Costa Rica

[Bspring]

My wife and I took a trip to Costa Rica to ride dirt bikes through the jungle and across the country for a week. The last thing I expected to see in this tropical paradise that borders Panama was a stack of fire wood at our hotel. I found out that up in the mountains it gets cool at night. There was no heat in the rooms and we had a pile of blankets on the bed at one hotel that we stayed at. If I lived there I think I would have to burn wood all year long.

We spent a day at the beach and I saw this massage hut that they used cookies to make a privacy wall out of. I liked the way it looked so I snapped a picture of it.

We saw several of these small saw mills up in the mountains. Labor is very cheap. Minimum wage is about $2.50 per hour but Costa Rica only has 25% of their jungle left. The land is more valuable to the locals as crop land.

I am out of space so I will finish on another post.

 

[Bspring]

One more picture of the saw mill output.

I have seen moss growing on trees here in the states but nothing like this. Look at all the stuff growing on this tree.

Next is just a rest break that we took next to this big tree and the last is a termite nest.

 

[Brogan007]

Always great to expand one's horizons and visit other cultures. I keep telling folks, there's rarely only "one way".....if only the more extreme politicians would undersyand this, we might get along better.
Sounds like you had an interesting trip. What part of the country? I've been there several times, fishing on Pacific coast.

 

[katwillny]

My wife and I went there a few years back and absolutely loved the country. Went to see the live volcano in Arenal and Poas. Stayed in a hotel in Arenal and our room also had a wood stove. It was absolutely beautiful. It got pretty cold at nights and the stove definitely got used while we were there. Went down to Jaco the next week and it was about 90 degrees. Beautiful country beautiful people.

 

[ScotO]

great pics, looks like you guys had a fantastic trip. Thanks for sharing!

 

[firefighterjake]

Great pics . . . thanks for sharing with us and "bringing us along for the trip."

 

[Bspring]

We were on the Pacific side. The Massage hut was on the next beach down from Jaco. We wanted to see the volcano but the one we were scheduled to see became very active 2 weeks before the got there and there is even a no fly zone all around it so we were unable to get anywhere near it. I was really looking forward to seeing it.

 

[Bocefus78]

I've been to Costa Rica. Flew into San Jose, and stayed on the pacific side. Truely beautiful country! Flying into the country, you can see the deforestation on its grand scale. As stated, we stayed on the pacific side, and with that, came a low level charter plane from San Jose thru the mountains from which I got a first hand look at it. Words cant describe it really. Words also couldnt describe the landing of said plane. Dirt runway on the "beach". No tower, No employees, No nothing. Just dirt. Come up short, and your swimming if you live. Come up long, and your into a stone wall dying a firey death. I also saw the Paos volcano, and BTW, my film never developed!I had taken a family photo up there that I would kill to have. I was not happy... that was 2003 and it still bothers me.

I fed wild McCaws nuts from my hand while enjoying a cold beverage, watched monkeys swinging thru the trees 20 feet from the porch, iguanas crawling around....its an awesome place!

A little advise.....if you decide go, dont book a flight that lands in San Jose in the evening. It was foggy (I guess thats normal around there in the eves) and our jet couldnt land. We got pushed down to Panama and put up for a night. Now theres a place I don't want to revist. The hotel had armed guards w/ AR's outside. Hookers, Dealers, Junkies and the like all over just trying to get at you....etc. Anyway.....book an early flight.

 

[bogydave]

Amazing how we notice cut wood right away no mater where we go.
We all must have "an eye for it"
Great pics, & Warm