07.51 I have just done something I have never done before. I've had a shower in San José, Costa Rica. Now I stand right by the room window. It is a window overlooking the corridor. We are still at Costa Rica Backpackers Hostel.

09.15 We have unsuccessfully been searching for our hostel's breakfast. We have checked in the bar and the restaurant without the slightest trace of breakfast. Is it too late? It is just a little after nine.

09.57 There will finally be breakfast today. We are at the Café de la Posada for a tropical breakfast. Costa Rica is clearly more expensive than Panamá but we think that we deserve a hearty and delicious breakfast. The café is part of a hotel with the same name, La Posada.

10.32 We got two slices of toasted bread, margarine, cheese, jam, juice (or was it smoothie), two cups of coffee, and a fruit salad with papaya, pineapple, banana and strawberries. It was a real breakfast feast today.

Avenida 6, San José.

Tropical breakfast at Café de la Posada.

Avenida 3 in San José is actually a part of the famous Pan-American Highway.

10.50 We have started our exploration of San José. We walked towards the central parts of the city. We found a crafts tent with various stalls with souvenirs and postcards at Plaza de la Democracia. We made some purchases. Nearby is the Museo Nacional with a large stair-like structure on the square in front.

11.05 Now we are sitting with other people and more than plenty of pigeons at Plaza de la Cultura. We are hoping to withdraw colons. We will soon make another attempt to get the local currency from an ATM here. This square is regarded as the safest place in San José. There are always security guards here because of the gold museum that is below the square.

Plaza de la Cultura, San José.

Teatro Nacional, one of the most famous buildings in San José.

Parque Central and Catedral Metropolitana.

11.21 Scotia bank had colons to us. It is certainly convenient to have local money. We are now in front of Gran Hotel Costa Rica and the Teatro Nacional. Cars go by, mobile phones ping and a flute is heard. Here is also a man wearing a hat and a grey beard. He smokes a cigar and seems generally happy.

11.58 We walked on to the crowded Parque Central and looked at the city's cathedral. From there we walked along Avenida 4 past the park/square with the weird name "Plaza de las Garantia Social" (Social Security Square).

12.30 In the middle of the search for a restaurant lunch it started to rain. We stopped the search and hurried home. Before we came home we walked past a small pet store with various animals for sale, including puppies. It does not smell particularly well in our little room. It seldom does so when we're out traveling.

13.56 It is time to end what the rain stopped, to find a lunch place today. Unfortunately, the weather here in San José means that the hostel pool is likely to remain unused by us.

Walking along Avenida 4.

The rainclouds are gathering behind Iglesia La Soledad.

This puppy was sold hours after we looked at it.

14.26 We are on our way out. We should just read some in our books first. That was when it came back, the rain. Now we are back in the room for further waiting. This is what happens when you are travelling during rainy season.

15.30 The rain finally ceased and we went out. Very soon it was time for more rain. Sure, it is the rainy season but there must be some limit. Now we have made it to the fast-food place Church's Chicken outside the hostel. It is not a luxury meal, but no rain here either.

16.40 It was a quick and easy meal, followed by a quiet urban hiking. We took some pictures and jumped between the puddles. We first went to the Parque Nacional and then walked through Parque Morazán to the less pleasant parts of the centre with various strange people on the move. We are now in the café Coffee Square writing postcards and drinking delicious coffee. We will remain here for a while. Guess what! Oh yeah, it's raining again.

Costa Rica Backpackers Hostel

A cat sleeping on one of the computers at the hostel.

Nice pedestrian street close to Museo Nacional, San José.

This beautiful building is called Escuela Buenaventura.

17.21 There is little if no hope for a sunny evening. The sky is cloud covered and the sandals are really wet. We just have to stay inside, at home, for a while.

19.21 It rattled in the lock to our door, voices were heard outside and so a light tap. I opened the door and there stood a few surprised girls. They apologized and left. They probably didn’t look for room 14 more likely dorm 14.

