Brett Burch: Costa Rica

Showing posts with label Costa Rica. Show all posts

Sunday, December 4, 2011

pieces of a third trip to Costa Rica, part 1

11/22/2011
Tuesday morning, on the beach, partly cloudy skies. This is the sunniest day we have had, so we went straight to the beach after breakfast. We are the only 2 rooms in use as Casa Camarona, a terrific find in between Playa Cocles and Punta Uva. It's a relaxing spot so we booked 2 nights minimum. The last time I was in this area the water was glass but there must be a swell now - the waves are probably the biggest I've ever swam in. It's really something diving into/under a wall of water equally as tall as you, especially when you are already standing in 2'-3' of water already.
Today we have even bigger waves than yesterday, and rented boogie boards for some body surfing. I paddled out past the break and caught the first wave I tried. It was bigger than I expected... these waves suck up tons of water as they approach. You find yourself thigh-deep one second, then mid-calf the next, with a huge wall of water exploding over you. During one lull I paddled back out and found a particular set on the horizon I thought would be great to catch, but as they approached even the first one scared me to ride. I dove under it. The second was even bigger, and I noticed my board leash had snapped. When I came up between the second and third waves I swam to shore as much as possible before diving into the third and biggest wave. I couldn't get below it, and it sucked me up into it. That was a very unsafe situation. Thankfully that was the last of the set because I was exhausted and had swallowed enough salt water for one day. I swam in, found my board on the beach, and decided to wait for lower tide before another attempt.

Filling in details from the past couple days...
Sunday morning we went to Cahuita National Park and hiked about a mile out-n-back in search of wildlife. We ended up hearing Howlers but seeing none. The mosquitoes were bad inland. It rained off and on, so after lunch we headed to Puerto Viejo and checked into a 5 person room at Agapi with hot water, A/C and TV. It's a nice place but expensive. They have a sloth family on the property, so we saw a few sloths there. In the afternoon we walked to Playa Cocles. The swimming was nice but I got stung by a jellyfish and my arm looked terrible afterwards, like road rash from cycling or something like that. It was a strange sensation at first but felt like an electric shock, followed by numbness and pain in m elbow. The water was pretty clear so I was surprised to not have seen what stung me until we spotted lots of tiny clear jellyfish washed ashore in the sand later. After a nice dinner in downtown Puerto Viejo we bought a few beers at a super and headed home to watch Beckham's Galaxy win the MLS. We discovered Toña, a Nicaraguan beer that I had never had before but now highly recommend.
Yesterday we ate breakfast and decided to head out from Agapi. The goal was to head into Panama, Bocas del Toro, but with the rain it seemed smarter to travel little, find a hammock, and read away the rain. Where we are now is a great alternative to Bocas (and the possibility of our abandoned rental car getting broken into or floating away in this flood). We now have 2 rooms for way cheaper than Agapi, hammocks, lots of sun and big waves. After checking in we got in the water... there are consistent 3'-6' waves here, with the occasional 8'+ wave. We went for a jog for about 4km yesterday, almost all the way back to Agapi, which was very nice. After happy hour at our cabinas we drove down to Maxi's in Manzanillo. The food was good but probably 50% more expensive than when I was last there, with prices rivaling what you would pay in the States for Red Snapper or lobster. That has been an unfortunate recurring theme over the last few days... I believe the window of opportunity for stretching dollars way beyond reasonable expectation has closed in Costa Rica - at least in the Caribbean coast. Things seem to cost as much as they would in the States around here.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 9

10/31/2010 Sunday

Happy Halloween from above what I would guess is Caribbean water owned by Honduras. Delta is once again carrying me back to native soil. The day started with a power outage at the hotel. Thankfully the coffee was already made. Breakfast was good, with toast, banana, pineapple and watermelon. After that my first hot water shower in probably 10 days. Brilliant!! Simple pleasures, I guess... After a slight cockroach incident I walked from 29th to 15th along Paseo Colon and caught the bus to the airport. The owner of the hotel gave me directions to the station on a map, and I said, "Ok, just just turn right at 15th street?" to which he replied, "Well, you won't find 15th street. The numbers are just for the maps... we don't use them. You'll know because the road gets narrow." No joke... my gringo brain still has trouble with the addresses here. For example, the official address of the Colombian restaurant I ate at last night is, seriously, San Jose de Costa Rica, 100 metros norte de KFC del paseo colon. What?!?! Anyways, the bus cost 450 colones (about 80 cents)... public transit is so cheap here it's unbelievable. A taxi would have been almost $20. In the airport I bought a chorreador... amazingly, it was a better price in the airport than anywhere else I traveled. A Canadian girl from Luna Llena (Montezuma) recognized me and we chatted for a bit. [I didn't remember much about her other than getting an ATV stuck in a river and a very personal conversation she was having with her friend rather openly. They were discussing very private psychological and sexual freedoms her and her boyfriend had talked about or done. It surprised me they didn't mind mind other people hearing them... I definitely wasn't eavesdropping; we couldn't help hearing them from our card game. I also remember this starting a conversation about how easy it is for an American to recognize a Canadian, but how difficult it is for the rest of the world to distinguish between American and Canadian English.] I also recognized several people from the ATL airport from the flight down... small world. Shopping for Cuban cigars I talked to a Tica who was working, dressed up as a witch and handing out candy. [We're now flying over a chain of islands surrounded by water so turquoise it looks fake. My guess is San Andrés, Colombia but who knows. That place is on my list... Also, the best part of flying Delta is still the Biscoff cookies.] She is apparently finishing college and then hopes to travel in the US; has a friend living in Colorado. She told me her favorite language is English, especially how it sounds when spoken by native speakers. That surprised me, given how so many people like the sound of Spanish more than English. Apparently along with electronics, it is also cheaper to buy running shoes (she was a runner) from online stores in the US and have them shipped to Costa Rica. Bizarre. This girl was so nice. All Ticos, really, are. Easy to talk to, genuine, with big and authentic smiles.

Overall, this was a good trip. I honestly wish it had rained less but regardless I got to see more of Costa Rica and relax. I don't think there were many major epiphanies but I think I proved to myself that I'm capable of travelling in other parts of Latin America where English is less prolific. Up next could be Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile or Argentina. I obviously couldn't hide the fact that I wasn't local, so I was greeted with "hi" as often as "hola" but feel like I did well with Spanish. The exception to that rule is San José. Josefinos don't seem to speak much English and don't seem to care whether you speak Spanish (but typically not in a rude way). I also learned my next trip needs to be 2 weeks at a bare minimum. 1 is simply not enough. I learned some things about Tico Spanish:

It is much more formal (usted) on the Pacific side than the Caribbean (tú)
Conversationally, they end a large percentage of sentences with, ", ¿verdad?" or ", ¿cierto?"
Young guys start and end sentences with "mae" (i.e. Dude, that wave was great dude!)
They use vos / sos but it seems fairly rare... maybe mostly non-locals

I know a year ago I wouldn't have noticed these things. Progress. And speaking of, it seems now I'm ready for winter. I need to really crush it on the skis and keep up the cycling through the winter. I have a lot of goals... time to write 'em down and get crackin.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 8

10/30/2010 Saturday

I am in about as different a position as is possible to be in after just 24 hours. No beach 100 meters down a gravel path... paved highway instead. Closed windows, a cool temperature, hot water readily available. Cable TV even. No bugs in the room to bite during the night. You get the idea.

