Almost every trip involves adventure, but I enjoy the adventure of physical challenges as much as nice scenery and learning about a culture. Costa Rica had been on my radar for a while, and last year we went to Dominica instead of Costa Rica, so this winter it was an appealing option for a warm weather holiday. I made a few inquiries to people who might want to come along, but I also had a notion in my head to do solo travel when possible in 2025. I love to travel with others, but I also love to challenge myself alone. So, I viewed a bunch of options for organized tours, especially where I might meet other people, and I settled on Tour Radar’s “Mystic Waterfalls and Forests” tour. It was a reasonable price and offered a number of things I love, especially canyoning and hiking. I could get a flight direct from Newark to Liberia and back from San Jose, so the travel was relatively simple (though not cheap). Then, while talking to Greg and Kathy Wright, who went to Dominica with me for my 60th birthday in 2024, Greg said he would like to come and would look into it. It took him nearly a month to get back to me, and right before Christmas, he said he would come. We were able to change the lodging to a double and get it all set.
Getting There: I had to get up at 2:40am (I woke up on my own, which was good as I forgot to turn on one of my two alarms) to get to Newark before my 7:20 flight. It was much warmer than I thought, which was great, so I didn’t have to wear a heavy coat. I sat in the last row by the window, and two douchebags were in the row with me. They started drinking beers before 9am and got up to pee 4 times in 4 hours. They talked about drinking most of the time (when they weren’t praising Trump. The guy next to me said he would like to punch AOC in the face, but the other guy, who was younger, said she was hot). Passport control took a while. Greg was waiting just on the other side. The passport guy insisted I show him every hotel I was staying at, which took me a while to find with the slow data there. It was great to see Greg so quickly, and then we were out of the airport looking for our ride. We found it after a decent search, and then had to wait for him, a chubby guy with psoriasis named Ricardo, to walk out to the vehicle and bring it back. I thought we had a three hour drive, but it was only 40 minutes, so we waited to eat at the hotel, which Ricardo said had excellent food (true). He told us he liked Donald Trump but his trade policies could cause a lot of trouble in Costa Rica, as all their food is grown organically, and the citizens usually got the best stuff, but now with tariffs possible on Mexico, more might be taken from them and they might get the worse produce (he also said all kinds of chemicals have to be put on the food to ship it to the USA). The roads were really bad as we got to the hills outside of Liberia (on the way we passed a place Ricardo called “Little America,” which had just about every fast food restaurant from the US in a small area. Proud.). They gave us a hard time at the gate in, as Ricardo was giving them my last name and they only had the first name. In case you are interested, it was probably right about 90 degrees in Liberia at the airport, but it was much cooler at the hotel.
Hacienda Guachipelin: Why could I never remember this name? This was out first stay. We got there a little after 1pm, and after waiting a long time to check in, went to lunch because our room wasn’t ready. Lunch was great, though we became acquainted with the high winds there. We went back, got our keys, and then went to the nearby activities center to schedule our next day’s fun: canyoning at 8am, followed by whitewater tubing (we saw a video at the check in desk that made it look fun), and then the canopy course of zip lining, with lunch included. We got ready for the hot springs and went back to the actvitiy center to catch the shuttle.
We saw a bus at the activities center and it pulled away, driving toward us, as we got near. We flagged it down and asked if it was going to the Hot Springs, and the driver told us, sort of, no, as he didn’t speak much English. He started to pull off, and just then, the guy who’d sold us the plan for the next day came running out yelling into a walkie talke. We turned around and the bus stopped. He ran with us to the bus and told him and us this was the bus to the hot springs. It was indeed, but it took 45 minutes to go the 6 miles. He stopped a while at 5 places before we got there, sitting at each place for minutes, though no one got on or off or was around. The hot springs were nice. I think we forgot to shower before going in, as we were rushing. There was a nice hike to them, and we passed some people who told us how it worked. We got to the main area near a swinging bridge. There were howler monkeys in a tree nearby for a while. Greg was in quickly and chatting away with the others. I always take longer, as I fuss about my delicate feet, but then I was in. It was nice, about 100 degrees, and some of the people were from the USA. I never stay any place for long and was going to all the other pools, and then got into the nearby stream, which was cooler, for sure, but not bad. We did a quick mud rub, as time was running out, and then rinsed off in the shower. I was then off to what was supposed to be the hottest pool, but it was no hotter than the rest.
