Starting the Volcano Trail

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Dumdidumdidum.... Ok, so since the last time I wrote, I changed locations 3 times and changed countries as well! So much can happen in just a week.
Well, as I mentioned, I had to leave Bahia Drake due to lack of funds. Its a pretty isolated place and unfortunately they dont have a bank, so I didnt go horseback riding as planned and neither did I go snorkeling to see dolphins and other things! Gutted! Instead I lazed on the beach and played cards with the 2 Dutch guys from Amsterdam.
SO on my way back to civilization, I had to take a speedboat where I met a really nice couple from Frankfurt who offered to give me a lift to the next bus stop, after I told them that I didnt have any money left. Seriously, I literally just had 500 Colones left, something like a Dollar. So anyway, their small jeep with A/C was a nice alternative to the cramped Costa Rican buses. Which are generally a great thing though! In the end, I landed in Quepos to again laze on the beach and catch some sun. I stayed in the white mouth frog hostel, great name and great service! They had a pool, free internet(didnt always work) and breakfast (porridge!!!). I think the owners are from England. They at least sounded English. Anyway. Not much else happening there. So I decided to spend a few days in the Surfers Paradise Montezuma. I took a Speed boat from Jaco, which was great. I was the only person on board and when we saw dolphins, the guys stopped extra long for me to take pictures. I still only got 2 good ones out of 50 or so. These things are pretty quick so, if anyone is interested in pictures of the ocean with some splashes, let me know, I have plenty! 😉
Montezuma is a small chilled place with not too many tourists and lots of nice restaurants. I really liked the small town atmosphere, generally the relaxed vibe from everyone around to be honest. My hostel Lucys was set right by the beach, so from the upstairs balcony we had a wonderful view. I stayed in the dorm with some weird Hawaiian guy, who complained about the heat, the sun and that there is nothing to do, because there are lots of beaches in Hawaii as well, and they all look the same. OK, so unfortunately I couldnt quite figure out why exactly he came to Montezuma, because beach is what you get, but anyway. I have noticed that wherever I am there are always weirdos around. Or maybe I am the weird one and they are normal?? Mhh...
So I hung out with a girl from Switzerland who strangely enough did the exact same thing previously. She quit her job in Marketing for similar reasons, came here to learn Spanish, volunteer and figure out the next step in life. Funny thing that...
And I met a girl from Canada with the perfect job! Park Warden in Banff National Park in Canada! I wont go into details, but it sounds super interesting!
Montezuma for me was hiking up to a Waterfall, swimming in the cool water, horseback riding in the mountains, hiking in Cabo Blanco (super exhausting and we didnt even find the beach!) and chilling in restaurants. I really enjoyed it! Although someone in the hostel stole our beer from the fridge! (random comment, I know!)
So the girls and I left on Thursday, again on the speed boat and we saw dolphins again! It was soooo great! One dolphin jumped out right in front of us and flipped and it was just so cool. A true camera moment, although without my camera... And we also spotted a Turtle, I think it was a Hawksbill.
Back in San Jose, I figured I should call Mexicana to reconfirm my flight to Guatemala. They had send me an email a while back to say something changed, so when I spoke to someone, I was told that the Service got canceled and I had to fly out on Friday rather than Saturday. Not a big deal, I just had to change some plans. The airport in Guatemala was so freakishly empty though, that I actually thought we didnt land in Guatemala. And nearly all passengers stayed on board to carry on to Mexico. So weird when I got off. And there are no signs whatsoever! I seriously felt lost for a moment. Imagine Birmingham International empty or Hannover aiport empty! Spooky!! The shuttle to Antigua was pretty easy and I chatted to a Chapin (local) who is a tour guide and said Germans are needed here! So ha, another job.. Got to Antigua within an hour and realized GAP put me up in an "expensive" hotel that I have to pay for myself. Mhhh... TV and hot showers are a nice change though.
The city is a lot different to Costa Rica. It looks older and the buildings are a lot prettier, painted in different colours. The markets here are great and everything is so inexpensive! Got lots of souvenirs, better stop now, still have 17 days to go!
I will be meeting the group on Monday morning to head of to Honduras, so basically sitting on the bus for 7 hours. Gosh, I hope they are nice people!!! Wish me luck!
Anyway, have waffled on for quite some time, dont want to bore anyone so thats it from Guatemala!
Hasta pronto!

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