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Hi all,
Bit of a gap since our last blog due to laziness. We're now in San José, Costa Rica's capital, after passing through Nicaragua and visiting some other parts of Costa Rica.
After our last post, we went off to Parque Nacional La Tigra where we had a lovely hike but saw very few of the animals we were promised (I say promised, we were just reading that they live in the country and being very optimistic). We did see a paca and a squirrel though. We then had to walk about 10km after the last bus back from the park didn't turn up. It passed us on its way up 1.5 hours later. We also bought a lovely vase and a little recorder thingy, and had another Pizza Hut.
Next was our fifth border crossing of the trip into Nicaragua. We took the safe option and booked tickets with Ticabus - a company geared towards tourists, they do everything for you at the borders. It was all very smooth, except they took $11 from everyone to cover an $8 border tax. On the upside, our bus from Managua to Granada was free (the conductor walked straight past us).
On the night we arrived in Granada there was some random concert in the Plaza with comedy (apparently - it was all in Spanish), dancing and marimbas. Lots of marimbas. We met a fat man that insisted on dancing for us (see photo). Our hostel did two immitaion Caipirinhas for 20 córdobas (about 50p). We got a bit drunk. We had a look around Granada the next day, it's full of tourists and anorexic horses, but is still nice enough. The Tourist Park on the banks of the lake was a bit poo, bit of a waste of time and money (cost about 10p each to get in).
The next day we hopped on a ferry to Isla de Ometepe, an island in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua formed by two adjacent volcanoes. On the way, we watched White Chicks. Not a fun journey. On arrival in the port of Altagracia, Vic was stopped by the "border" control for not having a Nicaragua stamp in her passport (I didn't either, and nor did anyone on our international bus - crappy Ticabus), but was eventually let through without much of a fight. The minibus to our hotel was rammed, so I was taken on a motorbike along dirt tracks and roads filled with potholes in the torrential rain. That was fun. The guesthouse we stayed in was very friendly, and everyone ate around a big table and chatted for hours (mainly the owner, and mainly about Nicaraguan politics). The next day we hired the shoddiest bikes I've ever seen and headed down to the beach. It was pretty much deserted except for a couple of scraggy dogs, and the water was filthy, but it was nice enough all the same. On the way back we stopped off at Ojo de Agua, a fresh cold water spring in the middle of a banana plantation. The water was crystal clear and lovely for swimming. Later, a scabby dog followed us and rubbed itself up against Vicky. Ewwww.
Next was Moyogalpa on the other side of the island. We planned to catch a bus to the Charco Verde lagoon, but missed it while taking photos of a lizard. We had dinner in the home-cum-bar of a scary Canadian with a dog named Yogi. We were alone and it was all a bit weird. We left.
The crossing into Costa Rica was far too much like hard work and took several hours, and by the time we got to Playa del Coco it was dark and raining a lot. We then spent several more hours searching for a cheap hotel that wasn't full. Everyone seemed to be recommending non-existent ones. Next day was down to the beach, which was full of rocks, and had the fat one from Keane who had followed us all the way from Tegucigalpa (he was making a huge fuss on the Ticabus). Later I bought a thumb-piano and a howler monkey mooned us.
Next day was an early start to catch four buses (not simultaneously) to Santa Elena. The accommodation was lovely - clean, quiet, hot shower and a cosy bed. Next morning we headed off at 6:30 to Reserva Santa Elena. Again, no animals (except a caterpillar and a lizard), but a very nice hike through the cloud forest with spectacular views. Later we went on a Night Hike around a nearby private reserve and saw toucans, poisonous spiders and sloths, which was nice. No monkeys though.
Another early start the next day for a 6:30 bus to San José. The first hotel didn't appear to be open, the second had gone from $22 to $38 since it was published in Lonely Planet in 2004, and the third was just right. We chose the third one. This morning we spent a small fortune on crap for our flat (at this rate we won't be able to afford a flat to put it in). We're off to hike around Volcán Poás tomorrow. No monkeys there either.
That's all for now,
Love, Nick and Vic
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