Page 73 - Phonebox Magazine October 2008

Howler monkeys in Costa Rica
still used horse or ox and carts to get around. We stayed about an hours drive inland, in a colourful group of bungalows. As soon as we got there we all got ready and went down to swim in the local ‘watering hole’, a natural spring where all the locals go down to.
Howler monkeys, volcanos and gas masks ....
enthusiastic Canadians (who love to hike) and a guide who set off at almost military pace we stormed up the first third of the trail in record time, reaching the view point after 45 minutes whereas the group the day before had taken over 2 hours! From there we could view the mighty Concepcion volcano and both sides of the island for an incredible view. With jungle insects ringing all around us, howler monkeys sounding out their territory and the blistering heat drenching everyone in sweat, it was a real travellers moment.
We were then told that if anyone wanted to go back down they would have to go with one of the three guides with us, as the last woman who decided to stay and wait for her friends was never seen again (suspected guerrilla activity). At this point a lot of groups turn back, but excited about the idea of swimming in a volcano lake at the top we marched on.
After five gruelling, painful and very hot hours we finally reached the top, only to see our lagoon was in fact a misty, mushy swamp and pretty much un-swimmable. Completely gutted, we sat for 10 minutes eating our free lunch (which ended up being soggy sandwiches) and then continued on our descent, which took over four hours! It was so muddy that we were falling over, injuring ourselves and nearly losing shoes, all while being in a lot of pain! Its hard to say whether it was an enjoyable experience, but it was a good test for us both and was amazing to drive past when we left Ometepe and realise how high we climbed.
Our time in Nicaragua flew by and soon we found ourselves in Costa Rica in Monteverde, meaning “Green mountain” after a three hour drive along a rutted dirt road through the mountains (the driver having to stop and help a woman on a hillstart at one point, very amusing for the guys!).
Travelling through the clouds and rainforests we got a glimpse of Costa Rica’s famous lush ecosystems. Surrounded by forest and up in the clouds itself, Monteverde attracts tourists for its zip-lining, canopy walks and wildlife reserves. As we were saving money we just spent our time walking around the town, but some of our friends went zip- lining and had a great time, some others went to the Quaker cheese factory which apparently was interesting.
In the evening we drank a few beers and played free pool before heading off the next day to the town of La Fortuna where the very active Arenal volcano lies next to the town. Arenal occasionally erupts, meaning it still needs to be respected and at night the molten lava glows down the volcanoes side itself. Unfortunately we missed out on seeing this, as the cloud came in covering it and they said
it would last all week. So our trip to the volcano ended up being the 15 of us sat in a minivan staring out into the darkness and eating pizza!
Next up was San Jose where, once we got there, we decided only to stay a few nights as there wasn’t really anything of interest to see. So we met up with our friends in the evening
Locals house in the caribbean town of Puerto Viejo
There used to be a rope swing until someone a little on the too heavy side went and broke it. We stayed down there all afternoon and then went back to the hotel for
Crab in Costa Rica
dinner and to meet our guide to discuss the volcano hike. The plan had been to do the 12 hour hike up the active Mount Concepcion, but due to all the rain there was a lot of mudslides making the already hard climb even harder (although being Central America meant the guide said if we were adamant we can still try, although people have died on the hike). So we opted for Madera instead, the slightly smaller volcano. So the next day the 13 of us met for breakfast around 6am, knowing we were doing the easier volcano and feeling pretty happy - not realising what we had let ourselves in for! Led by a couple of over-
Arenal highly active volcano, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
to eat at a Soda (typical Costa Rican cheap food) before heading over to the coastal Caribbean town of Peurto Viejo where we managed to find cheap accommodation staying in a tent at a really funky hostel called Rocking J’s. The hostel itself was a work of art - a massive combination of mosaics and graffiti with nowhere left unmarked. The main options were to stay in the ‘hammock hotel’ or a tent, complete with double mattress - luxury compared to the camping in South America!
Rocking J’s was right next to the beach but we heard about a better one up the road so decided to hire bikes and cycle the 5k there and back one day. This ended up being a lot harder than we thought as we battled along the rugged, pot-holed roads with dust from traffic getting in our eyes. After falling off too many times from having a dodgy bike Emma had to swap with Mark and give him her “Magnum” purple bike complete with flames
Emma wearing gas masks at the active volcano crater, Granada, Nicaragua
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