Costa Rica

Shortest holiday I've probably ever been on, least amount of alcohol consumed, earliest I have ever been up on a holiday, yet still could be one of the best! Now this is why we moved to the Cayman Islands!
Last Friday Jill packed up the dogs and brought them for the first time (but definitely not the last) to the kennels and we headed off to the airport for our long weekend in Costa Rica (Monday being a bank holiday here). We got off to a bad start, 2 hours queuing at the airport to check in. Wouldnt mind but our queue wasnt that big, but the check in guys, in true Cayman style, just couldnt see what the hurry was (cue Lilt ad...). Plane was due to take off at 8pm. We were handed our boarding cars at 7:50. The check in lady, with a straight face, tells us that boarding is at 7:30. Yeah, right, sure it is. Time for a beer me thinks.....
An hour and a half later we arrive in Costa Rica, San Jose to be precise. Felt strange being in the cool (24 degrees Celsius at night, cold for us....). Half my work were on the flight with us (Amber, her husband, and Chantelle and her husband and their mates), along with plenty of other heads. There was a package holiday vibe to the trip, everyone ordering extra rum punch at 10,000 feet!
Anyway, we picked up our rental, a brand new out of the box Hyundai 4x4, 26 miles on the clock, and headed into the city where we were booked into the Radisson. I've never driven on the right hand side of the road. Its an experience, especially at 11pm at night in a Central American city with a population of millions, that the travel guide suggested had drivers who didnt really obey things like road signs, lanes, and traffic lights!
We ended up getting lost, even though I was following Amber and her crew, but after a few dodgy turns we found the hotel. Nice enough, big room, what can I say, it was 12 at night, bar was closed, no food to be had, so we headed to bed.
Up at 6:30am the next day, breakfast in the room and on the road by 7:30.
We headed out of the city, on the main road up the mountains to Arenal, which is the country's most active volcano, and is located in the Northern Region. We left the motorway after under an hour and were on to side roads winding through the mountain, climbing rapidly through mist and intermittent sunshine. Fabulous views all the way. Without a doubt the most scenic place I have ever been. Lush green fields, rain forest, mountains, lakes, amazing.
After crossing some wide rivers via some very dodgy bridges, being overtaken by mad locals, we arrive in Arenal, two hours earlier than expected!
We checked in and headed to the spa, with two hours to kill before our bus was due to pick us up. The hotel's springs/ resort is at the foot of the volcano with naturally heated rivers, waterfalls, and pool, averaging at 42 degrees. The place is great, kind of kicks the ass off the spa in the Heritage where we are getting married next year. Ah well. We had lunch, took too may photos, and headed back to to hotel to go white water rafting.
We were the only passengers on the mini bus that day as we travelled across the country for an hour and a half to one of the main rafting rivers. The water level was low, but the rapids were there aplenty. We suited up, and bailed into the raft with our instructor behind us, followed by a guy in a canoe behind us and one ahead to check for obstacles.
Great craic, could have been faster, but still great, two and a half hours trailing down a 10 mile stretch of river that cut through the rainforest. In between rapids we were introduced to the bird and animal life all around us, stopping halfway for fresh pineapples and water melons as we dove off the banks and into the rushing water for a swim. Were definitely trying this again!
The photos are courtesy of a photographer who followed in his car and joined us at various points to take photos from the bank.
We dried off and headed back to Arenal, almost running over an Armadillo on the way home (big, slow enough creatures by the way) before capturing sight of the volcano in the dark, with not a cloud in the sky, spewing lava into the air and down the side of the mountain. A once in a lifetime sight!
Back to the hotel for dinner before heading back to the hot springs where we chilled out watching the lava flow, sipping cocktails from chairs in the pool at the pool bar. Very chilled out.
Next morning we were up early (again) to get on the road for Monteverde. It had been a three hour drive to Arenal, but we warned that our next drive would take nearer 4 hours and that the roads were bad. A half hour into it, the tarmac turned into red clay. We slowed down as we curved our way through the mountains and around the Lake. Not too bad we thought, we can do this. Then the road stopped. Like, no more road as you know it. A track of rocks and muck that from 100 metres in the air probably resembled a road, but not up close. We slowed to 20 kph as the 4x4 was put to the test bouncing off boulders and holes in the road. Think the windiest road in the Dublin Wicklow mountains, half the width, with trucks flying at you in the other direction, with vertical cliffs either side, no grip, and large chunks of the road at various bends just missing, long gone into a gorge below. It was a trip! Seriously, brilliant. And this is the main road to get to one of Costa Rica's main tourist attractions!
After a wrong turn onto an even worse road (I still cant believe it was possible), we eventually arrived into Monteverde, a one horse town surrounded by Cloud Forests (rain forests with think vegetation that have clouds or mist all around the place).
We checked into our more rustic lodge, no TV or jacuzzi, unlike the previous night, but at the top of a mountain overlooking the forests all around, with two dogs and a cat who mozied on over to us as we sat out in the morning sun on the grass, surrounded by banana and lemon trees, soaking it all in.
An hour later we arrived by bus to the Cloud Forest for our Canopy Run Tour. We suited up in out boiler gear and hats, and walked into the forest with about 20 other punters (mainly Germans actually, a bit odd!). After brief lesson we were led up to our first run. Basically the forest is traversed by a dozen or so wires elevated 100 metres above the forest floor, some 1/2 a km wide. You are attached via a pulley around your waist and sent off on the wire as gravity does the work taking you whizzing across the roof of the rain forest. The first one was short, a warm up. Jill went ahead of me. I expect to meet the group at the end of the wire, but there was no one there when I got to the other side only one of the staff who immediately put me on another wire back across the forest. Four wires later we took a break. The views are sensational, whizzing through the cloud across vast forest, the adrenaline pumping.
Half way we stopped to try something different. We climbed up a 30m tower and grabbed onto ropes, one at a time, to swing "Tarzan" style, into the forest beyond. Again, great craic!
Then back the canopy rides.
Two hours later we took the helmets off, slowed down the pace, and took a walking tour through the forest, with our feet firmly on the ground. Halfway through the tour, Jill noticed rustling in the trees ahead as we crossed a bridge. Monkeys! There were loads of them. We kept relatively quiet and watched them swing from tree to tree, hooking up with other monkeys. Beats Marlay Park!
After that we headed on home to the lodge where we had a couple of beers out on the porch watching the sun set before heading into town for an authentic meal in a local restaurant.
Asleep by 11!
The next morning we had breakfast and headed back on the road, on our way back to San Jose to catch our flight at 7pm that evening, but not before taking in a fishing village on the pacific side of the country.
The rain began to fall as we approached the city,good timing!
We arrived home at 10:30 Monday night, wrecked, but happy out at a great weekend, only an hour and a half away.
Next stop Jamaica, then Panama, then Cuba. Not a bad way to spend your weekends!
Anyway, back to normal this week. Were at a table quiz in Triple Crown last night, felt like the days in the Bugler with Simon, Dave, and then Simon and Barry. Ah, the old days...
Anyway, off to New York next weekend to see my sis Fi. Johnny Weir, Si, Scats, Niall, and Alex are all going to be there aswell so should be great craic.
Thats all for now. It's Pirates Week here in Cayman this week, which closes with a huge carnival and fireworks display on Saturday. Also a big weekend for rugby, you never know we could be ranked third in the world by Monday! Come on Ireland!