Saturday, January 20, 2007

Costa Rica - San Jose und Umgebung

09.12.-13.12.


Werde morgens von Eva Ulmer, der Produzentin eines Radioprogramms fuer Kinder hier in San Jose, genannt "UPE", abegeholt und wir fahren mit ihrem uralten orangenen VW Bus (tolle Farbe, sicherlich Sammlerwert, aber leider mehr in der Werkstatt als er gefahren wird - auch wenn sie ihn erst vor einigen Wochen gekauft hat. In der Zeit, in der ich in San Jose bin, muss er sicherlich weitere 5 mal in die Wekstatt und ich glaube kaum, dass ich den Tag noch miterleben, an dem kein Oel aus dem Motor tropft;-)))) nach Piedades, einem kleinen Ort ca. 20 Minten von San Jose enfernt.

Hier wohne ich die naechsten Tage bei der 68-Jaehrigen Dame Tía Nena, die eine ganz herzliche Person und eine wunderbare Koechin ist.
Habe ein Zimmer mit einem grossen Bett fuer mich ganz allein!!! In Piedades ist auch die Stiftung, bei der Eva ihren Arbeitsplatz hat. Die Stiftung ist in einem schoenen Haus weiter oben auf einem Berg untergebracht mit einem wunderbaren Garten und tollen Blick ueber die Berge rund um San Jose.

Eva und ihre Mitarbeiterin Yorleny sind super nett und Eva uebersetzt das meiste fuer mich, damit ich verstehe, worum es bei den Radiosendungen geht. Mein Spanisch ist zwar inwischen so gut, dass ich eine halbwegs geschiete Unterhaltung hinbekomme, aber ich bemerke doch recht schnell, dass es definitiv nicht gut genug ist, um bei der Produktion der Radiospots mitzuhelfen. Daher beschraenkt sich meine Rolle eher aufs zuhoeren.

Da ich auch leider etwas erkaeltet bin brauche ich ohnehin viel Ruhe und verbringe die naechsten Tage eher weniger aktiv. Abends gehe ich meist frueh schlafen oder gehe mit Eva oder Yorleny ins Kino. Habe bald alle Filme durch, die das Kino zu bieten hat, aber Kino ist einfach eine ganz wunderbare Erfindung und die Filme hier werden zum Glueck alle auf Englisch gezeigt.


14.01.


Nach vier Tagen Ruhe muss ich mich dann doch mal wieder bewegen und nehem den 5 Uhr Bus nach San Jose um dort den 6:30 Bus nach Monteverde zu bekommen.

Die Fahrt dauer ca. 4-5 Stunden und geht die letzte Stunde ueber ziemlich holprige Wege durch die Berge.



Die Aussicht von dort ist allerdings fantastisch und man kann bis zum pazifischen Ozean schauen.
Komme gegen Mittag in Monteverde an und nehme ein Zimmer im Pacifico Hotel fuer 5 Dollar die Nacht. Da ich den ganzen Nachmittag noch vor mir habe, melde ich mich fuer den Tag fuer eine Canopy Tour an. Das ist die Aktiviteat, die man unbedingt in Monteverde machen muss. Dabei haengt man gesichert mit einem Kletterguertel an einem kurzen Seil. Dieses ist mit einer Rollvorrichtung an einem langen Drahtseil befestigt, das zwischen zwei Masten gespannt ist. Man klingt sich dann an dem Seil an einem Masten ein und rollt an dem Drahtseil entlang zu dem andern Masten. Ich entscheide mich fuer die Agentur "Extremo Tours", weil die angeblich die hoechsten und laengsten Drahseile haben. Ich schaetze mal, dass die hoechsten an die 200 Meter hoch und ca. 500 Meter lang sind.












Da ich die einzige bin, die die Tour an diesem nachmittag gebucht hat, habe ich drei junge Costaricaner als Tourguides fuer mich allein. Sehr nett. Man haengt wirklich ganz schoen hoch und duest teilweise mit 30 kmh die Seile entlang. Toll!
Haben auch die ganze Zeit Sonnenschein. Aber es weht ein ganz schoen starkter Wind und teilweise denke ich schon, dass ich mich gleich ueberschlage, aber es geht natuerlich alles gut und ich bin total begeistert.

Abends koche ich zusammen mit einem Franzosen, der im gleichen Hotel wohnt und wir gehen spaeter auf ein Getraenk in die "Dorfdisco", in der fast nur Einheimische und ein paar Quoten-Amis sind.


