Niños

Last night we had our staff meeting and then went for dinner at a restaurant in the main street. The whole time we were eating people were coming up trying to sell stuff. Even small children selling cigarettes. Then when I'd finished this little boy kept tapping my shoulder holding out a carrier bag coz he wanted my leftovers...I just gave him the whole plate and have never seen anyone eat so quickly :(
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Las escuelas

Today I had my induction meeting for volunteering in the schools. First a girl from Nicaragua told us about the program; that they work in seven schools and work mainly with primary school children helping with Spanish, maths and computers etc. Then the older children they teach them English. I will be in the English team, helping to teach English.

Then we got shown around all the schools that they work in. Most of them were closed today, so didn't see a lot. Apparently they have lots of days off here. All seemed quite normal. The schools had classrooms with chairs and desks in, and lots of posters and displays on the walls. Then we drove through to some more schools, down this dirt road which was full of houses like shacks. They were like sheds made with scraps of wood or scraps of corrugated metal..

This is also the most foreign I have ever felt in a country. Everyone has dark skin, dark hair, like latino. Everywhere else I have been I was able to blend in because there was a mixture of colours, and they'd only realise I was foreign when I spoke, but here I don't think it would matter what clothes I wear because I will always look white and foreign. It's really nice here though. And all the other volunteers are really nice; Germans, Swiss, Canadian, Spanish.. and we all hang out in the pool at the end of the day.

First day in the schools tomorrow!
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Costa Rica to Nicaragua

So today I had a looooong, cold bus journey to Nicaragua. The bus left at 6am and was 9 hours long..that's like as long as my flight to Cuba was! So after about 5 hours we got to the border of Costa Rica where we had to get off the bus and queue up for immigracion while a million people asked me to change money. I now have 3 currencies in my purse, getting very confusing! Then they just stamped my passport and we got back on the bus.

The border!

Then 2 minutes down the road we get to the Nicaragua border. Here I had to pay 8000 colones ($16) for the visa and they collected all of our passports. Then we had to take all of our bags off the bus so they could be 'checked'. They didn't even look in my bag. While we were waiting there were lots of people trying to sell me stuff and beggars, just looked like a market! One lady had fried chicken in bags, another had funny little chicken models made from shells, and lots of sandals. I like people trying to sell me stuff, so I ended up buying a bag of cashew nuts and a reggaeton CD off a man who I made promise he would call me if the bus was leaving while I went to the toilet. Then they gave back my passport with my new visa in, and we got back on the bus for the last 100km to Granada.

Fried chicken in bags

I arrived in Granada and got a taxi to the volunteer house, and was met by a German girl who is also volunteering. The house is nice, I have a big room with a bathroom. Granada is also very nice. Lots of different coloured painted houses, more tourists than I imagined. The girl said normally she goes to the pool in the afternoon, so I thought that sounded lovely so we just got back from the pool which is in some hotel up the road. She said volunteers can pay $35 for the month and you get a free massage! I will be joining tomorrow.

The hotel pool (this is not where I live!)

Judging by the price of the piña colada at the hotel, it is much cheaper here than in Costa Rica! Just $2.75 instead of $5. And judging by the skinnyness of the horses it is even poorer than Cuba. Very skinny horseys.
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Hostel Tranquilo Backpackers

This is the nice notice they have up in the toilets of Hostel Tranquilo Backpackers in San Jose. Crazy, angry owner. Shouldn't he think about making his hostel nicer, before putting up angry signs about not being in Lonely Planet anymore...and learn to spell.

Back in the city

Same Big Mac, same terrible service. If only I was mystery shopping here, he would have got a very bad report!!
Back in San Jose. It's raining. Feels like I've just got back to England after a lovely holiday at the beach coming back to the cityyy. It's also cold. Well, 26c the sign said, so don't know how hot it was in Cahuita for me to feel cold!

So strange the temperature changes in which ever part of the country you're in, especially as it's such a small country. Was really hot at the beach, Caribbean side and Pacific side, cold in the mountains, and then in between everywhere else.

Just been shopping to get supplies for Nicaragua. Leaving Saturday morning at 6am..! In desperate need of clothes so got some tops, and some makeup and a brolly. Can't find leggings or shower gel anywhere!!
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Chalet Larissa, St Anton

This is the chalet I'm going to be hosting from the end of November, how exciting :D

http://www.skitotal.com/accommodationdetails.aspx?accomId=3028

Check it out and get booking your holidays with me!! Friends n family get a 5% discount (y)
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Rodeo

Went horse riding on the beach yesterday with a real cowboy ha!

Then I got to go to a bull fight or rodeo they called it. Was very strange. Everyone was sitting around the edge of the ring, where there was even someone walking around selling wands with flashing lights as if it was bonfire night.