We headed back to the entrance and waited for the bus back. Greg tried to buy a drink, but the guy there said it was closed. The bus came and it was much nicer, with more people on it. It still took a while to get back, but more like 20 minutes. It was a short walk back to the room, and then we were off to the restaurant for an early dinner, as I wanted to get to bed early. They had a lovely buffet and I ate a lot, including many desserts. We got back feeling just right and went to bed by 8:45 (Costa Rica is one hour behind eastern time).
RUN: I got up at 4:40 without an alarm and went out quickly for a run. It was dark and windy. I ran to the right of the hotel and it was uphill for nearly two miles, and I turned down the Hot Springs road for a bit. It was obviously downhill the whole way back, which was nice. I ran with a headlamp the first half, and the bugs were not bad. I could hear the howler monkeys at times. We were ready in plenty of time for a nice breakfast (buffet, included).
CANYONING: Greg and I have canyoned together two other times, in Wanaka, New Zealand (the best one), and in Dominica, so we were comfortable going in. Santos, our main guide, met us at the activity center, and we found out it was only the two of us (excellent). Some other guide came and a photographer we splurged on. It was a bit of drive to an area near the main gate. We got our safety gear and then walked a short distance to the first rappell spot. It was a wooden bridge, not very wide, above a waterfall. We were clipped in, but I still get a little skittish with the heights. I got hooked up first, and Santos told us what was going to happen. We would run out of rope near the water and fall the last bit. I asked for the fall to be 4-5 meters, which would be 13-16 feet, but he laughed. I got on the bridge and leaned back and pushed off, going down steadily and getting the feel. It was probably 45 feet or so, and then I fell into the water. It was a raging torrent coming off the waterfall, and the water was too deep to stand. I tried to swim over to Kevin, the guy at the ladder, but it was hard, and I reached for his hand and he pulled me over. Now the HARD part. There were metal rungs on the cliff face we had to climb up, inside and next to a smaller but still violent waterfall. I started up, but I had to look up for the hand holds and the water was pounding my face and eyes. I was disconcerted, but I was able to pull myself together and battled up, slipping occasionally, but finally making it. It was not too hard physically, but it was more challenging than most things other people get me to do. Greg had not gone yet, so I watched him and joked with Santos. Greg did really well, realizing better than I did the left side of the cliff was easier to climb. They offered us an extra time, so we went down again, which they videoed, and then climbed back up, which went better (though I hurt my right tricep doing it), and then last time they spun around a bit so we could see the photographer. I loved it. This alone was worth it. We swam to where the photographer stood, and we followed him to the next rappell station, which was a routine one down a cliff with a waterfall near but not hitting us. We settled on a wooden stand, where they hooked me up and then swung me out into the powerful waterfall just to the side. It instantly almost knocked my left water shoe off, hanging off my heel. They yelled at me as I swung back and forth to fix it, and I was able to , but then they swung me back into the waterfall, and it knocked it off my heel again. It was a long swing, but otherwise it was not hard, and then lowered me to the platform. I had been worried about the shoe, but it made it. Greg’s shoes stayed on well, and he had a great swing. Canyoning was over, and it was a blast!
Whitewater Tubing: This was one thing I did not know about, and it was very exciting and different. The start was at the end of the canyoning, so we waited there for the rest of the tubers to arrive. While there we did some pull-ups on the frame of a shelter, and my elbow hurt something fierce, but I did two sets (!). The guides kicked a beat up soccer ball around and one or two got their hair cut in a chair with a proper drape! A bus or two of people arrived and Santos did a demo for us. We were first in line to go, and after all the guides and helpers got in and floated down, I went first. I drifted right off course initially, but then got in the track and was whisked down. The water felt cold on every splash, and you had very little control of what happened to you - backwards, sideways, forwards, gravity and water made all the decisions. It was possible to get stuck in the rocks on the side and either having to push yourself off or get some help (I had that happen 4 or 5 times). I generally did well until a really steep boiler and fell forward out of the tube, but I was able to get in easily with the help of the guide. We stopped at a wire across the stream to let everyone catch up and get all the guides past us for the next phase. It was 3 miles of rapids, so it took a while to do the whole thing, and they broke it into three zones. We got to know some of the people on the way, (Greg, always chatting). On the second zone, there was a flatter section, and I think the guide was yelling at me to flip over on my stomach to paddle. It was harder than I thought, and it didn’t help much, and the next thing I knew, there were rapids again, and I was not ready. I don’t remember if I shifted or just got knocked out, but I was out of the tube, in the rough water, churning, banging into rocks , and getting mouthfuls of water fast. I stayed calm, but I could not get positioned to float harmlessly, and continued to crash into things. I thought, “No one is going to rescue you, and if you keep doing this, you could die!” I flipped my feet from behind to in front and was able to put them into the creek bottom and stand up. Crisis averted! I was a bit stunned by it all but happy I got out and back into sitting in the tube the rest of the way, which was calmer overall. Both Greg and I were hypothermic at times, especially when sitting and waiting, but it was a great adventure and more exciting and intense than I thought. Definitely not for everyone!