15.01.

Werde um 10:30 von einem Shuttle abgeholt und fahre zu einer Tour ueber die "Suspension-Bridges". Dabei wandert man ueber insgesamt 8 schmale Haengebruecken durch und teilweise ueber den Regenwald.
















Die Wanderung dauert ca. 1 1/2 Stunden und ich habe wieder mal Glueck und bin fast komplett allein auf der ganzen Strecke. Da ich hier im Regenwald bin, ist auch das Wetter woertlich entsprechend bescheiden, aber zum Glueck fisselt es nur so vor sich hin. Die Agentur, die die Brueckentour anbietet, hat im gleichen Gebiet auch ihre Canopy Tour und waehrend ich wandere kann ich einige Leute oben in der Luft bei der Zip Line Tour beobachten.














Habe beschlossen, dass heute ein Aktivitaetentag ist und laufe nach der Brueckentour zum Nationalpark von Santa Elena und wandere den 5 Kilometer Enchantate Trail durch den Regenwald. Ziemlich einsam hier und ich treffe auf dem Weg nur 4 weitere Menschen.













Man sieht wohl ziemlich viele Regenwaldplanzen, aber ansonsten passiert nicht Spektaluaeres. Ausser dass sich genau in dem Moment, als ich in meinen Apfel beissen moechte, eine Spinne von oben abseilt und sich fett auf meinen Apfel setzt - den ich dann natuerlich nicht mehr esse sondern in hohem Bogen von mir werfe. Sicherlich ein nettes Bild von aussen betrachtet!










16.01.


Fahre mit dem Jeep-Boat-Jeep Shuttle, das mehr ein Minivan-Boot-Minivan ist, von Monteverde nach La Fortuna und lerne auf dem Weg ein nettes franzoesisch sprechendes Paerchen aus Canada kenne - mit einem gruseligen Quebec-Franzoesisch-Akzent, an den ich mich aber mit der Zeit auch gewoehne. Wir sind ja mulitlingual!



Die Fahrt dauer ca. 3 Stunden und fuehrt wieder durch die typische gruene und bergige Landschaft von Costa Rica.



Man sieht hier auch alle Nase lang die tollsten Regenbogen.





Wir kommen mittags in La Fortuna an, finden ein Dreierzimmer im Choza Inn und buchen fuer den Nachmittag die "Vulkan Arenal Night" Tour, bestehend aus einer Wanderung durch ein Regenwaldreservoir mit Blick auf den Vulkan, einer Fahrt zu einem Mirador mit Blick auf den fuerspeienden Vulkan und anschliessend einem 3 stuendigen Aufenthalt in den Hot Springs "Baldi". Klingt toll, verlaeuft aber leider etwas anders! Wir starten um 15 Uhr zu dem Reservoir, wandern dort auch tatsaechlich - jedoch in stroemendem Regen und so tief haengenden Wolken, dass man noch nicht mal den Fuss des Vulkans erahnen kann. Kommen zwei Stunden spaeter nass bis auf die Knochen wieder beim Bus an und fahren zu dem mirador, wo man genau so viel sieht wie bei der Wanderung - naemlich nichts! Die Hot Springs sind allerdings wirklich hot! Es gibt zahlreiche Becken mit 8 verschiedenen Temperaturen. Das heisseste becken ist 67 Grad warm und ich kann nur fuer einen kurzen Moment meinen Fuss reinhalten. Man fuehlt sich wie das Huehnchen im Kochtopf und ich kann es kaum glauben, dass ein mann es tatsaechlich schafft seinen kompletten Koerper in das Wasser zu tauchen. Wir halten uns dann eher im 39 grad Becken auf, in dessen Mitte es eine Cocktailbar gibt. Geht es noch dekadenter? Und das in Costa Rica!

17.01.

Am naechsten Tag regnet es in Stroemen und meine Klamotten sind immer noch nass und sowieso reicht mir das Wetter, sodass ich beschliesse, nach San Jose zurueck zu fahren. Pierre Luc und Karine aus Canada kommen ebenfalls mit. Die Fahrt dauert wieder ca. 5-6 Stunden und wir kommen erst abends in Costa Rica an. Fahren wie immer zum Costa Ricas Backpacker in San Jose, wo ich fuer eine Nacht bleibe.


