On the Road: Costa Rica

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Costa Rica was truly an amazing experience. This country embodies almost any kind of climate or topography you might be looking for at any time. Whether you're looking for volcanos, mountains, beaches with or without waves, rivers, waterfalls, nice cities, dirty cities, jungles, islands, etc. The people were extrordinarily helpful and selfless. I couldn't believe how helpful they are, without wanting anything back. I've been to other countries where people help you and then expect you to give them something back. Even the expats that have moved there seemed to have adopted this mentality. For instance, half of our trip was spent in people's home who we had just met! These aspects along with the type of people that Costa Rica attracts were the best combination for an amazing time and beautiful adventure.

Day 1: Arrived to Liberia, took a shuttle to the car rental agency. There they revealed their deception and doubled my rental rates. Watch out for a man called Camilo on Budget. He's truly rude, condescending and deceptive. The rates are at their discretion.

We drove to Tamarindo from Liberia. The roads were paved and smooth, the scenery looked very Western and developed, but as soon as we hit Tamarindo and turned south to Avellanas the roads were made of dirt and rocks. I drove about 2 miles an hour, in fear of scratching the overpriced car. I had never driven in such roads before, and I feared I would drive us off the road and straight to our demise. (by the end of the trip I got so use to them that I was speeding through these roads and around incoming cars at 60+ km/hr.. but we'll get to that)

We arrived to our place at Casa Surf. This was a dingy little hostel run by a young Canadian couple. Extremely dusty, and had two dogs and a cat running around in a closed space. The shower was a hose that poured cold water. And the room was super hot, with a fan in a corner that did not reach the bottom bunk.

Day 2: The very morning we woke up and headed to the beach. On our way there we ended up befriending a Californian surfer (Ben) a couple houses down. He was walking to the beach as we were and we spent the 30 minute walk talking. We decided to go grocery shopping and to a cheese farm with Ben, where we met the owners, and saw lots of pigs, chickens and goats. We have a picnic at Ben's house and then waltz back to the hostel to eat, and nap. We agreed to all ride down to the Tamarindo rodeo for that night and took the Canadian couple with us. On our way back, we decided to go to Ben's place to keep drinking and hanging out. After a lot of rum, a crab losing its arm to bite Michelle, and lots of laughter. We ended up passing out.

Day 3: I wake up and walk to the beach, then ended up hanging out at Las Olas Cabinas restaurant trying to finally get WIFI. To no avail, I waltz back to the hostel lounge around. Made some food. Got antsy because I couldn't nap there, went back and saw Michelle and after talking we decided to ask Ben to stay at his place and pay him instead for his guest house which would cost us the same as staying at Casa Surf which had me sneezing and suffocating. Ben thinks the Casa Surf people are gonna kill him, so we make up this elaborate plan not to hurt their feelings. But we first decide to walk to the store and get some soap. When we left the store we took a wrong turn and walked 3 miles in the opposite direction. We spend 2 hours walking on the dirt roads mindlessly. It was like our own masochist form of retribution. We finally arrive back at the hostel, tell them we're leaving that we'll pay for the first three days. The girl flips out on us, we remind her that there is a 24 hour cancellation policy. She starts screaming, we quickly pack our bags in the midst of the hostile environment. I start laughing at how insane the volatile situation is, and we load the car, pay up and just before I drive off the girl asks us.. "will you at least leave us a good review..?"

Day 4: We go back to Casa Surf ask them to rent a surf board. We felt bad since it seemed they were really strap for cash. We try to surf, I see that giant wave hovering over my head and ran the opposite direction. And never tried to surf again that day. The combo of dark waters, someone recently spotting a baby shark, the tall waves, the giant board with fins strapped to my leg. I went running out of there so fast that Ben said in all his years of teaching people how to surf he had never met anyone who ran out of the water so fast.

By Day 5 I took off to Nicaragua

Day 6: We took off to Samara via Santa Cruz/ Nicoya. Beautiful town, with mountain hills. We had a picnic here and did a little bit of shopping. Ended up trying to snorkel, but it was hard with the dark water and waves/rocks. So I swam a little and we ended up in a restaurant eating food. At night time we took off to Tamarindo to party. God would I regret this the next morning.

Day 7: Hungover, we finally take off away from Guanacaste and towards Bijagua to see Rio Celeste. What a FAST and beautiful road up to Tenorio Park. We stayed at the most lovely backpacking hostel. We decided to go for a drive. Little did we know it would be the hardest drive of my life. We were driving into craters up mountains with rocks, extremely steep hills. All on a TWO wheel drive YARIS. We were stuck in the mud at one point and a nice old man helped push us out of the mud and invited us to a coffee tour the next day. We finally make it back to Bijagua, find a cute place to eat. I have the best meal of the trip so far. DELICOUS. We meet our hostel roommate at the same restaurant, and head back to the hostel.