For the 2nd time this trip I woke up to catch a 6am bus. Last night after the movie ("Silence of the Lambs") I decided it was time and packed up. Ara gave me a hug and wished me safe travels. Then I walked into my room and saw a big spider... probably 1" x 2" with eyes reflecting green. I turned the lights on and the fan all the way up so she left. I kept the fan on just in case. Gabby also caught the San José bus to go back to school after visiting her dad, so we sat next to each other on the ferry. She's going through college 2 classes at a time while working about 60 hrs / week. Incredible. Once back on land, the bus stopped at the Coca Cola station. What a zoo! I will avoid that in the future if possible. I was so exhausted from riding in a bus for 6 hours that I took a cab all of 5 blocks (₡500 ~ 95 cents), checked in and laid down for a nap. I discovered college football on ABC from a Denver channel. (The same horrible political ads from home on TV all the way down here... uggh) After almost 3 hours of drifting in and out of sleep I got up and walked out for dinner. I had planned on going to Machu Picchu like last year (nearby, delicious, accepts credit cards...) but it was before 5pm so they weren't open. No problem; right across the street was a Colombian restaurant, Mi Parrilla Colombiana. Jackpot :) My waiter was Colombian and even showed me on a map where my aguardiente came from. My dinner was the bandeja paisa; rice, beans, a fried egg, ground beef, sausage, plantains and a platano tortilla, avacado and chicharrón (pork belly... when in Rome, don't ask, just eat) on all one plate. I also had a beer and a shot of aguardiente plus café con leche and vanilla flan for dessert, all for $17 with tip and tax. Very reasonable. My budding Colombia fascination was spurred on by this meal, so I think I have to go there next. The restaurant was very nice; Colombian MTV in the background (not over the top), with paintings, maps and photos celebrating the owner's homeland. [sidenote: based on the musicians on the TV, I have to say, Colombia has an immense wealth of talented musicians] I think I need to improve my aguardiente skills though; I overdid the salt. There were several kinds so I just told him to pick whichever he liked the most. I got a plate of limes, a pile of salt, and 1 chilled shot. My waiter told me to shoot, not sip, and watched with anticipation. That stuff goes down really easy. He seemed proud of his selection for me and was happy to hear I liked it.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 7

10/29/2010 Friday

Finally a day without rain! It wasn't exactly clear skies all day but still, no torrential downpours. I did some reading in the morning and then surfed a bit. The tide was low and going out, so the waves were small, but that was good for me. It was my first time without an instructor so I was happy enough to be able to pick the right wave, stand up, and ride it all the way in. I did that several times. I was on a shorter board and it was very noticeable, but still not impossible.

Afterwards I walked the shops a bit and bought a painting of a scarlet macaw on banana paper... my 1 souvenir from the trip. The girl who owned the shop was born here and has lived in Santa Teresa all her life. She said her owning of the store was coming on 2 years next week. Hers, like all the others, had a pile of muddy flip flops outside. The road is so bad you honestly would just be mopping up mud all day long unless you made people go barefoot in your store. I would guess 30% of the road is potholes full of mud. It was re-done last December, brand new, but needs re-done again already. I have mud all up my legs and the back of my shorts just from walking on the road. After surfing yesterday my instructor and I were picked up by an ATV for a lift to the shop. I rode facing backwards, legs hanging off the back, behind the driver. When we got back, no more than 1/2 mile on the road, my legs looked like I had taken a mud bath. In the dry season it's dust instead.

There's a 6:30 and a 2:30 bus to San José from here. I'm not sure how long it takes. I don't want to get in really late but if I can spend more time on the coast, I will. Just doing nothing but watching the waves and listening to the palms sway is fine by me.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 6

10/28/2010 Thursday

I slept pretty well but the room was really hot. Or humid. Both. I'll probably use the fan tonight. Shortly after waking up the power went out for several hours. Marta was quite upset in a joking way. She cracks me up. I went to the bank and they had power. I got really upset at myself for the bank teller having to use English to tell me where the pharmacy was. Our entire conversation had been in Spanish until I could not understand her saying, "frente de la calle" through the glass. She didn't speak English so she had to ask somebody how to say it in English. I was mad my mental ear didn't pick up on what she was saying. At any rate, the pharmacy did not have power, but I picked up some after-bite aloe stuff but actually now think my right hand has some kind of poison ivy. I was careful not to touch plants I didn't recognize on this trip so I don't know what happened. That and the bug bites seem to be improving. I read for a bit and decided to take the road north instead of the beach... walked almost to Manzanillo without rain. I walked the beach back to Casa Zen and walked up to check on surf lessons / rentals. I decided to do the lesson right then. The guy who I setup the lesson from was Israeli and thought I was too, so I had no idea what in the world he was saying until he switched to English. After about 90 minutes I had caught several waves, and I was exhausted. My instructor was from Santiago, Chile and was funny. We kept swapping back and forth between Spanish and English in the conversation, but his instructions were always in Spanish. ¡Eso, eso! I have the board for 24 hours so I should be able to surf again in the morning for a few hours.

A few people showed up to stay here today, to the staff are happy about that. Speaking of the staff, they're hilarious, probably the most animated talkers and story tellers I've ever seen. I think Aracely takes the cake... she's tiny (about 5'2" and thin) but works tirelessly. Even if you put her on mute her stories would still make you laugh. She has a huge smile and talks with her whole body. Her voice sounds very young. I've heard she has 3 kids, 2 of them in Nicaragua. They must have been 3 lbs coming out... I'm not sure how she did it otherwise. Somebody keeps calling here and she's dealing with that... wrong number over and over.

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Tonight's movie was "Invasion" and the power went out. Afterwards I checked my email over the wifi at the cafe on the corner. The girl I ordered my chai from was Argentine... holy crap. Jaw meet floor. She had dark skin and dark hair, but very contrasting hazel eyes, skinny legs in designer jeans. Mi. a. freaking. mor. Did I mention that an Argentine accent with English is my favorite version of English? I only talked to her and her friend (an Israeli girl with some of the longest hair I've ever seen) for a minute but she used "vos" instead of "tú" with me and I was able to follow despite being a thrown off momentarily. My Spanish listening is definitely improving, despite the bank incident.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 5

10/27/2010 Wednesday

Speaking of doing things alone, I have discovered that I am the only one with reservations at Casa Zen for the 3 nights I'll be here. This is bizarre considering this same week last year they were turning people away. It will just be the sound of the rain and me here tonight... a bit of a weird feeling about that. I should make progress on another book, to say the least. Me and the staff watched "Nightmare Before Christmas" tonight. (Also, several of the staff here recognized me when I got here, which surprised me.) But before that... I came by bus from Montezuma. The bus "stop" there is a gravel lot. Luckily there were buses and people standing around, or I would have walked right by it. I had to ask the driver which bus to get on... they weren't marked. On the 2nd bus (Cóbano > Santa Teresa) I talked to an Argentine guy for a while. He showed me photos of Chile and Argentina on his camera; one of Aconcagua (climbing it is a life goal) from what must have been near the first base camp. I showed him photos from the top of Mt. Democrat. When I got to Casa Zen it started raining. After a while it cleared so I walked the beach north a mile or so. I really hope it's sunny tomorrow. The beach was nice but a lot of wood and trees down. The storm that brought the tornado to Manuel Antonio must have torn apart a lot of the coast. I don't know if it's La Niña here as well or not. Either way, it seems everyone is tired of it. Tomorrow I'll get busy one was or another... feeling inactive and idle. Surfing should fix that. That reminds me, the only other person getting a ride to Montezuma on the speed boat was surfing here today. I guess the waves in Montezuma weren't ideal. [I thought they looked great, but all breaks seemed to have major consequences if you fell. Not so here.] He was from Israel, spoke pretty good English.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 4

