK and vegetables were served hard and lukewarm, thus retaining most of their vitamins.

We sat down at one of the many long wooden dining tables under the sloping roof of the massive verandah. As would be customary during our stay, people would intermingle and sit with you. On this first occasion it was our tour guide, Lewis. He was 28 and originally from Nicaragua, but had spoken English for 5 years and had a wicked sense of humour - a truly fine bloke.
As usual he thought I was German, but the broad Ilkeston accent certainly had him guessing.

A walk to the beach was our first exploration. There were very warm rock pools and many fast moving crabs going sideways. The beach had good waves for surfing, but as a character called Bob advised us later, it was safer to swim when the tide comes in due to the strong undertow.

We walked about another half mile to a T-shirt shop near the village, but this was closed. On our way back we saw our first big lizard of the adventure - a chameleon.
At 3:00pm we went with Lewis and 4 Americans on the first of two guided tours. A two foot iguana got the ball rolling as we walked behind the lodge on a forest trail.
Lewis would stop quite often and position his telescopic lens at something interesting. The variety of animals we saw between now and dusk (5:30pm) was truly amazing.
Of particular interest was a white Bat, Three-Toed Sloth, Tree Frog (spotted by Nicola), White Hawks, Howler Monkeys and Dozens of butterflies
It is difficult to recall all the animals in the first hour, but Lewis got a troop of howler monkeys to come very close to us by mimicking their calls. Howlers are the loudest animals in the jungle and their cries can be heard up to 4 miles away.

Lewis was also well informed about trees and plants. He pointed out the Walking Palm with its top quarter of thin bark exposed to the sun. Its base resembles a series of supporting roots making it look like it is walking. Unfortunately it is one of the photographs Kath would have like me to have taken, but did not.

As we circumnavigated the north side of the forest, we met up with Peter’s orchid tour, which incorporated Warren & Veva as well as “The Beards”. He let us taste some interesting fruits like the appropriately name star fruit. This was gorgeous and would only taste like this for up
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to about a day after being picked - such fruits quickly lose their ripeness by the time they have been exported to Europe.
One noise, which symbolizes the atmosphere of the jungle, is the chorus of cicadas. It sounds like an aircraft just before it is ready to take off. The chorus would occur a few times each day at regular times - notably early morning, lunch and dusk. Each occurrence would last about 15 minutes and comprise of 10-15 second bursts, each one reaching a crescendo before restarting.
It was like being in Jurassic Park.
When we first heard this noise we all had separate ideas as to what it could be - planes landing, the wind howling, the dinner gong warning, etc.

Lewis was able to point out one of these cicadas resting on a tree bark as it was making such a noise. Other things I remember were cashew nut trees, orchids, multi-coloured striped barks of eucalyptus trees, a bird hide which you could sleep in, large wood ants and basically just the awesome height and straightness of the 150’ high trees.

As we returned to the lodge for more juice, we all sat outside and admired the ocean view and spectacular red sunset. There were still a prolifery of low flying vultures and close by iguanas, one of which used to sleep in a concrete pipe next to the verandah.

Dinner would be served at 6:30pm each evening. However, before this Kath unveiled a second scorpion, which had somehow found its way into Nicola’s rucksack. From now on, we advised others to shake their clothes before attempting to put them on.
Unlike Warren who had forgotten to shake his pants and got a nasty bite on the bum!

The lodge and surroundings were always populated with vultures, flocks of pelicans over the sea, dozens of humming birds (of which there are about 100 species in Costa Rica) and black iguanas ranging in size between six inches and six feet. A lot of the bigger ones just sat at the top of trees in the daytime, well camouflaged.

However in the evening, as well as the noise of crickets, cicadas and howler monkeys, you would also see the incredible greenish laser-like eyes of dozens of fireflies in the trees and surrounding canopy - very spooky for English people who hadn’t encountered them before!
You could also sit beside the pool with your legs in the warm water, the temperature of which was often warmer than the mild night air.

After dinner Bob introduced himself. We had been sitting with him and his wife plus a woman from London who would be moving on tomorrow. [New groups of people would arrive each morning like ourselves as well as existing groups leaving. Some would stay for a few days, some a few weeks]. Bob couldn’t stop talking about the success and humour of the film “The Full Monty”, especially when he discovered I work in Sheffield. I think he expected me to expose my genitalia.
He was a lively character, very witty and interesting, as well as the typical American - e.g., “you should see the size of our bathroom and the iguana that my wife saw sitting in it!”
Although in his late 50’s he challenged both Peter & Lewis to a game of table tennis. The spectacular polished hardwood table was positioned just outside the dining area next to the bar, but still facing the direction of the high up canopy above the ocean. The seats alongside were made from local trees, which had been cut and polished in a very aesthetic manner.
If the ping pong ball left the table it would often disappear into the jungle, which is where Bob used most of his energy trying to retrieve it.

The bar was serve yourself bottles of Costa Rican Imperial Lager, or spirits or cocktails if you preferred. You just wrote down on a notepad what you had opened and Lewis would add it all up at the end of your stay. Ours came to $80 - Kath obviously had brought her drinking head with her!

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At about 8:30pm the heavens opened and lovely rain cooled us down. This was virtually the only time this happened during the whole of the 2 weeks.
We would normally call it a day around 9:00pm and walk back to the cabin using a torch. As would become usual, our trail was covered with scarlet red land crabs moving back rapidly into their ground holes - they had distinctive black eye markings on their shells. Apparently they come down from the rivers above to breed, mostly at night although some could be spotted in the daytime.

