After a couple days in Montezuma, as beautiful as it was, we decided to move on to our original destination, Mal Pais. Mal Pais is not very far from Montezuma at all, but because the roads on the Nicoya Peninsula are so bad, you have to take the bus back to the main town of Cobano and catch the Mal Pais bus from there...Unless you have an ATV....which we didn't.
So we got up and asked a few places in town for the best and easiest way to get to Mal Pais from there. As usual, everyone had drastically different responses. We chose one to go with, and along with a little cross referencing, figured out a rough enough plan to go on. We've found that when traveling by bus in Costa Rica, its really best to just GO and hop on whatever bus you find and figure the rest out later.
The information we got was that the buses weren't coming down to their normal stop in town and we had to walk up the hill to catch it. 300 meters. Which we worked out is under a mile. Ok, no big deal. We gathered our bags, which seem heavier every time we put them on, and started up the hill. We were thinking we'd see a bus stop somewhere, or some other people. Or the bus would drive by and we would flag it down. Either way, up the hill we went.
And up.
And up....
And up.
Imagine walking up the steepest street in San Francisco. Now imagine doing it with a child on your back, a smaller child hanging from your neck banging against your legs with every step you take, and an oven on your head. Now imagine a cinder block on your chest. OH YEAH, who all here knew my lungs were no bueno? Well I'd totally forgotten, that's for sure.
Every time we turned one of the (tightest) corners, we'd think, "Ok almost there..." Only to see another STEEPER and longer one ahead. The sun only got hotter, and the hills only got steeper. After what felt like 100 corners, we passed some men working on the road. They made a comment about how hard core we were, braving the hill, and then informed us that they had been clearing the road for the bus to come....and they were finished now. So it could go all the way down..... Yeah we thought it was hilarious too.
.......
Anyways they said if we waited on the corner ahead, the bus would come by and stop for us there. It was shady, and I literally couldn't catch a breath, so we stopped and sat on our bags for a few minutes.
The men drove off, leaving a nice clean road behind them. Gotta hand it to them, they work fast... We sat there watching the vultures circle (not kidding) and hoping the bus was actually coming down the hill and laughing nervously at our jokes about how it was definitely NOT coming and we were going to die here....Ok the thinking we were going to die part was mostly me....all me. I was kidding. Mostly. A few minutes later a small cluster of people started walking by us toward Montezuma - down the hill.
"Maybe they're coming to join us and are also waiting for the bus in its makeshift stop..." was my first thought.
Ryan said, jokingly, (mostly) "I hope the bus didn't just let all of these people off..."
A couple silent moments passed watching the people walk by and the road workers' truck drove back down the hill.
It pulled up in front of us.
...The bus had just let all those people off and was not coming down the hill. The driver told us to get in his truck and he would take us up the hill. He had come back for us. As we got up the hill, I realized that not only that, but he had kicked his worker buddy out of the truck and left him on the side of the road to 1) Have room for us in his car, and 2) Hold the bus for us.
The miracle continued when we would not accept our money. He helped us get our bags out of the truck and got us on that bus.
We sat there on the bus in total awe of what had just happened.
Looking around, we realized we were the only people on the bus. The others had most likely been waiting for it at the bottom of the hill and it never came.
Had we not walked up the hill, we would have missed the bus. Had the workers not driven up the hill at the exact time the bus was stopping to let people off, we would have missed the bus.
We just kept saying, "I can't believe that just happened." over and over again and thanking the luck and safety charm my uncle gave me before we left.
That bus ride was the most amazing thing we'd encountered on the whole trip.
