moseying around in the mountains

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Last time we were talking I was planning on leaving Nosara. This did happen, eventually.
I woke up at 6 am with the sound of the growling monkeys echoing in my ears, I rolled out of bed, I did my best at getting into my bathers and I walked out of the driveway leaving the rest of solo bueno fast asleep and dreaming. I stubbed my toe, again, and I fell over. No one was there to comfort me. It hurt. Even more than the second time. I now have an infected, black toe.
The beach was absolutely magnificant on this particular morning. There really is nothing better than being on a deserted beach. Just you and the wide open sea. I think I counted two surfers, which for an early morning ocean swimmer is just perfect. It means I can swim out past the break and float. Oh how I love to float in the sea and let the world pass by. Unfortunately, even with the sun still rising; creating the perfect harmony, I couldn't stay. My bus was leaving at 7.30 and it was absolutely necessary that I washed my rats nest hair, it had been almost 7 days.
After walking home I did just that, after attempting to tip toe into my dorm full of snoring male counterparts, I collected my belongings, I showered and washed that mess of hair. It felt great to have clean hair, weird but great. My curls were no longer curls, more like a big wavy mess, but it was clean and for the first time in 7 days, when I ran my fingers through my hair my fingernails came out clean.
After writing a farewell note to my new friends at SOlo Bueno I made my way out the door and to the bus stop. Its not the usual way I walk to a bus stop to catch a bus and go to a new destination. Its not every day I get covered in billows of dust on my way to the bus stop, that doesn't actually exist. Its not everyday I stand on the side of a dirt road waiting for a bus that might never come, or that might have already gone.
I stood there for probably about 5 minutes, looking in both directions, swatting flies, adjusting my standing position when I heard a a voice. After thinking really hard and using all of my spanish I found out that I had in fact missed the bus, by no longer than 5 minutes. I missed a bus in Costa Rica. So much for Tico time. Turns out the clock in the hostel was slow. So i walked back, frustrated and hot. Luckily there was another bus leaving at lunch time. In life things often go according to plan. In life things often don't go to plan. This was just one of those days where I really wanted things to work out. I needed to be in San Jose in the afternoon to fix my camera, the whole reason I was going that way, but no, now I would be arriving in San Jose at night. Just great. As the boys said 'es no importante pura vida!' and so I spent the morning walking into town, eating a delicious breakfast at a local soda, sweating my little behind off walking home in the dust and waiting, oh so patiently until 12 oclock.
This time I left half an hour early. Turns out this bus decided it would be half an hour late. So here I am, slightly grumpy, extremely hot, getting dust blown in my face by what seemed like at least a hundred cars and quads passing me at 90 miles an hour. At 1 o'clock I boarded the bus. By 8pm I arrived in San Jose. That's one long bus and whilst I had the perfect training with greyhound in the states, the Tico buses are slightly different. Obviously no air conditioning, no paved roads and lots of dust! All that aside I got a great days sleep, those bumps are good for something!
San Jose, I arrived, got in a cab and got ripped off. My Spanish let me down!! I knew that trips within downtown shouldn't have cost more than $3 and as I watched the meter tick over I couldn't do anything about it, about 3 circles of the city centre and $10 later I arrived at the hostel after using my teacher voice and telling him to take me to my hotel NOW!
The hostel was fine. I showered, ate and attempting to sleep. Worst sleep on record yet! I had some chronic tosser down below in the bunk, who continued to burp every time she moved, now I know why the room smelt like vomit! Oh and opposite me I had one very sunburnt very loud snorer. On top of that, my alarm clock stopped working so I was worried I wouldn't wake up in time for my bus. 5 am rolled around and I was out of there. The bus left at 6.30, I boarded, I slept and I arrived at Monteverde by lunch time.

It's so nice to be somewhere away from the beach for a couple of days. The scenery up here is beautiful. Very lush compared to the Nicoya coast, still dusty, but I can't imagine any dirt roads not producing some dust in the middle of summer!
Yesterday I was quick to sign up to the 'extreme canopy' tour, which quite a few backpackers had recommended to me. It involves 14 individual zip lines ranging anywhere between 200-500meters in length and anywhere from 225 ft - 450ft in height. I was able to see a beautiful waterfall along the way, enjoy many laughs with the cheeky tour guides, feel my stomach drop on the giant rappel and admire the views as I raced across the cables. Think giant flying foxes, 14 of them and you get a bit of an idea of what I was doing. The views were amazing, acres of green farm land and lush jungle below and that feeling of absolute freedom. My favourite parts of the tour....absolutely without a doubt the tarzan swing and the superman!
I was the lucky one to go first on the tarzan swing, which to be honest I wasn't all that worried about. It was almost 300 metres high and involved stepping onto a platform and letting go. Not that hard right?
Think back (for those Swan Hillians) to the first time you jumped off the tower at the Swan Hill pool. You were scared out of your mind right. Well I would have been too if I had long enough to think about it, but after being harnessed onto the rope I was pushed. It's as simple as that. He didn't let me even think about what I was about to do and after the 10meter instant drop I lost my mind! I screamed so loud and then proceeded to say something along the lines of holy .*&^ really loudly. After that it was just super fun, the screaming continued but that fun excited, this is awesome kind of scream! So that was the Tarzan swing. Awesome!
Unfortunately I couldn't do it again but was then lucky enough to watch everyone proceeding me lose their minds once they let go.
We had two more zip lines after the Tarzan and then a long hike up to the Superman, the longest cable; 1km! Those who chose superman (an extra $5) were harnessed from their back (near the shoulders) and then by both legs, to the cable. They were then pushed and left to feel that incredible feeling I'm sure only birds get to experience. 1km, just you and the cable, the fields below and the mountains in the distance. What a way to finish an awesome 3 hours. Probably the best $45 I've spent since being here. If you get the chance, do it!
Today I slept in, until 8.30 which was super nice. I remembered how much I adore sleep. I've hung out for most of the day, reading my new book, catching up on news about the floods back home, skyping mum, dad, gab and the boys (which is always so great) and waiting until 5.30 rolls around. I've booked a night tour through the park where hopefully I'll be able to see some wicked wild life. Fingers crossed, I'll get back to you on that one.
I thought I'd better post this blog before moving onto San Jose tomorrow. I'm going to find out the fate of my camera, which I've no doubt is non existent and then I'm back to Jaco on Saturday to visit some of my favourite people.

Monteverde, if I had the money I'd spend it all on the amazing tours you have; you can do anything from seeing snakes and reptiles to butterflies, do canopy and waterfall tours, hike mountains and look for wildlife, ride those mountains on horseback or by ATV, the options are endless, but I'm nearing bankruptcy! so I can only do the two.
I'm catching the early bus tomorrow morning back to the big city. Oh how I'm looking forward to the dust and the bumps!

Until then, Pura Vida

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