19.52 We have sat down on a wooden bench at a wooden table. We are at the restaurant Nuestra Tierra to get us a dinner. The place seems nice and has soft lighting. From the ceiling hang national flags and posters. The restaurant's theme is to be genuine Costa Rican serving traditional cuisine from the countryside.

20.45 It was good, really good food. We were served meat, tortilla bread, some brown paste, maybe beans, salsa, banana and taco chips. To all this we drank the local brew malt Imperial. Now we are at home to study about the next destination.

Peter is visiting the genuin Costa Rican restaurant Nuestra Tierra.

Saturday 2nd of July

08.09 We have woken up our last morning in San José, Costa Rica. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. Within three hours, we must be at the bus station with the tickets. Before that, it will be breakfast, packing, check-out and transportation.

09.13 Yesterday’s nice breakfast café that was supposed to be today’s nice café as well, was closed. It's Saturday and many places are closed. We are now, after buying trip drinks at Texaco, on the small soda Doña Nidia for breakfast. It is a simple little place and we'll see what can be ordered. A "soda" is a Costa Rican simple restaurant serving breakfast and simple lunches.

09.48 We had chicken pies and pineapple juice for breakfast today. It was not much to live on so we also bought some journey sandwiches. These where purchased at the bakery chain Musmanni. Now we're back in our room one last time before checkout.

10.44 Now we are in a taxi again. Our check-out went just fine. Worse things happened to the girl before us. She wasn't allowed check out. She first had to return a pillow that she happened to bring with her from the room.

11.04 The head is not with us today, either. We misread the meter. We thought it was 23,700 colons. The price was 2 370. I am glad that somepne had things in order. Big thanks go to the honest taxi driver who easily could have ripped off us confused tourists. Now we are waiting for a bus ticket here at the bus station San Carlos. This takes place in a queue that is long and I'm worried that we will not catch the bus we want.

11.24 Everything went well and we are, after the loading of backpacks, on board. All the passengers except the tourists were given a special tag when they boarded. The bus driver asked a tourist from Venezuela about how President Hugo Chavez was doing. The poor girl was surprised and had no clue of the latest fitness of Hugo. The stay in San José has been good, the hostel room perfectly OK, but why did we not get any colons from ATMs on the first night? Mysterious.

12.15 We have covered a part of the trip. We stopped for a moment in Alajuela and some tourist police officers jumped on board. They handed out small pamphlets with information for tourists visiting Costa Rica. The information was mostly about how to avoid theft and some general advice for visitors in the country.

13.21 We have just left Zarcero, a cloudy, overcast Zarcero where black and white cows were grazing. Green slopes stretch up and down from our route. Costa Rica is a small, mountainous country. It takes time to get around.

A short stop at the bus station in Ciudad Quesada.

A local game of football in Tanque.

14.22 The bus has stopped and we stepped out, of. It is not because we have arrived. It's time for a little break. There is no own adventure for me this time. We are in Ciudad Quesada, a city also known as San Carlos. I've been drinking coffee and Christer has eaten fruit salad.

15.33 The dominant colour of the surroundings is green. The air coming in from outside is moist and has a touch of cow shit. The sky is overcast and SMS beeps can be heard about us in the bus.

16.08 We have passed Tanque where there was a football game that we almost could join the game. The players kept a moderate pace, and some were well rounded on the belly. We assume that there was a match in a lower division.

16.38 A long bus journey coming to an end. We are approaching the town La Fortuna de San Carlos by the Arenal Volcano.

16.50 We were greeted in La Fortuna by our companion the rain. There was no gentle rain, the sky opened up as soon as we rolled into town. Now we have checked in at Hotel Dorothy and in room 18. Two Argentine girls from the bus checked in at the same time as us. We also booked transportation to the next town on Monday. This time it will be a door to door service. Now the floor fan started and the journal pages flutter. Our accommodation is situated opposite a bullring. They don’t kill the bull here in Costa Rica by the way.

