The Observatory

The Observatory and a beautiful backdrop.

The Cenote House

El Castillo

The beach where everyone goes swimming

Imagine this as your view? The Mayans had great beach front property!

A protected area for turtle nesting.

Editor’s Note: My trip to Mexico was sponsored by Riviera Maya tourism.

How Much Did I Spend?

In total, I was in Costa Rica for 20 days and I spent 424,660 Colones or $849.32 USD. (The exchange rate is about $1 USD = 500 Colones). That works out to be an average of $42.46 USD per day. So, like Panama, I went over my budget. However, I often set my budgets low simply as motivation not to spend a lot of money. There’s many reasons why I went over my budget but let me break down my expenses first:

Food: 150,755 Colones or $301.51 USD
Alcohol: 16,740 Colones or $33.48 USD
Bottled Water: 9,150 Colones or $18.30 USD
Accommodation: 89,530 Colones or $179.06 USD
Activities: 17,500 Colones or $35 USD
Local Buses: 9,105 Colones or $18.21 USD
Cabs: 98,000 Colones or $196 USD
Miscellaneous: 33,880 Colones or $67.76 USD

My miscellaneous expenses were things like laundry, sunscreen, a poncho, and the departure tax. I didn’t factor these costs into my original budget plans. Moreover, I took a lot taxis because sometimes they were the fastest and most convenient way to go but they were certainly not the cheapest. I overspent on food simply because I did eat a lot of nice seafood dinners on the coast as well as have some western meals. Moreover, in many touristy areas a cheap meal can still cost 4,000 Colones ($6 USD).

Can You Do it Cheaper?

Yes but it won’t be fun. If you simply account for food, room, and buses, you can probably get by on a bare bones $30 USD per day. But it won’t be fun. That budget has no activities included and the fun, adventure activities like zip lining, surfing, diving, and jungle trekking are what makes this country as amazing as it is. It’s not a budget I would recommend.

On my budget of $43 USD a day, you’ll will be staying in cheap rooms, eating mostly local food and some Western meals, going out, and affording many activities. If you avoid the taxis, you can have even more money for fun adventure activities. I didn’t do a lot of adventure tours this time since I did them the first time I was in Costa Rica. I never felt I was missing out on anything with my budget and though it’s more than you might spend in Nicaragua or El Salvador, $43 USD shouldn’t be high enough to scare you away from the country.

Ways to Save Money

There’s plenty of ways to save money in Costa Rica. And if you don’t at least try to do some inexpensive things while here, your budget will go through the roof.

Don’t drink. Drinking in bars in Costa Rica can be quite expensive. Local beer is typically 1,200 Colones ($2.5 USD). Sometimes you can find it for around 900 Colones but that’s very rare and usually during a happy hour. I avoided drinking here simply because it was too expensive.

Eat at the sodas. The ‘sodas’ are the local Tico restaurants and a great bargain. You can usually find the Casado, the typical local dish for around 2,000 Colones (about 1/2 the price from a tourist restaurants). In many of the towns on the Caribbean, you can find meals for under 1,000 colones. I found the empanadas the best value for money. For 500 Colones, I could get a filling snack/light meal.

Eat at Musmanni. Musmanni is a bakery found all over the country. The offer a great lunch special. For 1,000 Colones, you can get a sandwich and a soda. Most of their pastries are only 300 Colones. I ate at this place whenever I found one because it helped keep my food costs down.

Stay in dorms. Accommodation in Costa Rica isn’t cheap. I stayed at a few budget hotels and they were around 15,000 Colones ($30 USD) per night. Dorm rooms offer the best value as they cost only 5,000 Colones ($10 USD) per night. On the Caribbean coast, you can find them for around $8 USD.

Couchsurf. Don’t like dorms? Use the site Couchsurfing, which can connect you will locals who will let you stay at their house for free. It’s a great way to meet locals and cut down your accommodation costs.

