Jaco, Carara National Park, and Tarcoles Bridge

After the days I spent in La Fortuna, I was on the road again to Jaco, where I spent a week at the hostel where my friend Katie is volunteering. The journey involved three different buses, which, as usual for Costa Rica, were not air conditioned, and it was incredibly hot when I got there! I was hot in La Fortuna, but being on the coast as opposed to the mountains took the heat to a whole new level. I don't think there was any point during that week that I wasn't sweating, unless I was in the pool or the ocean. There were some days that I spent pretty much all of my time in the pool, but even that was only slightly more refreshing than the air because the water was so warm. I don't know how anyone can survive long periods of time in that heat, especially given the lack of air conditioning that is common in Costa Rica (my room at the hostel wasn't air conditioned either, because I was too cheap to pay $5 extra per night for it).

The hostel was called Room 2 Board, and was probably the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in. It was incredibly clean and new-looking, and it had a nice area downstairs with a bar and a pool for hanging out, as well as a rooftop terrace with chairs and hammocks. Here are some pictures:

View from the roof of the hostel

Front of the hostel

Bar area

The rooms

Rooftop with hammocks for relaxing

Other than the hostel, Jaco was okay, but I didn't love it. I didn't expect it to be one of my favorite places in Costa Rica, given how touristy it is. It's the closest beach to San Jose, so a lot of people go there, Ticos and foreigners alike. I also failed to realize when I booked it that it was Semana Santa, the week of Easter, which is a big vacation week for Costa Ricans because it's a predominantly Catholic country. So the beach was filled with Costan Rican tourists when I was there, therefore I got the full experience of a very touristy town during a very touristy season. 

Jaco was also the first place I've been in Costa Rica that felt very developed. There are many tall buildings and hotels lining the beach, including a couple of casinos. I went to one of the casinos and it was actually pretty fun, but it was weird to be in a place like that because it felt so different from the rest of the country. It was like the Vegas of Costa Rica. There's nothing culturally significant there, so basically you can swim, surf or party, and not much else. I did all three of those things, and they were fun, but I found myself getting a bit bored sometimes. I'm glad I went, and it was fun to hang out with Katie, but I don't think it's a place I would necessarily go back to if/when I come back to Costa Rica. 

Jaco Beach

Jaco Beach

Main street in Jaco

Main street in Jaco

However, despite the development, there was some natural beauty to be found. Katie and I hiked up to the remains of an unfinished hotel up on the hill above the beach and saw a beautiful sunset. 

Sunset from Miro Mountain hike

View of the beach from up on the hill

The unfinished hotel, with some very artistic grafitti

Katie and I also got out of the hustle and bustle of Jaco and went to Carara National Park, a small park about 25 kms north of Jaco. It was super hot, but we had a good time and saw a lot of wildlife, including lots of iguanas, monkeys, snakes, and some macaws flying overhead. I was hoping to see more macaws but I think we missed the best time for them, which is early morning. They are so beautiful and colorful, like an artist painted them. 

Here are some pictures of the animals we did see:

An iguana

Not a very good picture, but there is a small green snake on the tree

Monkeys!

A cool spikey tree, not sure what it's called

Another iguana. I think this is the one who was really territorial and didn't want to let us walk past on the trail.

From the park, we walked to Tarcoles Bridge, which is a spot along the main road where lots of crocodiles hang out in the water underneath the bridge. I was hoping they would be doing something exciting, but they weren't eating or anything, so most of them were just sitting there, and some were swimming around lazily. 

Crocodiles!

That pretty much sums up my week in Jaco. I'm a bit behind on my blogging, so a few things have happened since then. I stayed two nights in Quepos to go to Manuel Antonio National Park, the most popular park in Costa Rica I'm pretty sure, and now I'm in a small town called San Gerardo de Rivas. It's up in the mountains, away from the oppressive heat of the coast, and I'm considering staying here longer than I originally planned to enjoy it before heading back to the hotter climate. But I'll see what happens, and I will do my best to write another update soon!