COSTA RICA

In January 1997 Matt and Cindy took a two week trip to Costa Rica.  We flew into San Jose and took a little commuter flight (12 passenger, twin engine) to the Pacific coast.  We stayed in a villa in  the fishing village of Puerto Quepos until the last couple of days, then returned to San Jose and toured a volcano approximately two hours north. Fascinating climate: San Jose has moderate altitude and averages a comfortable 70-80F.  The mountains gain altitude quickly and can hit highs in the 50's.  Quepos, on the coast, is tropical rainforest, with temperatures in the 90's. Took a big adjustment! 
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The native peoples call themselves "Tico's" -- pretty people -- and speak Spanish. The water is drinkable and much of the country is national park.  
Yep.  We were staying in the rainforest! Lots of parrots and toucans and butterflies.
Though its too heavily shadowed to see us, this pic was taken from the balcony of our friend's villa. Miles of jungle in every direction!


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This is the beach we visited every day.

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Downtown Quepos.  (Click on the thumbnails for  a larger view.)
Quepos is only a few miles from Parque Nacional Manual Antonio where we went hiking.  We chose the trail that led us through the jungle to Punta Cathedral, a hill that give an aerial view of the Pacific. We saw squirrel, howler and white faced monkeys, wild boar, two-toed sloths, kilometers of leaf-cutter ants.  There was a beach that was covered with little hermit crabs; if you stood absolutely still they would start to move with little chittering sounds; if you moved, they stopped instantly. The temperature made it a difficult trek if pleasurable.
Matt and Cindy and Manuel Antonio National Park
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Here's Matt on the jungle trail.

Monkeys and Iguanas are as common as squirrels. 
The Beach there.
Matt got to do some flying off a plantation just beyond Quepos.  The nighttime sky this far from the lights of civilization was breathtaking!
The second Friday we flew back to San Jose and got a hotel room. The next day we rented a car and drove out to Mon Poas, an active volcano about an hour's drive from the city.  We climbed the final 1-2000 feet of the 8,000 foot mountain to the active cauldron. The first picture is an aerial view from a card of the volcano; the light blue pool is the active cauldron, the darker blue is a very old, deep lake formed in the dormant crater.  The second is of Matt standing in front of the 'welcome' sign to Poas National Park.
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The sign behind Matt reads, "Poas Volcano is in activity.  You enter at your own risk."
The photos below are of each individual crater. Matt is standing in front of the active cauldron, the third photo is of the cold lake in the dormant crater. Cindy is standing near the active cauldron, where a cloud climbs the mountain from the valley and blankets the entire area by 10am;you can see the cloud in the background. (Click on the thumbnails for  a larger view.)
We returned to New Jersey's below-freezing and snowy weather after this. But at least we were really tan!