Re-arranging My Age Time Zone

This post finds us in the interior of Costa Rica, near the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We spent our first full day hiking through the many trails in the reserve. Not a lot of 4 legged creatures but we spotted plenty of bird species, lots of tree moss and made our way to a lovely viewpoint of the Continental Divide which extends through the centre of the country. It was a clear sunny day.....shady in the cloud forest.....but the lack of clouds at our higher altitude made it look like just like a rain forest, rather than a misty cloud forest. The following day provided an opportunity to pretend we were young again. On the one year anniversary of my first skydive........2 mile free fall in 60 seconds (120 mph) with my tandem guide before he pulled the rip cord.....it was time get Pocahontas up in the air on some zip-lines. We waited until arriving here because the longest zip-lines in Latin America would be on our doorstep. We did 10 zip-lines in total with the 2 longest being just under 1.6 km from end to end. I did both using the 'Superman' option where I was connected to the zip-line cable by my back centre rather than my hips, while my partner opted for the conventional zip-line trip. We both did a rappel from a high platform and I finished the day with a Tarzan swing which had the best adrenaline rush when stepping off the platform and dropping 45 metres before the strong rope propelled me forward just before approaching ground level. It was a lot of fun and our aging bodies had no ill effects the following day.

We departed Santa Elena the same way we came in with a van - boat - van trip to the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific coast (our 3rd water involved transfer in a row), although instead of a small boat it was a ferry crossing the 40 km wide Nicoya Gulf. The ferry provided a smooth passage, the water protected from the Pacific waves by the peninsula, with many scenic islands along the way. Following a mostly pot-holed, gravel road to the coast we made it to our Santa Teresa destination. The ocean was only 100 metres from our room so we walked down to the beach to see magnificent clear sky sunsets both evenings.....the second time accompanied with adult beverages. The beach closest to us was Playa Carmen, a well renowned surfer beach. Several trips to the beach saw it filled with surfers, newbies and well tanned locals, so other than a short foray into the crashing surf, we opted for the calm waters of our hotel pool, while mingling with the 90% younger crowd at dinner time.

With a plan to finish our Costa Rica time along the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, with no coastal road bus access, we decided to rent a car for the first time on this Central America adventure. Not sure why we did since after seeking advice we still decided to avoid the rough, gravel road along the coast to head back inland, and then back again, to proceed further up the coast, just like the local bus does. In any event it allowed us to find lovely accommodation away from the beach towns with great views down to the ocean. We settled in the tiny village of Playa Negra at a fascinating in-progress resort. It must have been designed by a brilliant architect, using local tree limbs and concrete to create beautiful surroundings, including a waterfall pool and a comfortable spot for nightly fire pit gatherings. They are still working on more small buildings so it will become even more popular over time. All the nearby beaches appealed to the surfer crowd more than us so we spent less time there than at our incredible property.

We have now moved further north up the coast to the busy beach town of Tamarindo. Developed in the middle of a crescent shaped, light brown sand beach, with lots of bars and restaurants close to the ocean, it will be quite a change from our recent digs. It will still be a relaxing finish to our time in Costa Rica.

Monteverde Cloud Forest - many beautiful flowers along the trails that get watered almost daily by the surrounding mist from the Pacific clouds.

Looking along the Continental Divide from our trail viewpoint

Crossing another hanging (suspension) bridge while walking through the Cloud Forest.

All geared up for our virgin Zip-line adventure. My previous research had identified this particular place as having the longest zip-lines in Latin America so why not start with the best?

Pocahontas on her way. Always a good idea to let your partner go first to test out the line......and hold onto the camera to hide your personal fear from being displayed.

Playa Carmen (near Playa Negra) watching the sun go down and the surfers getting in their final licks.

Back to Playa Carmen the next day to enjoy the solitude and lovely sand beach.

Another trip to the beach to watch the sun go down. It never gets tired.

A turtle conservation project with some World Wildlife Foundation funding and now operated by school children. The eggs of 3 different turtle species (including Leatherbacks) are being protected until it is time for them to hatch and make their way to the ocean, 20 metres away.

A view towards the pool from our balcony at the gorgeous La Tica resort which was not expensive but did require a vehicle to get there. There were 4 side 'sitting' pools that all drained into the main pool.

The fire pit at La Tica where they were burning scraps from their ongoing efforts to expand the facility. The following night they needed to bring in extra seating to handle the crowd that came in just for dinner.

Our foray earlier today out to the Tamarindo beach while waiting to check in. We will definitely be back.