hello..... so am now in costa rica!! had a bit of a nightmare getting here, took about 32 hours to get from cancun to san jose with flights being screwed up etc but am here now. got into san jose quite late and then went to the hostel. was sooo tired so just crashed out. when i got up i started talking to a german woman and we spent the day together just shopping and wandering. was good because san jose is a pretty intimidating place so i would not have felt comfortable on my own. there is not much there..... its a beautiful setting tho, between huge mountains. rainy deason has just started and it has rained so much the past couple of avos, feels like being back in england :)

unfortunately she left to go home the next morning. but i then met another 3 canadians who were heading to la fortuna, the same as me so i tagged along with them!! the bus was so cramped and hot and took 4 hours, and they dont stop for toilet breaks!! got here tho and found a great little hotel that did double rooms for $8 a night so me and andrea shared as did the guys. the lady that runs it is so sweet and helpful! in the evening we went to the baldi hot springs which wa great and really relaxing. today we walked to the nearby waterfall. its like 6k away but walking was so hard as the weather is unbelievably humid (and sunny in the mornings) and really takes it out of u, by the time we got there i thought i was gonna pass out!! the waterfall was beautiful and well worth it. we swam for a bit and chatted to other travellers. this evening we are doing a after dark hike (with a guide) to the volcano, its active and at night if its clear you can see it spitting lava so fingers crossed. we saw it last night in the taxi on the way back from the springs and it was just amazing..... i cant believe from my hotel window i can see an active volcano!!

(may 27th) yesterday afternoon we went for the hike up to the arenal volcano (its the most active volcano in costa rica!). was pretty cool getting there tho we did have to drive at about 5mph over a bumpy road for about 30 mins! felt quite sick after :( was well worth it when we got there. the viewing place is about 600mtrs from the summit, cant get any closer cos it admits poisenous gases. where we watched it from was a lava feild from the last time there was a significant eruption. was pretty cloudy but we sat there for about 40 mins and managed to see some pretty cool lava flows, didnt manage to get any good pics tho. was amazing experience tho, so glad i came here.

we began the hike back when it was dark and we only had these tiny flashlights. the ground once we got back into the jungle was ok but when i was trying to climb over the lava feild (vv rocky!!) i thought i was gonna fall and break my neck!! evreyone else seemed to find it quite easy, but as you all know im not the most coordinated person hahah!! gonna go out for dinner tonight and then go back and pack. have found a great hotel with private rooms and bathroom for $8 a night, including a yummy breakfast. the woman who runs it is the nicest person and all her family stay with her so its pretty cosy!! heading to monterverde tomorrow, to the cloud rainforest, which have heard is really good. hopefully hooking up with the canadian guys that i met for a bit as well. missing all at home xxx