After the tubing, there was a long walk up steps and we were given towels while waiting for the bus, which took us back to the activities center. We then got lunch, which was included, after we changed into dry clothes. Lunch was good, and I ate a lot. The we went to the
Canopy Tour and Ziplining: I have zip-lined a few times. It is fun, but not as fun as rappelling. They had a really nice course and we got to go first because we paid for the photographer. It only took about 45 minutes, and the highlight for me was when we jumped off the platform and were lowered down to climb back up a rock wall with handholds. When I jumped, he said “Oh, Wait!” trying to play with me. The rock wall was a good challenge, and then we had to wait a bit at another station for a guide to get by to finish up. It was all right by the main hotel, so very convenient and a great time.
It was only 1:30, though we’d done a lot. We decided to try to go to a famous waterfall on the property, but after sitting and waiting for the shuttle to come, we decided it wasn’t worth it (we were seeing and going to see quite a lot of waterfalls), so we left the activities center and did a quick hike to the Red Pond, a trail right across the street from our room. The trail was not hard and we were able to get right down along the stream and see the red algae/moss lining the bank, and then a turquoise pond nearby. It was about a mile out and back, and it looked like I could run part of it. We went back to the room. Greg took a nap, and I went out to our hammock and laid in it, reading for a while before I got antsy. I decided to walk to another waterfall area on my own and left. The trail was not far down the hill, and it was fairly nice except for a lot of bugs. I passed a couple coming back, and then I saw a guy who worked there walking as well. He called to me, “Amigo, the falls are closed at 4:30!” He was nice and came over and explained the area closed to visitors at 4:30 and you had to be out by 5pm. It got dark between 5:30 and 6, so I did not want to be out very long, and I thanked him and said I wanted to go on a walk and would not go to the falls. The trail was nice and only about 1.5 miles out, and I could barely see the falls. I kept going to see if I could find the “Blue Pools”, and I got to the first one before I thought I should turn around so I wouldn’t be out in the dark, as I already had quite a few bug bites (they only itched a short time). Again, this looked like a decent area to run. I had my first Casado Tipico Vegeteriano for dinner - a plate of different veggies prepared nicely with some rice in the center for dinner with a Flan for dessert, all served by a server who was overly polite and appeared to be in training. We were leaving the next morning, so I packed as much as possible before going to bed early again.
Running: I again woke up on my own at 4:34 and went down the road past the waterfall trail towards where we did the canyoning. It was all downhill, so in my mind I was keeping track of how far I was going to have to run uphill on the way back. Still, it was nice, and I took a few side paths, including the way to the waterfall, and then the red pond trail before stopping near the hotel. The property has a lot of mountain bike trails as well, so I was on a few of them but they were a little rough for running. We had another nice breakfast and were picked up at the reception area by a chap named Guillermo, who took a few of us.
Inside Joke: “Come on vacation with me. My wake up times the first three mornings averaged 3:50am!
Monteverde, and the Monteverde Country Lodge: This whole trip went great, except for this ride. Guillermo got us off the property and to another town, but then he puiled over and argued with someone on phone for a while. We turned around and went back and drove around more, then another phone call, then more driving, then another phone call and turnaround on the highway and this time we picked up a younger woman with blue hair who said very little (Greg was already talking with the other passengers). We were then on the road for a while, on and off highways, and then we turned sharply off the highway and drove through the parking lot and around the back of a building into a bigger lot and Guillermo stopped. He got out and told us we had ten minutes to go to the bathroom and get something to eat. He had told us it was only a two hour drive, so we were a bit surprised, but we got out and looked at a monkey and maybe a macaw bird in the big tree in the lot. About 25 minutes passed and during that time, Greg got something to eat and drink and I went to the bathroom. We were all unsure of what was happening, so we went back to the other lot and checked for Guillermo, but he was not there. We stood in the shade and chatted, andt the blue-haired girl finally spoke. She was from Germany, studying in Costa Rica for 6 months, going from site to site teaching and gathering data for various studies. She loved it, and her grandmother was coming to visit her for more traveling, but she had one more place to study for another 4-6 weeks, and she was heading there with us. Greg went to look for Guillermo, and he found him eating with a bunch of guys in the diner there! He went back after another 15 minutes and saw Guillermo getting a cup of coffee still at the table! Finally, after nearly an hour, and quite a bit more than ten minutes, Guillermo walked up, acting annoyed, offering no apologies, but saying, “5 more minutes.” He went behind the little van and was back there about that long before he came out and told the blue haired girl to get her stuff as she was taking a different van from there. He took her to another vehicle and then came back and told us to get in. We climbed up some hills and twisty roads, and it looked like it was going to take a lot longer than 2 hours (the whole trip was probably 4 hours, including the stop). At least there was some scenery at times, and we finally got to Monteverde. It is a very hilly town. We dropped off the others at a nice hotel and then he drove a while longer and down a gravel road to our place. He dropped us off in a parking lot and kept gesturing that it was a really nice hotel before he left. Tipping Greg gave him some extra money for that performance, to my chagrin.
