Day 2 - San Jose, Puntarenas, Mal Pais-Santa Teresa

---

Eager to get out of San Jose, we checked out and were on our way to find a bus to go to Puntarenas. Buses stop on random street corners so it's a bit of an adventure! We find what we think is the right one and wait. Then we wait some more. And more. Then yes, you guessed it, some more. Lots of taxis are passing us by and one politely informs us that the bus isn't running today. He offers us a ridiculous price to drive us (it's like a 90 minute drive!) and Aimee (in her Aimee fashion) says no thanks. We wait and attempt to decide what to do and another taxi comes by and offers us another ridiculous price. Aimee haggles (cincuenta, no mas! really DOES work! haha) and gets us a ridiculously cheap price (YAY!).

We get to Puntarenas and check into what would be considered horribly by most dorm-dwellers! Whatever, it's a place to store our stuff! We walk around and find a ferry station and decide we should take a ferry to another place that was originally on our list. We have 45 minutes to get back to our poor-excuse-for-a-hotel so we can get the next ferry so we grab a cab and ask him to bring us, wait for us to check out and then bring us back (another super nice driver)! The ferry ride was awesome - beer, music, water, breeze, SOOO pretty!

We end up getting off at a crazy desolate area and getting to Mal Pais - Santa Teresa. It's a surfer spot and oh my goodness SO NICE! We checked into "Tranquilo Backpackers," which is really rather... well, relaxing! Hammocks, LOTS of english speaking backpackers, nice beach with funny puppies all over the place, just a really nice area. (www.tranquilobackpackers.com)

And so this is where we are for now. I think the plan is to stay here for at least 2 nights cause it's really difficult to get around due to the holiday! The buses are on crazy schedules if they are even running at all! It's alright though! I'm glad we ended up having to stay here and not at either of the other 2 places! I think Aimee is happy too! Hot... but happy 😊

PS - Avoid traveling to Costa Rica Easter weekend... most of it really DOES shut down!!! And as Aimee just said "plus there's no beer!" Haha, yes, most of the region does not sell beer on Good Friday. I think we'll be able to get it tomorrow so she should be happier then!

PPS - Annie's Spanish language skills... improving as necessary! 😊

---