A scorpion free night was a blessing as we tried to take all the day’s events in and overcome the jet lag, which would remain with us for several more days. A complete darkness was very eerie and visits to the bathroom were to prove quite difficult our co-ordination was properly established. Thankfully there did not seem to be too many mosquitoes, just the usual jungle sounds and noises - the cicadas chorus, the howler monkeys grunts, and something unusual creeping about on the roof which Kath claimed moved certain toiletry items during the night.

END OF PART ONE

OUR HOLIDAY IN COSTA RICA - Frank, Kath & Nicola
PART TWO

DAY 3 - Monday 22nd March

After breakfast we ventured by ourselves along a set of forest trails during which time Nicola would often question my map reading - i.e., do you know where we are Frank?
We saw a troop of squirrel monkeys at close quarters, several blue iridescent 7” morpho butterflies, numerous lizards and the many other varieties of colourful birds and insects.

We followed the river for some time then met up with Warren & Veva who directed us to the waterfall and pools. We had an excellent view of a sloth with her baby up a tree, then Kath spotted an red and orange poison-dart frog by the waterfall. These are very small and the Indians use them to extract toxic fluid for their arrows. We felt like real explorers now!

We took the usual snaps of the waterfall before taking a higher path, which led to some pools in the same river system, which you could swim in. Kath drew a lot of enjoyment from taking several snaps of me attempting to climb back down some very slippery rocks above the pools, hoping I would land on my back side. Luckily we both saw the funny side.

After lunch we took Bob’s advice and went down to the beach for a bit of belly surfing. You could borrow belly surfboards and beach towels free of charge from the lodge.
I used the phrase “Bob’s your Uncle” whilst conversing with him which Nicola found particularly funny.
She became engrossed in the rock pools and ghost crabs going into their sand holes. Bill spoke to her at length about the fish in these pools.

Bob soon joined us and lent me his flippers to help me surf better. They only served to impede me. With feet like mine, flippers aren’t a lot of use. Bob however spent about 2 hours in the sea with them on. Incidentally, the water was like bathwater.
As I dried off, I snapped a couple of magnificent toucans perched in the nearby coconut trees. We had been told by Peter not to rest under such trees for the real fear of falling coconuts.

Later on in the evening, lightning flashed over the ocean. Warren then showed his obvious ping-pong skills by taking on the champions Peter & Lewis. Bob eventually joined in but crashed to the floor during an awkward turn in his lounge slippers. Being a big bloke he damaged his shoulder somewhat.
Poor bugger - his wife had also been in the wars that day, throwing up due to a bad stomach.
Must have been that giant iguana he’d been talking on about in the bathroom (See Part 1).

Nicola & myself then showed our silky skills on the polished table tennis surface. As usual, the three of us (including Kath) and Lewis were the last people left in the bar.
The Beards made a surprise appearance following some evening bird and snake watching activities. Also, a gigantic toad and mouse were spotted.

The evening sky was as clear as we could remember with millions of stars visible in the fabulous night sky.

DAY 4 - Tuesday 23rd March

An early rise enabled us to join Lewis and others (notably The Beards) on an hour’s pre-breakfast bird watch as we made our way down to the airstrip.
The first thing he pointed out was a boa constrictor in a bush near the lodge. Several large tree iguanas, a kite, several paraquets and dozens of other birds followed this.

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After breakfast we discovered a family had moved into the previously unoccupied cabin next to Veva & Warren. Together with another couple, they had the misfortune of being involved in a particularly nerve wracking plane incident the previous day.
Dean, Nancy & teenage daughter Lisa made up this family. When they had taken off from San Jose, a cylinder blew in the engine and young pilot Harold managed to glide the craft back to the airfield and land successfully. They eventually boarded another plane to reach Tiskita later than planned. The other couple seemed a bit more laid back and we would meet up with them again during our beach week. (See Part 3).

At 8:30am Lewis took the plane tragedy occupants and ourselves on a rather long hike over the remote southeastern back trail. The young girl Lisa was forever moaning of insect bites and when the next toilet stop would be. Both Lewis and myself thought she would feel more at home with a burger in Macdonald’s.
The hike was relatively long during which we did not see as many animals as before. Nancy infuriated Lewis by constantly complaining about not seeing any howler monkeys. He was convinced she would complain to Peter about him, but this thankfully never occurred.
Things I can remember were scores of caterpillars on the bark of a tree which from a distance looked like a black hole, a three-toed sloth, squirrel & as usual many blue Morphos.

The afternoon was spent again relaxing on the beach after which we revisited the T-shirt shop and purchased several items. Profits from the shop go towards Tiskita Project funds.
On the way back we called in at a ranch bar near the beach. Here we discovered the guide Lewis doubling up as bartender. The locals soon served up some pork appetizers to accompany our later afternoon lagers. The ranch was like a big dance hall with bars at each end.

Before dinner we came into close contact with a troop of squirrel monkeys outside our cabin. They are very friendly and had been very close to the lodge all week, being a good source of photography for all present. Nicola was suddenly looking at them in a different light when two of them started shagging.

