Costa Rica Dia 3

Today started with us checking out of our hotel in Liberia. Then, we were off to the Cloud Forest.

After 1.5 hours of driving we realized the Google Maps instructions may have been wrong. Perhaps we should have known better when it read “Make Sharp Left”, but without telling you what street to turn onto. That, or the fact that we ended up at the border of Nicaragua. We contemplated going across the border to get our passports stamped and have lunch. We thought otherwise after seeing the semis backed up, plus we had a 7 month-old with us. It was wise to just turn around.

So we went with our backup option…..Santa Rosa National Park.

First we checked in and paid our entrance fee, then proceeded to lather up with bug spray and use el baño. Interesting bathroom to say the least. The door only locks from the outside. There were hornets nests on the ceiling. No place to wash your hands. BUT….they did have toilet paper.

Next it was on to the original farmhouse. The whole building was made of compacted mud covered in plaster. Behind the farmhouse there was a trail leading up to the top of the hill where there were INCREDIBLE views. We even saw iguanas!

Then, we decided to hike some of the trails in the park. As you enter a sign promises lots of weird creatures along the way including Crested Guans, White-faced monkeys, and Coatis. We saw a few lizards and a Crested Guan…..no coati, no monkey.

This is a termites nest!

Now that we finished with the park, we were off to check in to our next hotel on the Pacific Coast. On our drive we encountered many strange methods of travel, including this young man who rode on the back of a truck, on top of a pile of lumber, with a chainsaw between his legs. I wish I could say this was uncommon, but it was not (maybe the chainsaw part, but that’s it).

For lunch we stopped at this place called the Greenhouse. It was very cool. It’s literally a greenhouse (although it does have air conditioning). They have a varied menu with everything from sushi to veggie burgers to ceviche, all very good.

For dinner we ate at the hotel and had a lovely meal. The resort is all-inclusive so they are constantly bringing you drinks and more food because most people don’t turn them down. For desert they have an option that is quite popular in Costa Rica….ice cream with strawberry popcorn. We all decided it tasted like ice cream with lucky charms. The other deserts were also very good!