The Never-Ending Hike!

---

Ok we are Canadians. We know what it is like to endure intense winters but down here it is very difficult for us to reconcile how much snow there is at home and the frigid temperatures that have been gripping our area. Here everything, and anything you do, leaves you drenched in perspiration! The intense heat in Costa Rica is unlike anything we have had the pleasure of experiencing in all of our travels. You walk and sweat, eat and sweat, cook and sweat, you just sweat!! We are definitely receiving a cleansing of any and all toxins in our bodies!!

Today was our day to travel to the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve that is located 2km south of Cabuya, so 5km from where we are staying! We walked down to catch the 8:20 bus which chugged in at 8:40. It was full so Curtis ended up hanging on to the frame while standing in the doorway (there was no door). I was a bit nervous as we made our way down the road, which is rough in spots. We made it unscathed and paid the driver our 1000 colones. However, he called us back and in a string of Spanish we somehow figured out that this trip cost more. We owed another 500 as the trip to the Reserve is apparently more costly! Oh well we dished out the coin and proceeded to the ticket centre. Cabo Blanco is a National park that is at the southernmost point of the Nicoyan Peninsula. There are 3 trails, easy, medium, and difficult. We opted to take the medium trail which was a 2km loop. Well that trail soon hooks up with the difficult "Swiss Trail" so we figured we may as well keep going for a while longer. Now one would assume that because you are in a forest which is perpetually shaded that it would be cool. How wrong we were! The air was very hot and heavy and only a few 100 metres in had us dripping. The trail is a rugged and often steep hike through the thick rainforest. It is very well marked but with the millions of leaves covering the path you had to watch carefully for roots, rocks and slippery areas. Yes, we were prepared with running shoes and water! Several hikers we observed were in interesting footwear, from designer flip flops to penny loafers! This reserve is home to many animals and protected species. We saw howlers, coatis, capuchins, sleeping bats, and a Crested Guan. The journey to the strikingly beautiful white sand beaches took about 2.5 hours. As we headed down to the beach we marvelled at the beautiful palm lined shore and the azure water. Of course we didn't bring our swimsuits but still relaxed in the brilliant sun knowing that we had to go back from whence we came. We headed back through the thick forest, listening to the cacophony of birds and insects. We watched lines of ants marching across the path while being mesmerized by the blue Morpho butterflies that flitted away so quickly. A lost photographic opportunity for sure. We eventually made it back to the beginning of the trail and signed in that we had returned. The walk into the park is quite long so we hunkered down for another hike. At least it was flat! A couple hundred metres down the road we met two ATV's coming towards us. The first one stopped and asked if there was a place to surf at the park. We told him that there were just trails to take. He asked if it had a nice beach and we assured him it most definitely did but it was over a 2 hour walk one way to get to it!! He thanked us and they opted to turn around. The guy behind him stopped and asked if we needed a ride anywhere? That's when I realized there is a God. We hopped on the front and held on! He drove us to Cabuya which would have been a 2km walk for us. He dropped us off at the supermarket and we thanked him profusely! Our intent was to buy a cold beer and walk to a local restaurant, Marvin's. Murphy's Law this was the store that did not sell alcohol. So we tied up our runners and trekked down the road to the next supermarket where we rewarded ourselves with a frosty cold Imperial Tallboy. We cracked it open at the cash register where we ran into a familiar face. Now he was familiar to us but, "Carlos" who had directed us at Cascada Montezuma, seemed to have confused us with another couple. Oh he was incredibly friendly but his grasp of English seemed a little off from our previous meeting. We soon found out that he was pretty much half in the bag, but in a cheerful way. We told him we wanted to go to Marvin's Restaurant and with an exuberant smile he said, "Come, come" and lead us right across the street to the local restaurant. He got us safely into to a wonderful seat, chatted incessantly and then headed out. We ordered another beer since coming in with your own was probably not common practise! I ordered the nachos and Curtis a sausage tortilla. We had heard marvellous things about the food here and we were certainly not disappointed! Since this was our first full meal out since Samara, it was a wonderful treat to not have to do the cooking on our own. Carlos came back and gave me an apple and a smile, leaving again. We soon devoured our food (a 5 hour hike makes you famished!). Soon our little Costa Rican friend came with his rum bottle. He rambled on about his family, some in the States, his 2 children here, his other one in America, his brothers, and let us in on a secret that only 4 people know - he has family in the Nicaraguan Government. At some points in his story he would tear up and then he would laugh and give us a pound dog. He was a very happy Tico, who may have a big head tomorrow! We bid him farewell and began the next part of our hike, 3 km back to Solyluna.

So our little, one hour hike turned into a 6.5 hour journey. The cold shower in our little bungalow, the typical Costa Rican food, and the camraderie of the locals made for a memorable day!

---