After dinner I fell asleep for an hour whilst sitting outside the lodge overlooking the ocean canopy. I didn’t know where I was when I woke up, but several drinks revived me and I was soon taking a warm dip in Peter’s swimming pool.
Nicola seemed to be getting a lot of attention from Lewis and felt it would be unsociable if she refused his kind offer of a joint.

Tipping became a commonplace thing with us and we had no hesitation in giving Lewis $70 as he had enhanced our stay with his great knowledge, wit and friendliness.

DAY 5 - Wednesday 24th March

We said our good-byes after an earlier breakfast at 6:30am. It had been a fabulous 3 days in Tiskita and we were sorry to leave. Warren & Veva boarded a different plane to us.
In their place, 2 males of “The Beards” took up all the room in our plane which was piloted this time by an older guy wearing proper uniform which seemed to make us more assured after hearing about the cylinder blow-out yesterday.
Warren & Veva had to change into a second plane not long after reaching Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula.

After we landed at Tobias Bolanos in San Jose, our new guide Rosie, who was accompanied by the driver Pablo, met us.
On our way to the next pick-up we had to stop at some traffic lights (some cars actually do in Costa Rica!). Various people tried to sell us fruit through the windows, but what tickled me most was a guy from the Salvation Army rattling his box at us and trying to get our attention by knocking on everybody’s windows.

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We had to pick up 2 more couples. Firstly there was Alan & Margaret who stayed with us at our 2 next destinations, Arenal and Monteverde.
Secondly we stopped at the impressive Marriott Hotel where President Clinton recently stayed - though he had the whole hotel, not just a room to himself - and the Tico’s (Costa Ricans) had to foot the bill. A scene from Dynasty was to follow as Roger (in shellsuit) and Carmen (with wig and Joan Collins sunglasses) climbed into the coach. They would only be venturing as far as the Arenal Volcano.
Carmen spoke freely about visiting every American State and that they would be visiting Panama next. No doubt in a very large hotel.

Stopped at a pretty church with hedgerows cut into animal figures in Naranjo. Went to the bank to change $500 into 139000 colones. The doors were patrolled by security guards with machine guns - in recent years, gangs from Colombia have been targeting Costa Rican banks.
I believe we had lunch at Zarcero. As usual, the food was superb, especially the fresh fruit juices. Roger & Carmen watched enviously as we ate succulent chicken and steak whilst they fiddled with their heart of palm salads.

After Kath & Nicola had indulged in the first of many souvenir-shopping sprees (I acquired an iridescent blue Morpho Peleides, mounted in wooden case) we headed towards San Carlos then eventually arrived mid-afternoon at Tabacon hot springs. These take in the water from the Arenal volcano. We had briefly seen the top of the volcano simmer and smoke, but unfortunately it would be covered in cloud the rest of the time, save the occasional loud bangs as it exploded.

The hot springs complex was truly spectacular and expansive incorporating dozens of cold and hot pools and a roaring hot waterfall, which you could walk behind and pop your head and shoulders through. At this point “Mr. Cool” and his girl friend spoke me to from San Diego. He was a bubbly American with all the buzzwords (including cool) and we would see him once more in Quepos during the beach week.

A particularly pleasing drink area was present where you would be sitting on stone stools round a table and swimming to the bar to order your cool lagers.

Several hours later ( it was too warm for Warren & Veva; too uncivilized for Roger & Carmen) we jumped back onto the coach and arrived shortly afterwards at Mount Arenal.
Our accommodation was alongside the observatory lodge and overlooked the slopes of the volcano and preceding rain forest.
Dinner was served in a modern glass covered restaurant with subtle low lighting and verandah. However we were all very tired and retired to our quarters very early - going to bed at 8:30am.
Nicola slept on a bunk bed and I managed my first shave of the holiday. As before, toilet paper would be deposited in a waste paper bin so as not to block up the small waste pipes. Thank goodness for cleaning ladies..

DAY 6 - Thursday 25th March

Myself & Nicola had sausages for breakfast, which she would be blaming for a subsequent bout of sickness later in the day.
Rosie took some of us on an early morning hike through the volcanic rain forest up to a recent larval flow from 1992.
A certain type of leaf, if touched with the human hand would curl up and shrink as part of a defensive mechanism. Nicola also stepped on a poisonous Fur De Lance snake, which prompted Rosie to push her out of the way.
Some of the birds included Toucans, Oripendula, Tanagers, Honeycreepers and a Squirrel cuckoo.
We also observed Orchids (flowering only on this day of the year) and the aromic peppers amounts other specimens.

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Roger & Carmen gave this trip a miss - Carmen claimed to have pulled a leg muscle during a previous day’s aerial tram ride.
We left Arenal at 10:00am on our next destination, the Monteverde Cloud Forest. On the way Rosie pointed out a large dead snake which the locals had hung up at the roadside, and a troop of howler monkeys.
There were plenty of Monarch butterflies flying around and at one stage we had to stop the coach as a crowd of coati(mundi)s had gathered in the road to demolish dozens of bananas being thrown to them by other road users.

Our group now consisted of Warren & Veva plus Alan & Margaret, the latter whom were planning to become involved more with the Buddhist faith after this holiday.

We stopped at an Italian Restaurant for a pizza. Kath bought some jostick holders for Ailsa. Nicola refrained from eating and Veva offered her some upset stomach tablets. The road from now on was literally full of potholes making it a slow bumpy ride.