Drink the water. Though I spent 9,150 Colones on bottle water, the water in Costa Rica is safe to drink. I would always lose my water bottle and have to replace it but if you can remember to keep yours, refill it from the tap and avoid spending money on water.

When I came back this year, I was shocked to find that the only thing that I could recognize of the Manual Antonio I used to know was the beach. The road running between Quepos (the closest main town) and Manuel Antonio once boasted a single restaurant, but now it’s lined with hotels, resorts, and overpriced eateries serving western or Americanized dishes. The beach, which was once so quiet, is now filled with hawkers, food sellers, and beach umbrellas.

One of the things that made Manuel Antonio so special is the park that sits on the town’s edge. To get there in 2003, you had to wade across an estuary and enter through a tiny gate. If you stayed in the park too late, the rising tide meant you had to swim! Now, there is a new entrance from the road and a park center. What makes it even worse is the huge hotel that has been erected right by the park entrance. Nature’s serenity has been disturbed.

When I was there in 2003, I couldn’t walk five feet without tripping over an animal. Monkeys were everywhere, I saw deer, land crabs, birds, and animals with names I didn’t know. Now, I could barely hear the sounds of the monkeys in trees and I didn’t see one land crab in the park that wasn’t dead. The only monkeys I saw were the ones on the beach waiting to be feed by tourists.

I was there with Jess and Dani from Globetrotter Girls. Dani had never been there before but Jess had visited in 2000 and we both commented and lamented on the change. “We might as well be in America” she said. “This could be Hawaii, California, or Florida”.

Manuel Antonio had me wondering if development could be too much of a bad thing. A while ago, I wrote a post called, How Travel is Bad for the World. In it I said:

“Traveling is not the most eco-friendly of activities. Flying, cruising, eating out, and driving around all has a negative impact on the environment. Most people, when they travel constantly, use towels in hotel rooms, leave the air conditioner going, or forget to turn off the lights. Jetsetting around the world in airplanes or driving around in an RV all contribute to global warming. Between waste, development, and pollution, we are doing exactly what The Beach said we would do – We are destroying the very paradise we seek.”

One of my favorite travel books is The Beach. I relate to the theme of the book all too well. The book is about how travelers, especially backpackers, look for paradise that doesn’t exist outside their heads and even when they find something great, they end up ruining it. On the road, I often encounter travelers who talk about how good a place was 10 years ago, but how “the tourists” have ruined it now. It’s always said with snide superiority and I hate it. “If you don’t like it, why are you back?” I say to them. Now, having come back to a place I haven’t been to in seven years, I wonder if I’m being like those travelers. Have I become jaded or m I simply romanticizing the past?

Certainly, development has brought many great things to Manuel Antonio. The local economy is booming now that there’s a lot more work for locals. There’s more money for better roads and infrastructure. The water is now clean to drink. There are more accommodation options for visitors. The pollution and environmental destruction that you often see in so many beach towns in the world isn’t here yet. I can still swim in the water, the park hasn’t been cut down, and the roads aren’t filled with trash.

But what about the heart of a place? Has development destroyed the soul of Manuel Antonio? I noticed that prices are a lot higher, and there are a lot of big hotels which are, in no way, environmentally friendly. Now, the road from the nearby main town of Quepos is now filled with hotels and the jungle that was there is gone. Most apparent to me was the lack of wildlife in the park, which has almost certainly been scared away by the sudden influx of people hunting them down for that trophy travel photograph.

I can’t help thinking that what made me love this place has disappeared. “There’s too many people here,” I told Jess. “It’s too tourist now.” And after I said it, I think back to those travelers I met and think, “Ohh no. Have I become that person?” Have I become what I hate? But now, I see the big point those travels often so ineloquently try to make. It’s not that the place is bad now. What those travelers are really upset about is that what is ruined is the image in their mind. What they remember…what they came back for…isn’t there anymore.

The romantic picture they painted is gone and with it their innocence.

