No more rain??

As we left Rancho Margot the sun was shining in a blue sky with hardly a cloud; our first leg was 45 minutes to cover the unmade road and connect with the Interbus shuttle.

For the next leg, there were 10 of us in a 12-seater - the other 8 being from north of the Mexican border. Despite my headphones and Ipod, I could not ignore the young solo traveller next to me who looked like a cross between a Rasta and a Goth and spent the entire journey rapping aloud to his ipod. Meanwhile 4 of the others were swapping life histories; talking in detail about their homes and their pets - thankfully we had reached our changeover by the time they got on to their recent surgical procedures.

The final leg was completed in relative comfort - only 3 of us in a 20-seat coach - arriving at our destination slightly ahead of schedule to find that our home for the next week is a two-bedroom villa with a private  pool less than 10 minutes from the beach.

Not sure how we will survive a week here but we will persevere as always.

Rancho Margot

The other reason for our return to La Fortuna was a visit to Rancho Margot a self-sufficient 400 acre organic farm which generates its own electricity from a small hydro electric plant, heats the outdoor pool with a biodigester - converting animal waste to energy - and supplies most of the food for the restaurant from their own produce. Since they can accommodate up to 70 guests and 20 volunteers along with numerous day visitors this is a substantial - and impressive - undertaking. An inspiring example of ecotourism at work.

The accommodation in separate bungalows

is very comfortable - if a little damp during our visit due to heavy rain - and there are a wide range of activities to take part in - along with yoga twice a day and of course the aforementioned heated pool.

The guided tour of the farm on our first morning was more than a little damp - we were again thankful for the umbrellas we bought in Mindo - $5 each well spent.
The property which was purchased in 2004, was originally a cattle farm of which about 60% has been reforested, while the remainder has been given over to the farm and the lodge.

In addition to the hydroelectric plant and the biodigester which also supplies cooking gas for the kitchen, they have a flock of dairy cows producing milk, from which they make their own butter, cheese, yoghurt etc , about a dozen sows and probably 60 -70 piglets ranging from a few days

to 6months, and of course a flock of laying hens and table birds too.
They also have a wormery to produce some of  their compost, and farm micro-organisms harvested from the forest floor to produce deterrents for many of the diseases that would otherwise affect their crops.

All the buildings have 'growing' roofs - an unintentional result from having clay tiles in this environment upon which all the usual colonising plants settled and developed. The result is that the buildings are exceptionally well insulated.

All-in-all an impressive operation which includes a carpentry shop to produce all the furniture for the lodge and a pottery and kiln producing some unique ceramics. The kitchen produced some excellent food - a surprising array of salads and of course roast pork, chicken and even some beef - while the bar was well stocked - if a little pricey.

Unfortunately the rain showers continued for most of our stay  which was a little limiting although we did manage the hike to the Mirador looking over Lake Arenal and a volcano still wreathed in cloud. Linda made it to all 5 yoga classes during our stay and even managed to drag me along to 4 of them - think that's more than I have done ever before. Linda also learned a new skill

Despite the rainfall - their annual average is 2.8m which is more than twice that of  County Clare - it has been a great visit and well worth the journey despite the  20km of unmade road - which we will travel again in the morning as we start a 6 hour journey to Playa Samara - back to the beach where it is reported to be around 35C and definitely not raining.

La Fortuna

In addition to the Arenal Volcano, the town is a substantial centre for activity tourism and probably of limited attraction if you are not interested in zip-lining, canyoning, tubing, rafting etc.
Most of the tours end up with 8-20 people, many of whom are  there as part of a tour package. The businesses in the town support this industry but there is little of any interest otherwise. Unfortunately our visit coincided with the start of Spring Break for some US schools so we had to work hard to avoid the busloads of exuberant teenagers.
We did  find one amazing restaurant - Chifa La Familia Feliz - run by a Cordon Bleu trained chef from Lima in Peru. The food was in the Chifa tradition  which celebrates the influence of the Chinese immigrant workers who were imported to Peru in the 19th Century on 9 year indentures.The food was an amazing fusion of Peruvian and Asian influences and was without doubt my best meal of this trip and perhaps the best since La Petit Mort or the Wild Honey.
Although there were only 7 tables in a room which looked like a garage with strip lighting, it was an excellent meal and surprisingly affordable. The Chef - Jose Martin Gonzalez - who worked both the kitchen and front of house would have been just at home in Edinburgh or London and is perhaps the only reason that I would go back to La Fortuna - I think I've given up trying to see the bloody volcano!

