COSTA RICA

With no corruption or obnoxious "tramitantes" at the border, things went smoothly despite the large number of office windows they had to visit in order to complete the paperwork to exit Nicaragua and enter Costa Rica.

The first stop on the list was the area called Rincon de La Vieja where they arrived at dusk and luckily found the Rio Negro hot springs with ease. There they bathed on Thanksgiving evening and went to camp in the car at the park's parking lot afterwards.

RIO NEGRO HOT SPRINGS

At sunlight they cooked breakfast, and after a 20 minute walk from the parking lot they got to Oropendola waterfall, a natural shower above a clear blue water pool. Not bad to start the day.

OROPENDOLA

From there they tried to see La Cangreja waterfall, but the entrance fee to the park was US$ 10.00 so they didn't go. They hung out all day visiting private land attractions such as the red pond, Vitoria and Las Chorreras waterfalls, and after dusk went back to Rio Negro hot springs, which are great, before camping again.

LAS CHORRERAS

RED POND

DONKEY LOVE

On the contrary to their precarious journey to Nicaragua's pacific coastline, Costa Rica's costal access was found in excellent condition, so they got to Papagayo Peninsula with no problems. After passing a security gate for the Four Seasons Hotel chain, they went to the visitants beaches. You can drive or take the free bus that leaves every 5 minutes.

LOTS OF MONKEYS NEAR THE BEACH

PLAYA EL VIRADOR

The day was reserved for the coast so from there they stopped quickly on Hermosa, Del Coco, Ocotal and Flamingo beaches. Flamingo is a wealthy town, filled with mansions and fancy hotels, it also looks very safe so they decided to camp there. Despite its appearance, they were awakened by cops and warned of the dangers of the place. Debora believes they were just curious and maybe even planning on opening the car for some goods, but were surprised by the sleeping couple inside.

NEAR PLAYA FLAMINGO

PUPPY ISLAND AT TAMARINDO

They went to Tamarindo beach in the morning from where they left the coast towards Lake Arenal, which they reached in the afternoon. Pat had already been to that area with his family so he knew there was easy access to free hot springs somewhere. It is near Tabacon resort where there is a hot water river flowing abundantly.

FREE HOT SPRINGS

They weren't able to see Arenal Volcano completely because the first day its peak was covered by clouds, and the following day it was virtually gone due to rainy weather. It was okay though, since the volcano had been sleeping for 25 days and the wait for its activity was supposedly a month away.

They continued on a scenic route where they saw many waterfalls and cloud forests, drove through San Jose where they only got lost for nearly 10 minutes, and continued to San Isidro de El General where they slept at a hostel.

ROADSIDE SCENERY

The next day started with a wait of about 1 hour of traffic with no apparent reason on the road to Platanillo. As soon as traffic moved they reached a dirt road that would take them to a waterfall considered by many to be the most beautiful in Costa Rica.

They arrived in Quepos and Manuel Antonio late afternoon and stayed at a "private" hostel for no one was there, for US$ 10.00 each. Manuel Antonio is a very touristy town and has a relaxing atmosphere.

Debora and Pat didn't enter Manuel Antonio Park or spend much time there because they are always on the move, but they highly recommend the visit.

Panama coming up soon!

TRICKS

- Void driving on dirt roads for long if they start to look bad.  Rain can fall any time and the situation could go from bad to worst in a slight of hand.

- Poach attractions, many of them have been seen for free due to lack of shame.

TROUBLES

- Lots of rain.

- Traffic and slow trucks.