Yes, there’s more of everything in Manual Antonio. It’s far more developed but that doesn’t make it bad. It doesn’t mean that it has become “ruined.” I still recommend Manual Antonio to travelers and I will probably go back there again. What really upset me is not the development in Manuel Antonio, but my own loss of innocence. It was the realization that the romantic image in my head isn’t reality now. Places change. They don’t stay the same. As much as we want for that place to always be how we left it, it can never happen. We can never just simply insert ourselves back into the past and into our memory. Life is linear. It changes.

In the end, Manuel Antonio was never ruined. My false image of reality that was but in the long run, it’s simply better to enjoy places as they are and not lament how they used to be.

Puerto Viejo
Located on the Caribbean coast, this city is popular with young people and backpackers because of its great beaches, surfing, and party atmosphere. The town is very lively and you’ll find something going on every night. It’s probably the most popular destination on the Caribbean coast. There are also many quiet beach hotels around for those who are looking for some peace and quiet.

Cahuita

Cahuita, a tiny town situated right next to a stunning national park with the same name, is about an hour north of Puerto Viejo. Cahuita is a place to relax. There’s one bar in town that gets lively (sometimes it is half full!) but for the most part, after a day of hiking, animal spotting, swimming, or surfing, most people just sit around and read.

Torteguero

Tortuguero, the Costa Rican version of the Amazon Rainforest, dominates the northern coast. This massive area is a series of rivers and canals that crisscross the jungle. The biggest draws to this area are the large numbers of turtles (hence the name Tortuguero) that come to nest along the shoreline. The best time to see them nesting is in April and May, but if you’re visiting during the off-season, you’ll still be able to go hiking and participate in canal cruises. There’s lots of wildlife to see year-round.

Corcovado

Corcovado National Park is on the remote Osa peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. Though more popular than it used to be, it’s still a very rugged, quiet, and off the beaten path destination in a country where almost everything is on the beaten path. The peninsula is not easy to get to (which helps keep tourists away) but your efforts will be greatly rewarded with deserted beaches, tons of wildlife, great hiking, camping, and lots of marine life.

Arenal

Arenal, one of Costa Rica’s many volcanoes, still erupts from time to time. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see lava flowing down the volcano. (Don’t worry! The lava just oozes. It’s not like huge explosions. It’s completely safe to visit.) The area also has a great waterfall (La Fortuna), a national park with great hiking, sunset views over the lake, outdoor activities, and famous hot springs. With so much to do, it is no wonder it is one of the most visited places in the country.

Manuel Antonio

A popular beach destination on the Pacific coast, Manual Antonio’s wide, white sand beaches and warm blue waters are not the only attractions that people come for. A nearby national park with great hiking trails, a number of secluded beaches to choose from, and the chance to view three different kinds of native monkeys are all additional reasons for visiting this beautiful area in Costa Rica.

Monteverde
The nation’s premier cloud forest is the home to the elusive Quetzal bird’s. Most people come to Monteverde for a glimpse of this rare bird. Monteverde, which rests right on the continental divide, experiences high winds and unusual weather patterns. The entire area is very green and wet. Witness it all on a zip line adventure through the tree canopy or explore some of the sky bridges in the area.

Poas Volcano

A great day trip from San Jose, Poas Volcano is a dormant volcano with twin calderas filled with sulfur lakes. The lakes are so still that you’ll look at your picture and think you painted the color on. There are some small trails around the area too. Arrive early in the morning to avoid the clouds closing in and ruining the view.

Santa Theresa
At the bottom of the Nicoya coast is the hippie backpacker town of Santa Theresa. This “town” is really nothing more than a beach with a road lined with eateries, yoga centers, surf shops, and hostels. Everyone gets up early to hit the waves, so the overall atmosphere in town is pretty relaxed. You won’t find a lot of crazy parties here. Santa Theresa is a good place to lay on the beach, hang out with people, and relax. Because of the “chill” vibe, many people end up staying in Santa Theresa for weeks, and even months, on end.