18.01.-21.01.

Fahre zurueck nach Piedades und verbringe dort die letzten Tage in Costa Rica bei Tía Nena und zusammen mit Eva und Yorleny beim Radio UPE. Eher ruhig und beschaulich. Alles andere als ruhig und beschaulich, ist was hier grad im Internet abgeht waehrend ich meinen Blog update. Zu meiner Rechten sitzt ein Typ, der jede Minuten die Arme nach vorne streckt und mit den Haenden schuettelt - ob das eine Fingeruebung ist oder ob er durch die Webkamera jemandem winkt? Keine Ahnung. Noch toller ist der Typ davor, der genau wie ich seit mehreren Stunden hier im Internetcafe hockt und sich die ganze Zeit einen Pornofilm nach dem naechsten anschaut. Ich habe direkten Blick auf seinen Computer und kann kaum glauben, was der alles an Fotos und Filmen im Internet gefunden hat. Ist ihm auch anscheinend garnicht unangenehm, dass jeder, der vorbeikommt, auf seinen Bildschirm gucken kann. Unglaublich!

Monday, January 08, 2007



Costa Rica - Part 2

02.01.

After arriving in Neily by cab catch a bus to Palma Norte where we find a nice Hostel with cabinas and a pool. It's o great to jump into cold water after a long and hot journey!

Have dinner in the hostel and look for a bar afterwards - not that easy in tiny little Palma Norte. But find a place for Whiskey and Redwine. Go home round midnight and play silly card games for at least 2 hours and take a nice "NOCD" (not of our class darling) picture of Em and me.



Then decide to watch TV as our Cabina even has television. But nobody can really enjoy the tv as all fall asleep after 10 minutes. Was a long day!



3.12.

Still tired in the morning and stay in bed a bit longer to watch silly "Pet Cemetery". As I can't stand Horrormovies watch the film without glasses and can see the actors only roughly. Better for me and my sleep! After breakfast have to say good bye to Scott which is not easy as we have been travelling together for quite a long time.

Em and I catch the bus to Uvita, a town so small that tou can hardly see it even when you stand right in the middle of it. Ask for a room in the Urban Tuscan Hostel owned by an Englishman and luckily get the last two beds. The hostel is really nice with lots of hammocks, tables, chairs and a bar under a huge roof.



Walk 15 mintues up the hill to some waterfalls nearby to go swimming. On our way back pouring rain starts that won't stop until nighttime. Quite uncomfortable as we are only wearing flip flops and our sarongs walking down the rough street back to our hostel. Arrive there wet all over. After taking a hot shower (!!!) hav dinner in a restaurant nearby which is so exhausting that we both need a long siesta afterwards. Later in the evening just have a soup and a nice long talk about our friendship and if, how, when and where to meet in the near future.



04.01.

Go on a whale and dolphin watching tour at the National Park near Uvita.
See neither wahles nor dolphins but have a nice boattrip in perfect weather and some very nice snorkelling seeing the biggest parrotfish ever and other big fish in warm, clear and calm water.
















The trip also includes a short visit of a huge hole in a rock where the boat can go through.


Come back at 1 pm. In the afternoon rent bikes (!!!) and try to find the nice beaches of Uvita - kind of a mission impossible as the beaches have disappeared in high tide. So just bike around which is quite exhausting as our saddles are the most uncomfortable ever had - would have been a wonder if everything had been alright with our bikes ;-)))
Cook the best meal of the whole backpackers place and of our time travelling together: stir-fry with shrimps and have a botlle of our favorite redwine: castello del diabolo.

05.01.

Get up at 5 and catch the bus to San Jose. Arrive there round noon and check in the Costa Ricas Backpacker. Then have lunch in our restaurant - today we can afford having lunch and dinner in a restaurant as it is Em's last day and on last days you can afford everything on principle;-)
Than find a place to print our fotos and have my camera repaired. Befor going out in the evening we badly need a siesta as we can't get rid of this general tiredness.
Go to our restaurand "nuestra tierra" and have an awsome meal for two - normally probably the final step befor getting merried ;-))). Afterwards meet Mike who also is in the Costa Ricas Backpacker and go together to a centre with several clubs. Really give it a try but decide after an hour that the people are too young and "nocd" and the music is not what we were looking for. So go back and finish the evening without spending too much money on drinks. Better for our wallets and heads!

06.01.

