Jungle Love Pt 2 - Night Time Loving

I was talking with Mum this morning about how this trip so far has been one good day followed by one bad day, then repeat. I said how it would be nice to have two good days in a row, but what I didn't say (or probably need to say) was how negatively it has been affecting me.

I know that this is what I've chosen to do for the next 6 months, I didn't expect it to all be plain sailing, in fact sometimes the issues just add to the excitement, at least make you realise that you're doing something different. But bloody hell this week has been one thing after another all underlined by my being in constant pain, sometimes excruciatingly so. It's bad enough when things go wrong, but when things go wrong but you can't stand up, then it's more of a deal.

My new room. Big bed, no kids

Yesterday was a good day. Even though I had some fairly bad pains in my back, I left the hostel I was staying at and lugged by stuff half a mile to the place I'd be staying at for the next 6 days (hopefully). It was, and is, lovely. A little out of town, I'm essentially staying in a spare room in someone's house. They have a room with 2 bunk beds where one guy is currently staying and a room with a double bed that I'm renting. There's a lovely garden that sees a greater variety of birds than I think I've seen in my life with a view of the volcano 5 miles away. There's a nice kitchen and a little shop 10 meters across the road to buy my food to cook on the cheap. They also have the biggest bananas there I think I've ever seen! And I can sit on the patio at night listening to all the animals, drink my lovely Costa Rican coffee (better than Costa coffee, they should change their name) and chill out before I go to bed. As I am now. It was a good day.

I know I'm not a big fruit person, but bloody hell!!

Today was better.

When I woke up this morning, my host Bernie told me that they have a friend who's a physiotherapist and would I like her to come take a look at my back? Ummm Yes Please!

She would be around later, so I thought I'd take a walk up the road the meantime to see what was about, get a sense of some of the available tours and get some better views of the volcano. I was lucky that the clouds cleared for me a bit as well, apparently they haven't been able to see the top for weeks until yesterday and it was only visible today for around 20 mins.

Me in my swanky hat

The Graveyards here are like cubist art installations!

When I returned, Grace the physio arrived. She's an Australian woman who's been living here for about 10 years, is both a physiotherapist and tour guide and pretty bloody great. She went through some exercises with me to ascertain mobility, then gave me a massage before finally taping me up with the sports tape stuff.

And she wouldn't take a penny for it, told me she was just doing it as a friend (we met an hour ago) and that I should spend the money on a tour or something, which I shall. It's too early really to know how well it's worked, as my back seems to be at it's worst in the mornings, but I have not had any twinges in it at all since she left and that hasn't happened in a week. Fingers crossed.

For an update, as it is now tomorrow, the back is much better but not 100%, it hurt a little getting up this morning and I felt a slight twinge here and there, but still lots better than it was

Around 4pm, Bernie asked if I had plans for this evening and when I told him I didn't he asked If I wanted to join them on a tour through the jungle at night they were going out to. Of course I did want to join them. I'm in Costa Rica!

Traipsing through the rain forest at night is an experience in itself. Very dark (it's night), sometimes very wet (duh.. "rain" forest) and filled with the noise of countless different creatures, some of the highlights were poison dart frogs, lots of bats and a weird spider which will now be the only creature I call a daddy long legs. It was a great night.

Some rain forest at night pics

Giant toad

Some weird white millipede

Spot the frog!

Tiny lizard

The DADDY of Daddy Long Legs!

Poison Dart Frog ready for his close up

We returned back to the house and Bernie's girlfriend had cooked a couple of pizzas and they asked me to join them. I popped over the road and bought us a few beers and we spent the rest of the evening talking about anything and everything.

I can't stress how much these past two days have helped. I even think I've worked out a plan of where I'm heading next (South to thicker, hotter, wilder jungle) my head feels clearer and my back feels better. Tomorrow I go find sloths.

Actually, are those giant bananas plantains? they go on about them here. I think I had one for lunch yesterday.