It was a three hour bus ride up hill to the town of Santa Elena, where we spent three days. The Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde is home to one of the most beautiful forests I’ve ever seen - a combination of tropical and temperate rain forests, equally full of mosses and palms. A four hour hike through the park was a definite highlight, even if I didn’t find the one animal I’m most anxious to see - a red eyed tree frog.
I’d have liked to spend more time exploring the nearby forests and volcanos, but by that time Jason had booked a flight home and we had to hurry back towards the coast. Costa Rica is so expensive that I couldn’t object to a speedier passage to Nicaragua, where there are forests and volcanoes to be discovered for half the price. So we spent a day zip lining through the forest, a few nights at a country fair, and headed to Tamarindo.
Jason and I had a standout farewell dinner, and a nice time winding down his visit, but Tamarindo was just another surf town, saturated with beer pong, backwards hats, tribal tattoos, and bars called Sharky’s and Longboards.
Generally speaking, Costa Rica was more culturally interesting than Panama, but overly touristy nonetheless.
Oh, the hypocrisy. Don’t travel. It’s ruining the world!
I half believe that, and don’t quite know what to do about it.