Costa Rica - Becoming Planned

After so many hours on the planes from Manchester to Atlanta, then Atlanta to San Jose, I was unfortunate to find my right knee was beginning to swell and by the time I got off the plane in Costa Rica was really struggling with the pain and movement.  I had anti-inflammatories and painkillers, but off course in my baggage, so I had no way to cut it off at the pass.

After struggling to get into the taxi I had a painful and slow exit from it, as I arrived at my hotel on Friday night.  Needless to say I was given a room on the top floor, no lift just two sets of stairs.  It was a painful process getting up them.  On the positive side the room was a free upgrade.

By 9:30pm I was in bed having taken my pills.  While 9:30 on a Friday sounds bad, to be fair that would be 4.30am UK time, and I had left home at 7am (thanks for the lift Tony!).

Not wanting to travel on a Sunday in particular, and wanting to give my knee a bit of rest time I decided to stay in San Jose until Monday before moving on.  But to where?  On the Sunday morning I was thinking I would have to go to the beaches on the Pacific coast, to avoid the walking and difficult terrain from visits to volcanoes and National Parks - not ideal, as it would surely make more sense to have a beach visit after some of the sweaty stuff.

By Sunday afternoon, despite pounding the streets of San Jose for much of the day from the hotel to the National Museum, then on to west to see the new National Stadium (March 2011) - where Costa Rica now play their football games - I found my knee holding up well.  I decided to go for the more obvious route and so now I have the basis of a plan:

• Tomorrow I go to La Fortuna for the Volcan Arenal, then;
• to Monteverde for the National Parks and cloud forest, from there;
• off to Liberia, a nice colonial city in the north, then;
• well, not sure but maybe Montezuma (aka Montefuma because of the hippies there);
• before returning to San Jose or Alajuela to pick up tours to Volcan Poas, and the forest cable cars AND the first football game of the season for Saprissa (the Champions, who have just sold a star striker (?) to Arsenal.

I get back to England on 5th August, hopefully having:

• seen Volcanoes doing there stuff (or at least just looking like volcanoes); 
• seen sloths and other mammals (highly unlikely to see any tapirs or cats like jaguars - but fingers crossed); 
• quetzals would be good but again unlikely so a toucan or two will do!; 
• snakes from distance would be okay, from distance please... 
• oh and a football game too.

I'd love it if a plan comes together.  Bring it on...