In La Fortuna, it is possible to do many activities: trekkings, tours, extreme sports. One day I went hiking on the volcano, and after, when it was already dark, we walked back into the forest in search of the typical Costa Rican frog (photos after).
One of the most remarkable experiences was a night swim in a hot volcanic river in the forest. It was a little surreal to bathe in a hot, flowing river surrounded by the woods. The only lights were our torches. They were creating a discotheque effect. Among the hot water’s vapors were appearing Scandinavian girls bathing joyfully, like nymphets in the forest. Meanwhile, the guide made us cocktails. It was almost oniric.

A couple of days after, I did the rafting. I’m now almost a veteran of rafting, with experiences that include the Himalayas in Nepal and the source of the Nile in Uganda, in the heart of Africa. This rafting in Costa Rica was not very difficult, although, at one point, two guys fell from our boat. The scenery was spectacular, with the wild forest dropping sheer to the river, wrapping it.

From La Fortuna, I completed a sort of circle, returning to San Jose. There, I met Eva again, and together we went to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua where there was Aparicio. A German guy joined us along the way, and we went to the magical island of Ometepe, in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, with two volcanoes, one of which active. After, Eva and I went to Granada.

Now I’m in Antigua, Guatemala, but I will tell you about it in the next post.

The Arenal volcano, seen from La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

The most typical of Costa Rican frogs.

We found it thanks to the guide, coming down from the volcano when it was already dark, following its croaking.

My sweet little frog, give me just a kiss… after, you will seem to me like a princess!

The view of the lake from the Arenal volcano.

The rafting in Costa Rica, on a stretch of about 10 km of the river Balsa. Pretty simple compared to that, for example, in Uganda (fotostory here).Or maybe it didn’t seem that difficult to me because, by now, going down the rapids it’s like walking in an English park on a warm summer evening.
“Eeeeeehhhhh…”

Rafting.

In Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur.

We arrived in San Juan del Sur on June 24, just in time for the feast of the city’s patron saint, and also mine: St. John. A very alcoholic celebration, on these circumstances I don’t disdain to celebrate Christian ceremonies. Though, as you see, someone went too far. That’s not the way to celebrate my saint, I’ll send an official protest to the Vatican, as well as pointing out that it would be time to catch up with the times and rename it the feast of St. Dekaro. Martyr, I might add.

Football match on the beach of San Juan del Sur.

This gentleman was unusual. After the photo, he asked me facebook’s friendship, email, etc … He said he was working for Interpol and had been a Sandinista revolutionary. Although, it seems to me to be more a Contra.

Unbelievable, this monkey said: “Dekà, what are you doing down there? Come back on the trees!” Eheheh, fun, but I will not accept these ironies on my own blog from now on.

Welcome to Ometepe. Fun assured.

On the bus.

In the bus mirror.

On Omepete island. In the background, one volcano.

The spectacular view of volcano Conception, from the other volcano, Madras, reached by horse riding.

The volcano Conception.

“Italia desnuda a Alemania y va a la final” (“Italy strips Germany and goes to the final”). Throughout all the world the silliness of Germany is equal only to the glory of Italy.

Market in Granada.

The active volcano Masaya.

Mirror, Masaya coach station.
 

From the coast, we went inland, in Monteverde, a small town about 1500 meters above sea level, surrounded by a cloud forest full of birds of various species.

Today I arrived in La Fortuna, near the volcano Arenal, that I will visit tomorrow. In the meanwhile, Aparicio already moved to Nicaragua.

The black sand beach of Puerto Viejo, on the Atlantic side in Costa Rica.

A motorcyclist in Puerto Viejo. But we all know who he really is.

Purple plant.

Fruit.

A friend of William Burroughs. Here we are beyond the pulsars during a recent interstellar journey.

Costa Rica has an extraordinary variety of plants and animals.

The legendary sloth of Costa Rica. Very lazy, perpetually resting on a tree trunk.

In San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

Raining night in San Jose.

Montezuma was full of these red and black crabs with purple claws.

Surfer on a beach between Mal Pais and Playa Santa Teresa.

Fish killed.

Almost at sunset, Santa Teresa.

Backlight.

Colors at sunset.

Aparicio and Indica. This type of dog reminds me of the phrase of the Full Metal Jacket sergeant: “You’re so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece!”

Aparicio now definitely in love with Indica. Soon the wedding.

The usual toad.

