06.43 What a morning, what a start of this morning, we've just woken up in Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica. Christer´s mobile phone rang during the night and he just told me, "Someone has called!" My answer was tapeworm! Tapeworm? Christer wondered. Yes, I replied, I'm hungry! However, I am not hungry. I was left in a conversation in the dreamworld. Now I'm back and ready for the new day. We're going on tour, that's why we're up so early.

Early morning at Cabinas El Pueblo.

07.46 The breakfast in the basement here at Cabinas El Pueblo is finished. There were fresh slices of watermelon, papaya and pineapple. With it we got coffee or juice and two pieces of toasts and strawberry jam in a tube.

08.05 Now we are sitting in the sunshine outside of our room. We are waiting for the transport which will take us to today's outing, Reserva Santa Elena. The minivan is supposed to leave here at 8.30. We got this information from the guy that checked us in. We have been handed small tickets which will be exchanged for a trip up to the nature reserve.

08.41 The sunshine continues and that is good. Waiting continues, that is not good. The cloudiness increases, that’s a thing which absolutely isn’t good. We have however moved ourselves to a wall near the road outside our accommodation. Here someone will pick us up.

08.50 The wait is over, at least the waiting for the vehicle which will take us to the reserve. Now we are waiting for it to get there. We're sitting in a minivan together with a few tourists and a large gang of foreign volunteers who are on their way to their daily work in the rainforest reserve.

09.22 We arrived, passed the information booth, wrote our names in a guestbook and now we follow the cement path, Encantado, which leads into the rainforest.

Today´s destination, the cloud forest reserve outside Santa Elena.

10.17 The Encantado trail went from the cement path to a gravel path. Now we are sitting on some cinder blocks and are listening to the forest sounds. The sounds of water which bubbles and drops and that of birds and crickets. Leaves fall around us. It's a powerful feeling to sit here in the middle of the green. On our way here we passed a lot of rainforest. Unfortunately, also some loud American tourists disturbed the sound of silence on some occasions. Why do Americans always have to be so loud?

10.38 We are walking further along the 3,4 km long trail. We hear something in the vegetation, but it just seems to be birds of various kinds that are on the go. We just met two American young men who seem to be here to burn calories. They are half running along the trail at full speed. One wonders why anyone is in a hurry here?

11.10 We have seen flowers, plants, fruits, butterflies, and now we are looking at a centipede that walks over the fallen leaves. It is life and movement everywhere. We are in a cloud rainforest at high altitude and it's not that many large animals on the move here but the insect life and bird life is all the more impressive.

11.26 We have listened to the strange bird sounds coming from the treetops somewhere. A bird has a metallic screeching noise. We are not alone out here. Now and then other tourists appear, such as an elderly German couple who also went with us from La Fortuna yesterday.

This path takes us into the big green unknown.

You feel small in the big forest.

Unknown berries, not a good idea eating them.

11.54 The path is now walked. We have photographed, filmed and enjoyed the experience of nature. Right now though, we yearn for both food and drink. With hindsight we should have had with us more drinks and some kind of picnic. We have been lucky with the weather, no rain yet! Now we are thinking about whether we should walk along a small path here, or return to the information and await the transport back.

12.15 We took a short walk along a concrete path designed for children, Mundo Joven. Now we are sitting on a bench at the entrance and are waiting for the minivan that will take us home to Santa Elena again. An Asian lady and a few Americans have also sat down here.

12.39 One of the volunteers, an American of Japanese origin has started to talk to the Asian lady who turned out to be from Japan. They seem to have much to talk about.

13.05 Our minibus has arrived and it filled quickly. Now we are going back.

13.38 The minibus stopped in the heart of Santa Elena, and we stepped out. We walked by the hostel and went to the recommended little restaurant Soda La Amistad for lunch.

Christer is resting in the deep forest.

We have reached the Ficus creek.

The cloudforest of Monteverde.

One of the interesting insects we met in the forest.