18.17 Now there will be a cooked meal again. It's time for dinner. We are at the restaurant El Jardin. We taste our second Costa Rican beer, Pilsen.

The common area at Hotel Dorothy.

We are having dinner at the restaurant El Jardin.

19.48 It was Cordon Bleu for Christer and spare ribs for me. It was really good for both. Now we´re having a coffee and a small cake at Rainforest Coffee House while we write postcards purchased at Artesania Chorotega.

20.41 The rain is falling again. We are sitting thinking about other rainfalls we´ve encountered during travel in recent years.

23.36 We have been sitting outside in the rocking chairs on the patio drinking Bavaria each. It was the third beer from this country. Now it's bedtime. The room is cheap and so small but it is good enough for us. A big ugly insect has also come to visit. He/she came in through the bathroom, unclear how.

A surprising visit in our room.

Sunday 3rd of July

05.50 I have woken up and walked out on the porch here at our hotel. The view of the Arenal Volcano is perfect. Should I get a camera and perpetuate this or should I sleep a little longer?

07.49 Arenal which was seen in its full glory for two hours then have drawn a veil of cloud over its top. Why didn´t I take a picture earlier?

08.50 Today we will have some continental breakfast. Is it the size that is continental? We'll see. We are at the Rainforest Coffee House for a second time. The Wimbledon tennis final is on the TV. Djokovic leads 2-0 in sets and Nadal leads 4-1 in the third set. We sit under some coffee sacks. The roof is covered with them.

Hotel Dorothy.

Breakfast at Rain Forest Coffee House.

09.40 Continental breakfast was coffee, juice, toast, guava marmalade and plenty of fresh fruit. Now we left the breakfast place. When we left, Djokovic was leading 5-3 in the fourth set. Now I´m sitting on a stone bench with ceramic tiles. To my left is a fountain, and behind me beautiful red and yellow flowers. Singing can be heard from the church. There is a church service. It's Sunday.

10.27 After further wandering around in and outside the city, we´re home to drink and read in our books. They are playing baseball on the field below us in front of the hotel. The game is between La Fortuna and San Jorge. One team is dressed in red, the other in blue.

11.51 The match continues and an increasingly large audience gathered at the fence along the field. We paused in the reading. We are thinking about lunch. What and where are the big issues now.

Parque Central, a flowering oasis in the center of La Fortuna.

We met a charming dog.

The catholic church in La Fortuna de San Carlos.

12.27 Once again rain clouds gather above us. The air is warm and moist. We are at La Parada for lunch. La Parada is known as a soda, a simpler lunch place and associated with the city's bus station. "La Parada" means "the bus stop".

13.38 We finished the meal and the rain held up. Now we are back in the base camp. It is time to switch shoes and become ready for the afternoon.

13.53 The excursion plans has been halted. The rain falls and it is greyish-white in the direction we intend to take us. Thunder is heard afield the waterfall that we considered to visit.

15.01 It holds up and we get back into town.

Residential area in La Fortuna.

Baseball players from the teams La Fortuna and San Jorge.

Curious onlookers watching baseball.

15.28 The rain stays away and the volcano Arenal is looking out from behind the veils. We can finally see and take pictures of the volcano. It is, according to the guidebook, supposed to be active with both smoke and lava, but we see no such things, at least not lava. Our hostess at the hotel told us that the volcano has not given us anything other than smoke since November. Because it attracts tourists to La Fortuna, a majority of the locals hope for more activity to come. It is a bit unusual. Normally, people tend to like when volcanoes are quiet.

16.14 The rain still stays in sky and we hiked along the road to a bridge over the Rio Fortuna. The water rushes down the river. You can tell that it rained a lot lately. Here in the river, there should be a natural swimming pool where you can cool off.

16.23 The rushing water was followed after. However, it was quite impossible to take a dip. It was too much water, no swimming this time of year. We went instead along a path parallel to the river.

La Fortuna, a town in the shadow of the volcano.

