Manuel Antonio:
Our final three nights were spent relaxing on the popular west coast of Costa Rica, enjoying the hot tropical sunshine and abundant wildlife.
The 195km journey from Monteverde in the mountains to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast took over 5 hours. 15kms down the road and we had a half hour wait at roadworks, before continuing down the mountains on the worst roads we’ve ever driven on. We would have been lucky to average 15kph for the first 40 kilometres as we swerved around potholes and bounced over deep corrugated ruts. Finally, the gravel ended, and we were on the main road to the coast.
We needed a break to stretch our legs. Looking out for somewhere to stop we saw a lot of tourist buses and cars parked by the bridge crossing Rio Tarcoles and a small brown sign saying “Cocodrilos en su habitat natural”. We drove to the other side of the bridge weighing up whether to continue on or well stop for a look. We really didn’t expect to see anything, I mean really, how likely would a wild crocodile be lolling about in full view. We started off across the bridge and I could see something on the mudflats ahead of me, something crocodile-shaped. Halfway over the bridge and there they were right below us, all 27 of them relaxing the shallows. And, to top it off stalking about on the shore was a huge iguana. Unbelievable. Once again Costa Rica has delivered on the wildlife front. We were gob-smacked. We walked the rest of the way along the bridge then crossed to see if more crocs were visible on the other side. There were two more. There is no footpath along the bridge, and this is the main road. Thankfully truck drivers were used to the flocks of tourists stopping and slowed down, even courteously waving people across in front of them.
Not far past the crocodiles and we were driving parallel to some of the most famous surf beaches in the world including Playa Hermosa near the town of Jaco where top surf competitions are held. It also featured on the cult surfing movie Endless Summer II. We drove down to see it. It was deserted. Just a few beach shacks under the palms and signs warning of strong rips and unpredictable waves. The black iron sand was unbearably hot. Further on, we drove down another a beach access to see if there was somewhere to get lunch. More colourful beach shacks and some surfboards leaning against palm trees, but otherwise it was also deserted, apart from a couple lying under a palm tree drinking rum.
Driving on route 34 from Jaco and Quepos it is impossible to miss the expansive plantations of African palms. At first, it looked like a natural palm forest, but the straight lines gave away that these were planted. The palms are used for palm oil production. We passed many trucks laden with the dark brown fuzzy bunches of palm fruit. Palm oil gets bad press but unlike palm oil production in Malaysia and Indonesia, most of Costa Ricans palm oil is produced sustainably and ethically in accordance with the international standards set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. With Costa Rica’s strong stance on the environment, deforestation is not an option and any companies not acting ethically are called out, and there have been a few that have been criticised for encroaching on forests and on using child labour.
We finally reached Quepos, the town closest to Manuel Antonio. It’s a reasonably big town; an overgrown village filled with a haphazard array of basic buildings. We drove through, up a hill and over the point to Manuel Antonio, the gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park. Clustered around the entrance to the park close to the beach were a number of resort hotels, backpackers and restaurants, along with a couple of superettes and the usual souvenir stalls. Our accommodation was lovely; a poolside cabin with a spacious terrace set in tropical gardens and surrounded by rainforest.
Manuel Antonio National Park is the smallest of the national parks in Costa Rica and the most popular. Probably because of its location near the west coast beaches and resorts that draw tourists. It costs $16 US to enter the park without a guide and about $52 US for a guided walk. We decided not to go as we had a rainforest track behind the hotel to walk through, and we were surrounded by creatures just sitting in the pool.
We had jumped in the pool when we arrived and barely left it for the next two days. Using the intense tropical heat and its sloth-inducing properties as an excuse, most of our time was spent doing little else but relaxing. Better still, 95% of the time we had the pool all to ourselves and there was a continuous parade of wildlife visiting us. Monkeys swung through the trees above us. A gorgeous yellow-throated toucan arrived and perched only a metre from me. There were butterflies, frogs, and birds who dived into the pool beside us catching insects. My favourites were the lizards of all shapes, colours and sizes. An iguana sat in the gutter above the pool all day, every day, sunning herself and watching the world go by. The only time she moved was to occasionally bob her head up and down in some sort of dance and once to protect her spot from another intruding iguana.
I was taken by all these reptiles and took hundreds of photos of them in various poses. I was photographing a particularly large iguana, over a metre in length and quite thick-set, when he started running straight at me. I was sure he was charging me and almost jumped out of my skin trying to get out of his path. Andrew also had to leap out of his way as he raced past the pool and across the driveway before stopping as quickly as he started, lying down on the concrete in the sun, where he stayed for the next hour.