So first they would have the bull in a box at the front. When they were ready they open the door and the bull comes running out, bucking and trying to kick the man riding him off... Then the man falls off and runs away before he gets trampled, while all these other people are running around trying to annoy the poor bull who then charges at them. Then two cowboys come out on their horses and try to lasso the bull and get him back in the box. They then did this over and over again with different bulls for about three hours...!

One man came away limping after getting thrown off and stood on - I thought served him right haha!! But at least they don't kill the bull I suppose, and was interesting to see a tradition we don't have at home, especially as I was probably the only foreign person there..have now seen the real Costa Rica!
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Sloth

Look how close he was!!! Very strange animals...

Animales

Had lots of problems with the animals today. First a cat wouldn't let me make my tuna sandwich. Had to put some on the side for him, make the sandwich dead quick and then gave him the tin. I thought things couldn't get any worse..

But then, I'm at the beach eating a bag of nuts, I pop them down for a second, looking around and suddenly this racoon appears and steals the whole bag off me..hmm so I just sat there clutching my tuna sandwich, thinking he's not having that too!!

Apart from that I've had a very relaxing day on the beach watching the monkeys. I also took my washing to a lady up the road this morning. I have never been so excited to have clean clothes!!!

Guess how many bites are on my feet...

Went snorkelling today. Don't have any pictures obvs..although the other people had a camera in a waterproof case thing - I want one!! Saw lots of different fishies..black ones with yellow stripes were my favourite, and also saw a massive ray..that was cool!

Got woken up this morning by the birds tweeting and the monkeys howling!! Never thought I would write that! Went in the forest again this morning too, saw racoons this time, more sloths - yes liz there are big ones, and baby ones too!

Cahuita

In a small beach town called Cahuita which is on the Caribbean sea!! One side of the town is Playa Negra and on the other side is Playa Blanca which is in the Cahuita National Park. There is 5km of beach along the edge of the rainforest and you have to pay a donation to enter.

I sat on the beach for a bit, and watched the crabs running around. They're quite funny coz they come out of their holes but then if they see me looking they run back in.

Then I followed the trail of the park through the jungle coz they said there were monkeys and snakes but I couldn't see anything, just lots of lizards and big scary spiders.

Then a guided tour were on the way back and they pointed out loads of snakes, some bright yellow ones and some brown ones. I saw a sloth, iguanas sleeping in the trees and then the best bit we saw all these monkeys swinging high up in the trees. There were 3 big ones and 2 babies, was amazing to see them in the wild!!

Strange thing was the other tourists saw them, took a photo and then were off, they wanted to see something else... I stood and watched them for ages, was really cool!

Volcán Arenal

Yesterday I went to another volcano which is supposed to be active and you can see it glowing red at night, but it didn't do that for me. It's in a town called La Fortuna which was just full of shops selling tours. All the shops seemed to be selling the same tours but for different prices. I went on the horse riding to the waterfall one. One place wanted $60, then the next place wanted $35..so I went with that one and it was well cool!!!

Me and my horsey

So first we went on the horses for about an hour. Then when we got near to the waterfall we left the horses in a field and walked down the 500 steps to the waterfall through the rainforest. On the way there was a hanging bridge like what they have on I'm a Celebrity!! Was very cool. Bit wobbly!

Then we got down to the waterfall and I went for a little swim. Water was quite cold!!!

And then we had to walk alllll the way back up...then got back on the horseys. Then they took us to this interpretation of an indigenous Costa Rican group where this man told us about them in a thatched tipi thing. I'm not sure how real it was, and I think its strange how they take you to look at people, but they must make a lot of money from it as they had lots of cool painted wooden things for sale..all quite expensive! I got a thing that makes the sound of the rain when you turn it upside down, it's very beautiful.

I need to get a spare bag for all these things I'm buying!! Then they tried to take me to a butterfly garden..pff!!! And then a frog garden which I did go in, they had a little red frog, and a frog with black and green pattern but the green was so bright!

How much is that doggy in the window?

Pet shops in England don't sell dogs anymore do they?! Had 3 tiny puppies in the window of this pet shop.

Have been in these two towns called Grecia and Sarchí. Lots of mountains and green, massive cactuses, coffee trees, banana trees...tropical!!

Sarchí is also home to this painted oxcart.

This one is the biggest in the world apparently! I think they still use them though, as I saw one when we drove to the volcano with 2 cows or something attached to it by their horns.