Arenal

16.53 When we got back to the road Christer pointed out the right trail to a few other tourists. Now that I've emptied the pocket of small coins, it's time for laundry and body wash.

18.39 Darkness has fallen over La Fortuna. The crickets and lizards are back out there. Out there, we will also be back soon. We will have dinner, find and use the internet and buy something for breakfast and something for the trip.

Cattle on the outskirts of La Fortuna.

We have walked to the river, Rio Fortuna.

Christer at the Rio Fortuna-river.

19.09 Step one, it will be dinner at the stylish restaurant La Choza de Laurel (http://www.lachozadelaurel.com). We have ordered meat dishes and malt beverages. A small dog tails around here. The serving staff have traditional costumes and the whole restaurant is a large open area, a lovely restaurant in a nice environment.

21.04 After the fabulous dinner we went and surfed the internet for a while. It was then it happened. Talking about having your head under your arm and your arm far away. How on earth could we believe that a grocery store would stay open at this time on a Sunday in a Catholic country? There was no purchases made tonight except for a few softdrinks in an open liquor store. In addition, we forgot to check when our breakfast café opens in the morning. I almost forgot to tell, Djokovic won the Wimbledon final.

21.30 On the wall outside our room, we have seen a very large insect. It is brown, has wings, is 10-15 centimeters long and appears to have powerful jaws. It is the second night in a row we have a visit from the insect world.

Christer's delicious dinner at La Choza de Laurel.

This evening´s guest.

Monday 4th of July

06.24 It is humid in the room. Yesterday's laundry is still not dry. Today we'll travel on to other places in this beautiful country. It is surprising that not more Swedish tourists are coming here. It is wonderful food, friendly people, fantastic scenery, beaches, rain forests and many other things that tourists want. It's not further away than Thailand for example. However, it is more expensive flights to get here.

07.08 The sun's rays are warming our bodies and legs. The cars on the road sound and we hear roosters some distance away. It's breakfast time at Rainforest Coffee House. They have just opened. It is calm and quiet here.

07.48 Strengthened by breakfast and the fact that my laundry dried in the sun, we will now pack the final details.

08.20 Now we´ve checked out again. We are sitting outside the reception area and waiting for our booked transport, which today consists of a minivan. Earlier this year we were in Montenegro. Today we're going to Monteverde, black mountains is being replaced with green mountains.

08.30 Aventuras El Lago is the name today's transporter. It is what can be read on the minibus that just picked us up. On the trip are also the two Argentinean women who travelled here with us here and also checked in at the same time.

08.44 We go round and round the town to pick up more passengers, including some Danish tourists.

09.16 We have come to the lake that must be crossed to reach today's destination. We have switched from minibus to boat. We have switched from the road to Lake Arenal. For the first time in our backpacking career, we will travel by boat on a lake. At the beach there were signs which warn about crocodiles.

We´ve left the minibus and we´re walking towards the boats that will take us across the lake.

A boat trip on Lago Arenal (Lake Arenal).

09.35 The voyage across the water goes slowly forward. There are shimmering green slopes almost all the way down into the water. We have been checked on a list and have been told that we, Christer and I will be going in a car with number 1 when we get to the shore on the other side.

09.51 We are approaching the beach on the south side of the lake and we can discern a bunch of mini-buses that are lined up on the beach.

10.04 Drama on the shore. It was muddy on the beach and a girl lost her sandal in the mud. Christer slipped and scared a few other passengers when his left foot went flying in their direction. After some searching further up the beach from us Christer found our minibus. Now we and a few others are leaving in it. In the middle of the trip on the lake, I heard my cell phone ringing. There was a young lady named Elin, she wondered if I wanted to join a survey, I didn´t.

10.18 We´re traveling to Monteverde, one of the few places in the world that deliberately try to have bad roads. This is for environmental reasons to limit the exploitation of the area. Our own shaky dirt road journey continues.

A farm far away from civilization.

