Flashback Friday - The Cloud Forest, Costa Rica 2017

We had started the day by taking a boat ride across the reservoir from La Fortuna, and then drove through the hills into the cloud forest by Monte Verde.  A cloud forest is similar to a rainforest, but at a higher elevation so it exists within the clouds.  It’s a fairly unique ecosystem accounting for a very small percentage of rainforests.

After arriving at Monte Verde, a few of us chose to go to a local plantation where they grow cocoa beans and sugar cane.  We got to try incredibly raw chocolate, so bitter, and help make sugar, very delicious, and also were given a shot of rough guard liquor.  Which the guide told us after his girlfriend uses as nail polish remover.

We stayed at an incredible little hotel, my roommate and I were lucky enough get a really large room with a gorgeous deck with a hammock.  It really was just a lovely spot, with a fun bar that made a fun frozen drink using a local liquor made from sugar cane.

The next day, we went on a tour of the national forest, and learned about the ecosystem of the cloud forest. There we saw so many birds, some type of small cat that darted across the path, and a sloth.  Sloths are interesting, because they move so slowly, they can be hard to find in the trees.  There is no flash of movement to catch ones eye.  However, once one is found, the guides can usually keep an eye on him for several days before he changes position and the hunt starts again.

In the afternoon we went zip lining.  I had never done it, and had a bit of an irrational fear from a ridiculous scene of a medial drama.  And a little fear of heights.  It was an absolute blast though, we started small by crossing between trees, before finishing by zipping across a massive canyon and back.  The grand finale was a Tarzan swing.  You can feel the bungee pulling at you as the guides say they will count to three and then shove you off on two.  I still remember the primal scream of the initial drop, then switched to delighted screams for the swings.

It was a free evening, and the one group of friends wanted to have dinner at the Tree House restaurant, and welcomed me to join them as it looked amazing.  This entire restaurant was built up around a massive tree.  The centre was open so we could hear the rain pattering down the leaves as we ate.  The tree itself was really well lit too.  The food was great, but the atmosphere was incredible. 

It was really a special spot, I would definitely recommend Monte Verde to anyone.  But tours gonna tour and the next day we moved on to the next town.  It was a drive down from the mountains to the Pacific coast for the last few days. 

Flashback Friday- Costa Rica 2017

This one is going back in time a bit, this trip would have been planned shortly after I got my first big full time job.  So this was my first big excursion trip with my own funding.  I chose Costa Rica, a bit at random, I’d heard good things about it, but didn’t have a big reason to go there.  Just sounded nice.

This was my first big trip travelling Solo, so I opted to go on a tour.  I generally travel with G Adventures on my tours, they are a good Canadian company and I have had a lot of luck with them.  For this trip, it started and finished in San Jose.  I decided to fly in a day ahead to have some time to explore and make sure I wasn’t late due to any travel snafus.

The hotel we were at was nice, in the morning of my first day I got some instructions on taking the bus into San Jose.  There was a nice broadway to walk along, with lovely old buildings and a museum of local history.  I had lunch in town, and just walked down the Main Street.  I had decided to take a taxi back to the hotel instead of trying the buses again on my own.  Making small talk and lots of “um hmmmms” in my incredibly basic Spanish to try and seem less like a tourist to be taken advantage.  Not sure if he bought it, but I was dropped at my hotel without a full unnecessary tour of the city. 

That evening the group got together for the first time and introduced with the guide.  I was pleased as it looked like I would have my own room, which is a treat.  Unfortunately it was just a miscommunication. My roommate had travel issues and I met her when I was woken up in the middle of the night to someone else coming in my room!  That small hiccup aside, she was a great companion for the trip. 

As I recall, the group mostly knew each other, there was one other single man on the trip, the rest was a friends group, a pair of couples, and a father with his teenage daughters.  Our guide was an amazing local woman, she was just fantastic. 

The first full day of the tour we drove up to the town of La Fortuna which is at the base of the Arenal volcano.  They didn’t actually know volcano was still alive till the 60’s.  The first clue was the local river ran hot.  Then it exploded.  Sadly a fair number of people were killed, and three villages were destroyed.  The government took advantage of the sad situation, instead of rebuilding they relocated the surviving villagers and then built a dam that had been previously considered that flooded the land the old villages had been on.

Along the way we stopped at a coffee plantation, where we got a tour of everything from the plants growing to how they roast and prep the beans.  I am not a fan of coffee, but the others in the group said it was delicious.  When we arrived in La Fortuna the group went out on a Canyoneering expedition, where we climbed and jumped along trails along a river running along a canyon.  That evening the tour all went to a local hotel that uses the local hot springs to make some delight full swimming pools.