We virtually circled Lake Arenal then bypassed Talance on the remaining 3-hour journey to Monteverde. The scenery was like being in the Lake District (UK) at times, or the Derbyshire Dales (UK) or Switzerland.
Monteverde is about 5000 feet above sea level and is an important site for scientific research. It is also buzzing with large field groups and has the feel of a scout camp about it.

We found ourselves in superbly furnished quarters (Hotel Fonda Vela) where no expense was spared. Three to four quarters would have their own grounds with large trees surrounding them. Our quarters had a downstairs room for ourselves and an upstairs room for Nicola.
Alan & Margaret were stopping at the impressive Belmont about a mile away which had its own large fishing pond, which they could look down upon.

Dinner was served from 7:00pm onwards and several familiar faces from Tiskita became apparent. Some people seemed to be rather loud for most of the evening, toasting each other after every meal.
The meals were written on a mobile whiteboard, which the waiter would move towards people whose turn it was to order next. We would always be sharing a table with Warren & Veva.

By now were getting use to Tico cuisine. I had pork and the women had sea bass. However the time taken for your meals to arrive seemed an eternity - a custom which would be regularly followed for the rest of the holiday. We drunk at the upstairs bar till 10:30pm and took some bottles back to our already well stored fridge cabinet.

DAY 7 - Friday 26th March

Monteverde was colonized in 1951 by about 50 Quakers from the States trying to avoid National Service. They have since farmed and built round the area, creating the ambiance and structure of what you see today - a Centre for scientific protection and research.

Rosie took us on a cloud forest trail at 7:30am - even if it does not rain, water constantly falls from the upper leaf canopy. The temperature was in the 70’s. Plenty of Helicondia plants, a Black Guan bird, Band Tailed pigeon & Black faced Solitaire (outside our forest hotel).
We went across a suspension bridge hanging about 100 feet above the forest. Hurricane Mitch had caused minor destruction nearby last year.
Due to numerous varying size groups in the forest at the same time, it was a bit less of an adventure than on previous hikes.

Afterwards we visited the tourist souvenir shops full of unusual gifts. We then saw a photographic gallery of the area featuring some of the animals, which had slipped our view.

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Outside were several feeding points attracting colourful humming birds including the rare Violet Sabre-wing.
We were then lucky enough to spot the beautiful green and blue quetzal through the professionally focused telescopic lenses available. This bird is worshipped by the Indians and is a national symbol of Costa Rica.

Phoned Ailsa back in the U.K. at lunch to discover the bathroom had flooded - there was no overflow fitted to the toilet. Biscuit the Cat had also become covered in paint and she had to bath him. During this she cut her hand on a razor blade in the bath, then burnt it in the oven the next day.
Still, only another 7 days for her to cope in our absence.

In the afternoon we visited a butterfly farm. Most of my close range photography would prove to be blurred afterwards. For butterfly fanatics, the species included Morphos, Zebra, Floating Tiger, Postman (visits the same plants in the same order each day), Malachite, Glasswings, Julian.
The centre’s primary function was for educational purposes. The young enthusiastic ginger haired guide from America did his best to add some humour to the proceedings - “I like butterflies - all they do is feed and have sex”.

The serpentarium was then entered free of charge under Rosie’s guidance. A small white mouse being used as bait for a poisonous snake intrigued Nicola.

Rosie had planned for us to be picked up at 6:00pm to be transported back to a restaurant which was 20 minutes bumpy coach ride away. However we were all tired of this type of travel by now and persuaded her to let us amble down to the Fonda Vela restaurant instead.
Warren as usual was impeccable as a gentleman, moving out the table seat for Nicola to sit on. Both Warren & Veva were still tired and retired early - Veva not allowing Warren to finish his cake dessert.

We hung around in the bar whilst Costa Rica lost to Honduras at football on the TV. As I gave up trying to smoke a Cuban cigar, Kath asked the locals if they were familiar with the Costa Rica and Derby County footballer ‘Paulo LongChop’.
We met up with the plane crash trio. Lisa seemed a lot more content with the world following their brief stay in Quepos - our next destination.

DAY 8 - Saturday 27th March (Beach 1)

After an early breakfast we travelled for 3½ hours along the pothole roads out of Monteverde through the stunning descent south. Plenty of photo opportunities across the English looking hills and valleys, full of beautiful trees, orchids and plants.
Of the many facts Rosie came out with, one was about a particular area where there seemed to be a high occurrence of cancer. Scientists subsequently discovered it originated from certain leaves, which the cows were eating producing milk riddled with cancer cells.

We finally got on the Pan American highway. Many crocodiles could be seen in the polluted Rio Grande de Tarcoles - masses of people taking pictures from the roadbridge above.
An hour’s walk around another popular park at Carora (near the roadside) revealed nesting Scarlet macaws and leaf carrying ants. By now we were ready for lunch which was taken in a restaurant overlooking the Pacific, pelicans and the like.
This was located (I think) at Tarcoles and featured an excellent fish meal. Warren tried unsuccessfully to beckon the waitress for a dessert.
Our paths with our 4 American friends was to end at this juncture as we swapped email addresses.

Carlos drove us in a smooth (according to Nicola) minibus for several hours towards Quepos. Many palm trees surrounded us and there were a lot of narrow wooden bridges to slow us down.