10/26/2010 Tuesday

The rain started last night (around 10pm, I would guess based on the moon... I put my watch away on purpose). The canopy is still ingesting this morning. The sky yawns and goes from emitting mist to (only barely more coagulated) rain, and back. It's going to rain a lot today. A big bushy-tailed red squirrel lazily eats berries in the treetop next to me. On the ground a raccoon / anteater mix thing walked by. In the distance I cannot distinguish the horizon. It was obvious yesterday. I didn't have a plan for today, and the weather has ensured I catch up on reading in wicker chairs from a second-floor balcony. It's a nice day for a hammock, which is fine because the book I'm reading is quite good. His descriptions of skiing epic days at Wolf Creek, and skiing in general, have me really excited for ski season. I know exactly what the dude is describing. It's one of the best feelings on earth. So is this... Costa Rica. I feel really spoiled that I can enjoy both. I'm not exactly sure what I should (or have to) do to get that feeling to go away. For starters, I'm going to walk into town when the rain stops.

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Night. It turned out a fairly uneventful day. I ended up going for a bit of a hike, though, when the sky cleared. The beaches north of Montezuma are beautiful ...but full of trash. Very disappointing. Pretty but in need of cleaning. I bought some groceries and stayed in, chatting with a newly married couple (an English guy learning Spanish from his Spanish wife) and then playing rummy with a girl from New York, a Canadian, and a Westminster, CO native. Later a German guy joined. He told stories of hiking snow-free 6,000m peaks in Bolivia. It sounds like a trip to Bolivia and Peru for mountaineering is in order. I also finished the book... a good read. The author reminded me of Darren, which made me think of traveling alone. I know that's looked down upon a bit, but then again I do a lot of things alone. More than I should. I'll get that figured out soon enough.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 3

10/25/2010 Monday
Yesterday was quite a day. It's hard to believe it was just my first full day in the country... an extreme variety of experiences, starting at 6am. I woke up at first light even with all the curtains closed. I believe the temperature also played a role there. At any rate, I was met at the hotel at 8am by a guide for Manuel Antonio National Park and was paired with a Canadian couple for a "3 hour tour." Our guide's English was very good. He encouraged me in my Spanish while we walked ("and, Brett, how do you say that in Spanish?..."). Right out of the gate, we saw lots of lizards, monkeys, sloths, etc. The beaches were also beautiful. At the end of the tour my guide walked me back to the hotel.
I already had decent photos of Capuchin and 3-toed sloths but wanted to try to find some Howlers and go for a swim, so I went back to the park in the afternoon. I had some great luck and ended up finding some Howlers and a 2-toed sloth, which I took a ton of photos of. After the sloth sighting I spotted a big lizard on a volcanic rock a bit further down the beach. It looked like a great photo so I walked closer. I got within 20 feet and mistakenly walked into a swarm of big black flies that seemed to have stingers. They didn't seem to notice for a minute, but once they decided I was worth paying attention to it was as if I had kicked a hornet's nest. I didn't get stung but dozens landed on my shirt, legs, backpack, in my hair... I must have been quite a sight for everybody else on Third Beach, flailing and running away. Humbled and confused as to what just happened, I decided some beach time was necessary. I stayed at Third Beach for a while but ended up swimming at Second Beach. Not for long though... After diving into/under several sets of waves I got caught off guard and made a fool for the second time in as many hours. I dove under a head high wave which had a twin right behind it. The first one lifted me directly into the second one (I didn't dive deep enough) so I literally got put through the wash, extreme rinse cycle... First a full back flip under water then thrown around to the point where I didn't know which way was up, honestly. It was about the same experience as getting flipped in a tiny kayak in class 3 rapids, from my recollection, but the kayak memory seems less chaotic. At least nobody saw the beach disaster, but still, I decided 2 strikes was enough and I didn't need a third.
For dinner I walked next door to Backpacker Hostel Costa Linda, the same place I saw people feeding a group of Squirrel Monkeys earlier... bananas. Better than french fries, but still not good. I had the chicken curry, which was awesome. Pineapple, paprika, chicken, rice - I need to try to reproduce when I get home. The 3 brothers from the van to Manuel Antonio walked up to my table and ate dinner with me. A girl from Georgia (Elizabeth) joined. I recognized her from the beach / park earlier in the day. She has an interesting story, traveling from farm to farm as an organic farmer (in the WWOOF program), hoping to learn Spanish. A Dutch girl (Mareshka from Amsterdam) joined us. She had come up from Corcovado where she was the only person stay at her hotel... apparently saw jaguar prints on the beach frequently. I must visit there. We got a deck of cards and started playing drinking games. Long story short, we lined up a row up empty bottles about 7 feet long, and Elizabeth wasn't even drinking. We actually drank the bar out of Pilsen so we switched to Imperial. Amazingly my bill was $21. That's a lot for Costa Rica, but not bad for a huge plate of food and about 7 beers. After beer 4 or 5 I switched to coffee (free all the time there). As if mixing depressants and stimulants wasn't bad enough, I actually got a craving for a cigarette (?!) and acted on it. Twice. Mareshka was smoking and it smelled really good. Considering I have only smoked maybe 2 cigarettes in my life before, this was bizarre. The wheels pretty much came off.
Needless to say, I was shocked that I got up and caught the 6:30 bus to Quepos > Jacó. Jacó does not seem like my kind of town. I caught a van to Playa Herradura and the speed boat to Montezuma from there. (The speed boat is not for the faint of heart.) I'm at Luna Llena now. I think I could stay here for a long time. It's a steep hill up from town and basically build into the canopy. Howler and Capuchin monkeys are in the trees literally 5 steps out my door. The capuchins in particular jump with reckless abandon from the roof into the almond, palm and banana trees. Pura vida. There are tons of wildflowers in bloom, butterflies, etc. A bizarre reddish rodent just walked by. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. There's not a lot going on here.
I just learned the use of the deep gutters/ditches next to all the roads are. Not only would it be impossible to lay pipes in the ground where landslides obliterate roads on a consistent basis, but also, and this is fairly common, the drains from the sinks run directly into the ground. I feel kinda bad for the soil for all that, and hope that improves in the future. All the frogs drowning in soap are probably not happy... but with all the rain we're having now, it probably isn't their biggest concern.
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I forgot to mention where we got the cards for drinking games last night. A British guy at the table next to us loaned them. He and his girlfriend were on their way back to San José for surgery follow-up. He had stitches that day from a surfing accident. Apparently he had (used to have?) a deviated (until today?) septum and was able to finally breathe out of both nostrils for the first time in years after getting whacked right between the eyes by his board.
The moon is coming up now. It's really dark here so the stars should be great if the clouds break. I've noticed a few things... This is a very different crowd than everywhere else I've ever stayed in Costa Rica. People are making dinners from scratch with groceries from the super down the hill. I think I'm the only American - the Europeans are all (most, not all) chain smoking and drinking wine. It's a more mature crowd... mostly older too. More independent. Nag Champa has been burning a long time and seems to help with the mosquitoes. I've never seen this kind before... it's burning in a coil that looks like it belongs on a stove top. A very slow burn (about 1/2 a rotation - 180 degrees in an hour). The radio is on, blaring 20 year old American music. It's horrible. The van driver to Manuel Antonio was playing similar stuff on Saturday, by choice. All the worst USA break-up songs of all time. I pray everybody knows this isn't actually what we listen to anymore. I have a strange desire to apologize at a yell for Richard Marx, Hall & Oates, and the Bengals. We've moved on. I admit to owning a Richard Marx CD. I sold it 20 years ago. I also just realized the Asian theme here; Nepalese prayer flags, Buddha statues and paintings, incense.
Even after the hour-long speed boat and multiple showers I still have sand in my hair from yesterday's disaster in the waves. I need another shower now. In need of a cleansing after last night. I had a vegetarian dinner, without alcohol (500ml of Gatorade and several liters of water instead today), right on the beach. I just watched the bats fly around and the sun set. I might run some hills tomorrow. The hill down to the beach probably averages 15% and would be nice on a bike. Yep, a cleansing is in order.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 2, día 1

