Introduction to my Latin American holiday blog

This account of our October/November 2012 holiday to Argentina, Chile, Panama and Costa Rica was written most days on my Samsung tablet. Photos were added afterwards. It appears in reverse chronological order, so you need to go to the end of the older posts and work backwards. I also kept a paper diary with full details, as there was so much happening, and WiFi wasn't universally available.

Julia Newton, 5 December 2012.

Saturday 24 November, leaving Costa Rica

A squirrel got very bold at breakfast

Sunset on the drive to San Jose airport

Our last day in this beautiful hotel and country. We enjoyed breakfast with the birds and squirrels, and then sorted out packing. Some things had to be sacrificed.

We checked out and paid our large bill for meals, drinks and spa, and got up to date with the news. Our lift should arrive at 15.00 to take us to San Jose airport - a 5 hour journey. We will certainly miss the warm climate. Our 11 hour flight for Madrid leaves at 23.55.

Friday 23 November, Tamarindo

The howler monkeys got very excited at teatime

We enjoyed a leisurely day at the hotel, with the grackles and iguanas at breakfast. I finished reading Paul Theroux's Old Patagonian Express at last - his South American experiences were more amusing and less complaining than his Central American stories. We had lunch at the hotel, swam in the pool and played cards.

Updating my diary - hope I can read it later

At 5pm there was general excitement as the resident howler monkeys got very lively and started running, jumping and howling loudly - their cry is pityful. We strolled along the beach to the Colombian bar and had a very nice mojito watching the sunset.We had reserved a table at our hotel for dinner and chose the day's specials - beef tenderloin for Richard and sea bass for me, plus soup/ceviche to start. A large crab approached our table and threatened our feet which was rather worrying! For dessert we enjoyed chocolate mousse.

Thursday 22 November, birdwatching at Rio Tamarindo

Birdwatching by boat on the river estuary

A boat-billed heron

Awake very early and up at 6 for our boat trip up the river estuary for birdwatching. Warren was our guide again for this personal tour, and Enrico drove the boat up the Rio Tamarindo. We saw numerous water birds and others native to the region or migrating: blue heron, snowy egret, tri-coloured heron, white ibis, green kingfisher, whimbrels and willets, and even an osprey, amongst others. We also saw mud crabs and a lurking crocodile between the mangroves hemming us in on either side.

We spent the day by the beach, pool and our room, and had our Thanksgiving dinner at a small pizza place. Bites more troublesome.

Wed 21 November, still at Tamarindo

The iguana always joined us for breakfast

Today a group of Swiss ladies joined us at breakfast, but they only stayed one night. The hotel was founded by a Swiss couple but most guests this week have been American. After breakfast we caught up with news from home using my tablet in the reception area, and then booked a birdwatching boat trip for the next morning. We spent the day in the sea, by the beach and in the pool.

At the beach bar

In the evening we repeated our sunset walk on the beach, stopping for a Happy Hour beer at El Pescador, where there was a singer. Dinner at Portofino, a Columbian place, was quite nice - fish - but service was poor. We retraced our steps on the beach while the incoming tide tried to beat us, and at the hotel we enjoyed a coffee liqueur to the accompaniment of a marimba band. Quite a romantic evening!

A marimba band played at the Capitan Suizo bar after dinner

Tuesday 20 November in Tamarindo

A magpie jay coming to breakfast

It has been nice to stay in the same place for 6 nights so we can unpack all our clothes and get laundry done. The Capitan Suizo hotel is very nice with individual bungalows and the restaurant is right next to the beach and garden.

Sunset on the beach at Tamarindo was beautiful

At breakfast we saw lots of wildlife close up, and identified them using the good reference books here. We saw a pair of white-throated magpie jays, a family of variegated squirrels and the regular visitor, the ctenosaur iguana. We read the guidebooks and played crib outside our room. In the afternoon I had a pedicure with my spa discount, and we swam in the pool.


At twilight we walked along the beach and took pictures of the beautiful sunset. At dusk it gets suddenly and completely dark and is tricky to walk, especially on the unpaved roads. We had dinner at Copacabana - tuna carpaccio and Indonesian chicken - and listened to a band playing.

