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Luana basking in the rain clouds…

Luana al sole.

They even had steel versions of that rope bridge in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Avevano persino la versione in metallo del ponte in corda in Indiana Jones e il Tempio Maledetto.

This is the White-nosed coatis in Arenal. The locals call them "issotes". Weird.

Questo e' il "coatis" in Arenal. I Costa Ricani li chiamano "issotes". Strano.

Vulcan Arenal on a clear day. That's smoke, not a cloud!

Volcano Arenal in una giornata serena. Quello che si vede è il fumo.

Now you can die saying you've seen a Costa Rican tree from the inside-out.

Adesso che abbiamo visto un'albero Costa Ricano dall'interno, possiamo morire in pace.

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This place is fantastic. Volcanoes, crocodiles, waterfalls, and all sorts of fruits and animals you've never seen before are right on the side of every dirt road in the country. We spent 9 awesome days trekking through the interior making our way to the Pacific coastline.

Long story short: 2 days in Arenal, 2 days in Monteverde, 2 days in Manuel Antonio/Quepos, and a day in the middle of nowhere in the province of Alajuela on a coffee plantation with a bunch of wild bananas (I read a lot of travel books; took a few notes and ended up there).

The only rude people we encountered were some sweaty Italian tourists who complained about the heat and the $5.00 entrance fee to a rainforest canopy walk on some steel suspension bridges (see photos)...

The locals, who call themselves "ticos" are so proud of their culture and they have every right to be. Few people live comfortably, it rains almost every day for seven months out of the year, most of them never travel outside of their tiny country, and they walk around everywhere with huge smiles on their faces.

A large majority of the male population seem to walk around shirtless and heavily armed with machetes dangling from their tanned, well-definied arms. This is the guise of the innocent and helpful Costa Rican gardner, always eager to give you directions anywhere, regardless of how well you speak Spanish.

If you go to Costa Rica, follow these 3 rules and you'll be fine:

   - Don't walk through dark, uninhabited areas as night
   - Ask your hispanic friend to teach you some basic language skills
   - Don't drink cocounut milk unless it's right out of the coconut

White tree frogs, cold rain, and the sun on your face
Green hills and black clouds in erotic embrace
Chihuahuas, iguanas and black beans and rice
Papaya-pink nectar being poured over ice
A sun-dried old man tokes on his bong
By a purple iguana that's 2 meters long
The bright latin sun quickly changes to night
when a green hilled-horizon swallows the light
Your heart beats like a conga with each beast's loud shout
Cause it's a long walk to the hotel and the creatures are out
Volcanic springs that tingle your skin
Are cooling you down somehow within
The volcano is angry, you can hear it growl
Or is it a jaguar that's out on the prowl
My chocolate is hot and my guarò is sour
I've been waiting for my check for over an hour
Take all the colors of the nature and mix them all up
then smash them and crush them in a terracotta cup
then plant them to grow for 2 million years
then water with seaspray and pure toucan tears
and shortly your garden will begin to sprout
flowers and buds between each long drought
when it's filled in just right you will finally embrace
white tree frogs, cold rain, and the sun on your face.

This is Costa Rica.