10/23/2010 Saturday
This trip caught me off guard. Two weeks ago I had no reservations. Ideas but no plans set. I thought about winging the whole thing but now am happy I have the plans I do. I'm not sure what I'm expecting from the trip, but I'm excited. On the flight from DIA to ATL I sat next to the lady who read and crunched sunflower seeds all flight... no sleep. From ATL to SJO I read 1/3 of a biography about a ski bum from Wolf Creek. It was a bit confusing flying through a tropical storm reading about neck-deep powder. I think this trip signifies the end of fall for me. A little bit of summer before winter in November. My Spanish is definitely better. On the SJO flight I talked to a Tico in Spanish. He was returning from Boston... loaded up on electronics. Apparently it's much cheaper to buy that stuff in the US. Good chat with the taxi driver too. I'm not en route to Manuel Antonio. I'm really pumped for the park tomorrow. I got a text that OSU beat Purdue (49-0, exactly as I like to see) so now the phone is off.

8pm. Just wrapped up a funny dinner that has me wishing I had a whole week booked at Vela Bar. My room is awesome. A fridge, A/C, fan, attached bathroom, tons of windows. I booked a guide for tomorrow and discovered with WiFi during dinner... not to mention experienced probably the hardest sustained rainfall of my life. Horrific waves of clouds are sweeping in off the Pacific. We're in a lull right now. But seriously, on the drive in, it was raining so hard that the windshield wipers on full blast weren't really helping visibility. Streams gushed across the road. Every trough/lane of the Spanish tile roof here seems as if somebody has turned a faucet on at the top of it... curtains of rain. It's a refreshing change from Boulder. And speaking of small worlds, on the bus ride in, one group was from Austin and the other were from San Diego with ties to Active and RegOnline.
Once I was established, I ate. The theme of dinner became, "well, I've never had that before..." Rainy season is 2 for 1 happy hour, so I got 2 blackberry coladas (I thought it would just be half price but actually was given 2). The sailfish casado was excellent. My waitor was extremely nice; asked me where I'd been already, where I was going, commented on my Spanish and asked how I had learned, etc. The room and staff here are great. I hope tomorrow is too. This trip went from backburner to "pick up right where we left off last Halloween" in about 6 hours.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Costa Rica bonus entry, day 9

11/1/2009 Sunday

This morning Catherine and I walked town a bit and killed more time before our taxi took us to the airport. Molly left a few hours before us. We found a little bakery to get apple pastries and cafe con leche to wake us up. A pretty nice morning.

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The sun is presently sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. It's really pretty... warm and inviting in Miami 30,000' below.

A plane just eclipsed the sun. I'm glad I opened the window to see it because that must be rare. Sun dogs can be seen on whispy clouds to my left. I really enjoy window seats; sunsets even moreso. Tranquility. I'm back over U.S. soil now and have very mixed emotions about that. The in-flight movie was 500 days of Summer. I had mixed emotions about that too. I'm glad it had a happy ending because the rest of it was really painful to watch. I can't say that I have a ton of experience in that regard, but it resonated strongly with me. That feeling really sucks. Really. Miserable. The sunset just peaked. Brilliant. Really inspiring actually. The clouds below are putting on the display now.

Another thing I don't have mixed emotions about is the book I finished before the movie started; Compañero about Che Guevara. I didn't really know enough about him other than watching Motorcycle Diaries and Che (the ones with Benicio Del Toro) before the book. What a tremendous read. Che is a polarizing icon, so I wanted a fairly neutral and unbiased account. Compañero served well. It pointed out faults and mistakes as well as celebrating successes. (Florida is getting wider now. Chau Gulf, hello confederacy.) I find I relate to Che strongly in many aspects and very little in others. I feel bad for him that he kinda got sucked into several things in Cuba that prevented him from truly pursuing his aspirations as he may have otherwise preferred. Regardless of your opinion, this book is a good read. I think a vast majority of people with an opinion of him are mis/under-informed. Did he carry out executions? Yes, but no more than the U.S. ever has in a day. Did he do a lot of good? Yes, but perhaps not exactly as his fans would think. I really believe those who are "pro-Che" fail to recognize his faults, and those who are against him fail to recognize his achievements. Like John Kennedy, John Lennon, MLK, etc., it would have been interesting if he were still alive. If nothing else, I can better understand his point of view now.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 8

10/31/2009 Saturday

Last day of vacation. Boo. Major bummer. Need to catch up on yesterday first... Before my surf lesson at 4:00 I took my rented board and got the hang of messing around in the whitewater. Rode a few waves on my knees. Russell gave me a different board for the lesson; not made of foam, better. We spent about 15 minutes on the beach and then took to the water. The very first wave he told me to try I stood right up and rode to shore. He seemed surprised. "Most people don't do that." I was really stoked. I only rode / stood up on a couple more, but it was a ton of fun. I can easily see how people get addicted and chase waves for years. What a great sensation. (What a beautiful buzz...) It started raining really hard and got dark fast. When we had walked back to Caza Zen, the Black & White party picked up. I only had one clean black or white shirt... a long sleeve. Oh well. 4 beers and dinner were about $9. I talked to a lot of interesting people. (Earlier in the day before my lesson I talked to a couple from Columbus. We talked about the black hole that is Ohio State Buckeye football and why nobody seems to do anything but drink at social functions in Ohio.) The party went fairly late... maybe 1am. I got excited when 2 Swedish guys invited a lot of people to their room for some "Swedish water." I thought it would be a new discovery, like the aguardiente incident in Seattle. No such luck; vodka. I hate vodka.

Also, before I forget about Friday, I kept thinking English speakers I talked to were Aussies. A girl from Minnesota selling jewelry at the party sounded like that, but said it was just because she had rarely used English in the past 6 yrs. "I just decided I didn't want to live in the States anymore." Russell, my surf instructor, was from England and could pass for an Aussie too. His girlfriend definitely sounded British though. I talked to a Kiwi and recognized right away he was from New Zealand, so no error there. He re-taught me the term "seppo" for "Americans" - I had heard the term but not the origin (Yankee shortened to Yank rhymes with septic tank, shortened to seppo). He seemed surprised when I told him that if he used phrases like, "Good on you!" people from the States wouldn't understand, or that if he referred to our measurement system as the Imperial system "Americans" wouldn't know he meant weight in lbs, distance in ft/in. I honestly think most people wouldn't though. Sidenote: I find myself not liking to use the term "Americans" for people from the States, myself included. It seems wrong; arrogant. This is America too. I am not in the central USA but I am in Central America right now.

