The end of the Safari
Asuncion, Paraguay
April 20, 2011
Back to the real Latin America
Asuncion, Paraguay
April 14, 2011
Culture and civilization
Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 10, 2011
Up the east coast of Argentina to Buenos Aires
Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
April 9, 2011
Punta Arenas, to sell the Safari?
Punta Arenas, Chile
April 8, 2011
End of the road
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
March 28, 2011
Hiking Patagonia
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Chile
March 27, 2011
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina
March 25, 2011
More Patagonia on the way to Los Glaciares
Tres Lagos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
March 24, 2011
Stones, gravel, and cut tires on Ruta 40 South
Perito Moreno, Santa Cruz, Argentina
March 21, 2011
Summertime in February continues
Bariloche, Argentina
March 19, 2011
Lake country in the summertime
Lago Malhua, Chile
March 15, 2011
To the Vineyards! South from Pirque to the Lakes
Valle de Colchagua, Chile
March 14, 2011
A weekend of comfort
Pirque and Santiago, Chile
March 13, 2011
A port with character
Valparaiso, Chile
March 5, 2011
Geysers and starry nights in the Atacama Desert
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
March 4, 2011
The last of Peru – No. More. Mountains. Please?
Tacna, Peru
February 27, 2011
Mt. Chachani – AKA self-inflicted altitude-related torture
Mt. Chachani, Peru
February 26, 2011
Down to Arequipa and Hunting for X-treme tours
Arequipa, Peru
February 25, 2011
The Andean Plateau and Lake Titicaca
Puno, Peru
February 24, 2011
The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
Cuzco, Peru
February 23, 2011
Sand-boarding, Nazca Lines and camping at altitude
Nazca, Peru
February 22, 2011
Cruising south from Lima (and Peruvian politics)
South of Lima, Peru
February 21, 2011
A little bit of city living
Lima, Peru
February 20, 2011
Back to the mountains
Huaraz, Peru
February 19, 2011
Hunting a better left
Huanchaco, Peru
February 18, 2011
Peru – the North Shore
Chicama, Peru
February 17, 2011
Surfing in Ayampe
Ayampe, Ecuador
February 16, 2011
Doing circles of Ecuador
Baños and Quito, Ecuador
February 16, 2011
Montañita for New Year's Eve
Montañita, Ecuador
February 7, 2011
The Race to Montañita for New Year's Eve
Otavalo, Ecuador
February 5, 2011
Highlands of southern Colombia
Parque Nacional de Purace, Colombia
February 3, 2011
Cruising Colombia – Rio Claro and Bogota
Rio Claro and Bogota, Colombia
January 30, 2011
Party time in an amazing city
Medellin, Colombia
January 24, 2011
Roadtrip to Medellin
Antioquia, Colombia
January 22, 2011
South American Begins: Cartagena!
Cartagena, Colombia
January 20, 2011
Crossing the Darien – "No Hay Problema!"
Darien National Park, Panama
January 14, 2011
Good times in Panama City
Panama City, Panama
January 13, 2011
The run to Panama
Dominical, Costa Rica
January 3, 2011
Santa Teresa with a big crew
Santa Teresa, Nicoya, Costa Rica
January 2, 2011
The Interior of Costa Rica (with Kasia, Gosia, and Maciek)
Arenal, Costa Rica
December 24, 2010
Hunting beaches in Nicoya
Playa Avellanas, Costa Rica
December 23, 2010
Return to America? No, Bienvenidos a Costa Rica
Liberia, Costa Rica
December 22, 2010
Isla de Ometepe
Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua
December 22, 2010
Surfing Playa Maderas
Playa Maderas, Nicaragua
December 13, 2010
Across Nicaragua to San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
December 12, 2010
Cops and potholes – The crossing of Honduras
Southern Honduras
December 2, 2010
Playa El Tunco, El Salvador
El Tunco, El Salvador
November 29, 2010
Fun with license plates
Chichicastenango, Guatemala
November 15, 2010
Chichi market, north to Coban and on to Samuc Champey
Chichicastenango, Guatemala
November 15, 2010
Road Trip to El Salvador
La Hachadura, El Salvador
November 4, 2010
Hippy colonies in the jungle
San Pedro de Atitlan, Guatemala
November 4, 2010
Into Guatemala and down to Lake Atitlan
Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala
November 3, 2010
Urban and colonial Guatemala
Lanquin, Antigua, and Guatemala City, Guatemala
October 31, 2010
Deep in the jungle at Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey, Guatemala
October 31, 2010
The ultimate tow-out
Lanquin, Guatemala
October 30, 2010
Up to the hills: San Cristobal de Las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
October 29, 2010
The Oaxaca coast
Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
October 27, 2010
Outskirts of Mexico City
Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico
October 26, 2010
Mexico City
Mexico, D.F., Mexico
October 25, 2010
Central Mexico – Tlaquepaque to Zitacuaro
Michoacán, Mexico
October 24, 2010
Land of agaves… and Tequila
Guadalajara, Mexico
October 23, 2010
Serious chillin
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
October 22, 2010
Looking for surf…
San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico
October 21, 2010
Operation ceviche with Jorge
Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
October 20, 2010
Gasoline theft
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
October 15, 2010
Copper Canyon Hike Days Three and Four
Barranca del Cobre, Chihuahua, Mexico
October 14, 2010
Copper Canyon Hike: Days One and Two
Barranca del Cobre, Chihuahua, Mexico
October 13, 2010
Train up the Copper Canyon to Creel
Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico
October 13, 2010
Cabo Pulmo, La Ventana and the Ferry to Topolabampo
La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
October 12, 2010
Southern tip of Baja
La Paz and Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico
October 11, 2010
Surfing Bocana de San Vincente
Bocana de San Vincente, Baja California, Mexico
October 11, 2010
Cave Paintings
Mulege, Baja California, Mexico
October 10, 2010
The Search for Cañon La Trinidad
Mulege, Baja California, Mexico
October 10, 2010
Pristine beaches of central Baja
Bahia Concepcion, Baja California, Mexico
October 4, 2010
The Mexican desert as you imagined it
Baja California, Mexico
October 3, 2010
Surfing Erindira
Erindira, Baja California, Mexico
October 2, 2010
Last stop in the USA
San Diego, California, USA
September 30, 2010
Rockin in style
Los Angeles, California, USA
September 27, 2010
Extreme desert heat
Death Valley, California, USA
September 23, 2010
Mount Whitney – Summit Ascent
Mount Whitney, California, USA
September 22, 2010
Bienvenidos a Tijuana
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
September 21, 2010
Mount Whitney – The Trek to Trail Camp
Mount Whitney, California, USA
September 20, 2010
San Luis Obispo to Lake Isabella
San Luis Obispo, California
September 20, 2010
Surfing USA… or at least procuring boards
Santa Cruz, California, USA
September 14, 2010
Wild California – Big Sur
Big Sur, California, USA
September 12, 2010
Highway 1 to San Francisco and Palo Alto
San Francisco, California, USA
September 8, 2010
The northern California coast
Sinkyone Wilderness, California, USA
September 5, 2010
Redwoods – some really big trees!
Redwoods National Park, California, USA
September 4, 2010
Looking for caves, finding gold mines
Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon, USA
September 2, 2010
Crater Lake
Crater Lake, Oregon, USA
September 1, 2010
Leaving Hood River
Portland, Oregon, USA
August 31, 2010
Life in the Hood
Hood River, Oregon, USA
August 29, 2010
Mountain biking on volcanoes
Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA
August 25, 2010
Mountain biking Post Canyon
Hood River, Oregon, USA
August 25, 2010
White water mattressing
Hood River, Oregon, USA
August 15, 2010
Arriving at the Colombia River Gorge
Interstate 84, Oregon, USA
August 14, 2010
Offroading in the USA
Nez Perce, Montana, USA
August 13, 2010
Hiking the Sky Rim trail in Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
August 10, 2010
Almost in Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, USA
August 8, 2010
Time to roll!
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 7, 2010