Interior of a trunk in Monteverde.

A hummingbird.

Another hummingbird.

Pura vida!

The next day we visited it, but to be honest, we didn’t see much, as in those strange dreams where you have to do something simple, but you are continuously barred for some reason. Traffic jams, wrong bus stops, downpours, etc., prevented us from seeing the mirador of the Panama Canal and the old town.
It’s also true that there was not much to see because Panama city has been destroyed several times. The most recent invasion was in 1989 by U.S. Marines to get rid of the dictator Noriega, a faithful and brutal former ally, trained directly by the CIA, that eventually wasn’t anymore obeying the directives from Washington (the same fate that happened to many other cruel dictators, as for example Saddam Hussein).
The invasion killed nearly 3,000 civilians, more or less like the September 11 attacks. Still, because these casualties were Panamanian and not U.S., no one wrote that it was the “most heinous crime that humanity witnessed”,” the return of the era of barbarism”, and similar. No. Instead, in the mainstream history books, the invasion is officially remembered as a “surgical operation”. Yes, by Jack the Ripper.

From Panama City, we arrived on the Pacific coast at Santa Catalina, together with two girls we met on the bus: Eva, Slovak, and Stephanie, Canadian. It is a village known for surfing, but being low season, there was almost no one. We spent 3 beautiful days in a place overlooking the sea, perfect for drinking rum and wine at night.
I tried surfing for the second time in my life. The first time was in Bali about 15 years ago. I can now definitely say that is not my sport.
One day we went by motorboat to Coiba National Park , an island about 20 km from the coast, where until a few years ago, there was a penal colony. While snorkeling around there, we saw many colorful fishes and even a small shark, hidden under a rock.

From Santa Catilina, I, Aparicio, and Eva went to Bocas del Toro, on the Atlantic, passing through the spectacular national park La Amistad. Although a tourist place in some respects, the archipelago of Bocas del Toro is charming. And if the snorkeling in Santa Catalina has been so far the best regarding the fish seen, the one in Bocas del Toro was the best for the corals, gorgeous, as colored abstract compositions.

I thought that Panama was a place where there wasn’t much to see and do. Instead, even just with the places I’ve visited, it has nothing to envy to countries which are famous tourist destinations.

Finally, we arrived at Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, still on the Atlantic Ocean. It was a place full of lunatic rasta men. There, we were reached by Jorge, a Costa Rican friend of Eva, and yesterday they gave me a ride until here in San Jose, through beautiful streets and parks. I will tell you about it in my next post.

Now I’m alone again, but tomorrow I will reach Aparicio that, instead of flying back to Brazil, has changed his mind and flight ticket at the last moment and is now on the Pacific coast.

Another photo of Caledonia, the Kuna village in the archipelago of San Blas (Kuna Yala) in Panama.

On a small boat in the archipelago of San Blas.

At the pier of a Kuna village.

Canoe with a little dog.

Holding, proudly, a 5 points red star…

On the Pacific side, the Santa Catalina beach.

An island of Coiba national park.

Boxers training.

Football match on the beach.

After sunset.

Dogs on the beach in the evening.

Inside a mini-bus.

In Bocas del Toro, again on the Atlantic, almost at the border with Costa Rica.

Little girl.

The typical red frog, actually red-black, of Panama and Costa Rica. Its skin is poisoned. It is called ‘dart frog’ because the natives used them to poison their arrows. It is said that taken in small doses, the poison gives a hallucinogenic effect. Jorge, the Costa Rican guy, once accidentally touched one, and its poison passed into his blood through a small wound. He risked dying!

And this is the green frog, also poisonous. As already said in the post on the lost city the temptation to make a ‘hallucinogenic’ lick was very strong!

Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica.

People on bicycles.

A plant. In Costa Rica, there is an enormous variety of plants and animals. A quarter of their territory consists of protected national parks.
 

Purple grasshopper.

Me, at the border Panama – Costa Rica.

Click here for a bigger map.

New map of the places I visited so far. On the coast of Brazil until the mouth of the Amazon river. On a cargo boat until Manaus, where I took a flight to Bogotà. Up in Colombia on the Caribbean coast, then down until Guayaquil in Ecuador. Again in Colombia, then Panama and Costa Rica, hopping between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

I answer to the comment:

Thank you Kaliopi! I’m very happy you are enjoying my stories and photos. I hope to see you again, somewhere kisses!