This bridge is one of several crossing Rio Celeste (named for its sky blue water) in Parque Nacional Tenorio. The verdant green of the landscape, the celestial blue of the waters, and the natural beauty of every moment made for an amazing hike. Along the trail, you also encounter a waterfall, a lookout point that frames the valley in front of you and the hills beyond, a natural hot spring, and at the very end we finally ran into a couple of monkeys.
I was lucky enough to be staying a small hotel in the equally small town of Bijagua. I haven't seen another American for miles. The owner of Hotel Cacao was also gracious enough to invite me to ride with her and her granddaughters to the park. Although they only spoke Spanish and I'm working with a below par Spanglish dialect, we all hiked the trail together and had an amazing time. The perspective on your travels tend to be a little different when they're flavored with local residents. It doesn't feel like I'm a tourist, but more like I've been accepted as a visitor in their home and their family.
Tomorrow I'm off to a new set of hills, at the Santa Elena cloud forest. They're a little bit more within the tourist bubble, so it's unlikely that I'll repeat the experience I've had in Bijagua. It was off the beaten path and well worth it.
1 comment
That's gorgeous (And also kind of makes me want to vomit since I have a major issue with bridges!) Hope you're doing well out there!
Jen Z
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