Few Ticos (local name of Costarricenses) seemed to know what season it was in Costa Rica. One guy at the border commented, "it always rains like this in winter." I turned to Enric to see if he picked up the error, but doubted for a moment that perhaps it was winter. We had spent so much time in the Southern hemisphere that seasons blurred together like months. But no, it IS May, and we are in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Tropics the weather varies from intensely rainy to slightly rainy and there really are no distinct seasons - so the people become easily confused.
In May, it rains a lot and we found ourselves caught in a few torrential downpours, nearly waddling through water in our rubber boots. For all the water, it is clear why Costa Rica flashed by us in a blur of green - it really is just like one big park. Costa Rica is the country most prepared for tourism in Central America -and as we rode through, we could see how: Mike's River Rafting, Rent Mountain Bikes Here, Lodge with View of Lake, were the signs that dotted the highway. I nearly forgot that I was in a Spanish-speaking nation. 80% of Costa Rica is national park and every one of them has an entrance fee, not to mention the tours and activities! It is a great place to come in search of Toucans and outdoor activities, though our pocketbook that is designed to stretch us across 1.5 continents and 5 months didn't have much capacity for the prices.
We negotiated with the locals in El Castillo who offered to take us horseback riding and up to see the Volcano Arenal. That night we were able to see a few fiery blasts of Arenal! In the day we could hear the cauldron rumbling inside. It sounds like thunder. Between the volcano and the daily thunderstorms, there was a lot of rumbling to be heard in El Castillo.
After only 3 nights in Costa Rica, we are heading to another border crossing and the myriad of papers and processes that accompany it!
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