Monday, 19 November, at Capitan Suizo and the turtle tour

In Tamarindo town centre - some nice shops

Today our hire car was collected - all well, no new scratches or flat tyres. It was quite a relief. We booked up for a turtle nesting guided tour at 6pm. We walked into the town centre of Tamarindo, got cash, bought some insect bite gel which turned out to be pretty useless and had coffee. Then back to the hotel for lunch. Later we swam in the pool and walked into the sea.

A Pacific Green turtle laid her eggs on Playa Minas

After a snack we prepared for the beach trip - long trousers, socks and insect spray. Our driver was Warren and there were 3 other couples on our tour, and we met other groups. We drove north to Playa Minas and hiked to Playa Jesus - very difficult walking conditions in the dark, but there was a bright moon at least. We saw 2 turtles make a nest without laying, and two who had finished laying.

On returning to the first beach we observed a Pacific Green turtle laying about 50 round white eggs. The nest was about one metre wide. It was a long and difficult evening but worthwhile, apart from the increase in itchy bites and red blotches.

Sunday 18 November, driving northwest to Tamarindo

Woke early for the dawn chorus. Nice breakfast with the friendly waitress. We failed to sort our drinks bill - they won't get a glowing review. A 310km. drive ahead of us up the coast past Quepos towards Puntarenas. We stopped for coffee and a Pacific view. Stopped again near Nicoya for lunch of ceviche - very nice. After that the roads got worse and we saw no more petrol stations.

The beach at Tamarindo - all beaches in Costa Rica are free

We arrived at Tamarindo and Capitan Suizo, our home for the next 6 days. Our room is like a stage set with curtains all round, steps on both sides and even an outdoor shower!

The raccoon was at home in the hotel

We drove for 30 minutes to find a petrol station, as the car has to be full on handover. People in Tamarindo seem to be sleepwalking. It's a town for surfers and ageing hippies. Dinner at the hotel was nice but very slow. We saw a timid raccoon in reception

Saturday 17 November,at La Foresta

On the rope bridge to the rainforest trail at La Foresta

Heavy rain started in the early hours. We postponed our rainforest walk and had a late breakfast. By 10am it had stopped so we started on the easy trail after crossing a rope bridge. The path was very muddy so we just went as far as the butterfly garden.  The ants have added to the itchy bite count.


We showered and drove to Quepos for lunch at El Gran Escape - Mexican food. Rain again - torrential. For dinner we ate at the Lodge but got poor service - and were overcharged for our drinks!

Friday 16 Nov, To Quepos

In Quepos, on the Pacific coast

We only stayed one night at Villas Rio Mar, which a was a shame, and we liked the place - beautiful grounds and pool. Breakfast was OK, and we checked out and set off by 10am. It was a short drive up the coast to Quepos. We went to the town first for lunch at Dos Locos - very appropriate. There was a school event on in town, with a band, which was fun. Weather very hot. I am suffering from mosquito bites now.


We backtracked to La Foresta Lodge and found our bungalow. An iguana greeted us. We found the bar in time for Happy Hour and had Margaritas. Very friendly waiter. We also had mahi-mahi for dinner - the catch of the day. And a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

Thursday 15 November, to Playa Dominical

At Ballena beach on our way north from Golfito

We were up at 7. Still no running water so we used mineral water to wash hands and face. After a nice breakfast of fresh fruits, eggs and bread and jam, we said goodbye to Esther and Kai, and took the boat from Golfo Dulce back to Golfito. We had to wade through the water to go aboard and got our shoes soaked.

At Golfito we got cash from Banco Nacional before an easy drive to Playa Dominical on the Pacific coast. We stopped at Marino Ballena, a stony beach famous for whales but didn't see one. We did see monkeys though.

Our room at Villas Rio Mar

We found Villas Rio Mar at Playa Dominical and got our room by the pool, which was very pleasant for an afternoon swim. The hotel is used as a conference centre. Pretty but not so friendly as smaller places. We had lunch and dinner there. I found a man cleaning his teeth in the ladies' toilets!