I woke up, caught the bus, the ferry, then another bus and was in Alajuela to wait to catch a taxi to the airport. Molly, Catherine and I split a room to save money and shopped a bit. I bought a hammock! Lunch at my last soda for this trip.... so filling, only 1 meal needed today, roughly translated to about $4. As the sun set we walked west to a cemetery (seemed fitting for Halloween and a nearly full moon) in town then walked back towards our hotel. It seemed like a waiting game, just killing time before we had to leave. The trip was over. We walked past the main cathedral in town... that's a nice area. After dark Molly and I walked down to Pops to get some ice cream then watched surf porn on youtube [segments of Endless Summer... I still need to rent it] on the free internet connection at the hotel. There is a very obvious police presence in Alajuela, and I did not feel in danger walking after dark.

I'm excited for the snow at home but already missing this country. I can't say for sure (obviously) yet, but I feel like this trip has yielded one of the most important weeks of my life so far. Definitely significant. Costa Rica truly is a rich country, and it gave me a lot.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 7

10/30/2009 Friday
It's another overcast day on the Pacific. Fairly choppy water. The howler monkeys woke me up and it's been fairly low key since then. I walked to the bank to get dollars for my surfing lesson. I really want to buy a hammock but don't really have room for one in my equipaje. Next time I may bring an empty duffel bag or something like that, and take a shuttle if I fill it, although I find myself preferring the public transport. On my way back to the hotel I got a ride from a guy that works at Casa Zen. I asked him what he thought of all the construction. He spoke fairly fast, so I didn't understand all of his Spanish, but essentially he said it was terrible. A very lamentable situation. He said there are no rules, no permits, no concerns for the roads, schools, locals... the dollar prevails. It's unfortunate and I hope it changes.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 6

10/29/2009 Thursday

It's a cloudy, misty day on the Pacific. Starting to sprinkle. Rain clouds overhead. It was quite a day getting here. I was awake, but not up at 7:05 when a knock at the door forced me out of bed.

I was told the night before to be ready at the door at 7:30. I went to the bathroom, threw on clothes, and checked out in record time. I had to break a Jaguar to leave a tip... only 1 more left. We picked up 2 more people before leaving the city; a Canadian girl, Lauren, that graduated a few months ago and has been traveling solo for a month, and a lady from California that retired down here 5 years ago. I chatted with Lauren a bit. It sounds like she has had quite a trip, starting in the Caribbean, into Panama, the Pacific coast, Monteverde, and eventually north to Belize in December. It seemed a long time for a B.C. girl (living in Calgary... lots of Calgary people down here) that didn't speak Spanish to be on her own. She was headed to Montezuma. Based on what she told me I need to see it. Another interesting USA/Canada discovery: she had never heard of the Grateful Dead or Phish. I was stunned. I translated for the group. Before we got to Puntarenas our driver complimented my Spanish, so apparently the words I do know sound correct. I was also taken for a Spaniard by an Austrian once I got to Casa Zen. She was surprised I spoke Spanish with her since I was from the States. Maybe my beard is hiding me well now.

The ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera was pretty. The islands and sea are tranquil. The road to Cobano is fairly straightforward but once you pass the turn to Montezuma, the pavement becomes dirt and the going is slow. I thought it was great. The distance between Mal País, Santa Teresa, et al surprised me... looks closer on the map. Casa Zen is a relaxing stop in my travels already. Very laid back. The kitchen is really good, the vibe is mellow. i.e. good food, company, waves. The beach here is both bigger and wetter than the Caribbean, with green cliffs off in the distance.

I have run out of superlatives for this country.

Once again I was speechless walking the beach. It is completely undisturbed. It's not for me to say what Costa Rica does with its land but I really hope they don't pave that road and make it easier to get here. There should not be hotels here. This is not a place for lawn chairs full of gringos working on their tans. This view belongs to those who respect it and earn it; Ticos, and to a lesser extent, surfers and vegabonds. (Right now this seems to be a secret place only surfers and Lonely Planet readers know about.) Waiting for the backhoe to make way for my mícrobus was half the fun of getting here. I walked the beach until I found the break all the surfers preferred... 3-5 ft waves. Surfing is an art form. Very pure, graceful, challenging. It's impossible to be stressed sitting in front of the ocean. I became Peter Gibbons. Strike that, I became The Lorax for this beach. I picked up trash on my way back to my room as it started to rain. Looking south, rain clouds drifted north. I got soaked, and it was really refreshing. Apparently it has rained here 8 days in a row, but is starting to dry out. I can't tell. Everything is saturated. [I just discovered Molly and Catherine from the airport on day 1 are staying here. Small world.] It seems even after just a few hours that this is the coast Jack Johnson personifies, with Bob Marley on the other coast. (I have only listened to reggae since I got to Costa Rica.... nothing else feels appropriate. Maybe Jack Johnson tonight.)

There is much more to see, but I really want to start a business down here... somewhere anyone with the smallest interest in jungle, ocean, rainforest wildlife, and/or Latin America need not look elsewhere. It seems the same for Peru, Mexico, etc. too though.

10:30pm... raining quite hard again. It doesn't seem like it below the trees at ground level, but it's chaos on the roof. I watched the Thursday night movie and ate here tonight. I haven't had too many vegetarian days this month, so at least I got another one in today. After the movie I talked to two Austrian girls, siblings, one from earlier today. The younger one said goodnight, shook my hand and kissed me on the cheek as is customary for her. I did so in response but was fairly taken off guard. Interesting mix of cultural norms on this planet. It's lights out early tonight for early morning surfing sessions. I think I'll rent a board and try it out. Last random thought: High stress and blood pressure patients should forgo treatment and spend their money wisely by spending an hour in a hammock listening to the rain here.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 5

10/28/2009 Wednesday

6pm... not quite a mid-day update but still earlier than other days. I'm sitting in my room at Hotel Rosa del Paseo on the west side of San Jose. It's a very nice hotel with a courtyard, tranquility, safety (you must be let in or out by the attendant), and quiet. The quiet is nice because San Jose, in my brief experience, feels loud and congested. No more than any other international city though. I had a fairly slow morning after being woken up at 5am by Cahuita's local howler monkeys. They sound like ghosts. I went back to sleep only to be woken a few hours later by torrential downpour. It seemed a good day for travel. When I got up and headed back to Cahuita NP the sun was out. I took my camera, intent on getting capuchin monkeys on film since I didn't have my camera yesterday. I saw a few, plus a sloth, but none close enough to photo well, like yesterday. It seems I'll just have to return in order to get better photos.

I made my way to the bus station at 11 to catch the 11:30 to San Jose. I found myself recalling my first minutes at the same place yesterday... a woman with a European accent (speaking English, pretty sure it was German or Austrian) had pissed me off. I heard her speaking English so I asked her which direction the beach was. She rolled her eyes and pointed. Her body language made it seem like I had just wasted hours of her life and she wanted a refund for the huge inconvenience. As I walked out she said, "This is a business, not a tourist center." in exasperation. As if I couldn't tell by the cheap Santa Claus and ornament display you were setting up when I walked by... clearly you're trying to pawn this crap to tourists and locals... in the tropics... in October. She was in my shoes once too... in Cahuita for the first time. I've met many welcoming and nice Europeans, but the general sentiment towards Americans from Europeans is totally unwarranted. I'd like to think an American in Tokyo would have treated her better. Thankfully my mind was distracted after those few minutes by a girl that sat next to me waiting for her bus. She was Latin, with wavy locks flowing from a yellow bandanna. I didn't want to be rude, but her eyes were astonishing. She kind of reminded me of the award winning National Geographic photo of the girl from Afghanistan. I formed the sentence in Spanish in my mind, "I don't want to be rude, but I feel compelled to tell you that your eyes are the most beautiful I've ever seen," but worried I had the wrong word for "rude" and said nothing. (Clearly my anti-casanova skillz extends far beyond gringas.) There is absolutely no shortage of beautiful girls (from here or anywhere else on the planet) in this country. On the bus to San Jose it rained again. Approaching San Jose from Puerto Limon the rainforest is beautiful. Everything is lush, clouds hang in the valleys, etc. A 25 year old nurse from Calgary sat next to me and we chatted for most of the ride. She was part Czech and told me Prague was nice. I've heard as much and would like to see it one day.