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3 miles uphill from Quepos and we reached our hotel in the Manuel Antonio National Park, the very impressive Casitas Eclipse.
Set against a backdrop of forest the hotel spread out downwards and across with its one-storey white apartments, inter connecting paths and 3 pools.

Room 303 had air conditioning (which we did not realize unfortunately(!) till the next morning), a powerful shower, shutters, curtains and a telephone. I contacted my Mum to find out the last 7 days football results. Nicola spoke with Nicky Diment - who would benefit very well from an impressive collection of gifts in a week’s time.

Outside our verandah were trees and gardens full of humming birds and the iridescent Scarlet -rumped Tanagers that were very striking, together with the pale blue variety.

Walked the 1½ miles down the steep winding road to the superb beach and line of tree-covered cafes and bars. The sea was full of surfers, jet-skiers and bathers with plenty of fresh juices and snacks available at close hand.
Several wooded islands and an inland river, combined with the surrounding national park, coconuts and palms created a Caribbean-like paradise.
There were plenty of folks around but it was never overcrowded. Saw Mr. Cool from Tabacon springs then ordered a taxi from the café back to the hotel.

As were returned to the Eclipse at 5:30pm we met the other couple involved in the plane saga back in Tiskita. The had been to Corcovado. They told us that they had travelled in exactly the same plane (now repaired!) with Harold the pilot on their departure.

Myself & Kath enjoyed a cool lager by the pool before we all went down to the Jardin Gourmet restaurant within the hotel at 7:00pm. Kath & Nicola had tasty taglietelli dishes (Nicola’s having a decorative crab, which she thought she could eat) and I continued my experience with meat and chose Sirloin. A pony-tailed young man who became very friendly with us during our stay served us. His English was not too good but he was funny enough to mimic our accents.

Again we relaxed with drinks by the pool and suffered a hot sticky night in bed, completely unaware we had air conditioning until the next morning. Indeed Kath slept on the settee near the door and was awoken several times by the torchlight of the security guard keeping his eye on late drinkers and would-be squatters.
Squatting rights in Costa Rica are much more powerful than in the UK. Real Estate Buyers beware.
The beach holiday had begun.

END OF PART TWO

OUR HOLIDAY IN COSTA RICA - Frank, Kath & Nicola
PART THREE

Day 9 - Sunday 28th March (Beach 2)

As we awoke at 6:00am the temperature outside was in the 80’s. On this our first morning in Manuel Antonio we kick started our day with an early morning swim. However, Nicola got stung when she tried to remove what she thought was a dead wasp from the pool surface. The jungle hypodermic suction syringe was used in vain to remove the sting from her finger.

During breakfast we saw the first of many small yellow-headed gecko lizards and also an Agouti in the trees opposite (a large brown rodent as big as a house cat). The atmosphere was very laid back as the friendly waiters let us help ourselves to as much coffee, juices and fruit we could manage. I ordered my usual rice, black beans and scrambled egg to get me through the day.

We eventually wandered along the long sloping tree-lined pass down to the buzz and beauty of Manuel Antonio Beach. Six hours of continuous basking and bathing left myself & Kath looking like fresh lobsters. The sun caught us both on our shoulders, feet and upper arms. I had several nasty blisters on my shoulder blades, which required gallons of calamine lotion in the remaining days. Needless to say Nicola was completely unaffected and just going a natural brown.

The sea was gorgeous with a particularly strong surf. At times you got knocked over if you weren’t keeping an eye on the powerful waves. Later on as I was attempting to belly surf, a particularly large volume of sand penetrated into the inner lining of my bathing trunks. When I stood up it looked and felt like I’d had an unfortunate accident in my pants.
Luckily I was able to swim further out to empty the sand underwater discreetly.

Ironically I did experience having the runs whilst on the beach later. This was obviously a result of slight sunstroke due to overexposure. I can also be pretty confident that the same factors caused me to have a near blackout in the restaurant the same evening.
Needless to say I was very careful to keep in the shade for the rest of the holiday - even so, the temperature was still very hot and the beach burnt your bare feet if you forgot to put your sandals on when dismounting from the sun loungers.

Although the beach was never crowded there was always some activity going on. Apart from the water sports already mentioned there was a beach volleyball match, people practicing aerial gymnastics, dudes selling jewellery and fruit, pelicans diving for fish, the usual bronzed surfer types skimming Frisbees to one another, Baywatch-like lifeguards jumping in their jet-skiers to help swimmers who had ventured out too far, yellow Freddie Kruger buses sounding their horns to alert travellers of their presence, squawking toucans and parakeets, bar-b-que steaks sizzling in the nearby cafe bars and just a peaceful ambiance in the middle of it all.

You could also wander down the coconut-lined promenade alongside the beach, which led to an estuary, and headland, which formed the entrance to the National Park. Here we saw several large iguanas, plenty of hermit crabs and many colourful birds.

We called it a day about 5:00am and boarded one of the regular yellow buses mentioned above. Kath thought it was a bit claustrophobic when seemingly hundreds more people were allowed to jump on and occupy every conceivable square metre of space.
Eventually the bus began to crawl up the steep winding hill with people literally hanging off the sides.

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Combined with the driver’s tinny radio blasting out some god forsaken Costa Rican Eurovision Contest entry at full volume, it would be an understatement to say that this was a truly incredulous experience.
Back in the Casitas Eclipse I went under the shower gingerly then applied the after Sun. Nicola looked like the invisible woman as she covered herself with white towels soaked in cold water to counter any stinging affects caused by overexposure.

