Trekking in the Rain Forest and Driving to Guanacaste on the Pacific Coast

Monday, March 16, 2020

Trekking in the Rain Forest and Driving to Guanacaste on the Pacific Coast

Ola from Costa Rica!

Wow! We are waking up to dire news about the state of the world in the wake of the coronavirus! While we were trying not to think about it too much and to focus instead on enjoying our holiday in Costa Rica, I have to say that I am now getting nervous. I am also worried about my Dad in Bombay who is almost 90 years old and, therefore, far more susceptible to infection. I am now praying hourly that this health crisis will abate soon. Meanwhile, there is fear, of course, about what is going to happen with our flight back home. The last thing we would like is to be stranded in a foreign country, lovely though the place may be. 

That said, we awoke to find the Arenal volcano was only half visible as the top was covered in thick clouds. We had no time to shower this morning as we had to place our bags outside our door by 6.00 am (which meant wake up at 5.30 am). We got dressed and went off for breakfast. This morning, I had an omelette with the works, sautéed plantain with sour cream and for the first time, I decided to try the pinto de gallo (rice and beans flavored with lizano sauce). I had a glass of watermelon juice as there is no decaf coffee here. It was a good breakfast but I am simply eating too much. 

About an hour later, we were on the bus and driving to the next venue on our tour—we were leaving the Arenal region and making our way to Guanacaste. It was a long drive initially but it was an intensely pretty one. First of all, we were headed to the Mistico Hanging Bridges Park where we would be walking and trekking through the Rain Forest. The entire country is shrouded in greenery. There are so many similarities with the vegetation here and in southern parts of India such as Goa and Kerala. We recognize so many of the fruit trees—banana, plantain, papaya, sugarcane, cashew and mango. 

Another First Time: Trekking on the Hanging Bridges of the Magnificent Rain Forest.    

Once we arrived at Mistico, we were offered three treks—each was of two hours but they varied in terms of the number of hanging bridges over which one would climb. We decided to go for the maximum number-i.e. six! Little did we know what to expect and I think it is the unknowing of it that is the most exciting part—because whatever it is you encounter becomes both novel and exciting.

We were met by our guide—a very young chap called Christopher—who led us off. First off, we saw a coati—these are the vicious, raccoon-like creatures with long striped tails that we had seen in enormous numbers at the Iguazu Falls in Argentina when we had visited a year ago. They are greedy, aggressive and scary as they grab food from your hand or grab an entire bag and run away. We also saw a hummingbird at very close quarters. I did not realize how tiny they are and how pretty—this one was a gorgeous iridescent green.

Soon we went deeper and deeper into the rain forest and the vegetation got lusher and greener. The air was pure and fresh and super clean and when it started drizzling, the thick canopy of greenery above us acted like an umbrella. We had our rain gear and since it was not cold at all, it was incredibly pleasant to be in the rain in the rain forest. I kept hoping we would see animals but we only ended up seeing a tiny baby snake that looked no bigger than a large worm—a very dangerous viper. The guide told us that it is more dangerous than a full-grown one as they do not inject venom in small doses as do the more mature specimens—they inject all the venom they possess (and, therefore, can kill you).

Soon we came upon the first hanging bridge.  I have to say that I expected

 a long walk—but not the sheer challenge of the climb that was very steep in many places. But then, we were climbing along the sides of volcanoes—so I guess I should have seen the climb coming. The path was paved with interesting pavers that were porous to allow water to seep through them. The path was also very narrow but incredibly well constructed. It had a concrete hand rail running right through it. On both sides were gigantic, towering, old trees—one of them had root structures that were jutting out on to the path. There were bromeliads everywhere and we could see them living on the air but situated on host trees. There were also grand palms and ferns—the vegetation was just incredible. There were waterfalls gushing beneath us that formed pretty streams all over. From the hanging bridges, we had panoramic views of the Arenal Mountain Volcano and of the clouds and mist that obscured parts of it. The feeling is hard to describe. It was just gorgeous. I did not feel the slightest fear walking over the hanging bridges even thought they hung several hundred feet above the ground and shook as we walked over them. Instead I got a slight adrenaline rush as I traversed them. It was one of the highlights of this trip for me.

We spent about two hours in this most unusual place before we returned to the bus for our onward journey to the Guanacaste part of the Pacific Coast.

Gorgeous Drive Along the Banks of Lake Arenal:

For the next hour at least we were driving along the banks of beautiful (and very massive) Lake Arenal. The topography differed with every mile: occasionally, we were climbing up gentle inclines whose sides were draped with lush greenery such as rain forest-type ferns and palms; at other times, we were driving along flat plains with fruit trees galore; at yet other times, we saw the lake recede below us as we climbed gently higher and created more distance away from it. It was simply beautiful.  It had rained and a beautiful rainbow formed in the sky. It followed us around for a few miles. To our delight, we saw a toucan fly into view and seat itself on a cable where we enjoyed its stunning colors before it decided on a whim to fly off. It is the unexpected sightings of this sort (and the extraordinarily beautiful landscape) that make even long drives like these simply enchanting. We loved every second of it.