11pm... Yep, today was very different than yesterday, as expected, except another great dinner. I walked 4 blocks to the highly recommended Machu Picchu. I was a bit skeptical with the erotic toy shop across the street, but don't let that dissuade you. I ordered the famed pisco sour to discover the Peruvian's secret. Holy smokes, I'm glad I got the small one. Halfway through I had a solid buzz going... maybe 3 oz. I asked my waiter to choose a dish for me between a few options and he picked ARROZ CON POLLO A LA PERUANA, which as you would expect, was baked chicken served on rice in a green sauce, with peas and sliced peppers added. The sauce was very good. He also brought out a small saucer of salsa. "Cuidate, muy muy picante." Ok, noted. I found out it was habaneros.... very good but very hot. The rice was very short grained, almost round. After that I had a cafe con leche. My first Costa Rican coffee... smooth, creamy, delicious. Before leaving I told my waiter, "With certainty, this is one of the best drinks and food (I don't know the word for meal) of my life." He was grateful. I really have been eating like royalty the last several days... the heat and humidity stifles my appetite to one meal a day. I don't think I'm losing weight though. It was obvious in the restaurant I am in a wealthy part of town. The other patrons had on nice clothes, jewelry, make-up, etc. It feels OK for me to be here since I was a bit concerned about safety in the city. My hotel room is really really nice... my first hot water shower in 6 or 7 days. My clothes are drier but still smell like Central American buses (i.e. slight mildew, a lot of sweat). My t-shirts stink. Surprisingly less English spoken here than on the coast. It was kind of nice chatting for a few hours with my Canadian bus neighbor about the differences between our countries, but I also have enjoyed being forced to use Spanish. [Note to self, Albertans have good party themes. Ex: Tight & Bright (think neon spandex), Anything But Clothes (cardboard, foil, stuffed animals sewn together, etc), etc.] My Spanish listening skills are improving. I need to expand my vocabulary, and just need to be diligent about that when I get home.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 4

10/27/2009 Tuesday

Today was my earliest morning yet, but there were no problems. I got up in time to shower and get packed for a hike with Santiago. We left town promptly at 8:00. It was a completely different experience than yesterday's hike. Instead of hiking down the beach, we went into the jungle just past the Dolphin House. Santiago told me about his life, his bamboo fall/accident which gave him his limp, the history of Manzanillo, the struggle with the government and the current status of the national park/wildlife refuge, etc. In addition to all that, we saw howler monkeys, poison arrow frogs, millipedes, 2 toed sloth, tons of birds, ants, wild cacao, toucans, and scores of plans. I learned which plants he used to help his hip, which were poisonous, which you could boil to make tea and feel better, etc. Clearly Santiago's "Tylenol" came from his hometown and not a white plastic bottle. We mainly spoke English, which was fine for me. I learned which trees were too tough / hard to use for building homes (i.e. Almond) and which monkeys liked to spend the day in (i.e. Balsa), etc. We walked along private property (marked off by a vine which grows in a straight line) and I found myself hoping the people that owned it could keep it but still call it a national park... maybe a working NP of some kind. It's a tough sociological situation. Either way, it's a beautiful area so I hope it gets some kind of elevated and permanent protected status. That place has quite a story for a town that has only had electricity for 20 years. Seriously, they used candles for lights after dark, had no fans, TVs, no fridges, etc until I was in 2nd grade. Insane. A beautiful place. After the tour I checked out of Maxi's and caught the 12:45 bus after a bit of shopping.

Cahuita is not for everyone. You can get large quantities of several drugs here without really searching. Regardless of whether you like the town, you will love the national park on the edge of town. (Actually, the town used to be in the NP at Punta Cahuita, but the government pushed the town north, away from the wildlife. The houses are still there, but full of snakes instead of people now.) I checked into Cabinas Atlantic Surf and immediately my pulse slowed. Even more so than Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, this town makes it impossible to worry or hurry. I made my way to the ATM and then the N.P. 500m from the park entrance along the beach I saw 8 White-headed Capuchin monkeys at once. They were mad at the dogs below them; breaking off branches and throwing them down with strong force. One of them hurled a huge branch, maybe 20 lbs... surprising for a small monkey weighing less. A park ranger ran to the rescue and used the same branch to chase away the dogs. I swam in the turbulent ocean after watching the monkeys a while. These waters were tough! Waves came in pairs, except when they synched up and made one big wave. I could let a big wave carry me all the way to shore. At the same time, the currents of that wave swept me out after it broke. My first real experience with riptides. I was never really worried, but definitely aware of my distance from shore. The waves were so big I could not jump and keep my head above them.... they would whitecap and break further out and be tall/strong when they reached me. A lot of fun. After swimming, they monkeys seemed calm without dogs below them. They were literally on the beach... if they fell at high tide they would get wet. Obviously a narrow stretch of sand. They were very picturesque. Quite a day for wildlife!

After drying off I had dinner with Brian, a fellow Cabinas Atlantic Surfer from Seattle. I had a pineapple smoothie drink with dinner; marlin, rice and beans, crispy plantains and salad. The marlin came in a Caribbean curry. Brilliant! I've eaten a lot of good food in my life, and this was near the top of the list. Caribbean cooking is part of the draw of this coast. Afterwards I drank and talked U.S. politics with Wyoming, Brian and Graven (a Cahuita native). I wish I had a few more days to see Cahuita NP, surf Playa Negra, etc. but the Pacific and San Jose calls me. Tomorrow will be very different than the past several days.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 3

10/26/2009 Monday

I didn't realize it was Monday until I checked my phone to get the date for today's ramblings. I believe that means I'm getting the hang of the pura vida. Monday is very significant in my home life... here not so much. Aside from the bus schedule and a few restaurants, nobody seems to care what day it is. Every day is a good one. And I agree. This is off topic, but I'm starting to think of the Spanish translation for these sentences as I write. Maybe it's a game or mental test, but I think it helps me know where the gaps in my Spanish are.

This morning I woke up and took my time packing my things. I walked into town to change $30 into ~15,000 colones and stood in line at the bank for a long time, only to have their computer system shut down when I was next. After several minutes we all gave up hope. I walked to the currency exchange company and was charged a slightly higher rate (as I was told would happen) but at least had my 15k colones. I stopped by the bus station to get my ticket for the 11:45 to Manzanillo but was told I couldn't buy one until 11:30. Instead I did some window shopping. Before buying anything I stopped in the post office to see if I could mail to the US from there. The girl working spoke no English and asked me a question I didn't understand, so I gave up. I felt defeated and decided to just check out and eat my brunch (the remainder of a beef empanada from the bus station... perhaps questionable by this point, but still looking OK after 2 days in the fridge...) on the beach.