We relaxed on the balcony overlooking the breathtaking view of the forest, stunning plants, humming birds, strikingly coloured tanagers and parakeets.
The pattern of today would be repeated for the next 3 days.

We ended the day with another visit to the friendly hotel bar and restaurant.
An early night would follow due to the energy sapping effects of the sun.

Day 10 - Monday 29th March (Beach 3)

After a late breakfast we phoned Ailsa back in the UK where fortunately stability had returned to the house. Walked down the sloping road to a smart souvenir shop where Nicola bought various ear and toe rings.
When we finally got settled on the beach about half an hour later, an African lady appeared selling more jewellery, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Kath & Nicola.

I spent most of my sunbathing in the shade in between swimming and reading an autobiography by the soccer player Steve Claridge. Kath was reading an autobiography by Kathy Staff, alias Norah Batty from the TV series Last of the Summer Wine (or Miss Luke in Crossroads if you’re an old).
Made use again of the delicious iced fruit juices available nearby which we had to consume very frequently to prevent dehydration.
Overall it was an extremely relaxing frame of mind to be in after the amount of exploring and travelling we had undertaken over most of the last 9 days.

Tried to convince Kath that the bus was not as crowded as we returned back to the hotel for an early shower.

At 5:30pm we walked back down to the beach to see what it was like at night. Many fireflies with their laser light eyes flickered in the woods on our way down. Fork lightning lit up the ocean miles into the distance. Thunder and lightning seemed commonplace for the next few nights, but with no rainfall locally.
Had a beer by the beach cafe on the “Fred Flintstone” type stools and tables. There were quite a few people about with beach fires being lit.

Walked back up the long, dark winding road and stopped off at a restaurant serving barbecued fish and steaks in a building, which was basically surrounding an old locomotive carriage - I believe it was called La Cuanda.
Hillbilly rocking chairs, dishes on the solid wooden tables containing tortilla crisps with quite spicy relish (unusual for Costa Rica), a nice hill breeze and live acoustic/electric guitar music all added to the relaxing atmosphere.
A young bar doorman who’d led us to our tables became fascinated with my Derby County football shirt with the letters “WANCHOPE” printed on the back. For those of you with black and white televisions, Paula Wanchope is Derby County’s Costa Rican Centre forward.

As it happened he’d been playing for Costa Rica in a tournament during the last 2 weeks.
The food was delicious but too filling for us to warrant a dessert. As we were preparing to pay the relatively cheap bill, Kath noticed about half a dozen restaurant staff from behind the bar frantically pointing at my football shirt. The young doorman asked me how much I wanted for it but I said it wasn’t for sale.

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However, as we walked out I spontaneously pulled the shirt from my bare back and handed it to him. He could not believe it and said I would be his friend for ever. As we left the restaurant most of the staff waved to us as if we were the Royal family.

By coincidence musicians in the same restaurant were being filmed by a TV crew the next night. I wonder if the shirt would be making a surprise appearance.

We returned to the Eclipse where Olman the barman was in fine form with his witty banter and lightning quick preparation and distribution of various drinks to the punters.. Every so often he would present Nicola with a cocktail or unusual tasting fruit juice which would be left over from ones he had to make up. Imagine her surprise when she couldn’t stand up 2 hours later.
After related the shirt story to him he told us that Paulo Wanchope had stayed in this hotel the previous weekend having had to pull out of the football tournament with injury.
One wonders what his reaction might have been if he had seen me with that shirt on.

Kath needed some cigarettes so Olman told me to try the upstairs bar.. You had to go outside to the swimming pool then climb a flight of steps to get there.
When I returned with a packet of Kath’s favourite brand ‘DERBY’, Olman asked me if anyone was up there. As I began to explain the presence of 2 male couples, he laughed deliriously, pointing to the sign which said the ‘COCKATOO BAR’.

As the night drew in it became obvious that the local gay population would congregate upstairs in the Cockatoo Bar. They would later come down and annoy Olman for some more cans of lager because their supply had run out. Needless to say the security guard we heard the other night would again have his hands full trying to prevent the noise from disturbing the residents, as well as keeping an eye on unlawful use of empty rooms.

Olman and the rest of the staff seemed to take to us every time we entered the premises. Always shaking our hands and having a laugh. Olman revealed he’d once had a drink with Eric Clapton.

Day 11 - Tuesday 30th March (Beach 4)

To compensate for the lack of walking for the last few days our holiday company had included a hike in Manuel Antonio National Park with Iguana Tours.
Our ex-Californian guide picked up a party of us from our hotel at the crack of dawn to avoid thousands of Costa Ricans (Tico’s) who would arrive later in the day for their Easter break.

We disembarked at the mouth of the estuary and headed off along the beach towards the perfectly geometrically shaped headland called Catedral Point, which was always prominently visible from our usual bathing position.
It was very humid, hot and sunny after we had entered through the patrolled entrance - essential for keeping numbers of people down in the park to a minimum to avoid disturbing the protected wildlife.

I was interested in seeing a manzanillo (little apple) tree. It has poisonous fruits that look like crabapples. The sap exuded by the bark and leaves is also toxic, causing skin to itch and burn if you are unfortunate enough to be sitting underneath it.
Our party was made up of a few youngsters and their parents including a very tall American who looked like he’d served in Vietnam and his adventurous young son Brian.
The atmosphere was not quite the same as the tranquillity and wilderness of Tiskita Jungle the week before, as Brian and the other kids were running and yelling up and down the trails like we were in Disneyland.