Everything in Costa Rica is a bit touristy but despite the crowds, Costa Rica is a land filled with diverse wildlife and great natural beauty. The two times I’ve been here won’t be the last. I never get tired of jungles, white sand beaches, amazing sunsets, and warm clear water.

Why Did I Fail?

I ate good food. Lots of good, expensive food. I found many good restaurants in Boquete and Panama City and couldn’t resist. Plus, for awhile, I was traveling with a girl and sometimes I was paying for two. And sometimes, I treated said girl to nice dinners. Additionally, I didn’t always stay in hostel dorms. There were a few nights I wanted privacy to catch up on work and got a hotel room, drastically increasing my daily average.

How I Spent My Money
Food: $748.20
Drinks: $142
Accommodation: $608.20
Activities: $45
Transportation: $131.41

So, Can You Do It For $35 USD?

Definitely. There’s no doubt in my mind you can do the Panama for my original estimate. If you take out the costs of my non-dorm accommodation ($250 USD) and my upscale eating ($300 USD), my daily average becomes $40.17 USD, which is a lot closer to my original goal. Take away a few western meals, some nights out, and the taxis I poorly negotiated in Panama City, and you are right around $35 USD.

At $35 USD a day, you’ll be staying in hostel dorms ($11-13 USD per night), eating at small, local restaurants and food stalls ($4 USD per meal), taking only local buses, doing a few tours, drinking little (beer is $1.50 USD), and maybe having a nice meal once in awhile ($10+ USD per meal).

If you really wanted to be frugal, you could do it on $30 USD per day but that would leave no room for any activities, nights out, shopping, or appeasing your sudden desire for pizza.

I would say that $40 USD per day is a better budget. This way you’ll have extra room for the accidental costs that always come up on the road and any last minute changes or activities you decide to do. I always say it is better to over budget than under budget.

How to Save Money in Panama

Eat at the local stands. Meals at local food stalls cost between $3-4 USD. You’ll get rice, chicken, beans, and maybe another side plus a drink. I didn’t love the food in Panama but at the price they had, it made eating very cheap.

Avoid Taxis. I found taxis here to be a complete rip off. As my friend JP says “You get Gringoed.” They were also far more unwilling to negotiate than I found in places like Asia. I’d try to avoid them if at all possible.

Car Share. If you do take taxis, share your ride. Most taxi’s are usually shared anyways. Drivers will pick up people even if someone else is the car. This reduces your price since if he is already going your way, he’ll be more inclined to give you a better price.

Refill Your Water. In most of the country, you can drink the tap water. It won’t kill you or make you sick. There’s no need to always buy new water bottles. Save yourself a few dollars a day and fill up from the tap.

Stick to Beer. Beer is usually .50 cents to 1 dollar during hostel happy hours. Otherwise, a local Panama or Balboa was $1.50. Mix drinks are usually $2 USD. So stick to beer, spend less, and save more without cutting into your good time.

Avoid Hot Water. Get rooms with cold water showers. Hot water always costs a lot more. It’s so hot here anyways, you’ll hardly ever want hot water. Even I got used to cold water showers and usually I get cranky without hot water!

Check out the latest exchange rate for your travels.

Having now been to both coasts, I’m not sure what these people are talking about. Traveling down the Caribbean side, I did find it to be more rainy but no less beautiful and with many great places to see.

Tortuguero, the Costa Rican version of the Amazon Rainforest, dominates the northern coast. This massive area is a series of rivers and canals that criss-cross the jungle. It rains all the time, and although the beaches are beautiful, a full day of sunny beach weather is rare. To top it off, the currents are strong and toothy barracudas and sharks roam the waters.

