#12 Skipping through Costa Rica

The time finally came to leave Nicaragua after delaying it for days. Not that I didn't want to go to. I had heard amazing things about Costa Rica, particularly about the landscape, extreme activities and nature but after getting used to the cheap accomodation, food and general living in the rest of Central America I had heard that Costa Rica was more expensive especially for a backpacker. However as I was flying from Panama it made sense to travel through Costa Rica and at least see some of the beautiful country. We decided to go to the mountainous area of Monteverde, famous mostly for its cloud forest, zip lining and nature. I was travelling over down with a couple I had met along the way, Virginia and Harry. We set off early from Playa Gigante, walking down the beach at 7am in the heat loaded down with our backpacks. 

The route we took from Playa Gigante was as follows: 

Bus from Gigante to Rivas - 35C (just over $1)

Rivas to la frontera - 25C (less than $1)

$1 entry to immigration

$2 exit from Nicaragua

We walked five minutes to the Costa Rica border once we got off the bus. We were asked to show proof of leaving country (I had a flight from Panama to Colombia and a screenshot of the flight on my phone was sufficient). They did ask us by they were not overly strict with looking at it. There was no fee for Costa Rica entrance. We booked a bus ticket at the border to get us most of the way to Monteverde. The bus cost about $6 and it was LUXURY. Especially compared to hot, crowded chicken buses we were used to. There was a proper luggage hold, assigned seats and air conditioning on the coach. We took the bus to La Irma which took about 2.5hrs where we got off at a petrol station. The stop was not obvious but we just so happened to ask when we had stopped and the driver told us to get off. Across road there is a bus stop where the bus to Monteverde goes only twice a day at 10am and 3pm. Luckily we arrived at 2.45pm so didn't have to wait long for the bus (so lucky)! 

The town for Monteverde is actually called Santa Elena. It's very touristy and doesn't feel like a Central American town with big supermarkets, souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants. Our first day in Santa Elena we had a nice breakfast in Sloth hostel and decided to walk about ten minutes out of town to a Ficus tree which you could climb up inside of. It was a huge tree in the forest which had vines climbing all the way up it. It was quite rainy when we were in Santa Elena, and for the first time since I was away it was cool...I finally got to wear some jeans and a jumper! A vast difference to the humidity and sunshine in Nicaragua.

Giant Ficus tree 

Made it all the way to the top

Later that night we had dinner in a local 'soda'..generally cheap local food. Costa Rica however did not differ from the rest of Central America with their local dish of....

more rice, beans, plantain, chicken and vegetables. We also tried the really good coffee in beso coffee house in the town. On our second day we Took a shuttle bus from the hostel to the Santa Elena cloud forest, this is slightly smaller than Monteverde forest and we were told slightly less touristy. General admission is $14, we managed to get student for $7 (I guess I was technically a student recently). We did a 3.4km trail route around the forest, complete with viewing point. We were looking forward to seeing some sloths but unfortunately weren't so lucky. The day we were there it was generally clear so the cloud forest wasn't as impressive as we had heard it could be. We saw some butterflies, centipedes and birds. We cooked that night in the hostel and met up with one of our friends Alberto who had travelled up from Nicaragua.

High above Santa Elena cloud forest 

The next day we made our way to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and a beach town called Puerto Viejo. 

Travelling from Santa Elena to Puerto Viejo

- Got bus from terminal in Santa Elena to San Jose at 6.30am. Cost $5. Took four hours..again this was a 'luxurious' coach

- Bus from San Jose to Puerto Viejo. They leave every two hours. Cost $10. Took 4.5 hours. This bus goes from terminal mepe about five minute walk from the main bus terminal. 

Puerto Viejo is a surfer town on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We finally arrived at about five o'clock where we walked about one kilometre out of town to the hostel Rocking J's where a group of friends had already arrived to earlier that day. Rocking J's is a huge hostel on the beach with what seemed like hundreds of hammocks which you can stay in as well a tents, dorms and private rooms. All the tents were under a roof on a platform above all the lockers so it seemed almost better than a dorm as I had essentially my own 'room'. We all went for some food that evening, the boys opted to go for burgers whereas myself and the three girls went to a local 'sopa' or general restaurant. We all had Caribbean chicken with coconut rice, plantain and salad for about $5..I don't think I'll ever get sick of rice and beans. Later that night we went to the beach behind the hostel for a beach party and rum. There was a bonfire and lots of bongo playing, guitars, singing and rapping! 

Caribbean chick n and rice 

Rocking J's hostel 

Early the next morning I had decided to head to Panama so it was goodbye to my brief visit to Costa Rica and on to the last country on my Central American journey complete with a rum induced hangover. 

Next Stop: Bocas Del Toro, Panama 

Food/drink: Amazing coffee in Beso in Santa Elena, Rum in Puerto Viejo, 'sopa' (local) cafes in Santa Elena 

Stayed: Sloth hostel in Monteverde $12-15 for a dorm with breakfast, Sleepers hostel $10 for a dorm with breakfast in Monteverde

Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo, $10 for a tent with mattress and pillow

Bars/restaurants: Soda Almirante in Santa Elena, general dish costs $5