Costa Rica in a whirlwind!

I write this entry from Quito, Ecuador...awaiting our much anticipated cruise around the Galapagos  Islands that we begin tomorrow! We spent about 5 hours today trying to find a last minute deal and we feel confident we are about to have an experience of a lifetime! 8 days on the sea...please pray for our health and safety on the boat! Should be amazing...

Hot bubbling mud!

Now about Costa Rica...

We arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica (in the northern part of the country) after traveling overland from Nicaragua. We were supposed to fly from Nicaragua to Costa Rica but chose to forgo the plane flight since we had already traveled so far south into Nicaragua that crossing the border on land seemed more practical. Liberia isn´t much to see, however there is a beautiful National Park called Rincon De La Vieja just 20 km or so from the town. We had a fantastic day there...hiking and swimming in waterfalls.We got our first taste of the lushness of Costa Rica´s flora and fauna, but also got to see some other interesting sites such as bubbling mud, sulfurous springs, and steaming rocks. There is an active volcano in the park which explains this hot ground! Many times it felt as if were were passing through a sauna; the temperatures of the water and mud being between 192 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit!

Sexy galoshes for crossing rivers!

Many travelers had warned us of the strong gringo presence in Costa Rica and the feeling of it being "Americanized" so we were a bit anxious about what this might feel like coming from less touristy countries. However, we fortuitously planned our trip during the beginning of the low season for tourist travel so we were pleased to find that we never felt too crowded (we also didn´t go to the popular touristy beaches on the Pacific Coast so that helped!) In fact, on the hike I described earlier, we hiked into a waterfall where we had it all to ourselves for a good 45 minutes before anyone else arrived which was so peaceful.

Prior to coming to Costa Rica, we met a fellow traveler who recommended that we invest a few dollars in a pair of galoshes (aka rain boots) for hikes since the rainy season leaves many trails really muddy and wet, and the boots are also nice for more coverage of the legs to prevent mosquito bites and such. We went on a mission to find some for $8 at the grocery store in Liberia and ended up making great use of them during our 10 days in Costa Rica. After about 2 hours of hiking in them, however, the feet get a bit sore due to lack of adequate cushioning and support, but for rain forest hikes they are wonderful!!! What fun to tromp through puddles and mud and not worry about having to dry or clean your shoes! If you peruse our photos you´ll notice they are not quite the most stylish apparel (they definitely look much cuter on little kids) but anything goes when you are traveling!

Waterfall on the hike

As we continue to see new countries and get more comfortable in this traveling lifestyle, we realize that you could spend a year just in Central and South America alone (and many travelers we have met are doing just that). There is so much to explore in every country! We definitely realized this when we got to Costa Rica and quickly felt that our 10 days there was not going to be nearly enough time to do it all...including see both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and rainforests, National Parks, hikes, etc. We decided that since James had been to many surf spots along the Pacific Coast and that we have plenty of beach time to come in the future, we would skip the Pacific Coast for now and focus on seeing the rain and cloud forests and the Caribbean Coast to see a place called Tortuguero (to be explained more in a future blog). Travel in Costa Rica is time-consuming and often required us to spend at least a half day to get to our next destination. With the rainy season and all, often times the afternoons are wet so that you end up unable to do many afternoon activities so your entire day is spent just traveling from one place to another. This distances are not even that far but with bus schedules being what they are and roads not always paved, it always seems to take longer then it should. Needless to say, we loved Costa Rica and had an amazing time! More details in the next couple blogs...

Huge iguana!

cooling off the feet after long hike

our reward for the long hike!

during the hike at Rincon de la Vieja