Stage 9: Coffee plantations and obstacles

We slept well and feel fully rested, starting the day leisurely with the treats that are waiting for us in the kitchen for breakfast: fresh fruit, jam, and finally rolls again. We don't leave until 10 o'clock, full of energy for the day, but we only have a short stage of about 12 km ahead of us. Today, the landscape is dominated by coffee plantations on the hills that we climb. In the distance, we have a view of the 3432m high stratovolcano Irazú, which is the highest volcano in Costa Rica. The day is very pleasant, not too hot with a gentle breeze that makes the very steep ascents easier for us (300m of elevation gain in the first two kilometers alone). We enjoy the great views of the lush mountains and could as well be in Vietnam. Suddenly, we hear loud barking from dogs approaching us, and shortly afterwards two dogs come towards us, one of them a very aggressive-looking bulldog. I quickly get scared of larger dogs, but Chris is also quite scared, because although their owner whistles at them to back off, they don't really listen. We are just considering how we can use our hiking poles for defense when they reluctantly leave us alone. We still have to cross a river to get some distance between us, which unfortunately is a bit deeper. We rarely took off and put on our hiking shoes so quickly. Relieved, we continue walking. Actually, I had selected a spa hotel with a restaurant for dining and the option of a foot massage on site, but when we arrive there, the doorman in a suit at the gate tells us that the hotel has been closed for two years. At first, we are not sure whether we should really believe that or whether they just don't want to let us, two sweaty backpackers, in. So we take a short break with our snacks. We reach our pre-booked accommodation Navarro Mountain Dream, an idyllic stilt cottage on the slope, already at 2 pm. But when we arrive there, the owners are surprised that we say we have a reservation. They have no information about it and other guests have already checked in. We have already paid in advance and are very upset. Chris spends nearly two hours trying to catch a signal for the Internet with the owner to clarify the situation, but in the end it seems that the mistake is actually with AirBnb. Afterwards, we go in search of a place to sleep in the tiny village with only about 20 houses and find a small Finnish hut that a man uses as a vacation cottage. Nonetheless, we have a very delicious dinner in the house of the original accommodation and hope that we can sleep next to the loud music of the fiesta next door. All we need is a bed for the night.