Costa Rica

I'm beginning to wonder whether every time we have a great day a bad day will follow. It seems to be an unfortunate pattern that we're in. After a splendid time at the beach on Bocas del Toro we were due to leave Panama the next day, with limited time we couldn't afford to hang around anywhere longer than absolutely necessary. Unsure of the border crossing we agreed to pay $30 each to transfer from Bocas del Toro to San José in Costa Rica with an end goal of reaching La Fortuna. Annoyingly the journey was fairly straightforward and meant that we could easily have saved our money and done the trip ourselves. We were dropped in a dodgy part of San José and told that no buses would be running to La Fortuna from that station. After a brief conversation with a grumpy woman behind a counter we were pointed to another bus station up the road. Taxi drivers tried their best to take us miles to another bus station at a price but we stuck to our guns and hoped we could make it to our destination in one day. We found the bus station walking through a slightly intimidating area and found a bus taking us closer to La Fortuna but our money was running low and we couldn't find a cash point. Arriving at dark we still couldn't get any cash and when we asked a bus driver if he was going to La Fortuna he completely ignored us. We didn't even get any kind of acknowledgement that he'd heard us so Craig asked again, louder and more exasperated. After a wait we boarded the bus and were actually a few pennies short but were allowed on anyway. Eventually we made it to La Fortuna in the late evening after an arduous days travelling and walked to a hostel where luckily there was space despite our turning up unannounced. Never have we dealt with such unfriendly people on our travels, as polite travellers we were gobsmacked by the level of rudeness we encountered in our first few hours in Costa Rica alone and were happy to fall into our dorm beds for a sleep. 

We awoke in the huge characterless dormitory and set about our days activity. I had chosen La Fortuna to stay in as close by I'd read there is a national park with a trail that follows a solidified lava flow. When we went to enquire we learned that to get to the national park you either needed to take a local bus which went once a day there and once a day back at very odd times or an organised tour which was $50 each. $50 was already well over our daily budget and that didn't include the dorm bed and meals. We decided to save our money and instead enjoy a quiet day in La Fortuna. Arenal Volcano sits watching over the quaint town, imposingly large and one of the worlds most active. We strolled into town photographing the volcano from the wide streets and bought groceries from the local shop. An afternoon was whiled away blissfully on the pretty and plant filled hostel terrace with a delicious lunch. I found time to write in my journal and after weeks of discussion we had both made a decision regarding our Central American itinerary. We had heard wonderful things about Cuba and also about how quickly it is changing. We had been umming and ahhing for a long time about whether to squeeze in a trip to Havana and finally decided to go for it. We booked return flights from Cancún to Havana for a five night stay to experience a taste of Cuban culture. The only thing was that now we had even less time to get to Cancún, as if the time we'd given ourselves originally wasn't already stretched! 

Volcano Arenal From the Boat, Costa Rica

The Church of La Fortuna, Costa Rica  

The next day we decided to move on to Monteverde. As we'd saved a fair chunk of money in La Fortuna we took the 'jeep-boat-jeep' option of getting there to save the huge and uncomfortable journey all through the Costa Rican mountains. We boarded a minibus from our hostel and drove to Arenal Lake where the volcano looked particularly impressive. Backpacks in tow we stepped onto the boat and enjoyed a lovely 30 minute crossing across the water stopping to photograph the volcano and birds. Once docked we climbed up a steep bank which with huge backpacks and daypacks wasn't easy and boarded another minibus to drive along dusty tracks to Monteverde and our hostel. Our hostel was advertised as being a 5 minute walk from town but seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Our room was a little dingy but at least it was private and we asked about booking a second night so that we could have a full day in the cloud forest. The owner gave the price for a second night which was hugely inflated, evidentially we'd got a good deal when we booked online. Despite there being only about 2 other guests at the hostel he wouldn't budge on the price and so we decided to rush off to the cloud forest and leave the next day. Online the hostel said it offered a 'shuttle service' into town but there had been no mention of that and we were really pushed for time. The road was unsealed, dusty and not flat. I was dripping with sweat and red in the face from being so out of breath. After our mad dash we made it to the bus stop and boarded a local bus to the forest.

