Well that flew by pretty fast! Seems like just yesterday we were closing up shop on our home and now we are 4 countries in. We had a great time in CA and are super excited to come back! We walked the cobbled streets of countless cities, got lost and found our way, walked some of the most beautiful beaches in world, discovered a new world under the waves, developed a great appreciation for the simple life, and most of all enjoyed the company of many travellers and locals alike– these are the moments that truly last. Read the rest of this entry »

Well Costa Rica, we are pretty happy to get the hell out of here. Costa Rica is an amazingly beautiful country with ecological riches beyond compare if you are able to see behind the gate and around the ticket booth. It is the shining gilded trash can of westernization in Central America and encompasses most of the qualities that we hated from home while lacking the charm of the other Central American countries we have been to. It could be our own jaded view coming from a glorious time in Nicaragua, and I am sure a fantastic time can be had in CR but it just wasn´t there for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 55: Limbo

After a thousand and 2 phone calls to wrap up some loose ends from the robbery last night, we grabbed a taxi to the airport and waited around for our flight to Brazil via Lima, Peru. We were starving but didn´t have very many colones left so we could only afford to buy a $6 fast food chicken meal to share. It wasn´t even too bad! Flight was uneventful as it should be.

Sunset from the plane

Then came the long 4 hour wait in the Lima airport for our flight to Rio. We were still pretty peeved about the whole deal so we just sat around and sulked. Not that there is much else to do trapped in the airport…

Day 54: Alajuela, Costa Rica

You know how last post we wrote that Alajuela is a pretty sketchy place and that overall, it really sucks? Well, let´s revisit that for a moment. It´s our last day in Central America, after a (mostly)very lovely time, and we were just trying to get our things in order and ready to fly to Brazil for Carnival tomorrow afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 53: Alajuela, Costa Rica

Another 4-5 hour bus ride from La Fortuna to Alajuela, a dirty grungy city near the airport just outside San Jose, and our day has been totally shot. That`s the big bummer about daytime travel.

We arrived and walked to a hostel we had heard about that provided free breakfast and, more importantly, free airport transport. They were full but directed us to another hostel (that will remain unnamed for reasons outlined in the following post). We checked into our 4 bed dorm and were informed that there would be one other guest joining us later that night before we headed out to find some dinner. Always on the lookout for Chinese food, we stumbled upon Restaurante Moderna, a dirty but extraordinarily cheap place ($3/plate but to be honest, it was awful food).

Took a very short walk before heading back to the room for some website post preparing before bed. We would advise against being out at night in Alajuela. It`s pretty sketchy, though we`ve definitely been in some far more sketchy places at night. So err on the side of caution and try to get your stuff done in the daytime. It`s also a little bit sketchy then too. Not a great place overall, really.

Day 52: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Feeling like kings after we stepped out of the shuttle van and onto resort premises, we walked into Baldi unsure of what we might find. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 51: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

We can`t stand being hounded for a stupid tour anymore! We`re checking out of Cabinas Jerry and into the ´´old´´ Gringo Pete´s, that is, The Sleep Inn. It`s a tiny place, kinda grimey but decent enough for another night or two in La Fortuna ($7/person for a double room shared bath). Today we`re getting some errands and administrative things done so nothing terribly exciting for posting.

Main Square Park and view of church (photo courtesty ofhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jaiso)

Read the rest of this entry »

Day 50: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Happy Valentine`s Day! (photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/27784972@N07)

As a Valentine`s Day gift, we booked a couple of insanely cheap massages ($25/hour, expensive for budget rtw travelers but we don`t do this, well, ever!) for early afternoon. We lazed about most of the morning and did a bit of website work at that little cafe with the most delicious coffees and milkshakes until time for our massages. We signed in and were directed to a room with two tables by a woman who only spoke Spanish. After deliberating several minutes on how much to undress and if there might be any cultural differences for massage etiquette, we decided to just go for it. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 49: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Only appropriate in the rainiest region in Costa Rica, today was rainy most of the day. We started with a hearty breakfast of gallo pinto and eggs back at the Soda Viquez. Under the impression that we must be on a tour to visit the volcano, waterfalls, and bascially everything else to do in this town, we set out to find a cheap operator. No success. After a pick-me-up of some delicious coffee and Wifi in a great little coffee shop (if you´re facing the church, it`s to the right side. Doors are always open and it`s next to a massage sign/place) to figure out our POA. We chatted with the guy running the place who told us of a great (free!) waterfall that the locals like to go to and told us we could just go to the Arenal Volcano National Park ourselves (for more info on Arenal Click the Wiki Link here) Read the rest of this entry »

Day 48: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

We began the morning with a decent (free–woohoo!) pancake breakfast at the Tranquilo Backpackers Hostel where we spent the night before setting out on foot to find the bus station. After our token ritual of getting lost, refusing to ask for directions, get lost some more, and eventually, by some twist of events (walking in circles?), we found our station and hopped the next bus to La Fortuna. Read the rest of this entry »