14.17 Soda La Amistad proved to be a cozy little place with only a few tables and a few enthusiastic young ladies in the kitchen. After finishing lunch we received a small pastry which was free and before we went out we got a business card each. Now we are back home in the room. Here we got clean sheets and we have new towels. Perfect!

15.04 In order to get something meaningful done, we have returned out on the small streets of the town again. Now we know where the bus leaves from tomorrow morning. To celebrate this we are back in the Cafeteria El Colibri. We are having a coffee and a cinnamon bun each. A well fed man, an American from Atlanta, tells a few other Americans, from Iowa, about his coffee business and plantation. A girl is reading a book while eating a carrot and some small, round and flat bread. She drinks latte. The friendly owner was happy to see us but then went off his shift.

15.38 The elusive bus ticket office was visited and money and tickets changed hands. Now we have the tickets out of here tomorrow morning. We visited Super Mercado Vargas before we went home. There we purchased items that might be good to have tomorrow, breakfast and beverage service. Christer bought a bunch of bananas that are thick as thigh bones. Now, we'll just enjoy a bit before we do anything else.

Soda La Amistad, a small and nice restaurant.

16.48 A smoke like haze obscures our view more and more. We are sitting on the bench outside the room 2, our room and we read in our books by Jo Nesbø. In the distance you hear a sound from the sky, thunder?

18.17 We cannot remain seated here. We will go out for dinner. We hope to find a new place. There are a few to choose from.

18.54 From the roof of this small room are a number of stuffed animals on strings, a to say the least odd choice of decor. We are at the local restaurant "The Countryman" or in Spanish, El Campesino. We are the only guests and look forward to a good meal.

19.57 There was plenty of meat with a slice of cheese on, (the cheese is produced here in the region), mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and banana. The payment went a bit wrong. First, it would have cost 10 560 Colón. Christer pointed it out and the miscalculation was corrected to 18 200 colón. The waitress (owner's daughter) was very grateful that we have pointed out the mistake. She will not have any abuse from her father now. Now, let's pack. Tomorrow we'll go on. It's been good here. We have had an excellent room close to everything.

21.53 It is time to retire for the night. Tomorrow is another day and we have to get up early.

Peter inside the restaurant Countryman, "El Campesino".

Wednesday 6th of July

05.15 The breakfast which we consumed in our room is finished. Outside the dawn creeps up and the occasional bird sounds can be heard.

05.41 Things are starting to look brighter, both around us and for us in general. We have walked to the bus stop.

06.11 The bus arrived after some time. Some other tourists also appeared just in time for departure. We are leaving Santa Elena and Monteverde, a Monteverde where we left a little, not a piece of our hearts, but good information paper about the future destination. They had been forgotten, missed to be packed by us. Besides the eternal rain, everything has been positive here, a cozy little town/village, stunning scenery and friendly people.

06.19 The bus stopped at the police station in the outskirts of town. Some worried police officers came aboard and talked to a girl who seems to have lost her brother somewhere. The police could not help and we travel on.

06.44 The bus takes it slowly down the gravel, curvy road. As mentioned earlier, the road network in the Monteverde area really bad so it takes a little time to travel here. The view over the green valleys and hillsides are breathtaking. The morning fog slowly rises from the green valleys.

The morning mist over the valleys and hills in Monteverde.

07.33 We travel on through small villages with the early birds people. More and more enter. We tourists have become a minority.

08.26 The road leveled and straightened out. We will now travel on Pan American Highway to the last part of today's trip.

09.52 We have reached the Pacific Ocean and the port city of Puntarenas. The bus unexpectedly stopped on a street somewhere in the middle of the center instead of at the bus station. The other tourists stepped into a taxi to the ferry port. We however plan to stay here in the city. Christer navigated us to the seafront and the Gran Hotel Imperial. At the reception desk there was a man and he was eating pistachios. He went behind the counter and took a registration card. At first I thought he smelled at it, but he was just extremely shortsighted. Then a lady came up and took care of us and the check-in process. The half-blind man could return to the nuts. Now we are in the large mint-green room number 31.