The rainforest track at the back of the hotel ran alongside a small river. It was lizard heaven and we saw many varieties and also found some tiny brown frogs, less than a centimetre in length.
Panamanian White-faced monkeys are the most common in this part of Costa Rica. They are very entertaining and engage with tourists, sometimes taking things too far and stealing bags. They move so quickly, there’s no chance if they like what you’re eating or carrying. There’s also the smaller Central American Squirrel Monkey. They are much shyer, but they still let us get quite close to take photos. We’ve now seen all four breeds of monkeys in Costa Rica – the Mantled Howler Monkey, Geoffrey’s Spider Monkey, Panamanian White-Faced Capuchin Monkey and the Squirrel Monkey. Box ticked!
In the evenings, the bats came out, swooping past us barely making a sound. On our last evening, we were having a pre-dinner swim and two deer walked through the garden, completely oblivious to us. Apparently, they come to drink from the pond at the back of the garden.
Manuel Antonio beach is beautiful. It was not too crowded and there is a simple, natural feel to the place, not yet too developed. We walked along the beach to where the rainforest of the National Park meets the sand. It’s spectacular.
We went to the beach each evening when it was cooler. The sunsets are stunning here, with fiery skies that burn bright and fast. Almost the moment the sun dips below the surface it is pitch dark.
Sadly, it had to come to an end. Sun-kissed and contented we threw our case in our car one last time and hit the road to San Jose. We had a plane to catch to Panama City the following morning.
San Jose:
Once away from the coast we drove through rugged hills, noticeably parched by the scorching sun. There were signs of fire, perhaps intentional burn-offs. There were mostly cattle farms or unused scrub-covered land, and occasionally coffee plantations. April is the end the dry season here and this year it’s been particularly dry. In May the rain will start.
San Jose is 1,172 metres above sea level and thankfully, after some very hot days on the coast, it was much cooler. This sprawling city surrounded by forest covered mountains is home to more than 2 million people, 40% of the country’s population.
Earlier in our trip we had commented on the state of the cars in Costa Rica, all aging and most with dents and dings. There were very few late model vehicles on the roads and after driving over the rural roads that we had we understood why you wouldn’t want to invest in an expensive car. However, in San Jose it’s a different story, there were many luxury cars about – Lexus, Mercedes, Range Rover, Audi. They must leave them at home when they head to the country.
Our hotel was across from the National Stadium at the end of La Sabana Park, a huge rectangular park filled with sports fields, ponds and walking paths. We walked through the park to the main street leading into the city centre. Trumpet trees covered in rose pink flowers lined the streets. Andrew noticed a large number of MacDonald’s and Subway outlets. The streets of San Jose are in a grid and most are named in numerical order: Calle 1, Calle 2, Calle 3 etc. dissect through Avenida 1, Avenida 2, 3 and so on. The layout, along with the many plazas (squares) are a reminder of the Spanish Colonial influence on this city.
Avenida Central is a long pedestrian-only street in the heart of the city that leads to Plaza de La Cultura. The Central Markets are halfway along. This maze of stalls and food outlets occupying an entire block has been open for business since 1880. For the centre of a large city, the shops are noticeably low-end, selling trashy clothes and cheap shoes. It is hard to notice much of San Jose is shabby and grubby. There are some lovely old buildings though, like the exquisite 19th-century National Theatre and the grand early 20th-century burnt-orange Post Office. We were lucky, there was an outdoor exhibition of the works of Costa Rican sculptor Jimenez Deredia underway. 27 of his sumptuously curvaceous monumental bronze sculptures were scattered around the central city area. Their presence certainly lifted the city.
After loving our experience in rural Costa Rica, we felt bad that we were not warming to San Jose. It’s a city trying to push ahead in a country that is eager to shake off its “developing country” label.
We caught a bus back to the hotel and got ready for our flight the next morning.
When were arrived here 11 days ago we didn’t know what to expect. This lovely little country tucked away in Central America where everyone genuinely welcomes you as their amigo and even the wildlife is friendly has surprised us more than we thought possible. It’s charming and real and we loved it.
In Costa Rica they have a saying: “Pura Vida”. Simply translated it means “pure life” or “simple life”. The phrase is on every t-shirt and fridge magnet that’s for sale here, but it’s more than just a saying or tourist gimmick, it’s a way of life that the Costa Ricans are proud of. Pura Vida is about being at one with nature and the environment, being true to who you are and appreciating the important things in life. It sums up Costa Rica perfectly.