Day 8: We decide to back head down to the Pacific. The rain is too heavy to see the Rio Celeste or to hike. So we pack up the car, along with our new married couple friends: Spencer and Sarah, and head down to the coast. Listening to the only CD we burned at Ben's: Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits. We decide to call Spencer and Sarah Billy Joe and Bobby Sue (after the song) the whole way. But before we head south, we randomly last minute decided to see the coffee plantation. After a quick tour we head off the mountain and drive down towards the PanAmerican. We don't know where we're going but we just head down south. We ended up in Puntarenas. After a lot of ideas and debating, we go on a ferry (with the car) and head towards Montezuma. Instead, while entering the ferry Billy Joe and Bobby Sue bump into their American friends and they buy us beers and we're drinking and star gazing after the sun sets while the ferry takes us to the peninsula. We bump into a free karaoke machine start singing "Sweet Child of Mine" with a New Yorker we had just met and we end up with a huge crowd of Costa Ricans cheering us on and clapping. Our singing was terrible we didn't know the lyrics, the machine didn't provide them. But we were still singing and jamming. The New Yorker introduces us to a friend he had just made on the ferry, and his friend invites us to stay at his place where he lives with his girlfriend, for the night. We all debate whether it's a good idea or not, Michelle pushes for it. So when we're back in our car and off the ferry we follow them (one in his SUV and another in a small motorcycle) across the peninsula in dark curvy dirt roads, speeding pass cars in one lane roads. Finally we arrive at Mal Pais, after 2 hours ferry ride, 10+ hours of driving, a coffee plantation.

We go to the beach at night, drink some rum, and finally I fall asleep as I was beyond exhausted. For the first time in 8 days I don't wake up with new mosquito bites.

Day 9 - We decide to go to a remote hidden beach. We get the directions from a friend of a friend. We head behind a fisher's market behind a garbage truck pass a couple trees into a strange grassy path. And I see one of the most beautiful beaches ever. Turquoise blue waters, hidden behind a giant rock. I couldn't take my clothes off faster as I ran in like a toddler swimming in a play pen full of plastic balls. We snorkeled, I got swimming lessons from a beautiful american expat (beautiful brian), it was a great place to swim because the waves were very calm. We head to Habanero restaurant and have the best margueritas made of Jalapenos and Pineapple. Amazing food, amazing views of the ocean. We decide to take off because we have to make it to La Junta before it's too late. What should have been a 4 hour drive, turns into an 8 hour drive, where we buy Cripie from a guy standing in a corner who we originally stopped to get directions.

Finally we get to LA JUNTA. Somehow I get talked into by Billy Joe to drive up to Monteverde. I don't know how. But he gets infront of the wheel. I think it was the exhaustion but I just sat in the backseat and let go. Occasionally saying "careful, im scared, wow" in autopilot mode to keep him for doing anything knarly like singing with his hands in the air while turning on a dirt road guardrail-less curve. But really the drive wasn't that bad. We go door knocking and finally check in around 12AM to a place in Santa Elena.

We check in really late and cranky. We all bicker with eachother over really stupid things. We're dirty, tired, sticky, sleepy and its dark out.

Day 10 - We did tons of ziplining, went on nature hikes through hanging bridges. Ziplining in Costa Rica is some of the best in the world. I did half of them, before I chickened out and went back. For me, someone who is afraid of falling, it was a huge milestone. At night we went back to our hostel, smoked our cripie. The whole time I was trying to teach them how to smoke and I ended up the highest. The most amazing high where my body tingled and I walked around the streets of Santa Elena feeling like I had wings on my back. Ended up in a church, went souvenir shopping and ended the night with a Xmas eve sushi dinner with Michelle, Billy Joe and Bobby Sue.

Day 11 - I woke up to my flight being canceled. After yelling at United Airlines they put me through a 10 hour layover ridiculousness. Besides that, it was smooth driving back to Liberia. The day was beautiful. We found a guy to clean out our car. We returned it to Budget, got into a screaming fight with the guy who scammed us of our rental money. After a police threat, we took the shuttle to the airport because we didn't want to miss our flight. Paid an exit fee, and flew back to frigid NYC.

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Comments

[littlewing]

Love it
Thanks..your blog made me realise where my next destination is..Costa Rica!