TravelVirgins 2008

If you want to go for a day or just a few hours there are trails to accommodate you here in the cloud forest. Covering over 10,000 hectares, it offers elfin woodlands on exposed ridges, swampy terrain in poorly drained areas, clear rivers and waterfalls and of course the tall moss and vines covered trees of the rain forest. The varieties of animal and plant life are endless. The well marked trails cover a large area of the reserve and it would take several hours to walk them all and enjoy the sites and sounds. Two of the trails bear the names of two men responsible for the establishment of the reserve, that being scientist George Powell and long-time resident Wilfred Guindon.

Monteverde Reserve is about 7 km from Santa Elena and can be reached by taxi (about $5.00) or by public bus (c550 - $1.10). Beware though some websites give bus times as every hour starting at 7:00 and last return bus at 6:00 pm. In reality the buses going are at 6:15, 7:20, 9:20, 11:20 am and 12:20 pm. Return buses are 9:45, 11:00 pm, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 pm. Prepare for a bumpy ride! Park is open from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm. daily. Entrance fee is $15.00 USD for adults with children and students less. Guides are available for an extra cost.

Point of Interest: Although Costa Rica is home to hundreds of varieties of mosquitoes, the guides at Monteverde told us that they were not a problem at the reserve. It was a moist damp day when we were there and even though we didn't use insect repellent neither Rob or I were bitten.

As the crow flies Arenal and Monteverde are only about 17 km apart. However if you are going to drive from one to the other it is 136 km. because you have to drive around Lake Arenal. The lake was enlarged to 3 times it's size to form a basin for hydroelectric power. Also La Fortuna sits at an elevation of only 350 meters whereas Monteverde straddles the Continental Divide at 1500 meters. The faster way than the required 8 hrs of public bus ride, is to take a "jeep-boat-jeep" trip and cut your traveling time down to about 3 hrs.

The trip from Arenal to Monteverde consists of a 1/2 hr drive to the lake, 1/2 boat ride across the lake and then another 2 hr. drive from the other side of the lake to the villiage of Santa Elena. The views as you are traveling across the water are gorgeous, with the volcano behind you and the mountains of Monteverde in front of you. Small isolated farms dot the countryside and the hills seem to go on forever.

The road from the lake to Santa Elena is dirt and rocks, twisty, windy and as always the scenery makes all the bumping worthwhile. Actually they use tourist vans now quite often because they say the road is "much" better now then in the past. Another alternative is to take horses (between 3 and 4 hrs. depending on the season) for the section from Monteverde to the lake.

Costs: $15.00 - $25.00 USD per person

You can't open a travel book or tour guide schedule without seeing something about "Volcan Arenal", one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world. It truly is a spectacular sight even if you don't see the lava, which flows regularly, coming down the side. There are endless things to do and see in this area, all of which you can find out about before you come or from the almost endless businesses offering tours. They range from, hanging bridges, zip lines, rain forest hikes, white-water rafting, boat tours and so on.

The one I had never read about however was a trip around the mountain at night to the side where the lava now flows. In 1992 Arenal blow up again this time opening a crater on the side of the top which now makes the lava flow towards the lake and away from most of the hotels that line the road. The trip consisted of a 10 km drive on pavement, an 8 km drive down a dirt road covered in rocks (yes I mean rocks not gravel) and potholes big enough to get lost in and then a 2.5 km hike up to the closest observation point, about 700 m from the volcano. This was a decision we certainly do not regret.

The hike along the well maintained trail was a treat in itself as you listened to the night sounds of the rain forest immersed in total darkness, except for your flashlight to watch you footing with. Our guide was telling the sounds we were hearing as we went along. You could hear a puma off in the distance (glad he stayed there) and the sounds of popcorn popping as Arenal spit out rocks. The last 70 m of the hike was up, over and along lava rocks spewed from the volcano in 1992.

We sat and waited for the show. Unfortunately clouds had moved over the top so we couldn't see but we could hear the boom of the explosion, then the sound of rocks falling, then the cloud would start to light up and soon you'd see the red lava coming down the side of Arenal. It was really something to see but also the sight of tiny bugs lighting up around you as sat up there it was TOTAL darkness. An absolutely great experience, do this hike if you get the chance!!

Be sure to check the new section on our website called "COMMENTS" (last link at the top of the page). It has been so much fun getting responses from everyone and so some of them have been added to this new section.

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You don't have to be in Costa Rica for very long and you will soon realize that no matter what town or city you are visiting, dental clinics are everywhere. Before coming here I had read that dental care in Costa Rica was very reasonable in price and of high quality. Now I know first hand some of the costs of having work done. We had noticed also the nice teeth almost everyone had. After some discussions with different business people we learned that the employer pays the insurance for their employees. This insurance covers not only medical but dental, glasses and prescriptions.

A lot of the dentists here have been trained in the U.S. and use modern methods, supplies and equipment. The main reason for the price difference is the cost of labour. Some clinics are very fancy, some more modest in their look. If you do some reaserch on the internet you will find a whole new type of tourists coming here to Costa Rica, that is "medical tourist". Most are coming for dental work and paying for their vacations with the savings.

Rob and I were recommended, by another guest at Norma's, to Dr. Bogantes in Atenas. She had been directed to him by another Canadian now residing in Atenas. We have both been to him now, very impressed with his work and gentle approach and plan to have further work done when we return next year.

Costs: White Filling: $30.00, Check up and Cleaning: $30.00 Bonding: $60.00, Root Canal and Crown: $195.00

These are costs at the dentist we went to. I have read prices for implants starting at $800.00 although haven't asked personally but plan to before we leave. If you are ever in this area and need a dentist I highly recommend Dr. Rodrigo Urena Bogantes, in Atenas. His phone number is: 2446-5344.

Driving some of the back roads a couple of days ago, we came across this farmer and his cows (or oxen, I'm not sure).  We didn't know where they were going, if they had gotten loose and he was merely taking them back to the field or if they were all out for a leisurely stroll.  Whatever the reason for them traveling along the road, it sure made for a great photo.

When you think "typical" food here in Costa Rica, casados will probably come to mind first, but there are others. We were invited to a Tico home to try some authentic food. To my surprise not a casado in sight! We were served tamales, fresh cheese and empanadas.

The tamales were a corn dough stuffed with beans and cooked inside of a banana leaf. They are usually made fresh and served for special occasions and can be filled with various fillings. Spiced meats like beef, pork and chicken are quite often used.

The fresh cheese was soft both in texture and taste. Marinated vegetables were also served on the side. Empanadas are basically a stuffed pastry and can be used both as a dessert (as ours was) or as a main course. When used as a dessert fruit fillings are used. These were filled with Chiverre fruit. This fruit is a large green and white striped fruit which resembles a squash and is a member of the pumpkin family. It had a slight fig or date taste to it and a coconut-like texture.

Rob and I have been spending this weekend at a B&B north of Grecia, up in the mountains towards Poas at an elevation of 5000'. Very quiet, beautiful views day and night and quite relaxing. From one vantage point, using binoculars, I watched a plane land at Juan Santamaria Airport. Very cool!! In the evening the view of the city lights, with their twinkling teal and golds, is a sight like I've never seen before. I could watch it for hours. Evenings here in the mountains get quite cool and our host has a warm inviting fire going to conquer any chills we may get.

In the early morning and early evening hours the hummingbirds rule the feeders. I never realized how noisy they are!! These little guys, about 10cm or 4" in length, are very aggressive and we watched them feed and chase each other while having our morning beverage. They are widespread in Costa Rica and are the only ones to combine a rufous rump and tail with a green breast. Very entertaining.