10.12 On the TV some ladies play World Cup soccer. It is Brazil versus Equatorial Guinea. Our room seems to have been a store before. The wall facing the street is an old storefront with locked, sealed doors. Christer´s low bed is near the window so that he can look under the curtain on people's feet when they walk by on the sidewalk outside.

Gran Hotel Imperial, Puntarenas.

Peter is sitting inside our huge hotel room.

Peter is walking towards the Pacific Ocean.

11.47 We have left the room to find lunch and to look at our new home. Two years ago, it was in the Indian Ocean, last year it was time for the Atlantic and now I have done it in the Pacific Ocean. I've dipped my feet. Now we are sitting along the seafront and I let my feet dry.

12.23 Sightseeing in all the glory, we are hungry and, after an eternal searching and wandering back and forth finally we sat us down at the restaurant Casa de Los Mariscos. From the ceiling hangs fish of different species, which is not surprising given the restaurant's name. Yesterday stuffed animals hung on the ceiling, now fish! What will it be tomorrow? On the way here we saw a large black lizard, an iguana sitting and tanning itself on a wall. We took some pictures of it before it tried to hide but the tail was sticking clear out from the cavity it was hiding in.

13.33 It was just fine with some food. We continued walking along the promenade and we walked past an amusement park that was being fitted up or down. Now we are at the end of a stone pier with the eyes turned towards the Pacific Ocean. The wind cools and birds flying around above where land and sea meet. A man is standing some distance up the beach and he is kicking a football towards the sea. He does it over and over again. It is in itself a good exercise because he will get the ball back when he iss practising free kicks.

An iguana lizard was enjoying the sun on this wall.

The beach is a football pitch and the sea a player.

The long sandy beach in Puntarenas.

13.54 Central Puntarenas is a several kilometers long, narrow peninsula that sticks out into the sea. We almost went out to the extreme end, and then took another more central street on the way back.

14.26 A long pier is jutting out into the sea before us. It's hot to walk around but it fans comfortably here close to the sea. We see both young and old in the blue waves. We have just seen the chicken car. It went around and sold chickens. Well, not the car but the ones in it. Someone called out from a loudspeaker and the price was 50,000 colón. We do not know how many chickens you got for that price. We also looked at a football stadium and the church.

14.41 We rose from the log we sat on and walked to the Plaza de Café for the day's first cup of coffee.

15.40 The coffee place was hyper-modern and it offered free internet with the coffee. Christer had received an email from our friend Roberth. He has announced that there are troubles with the domain name to our website, resedagboken.cc. The name must be registered again and the page will be sidelined until August. How should the world and the people survive? It is difficult to cope with it here and now. We bought us something to drink before we went home. The early morning has made us lazy, tired. It is time to get us some rest.

Kids playing and a ferry on its way to an unknown destination.

Puntarenas

Puntarenas, a port city and a tourist city.

18.22 I do not know if we are that much more alert. However, I know that a car alarm sounds out there and that we share the room with a yellow, high-smacking gecko lizard.

18.51 The lizard disappeared into a hole in the wall and we stuffed the hole with a bit of paper. We went out after completing our work. Very soon we met the rain. Now we are at the restaurant La Ostra for dinner. On the TV there is a football match between Argentina and Colombia. The score is 0-0. Out in the street, two people are carrying a thick mattress.

19.59 The food was like it´s been so many times before on this trip, good. There was nothing out of the ordinary, however. Now we return to our green room. The room feels like a warehouse, a barn. There are high ceilings and a patchwork on the walls. There are no uniform boards and the bathroom is in one corner of the room. Before the homecoming we bought snacks and a breakfast place was found.

21.57 I can hear voices outside our door. We take an evening beer each, Bavaria Dark and Blues. The city has started to fall asleep and I guess the same will go for us as well pretty soon. We have removed the paper from lizard hole. We do not want anything bad to happen to it.

