Finding Pura Vida in Costa Rica – Days 1&2
I’m here! The land of verdant forests, howler-monkey wake up calls and one sweet active volcano in my back yard. Costa Rica is such a great destination, about the same price as a quick beach vacation in Hawaii, but the diversity of climates, wildlife and crazy adventure activities is so much better. All you have to do is deal with the eight hour flight time from Vancouver, but it’ s so worth it.
Flew into the Rich Coast with a three hour connection in Dallas on the way. The Dallas airport is really nice, super modern and clean with some nice artwork (nothing compares to Vancouver international, BTW, but this was pleasant). You can find a hundred different things to eat, but there is pitiful shopping. Only a small hand full of stores, and they’re mainly convenience stores, so I had to make do with only an armadillo floaty pen and a cow-wearing-a-stetson fridge magnet. Total shopping fail.
By the time we arrived in San Jose it was late, and we crashed at the Casa Conde Aparthotel and Suites just long enough to wash the flight off, begin adjusting to the crazy humidity and watch some food network subtitled in Spanish. This property really impressed me, it’s a beautiful Spanish hacienda with attractive stained glass and murals and the condos were fully equipped – I had my own bedroom! The only downside was that it’s in the middle of nowhere. You couldn’t just walk down the road, you’d find nothing but small houses, and it wasn’t particularly the best part of town, either.
For us, it didn’t matter, though, as we were picked up by the ever-prompt and comfortable Interbus for our four-hour transfer to La Fortuna. This is the only way to travel in Costa Rica, as everything is approximately four hours from the next major center, the roads are hilly, winding, sometimes unpaved, sometimes balanced delicately on the edge of a three-hundred-foot cliff and sometimes completely washed out and consisting of nothing but a couple planks of wood and some caution tape. I’ve been here twice now and wouldn’t drive here if you paid me. Interbus is cheap, easy, professional and the person behind the wheel actually knows what they’re doing at all times. You just have to put up with the sales-targeted souvenir and bathroom break halfway through. Oh, and the speeds. Costa Rica does fast. Carsickness-inducing, swinging from one side to the other fast. It was awesome.
Later we were deposited at the Volcano Lodge, our haven for the next two nights. Love this property. Each room is in it’s own little three-room casita, and all have a private veranda with two adorable rocking chairs that looks out to the impressive gardens and the active Arenal volcano. I can’t get past the irony of my life being total hell at work for the past week with all the canceled flights due to the Iceland volcanic eruption, and here I come on personal vacation to another active volcano. But it’s worth it, as the clouds have lifted, revealing it’s perfect smoking top, something that happens only like 9 days every year. We lucked out. And consequently took ten thousand photos of it to prove it.
The town of La Fortuna is small, cute, and has really good souvenir shopping. It’s also incredibly hot here. After the clouds and coats of Vancouver, this 99% humidity and 30-degree sunshine is a real shock to the system. It really zaps your energy and gives you that wonderful red, damp and glowing complexion all the time. I’m having to be super careful already, as I’m arctic white and can burn in minutes out here, but really hate the feel of sunscreen on when I’m already sweating my ass off.
So far we’ve essentially been on the road for two days straight, so it’ll be nice to be able to actually rest a bit tomorrow. That is, after the freaking awesome ziplining!!!!!
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- Casa Conde in San Jose
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- Downtown La Fortuna
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- The Awesome Arenal Volcano