Pura Vida
Friday, October 28, 2011
Welcome to the Jungle - Montezuma
Day 2 in Montezuma:
(Cappuccino)
We were told to cross the bridge and take the very next road on the right, across from a restaurant called "Cascada" (waterfall). Funny thing was that it wasn't totally clear which bridge, and if the first one even qualified as a bridge - keeping in mind that we didn't know there WAS a second one down the road... On our second attempt to find the road, after doubling back, we asked two school kids if this was the road for the waterfalls. They told us, no, it was up ahead, and the older girl went her own way home while the younger boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old walked alongside us down the road. He spent the entire walk telling Ryan, in a very serious tone, all about the red tide and how no one can eat any seafood from the red tide. Sounded like he'd been learning about it in school. We walked and listened and walked and listened until we saw a restaurant called, "Cascada" further down the road than we'd thought. The boy, whose name was Giovanni, pointed us up the road and said goodbye.
We only got about 3 steps up the road when a skinny Costa Rican man jumped up and started telling us where to go, and why. We followed him, for what we thought was only going to be a few steps into a path. He led us into the woods alongside the river for a minute - Ryan and I glancing at each other trying to communicate without words on whether or not this was happening. Suddenly he stopped us in the path and pointed down at a giant grey tarantula eating some kind of bug wrapped in its egg shaped web. Apparently this spider can be the death of a horse. They step on it, the leg swells up so badly that it has to be put down. Horses step over this spider. I can only imagine what happens to a human - a fraction of the size of a horse...
At this stopping point, we looked at each other and realized that a strange man - Whose name was Carlos - was leading us into the deep of the jungle. He was fully taking us on a tour. He told us to pack everything up and leave anything we could because we would be crossing the river, and you might lose things in it. Everything our lifetime of common sense tells us has flashing red arrows pointing to this as a prime example of what NOT to do. Pretty much ever. We were looking at the spider, and looking at Carlos, and looking at the "trail" and at each other...back at the spider....back at the river....
He told us several times that the other way was very dangerous and there have been accidents, and its much easier to go UP the river than down it. At the top there is a beautiful view of the ocean etc etc etc... We asked each other a few times what either one wanted to do. I was more wary of Carlos than the idea of crossing the river. He told us he was a tour guide and had just finished this same hike with a couple and their baby, and that he had been doing it for 10 years.
Back at the spider....back at the river...at each other...
At this point, one or both of us must have had some kind of aneurism because we stepped over the spider and went with it.
Normally, this would be the beginning of one of those trendy horror movies where something terrible happens, and the whole audience is screaming "DON'T DO IT!" But Ryan said he felt ..ok about it, and I trusted that.
We kept our wits about us though. He gave me his sandals to wear because mine were slippery and would break and continued on barefoot through the jungle, all the while keeping his eyes out for spider, snakes, everything scary in the world that happens to live in the jungles....
He led us across the river, showed us exactly where to stand, what to grab, where to put our feet, and how to face the current. We continued along a path that hardly looked beaten. He pointed at pink tape and string in the ground and told us it was his "GPS" and it meant "that root was strong", and "not slippery". I think we were both simultaneously admiring this amazing jungle, and planning escape routes for possible scenarios.
Finally we ran into some other tourists and their guide, who knew Carlos and they exchanged fist bumps and greetings and a few words - and right as we passed them we came across the first waterfall. A huge misty waterfall surrounded by jungle with a swimming pool at the bottom. The mist was a godsend after the hot hike through the mud. At that moment, I was at ease.
Here we decided to keep going and finish the hike...which it turns out took an interesting turn. Our next trail was straight up the mountain side. We used roots and rocks as handles and places to step. Ryan was impressed when I attacked it without hesitation and climbed it like stairs. All he'd seen of me was my vertigo, not wanting to get mud on my clothes, side. Welcome to the jungle...
Carlos is still barefoot, mind you, showing us all the plants. The "free acupuncture" trees that are covered in thorns the size of my toes, and telling us various stories about things. At one point I asked him what animal that smell was coming from, he said, "Ah, Monkeys, Jaguars...Snakes."
"Oh good. Wonderful. Do you see many of those on your hikes, Carlos?"
"The snakes, they go underground when it rains." he said, while he played with a big leaf.
"Lovely."