The hotel was indeed nice, but Guillermo had not dropped us at reception; we had to look all over and take our bags to another section of the place to check in. The receptionist was very nice and helpful, telling us where the most famous place to eat was and helping Greg find his Holy Grail, a massage. It was at another place, their sister lodge, on the way to the restaurant. Greg wanted to stop there on the way, so we set out, quite hungry at this point, and encountered, the hills. Or should I say, the HILLS!!!! There was a steep drop into the center of town, and we had to go through a parking lot about halfway down to go to the massage place. Greg went in like a man who needed a massage as bad as someone needing a breath after holding it underwater for 7 minutes. He got it arranged for 4pm, and we walked on down and then back up to go to the Treehouse Restaurant. This central part of Monteverde was very touristy, like Banff or Queenstown, with lots of tour operators and outdoors stores, but way hillier. The Treehouse was very nice, with good food (I had another Casado Tipico Vegeteriano and a soursop smoothie, which was nice) and an actual tree growing right in the middle (I hit my head on a branch trying to snag my wifi code chit blown off the table by the high winds.) Monteverde was somehow even windier than the area of the Hacienda!. I ended up eating my meal and half of Greg’s pizza. During the meal we also noticed the music was reggae remixes of REM songs.
With our full stomachs, we now walked back to check in at our hotel. That entailed climbing the hill we just walked down. I have traveled a lot, and I have been up and down Baldwin Street in Dunedin, NZ several times, running up it once (It is arguably the steepest paved street in the world), but this hill was a beast! It went up and up, on the steepest sidewalk I have used. We finally got to the flat and still had a ways to go, but I was looking for bug spray for our night walk that evening. The gravel road to our hotel was at least downwind, and we got to check in just after three. It was then I realized our night walk in the Cloud Forest left at 5:40, not 7pm! We were a bit panicked, but it looked like Greg could make it if he hustled back from his massage, and then we could eat at the hotel restaurant when we got back. It worked out, but it was close.
Kinkajou NIghtwalk: We were picked up by a larger bus with quite a few people in it. I thought we were going to the Cloud Forest, but we went to a nearby preserve rewilded over the last 30-40 years from a farm that also served as a pathway for migrating animals through the area. It was not cold, but the wind was still gusting. The wind kept the temps down and the bugs off us for the most part. I did use the bug spray that night (the only time. Sigh). We were in a small group with an excellent guide. There was a French family with two young boys and an American couple. We saw some Kinkajous right away, which was exciting, then some sloths in various trees, a glowing scorpion on a tree (photo), some stick bugs , a beehive with stingless bees that make an exotic and expensive honey, and a sleeping green toucan. I enjoyed being out at night in the forest with someone who knew what to look for and where to go. He told us when we started not to touch anything, as there could be snakes and scorpions everywhere.
The glowing thing was a specially lit scorpion, otherwise hard to see.
We got back around 8pm and went to the restaurant. The staff were all very cute, and the chef made a special vegetarian pasta dish for me that was delicious. They had a big case of good looking cakes, so I had a slice of the carrot cake, which was only ok for carrot cake, with freezer-burned tasting ice cream. Because we were up so late, I skipped the run the next morning.
El Tigre Preserve/Waterfalls tour: Breakfast there was not as good, with a poor cereal selection. We were picked up at 7:20am for the El Tigre waterfalls. It was the usual, an easy initial trip followed by steep hills with lots of bumps and potholes. The lodge was at the top of the preserve, a pretty spot with wide-ranging views, including fleeting glances at the top of Aranel, a huge volcano not that far away.