Em and I have to say good bye but decide that it is better just to say "see you in one month" as I will try to get a flight to New Zealand to meet her there. Am takes a flight to Lima and then to Cuzco to do the Inka Trail. So on the next fotos there won't be an Em next to me. She will deeply missed both on my fotos and for myself.
Anyway, spent the afternoon in town and updating my blog. In the evening go to the cinema with mike to watch "Deja vu". Great film with a very surprising end.

07.01.

Acutally wanted to catch the bus at 8 o'clock in the morning to go to Vulcano Poas but unfortunately don't really take notice of my alarm clock. Wake up at 7:30 and decide that there is no way in getting the bus at 8. The weather outside is perfect and I just lie down next to the pool to relax.


Get to know some really nice girls from Seattle and Canada and spend a perfect day near the pool just chatting, enjoying the sun and jumping into the pool every half an hour.
In the Evening have farewell dinner with Mike as he will go to Lima and then Cuzco as well the next day - not without missing a nice little 5 hour visit of Miami as it is kind of on the way from
San Jose to Lima and the airport is supposed to be awsome and airport staff in the states generally more than lovely ;-))))

08.01.

Acutally wanted to go to Jaco beach. But as the weather is again perfect decide that there's no need to go on a busride for 2 and a half hours to relax in the sun. Can anyway do the same next to the pool. Again meet nice people, have nice chats and a great day. Say good bye to Mike at noon as his flight to Miami leaves in the afternoon. Don't want to say good bye anymore!

Sunday, January 07, 2007


Panama


27.12.

It rains like hell. Scott, Em and I leave Puerto Viejo at noon to go to Bocas del Toro in Panama. Share the bus with about 100 other people and have to fight for a place to stand or sit. Bordercrossing is quite easy and a guy leads us to a cab on the other site of the border to go to the place where we can take the watertaxi to bocas, as bocas is an island. The whole trip including cab and boat is supposed to cost 5 Dollars. What a great deal and how nice! But when we arrive at the harbour we suddenly have to pay 5 $ for the cab and 5 $ for the boat no matter how hard we discuss. Forget about the great deal!


The ride with the boat to the main island of bocas is at least awsome and you feel like riding on a river through the jungle.


Arriving in Bocas the whole island is booked out and we have to stay in probably the most dodgy dosshouse of Bocas. Share a bed with Em and the mattress is so soft that one is almost kicked out off the bed when the other one moves. There is no water in the bathroom - who the hell needs water? We decide better to leave as soon as posible and look for something to eat and drink. Find a place that has nice food for Em and me but not for Scott as he orders Spaghetti Bolognese and gets Spaghetti Pomodoro wondering since when Bolognese is without meat??? Have some drinks and go to bed round midnight as we are quite tired.
28.12.

Find another place for the next nights in the Mondo Taitu directly after waking up and then have breakfast at a cheape place. As the weather is not the best we decide not to go on a boat trip but spend the whole day just walking around, shopping, internet, booking flight tickets (which is not that easy with the panamanian airline!!! Took us altogether at least 7 calls and 3 hours waiting to get our tickets from bocas to Panama City)... Coming home I discover hundreds of small ants on my bed and on and in my backpack and almost break into tears ("because I do not allow ants to be on my backpack!!!")



Cook stir-fry in the evening and have several drinks.... Round 11 everybody staying at the hostel goes to the only club on the island. Have a great night there and dance and drink a lot.
29.12.

The whole dorm sleeps until 11 o'clock - new record! Have never slept that long since I've been travelling. But we obviously need the sleep as we all have a really bad hang over - Em was so kind to represent our feeling waiking up in the morning;-) We have a nice decent breakfast with eggs toast and ketchup. Scott and most of the others leave towards Panama City as they are not taking the plane but going by bus. As the weather is perfect Em and I decide to rent bikes and go to a nice beach 15 kilometers away from our hostel. Get two bikes at a place recommended by the hostel and ride along the mainstreet. After about 5 minutes Em realizes that it was not because of her hung over but the breaks that made her ride really difficult. Her brakes didn't work properly as they braked all the time without doing anything while riding. So we go back to the bike rental outlet to have them repaired. Riding again towards the beach Em decides after 1 minute that repairing wasn't very efficient and we go back to get another bike. Unfortunately all bikes are already rent and Em gets her money to go to another shop. After some exchanges we get a bike that seems to be o.k. and ride againtowards the beach. After 5 minutes at about the same place on the road as with the first bike Em's chaine break. So I have to go back and get the guy to bring another bike and take the broken bike.



