Hola otra vez!

I've been back in Costa Rica for about 2 weeks now.  I arrived on the 14th by surprise (you just never know when flying stand-by).  I traveled by plane, bus and taxi to my apartment.  It had been over a month since anyone had been in there.  The wind had blown our few belongings and tons of dust and dirt all over the place.  The fridge was empty.  The water was off.  The apartment was silent.  It was a little sad, to be honest.

I cleaned the apartment and walked into Ciudad Quesada to get some food.  It felt like I'd never left.  I went to one of my favorite restaurants and got a big smile from the lady that works there.  Something told me she recognized me from visiting before.  It was a warm welcome, but when I sat to eat down by myself I felt the sudden pang of homesickness.  This is how it usually hits me, not 4 months in, not 6 months in, but the instant I reach a place and realize just how far away I am and for just how long I will be there.

I finished my meal and went back to the apartment.  The internet was out so I listened to Spanish dubbed CSI on the fuzzy television while I unpacked and repacked for a trip.  I had 12 days before our meetings started for school and I wanted to get some of this "dry season" beach time in.

To be honest, it took a lot to get me out of bed and to the bus stop that day.  I didn't know where to go or what to do.  I didn't know if I'd packed enough.  I didn't know how long I'd be gone.  I didn't know if I'd spend the next 12 days alone and bored and sad.  I didn't know if I'd even make it gone that long, and if I would just return home to the comfort of the apartment and my favorite blanket.  I slept late and walked to the bus station at noon.  I waited for about 45 minutes and no bus came.

This sent me into even more of a rut.  I walked back to the apartment and got in bed.  I slept for 2 hours in the midday sun and breeze of the summer season in San Carlos, something I hadn't experienced yet.  Finally I rose again.  I felt refreshed and ready and less concerned about what the next few days held and more ready to get on the bus and just ride.

I have found a lot of peace in traveling by bus.  To plop down in a (window, preferably) seat and totally check out of all thought and control can be very therapeutic.  I love watching the greenness of Costa Rica pass by me while I contemplate anything and everything.  Add a good playlist and it can be down right restorative.

I arrived in San Jose for the night, as is necessary to go just about anywhere.  It is peak travel season and the hostel was FULL of people.  I checked bus schedules, talked with travelers and employees, and eventually decided on heading south to Uvita.  There was a craft beer festival that I wanted to check out and make my way down to Osa Peninsula.

I arrived in Uvita the following afternoon with no idea where I was.  The bus station was off of the main highway.  I saw no beach, no hostels, no restaurants, nothing.  I asked around and eventually walked about a km to the nearest hostel, Tucan Hotel.

This. Place. Was. Amazing.  Probably one of my favorite hostels I have stayed in.  Not necessarily for the location, (it was about 4 km from the beach) but because of the amazing Italian/American family that ran it and all of the people I met there.  It was small enough to ensure that all the guests hung out in the same area.  I met all sorts of people.  A couple from San Francisco.  A set of brothers from Boston.  3 guys from Basque country that I have been running into for the past 2 weeks all over the country.  I also met 2 guys from Switzerland named Ben and Nicholas, who I ended up traveling with for the next week.  You are never alone when traveling "by yourself."

Uvita is home to the famous whale's tail beach... unfortunately I don't have a helicopter so you'll have to google the aerial view, but this is the view from the sand.

Mother Earth not takin no shit from no one. 

On Saturday, with a few others from the hostel, I went to the Ballena Beer Fest.  My past month at home really spoiled my beer taste buds, and I needed a little taste of what Costa Rica had to offer.  We had a great time tasting lots of traditional ales, stouts and pilsners but I also tried some interesting meads and sours.

Goathouse 169 - a great little restaurant that hosted the beer festival in Playa Ballena. 

 The winners, home brew team Sin Cordoba.

Ben & Nicholas from Switzerland. Such awesome guys I got to know very well.  They are on an 8 month trip that started in Cuba and went through Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and then we met in Costa Rica.  They have since moved on to Panama, where they will sail to Colombia then travel through Ecuador, Peru and wherever else they can visit until they leave from Brazil in June.  No big deal.  

I had such a good time with the Swiss guys, they talked me into traveling a bit with them.  They were headed to San Jose with no plans and no idea of what to do.  I offered to show them around the city that I've come to know pretty well.

We left Uvita on Sunday and headed for the capital.  The buses were full, and we had to sit on the floor for the 5 hour ride.  We explored San Jose the next day, visiting the Museo del Jade, Parque Zoologico de Simon Bolivar and Mercado Central.  Nicholas got his first hair cut too!!

 Such a sweet bromance. 

Despite claims that the weather was bad, Tuesday we headed to the Caribbean coast.  We stopped in Cahuita for two nights before heading on to the party town of Puerto Viejo.  Cahuita is a very slow, very quaint little Caribbean town just 20 km north of P.V.  There is a beautiful National Park there with beach trails and tranquil waters, as well as the largest coral reef system in Costa Rica.  We walked all day, had an excellent dinner of Caribbean rice & beans and hung out at another great hostel, Hakuna Matata, which prompted lots of Disney singalongs.  

Thursday we took a 20 minute bus ride to Puerto Viejo.  I haven't been in Puerto Viejo since last July, and it was great to return to this fun little Caribbean town.  We rented bikes and rode along the coast to Cocles, Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva and finally to Manzanillo where we stopped for lunch.  It was a 26 km bike ride there and back.  

Punta Uva facing north

Manzanillo

Manzanillo

Manzanillo Soda

Loving my new waterproof camera!

True Caribbean waters. 

Back in Puerto Viejo, Bob Marley and cheap weed permeate the beach air.  I love this little town though.  It's the only place reggae music doesn't feel cheesy.  It is probably my favorite place I've visited - but that includes the beautiful 13 km ride down the coast to Manzanillo.  There is a different feel on this coast from many of the Pacific beaches.  Its Caribbean roots give it its unique character. 

Playa Cocles 2015 Open Pro Surf Competition

Sunday the Swiss boys left for Panama and I rode my bike back along the coast, snapping photos and exploring beaches.  I realized how silly it was to have even considered the thought of being bored, or lonely, or unsure of things to do.  There are always new friends to meet, new places to see.  Especially at this peak travel time in Costa Rica. 

I have since returned to San Carlos and Lauren and I are getting ready for the new school year.  Tomorrow we have orientation with teachers through the end of the week.  Then our students return next week!  I can't wait to see them and hear all about their vacations although I know their answers already.  

Me: What did you do over break?

Students: Nothing.

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