Baldi Hot Springs

One thing I forgot to mention, hot springs. Thue huge bonus of being near an active volcano! We payed to go to the hot springs but aparently there are lots of free pools locally. The place we went to was way more plush than I had expected - it doesn't feel much like we are in the developing world, a fa cry from my experiences of travelling in Tanzania and Russia. Hatred of tourism aside (!) it was amazing. Super hot pools of water, so relaxing. And the scariest water slide ever, not so relaxing. Because it was night the inside was almost completely dark. It was very fast, in places near vertical - I was definitely free falling for a few seconds. I involuntarily screamed for most of the way down :-0

Monteverde

We took a bus then a boat then another bus to get to the Quaker town of Monteverde. Touristville again but a place with a fascnating history. We did some short 'treks' around the Monteverde reserve. We saw some white faced howler mokeys, coati with babies (very cute a bit like a badger/ardvark/skunk), and up near the cafe loads of humming birds. They were feeding at bird tables right where we were, some of them were tiny - really colourful, amazing, flying all around us. On the main trek of the day we were treated to spectacular views of the Monteverde cloud forest and if you stood still and listened, the trees were literally humming with the sound of insects, reptiles and other animals.

So far the treks described as 'strenuous' and 'for very fit people' have been pretty easy - I guess they are marketing to the adventure traveller who is not ncessarily that fit.

Costa Rica is well known for sustainable development. Costa Ricans are trying to strike a balance between developing the tourist industry which has saved thier economy, and protecting the precious natural wonders that draw the tourists in. I'm not sure where zip wiring fits in with this so called 'eco tourism', as it no doubt involves destroying areas of forest or at the least damaging trees.

La Fortuna

The team also visited La Catarata de la Fortuna. This was a very short walk down to a beautiful waterfall and pools. It was supposed to be an acclimatisation trek for Volcan Baru around 3500m! Despite this the group enjoyed swimming in the pool near the waterfall and the lower pool which had lots of fish in it. La Fortuna is super touristy. The town has grown massively in the last decade as a result of tourism. Travellers started visiting the town after Volcan Arenal - the local volcano - which had lain dormant for 300 years, erupted in 1968 destroying two villages in the valley it overlooks. Volcan Arenal is still active. As the lonely planet says you could literally close your eyes and walk in any direction and you would hit a tour operators office. This has been bugging me a bit but, the area still has an undeniable beauty. It would be sad if the area becomes even more touristy but that seems to be the way it's going. On the walk up to La Caterata we saw many plots of land for sale and potential develoment.

Pura Vida!

I am in Costa Rica!

I am working for World Challenge in Costa Rica. I am here for a month with a group of eight boys and thir teacher from North London. We have been here for a week, flying into San Jose last Friday. I think I had about a 26 hour day. The jet lag was immense. We spent a day in San Jose where the group planned for the following days. From San Jose we took a public bus to La Fortuna where the group undertook a couple of acclimatisation treks - one up the extinct volcano Cherro Cato and another to the Catarata La Fortuna. The track up Cherro Cato was a bit of a mud slide in places and much of the man made bits had been heavily eroded by the rains. It was a hot day and I don't think I have evr sweated so much I drank more than 3 letres and didn't pee any more than ususal. As the group set off a bit late we were caught out by the afternoon rains, whiuch are very heavy at this time of year. Unmfortunately the heavens opened when we were near to the top and I had to make the decision for the group to turn back. I was reassured about making the right decision as sections of the path on the way down had become river like, literally a mud slide. A thunderstorm also broke out. I like the weatyher here, when it rains, it really rains and there are immense thunder storms in the afternoons.