The realisation that the tour & our time in Central America is nearing the end is just starting to dawn on us! What an adventure it has been!
Today we leave the picturesque volcano & the town of La Fortuna, to travel to Coope San Juan, a rural community, where we will be staying in guest houses with host families.
Tom & I really loved this last time We did it in Guatemala & can't wait to experience it again in Costa Rica.
Today's travel is a fairly big day & even though it's picturesque outside the window, the hangover's we're nursing & the uncomfortable seats on this particular van make the minutes creep by very slowly. We are given a well appreciated break at the halfway point to stretch our legs & grab a coffee, then it was back on the road.
We arrived in the centre of the town at the community hall around 3pm & were assigned to a family each. Tom & I were the first group allocated to someone. A lady named Shirley, that we guess was in her mid forties. She spoke a very small amount of English & after our introductions she led us towards her house which was about a 5 minute walk along a very muddy & rocky road.
I was grateful to be wearing my boots & to have all my things in my pack, firmly on my back. Suitcases are stylish & easy , but 99% of the places we've been, they would have been a total inconvenience & so impractical.
Tom & I are served some coffee & we sit outside the back door chatting. There is a tree towards the side of the property with some annoying birds in it making a noise like a squeaky toy.
On closer investigation, we realise they are toucans!
Shirley notices our enthusiasm & laughs, then shows us pictures she has taken of the "naughty toucanas" eating her bananas & invading other birds nests. They are extremely exotic & beautiful birds, but their omnivorous diets see them devour eggs & chicks that are still in the nest, which does expose a more sinister side to their nature.
After our coffee & bird watching, we retreat to our room for some alone time. We're both feeling pretty tired & nap before dinner, despite having just drunk coffee.
Shirley wakes us up around 7.30pm for a dinner of vegetables, rice, beans & corn tortillas.
We ate this with Shirley on the back patio, the rest of the family members had left by this stage.
It's the basic, fuel enriching, staple dish of this country & region. There's not a lot that beans, rice & corn can't fix.
After dinner we continue to sit out the back & chat with Shirley about our age, professions & siblings, while exchanging photos.
After we've exchanged enough conversation she goes into the kitchen to clean up & insists on refusing any help. Tom & I both shower & settle in for the night. Shirley's husband comes home after dinner & while they are in the lounge room watching tv, I go to the bathroom one last time & in the process, I let a GIANT toad into the house.
Today we leave the picturesque volcano & the town of La Fortuna, to travel to Coope San Juan, a rural community, where we will be staying in guest houses with host families.
Tom & I really loved this last time We did it in Guatemala & can't wait to experience it again in Costa Rica.
Today's travel is a fairly big day & even though it's picturesque outside the window, the hangover's we're nursing & the uncomfortable seats on this particular van make the minutes creep by very slowly. We are given a well appreciated break at the halfway point to stretch our legs & grab a coffee, then it was back on the road.
We arrived in the centre of the town at the community hall around 3pm & were assigned to a family each. Tom & I were the first group allocated to someone. A lady named Shirley, that we guess was in her mid forties. She spoke a very small amount of English & after our introductions she led us towards her house which was about a 5 minute walk along a very muddy & rocky road.
I was grateful to be wearing my boots & to have all my things in my pack, firmly on my back. Suitcases are stylish & easy , but 99% of the places we've been, they would have been a total inconvenience & so impractical.
We are shown to our room, which is a basic wooden set up, extended on to the already existing house. It has 2 beds, mosquito nets, a fan & a lock on the door, which makes it more than adequate for us. There is 2 little brown dogs loitering around the front yard, chickens out the back roaming free, cows in the paddock behind the house, 2 pig's in a very small pen & a very vocal guard dog tied up. It feels very rural, very basic & like it would be a very easy life.
When we arrive there is some extended family members in the lounge room that we are introduced to. Unfortunately, they were hard names to pronounce & remember, but we wouldn't see them again.
Tom & I are served some coffee & we sit outside the back door chatting. There is a tree towards the side of the property with some annoying birds in it making a noise like a squeaky toy.
On closer investigation, we realise they are toucans!
Shirley notices our enthusiasm & laughs, then shows us pictures she has taken of the "naughty toucanas" eating her bananas & invading other birds nests. They are extremely exotic & beautiful birds, but their omnivorous diets see them devour eggs & chicks that are still in the nest, which does expose a more sinister side to their nature.
After our coffee & bird watching, we retreat to our room for some alone time. We're both feeling pretty tired & nap before dinner, despite having just drunk coffee.
Shirley wakes us up around 7.30pm for a dinner of vegetables, rice, beans & corn tortillas.
We ate this with Shirley on the back patio, the rest of the family members had left by this stage.
It's the basic, fuel enriching, staple dish of this country & region. There's not a lot that beans, rice & corn can't fix.
After dinner we continue to sit out the back & chat with Shirley about our age, professions & siblings, while exchanging photos.
After we've exchanged enough conversation she goes into the kitchen to clean up & insists on refusing any help. Tom & I both shower & settle in for the night. Shirley's husband comes home after dinner & while they are in the lounge room watching tv, I go to the bathroom one last time & in the process, I let a GIANT toad into the house.
It was a lot bigger than any toad I've ever seen in Australia & after a few unsuccessful attempts to get it back outside, it is in the lounge room. I give up on trying to solve this problem & instead just point at it & say "hola" so at least they know it's there. Oops.. It's not the ideal way to thank your hosts for hospitality.
The dense food, that was in abundance only increased our sleepiness from this afternoon & soon after dinner we were back in our beds.
- Alli
The dense food, that was in abundance only increased our sleepiness from this afternoon & soon after dinner we were back in our beds.
- Alli
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