The Red Suspension Bridge in Monteverde's Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

The Waterfall in Monteverde's Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

We walked along the peaceful trail and as it was a sunny and bright day the sun dappled light through the trees, this did mean that there was no cloud in the cloud forest which put paid to my atmospheric misty photographs that I was planning to take. We only had around two hours to explore so we made the most of our time and followed a set route to a red suspension bridge and then on to a waterfall. The path twisted up and around trees and was laid with concrete slabs to keep the mud at bay. Vines dangled down and roots had burst through the earth creating a tangled web of branches and leaves. The red suspension bridge shook as we crossed but was deserted and allowed us time to peacefully look out over the canopy and the forest floor below. We doubled back and found the path again to the waterfall which made an ideal spot for a picnic. Luckily two hours had been ample time to explore and we wandered back to the entrance office and read information plaques about the local wildlife until the last bus of the day arrived to take us and many staff members back to town.

A Tangled Mess of Flora at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Annoyingly the only way to move on to Nicaragua from Monteverde was to take an early bus towards San José, jump off at a petrol station and board a different bus north to the border. We woke before 6am to catch a taxi to the bus station to begin our journey. I don't think we've ever experienced this kind of inconvenience while travelling anywhere. Usually there's always an option geared towards backpackers but Costa Rica seems to be the exception, judging by the amount of American holiday makers we've seen (and heard) I think the country is more of a rich tourist destination aimed towards those with bigger budgets and a willingness to part with money easily. 

With just a few nights spent in Costa Rica we didn't experience all that the country had to offer but were happy to at least have a taste of the volcanic landscape and rich biodiversity. 

 🎥 Central America video: 

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Panama

We arrived in Panama City on 22nd March and already had our goal, to reach Cancún in Mexico for our flight to New York in 40 days by May 1st. Now, we could have flown to a couple of places or even directly to well travelled Mexico but where's the fun in that we thought? By now we'd had a taste of overland travel. In our minds it seemed far easier to take a bus for hours and hours at a time than to fly. All that waiting around in airports, checking baggage and what not, nah. I'd got it into my head that we could visit every single Central American country in our short time, it's a cluster of relatively small countries, how hard could it be I thought. 

Panama City 

And so, our journey began in Panama City and as a treat for starting the 'second part' of our trip we gorged on avocado topped veggie burgers covered in every condiment imaginable and fries at an America style burger place. With an NBA game playing we felt like we were in New York already and enjoyed the fast food in comfortable air conditioning. The next day our first priority was getting a new camera to replace our beloved and much missed stolen Canon. Luckily we knew what we wanted, and just up the metropolitan streets of Panama City was a big technology store. We tested out the Nikon that we'd researched online, Craig managed to persuade me to at least consider something that wasn't a Canon. I found the idea hard at first, I've always been a Canon girl. My first SLR was a second hand 35mm Canon I bought at college, now splattered with purple paint thanks to some 'experimental painting' from my art foundation days. But a Canon was out of reach being much more expensive than any other camera brand. The Nikon looked great and I begrudgingly had to admit seemed to have better features than our Canon. So, with our new camera in hand we decided to take a trip to the Panama Canal which we did have some difficulty finding thanks to the huge bus station. We were pointed here, there and everywhere until we eventually found the correct bus and made our way to the Miraflores section of the canal which is on the Pacific side. We paid the $15 entrance fee and walked to the top viewing balcony where a catamaran was waiting to be let through. How the other half live I thought as I watched the yacht dwellers mill around on their multi-million dollar boat. The water levels drained and rose in perfect order until the gates opened and the catamaran sailed through with ease, up next was a huge cargo ship which looked like a giant in the canal. We wandered through the on-site museum though we couldn't stop for long as our time was running out. The short film about the history of the region and the building of the canal left me with a tear in my eye. When France started construction of the canal in 1881 thousands of workers died, many to yellow fever and malaria. Problems with engineering and the death of workers led to the project being abandoned until the United States took over in 1904 eventually opening the canal for business in 1914. Since then control has been handed over to the Panama government and work to enlarge and improve the canal has been ongoing. On our walk to the main road and bus stop we crossed a bridge and I noticed a sign with a symbol of a crocodile. I looked down at the muddy river bed and sure enough saw a huge wild crocodile snoozing on the riverbank, scaly skin shaded under the bushes. We returned to the bus station which is right next door to one of the biggest shopping centres I've ever seen. As we walked through it the shops seemed to go on infinitely. We found a food court full of American fast food chains and decided to have a baked potato from Wendy's. I miss jacket potatoes from home, with lots of butter, an unhealthy amount of cheddar and of course baked beans. I thought a nice potato from Wendy's would help quell my craving but unfortunately the bright orange goo on top of the tiny chewy potato did not satisfy. Surely American cheese has to be the worst in the world right? We filled up on Cinnabon for dessert which didn't disappoint and caught the metro back to our quiet hostel amongst the city's sky scrapers.