However Brian also had a good eye for creatures and he helped the guide spot an Agouti,
Iguanas, crabs and a Boat-Billed heron (I can always remember the birds with stupid names).

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After 1½ hours we were getting dehydrated and reached a beautiful set of white sand beaches interspersed with hot calm lagoons and coconut trees. Luckily cool fruit juices had been provided for us under a man-made canopy which also boasted a giant 3D model of the area.

We had the option to relax on the beach for the next hour, or join the guide and a few others on another trail. The beach option was preferred and later on a few white faced monkeys got very close to us. One of them jumped onto a litter bin knocking it over.
The usual jungle sound of cicadas was in evidence as we also admired the mighty Frigate birds hovering over the ocean. A good view of a sloth up a nearby tree justified the carrying of binoculars in my travel bag.

Eventually the guide returned and we walked back to the patrolled entrance where by now scores of Tico’s were queuing up to use the beaches - it seemed the whole of Costa Rica had arrived here for their Easter holidays.
Fruit salads were provided at the end of the tour, which involved crossing a river, which was previously dry during low tide. Returned to the hotel at 1:00pm for an afternoon siesta by the pool.

At 5:30pm got the holiday back into gear with a short walk down to the Anaconda restaurant with lovely hillside ocean view and spider monkey. This restaurant was part of a complex called “Still more Monkeys than People!”.
Kath & Nicola shared a large shrimp and prawn cocktail. I had pepper steak for the main course.
An excellent meal - probably the best so far and with very friendly service. As usual we tipped the waiter 2000 colones (just over $7), but by 7:00pm we were all tired.

Olman immediately supplemented back at the Eclipse Nicola with cocktails. He said later he thought she had beautiful eyes. We then purchased two crab ashtrays on the bar, product of local handiwork, to add to what must now have been a quite large gift bill.

Olman was born in Carthago (which used to be the capital of Costa Rica before San Jose) and told us because of strong religious beliefs, all Tico’s have to close down their shops and businesses for a week starting a few days before Easter.
During the Easter weekend they are not allowed to buy drink, or be seen to indulge in it.
As a consequence they stockpile with excessive amounts of liquor the weekend before then drink more in 3 days than they would do in 3 weeks.

Day 12 - Wednesday 31st March (Beach 5)

Coffee in bed again was followed by a short breakfast for myself and Nicola - Kath gave food a miss due to a bad stomach.. Caught the bus to nearby Quepos where we purchased T-shirts, dresses, a hammock, cigarettes, liquor, and feathers from the resplendent Quetzal bird (worshipped by Indians) in a wooden frame and anybody else who knows me.

Eventually we made it down to the beach at 11:30am. The first hour was overcast but it then seemed to get very hot. The tide was very high due to the full moon, which meant we had to keep retreating with our sun loungers.
By now my right shoulder had become very blistered due to the salty sea battering my burnt skin. The surf certainly seemed stronger today. Again plenty of delicious juices.

Walked towards the mouth of the Park (down the southern promenade) to eat a less than satisfactory beach café burger and fries. Kath bought Ailsa a blow pipe and other opium related gadgets off a tall Dutch woman - she was dressed in the hippie 60’s style and seemed to find our accents very pleasing. Nicola bought another toe ring for her mate.

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At 5:30pm myself and Nicola spent a short while in both nearby swimming pools in the hotel complex. When I returned to the bar, the waiter carried our coffee and Nicola’s chocolate milkshake to our room. These were on the house.

This was our last night in Manuel Antonio so Kath packed the suitcases and we decided on an evening meal at the Jardin Gourmet (in the Eclipse).

We had been deciding what to do for the next 2 days when we got to San Jose. A trip to Cahuita on the Caribbean coast had seemed very appealing, but becoming less likely due to everywhere coming to a halt for the Good Friday celebrations.

I had Taglietelli and Fruits De La Mer, which was terrific as Nicola, had found out on Saturday night. Kath & Nicola had Italian Penne with cheese dishes.
Took some photos at the bar. Still more gays than people.
As we said our farewells to the friendly hotel staff, Kath rose from her bar stool and gave a rendition of a scene from the Exorcist (i.e. spewing up all over the floor whilst turning her head).. She had not felt right all day and would have the runs all night - a condition that would likewise affect me several days later.

Day 13 - Thursday 1st April

Sun Tours picked us up at 10:45am to arrive in San Jose at 2:30pm. Arriving back at the Milvia Hotel in the suburb of San Pedro was certainly an anticlimax. However the receptionist was very helpful and we organized a trip to Chirripo Park for tomorrow with Arenas Tours for $75 each. She then booked us a taxi and sent us to a suitable restaurant.
After the frantic taxi ride, we discovered the restaurant was being rebuilt so we settled for a Kentucky Fried Chicken instead. Luckily Kath knew what 6 was in Spanish so we all had a number 6.

The 2 mile walk back down the Central Avenue was very strange with most places closed and many security police in evidence.
We took some photos near Central Park after which we were assisted by a security guard who beckoned us a taxi to take us back to the Milvia.

After dinner Nicola stole the remote controller for the TV which had Satellite. Myself and Kath went outside to drink a can of lager by the fishpond, stood on the balcony then went to bed and read our books.

