Hike El Miro

We slept so well at our new Airbnb. The bed is big and comfortable—and the place has air conditioning. Jackpot!

We headed out early to hike up the mountain on the south side of town to El Mirador. Along the way we stopped at a bakery for breakfast. The walk up the mountain is fairly steep, but not unbearable. At one point we passed a long stone wall covered with painted pictures—toucans, iguanas, sloths, Indigenous people, and much more.

Apparently years ago a man planned to build a mansion overlooking the ocean, but he died before it was completed. Now only the remnants remain of what could have been a very elaborate building. It’s covered with colorful graffiti, and it’s clear that people sometimes stay there.

We passed lots of people going up and down the trail—it’s obviously a popular hike. The views show why it’s popular.

Going down the mountain was quite easy. It wasn’t until we reached the streets again that the heat really hit us. The temperature was about 88°F and the humidity around 80%. We stopped a few times along the way for water or Gatorade.

When we got back to our unit, I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated air conditioning so much.

We found two chairs in the shade by the pool and relaxed there for a while before heading to a local soda (a small mom-and-pop restaurant). We chose it because as we walked by, a patron told us the food was delicious—and he was right.

When we returned to the pool, the shady chairs were taken. So we did the next best thing and went up to the rooftop.

Such a blessed life.

Shuttle to Jaco

 Today’s shuttle came at 7:40 just outside our Airbnb door. Our driver Eduardo was right on the dot and we picked up about eight other passengers and drove to Jaco along the way we saw a absolutely beautiful view of Monte Verde. We saw the lush green forest topped by the ever present clouds. 

We’ve got to check all about 12, but unfortunately Our reservation didn’t open up until 3 o’clock. We found a snack bar and ordered smoothies and Scotty got a typical meal (beans, rice salad, fried fish and squash). We still could not get into our unit so we found a coffee shop. I ordered a glass of fruit that was absolutely delicious. Sadly, I forgot my hat on the shuttle so I walked up the street and found another similar hat with macaws and the words, Pura Vida. It’s just not a trip if I don’t forget something along the way. we got into our unit which is on the seventh floor of a high-rise overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s a small unit but just what we need it’s got a large bed a balcony and a beautiful bathroom. We hung up our clothes that never dried at Montiverde on the balcony and they dried probably within 30 minutes. 

We then went for a long walk along the beach at least 2 1/2 miles it’s a busy beach with lots of people and many surfers as we got back to the unit. 

It was almost sunset so I stayed to watch the sunset. Scotty walked down the block and got us some beers and chips and we sat by the pool and watched more of the sky. We are so so blessed to live this life. I also have to add that this was one of the best showers I’ve ever had maybe because it’s a nice unit and the water was warm and the towels are big and fluffy.

Monte Verde Cloud Reserve

 We walked up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and met our guide, Jairo, along with another couple from Canada. He turned out to be an excellent guide. We started at the Hummingbird Café, where we watched about six different species of hummingbirds darting around the feeders. They were incredibly fun to watch.

Once on the trail, Jairo used his telescope to point out birds high in the trees. At one point he even whistled like a bird to try to attract them. He also had a clever trick—placing our phone camera up to his telescope to capture fantastic close-up photos.

Along the trail we saw a family of coatis running down a tree. Apparently they aren’t afraid of people; the mother even came toward the road as if posing for photos.

One of the highlights was spotting a Resplendent Quetzal. Jairo became very excited because they are not often seen. The bird was stunning—bright teal, green, and red, with a long tail feather hanging far below the branch. They feed on wild avocados, so the guides know to search near the large avocado trees. These are not the type people eat, but the birds love them.

Walking through the cloud forest was fascinating. Because we were so high in elevation, mist constantly drifted through the trees and across the trail. These clouds actually bring nutrients to the forest. Many trees were covered with other plants growing right on their trunks—ferns, orchids, monstera vines, and many more. Our guide told us about a biologist who studied a single tree for three years and recorded nearly 100 different plant species living on it, along with various wildlife.

It was easy to enjoy this forest, especially with a guide who clearly had such enthusiasm and love for the area.

After the tour, we took the shuttle bus down to the visitor center and decided to walk the rest of the way to Santa Elena. The walk was at least 4 km and took over an hour, mostly downhill. Along the way we passed small art shops, cafés, and a viewpoint where we could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Once in town we stopped for lunch at La Gallera (meaning “cockfight”). It’s a charming little café with eclectic decorations—roosters wearing boxing gloves, Star Wars posters, hockey sticks, and more. We ordered a sampler of gallos (small tortillas topped with chicken, beef, squash and corn, beans, carrots, potatoes, and plantains). Each of us had a craft beer, and it made for an excellent lunch.

