The road between the Arenal area to Monteverde is very rough—I'm not sure local transport would be worth the savings, as the 2 bus transfers are quite long and bumpy. To meet tourist needs, the "jeep-boat-jeep" transfer was created, and offered by most area hotels (from both ends) and tour agencies. Hotel Las Colinas offered it the cheapest for only $18, and as I couldn't see any difference between that and the $30 tours, I was glad to take it. An intriguing horseback tour was also offered, but it's not recommended in wet season; since my trip turned out particularly wet, I'm glad I chose this route instead. It's not like I'm a horsewoman anyway.

The car picked me up at my hotel and drove me to the docks. The boat ride lasted only about 30 minutes. but was lovely and peaceful. Then we drove in another car up to Monteverde, beautiful scenery the whole way. It's a great way to travel, a bit of a splurge but we arrived by noon. Much better than spending the whole day traveling!

On the road...it just never stopped raining!

I arrived in Santa Elena during the third straight day of rain, which wasn't the expected tropical rain that bursts forth and ends before umbrellas are opened. This was solid sheets of water, 18-20 hours per day. A local told me that a cloud was stuck in the mountains, which was a very charming explanation for the annoying situation.

Well, I had chosen to come to Costa Rica during rainy season for the great off-season prices, so while I was somewhat disappointed, I was also prepared. Armed with a clear plastic raincoat (with matching giant pants!) from Kmart and the attitude that hey, the rainforest looks its best in the rain, I set out to trudge through Monteverde and Santa Elena preserves no matter what.

The first evening of rain and not meeting anyone in my weird hostel, I sloshed my way to the Frog Museum. For being low season (and for featuring frogs) it was quite popular that night—there was just nowhere else dry to go! It was interesting though, and since I had an extra day in Monteverde (after leaving La Fortuna early) I didn't want to spend my time doing nothing.

The next day I did the canopy tour, in alternating mist and serious rain. Later on, when I met up with others from my canopy tour for a night tour in Monteverde reserve I was disappointed that the rain never let up. Still, it was enjoyable and an interesting way to see the forest.

I met Will the following day going to Santa Elena. By now, I had accepted the constant rain. The Pension lied that the only way there was their own transport or taxi, and his hotel didn't offer transport. We were the only ones using Camino Verde's transport on the way there, and bonded a bit. While hiking, I met a vivacious girl named Kim, who was just as happy to meet another Chinese person as I was. I made dinner plans with both. I was delighted to run into my friends from the canopy tour and night hike. We were all soaked but enthralled at the pure green beauty of the forest, glistening in the wetness.

I returned to the Pension to warm up and dry off—as much as possible. Seriously, I ended up doing laundry every other day that first week! Nothing would dry and the wet clothes were cold and smelled disgustingly of mold.

Kim ended up flaking— she showed up but had already eaten and was ready for drinks. But Will and I were starving and we weren't motivated to figure out a way to hook up later. We went to the restaurant above the bakery (great for some of those early-morning departures), which was great. I had a HUGE sandwich stuffed with ham, cheese, avocado, and egg (plus l/t) for only 950c. They also made delicious fruit juices and shakes.

Next we went to a VERY local bar near the grocery store...many stares when we walked in, no other tourists. It was great chatting with Will, and we made plans to meet up after he did the canopy tour the next day.

After squishing through Monteverde (which really was lovely in the rain), I met up with Will for a nice night out. We went to a weird club called "Party Machine," further out of the center on the same road as Pension Santa Elena, toward the snake museum. It was more expensive (1700c for a fish dinner), but very tasty. We drank and smoked quite a bit, and hoped for some good people-watching on the dance floor, but the locals weren't into it and there weren't many tourists.

Walking back to our hotels, I marvelled at the clear sky of stars, made plans to meet up with Will on the Caribbean side, and rushed back into the barn for a few hours of sleep before my 5AM bus to Manuel Antonio.

<   previous      •      next   >