Yet, despite all that, there are many reasons to come here. The biggest draw to this area are the large numbers of turtles (hence the name Tortuguero) that come to nest along the shoreline. The best time to see them nesting visit is in April and May but even if you come in off-season, Tortuguero still offers few places to go hiking, lots of canal cruises, and lots of wildlife to see (This area is known for its birds). Tortuguero is not easy to get to nor is it cheap. It takes five hours to get there from San Jose and supplies are brought in by boat. It is not a great budget destination. However, if it’s a remote and off the typical backpacker trail destination, you’re looking for in Central America, Tortuguero is the place to go.

You’ll find great surf sites, lots of people, deep sea diving and parties galore down the coast towards Panama. This part of the coast is a lot easier to get to and much cheaper than Tortuguero. Most travelers head for Puerto Viejo, the main base of the region. This is backpacker central and it’s easy to get sucked into the surfer, party life here.

Puerto Viejo is a rocking seaside town with a strong Caribbean feel. Puerto Viejo is the hub of this region and I really like it despite that fact that it’s touristy. The town is small, it’s easy to get around, there are beaches everywhere, and there are a ton of good restaurants ranging from good local “sodas” where you could buy cheap Tico food to amazing western places with great baked bread or good sushi. You’ll be rocking to Reggae as you wander along streets as there are Caribbeanites in Puerto Viejo than Spaniards.

However, Puerto Viejo is surrounded by two other towns worth seeing: Cahuita and Manazillo. (There’s also Limon, the area’s main port city. Skip it. It’s ugly, dodgy, and not worth even a few hours there.) Cahuita, a tiny town situated right next to a stunning national park with the same name, is about an hour north of Puerto Viejo. This, like Tortuguero, is a place to relax. There’s one bar that gets lively on some nights but for the most part, after a day of hiking, swimming, or surfing, most people just sit and read.

Manzanillo is right below Puerto Viejo and it makes for an easy day trip. The town is even smaller than Chuaita and no one ever really visits. In fact, you can walk here from Puerto Viejo. It takes about two hours- just follow the beach. The reef system here is close to the shore and this is the area’s main diving area. Most of the people who come here are older couples, families, or retirees. Come here to dive and relax after all the partying and noise of Puerto Viejo.

After visiting this Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, I can say that it is just as beautiful, interesting, and majestic as the Pacific coastline. Moreover, since it rains more on the Caribbean coast, you’ll find far fewer people on this side. The huge resorts, overpriced meals and tours, and thousands of expats that flood all parts of the Pacific, especially the Nicoya Peninsula, are hardly anywhere to be found. So let them do what they want while you enjoy (fairly) empty beaches, cheap seafood, and lots of wildlife.

Fortunately, planning my trip to Central America has changed much of that. Before I left, I got that nervous excitement back again. That kind you get when you are about to take the leap on your first trip. I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’m thoroughly enjoying myself here. San Jose was a bit of a dump, traveling down the Caribbean coast it was everything I remembered it to be – lush jungles, beautiful beaches, tons of wildlife, and friendly locals. Now, I’m in Bocas del Toro in Panama and relaxing in what is the coolest place I’ve been in in a long time.

Latin America has a certain feel to it that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. There’s a fiery sense of life and friendliness to the locals here. It’s exciting, and there’s a constant sense of movement and passion all over the place. (Note: This isn’t my first time to this part of the world. I went to Costa Rica on a tour in 2003 and spent a month in Belize and Guatemala in 2005.)

After a few weeks of traveling around Central America, I can say that I’m suffering from “plan too muchitis” all over again. I feel like I did when I embarked on my first round the world trip. I’m having a blast and my mind is racing again with potential places and trips that I want to take. Can I squeeze a trip to Japan in before I go to Eastern Europe? Should I skip NYC and stay here longer? How can I add in a trip to Vegas for my friend’s birthday? Should I go to Ireland or Scandinavia? How can I get down to the Darien region of Panama and still have time for Costa Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula!? And, most importantly, how many plantains can I possibly eat?

I think I just needed something new to revitalize my love of travel. When things become routine, they can often become a bit boring, and when things are boring, we lose interest in them. Variety is the spice of life and when we travel to the same places over and over again, those places become a part of our routine and we lose a bit of that excitement that drives us to travel in the first place.

