Do not travel with Tica bus! This is my revenge for 16 hours of torture. I have travelled for long enough in Latin America to know that long trousers, a warm cardigan and pashmina are essential to keep warm when the enevitable air-conditioning blasts. Tica bus take this bus-chilliness syndrome to another, painful level. On our overnight bus to Costa Rica, Helene and I spend the night rapping on the door asking the bus driver to please turn down or off the air-con (as we are turning blue). At first, he turns it down for 5 minutes or so, and then resumes with his mission to freeze us all. After banging on the door three or maybe four times, he no longer pays us any attention. Other passengers all agree yes it is freezing but not a single other person complains. At 3am, I am so cold that my body aches and I am close to tears, I try one last time to rationalise with the bus driver - telling him 'it's like the bloody Antarctic back here - why don't you come back and see for yourself.....(etc)?'. He laughs in my face. What a callous beast! Not even an inch of customer service or common decency.
If you must travel with this miserable company, wear thermals and pop a Valium for your nerves. Hmph.
The border crossing from Panama to Costa Rica has been the most unpleasant of the trip, in fact I cannot recall a border crossing worse in my travelling history. The whole escapade takes two and a half hours, and is a most illogical affair. I am so weary from a sleepless night on the ice-box that I fear I may strangle one of these incompetent border police and shout about my grievances. Instead I glare and sigh as I watch a stiletto-heeled, gum-chewing women with (Lycra?) jeans feel her way through every single item of my rucksack and the luggage belonging to two coach-loads of fellow nomads. The bus driver who has obviously been through this process many times is not capable of explaining to us what is going on, and in fact confuses matters further resulting in some suitcases being checked by hand twice!
We arrive to San Jose at 3pm. We have now been travelling for 24 hours but feeling fairly happy to be in new surroundings (now that our body temperature has returned to normal). We have a four hour wait until our next bus departs. We find a Chinese restaurant and have the best Asian food of the trip so far - however, it is far from cheap. San Jose is another grimy, unsafe city but at least three locals have dashed to our assistance. Stepping over trails of fresh human excrement, we make our way back to the bus station.
The bus to Sanmara (on the Pacific coast) is a pleasant temperature and we sleep until the bus driver shakes us frantically at our destination (imagine this in London?!), I wake confused and disoriented after 30 hours on the road. A guy called Max is at the bus station with a big comfortable SUV, non-stop chitter-chatter and the promise of cheap accommodation. Max has clearly kissed the Blarney stone and in my tired (grumpy) state I ask him to 'tranquilo', take it easy - my head is aching and his over-the-top sales approach is draining my already depleted resources. It's midnight, and we haven't got any other ideas so we agree and he sets us up with our own apartment on the beachfront for $15 per person.
The following morning we take a proper look around and are delighted to find a deserted beach with clear, clean sea water.
The Ticos confidently promise 'sun & beach'
Leafy entrance to our cutest apartment
Our driveway
The sun is incredibly strong here, emergency hydration needed!
Sanmara beach - where are all the holidaymakers?
Me
There are not so many birds here to wake us (compared with the 400+ in El Valle) and we sleep well. We spend time at the beach, sample local fish and read. It has the feel of an semi-abandoned tourist town. There are a few American (middle-aged) tourists around, but because it is the beginning of rainy season it is judged to be low season. The Internet cafe is filled with 20-something year old Costa Rican men, speaking English to their latest American (?) sweetheart with Skype and webcams. All the locals speak English, even when spoken to Spanish - a fact which we find to be consistent throughout Costa Rica - a fact I find boring and frustrating in equal measures. We enjoy having our own apartment, despite sharing with a family of cockroaches and a colony of ants.
After three (rain-free) nights, we set off to another coastal town further south, the hippy town of Montezuma. The bus is ridiculously expensive ($45) but unless we take FIVE different public buses, we have little choice. The roads in Costa Rica are worse than Bolivia.
Montezuma is a place I like instantly. It has a hippy, laid-back feel. We stay at the Greek-owned Los Mangos hotel alongside the monkeys, lizards & other creatures that wander among the trees. We have 'splashed out' on this hotel because there is a yoga centre on-site. Our daily routine consists of waking at 7am, having breakfast beside the sea, 1-2 hours of yoga, swimming in the pool, wandering the lovely shops in town, chatting at the organic cafe and enjoying dinner at a local restaurant that shows movies in the evening. The yoga is fantastic with excellent teachers - a good mix of intense exercise, stretching and spiritual enlightenment. We continue with our 'health camp' - no alcohol, no meat, no naughty food, lots of exercise - and feel fantastic!
Yoga Centre, with ocean views & soundtrack
Los Mangos
Cafe Organico, Montezuma
Montezuma beach
Breakfast
Life in Montezuma is idyllic, a wonderful place to recharge and replenish. We chose not to take part in the night-time activities, resting instead. Both our minds are working on overload, lots of creative ideas buzzing around. Helene has designed and decorated the apartment she soon hopes to buy. I have imagined what I will do upon my return to the UK and Ireland this summer, and also have begun to consider ideas for the next couple of years. We both keep talking about the things we would like to change (and keep) in our lives back home.
