Monteverde

We did a good job getting off the boat, over the river in the panga and into the car by 6:30 in the morning. The drive to Monteverde was simple enough although the last 10 miles were along a dirt road. This was fine until we came up behind a truck with no intentions to let us pass by. Nevertheless we were in the town of Monteverde by around 8:30.

It was delightful to be up in cool fresh air away from the heat and humidity of Puntarenas. The town was quaint and obviously aimed at local area tourism with plenty of restaurant, concessions, bars and hostels. We sat down and ate our packed sandwiches before having a little wander around. On the main street was a lovely looking restaurant built up around a tree. It looked a little pricey but they had ribs on the menu and other attractive fare.

We decided to check out our accommodation, Cabinas Capulin, a short way out of town. As expected the place wasn’t ready yet but we were able to speak to one of the English speaking brothers about local attractions. We decided to drive further up the ‘road’ to Selvatura where we took their canopy hike which included 8 suspension bridges.

This was a great experience. We were immersed in the sounds of the rain forest which was incredibly peaceful. The bridges took us through and over the forest canopy. The variety of scenery and foliage was quite stunning.

After the walk we visited their reptile and amphibian house. This was interesting although we saw little more than one would see in a reptile house in a decent zoo. We therefore considered it a little pricey for what we got.

After this we drove back to our cabins to find it was all ready. The ‘casa’ we have looked a little boxey on the outside but inside it is very nice. The inside is all wood. We have four bedrooms including two doubles so we have plenty of room. Outside the views are pleasant. From the upstairs we can see all the way to the Pacific Ocean or at least the Golfo de Nicoya.

In the afternoon we went back into town to have a look around. We separated by generation but as it seems to happen with us we bumped into each other in the same bar. The kids had stopped by for a beer and we were just looking in. We ended up having a long conversation with the owner ‘Ran’ who gave us some very good feedback on the local attractions. He also told us what he thought the best accommodation was in Arenal which turns out to be the same place as we’ve already booked: Essence Arenal. That was reassuring.

We split up again to do our various things. Helen and I booked all the attractions we’re interested in for the time we’re here.

We again bumped into each other in the main street so we visited the supermarket together before heading back to the cabin for a rest. We had one little piece of unplanned excitement when we spotted a scorpion near Ben’s head. While it was probably harmless I don’t think Jess was too impressed.

In the evening we walked into town to eat at the Treetop restaurant. While very nice in appearance it turned out to have mediocre food and was pricier than first thought. I wouldn’t recommend it. We followed this by returning to the bar we’d met up in earlier as they were celebrating St Patrick’s Day there. The festivities hadn’t yet started so we chatted for a while outside around a fire and a beer each. Helen and I left the younger ones there and took a taxi back to the cabin.

Today we have a lot planned although all of it after a bit of a lie in. We’re going on a zip line adventure followed by the option of rappelling down some waterfalls. We’ll have an hour back at the cabin before going out on an evening/night hike. The only flaw is the latest we can have breakfast here is 7:30am which messes up the lie in.