The Monteverde shuttles are waiting on the shore.

A lunch break in El Dos de Tilaran.

10.51 There is a short stop in our roller coaster ride. We have left the worst roads behind us and stopped for refreshments. It will be in a small house with bamboo walls. It feels good to sit here at the restaurant El Trapiche. The weather is gloomy as usual. We are in El Dos de Tilaran.

11.48 It started raining again. Our minibus reached Santa Elena, the capital of the Monteverde area, stopped and dropped us off at our next accommodation, Cabinas El Pueblo (http://www.cabinaselpueblo.com). Here we will stay in room 2. The place Monteverde is worthy of the name. The mountains are really green. Christer got a big repetition lesson in Spanish when he listened to the owner's lengthy review of everything that applies here in the accommodation and what to do in Monteverde. Our accommodation is situated right behind Santa Elena's center, close and good but still a bit remote.

13.33 The eternal rain stopped and the hunger grew. We are now at the Tree House Restaurant & Café (http://treehouse.cr). Next to us, we have a full-size and real tree that the whole restaurant is built around.

Cabinas El Pueblo

Santa Elena

14.51 The food was paid for and we walked away with our newly-written postcards to the post office at the other end of town/village. There was no staff behind the counter. Suddenly a man in a "normal" work shirt arrived and wiped his hands with a rag. He took Christer´s postcards and left. Suddenly another man with a postal badge on his shirt entered. He took care of all the postcards. Now we are at the Café El Colibri. Here it is a napkin holder with the Swedish company SCA logo and text on it.

15.30 The nice café owner spoke perfect English and we enjoyed the excellent coffee like always here in Costa Rica. Just as we left the café the rain started to leave the clouds. Instead of getting soaking wet we went to the snake exhibition. We are in Monteverde´s "Serpentario" snake house. Here you can find big and small snakes.

16.26 We have learned more about reptiles. The various species which can found in Costa Rica have been seen. A young girl guided a team here and we could listen in on her and learned a lot. It's not just snakes here. There are also lizards and poison dart frogs.

16.40 The rain held up and we were about to leave when we were told that it was feeding time. Not for us but for the reptiles. A Jesus lizard and two snakes were fed with white mice. One of the mice broke loose and fled over the back of the lizard. The attendant caught the mouse and threw it back to the lizard. Some American teenage girls were horrified by it all but still could not stop watching it.

"Serpentario", the green house with snakes, frogs and lizards.

Peter is learning about snakes.

Fer-de-lance, one of the most dangerous snakes in Central America.

This snake is having dinner.

17.17 After a short trip to the Super Mercado Vargas, we´re now at home. Behind the counter was a boy around 13 years old and had full control. Child labor or not, he probably knows more maths than our students at home. Christer managed to shop for an amount that matched exactly with all the coins he had with him. The rain continues and we have nothing to do right now except to feel calm.

19.47 Not much has been done since last time. Books have been read in and we've been out on the internet out there in the lobby. A Swedish girl checked in when we sat by the computers. She is here to study Spanish. This is the first Swedish tourist we´ve seen since we got to Central America. We didn´t introduced ourselves for her, we were sitting at the computers. We hope for no rain. It is time to eat. Speaking of food we have booked breakfast at 7:15 tomorrow.

20.10 "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is heard through the speakers. We are at the restaurant Tico y Rico (which means Costa Rican and tasty). It will be a simple hamburger dinner today.

20.51 During the meal we listened to Creedence Clearwater Revival and the song "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" Have we ever seen the rain coming down? The answer is definitely yes! The burgers were good and I paid for everything. Now we are at home, the crickets are playing, the refrigerator humming, and I am sneezing.

22.01 The evening ended, we had a beer each. It was the "Rock" for both of us, Ice Rock for Christer and Golden Monkey Rock for me. Christer´s was a regular beer and my tasted of fruit. It contains mangosteen and lúpulo. That is mangosteen and hops. It had probably been good if it were not for the mangosteen.