This image shows how I felt putting together a photo trip to Costa Rica. I was taking a lot of YouTube classes learning to use my camera better. And, I took my camera out every time I went somewhere to practice. So I was working on two projects simultaneously.
However, after 40 years of travel, I was caught off guard by the difficulty involved! A combination of changes caused by COVID 19 and a different cultural way of looking at things. Assumptions bit me in the butt! I learned from that and what that meant: VERIFY every little piece of information!!
Whew, what a lot of work!
COVID and transportation!
There are a ton of blogs with tips for travel. Unfortunately, many of them have old information not updated to current conditions. Those that have updated, well, they might need to do so every couple weeks or days!
Bus schedules weren’t all that helpful. Flights seemed the fastest way to get there rather than travel for two full days. However, one airline continued to fly while the others offered only charter service.
Osa Peninsula is described as the most biologically intense spot on the planet. However it’s a large place! What to see, how to see it, what options are available? More detail exploration.
When I decided on two places near Puerto Jimenez to explore nature, it was a relief. Both had regular shuttle service from Puerto Jimenez. After putting down a deposit, one casually mentioned that the shuttle that runs twice a day…DOESN’T! Okkkkkkaaaayyyy!
Alamo car rental helped me learn what I needed to rent a car, save cost on insurance, and confirm that I needed a 4×4 to get there. Oh, they don’t have any cars available?!
Every step of the way was like that! Free shuttle from the hotel to the airport…wasn’t. Uber in San Jose is good but…not at the airport…but wait…yes at the airport but at a restaurant near by…not at the restaurant but the bus stop near…etc!???
New plan: what details are essential to have in place? I discovered that nearly every business in Costa Rica is on WhatsApp. Calling helped a lot! And the essentials fell into place!
Flight to San Jose. Flight to Puerto Jimenez. Lodging for my first night. Reservation for Dos Brazos Bolita Lodge. Reservation for Luna Lodge.
Jumping to the end of the trip and I found where I can get the fastest results for an antigen test required for returning to the US. They are open 24×7 and provide results in 2 hours or less.
And that was it! Other transportation, lodging, reservations, etc would evolve as I moved along. And they have fallen into place perfectly!
Patience!! Flexibility! Go with the flow!
Final travel transportation story!
The collectivo shuttle DID run on Fridays. The lodge allowed me to stay through the day and wait for the 4:30 shuttle. However, after my trip in on that rough road, I knew a van would be much more comfortable! On Thursday, I asked Edwin about it. He would let me know! As I was relaxing in the hammock on Friday, my birthday, he let me know that I was in luck! A driver was going back to Puerto Jimenez and have room for me! He would be there between 12:00 and 1:00…likely 1:00.
He arrived at 2:30.
Leaving Puerto Jimenez two days later, I learned the bus leaves at 5:00 am. Maybe 6:00 am. Might be 9:00 or 10:00? Ha! By now I was tell clued in! Directly from the bus station, they told me the trip was 7 hours leaving at 5:00 am. Perfect! Plus or minus! It was actually over 8 hours BUT, in time for me to purchase an onward ticket to Cahuita on the Caribbean coast.
I bought the ticket and it was confirmed the trip was only 4 hours. In hindsight, I’m sure they are so used to saying that, they don’t even think about current conditions! The entire highway was under construction! Down to two lanes often including bicyclist, it took 5 1/2 hours! It was the most crowded bus or plane I’ve been on! But, everyone or nearly everyone wore masks!
Now, I’m here! Lots of things have changed since I was here 24 years ago. I’m really enjoying myself and the world of nature. Everything is much more expensive than I am used to BUT, I’m not making much of an effort to stay on an extremely tight travel budget. If I were traveling for on an extended trip, it’d be different.
Everything is quoted in US prices. When I pay in Colones, the price changes, often to more. However locals told me it can be difficult to change US dollars into Colones so I still use them. Credit card companies charge hotels and restaurants a 13% fee for the use of credit cards. Again, I’m at the ATM getting more Colones to help them out.
What hasn’t changed is that the people are lovely!
The biggest changes? Smooth fast highways. New shiny expensive cars and trucks. Traffic problems. Lot of forest gone for farm land/cattle land and palm oil plantations.
What is still amazing: in natural protected areas, the sights and sounds of wildlife is amazing!