Everyone was very nice, and we met our guide, Steven, who was great except for bad coffee breath. We were joined by a husband-wife combo, doctors, retired, now living in Asheville, NC. Greg conversed with them nearly non-stop. The first part was all downhill, but not too steep or slippery, and then we hit a series of waterfalls, 4 big, 4 small, all beautiful. It was a very nice walk, and the falls were at nice intervals. We did not see much wildlife, but the jungle, also all new growth in the last 40 years or so, was so nice.
One of the themes of the trip was swinging bridges. Everywhere! The last bit of the hike was an 800 foot ascent (You could hire horses or a 4x4 vehicle if you didn’t think you could make it - they also had a bicycle rope course through the trees we did not do.) back to the lodge, and then we had a nice lunch. They had hot sugar water, with local cane sugar in it, which was the nectar of the gods. Continuing a trend, I bought a t-shirt there and two pairs of socks. As soon as we got back, we walked down and around the corner on the gravel road to the Butterfly Garden. There was a nice English guide who showed us their collection and then took us in to the various cages where the butterflies swooped around us and dined on rotting fruit. Greg left early to get ready for another massage, and I went on a bit more of a walk before heading back (another big hill!)
It was even windier somehow, but while Greg was gone, I walked up the gravel road to a park that had outdoor exercise equipment. I had to be careful of my elbow, which was a little better, but it still hurt really bad doing pull-ups. Greg got back at a decent hour and didn’t forget anything. We’d had enough walking around in that wind, so we ate at a nice restaurant right across the street. They got off to a bad start by tut-tutting us about not having reservations, but it was never crowded and the food was nice. There was a container of a straw colored liquid on the bar with black debris at the bottom, and Greg finally asked what it was, the Costa Rican version of moonshine, made of sugar cane. They gave him s a free small shot. It smelled terrible. The wind was even worse to cross back over, but the walk was short, and it was noisy all night.
The Arenal Area, Arenal Paraiso Hotel: We had a 7:50 departure, so I was up early again to RUN. I did not try to go into town and those hills, instead turning right at the main road where we had not gone. There was a sidewalk for about a mile, and then it climbed back into the hills on gravel roads. I saw some campers and a few cars, but otherwise it was pretty quiet except for the wind, which wasn’t as bad. Still, quite hilly. We were ready in plenty of time, but this morning the restaurant was jammed with old people who liked to stand around and stare at things. We ate outside, but it wasn’t too chilly or windy there. A small bus picked us up there and we had another ride on curvy, hilly, bumpy roads. We stopped at a small diner for a pit stop, and I peed (wisely). I actually started chatting with two women who turned out to be from the USA while we waited. Greg then talked to them the rest of the way.
The scenery wasn’t bad, and we could occasionally see the lake. It took a little while for us to get to the edge. We pulled in behind a few other vans and buses on a gravel road. We had to wait for other buses to leave and the boat to get there. At some point, everyone started and one after the other, pulled forward and backed a long way down another gravel road and parked along the side. I was impressed. There were a lot of people milling around. We got in a line for the boat coming for us, and I could see as it was waiting to come in, it did not have a bathroom on it. I walked behind a bus and peed in the woods, one of my best decisions in life, as there was no opportunity to pee for at least another two hours. We got on the boat, which was about 80 percent full, and it pulled out a bit, but then went back to get a few more people. I noticed another ferry leaving with every passenger wearing a life vest. Ours were in racks above the seats. There was no safety briefing or any words at all from the drivers. It took about 50 minutes to cross the lake and get to the minimal dock there. Greg talked almost the whole time with women we met on the bus.
