So today we are heading back to the capital. As we have said before, unlike some of our previous holidays, the distances involved in travelling here are modest so we would be arriving at San Jose mid afternoon and then waiting 24 hours for our flight. Instead we decided to go to the La Paz waterfall gardens, a 30 km detour from Ruta 1. Sarah was quite surprised when we checked out early and gave her the key. We asked her the best way down from the cordillera ...

One of the great joys about being on holiday is the slow get up, most days. Having a coffee and washing up are normally rushed but here we've enjoyed having that bit more time. Kevin has done a lot of reading too. Sarah, who owns our casita, came round with her three kids today. We weren't even dressed. "So what do you guys want to do today?" she asked. We shrugged our shoulders and said we hadn't discussed it yet. She suggested hanging bridges, zip lining...

So today we headed up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest - a place founded by Quakers who moved to Costa Rica to avoid being enlisted. We parked at the official parking slot and caught the shuttle bus to the park entrance. A tame coati was hustling the visitors for snacks. We had about four hours before the last shuttle back so the rangers advised us to walk to a waterfall and then take another trail to the continental rift beween north and south america. The wa...

It was unsurprisingly hot again in Tamarindo. Andy and Anita had asked us to buy some UK currency from them. They had tried to exchange it in CR but couldn't. As they were not planning on returning to Blighty any time soon, we obliged. Though we had only stayed two nights, they were so helpful and kind, we felt as if we had known them years. Then it was our longest day's driving and the one we had hired a 4X4 for - the ascent into the cloud forests at Montev...

Christmas day. The heat here is dry and dusty - unlike just about everywhere else we have been. It's a shock to walk out of the air conditioned bedroom to the outdoor kitchen - from chiller to sauna. Andy, our host, had stepped on a nail and had to go for a tetanus jab. He and his wife, Anita, used to run a pub and eaterie but when the crash came, they struggled. So now they are running this small business for Andy's brother (who also happens to be here, tho...