Rainforest Dreamin

Trip Start Oct 28, 2006
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Trip End Jan 09, 2007


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Flag of Costa Rica  ,
Thursday, December 21, 2006

Wanting to escape the hassle and hussle of the big city I decided to light out for Liberia a northern town in Costa Rica and jumping off point for various beaches rainforests as well as the Nicaraguan border. Peaceful cobbled streets and a pleasant central park where locals sit passing the time are the main features of Liberia, it was nice for a change and apart from a comical encounter between a couple of local bums the threat of violence and pressure of husslers was conspicously absent.

A day trip out to Rincon de La Vieja national park was perfect for further soothing and I quickly ditched the curious aged finn and british backpacker lasses from my bus for the welcoming solitude of mighty trunks and scampering monkeys. As well as an active volcano the park features a geothermal variety show of bubbling mud pėts and sulfurous lakes in themselves not particularly scenic but the eerie wisps of smoke which rose from the jungle made them magical to view from a distance. The highlight of the day was an arduos trek up a barren slope with the wind threatening to blow me off the mountainside but the reward was a spectacular secluded waterfall nestled in a ravine where the crystal clear water cascaded off a perilously high drop into the lush greenery below. It was far less populated than the more popular waterfall in the park which although being slightly more picturesque as well as swimmable was inhabited by loud american families on vacation. As I wandered back to the entrance the sky which had been threatening and gray all day finally let loose but I found the downpour refreshing and it made the canopy all the more atmospheric under the gentle patter while the numerous rivers turned to clear raging torrents whose water I found to be refreshingly potable.
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