A Most Delicious Lunch at a Small Eatery in Tilaran:    

About an hour later, we stopped at a really small way-side eatery which literally had no name. All it said at the entrance was Bienvendos meaning Welcome. And yet, this was the most delicious lunch any of us had eaten so far.  It was an extremely modest place and we found tables laid it in rows set with paper napkins and silverware.  Lunch was served buffet-style. There was salad to start with: lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers and there was oil and vinegar to be used as a dressing. Next, there was spaghetti which was beautifully dressed with olive oil, garlic and lots of parsley. It was incredibly tasty for such a simple dish. There was also pomodoro sauce at the end of the table to go with it and it was so tasty. Also served was fried tilapia with a tartar sauce which was the best I have ever eaten And finally roasted chicken with a Barbecue sauce that was also super yummy. For dessert, a server came around and placed tiny little cups of rice pudding garnished with powdered cinnamon and raisins at each table. Hard to believe that such a simple meal could be so memorable. But truly, everyone got up from the table saying how delicious the food was.

There was a little souvenir store adjoining the restaurant and we had a quick browse through but did not find a T shirt in the size we wanted for Russel. Not too long after, we were climbing back into the bus (our hands well sanitized by Toscano, our driver) as we took our seats.

Another Long Drive to Guanacaste:

Another very long drive brought us into the province of Guanacaste which is supposed to be the most beautiful part of Costa Rica.  But it was also time for a nap and as we passed through the town of Liberia, I was fast asleep as I nodded off for almost an hour. The vegetation had also changed sharply and there were scores of mango trees laden with fruit easily visible along the highway and the main roads. 

We stopped in a little bit to use rest-rooms, stretch out legs for half an hour, give our driver a rest, and get ice-cream before we were up and running again.

Arrival at the Pacific Coast in the J.W Marriott Hotel:

About another hour later, we were entering into the property that is known as Hacienda Pinella (pronounced Pee-neya). It is a vast property of several hundred acres filled with fruit trees (loads of mangoes) that belongs to a wealthy woman who has rented out a part of it to the J.W. Marriott Group of Hotels. They have built a stunning seven-star hotel on the property right on the beach—and it was here that we would be spending the next couple of nights. Once we got out of the bus, we followed Bernal to the main patio where we were met by a hotel host who described the layout to us. First off, we were told our room numbers and asked to register for the free WiFi system. This is unlimited and available for any number of devices. I rushed to the Front Desk to get the password (as it is different for each room) and before long, we were entering our room past vast spaces, long spotless corridors and sprawling stone patios that reminded us of Buddhist temples and palaces in Japan.

From our patio which directly faced the pool beneath us, we could see the glorious jade green of the ocean—and it was spectacular. By then it was already 4.00 pm and we did not want to waste any time...we could not wait to go out and enjoy the glorious environs of this luxurious hotel. As we had the evening free, we got changed and grabbed towels and then made our way down to the beach past the many pools in different sizes that were surrounded by turquoise-blue chaise-longes and striped blue umbrellas. There was a steel band playing music and a few people swaying to it. On the beach, there were a few strollers waiting to take in the beauty of the sunset which would occur in about half an hour. 

Llew and I walked on the rim of the ocean and allowed the sea foam to lick our toes. The water was not very cold as the place is exceptionally hot and the sun warms it all day—so too the water in the pool is a very comfortable temperature. 

Watching the Sunset End a Gorgeous Day:

The sun set at about 5.45 in beautiful shades of coral and azure. We met many friends on the beach and every one talked about doing different things the next day when we had an entire day of leisure. I was very keen to go Zip lining as I had been told that the rain forest in Costa Rica was the best place to do it. We found out from the Tour Info Room, once the sun had set and we made our way back to the hotel from the beach, that it would cost us $75 each and that if we were interested we would need to pay by 8.00 pm and be ready for departure tomorrow morning by 8.00. 

That done, we returned to our rooms and I had a shower and changed as it was a really warm day and I wanted to freshen up before dressing for dinner. Because this is such a nice hotel, I had actually carried some semi-formal clothes to wear here and I wanted to make sure I actually wore them. ‘

Dinner at the Mansita Restaurant:

Llew got impatient waiting for me and went down to start dinner on his own. I took my shower, got dressed and joined him about 15 minutes later. At our table, we were joined by Ritch and Kathy and when they began to talk about zip lining on Santa Catalina Island, I got spooked because it seemed to be the kind of activity that would require more courage than I was able to muster. I began to have second thoughts about signing up.

That said, I focused on dinner which was quite sumptuous indeed. I had ceviche for the first time in Costa Rica and it was incredibly fresh and delicious. I also had a variety of very interesting salads (carrot with cassava, potato with bacon, baby corn with tomatoes), a really nice cucumber gazpacho and for dessert, I had a guava mousse. All these were really good. But, by the end of it, all we could do was return to our rooms where we switched the TV on and heard more of the depressing news coming from the rest of the world as it hunkers down to fight the COVID-19 virus. I got the news that NYU has closed down for the rest of the semester and students have been told to clear out of their dorms in the next couple of days. All teaching will continue online for the rest of the academic year—a real anti-climax to the year, I suppose. I read out the email from President Andrew Hamilton to Llew and we both exclaimed at the speed with which this disease has become a global phenomenon. Very scary times. Meanwhile, my friends have been sending me WhatsApp messages about the fact that things are falling apart in the US and that it feels like Armageddon.

I tried to do a bit of blogging as we sat out on our patio facing the ocean and enjoyed the unusual sounds of the swaying of the palm trees and the rustling of their fronds just ahead of us. I suppose there could be worse places in the world to wait out a pandemic as the rest of the world goes to hell in a hand basket.

But we are now worried about our flight back home to the US and when we checked the American Airlines website to see if we could get home one day earlier than our booked flight, we were told categorically that we could not change flights. Oh well... we figure that if the fight has been cancelled, American Airlines would have emailed us to inform us about it. So, no news is good news...for the moment. But who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Hasta Manana!