I did pack clothes in my carry on.  It was at the last minute when I thought, why not!  This may have been the single most important move I made on this whole trip. 

I did in fact make my connection and my bags arrived as well.  After collecting them and foolishly exchanging money at the airport I was greeted and transferred to my hotel, Barcelo Palacio. 

Barcelo Palacio is like any decent city hotel.  The buffet style breakfast and dinner were regional fare and tasty.  The rooms measure up against any mid-range hotel chain in the .  The exception is the accommodating help and the beautiful gardens.

 On Saturday it was an early start.  A good hour on the bus and we arrive at Paos Volcano.  Along the way we pass many beautiful and lush coffee fields and a rainbow of flora and fauna.  We were treated to a clear day insuring a full and complete view of the volcano’s caldera. 

We returned to San Jose for a city tour.  We visited the National Museum where I was more interested in the stone balls than anything else.  The museum grounds, of course, were a site to see as well.  This is becoming a reoccurring theme, natural preservation is evident everywhere we go. 

An hour is allowed to stroll the city blocks; however, a strict warning is given about protecting your valuables.  No sooner said we all witnessed a petty theft in motion at a local clothing store.  We decided to brave it and walk.  We stumbled upon the National Theater and had we had the time we would have taken in the evening show.  It’s was worth the visit, even if we didn’t get past the lobby, the ceiling frescos are well done.

We ended our city trip with a visit to the supermercato and a quick caffe.  One tip I have learned is to visit a super market for your coffee, cookies, candy or spice purchase.  I often find the best prices there.  I bought my coffee and marshmallows.  It may seem like an odd purchase, but I have never seen full size marshmallows in those colors and I had to bring a bag home.

Sunday, another full day; up early, eat breakfast, and on the bus by 7AM.  We’re off to Tortuguero for the next two days.  Our first stop was the Rainforest Aerial Tram tour.  While it is a tourist attraction, i.e. trap, it was a nice tour.  It was here that I first saw the poison dart frog.  The tour takes you along a line, similar to that of a ski lift, well into the cloud forest.  If you have a good guide, and the wildlife cooperates, you will plenty. 

We traveled on to lunch at Selva Tropical.  The food was good once you made your way through the buffet line up.  While here be sure to visit the butterfly garden out back.  Here one is able to get up close and personal with the fauna.  A dart frog was even spotted! 

We are now on our way to Tortuguero Park and Laguna Lodge via the water way.  There are two ways to get into the park; one is to fly into the small airport and the other is by boat.  We were treated to the boat trip.  While this route takes 1.5 hours you are able, once again, to witness the wildlife.  On our crossing we saw white face monkeys, spider monkeys and water birds of all varieties.  The trip does go by quickly!     

When you arrive at the lodge you must claim your luggage and find your cabin.  These are open air and not air conditioned.  I found it comfortable to take a swim, just before bed, and then sleep in your bathing suit.  It’s like having a personal air conditioner. 

When I first saw the main lodge I imagined myself in Barcelona .  The main building, and to some extent the cabanas, have the flavor of Gaudi architecture.  Whether it was the smooth sweeping lines or the fine tile mosaics it was styled after Gaudi. 

On Monday we started early with a 7 AM breakfast.  We started our canal tour a little late due to the weather.  It is the rainy season, but today we also had lightening.  We added howler monkeys to the list along with a male batlisk (sp?) who did put on quite a show for us.  As for the howlers, I understand how they got their name.  At first you didn’t so much see them as hear them.  They sounded territorial and we didn’t belong there!  We also saw several species of heron; blue, white and tiger, and lizards. 

Upon our return we enjoyed lunch and some down time.  Being transported from one site to another in quick fashion is the part I don’t like about organized tours; this down time was well needed.  Mid afternoon we walked into the nearby village for a quick shopping trip.  We returned via the canal which conveniently incorporated our afternoon canal trip. 

Tuesday we took the last canal trip as we made our way back to the bus.  Lunch was back at the Selva Tropical.  Here is where I notice that for the 4 -5 days I have spent in I have eaten nothing but chicken and fish, rice and beans, and their tropical fruit.  It’s not much variety, but the food has been good.   

We are now off to visit the Selve Verde rain forest preserve.  Here is where we are expected to cross the river on a suspension bridge.  The bridge is not as high as I expected, but just as shaky as it could be.  Time is available to explore the grounds.  As I walked the path I found the refreshment center that also had a gift shop.  It was here that I bought a leather back pack for traveling.  I liked the fact that the main zipper is against your back, not where it’s available for anyone to open.  This back pack was also bought at a great price!  I recommend this gift shop for their leather goods. 