The town of La Fortuna is thriving at the base of the volcano, which has slowed down in the last 15 years. Our guide was from the area, and on a free night in town she took us to the local river that still runs hot. The locals had built up rock walls to make pools in the river, and it was a lovely temperature for relaxing in.  She had organized coolers for us and everyone had bought drinks and snacks to enjoy.  Sadly the local spot was being discovered and as we were heading out a couple coach buses were arriving.

The next day I chose to do a similar waterfall jumping trip, it was a smaller group of other tourists.  It was amazing as it started with a 60ft rappel along side a small water fall.  It ended with jumping off a 6ft cliff into a deep pool.  I attempted a flip.  It didn’t go well, I didn’t quite get the rotation.  But was still a ton of fun! At the end of the trip the snack for everyone was some fresh pineapple.  I was a little disappointed as I don’t care for pineapple.  Then I learned what I don’t care for is the imported pineapple we get in Canada.  Fresh pineapple is AMAZING.

After two days in La Fortuna we took a boat ride across the reservoir and then a long drive into the cloud forest and the town of Monte Verde in the mountains. 

Alex's Advice - Hostels for Solo Travellers

Lots of people can be quite nervous travelling alone, and travelling on a budget doesn’t help.  I started my solo travelling late in life so my concerns are not quite the same as young women.  I am just hoping to share some of my personal experiences.

When I did my epic trip, I spent the first two months in Europe.  As I had a long journey ahead of me, I chose to stay in hostels most of the time.  With the exception of one hostel in Dublin that used a headache inducing cleaner in the bathroom, I managed quite well.

One concern was that I was going to be the old lady at the hostel even at the ancient age of 38.  While most backpackers were of a different generation than me, a few were of an unexpected direction.  My first hostel in York there were several senior citizens staying there.  It helped me feel more comfortable immediately.  Also most of the younger people couldn’t care less, in Venice I hung out in the bar a few nights and chatted with a variety of people.  While I never chose to join the pub crawls, everyone seemed happy to meet anyone passing by.  

Though once in Edinburgh a pack of high schoolers on a trip were slamming doors as they chased each other through the halls.  I actually did channel my inner old woman and went to ask them to be quiet. Chagrinned they swore they would go to bed.  I had to laugh and said I didn’t care if they went to bed - just pick a room and stay there!

Still, there are safety concerns.  Many hostels do offer women’s only dorms.  I never really minded if I was in a co-ed or not.  I did notice however if Women only was available and I chose mixed, usually to be in a room with less beds, I would end up being the only woman.  I never had issues, but it is a consideration especially for young women travelling alone.  If there was an option, I started picked the women’s dorm.  

For privacy, it can be good to look at pictures of the rooms and see if there are curtains that come with the bunks.  If it’s not an option, I had planned ahead.  Most people are going to be traveling with a lightweight towel that can work as a curtain, or a sarong wrap works too.  Buy a clothes line from a camping store, these often come with attached clips.  Ask for a bottom or lower bunk, and you can wrap the line around the posts of the bed, attach your towel and get a little extra privacy.  It also works for longer travels to have something to hang clothes to dry.   

Be sure to also pack a lock, not just the one on your luggage, but a combination lock for a locker.  Try and look for hostels that have locker space in the rooms.  It’s a lot more comfortable leaving things behind if you know you can secure them.  I never liked carrying my passport out and about, but I was also never going to leave it unsecured.  In the same way, I also travelled with cash and back up bank cards.  I split them up into separate envelopes or wallets and hid one in various bags.  If something got stolen I should always have back ups. 

As for booking hostels, there are lots of websites out there, I usually would browse a few of them, the main hotel ones and also Hostelworld.  It can help to read a variety of reviews from different sites to be sure a location has what you want, and too see if complaints are dealt with or ignored based on responses on the big sites. 

I enjoyed staying in hostels, it was definitely a different experience and took me back to my younger days of travelling.  But if you aren’t planning to spend a lot of time at your accommodations it’s a great way to save money. You can meet people to hang out with if you are feeling a little lonely, or pick a place with a bar if you aren’t up for exploring your city alone after dark.

Be sure to have some headphones, both so you don’t disturb others or to help fall asleep when others are being loud.  And even in hostels - you do get what you pay for.  At the $20 pod hostel in Singapore you definitely got your moneys worth and not a cent more!