As I was getting off the boat, I heard someone yell our hotel’s name. It was a gray haired man with a small van just up 60 feet or so, He was our driver, and the two women we’d been talking to were also going with him, and two younger women got in as well. The highlight of this trip was seeing a bunch of coatis along the road (I was told by a guide later they hung out there because tourists gave them food). The two girls, who turned out to be from Norway, used google translate to get the driver to drop them at a spa other than their hotel, and Greg saw a place offering $35 massages and became obsessed. We got dropped at our hotel and went to check in to find out what to do while we waited for our room. I thought the reception girl was the prettiest woman we had seen so far, and she was very helpful. Massages there were $80, so while we were waiting for our food to arrive at the restaurant, Greg scheduled a massage at the place we’d passed on the way. He was going to do it at 12:30, but it was 12:05 and we had not even gotten our meal yet, so I talked him out of that, as it was a 15 minute walk back on a road with no sidewalk. I got a delicious bowl of Aztec Soup and another Casado. Greg ordered another huge meal, and I told him it was way too much for him. He only ate a little, and then when the server came to clear it all, Greg said something he later regretted (he thought he might have ben rude) and became obsessed with trying to explain it to the server, who I assured him did not care at all. He then rushed off to his massage. I forgot my hat at the table, and went back for it. I went to the reception to get my stuff so I could go to the pool and gym, and the pretty girl was there. I had obviously meant nothing to her, as she did not say anything to me since she was leaving after her shift was ending. I got my bag and went to the spa, got a towel and a locker. Their gym was small, but I could do a decent core workout, and then I went to put on a bathing suit. I couldn’t help but notice there were no hooks or anywhere to hang anything in the locker room or the bathroom. Odd. I went out to the pool, hoping to sit in the shade, though I did have sunscreen on most of me, but the only available chairs were in the sun. I read for a while and then went for a swim. The water was cool in the regular pool, heated but brown by the bar, so I went in the regular, then got back out and sat with my towel over my legs. An iguana was by the pool when I got out and the ladies near me asked me if he was my friend. He gradually moved around the pool, closer and closer, and then someone walked behind him and he rushed towards me before veering to his right and near the bushes, behind the women.
I went to the locker and showered and changed back into the regular clothes and went to the reception. They had a guy help me carry all of Greg’s stuff to the room as well. It was the closest room to everything. After Greg got back, we went up to the hot springs right on the grounds. They were really nice, not crowded, and pretty hot - the farther you walked up the hill, the hotter they were, to the top, which were almost too hot. There was another iguana at one pool on the rocks! We had a nice soak.
Greg rushed back, and by the time I got to the towel station, there were two new girls there, and they said Greg had taken my card. I was instantly furious, as it was a $20 fine to not have your towel card at checkout, and I yelled at them. “You are not supposed to give someone else my card! He can’t be trusted!” I glared at them and they said he had it, so I turned in my towel. When I got back, Greg said they did not give him my card, and it didn’t seem like it was a prank, so I went right back and yelled at them and glared at them again, and finally one of them reached into a drawer and gave me a towel card. I am still mystified as to what they were trying to do. We went to the restaurant there again and I had a decent meal, but I had to opt for a pesto pasta dish, which was the only non-regional meal i had while there (I ate Greg’s pizza, but I didn’t order that). They had a nice cheesecake for dessert, and then we were back in our room for the first of three nights. There were a number of bugs flying around and I killed most of them, and we also reset the thermostat to 72 from 61! It didn’t seem to help it get warmer, so we shut it off.
2/6 - Hanging Bridges and waterfalls: First, running: I was worried about running, as it looked like I would have to rely on the main road in the dark. And I did. Down a hill from the hotel, there was a spur road to other resorts, so I planned on exploring that, and as I did in the dark with a headlamp, after getting down the hill ok, it started to rain. And then it poured. I ran back and forth on the spurs and then found a longer road that was a bit less traveled but gravel, to another resort and restaurant, so I was able to make it over four miles, and the hill on the way back was big. They had a decent buffet for breakfast, and then we went to wait for our pickup. The pretty girl was not there.
Hanging Bridges: Our ride showed up right on time, and out jumped a very beautiful young woman named Monica. Her dad liked the show, “Friends,” hence her name. She was a lot of fun and very bubbly, so she made the whole day much better. There was a young couple from California who spoke some Spanish, and then we picked up a French couple. I thought the Hanging Bridges was a canopy obstacle course, but it was a trail through yet another reclaimed jungle forest with many hanging metal bridges, some long, some high, and some high and long. It was cloudy with occasional sun, but also a few heavier rains. I never put on my jacket, but I should have. We saw a Coati, an eyelash viper, another beehive, and a small hummingbird. Monica was great with her telescope viewer and she took some good videos.
We took a short break at the site, where you could get some nice beverages and snacls, then dropped the French couple off. At that point it was mentioned Monica was going to go to lunch with the California couple, so we asked fi we could join them. Instead of us just paying, we had to go to the headquarters of her agency and pay there. Then we drove to the :
La Fortuna Waterfall: This was a very touristy place, but still it was worth it. We walked down 550 steps to the falls, passing some nice views, including a basalt rock wall, on the way. It always takes me longer to get ready, but I wore my sneakers to the edge, took them off, and tried to take a video of me falling backwards. It was obscured by my phone case and strap - the water was so rough there I was afraid of dropping my phone otherwise. It was a nice temperature and there were lots of people getting in and out. Greg sat this one out and regretted it. I walked back on the rocks carefully in my bare feet and dried off a bit before going down the stairs to the other side, where there was a beach and the stream down from the falls that was very nice, with lots of fish and nice rocks, all with a smooth, sandy bottom. The California guy, who was very nice, complimented my physique and asked about my workout routine, which we discussed for a while, as he used to be fit but then fell off the wagon.
