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Published: December 21st 2008
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Beautiful Samara
Thank you Scott and Serena!!! So glad you recommended this! After a few bus rides traversing from single-laned ´highways´to erratically tarred rural roads and over sporadic ditch-like potholes I finally arrived in Samara. It´s quite amazing to see how the scenery and the people provide an accurate indication that you have moved from the rural mountains to the tourist influenced coast. From cloud forest vegitation, mist, rain, wind and gently polite Ticos to open fields of lush cow pastures, sun, humidity and very open stares and whistles, it´s like I have arrived in a new country! Although I knew it, I must admit that as soon as I got onto the bus it was like I was born to do this, no concerns arose about where to, how, when, what if: whoop whoop!
But I now understand the very frequently used Costa Rican phrase: PURA VIDA! I was going to stay in Samara for one night, then head to Montezuma, Manuel Antonio and then Cahuita on the Carribean coast... But 5 days later I am still here! I must say it has been a vicious tug within me to see as much as I can, experience all the places, meet new people, go-go-go and on the other end to just
Heading to the shhhh waterfall
Yves and Luis (with his toaster - don´t ask!...) stay, enjoy, and just embrace whatever experiences and people that cross my path even if I stay in one place... So I´m learning to listen to me heart and will stay in Samara until it´s time to leave (whenever that may be!)
Samara is a beautiful beach town, it doesn´t have the glamour or pristine feel of your typically meditterranean beaches, but it has an almost untouched natural rustic charm to it. And it feels almost cosmopolitan - which prob isn´t the right word - but you have French, Belgium, German, Italian, American, and Ticos all residing in the town feeding off the tourist disease. The great thing is it is not as throbbing with people as most of the beaches at this time of year, I mean in comparison to Cape Town it´s like a quiet winter in terms of the number of people. There´s not much to complain about other than the incredibly incessant gang of mosquitoes who seem to be under the commanding Mossie´s orders to devour as many areas of my body as they can find! But this is a small price to pay!
The people here are great! I tragically met Luis and
Yves (or better known as Ivan to avoid any association with the feminine form Eve!) when I arrived. This is one of those cursed blessings I have to admit... Luis is from France and has a great beach restaurant and hotel: Locanda, and is better known as Grumpy Grinch (but not always, we occassionally get a smile out of him!) Yves is simply loco - a crazy Belgium, Lebanese, African mix of experiences that is a bundle of fun and has wonderfully taken me to some places in the surrounding area I would never have stumbled on without him!
I have unfortunately fallen into the trap of being Sammy, and Yves has gotten everyone to incessantly tease me about my ridiculously typical manner of greeting everyone and anyone: Ola, ola, ola...
I am staying in a great room at Casa Paraiso, and wake up every morning, walk down to Carol and Kevin´s soda beach restaurant for huevos, platanos and a cup of cafe negra, then maybe go for a swim, have one of Alberto´s delicious fruit batidos, swim more, go for a walk, etc etc!
The second day I was here was... how do I put this...
EVENTFUL! I jumped into Yves´s ancient Toyota Land Cruiser with Luis and we headed to Nicoya so they could do errands, then we headed to... shhhh don´t tell anyone...´the secret waterfall´- and it was so great! Little pools which go down a few metres, no people, trees, nature... And then from this great experience the ever responsible Yves had decided that running on gas fumes just might get us back, but ´SURPRISE´we ran out of gas about 18km from the town... So we sat on the side of the road for 2 hours waiting for a taxi driver to return with money and fuel - we never gave up hope he would come back! And finally he arrived to save the day...
I have had a little attemp at surfing on Luis´s board but it was more like dozing on the board as the tiny swells lilted below me, and occassionally attempt to stand on a poor excuse of a wave! We went to Corrillo beach yesterday which was a friendly reminder of Camps Bay (maybe 50 years ago!)
I have had dinner at Rosa and Sabina´s Italian restaurant, and last night joined Pierre and Karin at their
home to have a delicious meal of fresh pescado (fish) with their friends. It was a bit challenging as they are all french speaking and I frequently get caught in a mish-mash of french-spanish confusion, but I am understanding bits and pieces and learning slowly! After I joined Karin on a girl´s night but faded soon after a few attempts at dancing to the reggae rusta DJ beats...
So that´s where the story ends for now, a few messages as I cannot send mail from the blog:
Mom, Carl and Mooly-man, enjoy Mauritius, have an amazing Christmas! I won´t have reception so phone calls won´t get through but I will think of you.
Sis, Mom, Pardy and Migs - hope the birthdays are/were cracker!
Kev you would love the wild life here, and I promise you would be a million times more content setting up a little bar and restaurant on one of the Costa Rican beaches...
Em, thanks for always sending updates and letting me know you are thinking of me and travelling along with me... Sending big hugs and much love!
Mr Shakespeare - this may not be glamourous Las Vegas or Europe
And now we wait...
The 2 hour waiting for gas! I was so starving I stole one of Luis´s apples for the restaurant... but I know you would enjoy it here, and the insects and reptiles decrease in numbers the closer you get to the ocean :-)
Ad, you would swim in the warm ocean every day, surf, ride the rental bikes to surrounding beaches, drink cervesas with anyone and everyone, and be way worse than me in becoming very rapidly a local knowing most of the people in town!
Devon, Jack and Tobias - I want to know how the rest of your travels have gone! And if you get a chance Smara is so worth the extended bus rides...
To everyone else, enjoy the holidays and sending all my love...
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