Two more flights

Although we had originally only booked 4 nights at Agua Dulce at Puerto Jimenez, we enjoyed it so much that we stayed for a full week. As mentioned before, the pool, the beach, the wildlife and the food and drink were all wonderful and we could probably have stayed even longer if we had not made plans for a visit to La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano.
We were here on our last trip but never managed to see the volcano because it was always wreathed in cloud or hidden from view by the torrential rain.
After two more flights with Sansa in a Cessna Caravan we landed at La Fortuna on a bright sunny afternoon to find that Arenal was still wreathed in cloud and hidden from view. My research tells me that it is hidden for about 90% of the time so I am not holding my breath!
For the first part of our stay we are in a small hotel just outside the town - it is hard to believe how difficult it was to find accommodation here - because everything else was busy. Hotel Las Flores is a fairly basic place with a comfortable bed, AC, a good shower, WiFi and a sofa outside the room which looks straight at the cloud surrounding Arenal.  However the owners are amongst the most friendly, helpful Ticans we have met  - which is saying something when you consider that this is one of the friendliest countries in the world.
We managed a hike in the National Park to see - and climb - the 1992 lava flow and to see how the forest is regenerating since the Volcano became dormant 6 years ago. We also tried canoeing on the Penas Blanca river which was a bit harder than it looked - almost lost Linda over the side when I couldn't steer around a large log in one of the rapids - luckily she managed to hold on!
Finished up with a couple of hours in the hot springs - sitting in a 40C pool at the swim-up bar drinking Imperial while watching Chelsea play PSG in the Champions League was very relaxing - particularly when PSG won!

Monkey business

So we managed to see all four monkey species in Costa Rica, from the Howlers who wake us up in the morning and then spend most of the day sleeping in the shade in the top of the canopy

to the Squirrel monkeys who are so used to people in some places that they come down to take food from the hand

to the Spider monkeys who use their tails like an extra limb -and also like to throw shit if they are disturbed

to the Capucins who look quite cute but have scars to prove the opposite

Travelling Companions

Over the years I have tried to represent - as fairly as I can - some of the quirks of the travelling companions of different nationalities which have struck us as odd or amusing, whether it is North Americans who have a compulsion to tip everything that moves - including leaving cash in the minibar for the guy who refills it every day - or the mainland Chinese who travel in hordes and appear to have absolutely no regard for other people.

However while we have been at Agua Dulce, one group - who arrived on the same day as us - has stood out. It consists of 4 Russian guys - one of whom is built like Arnie's son, speaks fluent Spanish and appears to act as a tour rep for the others - and a young Russian babe who was not unpleasant to behold as she lay by the pool in something which approximated for a bikini.

They very much kept to themselves and were busy each day with activities - whether visiting the National Park or fishing for Marlin and the other Game fish which abound in these waters. Equally, they kept to themselves in the bar and restaurant - drinking copious amounts and continuing to smoke even when told that it was not allowed while ignoring everyone else around them - no response to the cheery 'Buenas Dias' that I and others offered each time we met.

Remembering the experience of my ex-client Bruce - after whom we have named a number of our pigs - who was engaged to a similar Russian babe until his money ran out, it seemed to me that the blonde babe was neither partner nor daughter to any of them.

Then I noticed - as I passed her chalet on the way to the beach in the morning - that she appeared to have a different room mate every night.

I guess it takes all sorts and at least they weren't bothering us as long as we were upwind of their table in the restaurant.

Keeping busy

Each morning we have to make a choice between pool:

and beach:

However we have also managed a kayaking trip through the mangroves, a 6 hour birdwatching trip around the edges of the Corcovado National Park and a day's hiking trip to Cape Matapalo.

We found a great local guide - Randy - who was very knowledgeable and exceedingly personable - which may account for his somewhat complicated personal life. A wife and an 8 yr old daughter, girlfriend and 5 yr old son, and a new girlfriend who he has just started going out with. In addition he has an elder daughter who lives a few hours away and two other girls who live with his wife and daughter but are not his! No wonder he seemed a little distracted at times - guess he is aptly named.

In addition to the Scarlet Macaws, we have already recorded more than 70 different bird species including at least a dozen which we had not seen on our last visit. On our Matapalo trip today we also managed to see all 4 native monkey species - Howler, Squirrel, Spider and Capucin - within the space of on hour.

The spider monkeys didn't seem too pleased to see us but luckily when they started throwing shit, they only hit the spotting scope - which was easily cleaned. I made sure I had my hat on for the rest of the trek.