The same thing can be said about life back home. Think about your job. At first, it’s great. It’s new, exciting, and fresh. But after doing it for a while, day in and day out, it gets tedious and becomes boring. You start dreaming of life elsewhere, of traveling, or of gardening. We are at work but we checked out long ago even if we still love what we do. Even if we love what we do, we still have days that feel like the grind. When I worked in the corporate world, many of the people I knew loved what they did. They never wanted to do anything else, but they would have loved a little break from it from time to time.

Variety is what keeps life interesting. When you travel for a long time, especially for a long continuous stretch of time, you can get the “just another” syndrome. It’s just another waterfall, just another city, just another temple, etc etc. It happens to the best of us. One of my favorite parts of the travel move “A Map for Saturday” is when many of the travelers interviewed also talk about getting burned out from traveling and how they have to “take a break” and stay put somewhere for a bit.

This is exactly what has happened to me. I was traveling to the same places over again, doing the same activities, seeing the same sites, and going to the same parties. But now, it all feels different. Yes, Torteguero is another jungle and San José is another city and where I am now is just another beach in the strictest sense of the words. But they are all different from what I am used to because they are all new places to me. They are my variety.

When something loses its luster, you need to make a change, especially when you still love what it is you do. Traveling is great and I never want to do something different. But if you don’t make a change, your negative feelings will grow and you’ll hate the thing you love.

When the burn out comes, when the “just another” feeling arises in us, we need to stop, relax, and take a break. It doesn’t matter if you are in Burma or Boston, in a hostel or in your office. Take a vacation from whatever it is you are doing, or do something new to spice thing up. Maybe that means learning a new language, volunteering somewhere, working overseas, or just heading to brand new area of the world where everything is different and everything is fresh again.

My trip to Central America on Thursday is one of those moments. Last time i was there, I was in a tour group. This time I’m backpacking alone through Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. I’ve never backpacked Central America before. I’m nervous and scared and I don’t know why.

I’ve traversed mountains, roamed Southeast Asia, made friends with strangers all over the world but for some reason, I’m scared about going to Central America. I know it’s all in my mind and there’s really nothing to be worried about. Tons of people have backpacked this part of the world and turned out fine. I’m following a trail worn down by many people before me.

But there’s this gnawing part of me that is saying, what if? Central America is often viewed as a dangerous place in the US. They haven’t had great press in the American media even though nothing bad has really happened there since Reagan was President.

I keep worrying that I’m going to be kidnapped, robbed, taken somewhere sketchy in a taxi and left in the jungle if I don’t hand over my stuff. I keep thinking the Sandinistas are going go to jump out of the next corner. Will I be mugged? I don’t know! Probably not, but what if it does happen?

I know these are all silly fears. Central America is fine. Costa Rica has so many old Americans living there we might as well call it “New Florida.” Panama is an it destination now. My friends Jamie and Geno traveled around Panama and they won’t go anywhere without a Hilton! If they can do it, I know I can do it.

Before I first started traveling the world, I had all these fears. I was nervous and scared. What if something happened? Would I be able to make friends? Is it OK to travel alone? Will my stuff get stolen? Will I get ripped off? Traveling the world was totally different from what I was used to. I think it is only human to be scared of the unknown and lots of travelers get a little anxious before their big trip. (I know- I get their emails asking for advice.)

I know there’s really nothing to be scared of. I know I’m overreacting just like I did on my first trip abroad. It’s like I tell people all the time, “There’s nothing to be worried about. It’s all in your head. Thousands of people travel the world each year. Just take the leap! You’ll be fine.”

But I’m happy to scared. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited to go somewhere. I feel like I’m stepping out again for the first time. I think some of this has to do with the area. I know a lot about Europe, Asia, Australia, and East Asia, but I don’t know much about Central America. I know what to expect elsewhere. I don’t know what to expect here.