Tuesday and Wednesday, Golfo Dulce

We saw brown pelicans in the mangrove swamps on our boat journey

A pair of female curassow were at home in the garden

Tuesday. Another interesting day ahead! We had to drive 280km. southwest to reach the town of Golfito by 11.30, so we were up at 5.30. Then the car wouldn't start! Swearing, tears and recriminations. R managed to get it going after switching off 4x4. We had the tricky ascent to the highway at San Gerardo de Dota, and then it was smooth driving southeast. We reached the Hotel Samoa del Sur at 11.15 and had a beer. We had to pay cash for parking. We left the big case in the car and took only one bag of 12 kilos as instructed.


The boat was there for an exhilarating ride to Golfo Dulce, a remote nature centre. It's run by a Swiss lady and all the guests were Swiss. We had pasta for lunch. A German student, Kai, was assigned to show us nature: he loves frogs. We spent the afternoon relaxing on the verandah, before dinner and a frog hunt.


On Wednesday, Agostino took us on a jungle walk for over 2 hours and showed us the plants and birds. We saw toucans, curassow, hummingbirds and a family of coati. After lunch it rained heavily and continued throughout  the evening and night. We lost power and running water. Umbrellas were provided though.

Mon 12 Nov, Green North to Wild South

We left the Belmar in Monteverde after an early breakfast, for a long, 270km. drive southeast. Leaving Santa Elena we hit another dreadful stony road. A landslide held us up for a while, and eventually we got to the main road by the coast, which led inland to San Jose. We left the highway for coffee, and then took the busy ring road round San Jose, where we managed to fill up with petrol. On the Panamerican Highway we stopped for lunch.

Savegre Lodge was at the bottom of a very steep hill

At 3, after driving through the cloud forest and close to our destination, we left the main paved road to descend steeply along a winding narrow road to San Gerardo de Dota, and reached Savegre Lodge half an hour later. We have a rather chilly bungalow in a lush garden. We saw numerous tropical plants and lots of hummingbirds. Dinner was a buffet. A group of birdwatchers was staying there. We booked a box breakfast as we have to leave very early.

Sunday 11 Nov, Santa Elena

After a windy night, the sun finally came out.

Richard picking the coffee beans

Breakfast at Hotel Belmar was OK, then we went to the Don Juan coffee tour about 30 minutes away in Monteverde down a dodgy road. Along with one English guy and two Dutch  girls, we saw the coffee plantation and had a hands-on experience with coffee beans, cocoa pods and sugar cane. Plus tasting.

In the Tree House cafe

Then we drove into Santa Elena, a nice little town, and had lunch at the Tree House cafe. We looked at shops, then visited an orchid garden.



Back to Hotel Belmar to rest. Dinner here tonight. We have a long drive tomorrow

A rare orchid at Santa Elena Orchid Garden

Saturday 10 November, to Belmar Hotel

The coati came right up to our car

We had an early breakfast at Lomas del Volcan. The service wasn't very good and the coffee not hot. We left to drive to the Belmar Hotel at Monteverde, a tricky place to locate. The road took us across the Arenal dam and alongside the lake, with good views. We saw a coati approach the car, and three vultures in the road. However, past Tiluran, the road deteriorated. We still had 32km. to reach our destination. Another nice room with forest view, and the shower is in the window overlooking the trees!

A room with a view - hope the birds enjoy it!

There's a wedding party on here today so we have to go out for dinner, if we can face the bad road again. No TV so we did the crossword and updated my blog. The room is quite cool and it's windy. Not quite what we expected in Costa Rica!


We drove down the 'road' to the Chimera restaurant which had good music and food. Ceviche again and chicken with almonds and chocolate sauce with green beans. We had a very windy night up there near the canopy.

Friday 9 November, Lomas del Volcan

There was no risk of keeping dry in the national park

Our room is fine and the shower very good, with hot water! Beautiful location but still no view due to the incessant rain. Breakfast was OK, nice cereal. We drove to Volcan Arenal National Park. Got very wet walking through the dense rainforest. We saw no wildlife or lava flows. Had a good pizza lunch at Que Rico and came back to dry off. Shoes and jeans very muddy now.

Richard got a message from work asking for help this morning. Don't think he minded.

Well, you expect rain in a rainforest. Shoes were ruined.

In the evening it was very stormy and we had a power cut, which lasted over an hour. Pitch dark outside. The main building had a generator so we made our way in the dark to the bar, and then had antipasto for a light dinner. Power was restored eventually.