Imposing Cargo Ships Pass Through The Panama Canal

The Miraflores Locks of The Panama Canal

Boquete 

With little time to spare we left Panama City the next day and travelled for 10 hours by coach and chicken bus (no chickens present) to Boquete in the highlands. Arriving after 9pm it was dark in the little town and we found our hostel with ease. With luck we had a four bed dorm to ourselves which was lovely. What wasn't lovely was the huge cockroach running around on the floor. I moved to a top bunk and turned off the lights. I could feel my neck and shoulders itching and turned on the light, there right next to me on the wall was previously mentioned cockroach which scared the absolute life out of me. Alongside that the itching had been bed bugs, large enough to see crawling on the pillow. It was the stuff of nightmares. How am I the one who always encounters bed bugs? Do I just have the worst luck when it comes to biting insects? By this time the whole hostel was asleep and we had to wake up one of the owners, luckily she was very understanding and moved us to a dorm next door which was bug-free. By the next morning the whole room had been fumigated and sealed off, and our fee for the night had been waived. We made pancakes for breakfast with the hostel supplied mix and caught a colectivo to the start of the Pipeline Trail which is a couple of kilometres outside the town.

Attempting To Be A Birder in Wildlife Rich Boquete in Panama

We walked through the forest catching sight of pretty birds and admiring huge ancient trees. The walk was easy if a little sweaty thanks to the humidity and was made more fun by rickety wooden bridges over the river which shook as we crossed. At the end of the trail was a waterfall which we sat by, watching people come and go. The return walk was downhill slightly and so even easier than the way up, we squeezed (literally) into an overcrowded colectivo for the quick journey back to Boquete and then had veggie tacos for dinner.

Beautiful Nature in the Highland Region of Boquete in Panama

Crossing Bridges on The Pipeline Trail in Boquete, Panama

Bocas del Toro

Our last stop in Panama was at Bocas del Toro where we would hopefully experience some Panama beach culture. Before we could enjoy sandy beaches we'd have to get there first. As we left our hostel a bus was passing to the next big town of David so we jumped aboard, we then - after some confusion - found a chicken bus to Almirante where were dropped off on the side of a road, a taxi took us to the colourful docks where we boarded a speedboat to Bocas Town on the island of Bocas del Toro. Travel isn't always a picnic but with time and patience you always get to where you want to go, eventually.

The Laid Back Caribbean Vibes of Bocas del Toro in Panama

Colourful Boats Docked at Bocas Town in Panama

The calm waters were interrupted by our boat, creating spray and waves aplenty. We arrived on the island and walked to our homestay which was out the way of the busy tourist packed strip. The following day we were unsure what to do. Our plan had been to visit a local beach called Red Frog but while researching we learned that there had been several reports of muggings at gun point there and most frighteningly the mysterious death of a female tourist in February, just one month ago. We took a walk to the boat dock to see what other options were available and found a boat tour leaving in 10 minutes to a dolphin rich area and beach. We had to dash around to take cash out and retrieve our swimming things before the boat left but we managed it. We spotted dolphins out at sea and starfish right by mangroves before arriving on the island paradise of uninhabited Cayo Zapatilla. The sand was white and sugary with an island centre dense with palm trees. We wandered along the beach until the clear warm water became too irresistible and we dived in. Our afternoon breezed by in a mix of swimming, splashing, frisbee and sandy beach picnic and was sheer paradise. Reluctantly we jumped back on the boat and sped through the mangroves stopping to see wild sloths hanging from branches. Once back in Bocas Town we ate dinner at Om Café an Indian restaurant on the decks edge, our table looked over gently lapping water as the sun set. Our beautiful Indian meal topped off a fantastic time in Panama; a country that we didn't expect to love this much. The variety of cosmopolitan skyscraper strewn Panama City, quiet and nature filled Boquete and perfect sandy paradise of Zapatilla meant that Panama might just be one of our favourite countries.

