PURA VIDA

(FK) Neil and I were getting pretty cocky when it came to border crossings, making sure we had done our research on costs and how many bloody photocopies we needed, we had been flying through them. Our luck ran out when we got to Penas Blancas though and it was payback time for all those easy crossings and our smart arse attitude. It took three hours of our lives that we will never get back, consisting of queuing in the midday sun for two hours to get our passport stamped (you know how us Brits love to queue) going back and forth with paperwork to various windows and getting everything copied in triplicate to get Trisha through and handing over a wad of cash. Neil was not in the best of moods but his spirits were lifted as we got into the beautiful Costa Rican countryside. 

Sunset over Junquillal 

Our sixth and penultimate country on our Americas adventure, we were looking forward to seeing what Costa Rica had to offer. In the back of our minds though was the thought of having to sell Trisha here, having grown rather fond of our four wheeled friend we would be sorry to see her go. Particularly as the realisation hit me that I would have to carry all my own gear from Panama onwards!

Costa Rica is jam packed full of national parks and deciding which to go to was giving me a head ache, so we set up camp not too far from the Nicaraguan border at the Bahia Junquillal National Wildlife Refuge in the Guanacaste region. Wow what a find, picture perfect bay, no electricity and loads of wildlife. We were not alone in our quest for some nature time. The small beach front camp site was playing host to an abundance of Tico families who were all on their jollies and kittedout to the max with all the camping mod cons.Oh no we thought there goes our peace and tranquility. We managed to bag the last beach front plot and set up our two man tent and cooking stove. Our neighbours asked if we needed any help with the rest of our stuff, this is it we replied. 

They obviously took pity on us poorly resourced gringos as they kindly invited us for dinner, well it was their lunch but at 6pm. This was our first introduction to Costa Rican hospitality, the Morales family took us into their fold for the next three days. Sharing their food, solar panel power, teaching us to play Rummie and introducing us to the delights of Donkey Juice, a Baileys-esque home brew that knocked my socks off. We got to practice our Spanish and they got to practice their English. A truly lovely family. 

Feeling part of the wonderful Morales family

Junquillal was the perfect place to just kick back, with no schedule or wifi, we walked, swam and read for the entire time. The day started and ended with a walk along the 3km beach, being up and out before the sun rose gave us the opportunity to see lots of exciting tracks in the sand - crocs, turtles, birds and coatis and the stars were amazing despite it being a full moon. We could have stayed longer, but our supplies were running low and we didn't realise we could drink the tap water at the time. So we hit the road again on route for Liberia and some wifi to get back I touch with the world.

After a much needed catch up time with family over the Internet, it was time to move on and nature was calling us again. Costa Rica has a very different vibe to other Central American countries. It feels very safe, with Ticos really valuing their natural assets and what became apparent to us is that the wealth divide between tourists and locals is not so gapingly obvious as in other places. This all makes for an ideal tourist economy and Costa Rica is an organised and well trodden path for those looking to see the 'wild' whilst also experience the creature comforts of back home.

Our next stop was the Rio Celeste, an usual bright blue river caused by a chemical reaction with the volcanic thermal water. It was certainly pretty beautiful, with a huge waterfall, tropical jungle, hot springs and the crazy azure colour, but alone we were not. Having to wait inline whilst tourists took a hundred pictures of themselves on the slim and muddy track was not ideal. Though my highlight of the hike was getting to see Toucans. Not so for Neil though, as he saw his second Jaguarundi on the drive into the park as I was looking out the window in the opposite direction. The luck of the Kirwan prevails!

The crazy blue lagoon

A poncho sweat tent!

Spot the Toucan...

Neil in his colour co-ordinated 'outfit'

With our rumbling bellies we were keen to look for some where to eat and then hopefully somewhere to camp. We got a 2 for 1 at the most bizarre but beautiful fish farm called Angel Tellaipia located on the main road (6 towards the PanAm). After picking our fish, we were given some fish food to walk around the ponds. It was reminiscent of the film Piraña! The farm was set on different levels with lush, thick grass, an assortment of tropical flowering bushes and a giant fish sculpture! We also stumbled across four very giddy guard dogs, tethered to run, who just wanted some love and attention. Back down to the restaurant we went for our delicious deep fried fish (in a rather tasty KFC style coating!), in our basic Spanglish we asked if there was anywhere nearby to camp. The lady owner went to check with her husband and came back to say we could set up camp on the farm. We asked what the charge was, to which she chuckled and replied "libre". The second act of kindness and hospitality we were shown, Costa Rica's ethos 'Pura Vida' (pure life) really did sum up the essence of the country.

Poor little fish.. yum yum 

Wow, what a spot, and it's FREE!

Our friends Yanni and Michelle had given us some recommendations to visit, one of which was the nearby(ish) town of La Fortuna and Volcano Arenal. The small town had obviously grown as a result of the lucrative tourist trade, with rafting, zip lines, quads, hot springs and hiking tours on offer. We found a cheap place to stay that we could pitch the tent - it used to be called Sissey's Cabanas but has recently undergone a bit of a revamp and was now called BBB. As we turned up, a group of three unhappy looking hippies were loading their beat up camper van with an assortment of weird stuff. Being the nosy person I am, I asked what the place was like. They said the owners had asked them to leave as they were fully booked with reservations and the owners kids were really noisy. 

Not a bad spot.

I looked about, nice garden, kitchen, hammocks, outdoor covered seating area, wifi and only $3 a night to camp, yeah we'll take our chances I said. It turned out to be a great call, Amelia and her family were brilliant and we felt very much at home. It was a little noisy, but more so from the neighbour's cockerel who insisted on crowing throughout the night and the dogs who were on guard for any general movements. Neil was in his element, reverting back to being a kid again, he was the leader of the pack introducing a game called extremo where the kids sat on a rope swing that had an extra rope attached to it to simulate being on a crazy bull. His new name, Nickolini, was being screamed as the kids went higher and higher.

(NK) The kids had me run ragged and were also some of the naughtiest boys I've ever met. They thought nothing of throwing rocks at each other and were constantly causing troubled for their mum. I couldn't have a Skype conversation without one of them joining in. Take this little love -

Butter wouldn't melt sunshine

Christian aka Pepe (what his family called him) aka cheeky chops (what we called him and eventually he called himself). He was a terror! No - one was safe when he was around and he was worryingly good with a lasso for a boy his age. Nevertheless Cheeky Chops, the family dog Ossito and my alter ego Nickolini formed an unlikely pack. I'm ashamed to say I quite liked my Costa Rican name Nickolini -it made me feel like a communist dictator.

Using our new family as our base we explored the Cerro Chatto and surrounding rivers and hot springs. It was lucky we had the kitchen as the Ayahuasca ceremony prescribed a strict diet that avoided many grains and sugary foods. Which rules out most of the plate in Central America. 

An unfazed Coati Mundi

God damn it was a hard hike, but the views of Volcan Arenal were worth it.

We left with one of those happy emotional goodbyes knowing that Amelia's brother Luis was interested in Trisha. Could this be her new home? 

Mr Porras, Neil Amelia, Fernando, Mikal, Christian, Oso the dog and Melvin