"Excuse me one moment, I have to drink some water. Is spring water, here." And off we sprang, up the creek a few paces, using the leaf he'd been "playing with" to fold in half and create a water spout. At this point, I felt even more at ease since, clearly, he spends a lot of time in the jungle and knows a thing or two about it...
Our arms and legs were burning by now and at the exact perfect moment we came to the next waterfall. Another swimming pool, and a rope swing, along with an incredible view down to the other falls. Carlos took our things while we swam across the pool and climbed up to the other side while he took photos and climbed along the edge with ease.
Ryan took a jump off the smaller waterfall into the pool, and I....stood there shaking and counting to 3 before chickening out and stepping back - repeatedly...about 100 times.
Finally we pressed on and finished out hike. We took a short break at a zip line dock and Carlos told us more stories. They all had something to do with saving someone, or his wife who was about to have a baby. He knew everyone, and thought very highly of 3 things. God. His father. And himself.
We made a quick stop at some strangers house so he could phone his wife. True to his word, we ended at a breathtaking view of the coast, and at the end, made another stop at a woman's small shop for a beer overlooking the trees and ocean.
He said usually people are charged $35 per person but we could just pay him tips.
Not that we could anyways. There are definitely none of those giant grey tarantulas on Salt Spring. And hardly any jaguars...
This day started out completely normal. Normal breakfast, 
(Huevos Rancheros)
(Huevos Rancheros)
(Cappuccino)normal asking around for how to get to said 'waterfalls' and what to do there...
Downtown (The only part of town) Montezuma.
Normal no one having the same response - ever... So we never would have seen the adventure ahead. Not in a million years.
Downtown (The only part of town) Montezuma.Normal no one having the same response - ever... So we never would have seen the adventure ahead. Not in a million years.
We were told to cross the bridge and take the very next road on the right, across from a restaurant called "Cascada" (waterfall). Funny thing was that it wasn't totally clear which bridge, and if the first one even qualified as a bridge - keeping in mind that we didn't know there WAS a second one down the road... On our second attempt to find the road, after doubling back, we asked two school kids if this was the road for the waterfalls. They told us, no, it was up ahead, and the older girl went her own way home while the younger boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old walked alongside us down the road. He spent the entire walk telling Ryan, in a very serious tone, all about the red tide and how no one can eat any seafood from the red tide. Sounded like he'd been learning about it in school. We walked and listened and walked and listened until we saw a restaurant called, "Cascada" further down the road than we'd thought. The boy, whose name was Giovanni, pointed us up the road and said goodbye.
We only got about 3 steps up the road when a skinny Costa Rican man jumped up and started telling us where to go, and why. We followed him, for what we thought was only going to be a few steps into a path. He led us into the woods alongside the river for a minute - Ryan and I glancing at each other trying to communicate without words on whether or not this was happening. Suddenly he stopped us in the path and pointed down at a giant grey tarantula eating some kind of bug wrapped in its egg shaped web. Apparently this spider can be the death of a horse. They step on it, the leg swells up so badly that it has to be put down. Horses step over this spider. I can only imagine what happens to a human - a fraction of the size of a horse...
At this stopping point, we looked at each other and realized that a strange man - Whose name was Carlos - was leading us into the deep of the jungle. He was fully taking us on a tour. He told us to pack everything up and leave anything we could because we would be crossing the river, and you might lose things in it. Everything our lifetime of common sense tells us has flashing red arrows pointing to this as a prime example of what NOT to do. Pretty much ever. We were looking at the spider, and looking at Carlos, and looking at the "trail" and at each other...back at the spider....back at the river....
He told us several times that the other way was very dangerous and there have been accidents, and its much easier to go UP the river than down it. At the top there is a beautiful view of the ocean etc etc etc... We asked each other a few times what either one wanted to do. I was more wary of Carlos than the idea of crossing the river. He told us he was a tour guide and had just finished this same hike with a couple and their baby, and that he had been doing it for 10 years.
Back at the spider....back at the river...at each other...
At this point, one or both of us must have had some kind of aneurism because we stepped over the spider and went with it.