There is one less-than-idyllic thing about this place - now it is the beginning of the rainy season it is plagued with crabs. I have my Father (RIP) to thank for my reflexive fear of these creatures. I grew up believing his toes had been chewed by crabs - in actual fact they were chopped off in an accident with a lawnmower blade and some wet grass which in hindsight is probably a more horrendous story. Anway. my fear remains and here in Montezuma these orange and purple creatures are trying desperately hard to move from the local hills to the sea before the rains. Hundreds are being squashed on the road by cars, bicycles and underfoot. I have never seen anything like it. Walking back to the hotel after dark, listening to the crunching underfoot or the rustling in the grass, sends shivers up my spine. Why do they scuttle sideways in such a crab-like fashion? Eeugh.
My foe
We have committed to meeting friends in the north of the country, so despite our longing to stay a few more days we set off on a long and complicated journey to Monteverde.
Ferry to Puntarenas
Five buses and one boat later, we wander down the driveway to our hostel to find our friends sipping on sangria. A happy reunion, we spend a couple of hours exchanging stories and the others laugh at our 'peace and love vibe'! Tonight we visit a tastefully decorated restaurant for cheese and wine. It has been nice to detox for the last few weeks and now I happily savour this glass of red wine!
Red wine!
Monteverde, town located beside a Cloud Forest
Monteverde is famous for the cloud forest located there. I have now learned that a cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen moist forest characterised by a high incidence of low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Our plan is to discover the forest at the canopy level by taking a 'canopy tour' and at ground level with some hiking in one of the national parks.
Somewhat reminiscent of Ireland?
A canopy tour (I have recently learned) consists of a series of ziplines, tarzan swings and rappeling (down a vertical rope) at canopy level through the cloud forest. With the company we chose, Extremo, there are 14 platforms reaching 2550 feet long and 450 feet in height.
I am a little nervous beforehand but if Irina can do with her fear of heights then I can do it! Plus I cannot stand the idea of Adam gloating about his adrenaline rushes (my competitive streak appears)! It is a very fun day. The Tarzan Swing includes a free fall from a high platform (which is really scary!) and then a big swing which is great - watching others faces during the free-fall is priceless!! I scream all kinds of obcenities as my body plunges downwards. Afterwards I can't stop giggling!
In the afternoon, Helene and I learn all about bats at the Bat Santuary. Bats are fascinating!
Marie, myself & Adam geared up & ready to zip some lines
Later, we hire a guide and take a night walk through the 'Ecologica Finca' and see three tarantulas, walking sticks, and lots of others creepy crawlies.
Teeny-weeny froggie!
Orange-kneed tarantula
A web of deceit
Ants, ants & more ants
The following day is Sunday and the perfect time to hike at Santa Elena national park. The trees, plants and birdlife are incredible. In the afternoon we visit the local frond pond to learn more about these frogs we keep bumping into.
Renuions!
Shelter from the morning sun
Colibri sipping on sweet-water at park entrance
These boots were made for walking...
Helene the hiker
Irina, who has recently arrived from London
Making shapes from leaves & clouds
The backside of a pizote!
PDI/"underwater" buddies united once more!
Tree hug
Pure poison!
Marie, Aguacate & Norwegian chocolate
Costa Rica is a great place to see natural wildlife and there has been a huge effort over the past few years to conserve the rainforest and it's inhabitants. Despite thinking it is a beautiful place, I do have a series of complaints (I share these with my Mum and she tells me I've clearly been travelling too long - finding faults with paradise!). Perhaps. Costa Rica is undeniably filled with beautiful beaches, rainforests and incredible biodiversity (unmatched anywhere in the world), however I feel like in an attempt to cater for tourists the country has lost part of it's charm. The people are generally ok, some are sweet, other more pompous. The men are as smooth as Berlusconi, confidently strutting towards us, cracking a corny one-liner and apparently expecting us to fall at their feet or perhaps more accurately into their bed! The public transport system, buses and roads are horrendous - why is the governement not investing here? Prices are frustratingly high, catering only for the average American holidaymaker on their 2-week annual vacation budget (rather different to us long-term backpackers living on a shoe-string!). And why, oh why, when someone makes the effort to speak in your native tongue would you reply in English? Ok, no more ranting.
Visit to the frog pond
The most common frog in Costa Rica, with bulging red eyes
On Monday we leave on a 4am (jampacked) bus for Nicaragua. We are told that it is Mother's day there "soon" (actually in 2 weeks time) so all buses are booked out (if anyone can explain this, please email). Many Nicaraguans (Nicas) are employed by Costa Ricans (Ticos) to do 'dirty work' (such as working on the coffee plantations). We prepare ourselves for an anticipated nightmare journey involving another 5 (magic number?) buses....to our intended destination of San Juan del Sur where our mission is to surf and practice yoga everyday. Adam and Marie have headed across to Tamarindo, Costa Rica for a few days and will join later.
Resting place between Costa Rica & Nicaragua
All that photos shows a beautiful country, I think that Costa Rica is one of the most amazing countries around the world with all that nature, animals and adventures
ReplyDeleteThe photos are very interesting, I visited Costa Rica and is an amazing, the nature and the adventures are great!
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