The garden in the house where we are staying is so beautiful, it barely seems worth going out. But having read the guidebooks we settled on going to a private nature reserve in the hope of seeing the so far elusive sloths. It was a couple of miles east of La Fortuna. By the reception was a bird feeding station and a type of rodent called an agouti. We took our time, looking hopefully up in the trees to see sloths. We were told that sloths can't regulate thei...

So today we decided to go for a walk in PN Volcan Arenal. On the garden path we came across a strange centipede like animal with a weird shell. Unlike Chile, all the attractions are closeby. Getting to the National Park of Volcano Arenal was a short drive mainly along paved road. There was some dirt road but it was easy driving. It costs $15 US per person to visit the park and then there was a short drive to a mirador of the volcano. Most of this holiday it...

Technically, being north of the Equator, it is winter here. The days are short and by 5.30 pm it is quite dark. Daybreak comes about 6am and this morning we had our own alarm in the form of a vociferous howler monkey somewhere in the canopy outside. We put some pasta and fruit out on the bird table. Immediatley a flock of multicolured birds flew in. But then suddenly, for the briefest of moments, two toucans appeared - or more correctly fiery-billed aracari....

Our first full day here at Posada Colonial. Grant, the owner, came to wish us farewell as he is returning to Vancouver today. When he originally moved here he drove down through the USA, Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Joan was envious as she would like to do the Panamericana in its entirety. He brought us some fruit to put on the bird table and the birds descended, with all bright colours and shapes. A new group of birds to us are tanagers, who come in many...

Today was a moving day. There was still damp in the air and Kevin went out to a supermarket to buy pastries for breakfast. We ordered a taxi towards the airport sector to pick up our hire car. It maybe says something about the roads here that the standard 4WD hire is not a Toyota HiLux but a Toyota Rush. The route 1 heads north towards Liberia and Nicaragua. It is part of the Panamericana route that links Alaska to Ushuaia. Apart for slow lanes, it is mainly ...