Now we pass the ruddy point and can ride for about 10 minutes on a really rough street with about 30 degrees and the sun burningon our already suffering heads - until my bike suddenly looses its pedal. You can't bike with one pedal! So we turn around, take the next beach we see and decide to forget about biking but have a siesta at the beach. We both fall asleep and I weak up when I realize that I can't stretch my legs. When I open my eyes I can see three wild dogs lying around our towels - so close that I can't move. When I take my towel to move one of the dogs takes that as an invitation to play with me and bites my towel ands pulls. I have to shout and pull myself to get it out of his muzzle. One of the other dogs decides to dig a huge hole next to Em to sleep in and is more than a wonder that he doesn't hit her with all the earth he is getting out of the hole. Crazy dogs in Central America! We arrive the city without breaking anything else of our bikes!


Em and me decide to have an evening without alcohol as we still suffer from the night before and go to bed quite early - not easy as it is Friday evening and there is a big party in our hostel!


30.12.


Have the most random breakfast ever as killing all the food which is left in the fridge and then walk to the airport which is just 5 minutes away from our hostel - probably the only airport I have ever walked to in my life!



Both airport and airplane are one of the smallest I have ever seen but the highlight is definetively the ticket: a huge wooden disc.



Arrive in Panama City 1 hour later and take a cab to our hostel the "international voyager hostel" wher we have booked a 3 beds dorm 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately 3 beds dorms aren't available anymore and we are supposed to stay in a dorm with 10 people. I get a little bit angry and try to apply my best Spanish knowledge to let the guy at the front desk know that I don't agree at all with the prodedure and that we are going to leave to find another place - which would probably not be that easy round New Years Eve. I don't care - I am angry!!! And suddenly he finds another double room that we can have - telling me that it is really impolite to get that angry and that people in Central america do not appreciate such a hot temper. Aaaahhhhh! Shut up and give me the room! The room has a doble bed as soft as the one in bocas and a fan that misteriously doesn't move any air but at least we don't have to share the expected New Years hung over with 8 other people.


As we still suffer from our bocas hung over we don't do big things but go to the launedry and go shopping both in shops and in the supermarked "rei" - a really nice place as huge and nicely cold compared to the 35 degrees outside. Panama City is probably one of the hottest places we have been to so far.


In the evening we go to the cinema to watch Casino Royale - great film!


31.12.


We spent the whole morning in the supermarked and on the project to get back our clothes from the launedry. In the afternoon we go to the Isla Flaminco - from where you have a nice view over the skyline of Panama City - to hire bikes - one of our favourite hobbys while travelling!!!

At the bike rental outlet they also have a tandem and we both agree that hiring a tandem would be great fun! It takes some time to figure out how to start and to stop but quite soon we both do a good job! Arriving on the island we notice how hungry we are and have a nice big hamburger at a restaurant - the last one for the next time as a result of the naturally New Year diet;-)))))














In the evening we cook Chili con Carne as a good base for the rest of the night (didn't work out for me by the way) and have a nice New Years Eve Diner on the hostel's balkony.




At half past 11 we move to the upper balkony to celebrate the beginning of the new year together with the rest of the hostel.




Round 1 o clock we all try to go to club together and naturally the whole group gets kind of lost and E, Scott and me end up together. We define a mission for the evening: Have drinks which capitals form the word "New Year". There is no drink with w so Em finds another awful alterative to drink. Scott finds a horrible "E" and the White Russian" for w is my treat. After that we find another bar where I work out the "Y", change it to "J" and we get a Jaegermeister. Unfortunately Scott's "E" then has probably the name "Evil" as it is my last drink this evening. When I realize that tspeaking and seeing becomes more and more difficult I decide to go for a little walk to get a clear head - would probably have been a walk for 10 hours to get that head clear!!! Em is not really happy with my plan and decides to follow me - what I am not happy with at all. We have our first an only argument - luckily hardly remember it - about how dangerous it ist to walk in the middle of the street in the middle of the night in the middle of Panama City!I suppose I lost the argument in the end as we went back together.

After a little stop in the restrooms Em gets me into a cab and takes me home - thank my angel Em! Probably would have woken up next to Mike the next mornin if Em had not cared for me so much!