It’s been so long since I’ve been in this situation; I’ve forgotten what it’s like, and maybe that’s contributing to it too. I should be good about this right? But, it feels great to feel this way. Travel has become work for me and I miss that sense of sheer, unadulterated excitment I see in new travelers. Now, I’m so excited, I could jump up and down on Oprah’s couch.

It feels liberating to feel this way. It goes to show that no matter how long you’ve been traveling, no matter how long you’ve been backpacking, there’s always a part of you that can filled with that nervous scared excitement you had on day one.

I know I’m about to have a great time meeting great people, eating great food, lounging on beaches, and heading into the unknown. Departure day is close and while I’m still thinking about the “what if’s”, I’m simple too excited to care about them anymore.

Hours past and I grew anxious, “let’s go! let’s go!” I said repeatedly, “the day is being wasted!” We were all on a tour of Costa Rica, leaving Arenal national park tomorrow and I wanted to get a good day of hiking around the volcano. Finally, they acquiesced, we hailed down a cab, and were off to Arenal National Park.

It was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived and I was bitter we had wasted so much of the day but, the sunset over Arenal lake and we would get to watch from up high on the old lava fields. That made up for their tardiness. Arenal is Costa Rica’s active volcano. During the day, smoke rises into the sky creating a haze like dust cloud around it. At night, flashes of red can be seen oozing down the sides as nature displays her glory. Watching it is a sight to be seen and, on occasion, big eruptions take place allowing the tourists to “oo and ahh” over nature’s own fireworks display. The entire area is surrounded by old lava fields and thick rainforest making it a wonderful hiking destination.

We told our cab driver we would be back at the entrance at 6 and started off on our adventure. We wandered off trail down old lava fields, wandered on trail through giant lava rocks, and followed weird local animals around. Soon it was getting dark and we wanted to get back to the lake to see the sunset. Looking at our map, we realized we had no idea what trail we were on. Asking a passerby where we were, we thought we found our location. According to where we thought we were, the trail ended soon and there was a turn around.

Instead of doubling back, we decided to finish the trail and take the another trail back to the lake in order to see as much as we could. Alas, it was not meant to be. Our passerby guide had misinformed and soon we deeper into the forest. As the sun continued to set, we got more and more lost. We continued down trails until they ended, doubled back, went on new trails but soon we were totally lost. As day turned to night, the mosquitoes came out to hunt on their confused prey. As the forest grew absent of man, animals came out to frolic. Then there was us, three lost and confused tourists. Our stomachs were hungry and our flashlights were out of batteries. All we had to guide us was a pen torch and the light from our cameras.

Our situation grew worse by the minute as soon the sun was gone and darkness enveloped us. Though we were seeing nature as it was, with hidden animals appearing, no longer scared by the quaking steps of a thousand tourists, our joy was tempered by the thought of spending a night in the jungle. Our tour group was back in town soon to feast on a great dinner while we fought for our freedom.

After what seemed an eternity, we found a dirt road. We weren’t sure where it went or which way town was. The road was on the map and luckily, a science station was marked on it. But which way was the science station? If we went the wrong way, we could be walking pointlessly even longer. So we took a chance and began walking. Luckily, it was the right way. Soon we came to the gate and the guard, informing us we couldn’t call a cab from there, pointed us back the other way and said the main road back into town was a 20 minute walk.

We hit the main road. It was empty. No cars, no lights. The security guard told us where the town was and we began our long walk home. Tired, haggard, and hungry we marched silently, everyone contemplating our experience in their own way. Soon a car pulled by and picked us up. Suddenly, we were animated again, talking and laughing about the whole experience. The mountain, as if welcoming us home, exploded with joy and we stopped, “ooo and ahhed” and took photos.

We joined our tour group, over an hour late and still dirty from the forest. Everyone looking at us and asking “Where were you guys?”

If only they knew….

For more information on traveling Costa Rica, visit my country and city guide to Costa Rica.