The Interior of Costa Rica (with Kasia, Gosia, and Maciek)

Arenal, Costa Rica By Kuba Soltysiak

While Jono and Ewa began the search for beaches on the Nicoya Peninsula, I (Kuba) headed inland with Kasia, Gosia, and Maciek who had come down from Toronto to visit for a week. The plan was to check out volcanoes and other scenic areas, and hopefully do some hiking and exploring.

We started by driving past Lake Arenal, a huge lake in the mountains created by the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam. The area around the lake is mostly lush rolling hills, and although it was raining the scenery was quite beautiful. A consistent thermal wind blowing down the lake makes it Costa Rica’s top windsurfing destination. Unfortunately, due to the altitude the climate tends to be cool, and during the rainy season, which is when we were there, it stays rather wet and clouded. I wouldn’t really recommend this windsurfing destination over those available on the Caribbean.

After passing the lake, we got to the Arenal Volcano. However, since it was afternoon by this point, the volcano was covered in a layer of cloud, but neverthless looked pretty cool.

Since it was somewhat rainy and chilly, we decided that hot springs were a good way to pass the afternoon while we waited for the weather the clear the next morning. Being a volcanically active area, there’s hot water coming out of the ground all over the place and high-end hot springs resorts and spas have sprung up all over the place. Wanting more of an authentic experience though, we asked locals on the road and learned of an entire river of hot water, located right on the highway. We found the highway bridge over the river without any trouble, and sure enough when we descended below we found lots of hot water and locals bathing.

The next morning, the Arenal volcano was quite a disappointment. We were hoping to do some hiking, but learned that there were only a few km of trails, and that it was not possible to even approach the base of the volcano. We paid our entrance fee and hiked up the 30 minutes or so of trail to a lookout though, which was alright.

After being disappointed by the volcano, we tried for one more tourist attraction along the way – the La Fortuna waterfall.

This huge steam of water falls over a cliff and into a picture perfect basin at the bottom, set in a beautiful rainforest among volcanoes. The water temperature was very comfortable and the basin made for a really cool swim. We all had a good time there and it made up for the disappointment of the volcano in the morning.

The next attraction on our plan was the Irazu volcano, located a couple hours north-west of San Jose (the capital), and about a six hour drive from where we were. As every day in rainy season, shortly after we left the waterfall it was afternoon and the clouds closed in and started to rain. We had a good drive over highways which although they weren’t in great shape at least had most landslides clearly signed (in contrast to for example Guatemala, where you need to watch that your lane hasn’t fallen off the cliff around the next corner). We stopped at a coffee plantation and got a tour of a coffee processing plant, which was pretty interesting.

Since we had started driving quite late, it was night by the time we started climbing the steep road up the Irazu volcano. Outside it was very foggy, raining, and cold – about 5 degrees! As we approached the end of the road and the ranger station, we noticed that the hotels that we had read about in our guidebook all appeared to be either closed or non-existent. Where we did see signs advertising rooms, we pretty much got soaked in freezing rain as we were turned down in hotel after hotel (all closed for the season).

Finally as we made our way back down the mountain we finally found a random little hotel called “Grandpa’s”. It definitely seemed out of place in Costa Rica but sort of worked with the cold rainy mountain. It was like a sort of American bed and breakfast, decorated in a sort of 50s American style (i.e. it was built then and not renovated since).

After being happy to finally find a place to stay and spending a quiet night, we woke up the next morning to more fog, rain, and cold. The only other people staying at the hotel were a Swiss couple, and seeing them in combination with the cold mountain climate and lace curtains made me feel a lot like at some sort of mountaineering refuge in Switzerland. After many coffees we decided to make the drive back up the mountain to the ranger station, where the ranger recommended not paying the entrance fee as we weren’t going to be able to see anything anyway. At this point everyone was a little cold and wet, and the beach sounded like a great idea, especially for my Canadian friends who had just flown down from a cool Canadian fall for a vacation. We decided to race back across the country and meet the Safari down in Santa Teresa.

 

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