I’m discovering that Costa Rican food isn’t spicy, but it’s definitely full of flavor. The owner told us all the recipes came from his grandmother.

After lunch we wandered around town for a bit, stopped at a grocery store to buy water, bananas, and pastries for breakfast, and then caught a taxi back up the mountain to our Airbnb.

On our walk to town, we passed this overlook where we could see out to the Pacific Ocean!

Shuttle Day

After leaving our suitcases outside our Airbnb, we wandered into town. In La Fortuna there is an enclosed outdoor mall, and we found a smoothie shop. We ordered two smoothies and sat in the shade. They were delicious—I may just drink smoothies for the rest of the trip!

We headed back toward our Airbnb and stopped to pick up some groceries. Our next Airbnb would be outside of town.

Once back at the Airbnb, we talked with Nancy, a very nice woman, probably around 30. She lives in the Airbnb, and when she rents it out she stays downstairs with her mother. It’s almost like a family commune—she’s the oldest of eight children, and they all live on the property or nearby.

Nancy pointed out a family of monkeys in the trees across the river. Earlier that morning we had seen a toucan in the guarumo (trumpet) tree. Animals eat the seeds from that tree. On their property they also had a banana tree and a coconut tree.

The only downside was that we were close to the road. The first night we heard trucks and dogs barking most of the night. The next night it rained, the dogs were inside, and with the fan on it almost drowned out the truck noise. We slept very well.

Our shuttle picked us up at two and drove past the Arenal Volcano area. Then, surprisingly, we stopped at Lake Arenal and transferred ourselves and our luggage onto a ferry. It was a relaxing, misty ride across the lake.

On the other side we were picked up by another shuttle. This ride quickly turned into quite an adventure! The road was either rocky and bumpy or filled with potholes. We crossed two bridges. The first was so narrow that the driver had to back up to carefully position the shuttle in the center. He called it the “Oh My God Bridge,” which I may have muttered myself.

The second bridge was called the “Carwash Bridge” because it crosses a river where the water flows right over the bridge. Several times I looked out the window and could see a steep drop below. Yikes!

The rest of the ride was beautiful- seeing ‘green Costa Rica’ all around us! As we drove up into the mountains, the temperature noticeably dropped!

La Fortuna

 Very close to our Airbnb was a grocery store, so we stopped in for breakfast drinks and a small packaged pastry. They looked good, but they turned out to be extremely dry—almost like eating flour. I think we’ll stick to local bakeries from now on.

From there we went to the Bogarin Trail. It’s a nicely cleared path winding through trees and dense tropical plants. We chose not to hire a guide, but whenever we saw a guide looking up into the trees, we quietly followed their gaze and often discovered wildlife ourselves.

We saw two sloths—one was a juvenile and surprisingly fun to watch. I hadn’t realized just how incredibly slow they move. We also spotted an agouti on the ground, which looks a bit like an oversized rat, along with a toucan, iguanas, and many other birds. One of the more interesting things we saw were a few trails of leaf cutter ants. Apparently they can travel up to 600 meters and Carrie 10 times their weight. The number of ants in a line was just overwhelming. At the end of the trail there was a feeding area where fruit had been set out, so we sat for a while watching birds fly in and out. The humidity here is intense, so we stopped often for drinks.

For lunch we stopped at a small stand and ordered empanadas, sharing a large bottle of Fanta.

Later we walked around the town of La Fortuna. It’s definitely a tourist town—almost like a Costa Rican Gatlinburg. We found a small art gallery and bought a toucan made from balsa wood with plans to turn it into a Christmas ornament.

Next we walked uphill to our chocolate tour. It was a good thing we left early because the climb was steeper than expected. The chocolate tour was fantastic. We saw cacao trees and learned the entire process of turning cacao beans into chocolate. At the end we got to experiment by mixing our own flavors into a spoonful of chocolate. My favorite combination was peanuts, brown sugar, and vanilla. During the tour we also saw a baby sloth and another agouti. Our guide was bubbly and very personable, and I would definitely recommend the tour.

The walk back down the hill was much easier. On the way home we stopped at a bakery to pick up something for breakfast the next morning. We also spotted a happy hour bar and decided to stop in for mojitos. I logged 23,500 steps on this day. When we got back, I felt tired and sweaty but content.