So we made it to Costa Rica! First and foremost, a caveat to anyone interested in coming down to visit, it´s not a quick weekend getaway like some of you had hoped, because it takes at least a day just to get here.
Davey and got an early flight out of Atlanta last Saturday, landed in Liberia at around noon or one, we were unsure of the time so I´m not sure which, and started our trek south. We had read that you can travel by bus directly south from Liberia to the Nicoya peninsula and to Mal Pais, but as soon as we got here, everyone told us that was impossible. That link is the route we finally took coming down here. Of course the Ticos (Costa Ricans) also had money on their mind, not convenience, but they were adamant that we couldn´t just get a bus to Mal Pais. So we got a bus along the Interamerican Highway down to Puntarenas, to a ferry to Paquera and finally a crazy cab ride at breakneck speed over potholed, dirt roads to Mal Pais. We finally got in around 8 pm, I think. Apparently in a few weeks when the rain stops, they start grading the road so it´s a little better, but it´s still very windy and not ideal for quick travel.
We stayed at the Cuesta Arriba hostel for four nights while we looked for an apartment. Every apartment we looked in was usually one bedroom, dark, with few windows and not always a lot of security. The first one we checked out I fell in love with. It was like a treehouse sitting at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. However, too much like a treehouse it was, and didn´t have walls or locks. The loft where we would have slept would have been great, but it probably wasn´t the safest place to store our passports. Davey and I figure we could make a great little retreat down here if we just had the capital because the rooms that Costa Ricans rent are definitely livable but have all the wrong amenities for American travelers. And if you´re looking to make money, you have to be realistic about your target audience. As in a lot of places in Latin America, Ticos would rather have a TV in a dark, small room than their own space with natural light. I found the same thing to be true in Cuba where people sit in the heat of the day inside with the TV on, an entire family crowded around watching sports or soap operas. It´s interesting what different cultures consider to be prime real estate.
Anyway, we found a place in a cool little neighborhood off the road with lots of security. I couldn´t have found it without Courtney because it´s the same place she lived when she was down here. There are three other apartments, one occupied by a couple, her from Minnesota, him from El Salvador, who have been there for a while and make and sell jewelry on the beach during the high season. The other is a newly transplanted couple from Utah who blow glass. The third apartment is three guys, one each from the States, Mexico, and Argentina, who work at a resort a little way down the road. Everyone is really nice and welcoming and although this is meant to be a cultural experience, it´s kind of nice to be surrounded by some English speakers.
Our first night there we all had a bonfire on the beach and had a lot of fun getting to know everyone while surrounded by thousands of busy little hermit crabs. And we have already seen howler monkeys as well! They were playing around in the trees the second night we got there and sometimes at night the males make this deep, gruff noise that would be a little frightening if you didn´t know it was coming from a relatively small animal.
We´ve met a lot of nice people so far, through our hostel, our apartment and just going out. And we have walked a ton! I think next week I might try a surf lesson because it looks like so much fun. I have a lot of other things to add, but for right now my Internet bill is getting pretty high!
Things always seem to work out Beautifully...
15 years ago
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