My Travel Plan
Normally when I plan a trip to new places, I read a lot to gain an overview of the country. Then, like for this trip, I narrow down a ton of possibilities to the few that make sense for the time I have available. And I pay careful attention to the old Sufi quote: “Only a fool trusts another’s word over their own experience”!
I “FEEL” what is right for me. This trip, it was more difficult because there is so much to see and experience here. And I was clear I wanted to sit in and feel the energy of the forest, to simply be still, listen and soak that up.
As I focused on the feeling I wanted, two places stood out. Osa Peninsula and Puerto Viejo. They are quite different environments but both have unique birds and animals.
That narrowed it down but there were still many options for each. I’m happy with my choices and am clearer for what I’ll experience next time! Not only for this trip but for my next nature experience likely in Borneo and Sumatra.
Travel Highlights
Part of my motivation for this trip, in addition to studying photography and gathering more travel stories for my work, was celebrating my birthday. The photo above is of Lana and her mother at Luna Lodge. Their chef Marco made a special birthday cake for me. Awesome! “Mom” is from Crested Butte but sat out the COVID year here in Costa Rica.
Things have flowed perfectly! Yesterday, at the bus station in San Jose with very little time before the next bus departed, a security guard helped me. There was a hostel above the station. He offered me their WiFi password so I could check on reservations in Cahuita….which I did NOT have. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get all the way yesterday? A couple minutes on the web and I was able to book my rooms for three nights. WHY!? It is Semana Santa, a very busy week for travel during Holy Week! Over 80% of hotels were booked when I checked yesterday.
One place I liked had been full but they had a cancellation. And they offered a discount! I’m there now in a lovely room with AC which really takes the edge off the humidity especially for a good nights sleep.
I’m leaving the day after tomorrow and going to Puerto Viejo. No, I don’t have reservations yet nor do I know when the bus leaves. After hiking in the park tomorrow, those things will fall into place. Hopefully, that will happen after I walk to the French Bakery for a croissant and some good bread!
I asked at the hotel about the possibility of a tour to the cacao plantation. COVID has still taken a toll on that world and he was going to check and get back to me. Tour offices are closed and tours are irregular. As I walked out for lunch, a motorcycle stopped in front as I was leaving. He asked if the office was open but I told him everyone was at lunch. He said that Juan had called him to check for someone who wanted to do a tour. That would be ME! Perfect timing!
I’ve had multiple places surprise me with birthday treats. I wrote about Antojito’s Latino’s in Puerto Jimenez. I ate there my first night and was debating between a beer and lemonade? Then, I realized it’s my birthday, CERVEZA! She asked me about my birthday at that time. Then, nearly a week later after I had dinner there again, she and her partner came out o the kitchen with a banana crepe covered in chocolate and ice cream with a candle in it to celebrate my birthday. What a surprise! This morning talking with the woman at Aroma Cafe, I decided to have a treat and once again, justified it as being a birthday treat. They brought it out to me with a candle burning on top! Lovely people here!
Experiencing the jungle!
So what were my favorite places? Well, for what? The audio above is my favorite experience: morning waking up!
I wanted to see Scarlet Macaws and frogs. I saw both at Bolita Lodge and Luna Lodge. Bolita Lodge required a 30 minute (hour) walk to get there carrying my groceries for the next few days. I felt embraced by and immersed in the forest there. Sitting in a hammock, the forest embraced and nurtured me, birds were always around and the monkeys were awesome. Luna Lodge was a lovely treat! However, it felt more manicured and a bit separate from the forest. And they had fewer nature trails to explore. Every other experience into the forest required a guided tour. Food and staff and…well, everything..was really nice there!
Val from Bolita sent me a note telling me that it was a challenging hike into the lodge and they had facilities to store any extra gear I might now need. Had she said, “It’s a brutal steep climb. If you think your have your pack organized, think again and leave EVERYTHING that isn’t essential. The trail will kick your ass!!!” Well, I took things I didn’t really need and it was a grueling hike in.
Part of the challenge: my lungs, while adept to breathing extremely dry air at altitude had NO idea how to deal with 70% plus humidity! I couldn’t get air for a few days. Of course, when the sun was settling, the moisture in the air often became visible in the kitchen lights so it was really humid.
I am certain how I will pack next time and what I will take along!
I made two gallery collections of photo’s from my journey so far. It is amazing to me that I have only been traveling a short time as I feel like I’ve been on the road for a month or so??