Thursday 8 November, leaving the wilderness for La Fortuna

An anteater in the rocky road

We enjoyed our last breakfast at Pedacito de Cielo, and then checked out. It was pouring with rain, and the road condition hadn't improved. We did see an anteater in the road as well as some cows, but a dangerous bridge was being replaced as we drove along. Once past Pital, the road improved but not the weather. La Fortuna looks like an interesting town. Our new hotel, Lomas del Volcan, should have a view of the Arenal volcano, but it's very misty now.

Nice room, nice garden, rather off-hand service. We had lunch and watched CNN, then tried WiFi. We will eat here tonight and plan what to do tomorrow.

Tues and Wed 6 and 7 Nov, 'a little piece of heaven'

Volcan Poas on the way north to Boca Topada

On Tuesday we got our hire car, a Hyundai Tucson 4-wheel drive. Richard also went to the Bank of San Jose for more cash. We checked out of Grano de Oro and programmed the GPS for Volcan Poas and Pedacito de Cielo. The volcano was covered in mist but while we waited, it cleared. We took some good photos.

A family of coati in the road

Then we set off for our lodge in the wilderness. The road down from the volcano was damaged by landslides. From Pital it was a 35km. road of boulders and potholes - rather a nightmare. We arrived after dark. We are staying in a bungalow with bats and no hot water. At dinner I got bitten on my arms. Dinner was good though - soup and chicken with roasted veg. The owner tried to improve our Spanish.

Very humid in the raiforest

On Wed we walked for 2km. into the rainforest - very humid. Had a nice cold shower on return. At the lodge we saw toucans, hummingbirds and small green parrots, and also an iguana. After lunch it rained non-stop. Dinner was a highlight. We had soup and fish, nicely served. I eventually managed to get into WiFi, once the Germans had left the room.

Monday 5 November in San Jose

Items in the jade museum collection in San Jose

A choice of menus at breakfast  - I chose yogurt parfait with fruit and crunchy cereal, plus fresh orange juice and coffee. We tried to plan our itinerary on Google maps but the coverage is patchy.

This painting of a coffee plantation in the Teatro Nacional was reproduced on banknotes

We took a taxi to Edificio Correo, the old post office building, and got more stamps. We discovered that our Maestro cards with chip did not work, also at a second bank, but the Bank of San Jose would be OK when we find it. We visited the Jade Museum with artefacts from collectors. Had a beer and cheese for lunch.

We took the city tour with a guide to see the architectural styles of the city, and visit the theatre and the gold museum again. Had dinner at Restaurant Machu Picchu, within walking distance of our hotel. Good ceviche and pisco sour.

Sunday 4 November, arrival in Costa Rica

Beautiful gold artefacts in the Museum of Pre-Columbian Gold

We checked out after an early breakfast in the Toscana, and Manuel drove us to the airport. Of course we had hours to wait for our flight. We had coffee and cinnamon buns, and caught our Copa flight to San Jose. I passed on the beef sandwiches. On arrival we were met by a rep from Ara tours who took us straight to the Grano de Oro hotel, a top small hotel on the west of the city. Everything very nice so far.

Parque Central in San Jose - a meeting place for people and parrots

We got a taxi to the centre and strolled round, had coffee in the Teatro Nacional, and visited the Museum for Pre-Colombian Gold artefacts. Very interesting and well displayed. Then we answered a survey by two students about global warming. At the Parque Central we heard parrots making a racket even though we couldn't see them in the green leaves of the trees.


Having a gourmet dinner at the hotel, we hope.

Saturday 3 November, Panama Canal boat trip through the locks

We went through 2 sets of locks with the Rio Grande

Today is another holiday in Panama, Independence from Colombia Day. It was also the highlight of our holiday so far!

A Panamanian girl showing off the national costume

We went with one of the German couples for a boat trip on the Panama Canal. Manuel took us to Flamenco Island at Amador to get a bus to the tour start in Gamboa. We got seats in the air-conditioned cabin and went on deck to take photos. We went through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, accompanied by a huge ship, the Rio Grande. We got lunch on the boat.