Desayuno tico

Costa Rican breakfast in a cafe..do they really eat rice 3 times a day?!!! In my house with the family I normally had toast and they gave me lots of fruit, but went to a cafe today and it was bread, egg (normal) then rice, cheese and fried banana. And pineapple juice and a cuppa tea. Which they made with just milk :/ haha

San José

Spent the day in San José. Is a really nice city, I think it's very different from the rest of Costa Rica which is a lot of mountains and countryside. So I found lots of shops while I was looking for my hammock which I didn't find..the guide book said there was a market selling stuff like that but was closed. Then I found the central market which had a few tourist shops in there, but selling tshirts and towels and then lots of stalls selling fish and meat and stuff, ooh and I got a tape measure to measure my head for graduation!! Then I came out the market and there was a horrible pet shop selling chickens and baby chicks in cages, and a cage of rabbits and guinea pigs but they had wire cage under their feet and no food so I wanted to rescue them all.

And then...a small boy was choosing a rabbit, so the lady picks up the rabbit and puts it in a brown paper bag as if it was just a cake or something!!! I had to get a sneaky picture...

The rest of San José was much more normal...it's very American tho, all the American fast food shops and I have never seen so many shoe shops!!! I probably went in all of them. They all had these funny wellies, like normal wellies and then shorter ones, and like shoe wellies.

Must be because of all the rain they get, or is it the fashion in England too and I didn't know?!

Otra playa

At the beach again! Different one today, this one is very nice. None of the beaches here seem to have people selling stuff, like sunbeds or coco. But maybe that's coz its winter (apparently) I don't know!! All the shells have legs too..eek! Keep seeing them wandering past.

So many animals in this country. I am no longer (that) scared of moths and butterflies as I now have to deal with giant moths which are terrifying and sleeping in fear of lizards coming in my room. Then got woken up this morning by a load of chickens outside my window cockledoodledooing..

I'm now watching this massive bird with a long pointy beak circling the water. Then when he spots a fish he swoops down really quick, stabs it and golps it down!

Jacó

Have gone to the family's beach house for the weekend which is in a town called Jacó on the Pacific Ocean side. On the way there we stopped at a bridge to see the crocodiles who were sunbathing in the river underneath which was very cool!

Rio Tarcoles

Then went to the beach which had quite dark sand and big waves which is nice if you like surfing I suppose.

Loads of souvenir shops here all selling hammocks. I well want one! Keep wondering where I'm going to get Les to hang it when I get home though...

Volcán Poas

Milk farm

Went to the volcano near Alajuela today. Went with the lady I live with so got in for the Costa Rican price of 1000 colones ($2) instead of $12 for tourists. There was one volcano that's not active anymore and is just filled with rain water so they called it a lagoon.

Laguna

Then there was the active one which had lava in?! and clouds all swirling around it and there's a funny smell..which is volcano smell!

Volcán

Apparently I was very lucky to have seen it, because normally it's covered in clouds and you can't see anything.

Then we sat at the top on a bench and laughed at the ridiculously dressed tourists arriving at the lake and talked about them in Spanish. I have never seen so many stupid outfits in one place. They were all arriving with these massive backpacks full of stuff, hiking boots, raincoats and big cameras around their necks..then there was one family all in hiking boots and big sun hats with a flap bit at the back so they didn't burn their necks..it wasn't raining, it wasn't sunny enough to burn your neck, and it was a gentle concrete path all the way to the top which you could have walked in flip flops...uy dio!

I'm so rich!

25,000 colones in my purse...

Went on a real computer for the first time since I've been away today. Couldn't type at all!!! Also rang Liz! Was only 80 colones a minute. Still not quite sure how much that is.

Just went to salsa class with the lady I live with. Was fun. I thought they were all gna be pros being latinos but noooo. Was strange she taught 3 different dances in one class. First was some crazy country dancing type thing, lots of hopping and kicking, then there was salsa but it wasn't really salsa dno what it was, then it was merengue which is easy.

Also went into the town of Alajuela this afternoon. Was sort of old looking but then had Mcdonalds and Pizza Hut next to the Cathedral.

I went in coz it was pretty, sat down, next thing they start some service, and then we had to stand for a song..had to sneak out after that.

Best flight ever!

Flight was full so got upgraded to first class..they didn't actually tell me, so I got on the plane looking for seat 3C and checked like 5 times when I saw it was one of the big seats haha check out my leg room!

Then they kept coming over and asking if I wanted a drink, and then we got breakfast on a tray with real knife and fork and this miniature salt and pepper (which I stole), while everyone else got a roll in a box.

And then..I came out of the toilet and the air hostess man said take this juice to the pilot!! Haha so I went in the bit where they fly the plane and had a cuppa tea was very interesting!

Anyway I'm in Costa Rica! Changed some dollars at the airport, got 26,000 for $60 or something stupid, but then the taxi driver asked for $5 so I think you can pay in both here too. Have been very tired all day so have been watching films on the TV in my room!! Its been nice!