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Trip Diary - Photo Diary - Start the trip in the UK - USA - Mexico - Belize - Continue on to Panama
Location: Costa Rica Date: 27th December 2006
After 3 and a half hours of general mincing around waiting for Mr. YTS to understand the concept of "computer", we eventually hop, skip & jump into Costa Rica. The truckers obviously are accustomed to this delay and set up their hammocks between their giant wheels on their juggernauts and settle in for a few hours kip.
If Nicaragua was lush, Costa Rica proves to be one huge tropical garden of flora and fauna from the moment you enter to the moment you leave. Just walking 5 minutes down a dusty track youíre faced with monkeys, sloth's (starting to relate), parrots and gloriously coloured and scented flowers, all competing for your sensory attention. And this is the case everywhere, itís a tropical stereotype! The Costa Rican catchphrase is "Pura Vida" - Pure Life - oh yes.
The nice man at the cabin we stay in decorates the bike with tinsel as a surprise for us, then packs us off to "The Crazy Fish" where Bob Marley is blaring out and a 2 litre bottle of Smirnoff is to be found. Oh, and a fair few brash Americans but they're forgiven their "6 beers in 6 hours" mentality when they supply us with Tamales, a bunch of stuff wrapped into a parcel with a banana leaf, professing to be a form of foodstuff. Riding round a lake and up to another volcano , we pass through (what could very well be) Northern England, West Sussex and Switzerland - wasnít sure whether to expect to see The Lord of Arundel, Fred Dibnah or Heidi's Grandfather round the next corner. None of these were to be seen, although we did stumble upon a kindly policeman who graciously charged us $40 for speeding and rapidly pocketed the money for his kids Christmas Boxes - better be anyway, if I find out heís been hitting the 2 litres of Vodka.
We ditched the trusty bike steed for real ones and went bezzing around the foot of the volcano, through rainforest, waterfalls and up and down sheer mud. Mu had Estrella who was a lazy sod of a horse who didnít like my Chiquita one bit as she kept aggressively overtaking, unfortunately for me straight through anything in her path - these beasts have no consideration for their Masters. Chiquita helped herself to a few wild orchid's and seemed to behave after that. Which is more than can be said about the saddle sore - relieved at a natural "Roman Orgy" style thermal springs with 20 pools ranging in temperature from quite parky to 170 degrees. Dear God Mend My Flesh!!!
From the Pacific Coast we mooched over to the Caribbean coast where the "Irie" vibe returned a la Jamaica. Mu clocks a pissed-up white Rasta complaining no one will give him a job "because I'm white" - we conclude the real reason is that his breath resembles Meths and the rest of him reeks of wee. We stay in The Secret Garden Cabin and have a very chilled out time of it all (more than can be said for the poor Howler Monkey who blew himself up on electricity cable outside our house - wouldn't have been so bad but it was half way through Top Ten Worse Haircuts of 2006 and I wanted to see how high Mu had come). Decadent beach action before the inevitable rush down to Panama for the festivities ahead. Adieu to the Mozzies, Sloths and Dear-God-Can-These-Get-Much-Fresher Pineapples and away down South. P.S. Del Monte bananaís are from here - he said YES!
From: Mark Costa Rica translates into English as Rich Coast. A pretty apt, but not wholly descriptive name for the country. Tierra Rica, or Rich Earth would sum the place up a little better. The country, like the people, is warm, floral and very friendly. In fact, Costa Rica is so smart, I’m not even going to try and describe it‘s majesty. Trust me, it’s just a VERY GOOD PLACE. Apart from being impressed by Costa Rica, we also: Got nabbed for speeding again (90kmph in an 80 zone - give me a break). Thankfully the Police officer was able to wave the speeding fine, tiresome trip to the station and the 30% tax on top of the fine for a small donation to the Police Christmas fund.
Stayed in the town of La Fortuna and rode horses through an ex-Presidents Finca. Flew along zip lines (the longest of which of 900 metres), crossing over waterfalls and stunning rainforest. Sat in a natural hot spring at the foot of a Volcano.
Swam in the Caribbean sea whilst sloth’s and monkeys watched us from the land. Watched countless pairs of Parrots chirp their way East along the Caribbean coastline. Woke at 6am by the eerie howling sounds produced by a group of howling monkeys sat in the trees outside our Hostel.
So that’s it. Costa Rica rocks. [That was an advertisement on behalf of the Costa Rican Tourist Bureau] Continue on to Panama |
By: Daisy
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| ©2006 Mark Bell |