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Published: September 19th 2006
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Next stop: San Jose. I arrived late into town, having picked up what I thought was the bus but turned out to be one just heading north so I was the only person on there with 2 male drivers. Was a little worried but needn't have been as they deposited me in central San Jose next to a taxi rank and made sure I got myself and all my bags safely into a taxi. Next challenge - to find the hostel Chelsea had recommended. We drove around a little bit and after asking one or two people we discovered it on the corner of Parque España in central San Jose.
Met Federico, the owner, who was an absolute star. I had a ball with him and his family - the hostel is their family home and is gorgeous - all dark wood, glass etched doors, blue and white bathrooms and stone stairs. His mother gave me man advice which will come in handy, his father fed me fabulous fruit from their farm outside San Jose (turned out Raleigh had hiked through it in the past as part of the Dragon trek), and Federico took me shopping in
his 'cowboy' truck and dancing with his friends in the funky local bars and clubs. He is bilingual as his mum is American and his family has a long history linked to coffee, with ancestors from Sweden, France and Nicaragua - he is just lovely! check out the hostel if you go there - www.hostelcasadelparque.com. We had an absolute riot in the modern art museum, giggling uncontrollably at some very tongue in cheek sculptures of modern society and a fabulous take on "Our lady" - a barby doll (see the photo link). We also did a great walking tour of local san Jose, where Federico filled me in on all the old families of the area and their rise and fall.
Luckily managed to coordinate with Helena, my lovely Swedish friend from Bastimentos, and we spent a riotous night out dancing at La Esquina with some very dashing costa ricans, before heading north together to Cañas and Las Pumas, a wild cat and birdlife refuge, initiated by a European many years before to rescue wildlife kept unsuitably as pets or poached. As luck would have it, they desperately needed a volunteer there and then so Helena stepped in. Check
out her blog on her stay http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Libera/blog-70584.html.
I headed north to spend a day diving what I had hoped would be the Bat Islands - Islas Murcielagos - off the nicoya peninsula of northern costa rica (playa del Coco). However, no-one thought there was a trip and, too late, I couldn´t get on the one which was going so my eternal quest to dive with hammerhead and other sharks was thwarted. Instead, went for a local dive which, although full of life including slipper and normal lobster, octopus and reef sharks, was a bit disappointing after Santa Catalina. However, the accommodation i found was gorgeous, a wood floored room with large comfortable bed, en suite and strong fan, and the sunset over the beach sublime (see photo).
From there I headed north via Liberia, to Peñas Blancas very luckily being accepted on the bus to the border although I was 50 colones short - all my colones left in the world (which had also resulted in living on crackers for 2 days)! Reached the border, avoided the hordes of triclistas trying to take my business but then rather frustratingly had to walk to and from the nicaraguan side
twice as the muppet Costa Rican official had taken my exit document but not exit stamped my passport. luckily, I still leapfrogged the two large coaches which would have added significant time if I had got stuck behind them.
Border posts are just WEIRD - they definitely do not cater to the pedestrian and there are never any signs telling you where you need to go or what you need to pay. various posts invariably ask you for money and you can never tell whether it is official or a rip off. In addition, it is usualy hot and you have all your kit with you - vulnerable and grumpy are two descriptive words which spring to mind when tackling borders! You could so easily just walk in one end and out the other side and miss all the officialdom and then get into hot water later on when your papers aren't in order. I just thank my lucky stars I am a Brit and don't have to go through some of the pre-application visa hassle that other countries do. Makes travelling a lot cheaper too.
Ended up at Rivas on the Nicaraguan border and was such chaos after Costa Rica - the poverty is blasted at you and everything changes from pretty slick to barely held together with sticky tape. Took half an hour to sit and get my bearings before taking the bus 45 minutes north to a town en route to omotepe island. A real ´chicken bus´in every sense of the word, which was leaving 'straight away' but took 45 minutes to go and then the conductor tried to charge me double for me and my bag although only about 6 of us on the bus.
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Helena
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Awesome!!
Hey Bex!!! Awesome reading, and I´m on a pic there too... hi hi... Yes, it was great times in SJ and Las Pumas!! Went back to Casa del Parque a few times and I defenitely recommend it to everyone passing through San Jose!! I've finished my divemaster (!!!) and was trying to leave Utila but I missed the boat and since then I couldn't leave.. Too much unlimited awesome diving. Why did I have to leave again..? Oh, met up with your mate Chris too. Where are you at now? Where do we meet up next? Enjoy travelling!!! Love Helena