The bus ride to Manzanillo was quite an adventure... the old bus couldn't help but hit a lot of the potholes on the road. The most worrisome part, however, was crossing bridges. There are several bridges between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, all of which are exactly the width of said rickety bus. We slowly crossed each one, but took the last one at a slight angle. The bang/crunch we made sounded like significant damage to both the old bridge and the old fender or wheelwell on the old bus. Oh well, we crossed. I was a tad concerned we would end up in the river below us and recalled a story Whitney told me yesterday where a bus drove off a bridge near Quepos this week and a few of the folks that survived the fall still died by way of hungry Caiman. I'm happy to report there were no such deaths today, but the bus and bridge struggle seems to be ubiquitous.

Anyways, I sat next to a very nice Guatemalan girl on the bus. She had been to Asheville, NC and the Smokies and hoped to see Colorado one day even though it snowed there. She spoke good English so we had a nice conversation. Ironically I found her easier to understand than most of the Jamaican English speakers I've talked to in Manzanillo today. Despite the Rasta influence in Puerto Viejo, I didn't find it a problem until today. Manzanillo is essentially the end of the road on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, just a few miles from Panama. It feels like just a few miles from Kingston. The bus stopped in front of Maxi's cabinas & restaurant so I walked all of 10 meters to book my night's lodging... I splurged on a room w/ A/C.

After checking in I took my backpack and headed to the guide house for the wildlife refuge. Nobody was there, but there was a sign on the door with names and phone numbers of guides.

I headed down the coast intent on finding scores of howler monkeys on my own. While I didn't quite make it to Punta Mona, I did still have the hike of a lifetime. The beaches here are incredible, as is the jungle. I walked along the water to a point where a trail meandered into the jungle / refuge. After passing the Dolphin Lodge, civilization of any kind fades away. Humanity too, for that matter. I found myself on a damp mud trail with jaw-dropping coves to my left, rainforest on my right, and a canopy above me. No need for sunglasses on the trail. I was completely alone for literally a few hours. At times I expected a jaguar to jump out and end me... I recorded the sound of the jungle on my phone. I was Robinson Crusoe. Once again, how in the world did the Spaniards leave here after landing? I'm glad they did. I half expected to be shot by poisonous frog darts and cannibalized by an indigenous tribe (they're nearby). This was the most wild, natural, untrammeled place I've ever seen. At times I caught myself audibly uttering "un. be. lievable." to nobody. Several times actually. Thousands of ants used the trail I hiked. They formed a long line and slowly carried leaves and flowers home. I made sure not to bother them fearing they might collectively turn on me. I then realized I was in sandals with no bug spray... unprepared. N0-see-ums ate my legs. Better than a snake or a spider (I saw both). I thought if something did happen to me, nobody would find me until at least tomorrow. It was starting to get dim in the forest anyways, so I headed back. I don't want to over-emphasize the fear though. The overwhelming feeling was simple disbelief at the beauty. Some of the trees where as big as the Spruce of Olympic NP... maybe saplings when Columbus landed. I truly was stunned to silence by the experience. This is the prettiest ocean setting I've ever seen... and almost nobody else is here.

After spending some time on the beach and swimming until the sun set I ate 300kg of today's lobster catch and asked Dennis (a Canadian logger ex-pat from B.C.) how many people lived here. In a mixed Canadian/Rasta accent he replied, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe 150." There can't be more than 25 tourists here. To say you can't exactly buy tourist trinkets such as a shot glass or post card in this town is an understatement. Right now I might be as off the beaten path as possible. While the kids in town started the nightly soccer game I scored a guide for tomorrow morning. I recalled seeing Santiago's name on the guide house door sign, so when he introduced himself to me, barefoot and drinking at the bar, I asked if he was the guide. Yep. "Cool, I want to go see monkeys in the morning." The price of a 4 hour guided trek went from $100 to $35 when his boss entered the picture. I don't understand his Spanish very well but will study tonight and hope it goes OK. I think he recognizes I am not just a dumb Yankee after telling him $100 was too much, and he seemed happy to help me, so I'm excited. The lobster was probably the best I'll ever have. It came with fried plantains and Caribbean spicy rice and beans. Delicious. That plate and 1 beer ran $22, so it was pricy even by U.S. standards, but those were two fresh lobster tails I'll remember, and I agree with the guidebook that Maxi's kitchen boasts some of the best cooking in the area. I also chatted with an American girl who is from D.C. but went to U. Dayton. Small world. She had long dreads and works on a sustainable farm in the woods. I think day 3 has exceeded days 1 and 2. Based on the Salsa and Cumbia coming from next door, today is far from over. What a wonderful place this southern Costa Rica Caribbean coast is.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 2

10/25/2009 Sunday

In many respects this was a Sunday unlike any other in my life. I woke up well rested but extremely parched around 9am. It took me a while to mobilize, but I was eager to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. I walked into town and had to laugh. I expected to see something along the lines of at least Playa del Carmen south of Cancun after all I had read. Indeed, most of the business in town is built around tourism, but unless there are major changes (hopefully not) this area won't be a new Mayan Riviera for at least 75 years. I would guess this is what corners of Florida looked like around 1900 - minus the cars, scooters, electricity... very few businesses were open. I bought a 600ml water bottle from a stand at Playa Negra for 500 colones. After walking Playa Negra and being somewhat disappointed in the scenery (aside from the intrigue of sand that resembled crushed coal) I decided to walk to Salsa Brava and watch some surfers. No surfers. It dawned on me that most of the town was probably just going to bed, based on the scene at 9pm last night. Oh well, at least I had my bearings. I had planned on being out most of the day but instead was back to the hotel within an hour. A little confused about the lack of picturesque beaches, I re-read my guide books and finally read that the real gems of the coast were a few km south of town and got more interesting as you approach Panama. I headed back to town and rented a bike with the goal of scouting the beaches and ultimately riding home for dinner. Bikes are the standard means of transport in this town. My specific bike today was probably made before I was born... a green fixie (pedal backwards = brakes though) with mushy tires. $5 for the day. Content with looking slightly less a tourist, I road the "paved" road towards Manzanillo. Beyond the fringe of Puerto Viejo, the jungle is impressive and the Cabinas become more impressive. It seems the wealthy ex-pats live this way... I pass a sign selling 49 acres of land including beach for $150k and have to stop myself from immediately turning on my phone. After about 10 minutes I pass a wooden sign with "Cocles" carved in it. The road veered towards the beach and revealed paradise. Clean sand (there was trash on the beaches in PV, although all the recycle / trash stations with encouraging signs that clean beaches are better seemed to indicate progress on that front), waves big enough to possibly surf, clear water, tall palms for shade. This was what I had seen from the plane yesterday and longed for. I locked my bike to a tree and walked toward the water. I dropped my backpack and tested it out... the water was colder than Tulum, Mx but still quite warm. I walked back to my towel, applied excessive sunscreen and lad down to just listen to the lapping of the waves for a while. After 30 minutes I was roasting and decided it was safe to leave my things and enjoy Caribbean swimming. I took my rightful spot directly in front of my towel and began bobbing in the break. I noticed the two girls within earshot of me had American accents and spoke English. I asked if they had been to Manzanillo, hoping to find out if the beaches were in fact more impressive further south. Although they hadn't, we did end up chatting for a while. They had just moved from Jacksonville, FL after graduating from UT Knoxville, to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast. Very nice, welcoming, well traveled girls. At 1:30 they asked if I knew what time it was. I opened my zippered pocket to grab my watch right as a wave hit me. I immediately remembered my bike lock keys had been in that pocket, and of course no longer were. A few minutes of searching produced no results. Whitney and Rachel felt bad, so I borrowed a bike while they shared their second. I felt bad but the rental guy said it was no problem, and a few minutes later I jumped on the back of a scooter with a guy owning chain cutters.