We walked back up, which was easier than I thought, and I changed, but the driver wasn’t there yet. I finally found everyone. Then we started to lunch, and just outside the falls, they saw a sloth in a tree.
As we were getting ready to leave the side of the road by the sloth, he stretched out and laid back on the branch like he was taking a nap. Classic. I laughed very hard.
Sloth in the tree, lying on a branch and stretching. Not so slothful…
We were now driving to the restaurant when the driver, Steven, shouted, “Toucan!” and stopped. In a tree quite a ways off, he’d spotted this small bird! We took more photos and videos there. Greg really wanted to see a toucan, so this ticked off that box!
As we pulled away, I asked Steven to find us a Jaguar (I loved Jaguars and Tigers as a kid). I thought that was pretty funny, but then Monica pulled up a video of a Puma running around in La Fortuna after dark a few days before. The lunch place was not busy and we invited Steven to eat with us. The couple from California was nice and we had a good chat. I was moved to treat everyone to smoothies and got another Soursop one. I was sad to leave Monica behind.
Greg left right away on our return to get a massage at the hotel. I finally took a break from doing things and relaxed for a while. When he came back we went to the hot springs again. Greg had been in touch with the American women we’d met on our transfer to Aranel, and they were nice enough to agree to a Vegan place in La Fortuna. I went to the store at the hotel and got a really nice water shirt and a magnet to give to one of the nurses at work who collects them. We got an Uber to pick us up right at the entrance and dropped us at the restaurant, The Green Spoon. Greg was relieved to find out it wasn’t completely vegan and served meat dishes as well. It really didn’t have many vegan options, but they were good. The women arrived right on time, and we had a fun dinner. I had Yuca fries, which I love, and a vegan quesadilla. The service was really slow, but I wanted a dessert. They mentioned two things I didn’t want, but then a brownie and ice cream, so I got that. It was one of the worst desserts I’ve ever had. Like a brownie from a future bereft of real chocolate, then passed back through time to the Roaring 20’s and left in someone’s yard until now. We caught another Uber back. The service was fantastic, and Greg said it was remarkably cheap I went to bed right away as I had to get up early to run again.
Friday, last full day, Canyoning with Pure Trek: Running: I woke up again without an alarm at 4:30 and was quickly (for me) on the road. This time I went to the right, the way Greg had walked for his massage on our arrival day, and it was also hilly. There was a gradual hill at the start, and then I took a side road that went down and down, very steep. I finally decided that was enough hill for the way back, and it was a hard go. I think I had to stop and catch my breath (I did not want to overdo it with a day of activities ahead). It was safer over all on the side of the road and a bit easier, and I added some distance on at the end running around the hotel grounds and the hot springs. This day breakfast had oatmeal, which was great with all the fruit and things like tropical jams I could put in.
Canyoning: Pure Trek was a great operation. They picked us up and took us to a staging area where we could leave our dry things to change into after. Then there was a long drive in the 4x4 truck. Unfortunately, we were joined by a weirdo boor from Romania. He had very bad breath. There were a few people from North Dakota who were really nice, so Greg had someone to talk to the whole time. They stopped to show us a rare bird that looked like an owl on a tree by the road. I looked up the name every way it could be spelled and couldn’t find it. We arrived at the place and got our gear and a short briefing on safety. We started right out with a 170 foot rappel down a cliff to a waterfall. There was a group of about 8 Americans with us who stuck to themselves and didn’t talk to us much, and they went first every time. Still, things moved and were entertaining. I enjoyed the big drop and didn’t get as wet as Greg, who had to go more into the waterfall and got cold. We were at the bottom for about ten minutes while the team moved stuff around, and then we got photos taken. Next we climbed a wooden ladder up a cliff to the next challenge.
