Day 1: Originally we had planned to meet our friend from Spokane this morning but she called and had to postpone until tomorrow so we decided to switch to a bungalow outside of town for a little peace and pampering. After checking in we got in the car and drove about 45 minutes to a waterfall we had found online. The waterfall itself ended up being spectacular however we didn’t do our research before hand and we were painfully unprepared. We hadn’t eaten or brought any food as we thought it was just a short hike however it turned out the hike to the waterfall from the car was 2.5 miles each way with some very steep inclines. We had barely enough water for the heat and humidity but we made it. The waterfall was definetley worth the hike. Once we got back to the bungalow we had dinner by the pool and spent the evening soaking up the AC.
Day 2: After our morning run we had a small bite to eat at the hotel before being picked up by our friends. They had gotten us tickets in advance to go to Manual Antonio National Park. The park was similar to the others that we went to so far on this trip with well kept trails that are easy to hike and provide endless wildlife viewing opportunities. The biggest difference here was this park had some beautiful beaches and you were allowed to swim wherever you wanted. After a couple of hours of hiking and some swimming and floating around chatting in the ocean we enjoyed some delicious mangos they brought with them. On the way home we stopped at an Indian restaurant that had some really authentic food. We capped the day off with a dip in the pool when we returned to the hotel. We really enjoyed catching up with an old friend and spending time with familiar people.
Day 3: Todays only plan was to pack up and make the 4 hour drive to La Fortuna where we plan to spend the next week exploring hanging bridges, ziplines, volcanos and more. The first half of the trip was pleasant as we drove along the coast to the small beach town Jaco. This town is the west coasts backpacker party town and has a fun vibe. We grabbed lunch and checked out the beach while wishing we had a few extra nights to spend here. After a couple of hours we got back in the car to finish the trip. Just north of Jaco we headed inland and reached the mountains. There is no way I can put into words how insane the roads were. It was 3 hours of narrow winding roads which is bad enough but these were also some of the steepest roads I have ever seen. Sections near the crestline of the mountains weren’t even paved and they were full of giant rocks. Several times it was so steep that the car barely had the power to climb. All I can say is Im sure glad it isn’t our car. At one point we were crossing a bridge and noticed a bunch of people staring down into the river so we stopped and found around 15 giant crocodiles lounging on shore and floating around. Awesome. After checking in to our resort we walked around town, ate dinner and went shopping for supplies for the room and some amazing pastries.
