We got on the bus to la fortuna at 9am, at 10am we stopped at a cafe to change buses and there were loads of huge parrots everywhere. They were so so pretty and totally after our food! I had a lush 'cafe con leche' and a sticky toffee cake, mmm.
La Fortuna was very cool indeed! We stayed in La Fortuna backpackers resort and it was like a hotel, we were the only people in the dorm on the first night and on the second night we were joined by two girls from the French part of Canada. We chilled out on the first night and the next day we went on a horse back ride to La Fortunas waterfall. It was so funny because Fi had never ridden a horse before and the horses kept trotting off, hers was particularly naughty and i think she managed a bit of a gallop! Yet again, our guide was called Carlos. He was a bit of a letch and I told him I got get off and on the horse myself, I didnt need his help or his hands on my bottom lol. My horse was called Tito and he was lovely. I did a bit of a sitting trot and managed a little canter but Tito would only go when Tito wanted to go.
We got off the horses and had a short trek to the waterfall and me and a girl called Shelby from America went for a swim at the actualy waterfall. It was amazing, hard to swim towards the waterfall as their was a strong currrent from where the water was cascading down from so high up.
We rode back and I had a quick Cobb salad (which was immense) and then set off for the volcanoe hike. Fi didnt come as she decided she was too knackered after the horses and waterall trek. When we got to the volcanoe it was chucking it down with rain and i could only see about two thirds of the volcanoe as the top was covered in cloud. They told us the last eruption was last year so it was unlikely that there would be another one soon. We strolled through the jungle surrounding the volcanoe as the sun set and saw some monkeys and plants and stuff. It was nice. Then I met Fi at the Baldi Hot Springs, basically a five start hotel and spa that has a series of different pools with little waterfalls in the them that are heated from when the volcanoe first went off and the lava heated up the river. One of them was so hot (45 degrees c) that i couldnt even put my feet in it. We had a huge buffet dinner which was yummy and then chilled out in the different pools. It was just what I needed after all the actvities that day.
We went back to the hostel and had a drink at a restaraunt over the road which had just opened that night, it was awesome, had a chicken bus and a camper van in there which formed part of the seating area and was packed with locals. We headed back to the hostel and met an Irish girl and a girl from Hull who had met whilst travelling south america. I asked for tips and they said La Paz is very dodgy and to be careful. I have booked myself into a hostel they recommended and the hostel is sending a taxi driver to pick me up when i fly in at 00:35- he will be holding a sign with my name on it!!! So i feel much better about flying in late there now.
The next day we got a shuttle bus to Tamarindo which took about 5 hours but the bus was decent enough. Tamarindo is on the pacific coast and we stayed at Tamarindo Backpackers Hostel - the dorms were clean again and it had a tiny pool. When we arrived i was skyping Rob outside our room and the girl on reception came over and pointed out a howler monkey in the tree carrying a baby which was so cute! We went for a wander on the beach and to the souvenir shops and i booked a surfing lesson. We then had dinner at Wok n Roll which was yum, I had sushi.
The next day we got up earlyish and went for a swim and a sunbathe on the beach. We bought Cup Noodles for lunch to save money as it's so expensive in Costa Rica. Then I headed off to my surf lesson - wasnt really Fi's thing again so I did it on my own. Thought that there may be a few others doing it but turned out i had a private lesson with Eric and his girlfriend's dog Paco. Paco was the coolest dog I have ever met, he was a big golden retriever with a dreadlock behing his ear and a star tattoo under his ear - no kidding!
I put on a rash guard top and one of the guys in the shop lent me his board shorts to protect my legs from getting board rash and I was set to go, looked like a proper surfer dude! Me Eric and Paco head off to the beach and Eric taught me the techniques of where to lie and where to put my feet and how to 'pop up' on the board and then we went into the sea. Walking out to sea a wave came and smacked the surf board into my face, Eric had warned me about this and told me how to avoid it but I learned the hard way! Eric held the board with me on it until a decent wave came then he told me to paddle and when he shouted 'pop up' i jumped up onto the board and put my feet wide and did the proper surf arms!!! I totally wiped out the first three times, but then I got it and got it pretty good. I only wiped out once after that and mustve caught at least 10-20 waves. A couple of times I rode it all the way to the beach. It was a beautiful evening. We did a sunset surf for two hours and it was raining but there was a stunning rainbow and the sun peaked through the clouds. Eric then had a couple of goes on the board and then we got Paco on, he needed my help to hold the board whilst he heaved Paco onto it, and the dog rode the surf all the way to the beach! He loved it, he had a couple of goes. I think he thinks he is a human.
I headed back to the hostel when it got dark and got showered and we went for dinner at a restaraunt just down the road. We felt bad for them because they had just opened but were out the way from the centre of town so didnt get hardly any customers. They were all super nice in there - it was run by and italian and his partner who is from Honduras, she said he asked her out four times before she agreed to have dinner with him and once he had cooked for him she was hooked lol, she was funny. We had immense red snapper pasta and they gave us brioche on the house to start. A group of 11 Americans with children came in and the staff looked excited but the kids only wanted pizza chips and burgers and not the steak or pasta on the menu so they left. I really dislike Americans sometimes. We then went into town and went to a bar called Bar One, it was a rooftop bar and they played cool music like Sublime and had surfing videos on behind the bar. We had some cocktails and played three games of pool. It was a fun last night in Tamarindo. Then we went to bed and met two girls from Bristol who had just moved in as well as two brothers from USA but they were so drunk i thought they were Dutch - seriously. Settled down for my last night in the bottom bunk with a girl from Bristol in the bottom bunk of the beds next to mine - at my feet. Woke up at god knows what time and i was so hot i reached down to find the aircon remote and felt something furry - i stroked it, then realised it was a leg! One of the american boys had gotten into my bed and had his legs hanging out my bed and his head at the end of the Bristol girls bed. I freaked, I shook him awake and said 'Dude, youre kinda in my bed, I dont know how, but you are'. He apologised and got back into his own bed, it freaked me out though, that's dorms for you! Getting girls only dorms whenever possible lol. Funny now i look back at it.
We got a shuttle to San Jose in the morning, on the way out just past our hostel there was something bad ass going down, three men and a woman in the road, one man had a rock in his hand and the other man had a huge knife. The man with the knife pushed the other man against the wall, i think he was ok because he walked off but it was scary! And more people were approaching the fight as we passed it, and that was at 8 in the morning, not good. Didnt think it was dodgy there, obviously involved drugs or money.
We arrived in San Jose at Hostel Pangea and it is massive! Got a pool but its very wet at the moment. We got a double room because Fi is leaving at 4am to catch her flight and we have the Royal Suite, its immense for a hostel and only $40.
Going to be so sad to leave central america, its been ALOT of fun. Im sure south america will be good too though.... Catching a flight to La Paz, Bolivia at 3:45pm tomorrow. Right now, I dont want to go home to my humdrum predictable life :( but i get to see my friends and family and of course, Rob, which make for a very special Christmas, I can't wait to see him when he gets me at the airport :)
BTW, they have the coca cola advert out here in central america too. Doesnt feel like christmas is coming at all for me, the holidays are already here!
Hasta Luego Amigos (see you later friends!) xxx
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