Thursday 7th of July

07.24 From one side of the room we can hear the waves rolling onto the beach and cars passing. From the other side of the room are voices. I have slept well and am ready to proceed. When I woke up I first thought it was raining, but it was just the sound of the air conditioning.

08.10 Most of our things are packed. Now we're just waiting for the nextdoor restaurant to be open. It is where we are going to have our breakfast.

08.47 The neighboring place has not opened yet and we were forced out for a walk to purchase some breakfast. Christer found a small store and now we have bought juice and bread. On the way home a small firecracker exploded right in front of us and the bang also started car alarms.

09.19 We have been eating our breakfast and checked out. In a rocking chair at the desk we saw the half-blind gentleman. He was sleeping. Now we are at a new bus stop, waiting for our bus. Now a short corpulent gentleman just passed us. He pushes a cart, a box on wheels. He is selling something.

10.33 We're on a bus going north. Before we boarded our bus, we saw an elderly, gray and balding man with the same kind of cart that the corpulent pushed. The old man pushed crushed ice in a bottle with some colored drink and then took a sip himself. I guess the gentlemen are selling ice cold beverages. Now we are 100 km from today's stop.

12.54 The trip has gone well but is somewhat monotonous, mile after mile along the Pan American Highway. We took a short walk from the bus station and soon reached our hotel. It's sunny and blazing hot today.

Food Mall in Liberia. We picked Burger King.

13.15 Our room number is 2 and the name of the hotel is El Bramadero (http://www.hotelelbramadero.com). We have come to Liberia. We have not suddenly moved ourselves to Africa. No, we are still in Costa Rica and the country's fifth largest city. We no longer have a sea view but we have a pool view. The lady that checked us in found it hard to see Christer´s name in his passport. She looked at the booking slip and wrote, Lundstedit.

14.32 It is time for lunch. We are once again and in yet another country at Burger King. Outside of here was a well nourished man with a child on his arm asking for money. We have incidentally once again crossed the Pan American Highway. Our hotel is situated right by the road and on the side are various fast food restaurants.

15.11 Burger King was good, the chips delicate and the soft drink verging on too much. It was well over half a liter of Pepsi. Now I am being attracted by the pool.

A lovely swimming pool just outside our door.

We are staying in room 2.

16.51 I have added a new country to my collection pool countries. Both Christer and I have been sitting in plastic chairs by the pool, relaxing and we´ve been reading in our books. A cleaning lady has asked us to go into our room to close the window. We did not open it, it was already open when we checked in.

17.41 We are looking at the football from the Copa America and the match Bolivia versus Costa Rica. This is the second half and Costa Rica has just taken the lead, 1-0.

18.10 The game is finished. Costa Rica won 2-0. Now we're going out for new adventures.

18.25 We had some difficulties to cross the Pan American Highway. We have sat down at Baula's Café for an afternoon coffee. We have been offered and declined a glass of tap water.

18.38 Our waiter returned during the coffee. He wondered if we were Americans. No, we said, we are Swedes. Ok, he replied, Switzerland? We told him that we are from Sweden. Then he wondered if we knew if there were such things as two-dollar bills. Then he showed one that he received as a tip for us. I have never seen a 2-dollar bill before, but apparently they exist.

20.12 We are tired of TV and hungry for food. Now we have walked to the hotel's own restaurant which is famous for its big juicy steaks. We have ordered and received a beer, Imperial, each.

21.13 It was another delicious meal in this country. We are back in the room. Now, tomorrow is planned. What should we do? What currency will be used for what? It is foolish to spend dollars and keep colon?

22.22 Outside it is pouring rain and thunder. The lightning are crossing the sky. CNN has a documentary about Southern Sudan which soon will become an independent nation. A new country which we can visit!

Christer´s dinner, grilled meat, gallo pinto (rice and beans) and banana chips.

Christer is having dinner at El Bramadero´s restaurant.