That was the Monkey Drop, their famous innovation that’s starts like a zipline but then drops you with some control into a rocky pool. I was excited to see the others go, but then the Romanian guy, who was right in front of me, got into a heated argument with the guy rigging us up that he did NOT WANT TO GET WET!!! What a douchebag. They had to shout back and forth, but they made it happen. I was game for a soaking and they stopped me over the water briefly before plopping me in with a big splash. Greg did about the same. The videos are in the YouTube video near the end. We did a few more fun ones and finished with one where we were supposed to let the rope go and they would control our fall as we ran and jumped off. I started to run but held back as I approached the edge, not sure what I needed to do. Greg went all out and did a long jump. The videos will not import. From there we had a good hike up a lot of stairs to the staging area where they took our stuff. The Romanian guy was wandering around, and he used the same joke for everything. I saw him standing looking out into the jungle, and I asked how he was doing, and he said, “I like women.” He said this at least two other times in 20 minutes. When we got on the truck to go back, he brought along two big flowers he’d ripped up, and he took off his shirt and rubbed and slapped his flabby white belly. We were happy when they dropped him off at a kayaking place (he did not put on his shirt and his butt crack was sticking out of his shorts, which looked like pajama bottoms. He was such a classic Eastern European jerk we could hardly keep a straight face.) on the way back. We had a nice lunch at the headquarters with the North Dakotans, and then we ordered photos. They dropped us back at the hotel in the early afternoon. I went to the gym briefly and then we headed to La Fortuna again.
The Last NIght: You may be able to guess that Greg wanted to get a massage in La Fortuna. I wanted to go to a store called Chocolate Fusion. He looked around there a few minutes and then headed off. I thought we would meet around 5 and then go to get something to eat. So, I shopped around Chocolate Fusion a bit and then bought a big piece of chocolate cake and a few special chocolate treats. They had a nice empty table and I sat in the corner while a few other people came and went. I finished the cake and the other treats, then bought some chocolate and left to wander around. I walked 2.5 miles around the town and took a few photos, sat and read in a park, and finally messaged Greg after 5pm. He still had some time to go. I didn’t want to kill any more time, so I went to a restaurant right next to the Green Spoon and got a table and a beverage, plus a starter. He finally messaged me again around 5:45 and then found his way there right before 6pm. We had a nice meal, but Greg was in a hurry. It turned out that his initial massage was interrupted by someone using a jackhammer next door, so the masseuse booked him with another place, but told him she would do a free 45 minutes if he came back before they closed. He was at the other place the whole time until he came to the restaurant, and still wanted to go back for another 45 minutes with the first lady. So, we finished quickly and he got me an Uber to the hotel and went back. I think I was back to the hotel before 7pm, but I left my blue hat on the floor of the restaurant while eating, so he went back and got it at some point and also got his massage, getting back around 9pm. We finished packing and cleaning up and went to bed.
Last morning: We had a driver pick us up at 7 after a rushed breakfast, and he was a nice young man named Daniel. Unlike some countriess, The San Jose airport was user friendly and we were right through. I left Greg after we got some pizza and snacks and flew back into a snowstorm. The usual delays at Newark, including only three passport gates for US citizens in the hundreds, and then being told to go to the Non-citizens side and assigned a line where only one person got through in 20 minutes, then moving to another line and getting through before the anyone else in the first line I was in, then waiting for the shuttle to park, set me up for finding near blizzard conditions, I went to the Herrners nearby for the night. They fed me a veggie meal and gave me a nice room, and we watched basketball, which they love. I got up and shoveled the snow, which ended up not amounting to much, and drove home. Greg also had an interesting return, again forgetting his hat on the plane, going back for it, making Kathy wait so long her battery died in the car, so they had to get a jump from a policeman at the Roanoke airport after midnight.
Greg Losing/Forgetting Things: On his flight from Roanoke, he rushed to get off to make his connection and lost his Bose earpods. On the drive from the airport, he left his hat on the vehicle, and we had to have them call the driver to bring it back. He left his Apple watch at the first massage site in Monteverde, and another guest carried back to the hotel. He left his hat on the plane from Atlanta to Roanoke and had to go back for it.
Greg Wright: I have traveled a lot with Greg, and this trip we got along well. He usually has a few new quirks every time. The first thing this trip was HYDRATION. Always trying to buy something to drink everywhere. The second was MASSAGES. He had at least one massage every day from Monday through Friday. This was fine with me, and I got me time to read, exercise, and explore. The third was SMOOTHIES. He averaged at least 2 strawberry milk smoothies a meal, totaling well over thirty for the week.
Summary: Costa Rica was a great destination for adventure. I loved the physical and mental challenges, the jungles walks, the animals, and the food. Great veggie meals! There is a lot more to do and explore, but this was a great first trip.
