In Puerto Viejo we were hit by the beginning of the rainy season which ended up reflecting both our moods and our impression of the place; everything seemed a little dull. However, lots of travellers I'd met previously, many from Casa de Olas, all reconvened here and it was nice to see everyone again. Rocking J's was our chosen hostel with a selection of tents, hammocks and dorms and prices to match every travellers budget. I hung my own hammock for just $4 a ni...

From Monteverde we went to San Jose, stayed the night but arrived late and left early and saw barely any of the city. The next morning a load of us, Adam, Ianthe, James, Shayne, Lachie and I (all solo travellers forming our own group), rented a car and had a mini road trip from San Jose to the Sloth Sanctury to Puerto Viejo. The Sloth Sanctuary was my first time ever seeing sloths and was well worth it. First we took a boat ride along the jungle river, infested ...

Here in Monteverde (at last) we stayed in Casa Tranquilo. It's great value for money, especially in expensive Costa Rica, with $8 dorms and a fantastic free breakfast of eggs, fruit and freshly baked banana bread. Monteverde perfectly represents Costa Rica; beautiful with lush greenery, cloud forests, hilltop hikes and extreme activities. The only downside is that it's so tourist orientated and everything seems to have a price tag. Guided tours are in abundance ...

Unable to make the trip from San Juan to Montezuma in one day (border crossings always take longer than you'd imagine), we stopped over in Puntarenas for the night. Sleep was much appreciated, especially as we had our own private air conned room, and when we awoke in the morning we were all fresh and revived, ready to catch the ferry. The calm morning soon turned hectic however when I got lost on Puntarenas' identical looking streets on the way back from buying b...