The White Sandy Beach of Cayo Zapatilla in Panama

Jumping for Joy on Cayo Zapatilla in Panama

 🎥 Central America video:

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South America

September 1st 2016 - March 22nd 2017

When we first went backpacking in 2011 we dreamed of going to South America. By the time we organised our travel itinerary including a flight to Beijing, a stop in Hong Kong, a whirlwind trip around Southeast Asia, three months in Australia, a month in Fiji and all the adrenaline activities in New Zealand we had run out of budget. Our eight month adventure cost us roughly £10,000 in total; around £4000 prepaid for flights, a 16 day tour of Laos and two months camper van hire in Australia and £6000 spending money. We managed a lot on our budget, especially considering how expensive Australia had got since I visited on the holiday of a lifetime in 2006. Much appreciated help came our way in the form of my wonderful mum and her friend Jo who visited us in Australia, putting us up in apartments for nearly three weeks, a week staying with my mums dear friend Reva in her hometown of Adelaide and a surprise visit from Craig's mum and dad who generously hired a camper van for three weeks in New Zealand where we toured both islands with them. If it weren't for our loved ones helping us out we wouldn't have been able to do everything we had done on the trip, a sky dive, a canyon swing, a glacier hike, eating food that wasn't baked beans on toast. Our trip was amazing but our adventure lacked one thing, a taste of South America. 

We met people on the road who were off to South America and I was extremely envious, the continent offered so much and we wouldn't be able to afford to get there. What followed when we returned home was years of working in a job I wasn't passionate about to save. I wasn't sure yet what I was saving for, a house deposit maybe? Another stint at university? Travelling? Craig worked very hard in his job and to further his skillset enrolled in an evening carpentry course, I had taken a break from work for a year to complete an MA in Fine Art as I desperately missed university and a daily art practice. More time passed and with South America calling our names we decided to go for it and book a one way ticket to Rio de Janeiro, it was exhilarating but scary. Another big trip, maybe even bigger than our last one. As the months rolled on the excitement built. Questions were asked, how long are you going for? Where in South America will you be going after Rio? The truth was we didn't know, and thats how I liked it. Our last trip had been so meticulously planned, flights were already bought and paid for, tours in place and an end date pencilled in. This time we were keen to keep our plans open ended, if someone recommended a place then we'd have the freedom to go there too, and if we didn't like a place then we could scoot on with our trip without issue. 

So, with £12000 each in our bank accounts we flew to Rio and over the course of six and a half months we travelled completely overland (by coach and public bus) down to Ushuaia on the most southerly tip of Argentina all the way up to Colombia's Caribbean Coast. It felt like such an achievement. Some of the journeys weren't pretty, we were sat on one coach for 34 hours in Chile/Argentina. I kept thinking how crazy far away I thought Scotland was from my home in Hampshire, eight hours in a car seemed like a lifetime but now journeys less than 20 hours were considered short. 

On our journey we visited Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Apart from Portuguese speaking Brazil all were tied together by the Spanish language but all different in a myriad of intriguing ways. In commemoration of our wonderful tour of the continent I have listed our best moments and our not so great. 

The Best of Times

• Spying the imposing rock towers of Mount Fitz Roy shrouded in whispy cloud on our nine hour day hike in Argentine Patagonia
• Cruising downhill by bike on Bolivia's infamous 'Death Road'
• That first glimpse of Machu Picchu and Peru's Sacred Valley
• Walking through a snowy landscape to see the towers of Torres del Paine in Chile
• Gliding over the mysterious Nazca lines in a tiny plane in Peru
• Getting drenched under a waterfall at Iguazu Falls and seeing the falls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides
• An hours bike ride around Rio de Janeiro's Lagoa at the start of our adventure
• Seeing ice calve from the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina
• Hot chocolate after walking in deep snow to a lake and back near Ushuaia, Argentine Patagonia
• Every walk we took in Bariloche, Argentina's lake district
• Reaching the Punta Union Pass on our 3/4 day hike in Peru's Cordillera Blanca
• Staying with locals in Lima and experiencing Peruvian hospitality at its best

The Worst of Times

• Rushing Craig to hospital in La Paz, Bolivia with severe altitude sickness
• The theft of our camera and money in Ecuador
• The unavoidable bed bugs and mosquito bites
• Disappointingly missing out on seeing The Amazon

The best times severely outweigh the bad and now that we've had some distance from the continent I'm starting to forget the worst days and completely gush over our time there. We travelled the continent quicker than we expected to, and that was while taking our time especially in Argentina and Chile. Patagonia turned out to be our favourite region and also the most expensive while we weren't as keen on pricey Uruguay. Luckily for us, our trip hasn't ended in Colombia. While in South America we decided to go to India via all the Central American countries with a little stop in Cuba and New York for good measure too. 

One things for sure, I'm so glad we decided to put our hard earned money towards this adventure. It has come with so many challenges, difficulties and a few disappointments but the places we've seen, some of so much outstanding beauty will be etched in my mind forever. 

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