Costa Rica

My relationship with Costa Rica has been surprisingly rainy and cold. I found myself missing some more clothes as Monteverde and La Fortuna were not offering sun or warmth. Especially Monteverde was almost freezing experience while we were ziplining and doing bungee in the rain. Ziplining was actually a lot better than expected. This was organized by "100% Aventura" and it included some very long ziplines (1590m). Unfortunately the visibility was limited because of the misty rain. 

Bungee, which we did with "Extremo Park", was also quite alright. Organization of the establishment was not. Customers were basically forced to wait standing in a storage room or in the rain.

This is a good representation of Central American service overall. There are usually many people working but the organization is poor resulting (typically) bad service. However, the prices are almost on western level which makes all the activities and services feel – well, expensive. Some feel even a little bit like rip-off. There are only a few exceptional businesses that have understood the meaning of good service and the potential to grow by doing exactly that. Most of service businesses are, unfortunately, just opportunists taking the money because they can. It is too bad that prices have gone up before the service has – in my eyes this will mean one thing: people will be a bit disappointed and nowadays it is very easy to share these feelings in social media, blogs and rating sites like TripAdvisor.

So, if Monteverde is the activity mecca of Costa Rica, La fortuna is the mother of all hot springs. There are plenty of spas that get their heat from a volcanic river (in which you can also bathe for free). If you like to lay in the hot water, La Fortuna is the place for you. All levels of service are available. Around La Fortuna there are also possibilities for several different activities including volcano hiking, whitewater rafting, horseback riding and different wildlife tours. I ended up doing rafting which was actually really well organized. Kudos to Desafio people for understanding how it is really done. On our free day at La Fortuna I hiked to the Rio Fortuna waterfall which is an easy 7 km walk uphill from La Fortuna. Just turn left from the city center, go over the bridge and follow the signs. Strey dogs can be a bit problematic, though. It costs 10 USD to get to the fall and my recommendation is that you save your money for a good lunch and skip the fall if you are not obsessed by waterfalls.

From La Fortuna we headed to San Jose where the first part of my trip came to an end as I joined another group to head to Panama. In San Jose I spend a lazy day just walking around at the walking district. I also had lunch at the Central Market which is as chaotic as you would expect it to be. For food these sodas or comedores are by far the best value for your money. At cheapest you can get lunch just under 5 USD, usually (in any restaurant) you end up paying at least 10 USD. Transportation is an exception by being really affordable. Bus ticket is around 50 USD cents and medium distance cab ride is also under 5 USD.

From San Jose we drove to small town of Puerto Viejo by the Caribbean coast. Puerto Viejo is a laid back surf/reggae style village offering all the hedonistic vices for gringos – also ganja is very much available. Bicycle is a perfect way to get around PV and nearby beaches and cabins. On the last night in Puerto Viejo it started, again. The rain, I mean. It is pouring down, again. And we are heading to the Caribbean islands, again. This time to Bocas del Toro, Panama. I really hope that there would be some sun, because the forecast does not look good. I’m feeling a strong Honduras (Roatan) flashback right now. It is supposed to be the dry season! I’m getting the feeling that me and the Caribbian are just not going to happen on this trip. Still very much hoping Panama would offer me the best in Central America. Let's see what will happen. I'm booked for some scuba diving tomorrow.