The 1998 holidays were our escape from a pretty rough year of work-work-work.   We were on another trip arranged by our superstar travel agent, unfortunately it would be our last.   She left the business for reasons we would never discover.   Nonetheless, we were pampered by Alex and Carlito, our naturalist and driver, through plenty of Costa Rican potholes and breathtaking natural beauty.   The National Park system  covers 11% of the country, with  an additional 16% protected by a combination of NGOs and private holdings.   Our route took us from an active volcano, to a flood plain, to a cloud forest, to a climb in a rain forest and we finished it all off with a dip on a beach that is a safe harbor for endangered turtles.   If you start at San Jose, you can follow along our trek.