Large cranes standing by to lift the containers

It was a great experience. Gus, the bilingual guide on board, told us many facts about the canal. It was opened in 1914 after an American team completed the complex building project where de Lesseps had failed. The structure of the locks is still the same today as it was then, although they are building an extension to the locks now. The Canal Zone was administered by the Americans, until in 1977 Jimmy Carter signed a handover treaty, the handover being completed in 1999.

Afterwards we tried to see the Independence Day parade in the old town but it had finished. Dinner tonight somewhere local.

Friday 2 November, Embera Indians

Today is the Day of the Dead here. No alcohol!

Juan Pablo translates the Embera chief's story

We visited the village of the Embera Indians in the Chagres National Park. We arrived there by canoe. The chief gave us a talk about their way of life, having moved from Darien province. We saw how they built their houses from palm leaves and bamboo.Then they cooked and served us lunch of fried fish and bananas served in a banana leaf, plus fresh pineapple. It was delicious.

Freshly cooked fish and banana, served in a banana leaf

We had chance to see their handicrafts on sale - wooden carvings and jewellery - and watch a dance display. There was a heavy storm. We returned to Panama City by canoe and bus, Manuel's driving not improving. Tonight we're going for dinner with the Germans. We said goodbye to Juan Pablo. We learnt  a lot from him, even in German.

Thursday 1 November, back to Panama City

Gatun locks visitors' centre - very interesting

We had late breakfast and checked out of the Melia. In the morning we made a visit to Gatun Locks, where we went to the visitors' centre and saw 4 ships pass through. It was fascinating  Then we drove to San Lorenzo to see ruins of a Spanish castle. It used to be a World Heritage site but the workmen stole all the cannons. We saw many colourful flowers there. We also saw a coati. We enjoyed beer and ceviche at Shelter Bay marina.

A heavily laden container ship going up towards the Pacific

Then back through Colon, a very poor city. Juan Pablo said the people have no inclination to work, and there was lots of litter everywhere, which was sad. Then another highlight - we took the Panama Canal Railway back to Panama City. Great train ride in the panorama car.



This time we checked into the Toscana Inn in the city centre. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant within walking distance. Service was slow.

San Lorenzo was an old fort from the Spanish colonisation

Wed 31 October, Soberania and Gatun

Leaf-cutter ants in action - the leaves are bigger than they are

 Up very early to drive to Soberania National Park. We checked out of the Country Inn Amador as we will stay near Colon tonight, on the Atlantic side. We set off across the isthmus with Juan Pablo and Manual and the two German couples. We stopped to buy picnic sandwiches and drinks, and passed the Pedro Miguel locks on the way. From the Soberania Park visitors' centre we walked for 2km. into the rainforest. We saw ants carrying leaves, frogs and a turtle. Very humid.


Then from Galboa we took a boat on the Rio Chagres and the Gatun Lake section of the canal. We saw an iguana and howler monkeys. We had our picnic on a small island. Heavy rain.

Richard in the rainforest - he looks the part

We drove on to Colon on the Atlantic side, and to the Hotel Melia - rather old-fashioned. The staff all made us feel very welcome, even though we only stayed for one night. The bar was decorated for Halloween. Had dinner there - a buffet. An early night.

Tuesday 30 October, Panama City tour

On Ancon Hill with a view over the city

Panama hats for sale - I thought they would suit Richard

An exhausting day. We went for breakfast just as the Germans were leaving. Maybe going to book a sunbed. We met Juan Pablo and Manuel and set off for Ancon Hill, a landmark on the outskirts of the city We had a good view all over the city and saw the Carter plaque commemorating the signing of the treaty to return the canal zone to Panama. The Americans built the canal after the attempt by Ferdinand de Lesseps failed. We also had a good view over the locks and the container port.

Then we went to Casco Antiguo where we had an informative tour, saw the church of San Jose again and also the cathedral, and one couple bought panama hats. We got an icecream.

Our first close-up view of a boat going through the locks

Then we drove round the new city, past Noriega's ruined house (he's in prison now) to Panama Viejo, the old ruins from the Spanish civilisation. Then the most exciting bit was to go to the visitors' centre of the Miraflores lock. It was pouring with rain. We saw a film of the history of the canal, and then had a great view of the locks with two ships going through. We took lots of photos. The sun came out.



Later we took a taxi along the Amador causeway to Isla Flamenco and had dinner at Bucaneros. Now packing to move on tomorrow.