It had to happen and today was the day. We closed up the house as Jim won't be back for 10 days and Adrian picked us up at 10:30 right on time. We headed South through Punta Islita to a very small village of Secca. Just past Islita we came to Adrians village of Corozalito population around 150. Here he stopped and we grabbed a coke each and then he showed us the church which is located near his home and is 60 years old.
When we arrived at Secca I couldn't believe the bus would even stop there. The population couldn't have been more than 50 tops. It was a two hour wait but not bad as we were kept company by a rooster and the old man of the village who sat with us for a while. The bus was right on time and it took us to Jicaral (12:30 - 2:30) which was a real treat for 1/4 of a mile as there was some pavement. By this time we're used to the rattles and dust so no biggy. Arriving at Jicaral our 2nd bus was waiting for us and took us to Playa Naranjo arriving there around 3 pm. This last busride was a bone rattling experience and because it's very hilly country it's flat out or low gear. This bus had absolutely no rear brake linings and all the way we could hear the agonizing screech of the drums meeting the silver linings for the millionth time. Give the driver credit though he used those remaining slivers of shoe backings to the best of his ability and didn't spare them. I guess there's no core charge down here.
We had been told that we would have to catch the ferry across the bay to Puntarenas and then another ferry in the morning to cross back over the bay to Paquera as there was no overland carrier. We were waiting at the ferry terminal when a fellow Canuck from the Kootenays told us to take a cab overland and avoid the two ferry crossings and a night in Puntarenas (the Tijuana of C.R.) Well a guy approached us and offered to take us for less than the hotel in Puntarenas so away we went for another hour over the washboard to Paquera. Our driver was Carlos and he had a tendancy to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the washboard on the hills. so here we are going up the hills on the wrong side with no idea who's coming over the top towards us. (Reminds me I need to get my will updated) We got there around 3:30 and he dropped us off at the bustop. First mistake of the day. We should have gone to the ferry terminal where the bus route begins which is 4 km farther down the road. This way we would have boarded the bus while it was empty as it turned out we sat on the hard wooden bench at the bustop for 4 hours as the bus was late leaving and then had to stand when we got on. By this time it was around 8:30 pm and we hadn't eaten since around 7 a.m. We weren't sure when the bus would come by and didn't want to leave the bustop in case we missed it. We had others (Ticos) waiting with us for the duration so we figured they must know when the bus comes by. Needless to say I was getting a little antsy by this time but calm Jo kept me under control and we rolled into Montezuma around 9 pm with no reservations. This place is like Haight Ashbury and the place we wanted to stay seemed a way out from where we were dropped off and it was blacker than Toby's ass past the bustop so we began to find a quick place for the night and then grab a bite after we dropped the packs off. The following is the 2nd chapter which I wrote this morning while waiting to find a place to eat. I wanted to keep it fresh in my mind for your reading pleasure.
Montezeuma ....The revenge
It was very dark when we arrived by bus at 9:00 p.m. Not seeing a cab to get to where we'd planned to stay we headed up a small hill past restaurants and internet cafes, bars, and travel agents. The streets were alive with 20 year olds drinking and partying. Dreadlocks to skinheads along with a few Tibetan monks or harry Krishnas thrown in to round it out, many of them practising their street entertainment. It was a natural home for wannabe street minstrels who would never make it. Sort of a graveyard for Granville Island dropouts.
Most of the hotels looked quite expensive on the main street so we'd made our way down to the Hades of Hippies. After such a long day on the road (11 hours with only breakfast 14 hours ago) We found what appeared to be our nights rest. El Capitan cabinas. At last. We approached the manager who was a Danny DeVito type (actually a dead ringer) and he showed us to a room with private shower. It was very small and we were beat so we thought what the hell? I asked him how much and he said $15. I'm thinking great, but after a very pregnant pause he added "each". I'm sure he was trying us on but we let it pass. We moved in and went to sign in and pay him where another $5 deposit was req'd for a key. I kept my laptop and camera (which is always with me) and left the bags in the "room". Danny said to me as we were signing in "you look like someone". I responded "Tom Cruise"?. Nope guess it wasn't him. He then said "Andre Previn " or some long dead singer. I wondered if Andre was ever told he looked like me.
We then started cruising the restaurants to fill our empty bodies. I had told Jo earlier I'd love to have a burger and potatoes. Potatoes aren't big down here and we finally found a place advertising burgers. Yahoo I'm thinking. Well they were out of burgers along with most everything else on the menu so we settled for beef filet. They grill it outside. I mentioned to Jo why a burger was worth more than a filet. The answer came shortly after that. A beautiful lettuce and tomato salad, lots of potatoes, and the "filet". This filet was carved from the hide of the winning bull in the running of the bulls in Spain 10 years ago. It was cheaper than hamburg because it saved the machine they would have had to use to grind it! Imagine grilled jerky. The bottom line is I sat down hungry and got up tired.
We then headed back to the "room" past all the nefarious looking minstrels. We had no sooner turned a corner and two of them fell in behind us. We made it to our place and there was Danny parked in a chair watching us about to be mugged. We made it to the room and was considering having a refreshing shower in our private bathroom until Jo noticed there were no towels and there was soap although it had been used. We passed on that idea. There was a fan in the room that is wired w/ tape into another wire that goes into the only outlet. I can't use the puter as it's a three pronger and this one appears to be a 1 and a half. Our one cell window contains no glass, just a screen and steel mesh with 3' squares.. Behind the door is a sign "checkout is 12 noon be ready!"
It was now about 10:30 and time for bed. I'd already spent 6 hours sitting on a board awaiting busses and this made me feel right at home. The mattress was made up of a piece of foam that had come from the underlay of a wornout hall rug. Under that was some soft wood. Several hours later we were awakened by the screeching of a cat. It sounded like a one sided battle to the death. This was followed up by the motion lite outside going on and at 3 or 4 in the morning it gave me pause to consider which one of the local pirates was coming for us. I kept one eye on the silhouette on the curtain for a long time but nada. We'd escaped another possible rape and pillage. I must have finally dozed off when I was again awakened by the sound of water falling onto a rock or something. Unable to see what it was in the dark (it was like trying to sleep under a waterfall) I again dozed off. This time to be awakened by large nuts falling on the roof from a tree overhead. That pretty much capped my night and we both gave up around 6 with the hopes of getting out of here as soon as the restaurants open and Danny's awake to give us our $5.00 back. I've got some pictures to show my story however it's hard to get a picture inside here as it's too small. I'll do my best.
Al Cotton
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