Friday 8th of July

08.54 We have rested and both of us have had a shower. The room is superb, but it´s also above our budget. Sometimes you have to take the opportunity to enjoy some luxury. It is great when you need to relax and feel good for some days. On TV CNN monitors the space shuttle Atlantis last departure.

09.13 We’ve left the room. Why is it so difficult to leave the room? There's nothing dangerous out there. Now we are seated in the hotels restaurant and have ordered the hotel's own breakfast.

09.50 The breakfast consisted of gallo pinto (which is rice and beans), meat and fried onions, juice and coffee and finally tortilla bread. It was really tasty. Now we are back in the room and the space shuttle Atlantis has, as the last space shuttle ever, lifted into the skies.

10.22 We have a full day ahead of us here in Liberia. The city has not much interesting to offer so we will spend most of the day resting, gaining new energy and make various purchases and necessary errands. We also hope to find time to enjoy our pool.

Iglesia Immaculada Concepción de Maria.

Parque Central, Liberia.

10.47 Magnificent music booms out from a few loud speakers on a gray green minivan. We are sitting on the steps of the big white church Iglesia Immaculada Concepcion de Maria at the Parque Central. It is sunny and warm today.

12.17 The hot streets of Liberia have been left in favor of [email protected], an internet cafe. It's nice to sit down in peace and quiet for a while. It felt like the whole town was out on the streets today.

12.33 Everything went well with the connection until it was time to book a future place to stay in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Well, the booking went fine but no confirmation has been received from the website Hostelworld. We have a booking or? Who knows? We are now sitting down at the restaurant El Zaguán (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTge2HXZF34), it is time for lunch. In the table's glass top are pictures from the past.

13.41 The food finally came. It was spiced rice and chicken with lettuce, tomato and fries. Now we are at the Las Palmas Internet to once again check if the reserved hotel has been registered.

Today´s lunch was at El Zaguán.

14.33 No reservation had been registered and we did not get the chance to book anything new either. It seems to be some trouble with Hostelworld´s website perhaps. We went home with an expectation for the pool and a swim there followed by some reading time in the pool chairs. Unfortunately there are no chairs by the pool and the pool is being cleaned. Hooray, how things are doing well today!

15.02 A guy among the staff was asked about the chairs. He looked surprised, looked out and said OK. Now there is at least one chair by the pool. I guess it´s good enough.

16.02 Few things are as refreshing as a dip in a swimming pool. Now we are just sitting here reading. It has also been arranged with a second chair.

16.50 We have left the pool area and moved inside again.

18.12 It was a thrilling Copa America match between Chile and Uruguay, 1-1, but we have walked out anyway. We have withdrawn some US-dollars from an ATM for the future, and now we are back at Baula's Café. Here we are having a cup of black coffee each. The slices of cake sure look delicious but they, unfortunately, are expensive. Outside the window there are three ladies and two of them smoke, unusual in this part of the world.

19.02 We took a trip to the grocery store Super Mercado Jumbo after the coffee. There, we bought something for the evening and something upon arrival tomorrow. Now, the TV is telling us about the news that Betty Ford had passed away earlier today, that Peru-Mexico are playing a game of football right now and that the score is 0-0.

The busy road outside Hotel El Bramadero, Liberia.

20.16 There is no goal in the match. We wonder what we should eat. We want to pay in US-dollars and get change back in colon so that we can afford a good breakfast tomorrow morning which is the start of a long travel day. Christer has been fighting an odd problem; a small wound on the hand would not stop bleeding. Probably it is just too close a blood vessel. Patch was not enough. Provisionally, a piece of electrical tape now stops it.

20.50 We are once again eating at the hotel´s own restaurant. Now a nice dinner had been ordered. Behind me the traffic is rolling on the Pan American Highway. On TV Peru is a winner. The Incas won against the Aztecs in the Copa America football.

21.33 We have received change but it is not enough for us to get what we want for breakfast. We don’t have enough colons to order the same kind of breakfast that we had this morning. We should think about a good solution.