As with all the properties we saw in the capital, the hotel was surrounded by gates and bars, which did not fill you with confidence about venturing outside at night - not that there was anywhere to particularly go.

Day 14 - Friday 2nd April

A much improved day.
Our tour guide was William who had lived in Canada before returning to downtown San Jose where he was born.
Our minibus comprised about 15 people who were collected at various points between the Milvia and San Jose.

William immediately went up in my estimation as he pointed out the red light and drug pusher’s areas of San Jose. He explained that some churches had been restored from old theatres and that the railway was decommissioned in 1997 although the government still spends ½ a million dollars a year to maintain it.

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Headed to Chirripo national park passing the statue at Alujeula of Juan Santamaria. He was a national hero for single handedly setting fire to the location of an invading American Army -
causing them to retreat. Apparently the only war America has ever lost, so he told us. However the statue was made in France and contains two basic flaws:
1. It is dressed in military uniform - France didn’t know there was no army in Costa Rica.
2. It was wearing sandals.

During the next stage of the journey William turned into Mr. Memory Man:

Costa Rica is the 5th biggest exporter of ferns and ornamental plants in the world of which there are numerous hectares on both sides of the road. Leaves from Deadly nightshade plants can be used in tea to leave you with hallucinatory experiences.

Had a traditional Tico breakfast at 9:00am - getting withdrawal symptoms from not having had rice and beans for 2 days.
It was a nice spot on a hill with locals selling fruit and other food like nuts and plantain crisps.

William thought he was going to Quepos for a break until his boss phoned him last night to do this tour - an occasional source of income for a job he doesn’t think he performs very well. He thought Nicola was a Russian name and as usual I got branded as looking like a German.
Headed towards the inactive Poas Volcano (7800’) which has a gorgeous deep blue 50m deep hot lake glowing in its crater.

He demonstrated the volcanic areas of the world and how their fault lines are related by the use of sticks in the ground dust, as well as the by now legendary flower changing colour from red to blue when subjected to the end of a lighted cigarette.

Bananas grown in fields are covered with NASA produced biodegradable plastic bags to control their growth.
Also on the way to our next destination, 2 magnificent waterfalls, we will pass by a development where the owner of a firm gives each of his employees a house if they agree to work for him.

Costa Rica has a wide variety of trees. Some are used to make ink for US dollars, some for chewing gum, etc.
Tourism is however now the biggest source of economy followed by bananas then coffee.

There are 2 places in the world where you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. One is in Panama and the other is at the top of the nearby Mount Irazu.

At midday we reached Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui and boarded the long boat “Oasis” for a trip down the river Rio Sarapiqui that heads off towards Nicaragua.
Nicola was forever in fear of the boat capsizing when people moved from one side to the other to look at all the creatures.

Although the river is inhabited by crocodiles, the locals were out in their hundreds alongside both banks, jumping and somersaulting into the water off trees, fishing, picnicking and waving to us all the way downstream Some younger Tico’s held up a dead Cayman by its tail, whilst 2 elder statesmen used a boat to carry their bike on.

Amongst the numerous other species we saw a Snake bird, many Swallows, Kingfishers (there are 56 species in Costa Rica), a Tiger Heron, White faced monkeys, Howler monkeys,
Iguanas, a goat and pig, turtles and last but not least a lizard known as the Jesus Christ, so called because it runs on water at 50 miles per hour.

Eventually we pulled in and took a welcome lunch about 1:30pm.

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We were situated close to the river under a sheltered ranch and sat on wooden benches to eat a selection of meat, vegetables and fruit served by the cooking staff.
Afterwards myself and Kath went for a walk down a country lane whilst other people took advantage of horse riding or hammock resting.
We were then fortunate to see a splendidly coloured Montezuma Bird, which is as strikingly colourful as a toucan.
Returned to the boat at about 3:30pm to motor back upstream, past the junction where the dirty River (Rio Sucio?) forks off, so called due to its yellow sulphur colour.

The boat was doing around 25 knots and took about 45 minutes to return to Puerto Viejo. Needless to say past several more American Crocodiles who were basking in the mud.

The bus journey back took us through a bank of cloud for several miles and eventually a tunnel built under an inactive volcano. We were held up in San Pedro due to religious processions involving Tico’s in fancy dress and eventually had to be diverted, returning to the Milvia about 6:00pm.
The day had been another memorable one and it was fitting that we should end the holiday the same way we started it - marvelling at the wildness and uniqueness of this beautiful country.

Day 15 - Saturday 3rd April

Left Costa Rica on the 10:00am flight, which again was pretty smooth. Still, anything would be after our single engine plane adventure back in the jungle.
Had to collect our luggage in Newark USA but the queue through customs was a lot easier.
By now I had the runs. The stainless steel toilets have a sensor on them which causes them to automatically flush if they detect movement. The resultant bidet type sensation did not enhance my 20 minute stay.

Completed the last leg of the travelling from Newark to arrive in Manchester UK 8:30am local time.
Our hammock came through with rest of the luggage, unlike Newark where it came through oversize luggage along with many long surf boards.

Arrived home (very tired) at 11:30am on Sunday, 4th April.

On reflection we have to say it was a holiday of a lifetime.
Must do it again some time!

END OF PART THREE
Hope you enjoyed the whole story.