Our first taste of Costa Rica! After initial confusion about arriving in the new airport terminal located 1.5 km from the main terminal, we made it to our hotel, Hotel Bienveindos.
We started our adventure by orienting ourselves with San Jose. We took a
walk around the city, visiting the pedestrian area around Calle Central
and Avenida Central. The area reminded me of the European city centers,
except for the tropical foilage everywhere and the expected pink/yellow/blue color
scheme. We did a bit a shopping, purchased our Aerial Tram tickets at
the office downtown (Av 7 between Calle 5&7), and wandered through Parque
Morazan. We returned to the pedestrian zone and ate dinner at Manolo's,
sitting outside and people watching. The food was only ok but I did experience
my first Fresas en Leche (strawberries with milk) which was good enough to
have me hooked for the rest of the trip.
On our way home, we discovered the ubiquitous Musanni bakery; we would return there every day we were in San Jose!
We found the time change led us to feel exhausted very early in the evening throughout the trip. We were in bed by 8! But, this allowed us to get early starts everyday.
We were up early and caught the bus to the Rainforest tram; this consists of finding the Caribe bus station and buying a ticket on a bus to Gaupiles. You will have to ask the bus driver to stop at the tram and let you off.
the drive takes about an hour and is a wonder in itself. Most of the
ride is through the Baurilo Carillo national park where we got our
first taste of the rainforest. Both sides of the road are lined
with vegitation and huge leaves and you will see countless waterfalls
along the way.
Upon arrival at the tram, we were driven from the drop off by truck to the start of the tram. Along the way, we stopped for a short nature walk where we saw our first wildlife: a decent sized lizard and red & blue poison dart frog. We also crossed over a hanging bridge.
At the start of the tram, we were hearded into a small open air theater where we watched a film (in english with spanish subtitles) about the creating of the tram. The tram was built by an American, and the film will tell you about the enviornmentally conscious manner in which it was created. From here, the group of people is broken up into Spanish-speaking and English-speaking groups for the tram rides. The tram holds 4 or 5 people and a guide.
Our guide on the 90 minute ride was Carlos, who pointed out wildlife, bugs, plants, and was filled with information on all the vegitation, and life in the forest. Some of the highlights of our tour: morpho butterflies, bullet ants, brown bat, coati, bee hive, turkey vulture, hummingbirds, and a bee hive.
We also learned the difference between primary and secondary forest, learned the difference between vines and hanging roots, and saw a "bat house"--fern leaves which bats chew until they fold over, providing a safe sleeping area. We were also treated to the sight of workment along the path of the tram; they were out doing maintenence. The trees near the tram are tied with ropes and pulled such that they lean away from the tram. Thus, if any of these trees should ever fall, they will fall away from the tram. These ropes are being checked and reinforced this year.
After the tram ride, the entrance ticket entitles you to a guided hike. Carlos lead us along a path where we saw a bullet ant hill, saw a balsa wood tree, discovered a tree which is hollow, allowing ants to live inside it. When this tree is bothered (wiggle the tree!), the ants come forth to defend the tree. We were also treated to the sight of a sloth resting high in a tree. Along the way we also encountered a lizard, shed cicada shell, a baby viper, a plam tree which can actually "walk" or move toward sunlight, large groups of daddy long legs, passion fruit, hot lips plants, and a huge bromelide which had fallen from a tree.
We returned to the start of the tram which includes a gift shop and small snack bar as well as a restuarant. We discovered that the wild coati we'd seen on the tram had wandered into the tourist area. He walked around, peaked in the trash can, hoped for some fresas en leche from the snack bar, and will turn up in countless tourists photos albums!
The guided hike is the end of the guided portion of the tour. But, you are welcome to hike through the trails on your own. The trails were almost totally deserted as most tourists come only for the tram ride. Many tour buses come through for either the morning or afternoon only and don't have time to wander the trails. Since you've already paid for entrance, it's a great way to spend the rest of the day exploring the rainforest.
Our individual hike proved to be just as full of life as the tram
and guided tour. We observed a lizard whose neck turned out to
be bright red when he puffed it out, a huge spider, a butterfly
with transparent wings, morphos, hummingbirds, and of course, lots
of leafcutter ants. We also spotted a small frog and a pink & orange
caterpillar as we walked back along the road to the initial drop off
point.
Once we reached the drop off point, we were ready to return to San Jose. This entails crossing the street and waving at the next bus you see. We only had to wait about 5 or 10 minutes for a bus to arrive. Simply wave your hand and it'll stop to pick you up. This is very common in Costa Rica and causes no problems. The bus driver will collect the fare when you get on.
Back in San Jose, we ate dinner at La Perla which was excellent and quite inexpensive.
We decided to visit a small nearby town and took the bus to Heredia. We spent time wandering in the Nacional Universidad where we had heard of a free zoo marino. It is certainly not a star attraction and shouldn't be a part of your trip! it's a small collection of preserved mollusks, fish, etc. which are all labeled in Spanish only.
The city itself is "untouristy" and offers an interesting look at Costa Rican life. The other attractions here are around the Parque Central where you can see a 1700's cathedral which is rather ugly but famous in that it has withstood earthquakes down the ages and is still standing today. You can also see the colonial tower here.
We returned to San Jose and ate lunch at La Perla. After, we sat in Parque Central where we observed wild parrots noisily going about their business in several of the park trees.
The rest of the day was devoted to shopping. There aren't a whole lot of Costa Rican crafts to buy; the recommended gift is coffee. However, you can find lots of other Latin American crafts. We visited the Mercado Central--a huge indoor maze of stalls and shops with those located closest to the street being somewhat more touristy and offering t-shirts and other cheap souvenirs. there are quite a few sodas in the center of the market as well. Another good stop for gifts is La Cason (Calle Central at Avenida Central & 1). Here, you will find stalls full of crafts. Unlike Mercado Central, this much more tourist oriented, the layout is less random, and you won't find a butcher stall right next to one selling leather shoes. Something I enjoyed buying were cloth bags or purses which are made in Guatamala but carried by nearly every Costa Rican (male & female). But, don't buy them on the street; they are cheaper in the Mercado Central or La Cason.
For coffee, we went to Cafe Trebol
and bought 5 kilos! Remember to buy whole beans as they grind them
too fine for American coffee makers. And, once you own the coffee,
it's rich smell will permeate anything and everything it comes in
contact with!
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