Normally, this would be the beginning of one of those trendy horror movies where something terrible happens, and the whole audience is screaming "DON'T DO IT!" But Ryan said he felt ..ok about it, and I trusted that.
We kept our wits about us though. He gave me his sandals to wear because mine were slippery and would break and continued on barefoot through the jungle, all the while keeping his eyes out for spider, snakes, everything scary in the world that happens to live in the jungles....
He led us across the river, showed us exactly where to stand, what to grab, where to put our feet, and how to face the current. We continued along a path that hardly looked beaten. He pointed at pink tape and string in the ground and told us it was his "GPS" and it meant "that root was strong", and "not slippery". I think we were both simultaneously admiring this amazing jungle, and planning escape routes for possible scenarios.
Finally we ran into some other tourists and their guide, who knew Carlos and they exchanged fist bumps and greetings and a few words - and right as we passed them we came across the first waterfall. A huge misty waterfall surrounded by jungle with a swimming pool at the bottom. The mist was a godsend after the hot hike through the mud. At that moment, I was at ease.
Here we decided to keep going and finish the hike...which it turns out took an interesting turn. Our next trail was straight up the mountain side. We used roots and rocks as handles and places to step. Ryan was impressed when I attacked it without hesitation and climbed it like stairs. All he'd seen of me was my vertigo, not wanting to get mud on my clothes, side. Welcome to the jungle...
Carlos is still barefoot, mind you, showing us all the plants. The "free acupuncture" trees that are covered in thorns the size of my toes, and telling us various stories about things. At one point I asked him what animal that smell was coming from, he said, "Ah, Monkeys, Jaguars...Snakes."
"Oh good. Wonderful. Do you see many of those on your hikes, Carlos?"
"The snakes, they go underground when it rains." he said, while he played with a big leaf.
"Lovely."
"Excuse me one moment, I have to drink some water. Is spring water, here." And off we sprang, up the creek a few paces, using the leaf he'd been "playing with" to fold in half and create a water spout. At this point, I felt even more at ease since, clearly, he spends a lot of time in the jungle and knows a thing or two about it...
Our arms and legs were burning by now and at the exact perfect moment we came to the next waterfall. Another swimming pool, and a rope swing, along with an incredible view down to the other falls. Carlos took our things while we swam across the pool and climbed up to the other side while he took photos and climbed along the edge with ease.
Ryan took a jump off the smaller waterfall into the pool, and I....stood there shaking and counting to 3 before chickening out and stepping back - repeatedly...about 100 times.
Finally we pressed on and finished out hike. We took a short break at a zip line dock and Carlos told us more stories. They all had something to do with saving someone, or his wife who was about to have a baby. He knew everyone, and thought very highly of 3 things. God. His father. And himself.We made a quick stop at some strangers house so he could phone his wife. True to his word, we ended at a breathtaking view of the coast, and at the end, made another stop at a woman's small shop for a beer overlooking the trees and ocean.
He said usually people are charged $35 per person but we could just pay him tips.
We walked back to our room relieved that we lived, and amazed that we ended up on that hike. As strange as the situation was, we never would have done that hike in a million years had that strange Tico man not showed up and forced us to go on his tour. It was definitely one of those cases where the risk is worth it. But also a classic case of, "Don't try this at home."
(Carlos. I'm still trying to figure out what his last story was about. My Spanish is...meh.)
(Carlos. I'm still trying to figure out what his last story was about. My Spanish is...meh.)Not that we could anyways. There are definitely none of those giant grey tarantulas on Salt Spring. And hardly any jaguars...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Montezuma by any other name is...Moctezuma.
