Well my first full day in Costa Rica is over. I planned to try and see the Arenal Volcano, but the view from my room had it covered in cloud. I asked about seeing the lava flow from the other side and the tour agencies said its unlikely. Besides I’ve probably seen enough volcanoes to last me a lifetime right now.
The town is full of tour operators and touts trying to get you on a tour. My opinion is they are all rather expensive for what they are and most of the tours could be done anywhere else. In fact I’ve seen similar things offered in Nicaragua and Guatemala for much less. Still the tourists flock here from the USA mainly.
The other thing is I’m here in the dry season. However dry season really means less rainy than the wet season. Its rained every afternoon for the last week or so and seems to be getting worse as I head south. My next destination is to Monteverde NP which is not far away as the crow flies but is a fair bit of traveling on bumpy roads. Plus its higher into the cloud forests and with any luck chance to see some cool wildlife. I’m not sure what I’ll do if a man eating butterfly comes at me, some of them I’ve seen preserved are 15cm across.
Then there are the poison dart frogs, hope to see some of them plus the resplendent quetzal. So today was more of a relax and welcome back to society day and I’m getting a bit of the flu which isn’t good, I’ll have to find a pharmacy that speaks english and get some cold and flu tablets if its worse tomorrow.
So sorry to bore you with no great stories today. I have posted a photo from the central park here in La Fortuna. Its by far the most beautiful central park I’ve seen in Central America. Its set a high standard for other cities to beat now.