Our final leg today is the trip to Fortuna and our hotel Las Cabanitas.  We’re now half way through our trip.  From my porch I have a clear view of Arenal Volcano.  We’re in luck, the weather has cooperated again, and the only clouds are small whiffs that only add to the beauty rather than obscure the view. 

Wednesday, another beautiful day!  Today I noticed that half our tour group stays behind to relax at Las Cabanitas while the other half braved the bus and took in the canal/river tour.  I stayed behind, walked into town, shopped and used the internet café.  In hind site I found out that the tour I missed was the best of the trip.  The guides were very knowledgeable and were able to spot many birds, monkeys and reptiles.   

Still, I enjoyed my day in Fortuna.  This evening we were transported to Baldi Hot Springs.  Baldi is a spa amusement park with pools of varying degrees of heat and a swim up bar to cool back off.  We had plenty of time to enjoy this stop!  I did manage to run though one of their hottest pools, but I doubt that it was 150 degrees F. 

After dinner we were entertained by a group of local school children with a show featuring their native song and dance.  They dressed in traditional costume of red and white with skirts so full they didn’t need much to swish back and forth.  A note of caution is very protective of their children.  While I was able to give them candy that I had brought from home, I first needed to ask permission from their escort.  Otherwise it is looked upon as bribing the kids and not well accepted. 

Thursday we packed up and boarded the bus for our trip to Jaco.  Along the way we drove through what is known as the Children’s Cloud Forest.  This forest land was purchased with money that children throughout the country contributed to, thus the name.   While we didn’t stop here we did stop at San Lorenzo Cloud Forest. 

We didn’t have as much time here as I would have liked.  I did take the nature hike of about 1 mile.  Others took a more leisurely time of it and just visited the orchid greenhouse.  A small gift shop and refreshment stand is available.  While I didn’t buy anything here I do recommend the wood working if it happens to be on your list.  Here I found the best prices for the bracelets made of local woods. 

We arrived at our hotel in Jaco, Amorso, in time to check in and have dinner.  This is my least favorite hotel of the whole trip.  I found the staff unapproachable at best, the air conditioning didn’t work in our room, the bathroom had limited water pressure and the food left much to be desired. 

Friday, it’s our last full day to be spent in any one place.  Today we traveled to Manuel Antonio National Park .  Here we had to walk along the shore line, cross a stream and walk again to reach our pavilion.  It wasn’t too bad, but out return would be different.  The park features the pacific coastline and many hiking trails.  I did both. 

We arrived during a rain shower.  While I did swim with my mask and snorkel they were more for protection than for the view.  The water was too churned up for anything to be seen.  Hiking was much better.  I had to make the trip twice after I ran out of film early into the first hike, but I had to get a picture of those red-legged sand crabs.  These crustaceans are stunning with their yellow eyes and red legs against a blue body.  But the granddaddy of all pictures was shot while walking out of the park.  It was then that 3 white faced monkeys were playing in a tree not more than 10 feet away from me.  My trip is now complete! 

We returned to our hotel to wash up and then head into town for dinner.  We decided to treat our selves to a good meal rather than eat the mediocre food at the hotel.  We also found another Mercado to buy more coffee. 

On Saturday we traveled back to San Jose with a few stops in between.  The first of which is Sarchi known for their painted ox carts.  No, I didn’t buy one, but I did buy many other handicrafts.  I bought moolas in wall hangings and coin purses and I bought a cook book.  These will make great gifts and the cookbook will keep me yearning to return. 

Another stop is the Britt coffee plantation and tour.  While I didn’t do too badly with my coffee purchases up to now I think the prices here were just as good.  If you’re only buying one or two pounds then a Mercado might be best because here the deals are found if you buy 5 or more.   

Our last night in and we enjoy a private dinner at the hotel for the whole group.  After 10 days together several of us have become friends and have exchanged e-mails and phone numbers.  It’s hard to believe that 10 days have gone by so fast. 

This tour has to be the bargain of the century.  For under $1000 you get a 10-day tour of that includes all your hotels, tours, meals and most of your drinks.  Our tour conductor was great.  She traveled with us the entire trip and handled any emergency professionally. (One elderly traveler had to be evacuated from Tortuguero after suffering a fall in the bathroom while another was left behind at a rest stop.)