Today we got the heck out of San Jose. We took a taxi to the bus station, took a bus to the Puntarenas, where we got another taxi to the ferry terminal. From there we got the ferry to Paquena, and a bus to Cobano, and ANOTHER bus here to Montezuma. We had the hardest time finding this place on any map online, until finally we found it by accident, by the name of Moctezuma... Its also not in most of the guidebooks I've looked at. Just one. This town has remained mysterious, so when we got here we had no idea what to expect and no place to stay. Turns out its a cute little tiny town, at least by night. Haven't seen it by day yet, but so far its wonderful. Lots of christmas lights lining restaurants. The one we chose tonight plays movies on a projector screen. Right now "Sactum" is on. The latest James Cameron movie. They also have free wifi after a minimum $6 meal, which is easy to do in these touristy little towns. So far nothing is super cheap, but we've gotten a good deal on a room for tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe we're on to Mal Pais, maybe we'll stay here....You'll know when we know.
View Larger Map
This is not our route...we took a ferry across the gulf, but the rest is pretty close.
View Larger Map
This is not our route...we took a ferry across the gulf, but the rest is pretty close.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
SFO to SJO
We've landed safely in San Jose, as of today. We had a great couple days in the city, hitting up all the must-see spots and having all the must-have coffees (Cafe Trieste) irish coffees (The Buena Vista Cafe) and favorite foods (Most places in North Beach. And everywhere.) Our hotel was in a great spot and put us in walking distance of almost everything. Those things that were further, we walked anyways....and took some buses. Our first day was mostly just walking around. We went up to Coit tower and looked out at the bay, had dinner in North Beach, and slept the rest of it off. We woke up just in time to have a beer at Vesuvio, right next to City Lights Bookstore. We even caught a real live SF earthquake to boot. Talk about the full experience. The next day we spread our wings further and hopped on a bus to the bridge, walked a little ways out to see the view, and then hopped back on the bus to Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach. The weather was PERFECT in every way, a clear, sunny, AND warm day. Its not often you catch San Francisco on a day when its all three at the same time. We took a walk down Haight street and observed the mass of hippies and kids who desperately wish they were hippies, and men who desperately wish they were women and vice versa. People watching is always free, and on Haight street, priceless. We took one last bus ride to the aquatic center and walked all the way along the Embarcadero on the water through pier 39, and to the ferry building for an amazing affogatto. There was a small gathering of Occupy SF across the street and still, the weather was perfect. Couldn`t have asked for a better last day in the USA.
The next day we caught all our connections nearly seamlessly, including bumming over to Oakland in the morning to see my sister Coriander for an hour before we got back on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and made it to SFO. (Ryan observed that its a good thing they didn`t name it `Francisco Area Rapid Transit`...hahaha.)
Step two on our travel itinerary was one night in Houston. Taco Bell and Men in Black II. Also a good night.
Now we are in San Jose, CR. Its raining a lot. The rainy season will go through November, usually, and some places are flooded so we have to figure out which roads are not passable. We plan on getting out of this city pronto. I`m sure its great for some people, but from our perspective, we don`t need to see much here this time around. As of right now, we are sitting in our hostel room. We got our own bathroom which was a bonus. It kind of smells like mold - but we can handle that. We have our brochures out looking for a new place to go tomorrow since we only have one night here. For now we`ll check out the area a little and see what we see.
So far this trip feels like the embodiment of the phrase:
The next day we caught all our connections nearly seamlessly, including bumming over to Oakland in the morning to see my sister Coriander for an hour before we got back on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and made it to SFO. (Ryan observed that its a good thing they didn`t name it `Francisco Area Rapid Transit`...hahaha.)
Step two on our travel itinerary was one night in Houston. Taco Bell and Men in Black II. Also a good night.
Now we are in San Jose, CR. Its raining a lot. The rainy season will go through November, usually, and some places are flooded so we have to figure out which roads are not passable. We plan on getting out of this city pronto. I`m sure its great for some people, but from our perspective, we don`t need to see much here this time around. As of right now, we are sitting in our hostel room. We got our own bathroom which was a bonus. It kind of smells like mold - but we can handle that. We have our brochures out looking for a new place to go tomorrow since we only have one night here. For now we`ll check out the area a little and see what we see.
So far this trip feels like the embodiment of the phrase:
Wherever you go, there you are.
-Some guy, every source is different.