[Sidenote: explaining "lifeguard" to a man that doesn't speak English is tough. Ex:

]

Potholes require good ab strength and balance while riding a Vespa on a gravel road. Minutes later I was back at the bike shop. $4 for a new lock. Pura vida. The girls had showered and got their bags to catch the 4pm bus to San Jose, then Manuel Antonio. We ate lunch at my first soda. An enormous amount of rice and beans topped with ~10 oz. of fried chicken. Clearly lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Food for a whole day plus juice and tip for $7. Not bad. After lunch we rode to my room so they could change out of wet clothes, borrow some Aloe Vera (we all got burned), exchange emails, and invite me to Quepos for a surfing contest on Halloween. I've already paid for my hotel in Santa Teresa then but may take them up on it. I'm not sure if I could get to SJO on time for my flight, so it's not likely, but a good option anyways. I wish I were less worried about making plans in advance. I read a lot about Manuel Antonio and it sounds fun. Either way, they caught the bus and I headed south again. I rode as far as I could before needing to turn around to return my bike. I stopped at the beach near Punta Uva. There was 1 other person swimming about 1/4 mile from me, but otherwise not a soul. I have no idea how/why Christopher Columbus kept going after he landed there, but I believe it looks about the same now as it did then. Incredible. I saw my first wild monkey there too. (I have heard several howler monkeys but not seen one.) By the time I had my camera out he was two trees away. A really awesome experience. So much character/personality in his face. A that point I decided to change plans and spend tomorrow night in Manzanillo with the monkeys, sloths and macaws.

After returning the bike, I decided to have a beer and dessert (still mostly full from lunch). Rest. de Paso, right across the street from my place and on the path to the beach, was a good choice. The dulce de leche crepe was a huge success. Reggae bumping from the speakers... a good end to my day. They sold bulk mate but don't serve it. Bummer since I didn't bring any. The Che poster at the bar made me want some. I settled for reading Compañero on my hammock instead. I met my Colombian neighbor then. She has a good story; in the fair trade coffee business, travels a lot... going to Seattle in February to work and learn English, then off to England to sell fair trade coffee there too. Very cool. Based on my encounter with her and her friends, I believe Colombian women could take over the planet if they organized and chose to do so... they would be supermodels in the States. I am meeting many diverse and wonderful people so far. Feliz noches.

Pasajes de Costa Rica, viaje 1, día 1

10/24/2009 Saturday

My upcoming night's sleep feels like one of the hardest earned in my life. Here's to sleeping like a baby! I write this from a situation my dad would find a personal hell. Tonight stands alone as the most humid in my life, and the fan isn't quite keeping up to say the least. I am in room #3 at the Exotica Lodge in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca approx. 100m from the Atlantic Ocean in southern Costa Rica. I was too tired to care upon arrival, but in the morning will try to do the American thing and buy myself into a more comfortable situation. The fridge and the fan work, and the cold water is nice, so it could be far worse... camping in Moab in August, for example... Anyways, this story really begins yesterday around lunch time. I was trail running on a stunning fall day in Boulder at the base of the Flatirons. No surprise I didn't keep up with coworkers Darren and Tim, but it was really the perfect use of a lunch hour given the weather, setting, etc. I really love the fall. After trail running I finished the work day and headed to happy hour to celebrate several coworkers birthdays. A few hours later I made my way to DIA for the 1am flight to ATL. (By the way, I found it especially tough to leave Tacoma this time. I know he's fine but I feel kinda bad leaving my little buddy for so long. He's a good kid...) I didn't really sleep on the flight, and didn't really sleep on my 4 hr layover in ATL, so I was ready for sleep when I got on the plane to San Jose. That didn't really happen either. (I met a girl from Jersey who lives in Aspen that slept soundly though. I told her I was jealous when she woke up and we talked for a while. Molly... she was definitely a Molly based on previous experience... reminded me a lot of Kendra too. Sidenote: all of the girls I've ever met living in Aspen have proven especially intriguing. Rad chicas. I might have to move there.) Sleep was in short supply then too. I was excited to see the Atlantic. Flying over Florida, however, was shameful. There is no more green, no more swamp... only roads and vacation homes. It was depressing. 3 minutes after Florida disappeared, Cuba came into view. Unspoiled white sand beaches... much better! Our pilot seemed to agree. After Cuba came the dark blue ocean. So dark, it seemed fake, like a bluebird day on the slopes in April where I would almost swear the sky has switched to purple, but I digress...

I really believe it was love at first sight for Costa Rica and I. I had a window seat and finally saw land again. Unspoiled jungle led right up to the coast where white wave breaks met white sand. A muddy brown river flowed slowly into the Atlantic... maybe the Parismina. The Canal del Tortuguero was also in plain sight, but otherwise nothing but rainforest jungle blanketing gentle mountain slopes. As we neared SJO you could see crops, but it was much more pure than Florida a few hours prior.

SJO took me by surprise, as did the humidity. The airport was so small, much smaller than Cancun, for example, which supports a smaller town. I changed into a t-shirt while waiting for the checked baggage to start and regretted not also carrying on shorts. I forgot that 70*F in Boulder feels nothing like 70*F in the topics. Oh well. I took a taxi to the Caribeño bus station... the driver spoke almost no English. It was put up or shut up time for my Spanish lessons. When he dropped me off, he complimented my Spanish, so I guess I did OK. He asked me where I was going, for how long, whether I'd been to CR before... simple stuff. When we got to the bus station I thought it was a joke. No tourism here... la gente in the true colors. Complete culture shock. I questioned this whole trip; I was scared and alone. No English. Period. 4200 colones (~$8) bought me a seat for 4 hours on a bus with no AC and no bathroom. Again, still exhausted, I wanted to sleep but couldn't. As we descended from San Jose to the Atlantic I was in awe at how beautiful the country is. My eyes were huge for the first half hour. The jungle is in command, and only a tiny strip of pavement slices through it. Viva la selva. Waterfalls, mudslides, clouds like Gorillas in the Mist... very captivating. The my neighbor with the window seat woke up. This was a true answered prayer. For 3.5 hours we talked in mostly Spanish... again, almost no English. We talked about interests, music, movies, jazz, the towns we drove through... He was 23, from Nicaragua, 1/4 Italian, had an ex-girlfriend in Spain whose dad was African and mom Swiss. Trying to explain bluegrass proved unsuccessful aside from explaining the state my brother lives in has grass called bluegrass. We talked about being single, my plans in CR, religion. He is Presbyterian and in seminary helping a remote village on the Panama border. We talked about missionaries, favorite foods, etc. I was in disbelief that I could understand him and vise versa. My brain hurt but spirits very high as the sun set. Too tired to walk or think, I took a cab to my hotel. 45 seconds later I was here... unpacked a bit and then sat down on the bed. The linens are clean. I'm not sure what the pillow is made of. It will do. A spider and centipede crawl across the floor. Thinking I should put up my mosquito net, I eat an apple and fall asleep. I woke up 2 hrs later. I need more rest. It's 11:30pm. Almost 2 days with little more than a nap. Tomorrow will be low stress! Until then, insects, birds (and the occasional monkey) sing me to sleep. Pura vida.