And here we are.
Friday, October 21, 2011
San Francisco
I love the colors in this city
First moment in the city - arrived safe and sound.
We found it, Mama!Santa Cruz and SLO
An alley in Anna's new hometown
A monach at Natural Bridges. Thousands gather here every year.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The main attraction at the butterfly place...
Mendocino County
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Step One...
Well hello, and welcome to post number one! The emergency exits are located - nowhere- so you'll just have to finish reading this post.
Sadly I have no photos to post yet, we need to connect the camera to the computer and that just hasn't happened yet, but -never fear- it will soon. For now, here is a small update on our trip so far.
We stayed with my Aunt Molly in Willits, CA
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for the first set of days - We used this as a home base while we made a day trip up to the Avenue of The Giants, The Mendocino coast, and had some down time. She is always a great host and lent us her car during her school day (she is a teacher) to use, which was GREAT. Thank you so much, Aunt Molly for the time we spent with you!!
Next we moved on to Santa Rosa for a quick dinner and visit with my Uncle and Aunt at Cattlemen's - which is worth a trip all its own. We only had a short visit with them, but wonderful none the less.
The next leg of the trip was a whirl wind of travel and faces - We were picked up by my Aunt and her band of younglings and drove the long way down to Morgan Hill
View Larger Map
Driving through Santa Cruz, Capitola (my favorite place on earth), and along the coast. The next morning we went to San Luis Obispo to see my sister Anna at Cal Poly for the day.
View Larger Map
We made a trip to beautiful Pismo beach and Avila beach, and had dinner with her. It was so worth the drive to see her and thank you so much to my Aunt Emily for driving all that way in so few days.
This morning we were driven to Fremont (Just south of the Oakland area) where we caught the BART (like a skytrain) to San Francisco where we are currently in our room at the San Remo Hotel. A favorite of my Mother's (thanks mom). We did a little walking tour of the area earlier up to Coit Tower and lunch at L'Osteria Del Forno. (Our hotel is located in a priiime spot in North Beach which is where Little Italy is located.)
View Larger Map
I will post photos soon -Enter your email address in the box near the top of the page, under the photo of the ocean to receive a notification in your inbox when we post something new.
Much love to everyone!
Sadly I have no photos to post yet, we need to connect the camera to the computer and that just hasn't happened yet, but -never fear- it will soon. For now, here is a small update on our trip so far.
We stayed with my Aunt Molly in Willits, CA
View Larger Map
for the first set of days - We used this as a home base while we made a day trip up to the Avenue of The Giants, The Mendocino coast, and had some down time. She is always a great host and lent us her car during her school day (she is a teacher) to use, which was GREAT. Thank you so much, Aunt Molly for the time we spent with you!!
Next we moved on to Santa Rosa for a quick dinner and visit with my Uncle and Aunt at Cattlemen's - which is worth a trip all its own. We only had a short visit with them, but wonderful none the less.
The next leg of the trip was a whirl wind of travel and faces - We were picked up by my Aunt and her band of younglings and drove the long way down to Morgan Hill
View Larger Map
Driving through Santa Cruz, Capitola (my favorite place on earth), and along the coast. The next morning we went to San Luis Obispo to see my sister Anna at Cal Poly for the day.
View Larger Map
We made a trip to beautiful Pismo beach and Avila beach, and had dinner with her. It was so worth the drive to see her and thank you so much to my Aunt Emily for driving all that way in so few days.
This morning we were driven to Fremont (Just south of the Oakland area) where we caught the BART (like a skytrain) to San Francisco where we are currently in our room at the San Remo Hotel. A favorite of my Mother's (thanks mom). We did a little walking tour of the area earlier up to Coit Tower and lunch at L'Osteria Del Forno. (Our hotel is located in a priiime spot in North Beach which is where Little Italy is located.)
View Larger Map
I will post photos soon -Enter your email address in the box near the top of the page, under the photo of the ocean to receive a notification in your inbox when we post something new.
Much love to everyone!
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